Original Correspondence.

To lhe Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — In venturing in reply to thc question propounded by " A Secretary " to give my * reading of thc title " of proposing members" Book of Constitutions , page S 3 , clause 2 , I beg at the outset to deprecate any impression that may be formed by yourself or rentiers that I am

" laying doyvn the layv , " or as , " our friend the enemy " would say , speaking cr cathedra . My opinion can only be rendered ijuantuir valcat , and , if I appear to yvritc dogmatically , I beg that the tone may be imputed to thc exigency of composition , and not to the inclination of the yvriter . I confess , however , that I am very glad thc question has been asked , and shall be much gratified if you yvill alloyv mc to give publicity to my vieyvs of this controverted point in

your columns , and if I venture to inform your readers that I am an old P . M . of tyvo lodges , a member of the Board of General Purposes , of many years successive election , anil belong to a profession yvhere a strict training in textual construction is considered an indispensable qualification , 1 make thc announcement , not at all , I hope , vaingloriously , but to convince my brethren that I am entitled to form an opinion on the matter noyv mooted .

The Book of Constitutions seems to me to be very explicit on the point started by your correspondent , and by a due attention to punctuation , and not disdaining the use of italics to indicate emphasis , yve may , 1 think , accurately construe the passage which , of course , propounds the layv , ( P- 83 ) . 2 . " No person shall be made a Mason yvithout a regular proposition at one lodge , and a ballot at the next regular lodge ;"

In cases of emergency the folloyving alteration is allowed : —Any tyvo members of a lodge may transmit in writing to the Master the name , & c , of any candidate yvhom they may yvish to propose , and the circumstances which cause the emergency ; and the Master , if it be proper , shall notify the same to every member of his lodge ; either in the summons for the next regular meeting , nr in

a summons for a lodge cf emergency to meet at a period of not less than seven days from the issuing of the summons for the purpose of ballotting for the candidate ; and if the candidate be then approved , he may be initiated into the First Degree . The Master shall , previous to thc ballot being taken , cause the proposition and emergency , to be recorded in the minute book of the lodge . "

Noyv we start yvith this proposition . The rule is that a candidate shall be proposed at a lodge meeting , not , mark , as in the case of a joining member , necessarily at a regular lodge meeting—at any lodge meeting , even a lodge of emergency—for t cannot regartl the yvords " next regular lodge , " as governing the antecedent '' one lotlge "—and ballotted for at the next regular lodge meeting . That is the

rule . The exception is , that if it is necessary or advisable , and I take the question of thc necessity or the advisability to be governed by circumstances to be considered either in regard to the interests cf thc lodge or for the convenience or advantage of the candidate—of such necessity or advisability the Master being the absolute judge—the Master properly

invoked , may ( 1 ) cither call a lotlge of emergency for the initiation of the proposed candidate , or ( 2 ) insert his name in the summons for the next regular ioilge inn-ling . Thus , say a lodge holds its regular meeting on the first Monday of each ofthe yyinlcr months . After its regular meeting in January , i 5 ros . A . and 13 . are implored by Mr . C . to procure his admission into the Craft in their lodge . Assume

—no very great stretch of imagination—that the lodge adjourns from April to October . Bros . A . and B . knoyv that their friend takes a continental , or an American tour , or a tour of some kind , every autumivand yvould like to carry yvith him his credentials asa full-fledged M . M . In proper form this is represented by Bros . A . and B . to the W . M ., yvho sees at once that this very natural desire of Mr . C .

cannot be gratified if he is only to be proposed in February , and not ballotted for until Maich . If the layv were inflexible , Mr . C . yvould either not join the Craft at all , or yvould have to seek some other lodge , the dales of meeting of which were more accommodating than those of his friends ' lodge . So the W . M . is alloyvtd to pronounce that the

initiation is one of emergency , and he accordingly orders the candidate's name to be inserted in the ordinary summons for the next regular lodge meeting in Febiuary . Mark that in this instance the initiation is pronounced to be emergent , not the meeting so there is no need as " A Secretary " au | poses , for constituting a regular meeting an cmcigircy meeting pro hat

