Memorandum On The Status Of The Masonic Charities.

i . —That all the Charitable Institutions be placed under the direct authority of the Grand Lodge . 2 , —That in order to bring the wishes of every individual donor and subscriber to bear in the control of our Masonic Charity , the Charity Steward of each lodge be empowered to vote on behalf of the lodge , chapter , or society of which he is a duly accredited representative , or of any other individual donor or subscriber

who may be a resident in the jurisdiction of his Provincial Grand Lodge , and that he , as proxy , may use such votes upon an ) ' question or matter before the Grand Lodge , or before a General Court or any Committee , or before a Special Grand Lodge , Court , or Committee , and that such Stewards , ipso facto , together with the Patrons , Vice-Patrons , Presidents , Vice-Presidents , Trustees , Treasurer , and Life Governors , shall form the General Court for

Masonic Charities . 3 . —That there shall be only one General Court , composed as above , from which there shall be elected one General Committee , one House Committee , and one Finance Committee . 4 . —That Subscribers entitled to vote may give their vote to any Institution belonging to our Masonic Charities , and that all subscriptions and donations shall be credited to the Masonic Charities , and not to any particular Institution .

It has been urged that the finances of the Charities in general would suffer under this enlarged freedom to the votes of subscribing brethren ; but this plea is purely theoretical , and I , for one , dispute the axiom that in giving more freedom in the exercise of their votes , the tendency would be to close the benevolence of those true-hearted subscribers who now are restricted to one Institution . On the contrary , I believe that that benevolence would expand and show itself in manifold gifts to a homogeneous Charity properly controlled and administered with economy .

5 . —That the half-yearly election lists include the names of all applicants , whether aged Masons , widows , girls , or boys ; and that such candidates be simultaneously elected . This amalgamation alone will make a saving of £ 800 per annum . 6 . —That there be one Annual Grand Anniversary of the Masonic Charities .

7 . —That as there are 2 S 0 out of 320 aged annitants now receiving the blessing of their Jpensions by quarterly payments at their respective homes in all parts of the kingdom , so it is desirable that the remaining forty aged persons , for whom alone the establishment at Croydon is kept up , be sent to their respective homes on the same annuities which are paid to the 280 non-residents .

This will make a saving of £ 925 14 s . in the absorption of one Secretary and commission , and more than £ 2000 per annum now expended in keeping up the Croydon establishment for forty old people , together with a goodly sum of £ 40 , 000 or £ 50 , 000 , which might be realised by the sale of the Asylum . In doing this we should simply be following the highly

advantageous precedent of the abolition of the establishment of Greenwich Hospital . I need scarcely point out the benefits which would follow so great a saving in the larger number of poor brethren and widows we should be able then to provide for . S . —That the Secretary of the Grand Lodge be the Serretary of the Masonic Charities , with a suitable staff of clerks to assist him .

With regard to the question of the capability of one Secretary being able to manage our Masonic Charities , 1 might almost set it aside as too childish to entertain ; but , as the point has been raised , I have only to remark that such a secretariat as I propose , if under one manager , is not to be compared either in regard to the departmental duties or in the supervision of our moderate income and expenditure , to a second-rate mercantile house , to the

great insurance offices , banks , clubs , and public schools , where the Secretary receives but £ 400 or £ 500 per annum , whereas with this amalgamation I feel sure the Secretary of the Grand Lodge , in addition to his present duties , could easily control this secretariat , with a competent staff of clerks , on a consolidated salary of £ 1000 per annum , with an annual increment of £ 20 until a maximum of £ 1200 per annum had been reached .

The saving effected b y this concentration of rolling-up four highly paid Secretaries into one will be over £ 14 , 000 per annum in our present secretariat with its surroundings , together with the absorption of the establishment at Croydon , and as a crowning piece it would enable us to direct the flow of the loving gifts of the Brotherhood back to its legitimate channel in supporting some 400 more orphans and 50 aged poor , without asking the

brethren for one single penny more than they are now giving . A question now naturally arises as to what is to be done for so large an increase in our orphanage and aged poor ? The reply is an easy one , namely , that we put in force Rule No . 66 of the laws of the Boys' and Girls ' Institutions , but altering the amount from £ 12 to £ 20 ior the girls and £ 25 for the boys , to be paid to the mothers of the children for their education ,

