Contents.

CONTENTS .

. DSRS 129 ; REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS ( Continued)—United Grand Lodge of England 130 Ancient and Accepted Rite 13 S Consecration of the Adur Lodge , No . 2187 , Cryptic Masonry 139 at Hcn'ield is 1 „ . Rosicrucian Society of England 131 ) Provincial Grand Lodge of Sussex 132 gcotUnd 1--. 0 Provincial Grand Chapter of Sussex 132 The Rec ^ F'Sk ^ A Valu . ble Manuscript .. 132 Benevolent Institution - . r A „ r , „ al Festival of thc Emulation Lodge •>'

« „ . „ i-nv , * ment 1-. % Masonic ball 139 r THOCETCE- ' The Roval Standard Lodge of Instruction flK Recent Festival of the Royal ( No . 1298 ) Benevolent Association 139 Masonic Benevolent Institutvvtion 133 Children's Party at the Masonic llall , R EPORTS or M ASONIC MEETINGS— Halifax 139 Craft Masonry 13 S Mark Benevolent Fund Festival 139 Instruction 137 Obituary 139 Roval Arch 13 S Theatres 140 Instruction 138 Masonic and General Tidings 140 Mark Masonry 138 Lodge Meetings for Next Week iii .

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OUR anticipations that the muster in Grand Lodge on United Grand Wednesday would be ¦ exceptionally numerous have been realised . Over 1200 brethren were present , the election of a Grand Treasurer being principally , if not wholly , responsible for so large

a gathering . But the various motions of which notice had been given do not seem to have evoked much discussion , and therefore the labours of Grand Lodge were not protracted to a very late hour . Bro . MEITER ' motion fell through , there being no other brother present who was prepared to share with him the responsibility of submitting so grotesque a proposal .

The same fate befel the motion of Bro . NICHOLL bearing on the proxy system of voting , and Bro . J AMES STEVENS ' for the repeal of Article No . 153 of the General Laws and Regulations relative to lodges in the Metropolitan district was withdrawn , so that Grand Lodge might be spared the trouble of dividing upon it . But the great Collar question

is , we think , satisfactorily disposed of , and if there is any brother ingenious enough to discover a better plan for recording and counting votes in Grand Lodge than was adopted on Wednesday now , we think , is his opportunity for winning distinction . Bro . NICHOLL ' motion for referring the question to the Boa rd of General Purposes was seconded by Bro .

GRAND REGISTRAR , and unanimously passed by Grand Lodge . Last , and best news of all , Bro . CLEVER ' S motion for a grant of £ 1000 from the Fund of General Purposes to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution to assist

it in taking on additional annuitants , was carried without a single word of dissent . It vvill be allowed that this was a good evening ' s work , and it was done , too , in workman-like fashion , promptly , and with only one slight interruption .

* * * IT is to be regretted tbat the authorities do not possess the ^ Motion " ' P ower t 0 refuse a notice of motion which , on the face of it , is absurd , and is calculated to bring ridicule upon the . Craft . Bro . MEITER ' S ambition for a little notoriety would have been equally well

satisfied had he substituted for the motion of vvhich he gave notice a proposal to appoint a deputation of Grand Officers for the purpose of searching after the Philosopher ' s Stone , and vve may add there would have been as much sense in such proposal . Happily , the motion about an international Home

° f Prayer at Jerusalem fell through for want of a seconder ; but this has not prevented the outside world , many of whom appear to have taken Bro . MEITER ' proposition seriously , from having a hearty laugh at Freemasonry . We do not object to the laughter , but we do at the circumstances which have " ¦" ought it upon us in this instance .

* * * T ] le Rece THE more carefully we study the Returns of the recent Festival RM the in behalf of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , the more ' * ' apparent becomes the magnitude of the success then achieved

j } i the more remarkable the increase in the Festival receipts since the estab' shment of the Institution . In 1847 , when the Earl of ZETLAND , G . M ., Presided at the first and only Festival held in behalf of the Male Annuity Und , the Returns , stated in round figures , were £ 820 , while at the Asylum estival—then a separate Institution—which was held the same year , under

e presidency of Bro . R . G . ALSTON , the receipts were £ 500 , the Board Stewards numbering 40 in the former case , and 20 in the latter . . l 8 57 . when Bro . H . FENWICK , M . P ,, occupied the chair , place of the Earl of DURHAM , Senior Grand Warden , the . e and Female Annuity . Funds and the Asylum being- at the

e > as now , one Institution , the Stewards numbered 41 , and the Returns g •*^ 559- In 1867 , Lord DE TABLEY , P . G . M . Cheshire , supported by a In ' s ^ Stewards , was in the chair , and the sum realised was ^ 2692 . ^ 77 , the late Earl of SHREWSBURY , P . G . M . Staffordshire , presided at a Ste " u . !* ' notice in lieu of the late Duke of ALBANY . There were 274

an noun ' , the total receipts reached £ 13 , 368 . On the 22 nd the total the Bn , A W - S 0 ver •* £ ^ ' 7 ' * has s ' nce been ' ncreased to over £ 19 , , B _ - p d of Stewards , as we mentioned last week , being 378 strong . Again , c l u ence f 'la ^ not' 1 'n ^ to re ' y u P beyond the simple and unadorned eloe . \ t ra ? . " Chairman , his Stewards , and himself , in order to excite to an Qln ary degree of activity the generous instincts of the Craft , and

