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Notices Of Meetings.
were Bros . W . Hammond P . G . S . Middlesex , W . Shackleton 1326 , G . Clark 2 G 3 , E . Searle 1275 .
Metropolitan Lodge of Instruction , No . 1507 . —A meeting was held on 21 st May , at the Metropolitan Club , 269 Pentonville Road . Present : —Bros . Jas . Willing W . M ., Yeats S . W ., Berrio J . W ., Stiles S . D ., Scales J . D ., Shand I . G . ; Past Master Bro . T . A . Adams P . G . P . ; Bros . Rapkin , Ormiston , Read and Cox . Business transacted : —Minutes confirmed , Bro . Read initiated , Bro . Rapkin passed , Bro . Ormiston raised .
Masonic Literature.
MASONIC LITERATURE .
From the NEW YORK DISPATCH . WE . have more than once expressed our views in these columns touching the need of the Fraternity in so far as its literature is concerned , and tho apparent apathy with which tho Craft , as a wholo , receive any attempt to supply this acknowledged need . The same conditions existing years ago aro still in force , and tho need of the Fraternity is relatively just as great as over , while tho
indifference of the Craft has , upou tho whole , somewhat increased . It seems to bo the prevailing idea that once a man has been initiated , he has compassed the whole of Masonry , and that it is idle for him to spend his timo in studying what he already knows . Later on , the notion seems to be that there is so much to learn that a singlo lifetime will not suffice , and so , between tho two , tho matter drops to
the ground , and the labour of tho would-be teacher goes fcr naught . As an evidence that the foregoing assertions are not mere romancing , and that wo are not chawing upon our imagination for facts , wo instance the many Masonic journals laid in tho cemetery of the literature of Masonry during the past twenty years . We need not Call tho roll ; it is so long that the reader ' s patience would bo
exhausted before the names could be mentioned . Somo have lasted a few issues , some a year or two , some longer , but in every case tho result has been the same . After a brief career , the best as well as the mediocre journals commence crying for patronage , as a traveller in tho desert longs for water ; marasmus sets in , and death follows with a regularity that can bo predicted with nnfailing certainty .
So with Masonic libraries . Individuals and associations gather them together with infiuito labour and cost ; but , then , who uses them , outside of here and there an individual ? There are various reasons to bo assigned for this unseemly state of affairs . The first is the mistaken notion that Masonry is to be found in the mero ceremonies ; that these having been sufficiently witnessed , there is
nothing more for it but to Peek some other sourco of amusement ; for , to many , it appears that our association has no other attraction than as a means of passing away a portion of one ' s time agreeably . That this class of initiates will not read is a matter of course ; hence any laboured effort to instruct them is just so much timo
lost , since tho arrows fly over their heads without bitting thom , It follows that a Masonic paper devoted to tho more abstruso topics of tho Fraternity must fail , simply for tho reason that it cannot command the sympathy of persons who will not need it . Another reason is to bo found in the fact that in almost every instance where it has been proposed or attempted to start a
Masonic journal , the element of confidence 1 ms largely entered into the calculations of the publishers . As , for instance , A . B . proposes to start a Masonic journal . Ho says to himself there are so many Masons in this State ; if one in ten will subscribe and pay for this paper I can secure the best known talent to write its matter , print it in good stylo , supply it promptly , and make a moderate living
for myself . The first number issues , and the second and third , but in the meantime the subscription list does not fill up , and the publisher ' s pocket being empty , the publication ceases , and those who havo paid their meney in good faith tire left to whistle for tho work duo them . The next time a paper is started these gentlemen quietly count themselves out , and so it happens that iu the course of time , a large proportion of the membership having bought and paid for that kind
of experience , can not bo induced to touch a Masonic publication at any price . To use the common vernacular , this may seem " a little rough , " but we can with the utmost confidence appeal to the brethren for the practical truth of our slat' incut . The consequence is that no man cau a fiord to give his time and tho result of his researches to the Craft , because ho cannot live on air , and it therefore loses tho unspeakablo benefit it would receive from being adequately represented iu the current journalism
Masonic Literature.
