Custody Of Lodge Funds.

To the Editor of the F REIMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND B ROTHER , —Does not your correspondent " P . T . " labour under a slight mistake ? He says , at the conclusion of his letter last week , that the system adopted by the Masonic Charities , as to their Festivals , is almost universal in this country . It may bo

so in certain respects , but , as far ns my knowledge goes , it varies in the most important point , viz : —who pays the piper . Certainly I cannot boast a very wide experience , but I think 1 could find two Charities where the oxpenses of the Festival are paid out of the funds thereof , to each he can name where the Stewards defray the

cost out of their own pockets . One other point suggests itself ; he considers Bro . Binckes arguments are " well nigh , if not quite unanswerable . " Perhaps they are ; but I do not think Bro . Binckes himself has arrived at this conclusion , for in his first letter he stated that he writes with a view of doing good to the Institutions , by arguing various matters in

connection therewith . I believe Bro . Binckes is enjoying a little rest with a view of strengthening himself for his winter campaign , and as he has promised ns further of his ideas on this subject , I anxiously await his return , when we may expect him to comment on the various questions that his letters hare given rise to . [ 1 remain , yours respectfully and fraternally , ALPHA .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Until your paper of last week reached me , I had considered that my letter to you , which was published on 24 th ult ., must have been very ill considered . Bach of your correspondents ( with the exception of A LPHA , last week ) seem unanimous in abusing mo in consequence thereof . I regret if what I wrote was

out of place , but can assure yon I wrote as I felt . Perhaps , as it turns out , it would have been as well if I bad not written the last paragraph of my letter , but as it cannot now be recalled , all I will ask is for my " fault-finders '" ( as Bro . Norton terms them ) to ignore thoso few lines , and for the futnre only argue on the other parts of my communication . It is all very well to pooh pooh the whole of my letter , because it finishes up badly , but I consider the objection I therein

point out , is the principal one which affects our Charity Stewards , and at present no very conclusive argument has been urged by your correspondents to upset it . As to Bro . Binckes I have all but made up my mind to be revenged on him for his chaff by acting as Steward for his Festival next year , and if I do I will introduce myself to him as—A STEWARD WHO HAS SERVED ONCE .

Scrutineers.

SCRUTINEERS .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I beg to say I am not the " Bro . Stevens " referred to in the letters of your correspondents on the subject of Scrutineers .

Yours fraternally , Jxo . G . STEVENS , P . M . 554 and 933 . 7 Upton-place , Romford-road , near Stratford , Essex , 25 th September 1878 .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In all public correspondence , especially that of an unpleasant nature , and when persons are indicated by name , the writers cannot be too particular in the designation of the person or persons involved . In a correspondence going on in your

journal , between Bros . William Biggs and James Stevens , upon the subject of " Scrutineers , " the former speaks of the latter simply as Bro . Stevens . Now , there are several Bro . Stevens in the Craft , and it happens that there are two Stevens who take an active part in elections at Freemasons' Hall , both act as " Scrutineers " when not

personally interested in the election of a candidate , and both are zealous and useful Masons . Many brethren who do not deeply interest themselves in the affairs of the Order , knowing only one Bro . Stevens who interests himself in election matters , take it for granted that it is the Stevens they know who is involved in this unpleasant

imputation . That Bro . is John Geeves Stevens , and the mistake has occasioned him much annoyance and pain . Will Bro . William Biggs in his future communications bo good enough to correctly designate tbe brother or brothers against whom he may prefer a charge , and s <> prevent unnecessary mortification to those who are not in any degree mixed up with the transactions to which he alludes .

Yours fraternally , JONATHAN TAYLOR , P . M . 933 . 170 A Fenchurch-street , E . C . 26 th September 1878 .

Bro. Norton's " Hints To His Faultfinders."

BRO . NORTON'S " HINTS TO HIS FAULTFINDERS . "

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —As I havo the honour to represent at Jeastoneof thoae brethren whom Bro , Jacob . Nortcm has designated

Bro. Norton's " Hints To His Faultfinders."

as above , and to whom his remarks published last week are personally addressed , I trust you will grant mo just a modest space in your valuable columns in order that I may offer a few remarks in reply . I have a great respect for Bro . Norton , whom I had the privilege of meeting on his last visit to the old country . What I say , therefore , will be said in all friendliness of spirit , and whether he

betters me in argnment , or I better him , will iu no wise detract from tho regard in which I hold him . In tbe first place , Bro . Norton mnst bear in mind that he who first raises an objection is the faultfinder , not he or they who reply to it . Thus , a certain statement has been accepted for , say , a century-and-a-half , and Bro . Norton comes forward and says , in his

usual impetuous manner , " Oh , but that ' s all bosh . " There and then others appear in the field , and either endorse or resent—I do not use the word in any offensive sense—his statement . A . who agrees with him is a faultfinder in the sense that he ranees himself , under Bro . Norton's banner , while B . the Brother who diffars , is an upholder of tho ancient belief or statement , and is only a faultfinder

