The Fair Sex And Adoptive Masonery.

as the effulgent sun is the symbol of crowned majesty . 4 th . The lamb is appropriate to Martha , as the symbol of innocence , faith , and humility . 5 th . The lion is appropriate to Electa , as the symbol of the courage and power which sustained her during her severe trials . "

The particulars of the first point of the signet of the Sisterhood will be embodied in the ensuing article . C . S .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

—*—The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND B ROTHER , —Will you kindly inform me , through THE FREEMASON , to what object the money collected for the Zetland Fund has been applied , and the particulars ? Yours fraternally , H . ORTON , J . D . 633 .

THE CASE OF ALFRED NUTT . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Allow me through your columns to draw attention to an error in the voting papers for the approaching election for the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys . It is in connexion with the case of Alfred Nutt , No . 27 on the

list , and which , if left uncorrected , may be prejudicial to his claims for support . By an unfortunate error ofthe press the number of children dependent upon Mrs . Nutt is stated as two only , whereas the real number is five . This mistake is the more to bc regretted as the case is a truly deserving one . The late Bro . John Nutt , after being in a good position and

a subscribing member to St . John ' s Lodge , No . 279 , Leicester , for 17 years , became a bankrupt , through losses in a farm which he occupied , and ( it may literally be said ) died broken-hearted only a few weeks afterwards , leaving his widow and these five unfortunate orphans totally unprovided for Any proxies in favour of Alfred Nutt , will be thankfully received by the widow , or by ,

Dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , WILLIAM KELLY , Prov . G . M . Leicestershire and Rutland . Leicester , March 28 th , 1871 .

THE ANTIQUITY CHAPTER ROSE CROIX , BATH , AND THE SUPREME GRAND COUNCIL , 33 °

( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I yesterday received a printed copy of a pamphlet purporting to bc a reply to that issued by the Antiquity Chapter Rose Croix , Bath , in reference to its suspension by the S . G . C . 33 . As it was directed to my former address , it is not improbable that a couple of days '

delay in its delivery may have been caused thereby . This , though late , recognition of so plain a duty , absolves the managers of the 33 ° from the censures expressed in my letter of the 1 ith inst . on that part of their conduct , which I hereby retract ; and if my letter should be published , you will oblige mc by letting this appear in your next number . Yours faithfully and fraternally ,

EDMD . WHITE . "Victoria Villa , Batheaston , Bath , March 18 , 1 S 71 .

( To the Editor of Thc Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In your impression of Saturday last , there is a letter from one who signs himself " A Mason who believes in his Obligation , " commenting upon a correspondence touching Bro . Yarker and the S . G . C , which he would have

us believe he knows all about , and which , by-thebye , I shall not attempt to dispute , but wish to draw the attention of the brethren generally to the latter part of his letter , where lie says , " I am sorry to see that evil example is soon felt . " I ask , where is the evil example , and where the necessity to bc sorry ?

"And thnt some of thc members ofthe Rochdale Rose Croix Chapter have held a meeting for the purpose of conferring the 30 ° and 32 ; degrees , which they have no more right to give than thc M . A . of Oxford or D . D . of Cambridge . " Query , how docs he know this ? Is he in thc secret confidence of all the authorities , ancl does he know

everything that has transpired from time immemorial , or docs he even now understand what lie is writing about ? Is so , let mc ask him , to whom does thc Rochdale Chapter owe allegiance ? I can tell him , not to the S . G . C . in Golden-square , and therefore they have no right whatever to dictate to us , as to what , how , when , or where , we may choose to confer

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the degrees which are so admirably worked at Rochdale . I will further inform " A Mason who believes in his Obligation " that the authority to which we owe our allegiance dates much further back than that of the S . G . C , which , according to their own showing by letter received from the Grand Secretary 0

