Prov. Grand Lodge Of Devonshire.

Tho ceremony of consecration was next proceeded with . I he ode , " Hail , Universal Lord ! " was sung , and the P . G . Chaplain delivered tho opening invocation , and afrorwards read a portion of Holy Scripture . The first prayer was said by the P . G . Master , all tho brethren kneeling and chanting , " So moto it be . " Amidst solemn music tho Lodge was uncovered , and tho second prayer was said ,

during which tho P . G . Chaplain placed tho sacred name upon the Lodge . Next followed tho ceremony of consecrating the Lodge with corn , wine , and oil by tho P . G . Master aud his Grand Wardens , the P . G . Chaplain reading portions of Holy Scriptnvo during tho three perambulations . During tho offering up of the Prayer of Consecration by the P . G . M ., tho W . M . and Wardens of the

" Lodge of Obedience deposited the working tools of tho threo degrees upon tho Lodge . The chants " Glory to Thee , most High God , " " The Father Everlasting , " " As it was in the beginning , " & c , followed , and the P . G . Chaplain ottered up tho Prayer of Dedication . Tho P . G . M . thon seasoned tho Lodgo with salt , and P . G . Chaplain preceding him with burning incense and reading from tho Bible .

The final benediction was delivered by tho P . G . M ., and the brethren gave the " Grand Honours . " At tho end of the consecration , Bro . William Brodie , P . M . of No . 1241 , tho Master Designate of the " Lodge of Obedience , " was duly installed as its first WM . , and ho appointed and invested his Officers for tho ensuing twelvemonths as follows -. —Bios . B . Barber I . P . M ., W . Pklslev S . W ., J . W . Boon J . W .,

tho ltev . C . W . II . Holley Chaplain , E . T . Eelf Treasurer , G . W . Gould Secretary , A . J . G . Waters S . D ., J . J . Ball J . D ., A . Paddon I . G ., J . Coombe Tyler . The appointment of Stewards and other minor Officers was postponed to tho next Lodge . Bro . Samuel Jones P . P . G . S . D . was tho Installing Master . The other business of the P . G . Lodge was then proceeded with . On tho motion of Bro .

J . E . Cnrtois P . P . G . S . W ., tho following resolution , passed at the Provincial Grand Lodge hold at Exeter on the 2 Jth of January 1874 , was rescinded , viz .: — " That in the opinion of this Provincial Grand Lodge it is not advisable to increase the number of Masonic Charitable Institutions for tho following reasons : —

" ( a ) The existing Charities aro very far from being adequately supplied with funds . " ( 6 ) The means of particular Lodges in this Province are already taxed to the highest extent sanctioned by the Constitutions , and the revenues of the Provincial Grand Lodge admit of no material augmentation .

" ( e ) Though it is perfectly consistent with the principles of Masonry that means should be provided for the relief of brethren who have fallen into unmerited misfortune , yet is is by no means consistent with thoso principles that tho Order should assume the form or the attributes of a Benefit Society . " The reports of the Secretary , Treasurer , Treasurer of the Fortescne

Annuity Fund , and tho Committee of Petitions , wero received and adopted , and the P . G . M . appointed the following brethren the Prov . Grand Officers for the next twelvemonths , viz .: —Tho Hon . Walter Hylton Joliflb P . M . 12 S 5 G . S . Warden , Samuel Jones P . P . S . G . D . G . J . Warden , tlio Eev . E . Thornton W . M . 164 , and tho Eev . E . Swansborough W . M . 1181 G . Chaplains , Eoberfc Bishop Twose P . M .

ot Lodge fortitude G . Treas ., P . Stewart Kersteman P . M . 251 Grand Registrar , W . G . Eogers P . P . S . G . W . G . Secretary , Henry Woorlgates P . M . 847 G . S . Deacon , William Brodie W . M . 1254 Grand J . Deacon , Edgar TV / . er P . M . 1413 G . Supt . Works , Samuel Loram P . M . 1443 , G . D . of Cert-monies , J . F . Long P . M . 39 G . Assist . D . of Ceremonies , Georgn John Bishop P . M . 10 ( j G . Sword Bearer , James Ellis P . M .

