Masonic Morality.

charges , the ridiculous allegations , ot our excited and unreasoning accusers . Take Germany for instance . Thc great mass of the German fraternity is a most peaceful , orderly , loyal , cultivated body of men , as much opposed to anything like social anarchy or to intestine commotion , to

the " International " or to Communism , " as can well be imag ined . That individual writers may hold strong views on the Roman question is undeniable , and , in our humble opinion , the Church of Rome has no one to thank but itself for that serious struggle as between authority and reason ,

dogmatism and speculation , an iron uniformity and religious toleration which is setting in everywhere just now , and even to some extent in our psaceful and tolerant land . But given all this in—and we might put it more strongly , as in a row , as we know , hard blows and unexpected bitterness

are often almost unconsciously developed and become the order of the day—we can lind no justification yvhatever in these oft-repeated and audacious incriminations of the peaceful , loyal , moral character of Freemasonry . As a rule Freemasons are good men , loyal subjects , peaceful

citizens , friends to order and social progress , most inimical ever to anything like confusion , revolution , anarchy . They are most respectable members of society , the honest bread-yvinner for a wife and children at home •they are temperate and yet genial ; steady , and yet sensible of

the advantages of sociality ; by no means inclined to " run riot , " or favourable to intemperance , or excess of any kind ! Freemasonry , whatever ils defects in . the eyes of the bigot , and intolerant , and unthinking may be , is ever a most moral society , inculcating from

first to last , be it noted , the morality of the Bible , and pointing out ever to every member of the Order ( not as a Church or a religion , for Freemasonry is neither of these ) the grave and enduring moral responsibility of man ! Let us then see now the close of these foolish charges

which are repeated " usque ad nauseam " by the glib ignoramus , or the flippant sciolist , by the fanatic , by the illogical , and by the unjust , that Freemasonry iu any way can be considered as a society in the smallest degree antagonistic to law and order , morality

or religion ! It surely is time that these Parthian arrotvs of Ultramontane skirmishers should cease ; it is , wc think and hope , only befitting a religious body that those violent members of it should be restrained , who seem to disregard alike veracity and common sense , in their

senseless , mendacious , and even ribald accusations against our kindly and long-suffering Order . If the strife is to continue—if bishops are to forget the princi ples of religion , if anonymous scribblers are to manifest how little of truth or justice has fallen to their lot , if the foolish anathema is to he pronounced , and the meaningless allocution is

to be published abroad , —it may be a consolation for us all to remember , that such assailants after all do us no real harm , inasmuch as , strong in our own position , consistent yvith our oyvn teaching , we shall continue , regardless of opposition , or censure , or menace , to proclaim the pure and moral principles everywhere of our great and seful , of our ancient and honourable Order .

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Routine.

THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ROUTINE .

We are not amongst those who seek to run a muck at everything like order and regulation , discipline , and routine . Red tape is necessary and very g 00 d to a certain extent , nay , to a considerable extent , and he would be a very foolish or very

perverse person , a very umvise teacher , a very unsafe leader , who in the excess of his zeal for change and improvement as he thinks , ever iorgot that , after all , more or less , this world , "Ke society and institutions , is , and must be

governed in a great measure by routine . Indeed , | t is not too much to say , that nothing can go on m this world without some routine . In Church and State , iu the army and in the navy , in the protessions of the bar and the magistracy , in the

counting house and in the bank parlour , in the factory and in the printers' " chapel , " routine is absolutel y necessary , and cannot possibly or satel y be dispensed with . Indeed , to routine may be ascribed much of the solidity of our insu'ar character , which looks more to the practice

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Routine.

than the theory , and seeks in the careful discharge of allotted duties to develop ;; that sense and appreciation of first principles without which profession itself is apt to become hazy , and practice to degenerate into a free and easy laxity . We are , then , friends to needful and legitimate

routine , alike in the interests of order and regularity , of the quiet discharge of duty , of the strict fulfilment of obligation , of those axioms of personal responsibility in positions of trust and importance without which not even the business of life could be carried on for tyventy-four hours .

But when we-have said this , we must admit fairly , of some cautions and qualifications , as regards the application generally or individually of this leading principle . In everything of earth we have to contend yvith two great dirH : ulties , excess and defect . In the nature of things , even

principles and professions , above all , purposes and practices , good per se , m iy become warped , or weakened , or deteriorated here , so much so , that what is objectively good may though strange be the seeming paradox , become subjectively bad . First princip les may be strained or extended until

they actually have in them a tendency to evil , and jwhat is abstractedly good , useful , fitting proper , becomes in the concrete hurtful ,- unwise , and even detrimental to the best interests of society . Thus there is a tendency to make simple routine become hyper-toutine , to give it

the colouring of undeniable red tape , to cause it to assume the character of obstruct ! veness , obstinacy , bigotry , and intolerance . When we all have gone on in a certain course a long while we are apt to think that it cannot be mended , and so we talk loudly of how much bitter it is