of the day . Wo have been for about a quarter of a century attached from personal predilection to the cause of Masonio journalism , and during that time have witnessed many unsuccessful efforts in this direction , whilo we have never known bnt one marked success , and that is tho journal now in the handa of the reader , to wit , the New York Dispatch . Its success
is not due to any special literary merit of its editor and contributors , but to tho fact that it recognises current events a 3 they are , and treats Masonio topics from an every-day point of view ; never , however , losing sight of the hopo that ultimately a taste may be formed among the brethren for higher studies , calling out the services of minds enriched by years of study and
investigation , and that from its efforts there may yet grow a place in literature to be worthily filled in the name and for tho benefit of Freemasonry . Just at present , if wo may judge by the mortality among the magazines , the time cannot be long before wo shall have to bear tho whole weight of publicly espousing the cause of tho Institution . We do not by any means covet the honour , but wo shall
not shrink from the responsibility , and onr flag will be to the fore till the last gun fires . Meanwhile we urge npon tho brethren to reflect upon the question whether thoy aro doing their wholo duty to themselves and to the society by their failure to give an adequate support to tho literature of tho Craft ? Whether they ought not each , according to his means , to contribute toward the formation of such public Masonic opinion , as will placo onr literature on a firm and enduring basis , and thus broadon and doepon the foundations of Masonry .
A RBT . IC or OLD Tores . —Mr . Samuel u . Stnedly , Chief Engineer and Snrvoyor of tho city , has presented to tho R . W . Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Free and Accepted Masons , a copper plate , which was laid with Masonic ceremonies under the corner-stone of tho Upper Ferry or " Lancaster—Schuylkill Bridge , " on April 28 , 1812 . The bridge was bnrned April 1 , 183 S , and the wire suspension bridge
which is now being replaced by a now bridgo , was bndt to tako its place . Tho copper plate was found July 23 , 1 S 7-1 , on the north-west corner of the cast abutment while tho old foundations were being removed , preparatory to building the new abutments of FairmounC bridge . Mr . Smedly says , in his letter to Charles E . Meyer , Esq ., Chairman of the Library Committeo of Masons ; "As a lover of
ancieut relics , I can fully appreciate your desire , a 3 members of an Order of such great antiquity , to havo among your archives mementoes of tho early work of the Fraternity in this country , where such relics are of necessity so very rare . As the museum is at times open to visitors , so that the public which feels a laudable interest in our early local history will have tho opportunity of seeing it , it affords
mo great pleasure to present to the R . W Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Free and Accepted Masons , this interesting relic for preservation in the museum . " The plate is twelve by twelve inches , and about one-sixteenth of an inch thick . It bears two inscriptions , as follows : "This bridge was founded aud erected in the year of onr Lord , one thousand eight hundred and twelve , under tho supervision of the
following Board of Managers , viz .: Phillip Wager , President ; Cadwalader Evans , John Britten , Martin Dubbs , Abraham Sheridan , Samuel Brock , Samuel Richards , and Louis Wernway , architect . " "In the name of Almighty God , in the thirty-sixth year of American Independence and of Masonry 5 S 12 , Jonathan Bayard Smith . R . W . P . Graud Master of Masons , attended by the R . W . D . G . Master , Peter
Lo Barber Dnplisis , and the Grand Officers , the Hon'b ' e James Milnor being R . W . G . Master of tho Stato of Pennsylvania , and a numerous assemblage of Brethren , laid the first stone of this bridge on tho 2 Sth day of April , A . IJ . 1812 , which may God prosper . " Since the plate was found , another inscription , giving the date of its finding and tho fact of its presentation as above , has been added to this plate . —The Public Ledger .
A NEW USE POU TIIE BAGPIPES . —A young , intelligent corporal of the 78 th Highlanders , writing from Cawnporo , ( date , end of Sept . ) to his friends in Glasgow , says that whilo on the March they met the sepoys , and had au engagement with them near the Ganges . While the engagement was going on , it fell to be his duty , in company with another soldier , to carry a Highland piper , who had been wounded
in tho leg , to tho rear . They hoisted him shoulder-high , and were proceeding on their way , when , to their nttcr astonishment , they saw a sepoy on horsoback coming in their direction , with his sword drawn . The piper , after going through the ordinary manoeuvres of loading a gun , lifted the longest shank of his pipes to his shoulder , and pointed it at the sepoy ' s head . No sooner had he done this , than the sepoy turned tail and ran off . —British Battles hi Land and Sea .
Ad01403
THEHOLBORNRESTAURANT,218HIGHHOLBORK ONEOFTHESIGHTSANDONEOFTHECOMFORTSOFLONDON. Attractions of the chief PARISIAN ESTABLISHMENTS , with the quiet and order essential to English customs . DINNERS AND LUNCHEONS FROM DAILY BILL OF FARE . ATablecFIioteeveryeveningfrom6to830.Price3s6cl. INCLUDING SOUPS , FISH , EHTBEES , J 03 KTS , SWEETS , CHEESE , SALAO , & c , WITH DESSERT . This PAVOUEITE DINNEE is accompanied by a SELECTION of High-class INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC . COFFEE , TEA , CHESS AND SMOKING ROOMS .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notices Of Meetings.
were Bros . W . Hammond P . G . S . Middlesex , W . Shackleton 1326 , G . Clark 2 G 3 , E . Searle 1275 .
