English Freemasonry In The Colonies.

strengthen and perpetuate it must obviously be to the advantage of our Graud Lodge . But while we are proud of these feelings of devoted loyalty on the part of our Queensland brethren towards the English and are

thankful to Bro . GIBBON for having placed them so clearly and concisely before our readers , we do not share in bis dismal forebodings as to the probable effect some of thc additions to , and amendments of , the laws relating to Colonial Masonry

which our Grand Lodge saw fit to adopt last year . We expressed ourselves to this effect in our Notes of last September , nor are we aware of anything tbat has happened since to alter our opinion . Wc do not allow that by its recent Colonial

legislation our (/ rand Lodge has exposed itself to the charge which Bro . GlHBON brings against it of " granting constitutional means for promoting Masonic schism and fostering envy , hatred , malice , and all uncharitablcness . " As regards

the former of his charges—that of " granting constitutional means for promoting Masonic schism " —what Grand Lodge did last year was to sanction the discussion , regularly , in open lodge , of any question that might arise in a British Colony , presently

unprovided with a separate and independent Masonic organisation , as to the necessity or desirability of establishing a local Grand Lodge . Clearly it is not in the power of Grand Lodge to prevent such questions arising , and past experience shows that

whenever any such question has arisen , the absence from our Book of Constitutions of any legislative sanction for discussion has proved no obstacle to its being discussed . All that members of lodges had to do , when the question was raised in any

Colony of establishing a local Grand Lodge , was to meet together and discuss it as individual Masons informally , at what , as compared witb regular lodges , must have been hole-and-corner

meetings . Under the new law the matter will be considered formally and reputably , ' with tbe sanction of the District Grand Master , or if that should be withheld , with that of the

M . W . Grand Master . But it is only by a very long stretch

of the imagination that anyone can venture to define this as " granting Constitutional means for promoting Masonic Schism . " If the members of a lodge , or lodges , are already in heart schismatics , it is far better they should

sever their connection with our Grand Lodge in the open light of day , with the sanction , if not with the approval , of the authorities , than that tbey should sneak out of it as though they were ashamed either of being known

as English Masons or of their newly-formed desire for independence . On the other hand , if they are not already in heart or ever likely to become schismatics the facilities which the law now affords them of resolving for or against separation will not

have the effect of converting them into schismatics . Nor in the case of lodges in which opinions on the subject of a local Grand Lodge are supposed to be pretty equally divided is there , as far as we arc able to judge , the slightest chance of their being

lost to the Grand Lodge of England by a snatch vote or a bare majority of voices , firstly , because the sanction of the authorities must be obtained in order that a special meeting or meetings for resolving on the question of forming a local Grand lodge

may be held ; secondly , because when the new Grand Lodge has been recognised by us , the timely notice of at least 21 clays must be given for a special meeting of every lodge to be held , at which the question of joiningthe new body shall be considered

•and thirdly and principally , because a majority of two-thirds of tbe members present at such meeting is required in order togivc validity toarcsolution passed in favour of sojoining . Previous to the enactment of the present law , it cannot have been very difficult for the

promoters of separation in any lodge to convene an informal meeting of the members hastily , without timely notice , or appoint it for a day on which they felt tolerably certain of being in a majority . Thus the law as it now stands , so far from offering

facilities for the promotion of schism , provides the necessary safeguards against the adoption by lodges hastily or by a bare majority of votes of the policy of separation , and in so iar as it does this , it is clearly an advantage to our Colonial lodges that such a law should be on the statute book .

As for Article 219 , Book of Constitutions , both under the old and under the new law , the rights of minorities are sufficiently protected . Under the old law , a minority of three sufficed lo

English Freemasonry In The Colonies.

retain the warrant ancl carry on the lodge ; under thc existing law , it must be a minority of five . In the former case , if the minority fell below three , thc warrant became extinct ; in the latter , if the minority proves less than five , the lodge ceases to

exist , and the warrant is returned to the Grand Master , who , however , may grant a dispensation for it to meet under such conditions as he may think proper until such time as hc shall have finally made up his mind whether or not thc lodge shall

be continued . Thus , though the minority under the new law is increased from thrce to five , there is an equipoise provided in the power reserved to the Grand Master to continue thc lodge if he considers there are circumstances which justify him in so doing .

But , though the difference in thc two minorities is such as to be hardly appreciable—at least , in ordinary circumstances—there is no reason to complain that under both the old and the new law the rights of minorities are not duly safeguarded .