General , 33 , and dated 16 th February , 1871 , wherein he says the authority under which they confer these degrees , was received from . America 27 years ago , by Dr . Crucefix . Our authority , which is much older than this , has never been questioned

before , neither has it been termed a forgery . The climax , however , of your correspondent ' s audacity and power of misrepresentation is embodied in the following quotation from his letter above referred to : —

" The Craft in general must have a very good idea of what these so-called degrees are , when I am informed , on very good authority ( that is authority equal to his own ) that the sum charged to such candidates , as may he gulled , will not exceed is . 6 d . " Now , Sir , I wish to be as mild and as respectful

as possible , but cannot refrain from saying that the statement above quoted is a barefaced fabrication on the part of your correspondent , or else he has been woefully gulled into giving publicity to the vile fabrications of others . If he is really so void of common sense as to think that the brethren will

believe what he says , that the degrees which he would have us believe are worthless can be had at Rochdale for is . 6 d ., I would advise him not to try it on ; if he does , he will certainly be gulled . I would , however , ask if these degrees are worthless , why so much fuss and bother by and on behalf

of the S . G . C , why did the Grand Secretary General write me that "it is contrary to the statutes ofthe Order for there to be more than one Supreme Grand Council in each Kingdom ? " Why did he also circulize the whole country , and why so many telegrams and letters flying about from the powers

who have constituted themselves in Golden-square j I say we have a right , independent of and prior to the S . G . C , to confer this and other degrees , and that it is only because they feel their power waning that a strong effort is made to ward off the death , blow . But who is this Mason who believes in his

O . B . ? Is he the only one ? If so , he must be a great curiosity . Why not have given his name and address , so that we might have had an opportunity of knowing him ? I would advise him to bc careful , lest some-one might ascertain his whereabouts and run away with

him , and exhibit him as the paragon of perfection in Masonry . I just wish to say a word , on behalf of myself and the Rochdale brethren , in reference to Bro . Yarker , whom we know to respect , and think that his endeavours on behalf of pure Freemasonry are

deserving of something better than kicks from those who have received kindness and instruction at his hands , and whose only sin now , so far as wc know , consists in a wish that thc S . G . C . should do to others as they would wish others to do to them . But why , I would ask , kick Bro . Yarker ? Is he

alone in this quarrel with thc S . G . C , and if not , why not attack thc system and thereby strike to the root ? Wc have no desire to interfere in any way wilh thc quarrel between Bro . Yarker and thc S . G . Csupremc over its own chapters , not ours—but wish them and every other Council or body in Masonry ,

all the good and kind wishes it is possible to conceive , and hope the day may come when we shall be united as one body , and when the executive will be elected , as in the Craft , by the voice and vote of the people in Masonry . I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours faithfully and fraternally , Rochdale . WM . ASHWORTH .

THE AMERICAN TEMPLARS' VISIT TO EUROPE .

( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) MY DEAR BROTHER , —A kind friend lias placed in my hands a copy of your journal of February 1 ilh last , containing , among other articles , one from thc pen of Bro . W . James Hughan ( whom I hope to have the pleasure of meeting ) entitled

" American Brethren and their visit to Europe , " and endorsing an article which had previously appeared in your columns , recommending the American brethren who designed visiting your country next summer not to attempt any procession in your streets .

I wish to say to you , on behalf of thc Sir Knights of Allegheny Commandery , No . 35 , K . T ., composing the excursion party , that nothing is further from their intention , and you can rest assured that while they are in Great Britain and Ireland they

will conform to all the " rules and regulations " of their brethren whom they hope to have the pleasure of meeting . They will go from home " equipped and uniformed" according to the customs of American Knights Templar . They will each bc