Metropolitan Lodge of Instruction , No . 1507 . —A meeting was held on 21 st May , at the Metropolitan Club , 269 Pentonville Road . Present : —Bros . Jas . Willing W . M ., Yeats S . W ., Berrio J . W ., Stiles S . D ., Scales J . D ., Shand I . G . ; Past Master Bro . T . A . Adams P . G . P . ; Bros . Rapkin , Ormiston , Read and Cox . Business transacted : —Minutes confirmed , Bro . Read initiated , Bro . Rapkin passed , Bro . Ormiston raised .
Masonic Literature.
MASONIC LITERATURE .
From the NEW YORK DISPATCH . WE . have more than once expressed our views in these columns touching the need of the Fraternity in so far as its literature is concerned , and tho apparent apathy with which tho Craft , as a wholo , receive any attempt to supply this acknowledged need . The same conditions existing years ago aro still in force , and tho need of the Fraternity is relatively just as great as over , while tho
indifference of the Craft has , upou tho whole , somewhat increased . It seems to bo the prevailing idea that once a man has been initiated , he has compassed the whole of Masonry , and that it is idle for him to spend his timo in studying what he already knows . Later on , the notion seems to be that there is so much to learn that a singlo lifetime will not suffice , and so , between tho two , tho matter drops to
the ground , and the labour of tho would-be teacher goes fcr naught . As an evidence that the foregoing assertions are not mere romancing , and that wo are not chawing upon our imagination for facts , wo instance the many Masonic journals laid in tho cemetery of the literature of Masonry during the past twenty years . We need not Call tho roll ; it is so long that the reader ' s patience would bo
exhausted before the names could be mentioned . Somo have lasted a few issues , some a year or two , some longer , but in every case tho result has been the same . After a brief career , the best as well as the mediocre journals commence crying for patronage , as a traveller in tho desert longs for water ; marasmus sets in , and death follows with a regularity that can bo predicted with nnfailing certainty .
So with Masonic libraries . Individuals and associations gather them together with infiuito labour and cost ; but , then , who uses them , outside of here and there an individual ? There are various reasons to bo assigned for this unseemly state of affairs . The first is the mistaken notion that Masonry is to be found in the mero ceremonies ; that these having been sufficiently witnessed , there is
nothing more for it but to Peek some other sourco of amusement ; for , to many , it appears that our association has no other attraction than as a means of passing away a portion of one ' s time agreeably . That this class of initiates will not read is a matter of course ; hence any laboured effort to instruct them is just so much timo
lost , since tho arrows fly over their heads without bitting thom , It follows that a Masonic paper devoted to tho more abstruso topics of tho Fraternity must fail , simply for tho reason that it cannot command the sympathy of persons who will not need it . Another reason is to bo found in the fact that in almost every instance where it has been proposed or attempted to start a
Masonic journal , the element of confidence 1 ms largely entered into the calculations of the publishers . As , for instance , A . B . proposes to start a Masonic journal . Ho says to himself there are so many Masons in this State ; if one in ten will subscribe and pay for this paper I can secure the best known talent to write its matter , print it in good stylo , supply it promptly , and make a moderate living
for myself . The first number issues , and the second and third , but in the meantime the subscription list does not fill up , and the publisher ' s pocket being empty , the publication ceases , and those who havo paid their meney in good faith tire left to whistle for tho work duo them . The next time a paper is started these gentlemen quietly count themselves out , and so it happens that iu the course of time , a large proportion of the membership having bought and paid for that kind
of experience , can not bo induced to touch a Masonic publication at any price . To use the common vernacular , this may seem " a little rough , " but we can with the utmost confidence appeal to the brethren for the practical truth of our slat' incut . The consequence is that no man cau a fiord to give his time and tho result of his researches to the Craft , because ho cannot live on air , and it therefore loses tho unspeakablo benefit it would receive from being adequately represented iu the current journalism
Masonic Literature.
