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PRESTON GUILD MERCHANT , 1882 . AN ESPECIAL PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF IHE WESTERN DIVISION OF THE COUNTY OF LANCASTER , WII . I . IIK HELD AT T II E TOWN II A I . L , PRESTO N , On Tuesday , September $ th , At Twelve o ' clock , From whence the Brethren will walk in PROCESSION TO THE SITE OI" THE HARRIS FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND MUSEUM , AND THE FOUNDATION STONE Will be laid with Masonic Ceremonial by H . R . H . THE DUKE OF ALBANY , K . G ., & c , & c , PROV . G . M . OXON , P . G . W . By command of the R . W . Prov . G . M ., the Right Honourable the Earl of LATHOM , D . G . M ., H . S . ALPASS , Grand Standard Bearer , Prov . G . Sec . N . B . —Brethren who are not Prov . G . Officers will assemble at the Christ Church Schools , Bow-lane , Fishergate-hill , where the procession will be marshalled .

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ROYAL " SEA BATHING INFIRMARY , MARGATE . ESTABLISHED 1791 . THE ONLY ONE EXCLUSIVELY FOR SCORFULOUS POOR . COL . CREATON , TREASURER . JOHN M . CLABON , Eso ., HON . SECRETARV . This Hospital requires aid . An extra liberal diet table is of necessity required on account of the exhausting nature of this terrible disease . Donors of £ 10 ios ., Annual Subscribers of £ 1 is ., can recommend patients . 250 beds . Average number of Inpatients per year , 750 , and of applicants over 1000 . Bankers , the Bank of England ; Coutts and Co . ; and Cobb and Co ., Margate . Offices : No . 30 , Charing Cross , VV . JOHN THOMAS WALKER , Secretary .

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DREADNOUGHT SEAMEN'S HOSPITAL , Greenwich , S . E ., and DISPENSARY , Well-street , London Docks , E ., for Sailors of all Nations . No admission ticket or voting papers of any sort required , but both are entirely free to the whole maritime world , irrespective of race , creed , or nationality . Since establishment upwardsof 225 , 000 have been relieved from no less than forty-two different countries , and the number of patients during 1 SS 1 , was 7132 , as compared with 42 . 15 , theaverage of the preceding ten years . Qualification of a governor one guinea annually , or a donation of ten guineas . New annual subscriptions or contributions will be thankfully received by the bankers , Messrs . Williams , Deacon and Co ., 20 , Birchin-lane , E . C , or by the Secretary at the Hospital . Funds arc urgently needed for this truly Cosmopolitan Charily , which is supported by voluntary contributions . XV . T . EVANS , Secretary .

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VILLA RESIDENCES , to be Let or Sold ( charming ) , rents from £ 35 to £ 55 per annum ; seven , eight , nine , and ten rooms ; close to two Metropolitan District Railway stations and main road , 'bus route to City ; each fitted with gas , bells , bath-room , hot and cold water , Venetian blinds , and every modern convenience ; gravel soil and good drainage . —Apply to Messrs . Gibbs and View ( Limited ) , The Cedars Estate Office , West Kensington , Station , VV . TO ADVERTISERS . TIIK [' KI- . EM . ISUX has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , In it the official Reports of tlie ( Jrand Lodges of England , Ireland , and Scotland arc published with tlie specia sanction ot thc respective Gland Masters , and it contains a . complete record ot Masonic won : in this country , our Indian Kmpire , and the Colonies . The vast accession to the ranks of the Order during tlie past few years , and the increasing interest manifested in its doings , has given the FrMiiamu a position and influence whicli few journals can lay claim to , and the proprietor can assert with confidence that announcements appearing in its columns challenge the attention of a very large and influential body of readers . Advertisements for the current week ' s issue are received up to Six o ' clock on Wednesday evening .

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TO OUR READERS . Tilt I '" : MASO . \ is published every Friday morning , price 3 d ., and contains the fullest and latest information relating to Freemasonry i n every degree . Subscriptions , including I ' ostage : — United States , Canada , the Continent , India , China , Ceylon , United Kingdom . Australia , New Arabia ,, & c . Zealand & c . 13 s . 15 s . 6 d . 17 s . 6 d . Remittances may be made iu Stamps , but Post Ollice Orders of Cheilites are prefer-ed , the former payable to Gi : onot REXXIMJ , Chief Ollice , Lin Ion . the latter crossed London Joint Stock Hank .