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there was' some reason to , fear this support might be neutralised to a considerable extent by the extremely harrowing picture it was his lot to present to them , not for the first or second time , but for the fifth or sixth year in succession . By this we mean that , when people who have once or twice generously responded to a strong appeal to them to loosen their purse-strings

in behalf of a particular charity , are again and again invited in the same piteous terms to continue and enlarge their contributions , they not unnaturally hesitate about making a favourable response . They argue , and with reason , that if the only apparent effect of their subscribing largely is to increase the need for larger subscriptions , they had

better at once come to a dead stop , as it is impossible they can go on giving more and more annually . A few weeks since we felt it our duty to explain how and why it was these heavy demands on the brethren were being made , and we are glad to feel that our explanations have been appreciated , and that the iteration for the fifth or sixth time of a serious appeal ,

which might have proved a drawback , has , on the contrary , been fully understood and so nobly responded to . At all events , the result of the Benevolent Festival of 1887 has been magnificent , and we may be sure that

years hence the record of its story will awaken most pleasurable recollections among the surviving brethren who took part in its celebration , and , at the same time , act . as an incentive to others in cases of like pressure to go and do likewise .

, „ _ . _ . ,. THE report for the past year which has iust been issued by West LicinCcLsnirc Masonic Educa- the Committee of the West Lancashire Masonic Educational tionai Institution inst * j on j s on the whole satisfactory , there being , however , one important point to which the Committee itself refers , and very naturally ,

as being a subject of serious regret , namely , that the income shows a decrease amounting to £ 397 9 s , 5 d ., the "larger proportion " of which " may be attributed to the fact that 22 lodges did not return a single subscription during the year , " while there was at the same time paid " on behalf of the children of deceased brethren of some of these lodges no less a sum than

jG ' -iSS 9 * iod . " We trust the Committee will not have occasion to repeat a statement of this character . We can quite believe that many of the members of these lodges " would gladly have subscribed if the opportunity to do so had been afforded them , " and we trust the suggestion will be acted upon , that one member of each lodge should undertake the duty of soliciting

subscriptions on behalf of the Chanty . Save in this particular , the report is , as we have said , most satisfactory . The Treasurer ' s statement of account shows that the receipts during 1886 amounted to ^ 1928 ios . 8 d ., made up of £ 14 6 os . 6 d . Proceeds of annual ball and festival ; £ 725 4 s . yd . Inlerest on bonds and mortgages , and bank

interest ; Repayment on account of mortgage £ 150 ; Donations , and Subscriptions , £ 1004 15 s . 7 d ., and Returned School Fee , £ 2 ios . This , added to the balance brought forward from previous year , made the income £ 3675 4 s . 6 d ., the expenditure being £ 2326 13 s . 7 d ., ol which £ 600 was for the purchase of a Bond ; ^ 1663 ns . id . lor the Education , Clothing ,

Maintenance , and Advancement of 189 children ; the small remainder being for Printing , Stationery , Postage , Cheque-book , and Insurance . The balance in bank at the close of the year was ^ 1348 ios . lid . As regards the assets , they amount to £ " 19 , 526 17 s . nd ., ot which the cash in bank represents one part , and bonds and mortgages , & c , amounting to - £ 18 , 178 vs ., the other

part , the latter item having been increased since Dec , 1885 , by £ 450 . As we remarked last year , in dealing with the 1885 report , nothing can well be more satisfactory than such a statement , and but for the falling off referred to by the Committee in the matter of subscriptions , our satisfaction would have been complete . There are no expenses of management , the only

expenditure unconnected with the children being the £ 65 and a fraction spent in Postages , Printing , Stationery , & c . The invested capital is large , being about the same as that of our Boys' School , and there is a most able

and energetic Committee to control the affairs of the Institution . We congratulate our West Lancashire brethren on the position attained by this and their other Benevolent Funds , and we trust they may continue , as in past years , to increase steadily in usefulness and prosperity ,

* • It affords us much pleasure to . direct the special attention of The Ms ' ourreaders to a most interesting article b y Bro . HUGHAN , on the "Norton MS . " of the sixteenth century . The famous "Ordinall" known to Students from the re-production in Ashmole ' s

"Theatrum Chemicum , " of 1652 , can now be collated with a transcript of about a century earlier date ; and assuredly a brief abstract given by Bro . HUGHAN , with the important notes appended , will lead many to wish they could obtain more information as to the text of this curious document . At all events that is our feeling , and so , whilst thanking Bro . HUGHAN for his

valuable remarks on the subject , we hope the illuminated MS . will be secured by some Masonic Library accessible to students , a number of whom doubtless , would be glad to examine the work for themselves . Mr , OUARITCH in his day , has come across many curious works , but until now , we are not

aware of his having discovered aught of value to the Masonic Fraternity . In the present instance , the importance of the MS . in relation to the Craft cannot be gainsaid , as it affords an early use of the term Freemason in a work on Alchemy , which hitherto seems to have been overlooked b y Masonic Students .