of the day . Wo have been for about a quarter of a century attached from personal predilection to the cause of Masonio journalism , and during that time have witnessed many unsuccessful efforts in this direction , whilo we have never known bnt one marked success , and that is tho journal now in the handa of the reader , to wit , the New York Dispatch . Its success
is not due to any special literary merit of its editor and contributors , but to tho fact that it recognises current events a 3 they are , and treats Masonio topics from an every-day point of view ; never , however , losing sight of the hopo that ultimately a taste may be formed among the brethren for higher studies , calling out the services of minds enriched by years of study and
investigation , and that from its efforts there may yet grow a place in literature to be worthily filled in the name and for tho benefit of Freemasonry . Just at present , if wo may judge by the mortality among the magazines , the time cannot be long before wo shall have to bear tho whole weight of publicly espousing the cause of tho Institution . We do not by any means covet the honour , but wo shall
not shrink from the responsibility , and onr flag will be to the fore till the last gun fires . Meanwhile we urge npon tho brethren to reflect upon the question whether thoy aro doing their wholo duty to themselves and to the society by their failure to give an adequate support to tho literature of tho Craft ? Whether they ought not each , according to his means , to contribute toward the formation of such public Masonic opinion , as will placo onr literature on a firm and enduring basis , and thus broadon and doepon the foundations of Masonry .
A RBT . IC or OLD Tores . —Mr . Samuel u . Stnedly , Chief Engineer and Snrvoyor of tho city , has presented to tho R . W . Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Free and Accepted Masons , a copper plate , which was laid with Masonic ceremonies under the corner-stone of tho Upper Ferry or " Lancaster—Schuylkill Bridge , " on April 28 , 1812 . The bridge was bnrned April 1 , 183 S , and the wire suspension bridge
which is now being replaced by a now bridgo , was bndt to tako its place . Tho copper plate was found July 23 , 1 S 7-1 , on the north-west corner of the cast abutment while tho old foundations were being removed , preparatory to building the new abutments of FairmounC bridge . Mr . Smedly says , in his letter to Charles E . Meyer , Esq ., Chairman of the Library Committeo of Masons ; "As a lover of
ancieut relics , I can fully appreciate your desire , a 3 members of an Order of such great antiquity , to havo among your archives mementoes of tho early work of the Fraternity in this country , where such relics are of necessity so very rare . As the museum is at times open to visitors , so that the public which feels a laudable interest in our early local history will have tho opportunity of seeing it , it affords
mo great pleasure to present to the R . W Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Free and Accepted Masons , this interesting relic for preservation in the museum . " The plate is twelve by twelve inches , and about one-sixteenth of an inch thick . It bears two inscriptions , as follows : "This bridge was founded aud erected in the year of onr Lord , one thousand eight hundred and twelve , under tho supervision of the
following Board of Managers , viz .: Phillip Wager , President ; Cadwalader Evans , John Britten , Martin Dubbs , Abraham Sheridan , Samuel Brock , Samuel Richards , and Louis Wernway , architect . " "In the name of Almighty God , in the thirty-sixth year of American Independence and of Masonry 5 S 12 , Jonathan Bayard Smith . R . W . P . Graud Master of Masons , attended by the R . W . D . G . Master , Peter
Lo Barber Dnplisis , and the Grand Officers , the Hon'b ' e James Milnor being R . W . G . Master of tho Stato of Pennsylvania , and a numerous assemblage of Brethren , laid the first stone of this bridge on tho 2 Sth day of April , A . IJ . 1812 , which may God prosper . " Since the plate was found , another inscription , giving the date of its finding and tho fact of its presentation as above , has been added to this plate . —The Public Ledger .
A NEW USE POU TIIE BAGPIPES . —A young , intelligent corporal of the 78 th Highlanders , writing from Cawnporo , ( date , end of Sept . ) to his friends in Glasgow , says that whilo on the March they met the sepoys , and had au engagement with them near the Ganges . While the engagement was going on , it fell to be his duty , in company with another soldier , to carry a Highland piper , who had been wounded
in tho leg , to tho rear . They hoisted him shoulder-high , and were proceeding on their way , when , to their nttcr astonishment , they saw a sepoy on horsoback coming in their direction , with his sword drawn . The piper , after going through the ordinary manoeuvres of loading a gun , lifted the longest shank of his pipes to his shoulder , and pointed it at the sepoy ' s head . No sooner had he done this , than the sepoy turned tail and ran off . —British Battles hi Land and Sea .
Ad01403
THEHOLBORNRESTAURANT,218HIGHHOLBORK ONEOFTHESIGHTSANDONEOFTHECOMFORTSOFLONDON. Attractions of the chief PARISIAN ESTABLISHMENTS , with the quiet and order essential to English customs . DINNERS AND LUNCHEONS FROM DAILY BILL OF FARE . ATablecFIioteeveryeveningfrom6to830.Price3s6cl. INCLUDING SOUPS , FISH , EHTBEES , J 03 KTS , SWEETS , CHEESE , SALAO , & c , WITH DESSERT . This PAVOUEITE DINNEE is accompanied by a SELECTION of High-class INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC . COFFEE , TEA , CHESS AND SMOKING ROOMS .