1212 G . Organic , A . W . Wolf P . M . 223 G . Pursuivant , — Box P . M . 156 , — Andiews P . M . 70 , A . Bo . lloy , P . M . 39 , II . D . Thomas P . M . 444 , B . Barber P . M . 1251 , and J . B . Patterson P . M . 1125 G . Stewards , P . L . Bhinchaid U . Tyler , J . R ^ -is G . Assist . Tyler . Bros . J . Way and V . Bird were appointed auditors for the ensuing year . A procession was formed after the Provincial Grand Lodgo closed ,

and tho brethren walked from the school-room to the White Hart Hotel , where the meetings of tho now Lodges will be held , in the following order : — The band of the First Devon Militia . A Tyler with a drawn sword . Brethren , not members of any Lodge in the Province , two and two , Juniors preceding . Tho Brethren of the Lodges in the Province

two and two , the Junior Lodge preceding , each Lodge following its banner . The Provincial G . Tylers with drawn swords . Four Worshipfnl Masters of Lodges bearing Cornucopia with corn , and three vessels containing wine , oil , and salt . P . G . Pursuivants . The Grand Pursuivant . Past Grand Organists . The Grand Organist . Past Grand Sword Bearers . The Grand Sword Bearer . P . G . Directors of

Ceremonies . Tho G . Director of Ceremonies and tho Assistant G . Director of Ceremonies . P . G . Snpts . of Works . The G . Supts . of Works . P . G . Deacons . The G . Secretary . Past Grand Eegistrars . The Grand Registrar . Past Grand Treasurers . Tho G . Treasurer . Past Grand Chaplains . Past Grand Wardens . The Corinthian Light borne by the W . M . of a Lodge . Tho Junior Grand Waiden with the

Plumb Eulc . The Doric Light borne by the W . M . of a Lodge . The Senior Grand Warden with the Level . Tho Jnnior Grand Deacon . The Grand Chaplains bcariug tho Volume of the Sacred Law with the Square and compasses thereon , with a G . Steward ou either side . The Deputy P . G . Master with the Square , preceded by his bauner , borne by tbo W . M . of a Lodge . The louic Light borne by the

Worshipful Master of a Lodge . A Past Provincial Grand Officer bcariug the Mallet . The Banner of the Eight Worshipfnl Provincial G . Master with a G . Steward on either side . Thd Grand Sword Bearer , bearing tho Sword o ! State , the E . W- Prov . Graud Master , the Senior Grand Deacou , two Grand Stewards . On arriving at the

portico of the hotel , tho procession halted , tho brethreu openiug to tue rii < ht aud left , facing inwards , leaving room for the Provincial Grand Master to pass np the centre , preceded by his banner auu Graud Sword Bearer ; the Grand Officers aud brethren followed in succession from the rear . A noticeable feature in the decoration of the scbool . room and in the procession was the beautiful haucl . worked silk banner , belonging

Prov. Grand Lodge Of Devonshire.

to Semper Fedelis Lodge , Exeter , which was given by Bro . J . Horswell . Tho banquet was hold at the White Hart Hotel , tho Provincial Grand Master presiding , and there wero about 120 bretbz- en present . Tho catering of Bro . John Ball was perfect iu every way , and gave entire satisfaction . The tables wero adorned with roses and other flowers , kindly sent by Mr . James Walters , of the Mount Eadford Nursery . —Exeter and Plymouth Gazette .

Masonic Mysteries.

MASONIC MYSTERIES .