To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . "The Citizen , " "The Royal Cornwall Gazette , " "The Broad Arrow , " "Cavgill ' s Tourist ' s Chronicle , " "The West London Advertiser , " " Thc Jewish Chronicle , " " The Hull Packet , " "The Freemason ' s Chronicle" ( Sydney ) ,

"Grand Lodge of Iowa , " "Boletin Masonico , " "Social Science Association , " "A Book of Boyhoods , " "Our Homes , and How to Make them Healthy , " "Arabian Nights , " "North British Daily Mail , " " The Antiquarian Magazine and Bibliographer , " " Masonic Record , " " The Keystone . "

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lyj ^ Sspi' ^^^^^ v- 'y ^ VVv ^^ Vv' ^^^ SiMI SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 2 , 1882 .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ Wc do not hold responsible , or even approving , the opinions expressed by ourcorrespondents , but we wish in aspirit of fairplay to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]

STATUS OF JOINING PAST MASTERS . To the Editor of the " [ Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Having advanced a clear stage in this controversy , we may fairly dismiss the charge of obscurity , and whatever relates to Past Masters who remain in the lodges wherein

they acquired P . M . ' s rank . We thus limit the discussion to "joining" P . M . 's , and to those only who have not lost their Graud Lodge status . And we may reduce this limit to one single particular , for a joining P . M . appears to have all the privileges of the other P . M . ' s , except that of taking the chair , as a matter of

right , in the absence of the W . M . and the P . M . 's of the lodge . Therefore , the only question that remains for discussion is , "Ought a joining P . M . to have this right equally with the Past Masters of the lodge ?" Your readers are to be heartily congratulated on the appearance in the lists of such a distinguished veteran as

Bro . Hughan ; and I am quite content to leave the question to his treatment , which , we may be certain , will not be " obscure . " 1 will only suggest that , as there are P . M . 's and P . M . 's , the rights and privileges of lodges should be considered , as well as the claims of joining P . M . ' s ; and that , whilst the

much-accomplished brother mentioned by Bro . " H . " as " knowing more of the ceremonies and work of Masonry than all the other P . M . ' s of the lodge put together , " may show a fair title to distinction ; the same can hardly be claimed ( on their joining other lodges ) by "all the other P . M . ' s , " whose collective knowledge and ability do not

make up a sum total equal to that of one competent Past Master . Surely , lodges ought not " per fas et nefas " to be compelled to admit such incompetents to a perfect equality . of status , with the best and most able Past Masters of the lodges , which such incompetent P . M . ' s may join . Yours fraternally , E . T . BUDDEN .

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS . To the Editor of thc " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Permit me , through your columns , to thank " P . G . O . " for correcting the mistakes I made as to numbers admitted , and capable of admission , into the Girls' School , and to further inform him and the Masonic

world generally that , though there will be three extra beds after the October election , it is not thought advisable to fill them , for sanitary reasons ; at least , such is the opinion of the doctor , as transmitted to me through the Secretary , Bro . Hedges , so apparently we must be content to fill up the vacancies which occur in the usual way by lapse of time . Yours fraternally , P . M . 1 G 07 . August 27 th .

PROPOSED NEW GRAND LODGE . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — " Owing to the vast increase in the Craft during the time that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has occupied the chair as Most Worshipful Grand Master ,

a suggestion has been made to acquire the site ot th National Opera House , on the Thames Embankment , for thc purpose of erecting a Temple suitable for the accommodation , and worthy of such an important Body , as that of Freemasonry in England . The land so magnificently situated , and owing to its

proximity to so many railway stations , thc Houses of Parliament and thc Clubs , would prove most desirable for thejeonvenience of the brethren . The scheme is proposed by Bro . Matt Wyatt , of the Jerusalem Lodge , and Bro . T . S . Archer of the Tuscan

Lodge , and Prince of Wales' Chapter , by whom designs have been prepared for the proposed building , and which are now being submitted to several of the influential brethren . Yours faithfully , T . S . ARCHER .

Original Correspondence.

