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To ADVERTISERS . THE Circulation of THE FREEMASON being now at the rate of nearly Half-a-million per annum , it offers peculiar facilities to all who advertise . It is well known that the Fraternity of Freemasons is a large and constantly increasing body , mainly composed of the influential and educated classes of society ; and as The Freemason is now the accepted organ of the Brotherhood in the United Kingdom , and also enjoys an extensive sale in the colonies and foreign parts , its advantages as an advertising medium can scarcely be overrated . For terms apply to GEORGE KENNING , 2 , 3 , & 4 , LITTLE BRITAIN , LONDON , E . C .

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NOTICE , The Subscription to THE FREEMASON is now IOS . per annum , post-free , payable in advance . Vol . I ., bound in cloth 4 s . 6 d . Vol . II ., ditto 7 s . 6 d . Vol . III ., ditto 15 s . od . Reading Cases to hold 5 2 numbers ... as . fid .

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

—»—BIRTHS . MACNAIR . —On the 24 th ultimo , at ir , West Nile-street , Glasgow , the wife of Bro . James B . Macnair ( S . W . Union Lodge , No . 332 ) , of twin daughters . DEATH . FOSTER . —On the 25 th ult ., aged 32 years , Bro . George F . Foster , Prov . G . P . Herts , proprietor of the King ' s Arms Hotel , Great Berkhampstead .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

AH communications for THE FREEMASON should be written leg-iify •n one side of the paper onlyt > and , if intended for insertion in the current number , must be received not later than 10 o ' clock a . m . on Thursdays , unless in very special cases . Thc name and address of VTtrr writer must be sent to us in confidence .

VERBUM SAP . —We are glad to find that you like the spirit of our article on the Supreme Grand Council 33 ° . We are not actuated by any unfriendly feeling in the matter ; and since our connection with the Ancient and Accepted Rite , we have ever warmly supported it , and arc

still prepared to defend its best interests . We anticipate a better and brighter future for the Rite now that Lord Carnarvon—in whose honour and capacity all England places implicit confidence—has accepted high , if not the highest , rank in the Council .

We have received several communications from various parts of the country relative to thc A . and A . Rite , but , with the exception of Bro . Ashworth ' s letter , deem it inexpedient to publish them . They prove , however , that the spirit of dissatisfaction is even more widely diffused than wc had imagined .

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TheFreemason,SATURDAY , APRIL I , 187 I . THE FREEMASON is published on Saturday Mornings in time for the early trains . The price of THE FREEMASON is Twopence per week ; annual subscription , ios . ( payable in advance ) . All tommunications , letters , & c , to bc addressed lo the EDITOR , * , 3 . and 4 , Little Britain , K . C . Tlie Editor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted 10 him but tmnnot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage itamps .

Precept And Practice.

PRECEPT AND PRACTICE .

WE are all familiar with the words of the preacher who said " Do as I tell you , but not as I do , " and unhappily the saying might serve as a text for a daily sermon in

the experience of most of us . Few have , indeed , the moral courage to avow their weakness in this respect , but heedlessly give the lie by their conduct to those excellent principles which at other seasons they

complacently inculcate and enforce . Now , there is no institution in thc world , apart from those religious systems which govern the faith of mankind—there is no school of

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philosophy extant in which purer ethics are taught—than those which are solemnlycommunicated and enjoined in every Masonic lodge . Let us take the case of a

young man who is just entering life—one whose soul yearns for communion with his fellows—one whose heart is pre-disposed to receive the sublime precepts of

Freemasonry as a veritable lamp to his path . He becomes a member of the Fraternity , is captivated with its moral grandeur , reveres it as a beneficent science , and loves

it as an embodied truth . To him , the words , " Brotherly love , " convey no empty sound—to him , the Masonic bond is a sacred tie , not to be loosened at

pleasureto him , Freemasonry signifies the highest wisdom , the sweetest hope , the divinest light . Behold him labouring vigorously in the vineyard of the Craft ! Is not every

congenial spirit that he meets a triumphant manifestation of the power of Freemasonry ? Are not the virtuous deeds he witnesses plain results of Masonic instruction and

guidance ? Can evil exist side by side with so much good—nay , not only exist , but oft-times usurp the seat of excellence ? This is the first bitter revelation to an

ingenuous and unsophisticated mind . Unfortunately , no precautions , however stringent—no barriers , however great—can effectually shut out " unfit and improper