. On the other hand the notion cnteihiined by some brethren , as yve are informed by "A Seen laiy , " that names of candidates can be received up to the lime of printing the summons , yvithout inserting the emergency or declaring it in the lodge , is , as he justly observes , not in accordance yvith that which we must all regard as an infallible guide , the

Book of Constitutions . 1 fear , hoyvever , that this is very much the case in practice . A learned judge once said of the numerous appioved infringements of a noted legal principal , that " the exceptions had eaten out the rule . " If I may , yvithout vanity respond to the appeal made by "A Secreiary " to " some yvell informed brother , " 1 would fain by this attempt at legal construction , protest against a continuance of that laxity .

I have , of course , only used the supposititious case of Mr . C . as an illustration . A number of circumstances may be imagined , connected with health , leaving thc country , personal predilection , & c , which might justify a Master in deeming a prompt initiation desirable . In that case , to sum up , he has power , as I read the law , irhen the exercise if his prerogative has lien properly invoked to take the necessary steps to effect his object , either at a lodge of emergency to be convened for the purpose , or at the next

Original Correspondence.

regular lodge meeting if the date of its occurence shall render it equally convenient . I take it , hoyvever , that the Master must [ notify that the initiation of any candidate not previously proposed in open lodge is an emergency , in the circular , whether for an emergency or regular meeting to everymember of thc lodge , and the circular should alyvays contain full information

of thc circumstances rendering it so . I he last clause is rather ambiguous and difficult in practice to carry out . I think , hoyvever , the layv yvould be complied yvith if yve read " cause the proposition and emergency to be recorded in the minute book of the lodge , "direct thc proposition , " & c , yvhich of course yvould be done by a public and official

order to the Secretary , and by ascertaining , when the minutes are put for confirmation at the next regular meeting of the lodge , that it has been obeyed . This is , and has ever been tlie practice iu the tyvo lodges of which I am a P . M ., and I have 110 doubt that they yvill be readily recognised by many brethren , yvho yvill at once supply thc remaining letters to thc initials yvhich I have signed to this

communication . In conclusion , it is a grave subject for consideration , but yvhich I do not feel called upon to discuss here , hoyv far in this , as in other matters , it might net be advisable to endeavour to bring thc administration of the laws promulgated by the Book of Constitutions into more perfect harmony yvith our present habits and usages . The rule 1

have been examining suited admirably a state of society where a man's place of avocation and his individual residence were usually identical . It consisted yvell yvith a time yvhen journeys away from home yvere short and infrequent , and continental travel so rare as to be practically phenomenal . In those days the meeting of the lodge yvas—if I may use a figure—a household occurrence—compared

to thc usage noyv—a domestic episode . The idea of suspending the yvholesome gathering of brothers and fclloyvs at the accustomed periods during the summer months had never occurred to any , even the most innovatingly ambitious , member of the fraternity , but nous avous change cela . Understand , I no not advocate any alteration of yvhat I consider to be per se a very

yvholesome enactment . It sets up a standard in abstract theory . It propounds a principle invaluable . I am only pleading for an indulgent view for the necessarily frequent resort to the privilege of exception given by the Book of Constitutions , provided always , as yve layvyers say , that the

Worshipful Master ' s prerogative of suspension is only exercised after he has been duly empowered by the requisition and in the manner provided in the text , a practice yvhich , I am afraid , is noyv-a-ilays " more horoured in the breach than the observance . " Yours faithfully and fraternally , S . P .