clothing , and board . And here I would most earnestly beg ' and implore the brethren to set their faces against dabbling any more in bricks and mortar ; we have had a terrible lesson in the sinking of so vast a sum of money as £ 65 , 900 in the School , at Wood Green , . for the care of some 215 boys , regarding which I observe it has been remarked in the report , "As much misapprehension exists on this head , it must be borne in mind that the soil

at Wood Green is heavy clay !" I observe that a proposition at a General Committee was made b y a \^ ' !( ' name being given , of the Boys' Institution , that the buildings at I Wood Green should be enlarged at present for 50 more boys , and eventuall y I for 150 . Here we are still being dragged b y this unrepresentative Coml mittee into a further reckless expenditure ; a further sinking of our bounty

p > mo neavy clay ! 1 trust the brethren will make their voice heard and stay these proceedings . f M y proposition for altering and enlarging the 66 th Rule as above might \ . ^ accepted as a tentative measure for the next 50 boys and 50 girls , under \ le due supervision of a Committee of brethren , to see that such children w ' being properly cared for . The advantages would be very great : first ot all there would be no separation of mother and child , especially as

regards the girls , at an age when it is most undesirable , namely from 8 to 5 years ; then the children would be getting such natural domestic training I and s . love and care as nothing but a real home can afford . Its cheap-> "ess is unquestionable , for the children are at present costing us between f * S ? and £ 60 per head , and no new staff of paid officials would be required , \ « . , roore heavy soil wherein to cast our benevolence , with may be a i ""her crop of Secretaries as thp . resnlr .

I J I ] ° teave these propositions to the serious consideration of the brethren , ! Q beg of them to remember that not only shall we have got rid of an ex' and 5 ?!? s 9 cretari'lt » but we sn 'i" h'lve our Charities under proper control , thr , I . 'S nls of lne brethren to a complete representation and control thp ° "rand Lodge on questions of importance affecting our interests and -expenditure of those Charities will be satisfactorily ensured ! and f C WaS nolllin £ more for us t 0 lo ° k to than the election of children Charit - A ° t d folk ' we n 1 'g ' u sli 11 fold our hands together and let our lesslh r t c alongasneretoforej D "i when the present system entails no man tour Secretaries and a reckless expenditure , and is the means of

Memorandum On The Status Of The Masonic Charities.

keeping our aged poor from the benefits of our benevolence , which closes the door of our compassion on the widow and stifles the cry of our starving children , I say , in God ' s name , let us up and strike at the root of this folly , and put our house in order .

In conclusion , I beg to state that it is not my wish to bind the brethren to every word or minute detail , nor for a moment to dictate in the above propositions . I only wish to call their most serious attention to the obvious waste and abuse of great gifts , and to consult them on certain principIes _ of action on which a reform might be based .

Freemasonry And Judaism.

FREEMASONRY AND JUDAISM .

We frequently have occasion to notice in our columns the proceedings at the various so-called " Jewish" and other lodges of Freemasons in this country in which our co-religionists participate . In our previous issue we adverted to the circumstance that at a meeting of the " Devonshire " Lodge , Bro . David A . Davis , P . M ., the only Jewish member , was presented with a gold and diamond Past Master ' s jewel , in recognition of his services to

Masonry . The week before we reported an interesting discussion at the monthly meeting of the " Joppa " Lodge , on the question of retaining the Jewish Grace , which resulted in the adoption of the curtailed Grace—that form known as "Maimonides' Grace "—which is , as heretofore , to be said in Hebrew . The discussion derived an additional inte-est from the significant remark to which it gave rise , that " Masonry was founded upon the principles

of Judaism , and long before its establishment , Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth were household words among Jews . " The close relation between Judaism and Freemasonry and the predilection and natural aptitude of Jews for its principles are generally admitted facts . It is worth while enquiring into the origin and nature of the affinity between Masonry and Judaism . The theory of William Preston , who wrote on Masonry in 1792 , that the

institution was coeval with the creation of man , is usually regarded as a fanciful one . William Preston simply meant , we suppose , that the principles of fraternity on which it is founded are as old as human institutions , and his supposition was hardly an extravagant one . Many writers incline to the opinion that the institution had its origin in the religious mysteries of the ancient world . In very early times , it " is related , there existed a corporation

of architects styled " Dionysiac Fraternity . " The members of this craft monopolised thebuilding of temples , stadia , and theatres in Asia Minor , and recognised each other by signs and tokens . It is added that the Dionysiacs arrived in Asia Minor at the time of the Ionic migration , about 1044 B . C ., or half a century before the building of Solomon ' s Temple . Hiram , of Tyre , as we know from Scripture , assisted Solomon in the buildine- of the