in that he objects to Bro . Norton ' s . I do not find fault with Bro . Norton for raising these or similar questions—on the contrary , the more they are argued , the greater light will be thrown on them . But when we differ and I argue with him , I necessarily offer one set of reasons—for or against as the case may be—and he another ; but unless ho claims to be infallible in the position he advances against

views which have prevailed for years , he is not justified in describing those who accept these latter as faultfinders . They only find fault with him becanse he began the fray by finding fault with them . This is a species of attack which is quite unworthy a disputant of Bro . Norton ' s calibre . I certainly did not understand that Bro . Norton , in his endeavour

to upset the received belief about Bro . Dunckerley s origin , was anxious to clear that Brother ' s mother from the charge of adultery . I imagined , and I think not -without reason , that he was comparing the non-Masonic with the Masonic version of Dunckerley ' a early life and his connection with Masonry up to a certain date , the conclusion he arrived at being that the latter

version was wrong . I met him by quoting a stntcment , described by those who received it as having been in Dunckerley's own handwriting , which was published in a later volume of the Magazine he quoted from . He admits ho had not read it , and he very properly defers dealing with my arguments until he has .- Now , Bro . Norton , allow mo to ask if it would

not have been wiser , had you ascertained whether what you had gleaned about Dunckerley was all that was known about him , before you set yourself to the task of finding fault with the Masonio version of that brother , & c . ? Who is the faultfinder—you who attack a statement with an incomplete knowledge of the circumstances , or I , who defend the statement out of my—I dare not say complete , but

more considerable—knowledge of the same ? I do not say that , after all , you may not be right , while it may be proved that I am wrong . Dunckerley died some fifty years before I was born , as the vei-siou of his birth was published in the Freemasons' Magazine for 1796 . 1 cannot , of course , say if the person who forwarded that version was , or was not , palming off on the Masonic public a fictitious statement of the

circumstances . Nor am I in a position to say whether the editor of the journal in question was , or was not , in collusion with the forwarder of the version . All I know is , there is the account , and in my humble opinion , what collateral evidence there is appears to confirm it . But this defence of mine , based as it is on a fuller knowledge of the sub « jeot , is not faultfinding .

I shall ask your permission , Sir , to offer further remarks , but for the present , I have said enough to justify my observations , which were purely defensive , while it waa Bro . Norton ' s attack which made them necessary . I would suggest to Bro . Norton , with whom I know that I am in agreement on many matters , ( 1 ) that he must not again make the

mistake of taking the field unless he has completed his armaments } ( 2 ) that I shall be happy to meet him again in argument when he has succeeded in obtaining the information he onght to have possessed before he made his attack ; and ( 3 ) that whether he or I prove victo * rious in this wordy warfare , he has , and will have always , to speak

more Franco , tbe assurance of my most distinguished consideration . He may always command my hand in the interchange of good-fellow , ship , and I wish he were here at this moment to test the sincerity of my statement . Fraternally yours , " Q . " 18 th September 1878 .

St . John's Mark Lodge , Time ImmemoriaL—A meet - ing was held on Wednesday , tbe 25 th September , at the Commercial Hotel , Bolton . Present—Bros . Thos . Holmes W . M ., Jas . Horrocks P . M . as S . W ., Henry Greenwood J . W ., Thomas Morris P . Prov . G . S . B . Sec , G . P . Brockbank P . M . Past Grand Warden Treas ., W . H . Byrom Prov . G . S . as M . O ., R . Whittaker P . Prov G . D . of C .

S . O ., John Harwood P . M . G . S . D . as J . O ., Jas . Dooley S . D ., John Wolstenholme I . G ., Thomas Higson Tyler ; Bro . Entwisle P . Prov . G . M . Lancashire . Visitors—Bros . Wall , Wades > n , Aleock Prov . ft . S ., W . J . Kenyon , John Alcock P . Prov . S . G . D ., P . M . Ferguson , Bailey , Job H . Greenhalgh , John Mitchell . Lodge opened at 6 p . m ., minutes and confirmed . The ballot was successfully taken for Bros .

Tohn Barrett , William Court , Robt . Latham , James Smith , Nathaniel Nicholson , and Henry Stead , all of St . George ' s Lodge 1723 , Bolton , ind also Wm . Bottomley of Earl Ellesmere Lodge 678 , Farnmouth , ind they were advancpd to the honourable degree of Mark Master ' "iy Bro . John Harwood , the concluding ceremony being rendered by

Bro . Entwisle . Bro . Wadeson was elected a joining member . Future neetinss were , altered to second Thursdays in March , September , and December . The members elected Bro . Henry Greenwood J . W . as heir future Master . On the motion of Bro . Brockbank , seconded by Bro . Entwisle , a grant o £ 5 was made to the Callender Memorial fWK !< fcedga rtm