Book Of Constitutions, Ireland.

Election in the Grand Master's Lodge is subject to the approval of the G . M . or the D . G . M ., after a favourable ballot . No Lodge on the Roll is permitted to meet for either labour or refreshment on Sunday . Election of Officers must occur prior to 30 th November in each year , but none can be Installed before

St . John ' s Day in Winter ; and the Grand Lodge recommends that no Brothei shall be elected as W . M . who is incapable of properly conferring the Craft Degrees . Unless by dispensation , specially granted , every Lodge Secretary must be a P . M ., who may also hold the office of Treasurer .

One " black bean " excludes a candidate , but joining members are admitted according to the By-laws . In each case either the Proposer or Seconder must be present when the ballot is taken , and all members who are Master Masons , and in attendance , must vote . Six months must lapse before rejected Candidates

for Initiation can be again proposed . A Brother removed from his Lodge Roll for non-payment of dues is not eligible for membership in any other Lodge , or even to visit during labour or refreshment , until such arrears are paid . A Register of such financial defaulters is kept in the Grand Secretary's office . A

member who is objectionable to his fellow members may be excluded , provided "that three fourths of the subscribing members shall so decide at a Communication specially called to consider the matter . " The voting to be by ballot . Each lodge shall have a Seal of the design provided . Candidates for

Initiation in lodges within the Metropolitan District must be approved by the " Committee of Charity ancl Inspection , " besides passing the Ballot in the regular way , save as to the " Grand Master ' s Lodge . " There are stringent rules as to the balloting and initiation of non-resident Candidates , and advisedly so .

Membership of the Grand Lodge consists of the Present and Past Grand Officers , the Provincial Grand Officers , the W . Ms ., Wardens , and P . Ms , ( who have taken out their certificates ) ,

provided they are subscribing members to lodges on the Irish Register . In the list of precedence , however , I see that Past Provincial Grand Officers are included but they are not mentioned as such in Law 3 .

The prefix ' ' R . W . " is used by Officers from the D . G . M . to the Grand Treasurer , Secretary , and Chaplain ( in such order ) and " W . " denotes the remainder . The Dep . Prov . G . M . is also " R . W . " and the " V . W . " is to designate the Chaplain , and " W . " for the rest of the Prov . Grand Officers . Provincial

Grand Inspectors may be appointed by the Prov . G . M ., and rank after Prov . G Inner Guard . There are several other Laws that may be noted that differ from ours , but these must suffice for the time . The " Old Charges of the Free and Accepted Masons of

Ireland as originally issued for the use of Lodges in Great Britain and Ireland , 1 730 , " duly follow . These resemble ( but improve upon ) those published A . D . 1723 in the premier " Book of Constitutions . " They are , however , of more literary excellence than the senior production or compilation , and I am

glad they have been so prominently brought once more to the notice of the Craft , as also " The Charge to new-admitted Brethren , as originally approved by the Grand Officers of Ireland , 1 734 . " . . .

The " External Forms and Ceremonies for use in the Lodges" which succeed were recommended by the Grand Lodge of Instruction nth May , 18 99 , signed by W . J . Chetwode Crawley ( as Grand Secretary of that most useful organisation ) ,

and duly approved by the Grand Lodge on the first of fhe following month ; certified by Lord Castletown , Grand Secretary , fhe Introduction is so good and original lhat I should much like lo give it in full , but that cannot be done just now , so a portion must suffice .

" The Old Charges refer to the Craft of Masonry under two denominations , Operative and Speculative . The skill of the Operative . " . . " was displayed in building material Edifices , conspicuous for Wisdom of Design , Strength of Construction , and Beauty of

Figure . The corresponding task of speculative Craftsmen is to take their share in building up a moral edifice , which shall display to like advantage the social , intellectual , and spiritual faculties with which it has pleased the Great Architect of the Universe to endow

the Brethren . " ... " The Ceremonies , Methods , and Implements of the Operative Brethren continue to condense and convey instruction which , without such Emblems , Symbols , and Memories , would run the risk of being distorted or lost in the vicissitudes of oral tradition . "

What , I presume , mig ht fairly be termed the External Ritual , is of a high order of excellence ; the Prayers arc recited and the Forms generally are most appropriate and truly Masonic .

Book Of Constitutions, Ireland.

The Modern " Charges" are reproduced , and apparently cannot well be improved . The illustrated descriptive account of the " Masonic Clothing and Insignia" peculiar to the Grand Lodge makes interesting reading , and completes this artistic volume , which undoubted is not only one of the best works of the kind ever published in connection with any Grand Lodge , but superior to most Books of Constitutions extant . W . J . HUGHAN .

Supreme Grand Chapter.

SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER .

The Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England was held on Wednesday evening , at Freemasons' Hall , London . Comp . W . W . Beach , M . P ., Grand J ., occupied the chair of Grand M . E . Z . ; Comp . R . Townley Caldwell , M . A ., Grand Superintendent Cambridge , acted as Grand H . ; and Comp . Lieut .-Gen . C . W , Randolph , Grand Superintendent Sussex , as Grand J . Comps , E . Letchworth , G . S . E . ; W . Lake , Asst . G . S E . ; Frank

Richardson , Sir G . D . Harris , Lennox Browne , C . E . Keyser , Dr . Clement Godson , W . Russell , Alderman Vaughan Morgan , P . G . T . ; W . A . Scurrah , James Boulton , J . Strachan , Q . C ; E . Beaumont , Baron de Ferrieres , George Everett , P . G . T . ; Henry Garrod , H . A . Tobias , j . W . Burgess , George Graveley , T . L . Wilkinson , and C . J . R . Tijou , were among the other companions who attended . There was but a sparse gathering .

On the motion of Sir G . D . HARRIS , seconded by Comp . FRANK RICHARDSON , charters were granted for chapters to be attached to the Mizoah Lodge , No . 1671 , 10 the Armitage Loige , No . 2261 , to the Toowong Lodge , No . 2306 ; and the Pioneer Lod ^ e , No . 1490 . The St . Andrew ' s Chapter , No . 834 , was granted permission to remove from Brook Green to ibp

Criterion , Piccadilly ; the De Tabley Cdapter , No . 60 s , from the Music Hall to the Park Hotel , Biikenhead ; the Rye Chapter , No . 2272 , from the Public Hall , Peckham , to the Holborn Restaurant ; and the St . John at Hackney Chapter , No . 2511 , from the Town HaU , Hackney , to the South Place Hotel , Finsburv .

The Umzimkulu Chapter , No . 2113 , Natal , for which a charter was granted , on the 2 nd November , 1892 , never having been consecrate J , and the First Principal designate having returned the charter , the chapter was removed from the roll of chapters . The following chapters having made no returns to Grand Chapter for many years , and no replies having been received to numerous communications addressed to them , the chapters were ordered to be removed from the roll of chapters :

The Albion Chapter , No . 196 , Barbados . The Cyrus Chapter , No . 233 , Bermuda . The Royal Philanthropic Chapter , No . 405 , Port of Spain , Trinidad . The Orion in the West Chapter , No . 415 , Poona , Bombay . The Royal Victoria Chapter , No . 443 , New Providence , Bahamas . The St . lohn ' s Chapter . No . < ia . St . lohn ' s . Newfoundland .

The St . Augustine Chapter , No . 609 , Christchurch , New Zealand . Ths Loyal Arakan Chapter , No . 646 , Akyab , Burmah . The Friendship Chapter , No . 750 , Cleckheaton . The Dunheved Chapter , No . 789 , Launceston . The Otago Chapter , No . 844 , Dunedin , New Zealand . The Phoenix Chapter , No . 914 , Port Royal , Jamaica . The Remuera Chapter , No . 1710 , Remuera , New Zealand .

A charter of confirmation was granted to the Francis Burdett Chapter , the original charter having been lost , and the name of the chapter was altered to "Sir Francis Burdett . " Comp . Sir GEORGE D . HARRIS moved "That the sum of £ 2000 be contributed from the funds of Grand Chapter towards the cost of the new buildincs at Freemasons' Hall . " He said th _>« iim _ ic 1 n » l f / ir » nr _ , _ , t ^ _ . u _

usual proportion which Grand Chapter bore of Grand Lodge expenses . The companions might like to know that the new work was being pushed forward with considerable vigour . The property would be greatly improved by the proposed large blocks of buildings to be erected , and that the Londin County Council had under consideration the application of part of the street as the site of their new County Hall , and when they had decided upon it , no doubt the work would be carried on with more than ordinary dexterity . said he had

Comp . FRANK RICHARDSON much pleasure in seconding the motion , because he thought it only right that Grand Chapter should bear a portion of the cost . The expense was very heavy , but by the new street going along from Holborn to near Freemasons' Hall , and coming round at the back , Freemasons' Hall he hoped , would be able to get an entrance to the new thoroughfare about to be made , and that would immensely improve the property of Grand Lodge , and on this ground , if on no olher , it was only right that Grand Chapter should bear a portion of the

expense . Comp . W . BEACH , in putting the motion to Grand Chapter , said the companions had been informed that the sum proposed to be given was the usual proportion Grand Chapter bore , but if any companion had any remark upon the resolution , he would be pleased to hear him . The motion was carried .

Comp . Sir J B . MONCKTON , P . G . S . N ., moved " That the sum of 100 guineas be contributed from the funds of Grand Chapter to the Transvaal Refugees' Relief Fund . " He said this was a very modest proposal , and he would explain how it was . When he gave notice of this motion , so as to allow the constitutional interval of a fortnight , there was but one fund in course of collection for alleviating the evils arising out of the war in which thi country was engaged . Other funds had since sprung up , which bade

fair to go along with the Transvaal Refugees' Relief Fund . There was one fund for making provision for the future , and he hoped it would meet with every support . He thought Grand Chapter should contribute to the Relief Fund . His object in giving the notice was that many of the Masonic breihren might know that in the Transvaal there wer « the various branches of Freemasonry , and many brethren in South Africa , as well as in the country which was hostile to us , and that there were lodges in Pretoria , Natal , Griqualand , and Johannesburg .