BY Buo . JACOB NORTON . WHEN I was very young I heard a sermon preached from a Eabinicat text , viz ., " Sin begets sin , and error begets error . " The lecturer forcibly demonstrated the necessity of destroying every error beforo it can become the parent of other errors . Among other arguments ho gave the following apt illustration : —

"Tho caterpillar ( said he ) , which is so destructive to vegetation , if not destroyed in time , will become developed into a butterfly , and this butterfly will become tho parents of a large number of cater , pillars ; hence tho industrious farmer , by his destruction of these pests , not only stops thoir doing further mischief , bnt he also prevents their reproduction a thousandfold for the next year , and in a like

manner by destroying ono error , yon prevent tho production of a largo progeny of errors which this error would havo given birth to . " Tho above sketch of a sermon will , I trust , bo sufficient answer to our self-appointed Masonic watchmen of ' / ion , who are opposed to my constant efforts to solve Masonic puzzles , and whose greatest

argument against me is , " What object can bo gained by running his head against the assertions of the early Masonio writers ? " & o . Freemasonry is a mystery . It is a mystery of mysteries . It is a mystery to the uninitiated as well as to the initiated . It is a mystery in its entirety , as well as in its numerous parts aud details . Its name is a mystery ; its antiquity is a mystery ; its "landmarks" are

mysteries . It is a mystery to me , that although Masons are taught that " truth is a divine attribute and the foundation of every virtue , " that so many of the orthodox professional Masonic writers should either have promulgated errors , or should try to stifle discussion under the plea , " What object can be gained ? " & c . The ritual itself is a great mystery . It professes Masonry to be unsectarian , but by hook

or by crook , sectarianism was forced everywhere moro or less into the Masonic rituals . Apropos about the ritual , all my readers will probably recollect the following part , viz .: — "In all regular and well formed Lodges , there is a point within a circle , " or in other words , that all regular well formed Lodges deduce instruction from a symbol known as the

" parallel lines . I have lately , however , ascertained that in Pennsylvanian Lodges , that symbol is entirely unknown , and I havo also been informed that the " parallel lines " are unknown in Scotch Lodges . The question therefor © is , whether the Pennsylvania and Scotch Lodges can possibly be regarded as regular and well formed Lodges ?

Among the numerous Masonic mysteries and puzzles over which I pondered , the mystery to which I shall now direct the reader ' s attention is certainly not the least curious . It is well known to every reader of the FIIEEMASO . V ' S CHRONICLE that the English Grand Lodgo was organized in 1717 at tho Goose and Gridiron in Saint Paul ' s Churchyard . Now would any one believe ( for it seems scarcely

credible ) that two distinct geese , accompanied by distinct gridirons , which are as unlike as the two accounts about Thomas Dnnckerley , which I commuuicated in a former number , should now , in 1878 , be in the field , and each of these geese claim to be the genuine orthodox goose attached to the ale house in St . Paul ' s Churchyard in 1717 ? Here arc the two geese with the gridirons , and the question is , which is the pretender , and which is the orthodox goose ?

In 1876 , Bro . Mac Calla , the editor of the Keystone at Philadelphia obtained one of the above geese . I mean the larger goose standing upon a chimney pot , partly obscuring the gridiron . That goose was presented to Bro . MacCalla by P . G . M . Bro . John T . Heard of Boston . Onr Bro . MacCalla of courso wrote an article , and placed his o-oose and gridiron at the top of it . Onr friend Bro . Woodford , after passing some very fine compliments to the editor of the Keystone , reprinted

the said article ( goose and all ) , in the September number of the Masonic Magazine . Of course , every zealous Mason has so far feasted his eyes on what he supposed to be the identical goose and gridiron of the St . Paul's Churchyard alehouse of 24 th June 1717 , ¦ md as far as I know they might have gone on feasting their eyes—¦ t don ' t know how long . But I happened to see a reprint by Bro . Albert Pike of Pine's engraved Lodge list of 1725 , and from thence t copied the other Goose and Gridiron , which seems to be as lively as a kitten , striking its leg against the wires of the griditgs , as tt ft vraa