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NOTICE . - ¦—o-. —r The Subscription to THE FREEMASON is now xos . per annum , post-free , payable tn advance . Vol . 1 ., bound in cloth 4 s . 6 d . Vol . II ., ditto 7 s . 6 d . Vol . III ., ditto 15 s . od . Reading Cases to hold 52 numbers ... 2 s . 6 d . United . States of America . THE FREEMASON is delivered free in any part of the United States for 12 s . per Annum , payable in advance .

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NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS . The Office of Tim FREEMASON is now transferred to 198 , FLEET STREET , E . C . All communications for the Editor ov Publisher should therefore be forwarded to that address .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

-o All communications Tor THE FREEMASON should be written Ay /^ on one side of the paper only , 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 case * . The name and address of every writer must be sent to us in confidence . J . D . —If there be no other lodge in the neighbourhood , the Tyler may subscribe to the lodge in which he was initialed , but he cannot hold any other office than that of Tyler . J . W . —1 . Certainly not . 2 . As an officer of the lodge , he -hould wear the collar and jewel with which h _ was invested by the W . M .

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" ~ " " ' '" * - ' * - •. TheFreemason, SATURDAY , DECEMBER 2 , 1871 . THE FKHIIMASON is published on Saturday Mornings in time for he early trains . The price THK FRKKMASON is Twopence per week ; annua subscription , 10 s . ( payable in advance ) . All comnunications , letters , & c , to be addressed to thc EDITOR 198 , Fleet-street , E . C . The Editor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted to him t tcannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage tamps .

"A Body Without A Head.''

"A BODY WITHOUT A HEAD . ''

THAT but little resemblance exists between the Freemasonry practised in England and other countries , and thc nondescript medley which usurps that name in France , is a fact

but too well known to Masonic observers ia both hemispheres ; and , unhappily , our French brethren seem determined to Avidcn the gulf which thus practically separates

them from all true and faithful supporters of thc ancient landmarks of the Craft . It is , at all times , a melancholy thing to note the gradual perversion of a noble intent to

base and unhallowed ends—even as it is sad to sec the shadoAVs of darkness gradually envelope and destroy the brilliant hues of a summer sky . But indignation somewhat

mingles Avith our sorrow Avhen AVC reflect that French Masons have done , and are still doing , all they can to stain thc glories of the Royal Art , to banish its proud

traditions from their midst , and to erect upon thc ruins of thc Masonic edifice a structure built up of vanity and buttressed

by falsehood and shame . In a word , the introduction of political questions into the lodges in France , and the constant discussions resulting therefrom , have slowly but

"A Body Without A Head.''

surely sapped the foundations of the Masonic Institution in that land of grandiloquent ideas . The principles of 1789 , and the relative merits of dynastic or anarchical

SAvay , are common topics of debate in French lodges ; in fact , the business of the "Orator " —an officer , by-the-bye , unknoAvn in our Englsh matter-of-fact assemblies—seems to

be mainly to keep the brethren Avell posted in the politics of the day , and to pour forth a stream of pompous verbiage upon certain grand occasions , his stock phrases being "Liberty , Equality , and Fraternity . "

No stronger evidence of this divergence from the neutral path prescribed to all members of the Craft can be found than in the recent proceedings of the Grand Orient

of France in General Assembly convened , The delegates present had scarcely A'erified their respective representative powers , Avhen a certain Brother Laterrade appealed to

the Assembly to hail thc anniversary of the overthroAV of the empire Avith a " triple battery " of acclamation , and in the course of his speech , pronounced a Republican

form of government to be the only " true , desirable , and logical" system of rule . Bro . Maricot replied , and objected to any demonstration of joy being made Avhile so

large a portion of France Avas occupied by the foreigner , but Brother Roussclle combated this argument by asserting that thc Grand Orient ought to rejoice in the date

of the 4 th September , because it Avas the anniversary of a day Avhen liberty was restored to thc nation . Several voices , howc \ cr , protested at this juncture , and