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provided with a Grand Lodge , Grand Chapter , and Grand Commandery certificate , and they will endeavour to prove themselves Knights Templar , and hope to visit lodges , chapters , and encampments ; but when they land in Queenstown , and when they travel , their uniforms and equipments

will be in their baggage , and they will only be worn when their brethren request it . To the public , they wish to be known as a company of American citizens travelling for pleasure ; to the Craft at large , they wish to be known as brethren of the " mystic tie . " Pardon me for getting on a subject that really I

did not intend . The copy of your paper to which 1 refer is the first I have ever had the pleasure of seeing , though I have frequently read extracts from it . I like it so well that I enclose -Yz dollars ( which is , I think , equivalent to ios . ) , for a year ' s subscription , commencing in January last , which I hope , with the back numbers , to receive hereafter . Truly and fraternally ,

E . M . JENKINS . P . S . —Allegheny Commandery expect to leave New York about June 10 th , and land at Queenstown June 20 th ; will visit Cork , Killarney , Dublin , Londonderry , Portrush , and Belfast in Ireland ; crossing to Glasgow , Ayr , Obau , St . William ,

Inverness , Dunkeld , Perth , Stirling , and Edinburgh ; thence to London , stopping at Newcastle , York , Sheffield , & c , and will be in London about the icth of July . From thence they go to Belgium , Rhenish Prussia , Switzerland , Italy , to Naples ; returning , via France , again to London , and on to

Liverpool , via Oxford , Stratford-on-Avon , Warwick , Birmingham , and Chester . Mr . Thomas Cook , of No . 98 , Fleet-street , London , has been contracted with for the excursion , and will go with and conduct the part )* , which will number about fifty . Allegheny , Pa .. March 2 , 1871 . E . M . J .

No . 3 BIS AND ITS PROCEEDINGS . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEARSIR AND BROTHER , —Allow me to inquire , through the medium of your columns , what St . John ' s Lodge is drifting to , when we find such sentiments as the following expressed within its walls ,

viz . ( page 188 ) : " He also observed that by so doing the Grand Lodge had thereby broken the laws of the land , and that , therefore , he considered that this lodge had sufficient reason for throwing overboard its allegiance to Grand Lodge" ? It appears to me that the foregoing smacks rather strongly of

Masonic treason . However , it is quite possible , remembering the proceedings of the speaker at Grand Lodge on 6 th February , that there may be little in it , or that on some occasions he does not very well know thc meaning of what he says , e . g ., after the imaginary storv which he related to Grand

Lodge in reference to some arrangement affirmed to have been entered into between himself and Bro . Coghill , and the way in which Bro . Coghill stood up and contradicted the whole statement , amid the laughter of the members of Grand Lodgeassembled , thc R . W . M . of No . 3 bis ought to keep very quiet .

He went to Grand Lodge striving to set up a lot of absurd pretensions , and finding himself baffled , he , in order to cover his defeat , strives to throw dust in the eyes of his lodge by talking . about not getting justice in Grand Lodge ; and that , therefore , in order to get things all their own way , they ought to

start on their own hook , by starting up a Grand Lodge of their own , and , shall we say , of course putting him on their " throne " as their first Grand Master ! Bro . Coghill , no doubt , may thank his stars he is not a member of No . 3 bis , or he would have caught it for daring to call in question any

remark made in support ofthe pretensions of No . 3 bis , no matter whether said remark was right or wrong ! The ideas promulgated by St . John ' s on this matter appear to me to be nothing else than a mere farce . In fact , so much so that some of their

own members , even , have repudiated them . It will be lime enough for No . 3 bis to think of" throwing overboard its allegiance " when Grand Lodge has broken thc " landmarks of thc Order . " 1 am , yours fraternally , M . G . L .

OUR ANCIENT BRETHREN . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — Liston , when a very young man , before Paul Pry , & c , & c , made his name famous , is said to have lodged in an attic in the neighbourhood of thc Haymarket , where he kept "bachelor ' s hall" —that means , he had to cook

and do his own marketing , & c . One morning he presented himself to thc milkman ( of whom he always bought a haporth ) , witli two jugs in his hand , and said , | " Look here , my friend , here is a halfpenny , but I want you to put thc milk into this jug and the water into the other , and I will do the mixing myself . " For a similar reason I expressed a