persons" from gaining admission to our mysteries . It was the same in the rites of the ancient world ; although wondrous proofs were required and terrible trials had to be

endured , occasional instances of unworthiness occurred on the part of the neophytes , and remain on melancholy record . Freemasonry cannot change the naturally vile

disposition of a man who may chance to enter within her pale , although her hand is ever skilful to mould , and potent to direct , thc aspirations of her children to pure and

noble purposes . The villain , who under the guise of honesty , sneaks into the Fraternity is frequently obliged to pay homage to virtue by wearing a decent mask of

hypocrisy—but he still remains a villain at heart . The slanderer , whose delight is in traducing his neighbour , ceases not to slander his brother when he obtains the

honourable badge of a Mason ; but he is possibly more cautious and sly in his mode of operations , though not the less dangerous or vicious . To those ,

however , whose minds have not been warped by evil influences , Freemasonry is a restraining and a guiding spiritleading them imperceptibly , step by

step , into higher regions of thought and holier spheres of action . But , above all , upon the truly virtuous man she sets her

impress and crown—her ideal becomes reality in the blessings which he dispenses to all around , and his life becomes a visible incarnation of precepts the most sublime .

We must therefore dissociate the theory and doctrines of the Craft from the imperfect practice of some of its members , who , either from human weakness or natural vice , so sadly violate the moral law . Next to

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the duty of succouring a brother in distress , there ought to be no more sacred duty than that of compassionating his faults ; yet how often do we find mere errors of

judgment magnified into crimes by the very men who ought to palliate and condone them . In the crusade against wickedness we are ready to join ; but we want to see

more forbearance shown by one Mason to another for human failings , to which they are all more or less prone . Would not such a course be more in accordance with that

excellent maxim of the Craft , Silence ? and more in harmony with the merciful suggestions of a truly fraternal breast ? But , unhappily , there are some who , for the

gratification of the most paltry pique or prejudice , would do injury even to the innocent . For them we can have no words but those of reprobation ; and we can only

regret that they ever found admission into an Order whose teachings they so grievously falsify . An exalted standard of

perfection is presented to the view of every earnest student of Masonic mysteries , and all should strive to exemplify by their conduct and demeanour to their

fellow-menand especially to those of the same household—how much they appreciate that lofty code of morality . We recommend the words , " Precept and

Practice , " to our readers as words not to be lightly dismissed from their memories , but rather , as syllables to be carefully noted , because precept is , or ought to be , the

parent of action . It is but little use preaching good whilst we practise evil—of small avail to praise virtue and at the same time follow vice—or to extol truth and not

ignore falsehood . In the Masonic world there is room for improvement in this respect , but the heart ofthe Order is sound , and the might of Brotherly Love will , in tlie end .

prevail . In connection with this subject , we were much struck with some lines which have recently appeared in the Philadelphia

Keystone , and as the sentiments they express are analogous to our own , we subjoin them as a fitting finis to this article :

In our judgment of others , we mortals are prone To talk of their faults without heeding our own ; And this little rule should be treasured by all" If you can ' t praise your neighbour , don ' t name him at ali . "

Men ' s deeds are compounded of glory and shame , And surely ' tis sweeter to praise than to blame—Perfection has never been known since the Fall"If you can ' t praise your neighbour , don ' t name him at all .

Remember , ye cynics , the mote and the beam ; Pause in your fault-finding , and ponder the theme—Who has the least charity , quickest will fall"If you can ' t praise your neighbour , don ' t name him at all . "

If we would but endeavour our own faults to mend , We'd have all the work to which we could attend . Then let us be open to Charity ' s call" If you can ' t praise your neighbour , don ' t name him at all . "

BREAKFAST . — EPPS ' COCOA . — Grateful and Comforting ; . —The very agreeable character of tbis preparation has rendered it a general favourite . The Civil Service Gazette remarks : - * ' Uy a thorough knowledge of the natural laws which govern tha operations of digestion and nutrition , and by a careful application of the fine properties ofwcll-sclectcd cocoa , Mr . Epps has provided our breakfast tables with a delicately flavoured beverage which may save ns many heavy doctors' bills . " Each packet is labelled—JAMR . * Ei'rs ANU Co ., llonvcopathic (* hcntists , _ London . Alsp , makers of Eppr / s C'ncaoinc . a very light , thin , evening bcvcr . *** je . —{ Advt . ]