ALMOGHREB AL AKSA . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I venture to address you , in the hope that , as a lover of fair play , you will be pleased to give publicity to my observations , and , if possible , afford me and a number

of English brethren thc information anxiousl y sought by us , but persistently withheld by those whose dut y it is to enlighten the less experienced . Without pretending- to be a Masonic authority , my own common sense leads me to assert that two wrongs never made one right , and that which compels mc to write is

what in thc profane world would be considered a grievance . Most of the interested parties , 1 may say thc most interested , in the discussion have watched in silence the controversy at Gibraltar , showing complete indifference and absence of party spirit . I mean the members of Almoghreb al Aksa Lodge , No . iS , G . R . M ., at Tangiers . These

unfortunate Masons , who for about twelve years had been deprived of attending a lodge , and did not know even how or where to apply for a warrant , eagerly embraced the opportunity offered by Bro . Patterson of a charter from the Grand Lodge of Manitoba . When the charter was obtained , every one of us was affiliated to the lodge , in

doing which we were guided by the example set us by many Masons of note from Gibraltar , amongst whom I may mention a P . D . S . G . W . and P . M . of an English lodge , a P . M . of an Irish lodge and VV . M . of the oldest lodge at Gibraltar , another P . M . of No . 115 , all of whom are active members of the Almoghreb al Aksa Lodge .

lowards the end of May a correspondence of a personal nature took place between Bros . Patterson and Cornwell , the D . G . M ., and the latter who issued a circular recommending English Masons to abstain from intercourse with us . We were at the time on the eve of giving an installation ball in aid

of Charity Schools here , and fearing the circular would prove a death blow to us , this lodge sent a number of resolutions to Bro . Cornwell , repudiating any connection with the Territorial Grand Orient , protesting against any offence which might have been given him , and requested some of our members who were at Gibraltar to show Bro . Cornwell our warrant

and request him to withdraw the circular . This he declined to do and refused to look at the warrant . Thus the Worshipful Mastcr and Past Master of all our sister lodges across the Straits , who had given us their names as Stewards' were obliged to withdraw , and the result was a loss instead of a gain to the lodge and the charities .

Yet we did not murmur ( supposing that the Right Worshipful brother was acting under instructions from higher quarters ) , but patiently waited the arrival of instructions from the Grand Lodge of England . When , at the beginning of this month the District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar held its meeting , and the Chronicle gave public notice of a

satisfactory letter from the Grand Lodge of England , we were informed that that Grand Body did recognise the ri ght of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba to issue warrants for private lodges in unoccupied territory , and thereupon our Secretary wrote to the R . W . D . G . Secretary asking for confirmation of the welcome tidings .

The R . W . Brother replies by alluding to the Territorial Grand Orient , and that the D . G . M . desired English Masons not to encourage our lodge " openly . " This letter proving unsatisfactory , the Secretary again respectfully requested to know whether the Grand Lod ge of England recognises the Lodge Almoghreb Al Aksa as a

regularly constituted lodge or not ; furthermore , he asked for a plain answer , for the guidance of the English Master Masons who belonged to this lodge . For all satisfaction we got a second letter , saying the R . W . Brother could give no other answer than that contained in his preceding letter . If we are regularly constituted , why does not the

D . G . M . say so ? If we are not , has he not the moral courage to say it out ? Is it fair , charitable , or Masonic to leave us in the dark , wasting our time , labour , and money to no purpose ? If we are right , why should we be the sufferers for any man ' s faults ? and if wrong , why not show us the right path , as is the duty of a senior brother ,

holding so important a post as D . G . M . ? Fair play and justice to all being Masonic principles , as well as moral precepts , I trust you will give me this opportunity of getting them for myself and brethren , and shall be glad at any time to corroborate , my statements by irrefutable proofs . Yours fraternally ,

AN ENGLISH MASTER MASON CONNECTED WITH THE ALMOGHREB AL AKSA LODGE . Tangiers , 19 th August . [ We have had to make some needful suppressions , and alter one or two personal sentences . —ED . F . M . )

THE STATUS OF P . M . 'S . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I have read with great interest the correspondence in your paper under this head , and , like Bro . Hughan , am quite of opinion that "P . M . ' s "in" and " of" a lodge should be placed on the same footing ; in fact , I fail to find

in the Book of Constitutions the distinction " in " or " of . " At page iS , Art . 1 , it says : "Subscription as a member of 'any' lodge is sufficient to preserve his rank and rights as a I ' asl Muster . " As all English lodges are under the jurisdiction of the . one Grand Lodge , 1 read this sentence to refer not so much to a brother ' s status in Grand Lodge as to thc continuity of his rank in any lodge , for this