CARDINAL MANNING AND THE STAGE . Thc fol'oicing letter appeared in the " Times" if Monday , the 2 ' , th : — Sir , —Will you kindly alloyv me a little of your most valuable space in answer to an onslaught upon my profession by Cardinal Manning , nt Exeter Hall , on the 21 st of March " * At a meeting of the " Koman Catholic

Temperance Society" his Eminence denounced all establishments for theatrical representations , " from thc costly theatre of the rich to the penny gnff of the poor , " as " one vast scale of cnnuplion , " and counselled and strongly ur ^ ed all his henrcis never on any account to set their feet in one 1 f them . Without attempting to question the good or evil influence of the stage , it is really surprising to read

that such vieyvs should be entertained by a man like Cardinal Manning , yvho represents a religion yvhich not only tolerates but supports and encourages dramatic art . Nowhere has thc drama a healthier and greater influence than in Catholic countries—Austria , Bavaria , Suabia , Italy , Fiance , and Spain . I have seen rows of stalls and galleries filled yvith ecclesiastics in thc theatres of

Vienna , Stultgart , Munich , Piague , and Paris . Hundreds of seminarists an- nightly seen in the galleries of the Court thcnti ' is of Vienna , Munich , and Stuttgart . I wonder what effect this anathema yvould have upon them . Without pitfuming for a moment to set myself up as a defender of the stage ( I have that to abler and greater men ) , I beg y < au to insert a few quotations from my

glorious country man , 1 ' iiedrich Schiller , of yvhom , as of the immortal Bard , we might yvith justice say— "lie yvas not for an age , 1 ut for all time . " In his lecture reatl before the Royal German Society in Mannheim , 1874 , and entitled " Die Sehaubiihnc als tine moralischc Anstalt betrachtet , " be s : \ ys the following : — " Thc jurisdiction of the stage begins yvhere the domain

of all worldly law ends . When justice is blinded by gold and dissipation , enrolled by crime , when the guilt of the mighty—scon . ing their own weakness and fear of mangirds the arm of authority , the stage takes up sword and scales and drags the criminals before a horrible tribunal of justice . " "Thc whole rc ' ilm of romance and history , past , present ,

ami future , is at her disposal . Even in the absence of morality , faith , religion , and worldly laws , Medea yvill terrify us tottering down the palace steps after her infanticide . " " Wholesome shuddering yvill seize us , and in quiet repose yve will praise our own good conscience yvhen we see Lady Macbeth walking in her sleep , washing her little

hands v \ hich 'All the peilumcs of Arabia' will not sweeten . " "As sure as what we see works deeper upon us than the dead letter or the naked narration , so sure will thc stage leave a more profound and lasting impression than morality

and law . " " Fools disturb scciety almost as much as criminals , and it is the stage which holds the mirror up to that large class of dolts . What she effects above through the instrumentality of pity and horror , she succeeds in here ( much quicker and safer ) through wit and satire . "

Original Correspondence.

"The stage alone can laugh over our yveaknesses because she spares our sensibilities , and ignores the guilty . Without blushing wc see ourselves unmasked in the mirror , and are secretly thankful for the gentle admonition . " " The stage is , more than any other public institution , a school for practical wisdom , a guide through the common road of life , an unfailing key to the most secret archives of the human soul . "

I he stage is a co-operative channel from yvhich , for better and more thinking men , streams the li ght of wisdom and then expands in milder rays over the entire universe . Better reasoning , truer principles , purer sentiments flow through thc people ' s veins . The log of barbarism , the darkness of bigotry and intolerance disappear ; the night retreats before triumphant light . I will only name one

instance out of so many excellent examples . How universal within the last few years has religious toleration become ! Long before Nathan the Jew and Saladi . i the Saracen preached the Divine truth that humility in God , and to be nearer Him , depends not upon our ' horrible imaginings ; ' long before Joseph II . conquered the terrible

Hydra of pious hatred , the stage planted humanity and tenderness into our hearts . The fearful picture of heathen priest rage caused us to shun religious hatred * , and in this terrible mirror Christianity washed off her stains . " I would most respectfully commend these somewhat " lame and impotent " translations to his Eminence Cardinal Manning . Yours obediently , DANIEL G . BANDMANN . Garrick Club , March 25 .

Multum In Parbo; Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo ; or Masonic Notes and Queries .