It will be perceived that the general tendency of our remarks is to show that our Queensland brethren are in error in affirming

that they are " being forced to give up " their " Masonic birthright " by any act of the Grand Lodge of England , or that there are auy real grounds for the feeling which Bro . GIBBON tells us is prevalent amongst them , that they have " neither the sympathy

nor backing" of their "brethren at home . There is , however , strong reason to fear as regards English Masonry that the forecast which will be found in the ioth paragraph of his letter is by no means impossible of verification . That paragraph reads

as follows : " At another meeting a Present District Grand Lodge Officer of thc Scottish Constitution urged the union of thc Scottish ancl Irish Constitutions , as by so doing it would compel the English Masons to chip in . This same Constitution , with

an extraordinary facility for opening new lodges , and admitting all and sundry , boasts that it will shortly obtain a voting power which , in conjunction with the Irish vote , would place the English Masonic Fraternity in a hopeless minority . " That this

is not a fanciful expression of opinion will be found on consulting our Grand Lodge Calendar , from which we learn that while there are 54 English lodges under a D . G . M ., there are some 43 lodges on the register of the Grand Lodge of Scotland—of which as

many as 26 figure among the 66 most recently warranted—under a Dist . Grand Master ; and 19 lodges under the Irish Constitution under a Prov . Grand Master . Thus the Irish and Scottish lodges taken together , even at the present time , outnumber thc

English by eight . But neither legislation nor the absence of legislation by the Grand Lodge of England will assist to prevent this excessive multiplication of Scottish lodges , ancl all we can advise our English brethren in Queensland to do , if they desire

to remain on thc English register , is to stand firm , as a whole in their present allegiance . Let them , however , not run away with the idea that the Grand Lodge of England , in acting as it deems best for the welfare of all English Freemasonry , both

home and Colonial , is careless , or ever likely to be careless , about their present and future interests . This can never be the castso lon ;> - as the English lodges in any Colony elect to remain under our banner .

Supreme Grand Chapter Of England.

SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER OF ENGLAND .

The Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was held on Wednesday evening last , at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen-street , W . C . Comp . Earl Amherst , G . H ., presided as G . M . E . Z . ; Comp . VV . W . B . Beach , G . J ., as G . H . ; and Comp . Col . Robert Townley Caldwell , M . A ., G . Supt . Cambridgeshire , as G . J . The other companions

present were—Comps . E . Letchworth , G . S . E . ; Thomas Fenn , ar G . S . N . ; Sir Geo . D . Harris President Committee of General Purposes ; Alderman W . Vaughan Morgan , G Treas . ; R . Horton Smith , Q . C , Deputy G . Reg . ; J . Strachan , Q . C , as G . I ' . S . ; Sir Bruce M . Seton , as ist A . G . S . ; A . C . Spaull , as 2 nd A . G . S . ; W . Russell , G . S . B . ; George C . Kent , ist G . Std . Dr . ; VV . J . Ebbetts , 4 th G . Std . Br . ; F .

Richardson , P . A . G . S ., G . D . C ; T . F . Pollock , D . G . D . C ; E . C Mulvey , A . G D . C . ; George F . Smith . G . Org . ; T . Ringer , D . G . S . B . ; Robert Grey , Past President Committee of General Purposes ; R . Clowes ; Geo . Cowell , P . A . G . S . R . Clay Sudlow ; Alfred Spencer , P . G . S . B . ; Walter Hughes ; J J . Thomas ; Charles E . Keyser ; Perceval A . Nairne ; Edgar Goble ; George Graveley , Henry A . Tobias , Hugh M . Gordon , S . V . Abraham , Mihill

Slaughter , John Williams , Reginald St . A . Roumieu , E . M . Money , J . Leach Barrett , John W . Martin , John Mason , Major T . C . Walls , George Blake , Belgrave Ninnis , J . C . Parkinson , G . H . Hopkinson , James Stephens , VV . F . Smithson , J . E . Le Feuvre , Francis Newman , Thomas Henry Gardiner , Wm . Stiles , P . G . T . C . F . Matier , Surgeon Lieut .-Col . Henry VV . Kiallmark , W . A . Scurrah , Henry Sutherland , W . G . Kentish , A . J . R . Trendell , H . J . P . Dumas , Henry Lovegrove , f . M . McLeod , H . Sadler , G . Janitor ; Maurice Spiegel , PA / . . 834 , 1556 , P . P . G .