Bro . Simon , of Paris , very sensibly demurred to the political tone of thc discussion , and insisted that every brother should maintain his essentially Masonic character in the

meetings of the Order , and we arc glad to say that this AV ' counsel was supported by Bro . Ratier , who said , Avith emphasis * . " Here , toe arc Freemasons , and nothing but

Freemasons . "" Eventually , thc Assembly passed to the order of thc day ; or , as AVC should say , " shelved" Bro . Latcrradc ' s motion , Avhich , however , ought never to have

been broached , much less entertained in any body calling itself Masonic . As a fuithcr example of the manner in Avhich political ideas pen'adc thc French Masonic

mind , a curious incident , which occurred at the second si'dncc of thc Grand Orient , may be quoted . The President having made the usual inquiry as to the exclusion of thc

profane from the meeting , and the Wardens having responded affirmatively , Bro . Roussclle , of Bordeaux , challenged the accuracy of the response , and affirmed that

mouchards , or spies , Avere present , and that these men reported everything that transpired to thc police . Bro . Ducarrc hoped that such Avas not thc case , especially as the

right of all present to attend had been verified—therefore , it Avould not be AVI ' to act with undue haste , or upon a simple

supposition . Bro . Andre Roussclle , Avho represented a lodge in Algeria , said that the fact Avas undoubted , and that for tAvelve years or more an umvorthy brother present

"A Body Without A Head.''

had acted as a spy , and furnished reports of his visits to various lodges , day by day , to the police authorities . Upon this , the name of the mouchardwzs loudly demanded ,

and Bro . Roussclle finished his denunciation by naming the miserable , when there Avere loud cries for his immediate ejection . The President implored the Assembly to be

calm , and when quiet was restored , the unfortunate police agent Avas ordered to explain , or to quit immediately the hall of the Grand Orient . In the sequel , he was

obliged to do both ; for , notwithstanding his protestations of innocence , the bare admission of his connection with the police

sufficed to ensure his being requested to retire , which he had thc good sense to do , Avithout provoking any further hostile manifestations .

The Assembly then proceeded to business , and AVC may note , en passant , that the nomination as Wardens of Bros . Stieffel , delegate from the Lodge " Les Freres

reunis , " of Strasburg , and Thiault , Venerable of the Lodge " Tolerance et Fraternite , " of Belfort , elicited tremendous applause , and deservedly so , because both those towns

made a most heroic defence , and covered themselves Avith glory during the late AA'ar . Patriotism Ave do not object to , but our bete noir is politics in a Masonic lodge .

The report of a committee Avas then read , and Avill it be credited that the members gravely recommended that the office of Grand Master should be abolished I and ,

still stranger to say , after a lively and exhaustive debate , this monstrous recommendation Avas approved and decreed I Bro . Ferdeuil made a capital , and , to our mind ,

a conclusive oration , in favour of retaining the Grand Mastership — reminding the brethren that the post Avas elective and

temporary , and that the Assembly could ahvays displace an inefficient chief by one more Avorthy of the station . But thc very

idea of having a "Master" was evidently repugnant to the free and enlightened Republicans present , who doubtless viewed

the government of the Craft as they Avould a political machine , and resolved to mould it to their own purposes . In this , A \ -C believe , they have forgotten that the Avorld contains

many Masonic Grand Lodges , and many hundreds and thousands of Masons , besides those who affect thc lambskin in France ; and they need to be reminded that the

landmarks of the Institution are not to be removed at thc caprice or studied resoh'e of any body or section of thc Order . In thus setting at defiance public Masonic

opinion throughout the Universe , they are simply drifting into Anti-masonry , and the sooner they avow themselves open foes

to the ancient principles of Freemasonry thc better it will be for the Aveal of the Craft in general .

" Thc suppression of the Grand Mastership marks thc close of the monarchical era in Freemasonry . " Such , in effect , were

the Avords used by thc Orator of the Grand Orient in commendation of the recent ill-judged proceedings of that body , and