" quieta non movere ; " ' - ' yve cannot , " yve say , " see the need or b- 'nefit of change , " we resist proposals of amendment , yve resent endeavours for alteration . But in so doing we act foolishly , as the philosopher would point out . As nothing is absolutely perfect here , either in animate or

inanimate creation , and as the law of entire natrue is a law of progress , and , so to say , amendment , we are not warranted in resisting wise and judicious suggestions of change and amelioration simply because we like to echo the familiar adage " let well alone . " All institutions and all bodies

politic require amendment and renewal , so to say , from time to time , and neither the world nor society could , humanly speaking , long endure , if all change be sacrificed to a spirit of routine , if all amendments be obstinately resisted . And here it is that routine so often act ,

prejudicially , for what we ought all lo seek after , the " lo kalon , " and the " to agathon . " We must give credit to others for being as conscientious as we are ourselves , and we must believe that those who advocate alterations are just as wise and capable of coming to a sound conclusion on

the subject as we are . Nothing is so unreasonable and so antagonistic to tha real interests of the world , and of society , of social improvement , of humanitarian progress , as that dear old sleepy routine , which sees nothing good but what is commended by long usage , which will not move

out of a beaten tract , though the road be full of ruts , and clouds of dust yvhiten the weary traveller . And in Freemasonry the same law of existence applies , and the same condition of things to some extent exists . There are a great number of our good old brethren , who are

advocates , so to say , of routine "pur et simple . " '' What has been , is , and ever shall be , " seems to be their mot d ' ordre , and their Masonic motto Hence they are a little impatient of" novi homines , " of " young Masons , " of " fresh lights , " of " Masonic reformers , " forgetting that while

they are standing still , good old souls , both the world and Masonry are moving on , and that as we all advance in life we see ever the constant appearance of a new generation , which does not care much for our " saws " and " instances , " but very greatly prefeis its own . Well , let us as

Freemasons learn a lesson of wisdom and toleration . We cinnot adhere to routine all our lives , we must relax a little from its strictness at times ; we oaght not to set ourselves against all change s mply because it is new to us , and differs

somewhat from the old way we have been Eccustomed happily to move in so long . Routine is a very good thing in its way , but many a lodge of ours is dwarfed and impeded in its Masonic life and youth by that adherence to routine under every circumstance , which be-

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Routine.

comes " red tape , " and " red tap 3 " of a Masonic kind , which always app * 3 ars ™ to us most childish and annoying . Our Grand Lodge happily sets us all a good example in this respect . Never at any time did our excellent Grand Secretary more reflect , in his zealous , and quiet , and most

practical discharge of his high duties , the true spirit of Masonic activity and liberality •never at any time was hyper-routine more discountenanced , and a thoroughly sensible and painstaking course of action habitually pursued , so that all applicants are courteously treated , and all applications

immediately attended to . May this truer understanding of the spirit of Masonic teaching increass in our private lodge system , so that year by year may witness , not a forgetfulness of routine , for that would be a great evil amongst us , but a wise adaptation of the teaching of common sense to the requirements of routine , and

of seasonable concessions to those legitimate desires for amendment and improvement which no prudent statesman can ever safely resist , and no true Mason can ever consistently ignore . All proposals for change are not wise or legitimate , and can only be judged and decided upon alike in their opportuneness , their importance , and on their own merits .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even as approving ofthe opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , in a . spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . ]

MASONIC PREFIXES * To the Editor of The Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — Owing to the courtesy of our much respected Grand Secretary , I am enabled to lay before the Craft the authorized designations or Masonic prefixes of Grand and Provincial Grand Officers , and which are the only legal dis .

Unctions or designations of such brethren . So general has become the custom to style brethren " Very Worshipful " and " Right "Worshipful , " who are below the rank of Provincial Grand Masters or Grand Wardens of England respectively , that it is now a common thing in some lodges to hear the Deputy Provincial Grand Master , or even brethren not above the rank of a

Provincial Grand Pursuivant , styled Very Worshipful , whereas not one of the officers of a Provincial Grand Lodge , from the Deputy Provincial Grand Master to the lowest in rank as such , is entitled to any such distinction , their designations being simply Worshipful . In order not to use my own words , I quote from the circular issued by authority of the Most Worshipful Grand

Master , the Earl of Zetland , which finally ar . c conclusively disposes of the matter . " The prefix of Right Worshipful is acorded to and is to be used only by the Deputy Grand Mister , the Present and Past Provincial Grand Masters and the Present and Past Grand Wardens of the United Grand Lodge of England . " " That the prefix of Very Worshipful is to be used only

by the actual and Past Grand Chaplains , the actual and Past Grand Treasurers , the actual and Past Grand Registrars , the actual and Past Presidents of the Board of Gsneral Purposes , the actual and Past Grand Secretaries of the Grand Lotlge of England , and by no others . " " That the title or address of Worshipful is to be used by the rest of the Present and Past Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge of England , and by the actual or Past

Masters of lodges , and that all others are to be styled or designated as Brother only . " So that Provincial Grand Officers , not Present or Past Masters , are entitled to the prefix Worshipful , and none whatever to any bsyond that designation , excepting the Provincial Grand Master . Yours fraternally , WILLIAM J AMES HUOIIAN . Truro , 25 th March , 1876 .

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS . To the Editor of The Freemason Dear Sir and Brother , — May I be allowed to call the attention of the brethren to the case of Richard James Trott , No . 48 on the list , son of Bro . F . Trott , P . M . Lion and Lamb , No . 192 , it is the only chance the boy has , failing this election he will

be beyond the presented age . Many of the readers of the " Freemason , " I am sure both knew and esteemed our late brother , and will , I feel convinced , give us in our great need a helping hand . I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , GEO . NEWMAN , P . M . 766 and 192 , M . E . Z . 1050 and 192 . 51 , London Wall , E . C .

MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE . To the Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — As I happen to know a case in point , " A Scotch Master Mason " will find he will have to pay registering

fee to Grand Lodge of England before his signature to any petition will have weight ( Book of Constitutions , page 117 , sec . 9 : " Fees , < Src" ) He need not , however , join any English Lodge except the one he refers to as about to be started . Yours fraternally , VIVEY .