Temple , by sending him contingents of workmen and otherwise . Writers on Masonry tell us that these deputed workmen were a band of Dionysiacs , at the head of whom was a widow's son , and to this latter they attribute the rise of the institution . Upon this belief the rituals used in the lodges of the order are based . This theory which ascribes to Masonry a distinctively Jewish source is however discredited by many authorities , who attribute to

it a mediaeval European origin , very far removed from any connection with Judaism . The probability is that Masons were at first an operative craft who applied themselves in different parts of Europe to the building of churches and cathedrals . Some of the most famous ecclesiastical edifices have been constructed by this Order . In the beginning of the seventh century there were many Masonic corporations diffused throughout Europe .

In Italy they were known as Colleges of Architects , in France as Pontifical Brothers and as Free Corporations , and in England and Scotland as Freemasons . Dr . Henry in his "History of Great Britain " writes : ' . 'The Italians , with some Greek refugees and with some French , German , and Flemings , joined into a fraternity of architects , procuring Papal bulls for their encouragement and their particular privileges : they styled themselves

Freemasons , and ranged from one nation to another as they found churches to be built ; their government was regular , and where they fixed near the building in hand , they made a camp of huts . A surveyor governed in chief ; every tenth man was called a warden and overlooked each nine . " If this account of the rise of Masonry be correct , the connection of Jews with the Order must be recent . Jews have not shown an aptitude for building and not at least since their

bricklaying , expulsion from their own soil . They would have been little inclined , therefore , to seek admission into a craft of operatives , and still less would they have cared to be identified with a body devoted to the interests of ecclesiastical building . But from an earl y period , statesmen , ecclesiastics , and other eminent persons were admitted into the Order , and gradually the operative element became lost in the speculative

features of Freemasonry . As long , however , as the principles of religious toleration were not recognised in Europe , the unsectarianism which is characteristic of Freemasonry could not have come into play , and jews would not have been permitted to participate in its rites . Though the connection of Jews with the Craft is modern , once admitted it was natural that they should become some of its most enthusiastic members . The toleration of which it

gave practical evidence would be dearly prized b y Jews , if only inself-defence . But irrespective of considerations of personal interest , and of the historical or fabled origin of the Craft , the affinity of Judaism and Masonry for each other rests on undisputable grounds . The principles of fraternity which are characteristic of the one discipline , form the keystone of the other . Judaism is essentially a system of Freemasonry . In the language of the Rabbinic

proverb , all the members of the Jewish race are brothers . The religious signs and tokens which Jews share in common , serve as infallible guides of mutual recognition . The uniform tongue in which Jews pray serves to unite them all over the world . The Shemang Yisrael is the Masonic password among Jews which has often succeeded in kindling the spark of brotherl y

sympathy in the most untoward circumstances . Jews , like Masons , have special claims on one another ' s hel p in times of distress , which Jews , equally with Masons , are never slow to recognise . The objects served by Masonry are , therefore , identical with those which are attained by the profession of the religion of Moses . —Jewish Chronicle , 25 February , 1881

Dutch sympathy with the Boers was manifested in a marked" manner at the meeting of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons , on Wednesday night . The Nether-S f £ " r ffC s l c " , . '" 0 "al entreating the good offices of English brethren with the Government to obtain the re-establishment of the Transvaal Republic . It being , however , a fundamental principle of English Freemasonry not to inteferc in rehgious or political questions , Lord Lathom , the Deputy Grand Master , has expressed

rJ .. „ J rl -, r , ' ° ?? ? i , Netherlands that it was impossible to accede the request . —Daily Telegraph , March 3 rd , 1 S 81 . Bro . Baron Henry de Worms on Wednesday presented to the House of Commons a petition , wholly signed by working men residing on the banks of ktw „ a"the Th am es Bilf . ** " nam £ S ' ' ** '" the ^ -Governmental measure