I follow up my " note " tf last week with a few more remarks this . It is a great encouragement to all Masonic students to think of the advance yve have made since Mr . W . O . Halliwell ( now Phillips ) first published the Masonic Poem , say in round numbers a quarter of a century ago .

Then only the following MSS . were actuall y known to a few Masonic scholars , namely , the two Harleian , thc two Sloane , thc Lansdowne , ar . d Doyvland ' s . Bro . Matthew Cooke first called attention to the Additional MS ., so that with the Masonic Poem we made up eight . There yvere others yvhich were also known to exist , such

as the Antiquity , mentioned by 'Preston , Cole ' s MS ., Mr . Dodd ' s MS ., Rawlinson ' s MS ., & c , but not many more . Then came Bro . Hughan ' s publication of the York MSS ., though their discovery had been earlier , namely , by Bros . E . W . Shaw and Woodford , and subsequently they were

alludeil to by Bro . Findel . Bro . Hughan was the first to publish them . Indeed , the following MSS . owe their discovery entirely to Bro . W . J . Hughan : —York MS ., No . 1 ; Grand Lodge MS . ; York MS ., No . 6 ; Alnwick MS . ; Browne ' s MS ., and I think , though I do not feel quite sure of the fact , the Aberdeen MS .

vie . also oyve to him thc references to Morgan ' s MS ., Dermott ' s MS ., Hargrove ' s MS ., Wren ' s MS ., Chester MS ,, and I think that we shall yet owe many more to his great industry and activity . 1 am going to have , if possible , another search made among the muniments of tlie Masons' Company , by thc

kind aid of the authorities , to sec if yve can yet light upon the " book wrote on parchment , " and I am not without hopes of being able to trace Ashmole ' s copy , perhaps the very parchment roll Dr . Plot alludes to in 1686 . I believe that by a general sifting of our lodge chests

and old papers several other copies yvill yet turn up , as no doubt all thc old lodges had a copy of the " Constitutions . " This is a work we all can engage in , antl I hope that all W . M . ' s and Secretaries will look into the matter at once as to the papers remaining in the possession of their lodges . A MASONIC STUIIBNT .

Can any brother put me in the yvay ol obtaining a print of the Rev . James Dallaway , or of Hutchinson , Asne , Calliott , of Anderson or Payne ? {¦ £ 11 any brother can 1 shall feel truly obliged . A . F . A . WOODFOIID . 19 S , Fleet-street .

As OLD JKWEI .. A curious ancient silver jewel has been submitted to us for our inspection . It belongs to Bro . G . Broad , Blackheath Hill Railway Station . It is oval in shape , without date . On one side are the three candlesticks , the two pillars , the square and compasses , the sun and moon , and various Masonic emblems .

On the reverse—the "Royal Arch Lodge of Jerusalem" is thc motto of lhe base , above Stcckpoit , Lodge , the first word being illegible . It has the Catenarian Arch—a soldier in armour , across , a cock , a gravestone , a headstone , with the cross , and thc letters T . T . H . T ., a triangle with the tetragrammaton . It appears to have been meant for wearing in lodge . —Eo . " FBUEMASON . "

HOLLOWAY ' S PILLS . —Stomach , Liver and Bowels . —In all pair 1 * ful affections ofthe stomach and disordered actions of theliverand bowels , one -. ingle trial of these Pills yvill demonstrate that \ hcy possess regulating and re-novating ' powers in a high degree . They speedily restore theappetite , lessen the unpleasnntdistention ofthe abdomen , and so prevent inllammation of the bowels and other serious abdominal ailments . Holioway ' s Pills afford the greatest

comfort to tlie dyspeptic invalid without harassing of weakening tlie most sensitive constitution , or interfering materially with tne ordinar ) ' studies , pleasures , or pursuits . The simplicity an * efficacy of this treatment has evoked thc gratitude of all classes in both hemispheres , and commanded a sale for these purifying Id's uupveccdenteU in medical hi « tory .--A vT , _ , - —