Proposed Removal Of The Boys' School.

danl . difliculfies and annoyances , and the certainty that the neig hbourhood will become less and less desirable everv year . No doubt the removal will involve the loss of a certain amount of capital . About £ 100 , 000 has been expended

at Wood Green , including the sum paid for Lordship House and grounds , but our readers will doubtless bear in mind that the Institution has had the use of thc land for 40 , and of the main portion of the present building for rather more than 30 , years ,

while if only the £ 30 , 000 , which is set down as thc estimated present value of the premises , is obtained by the sale of them , that sum will go a very long way towards the purchase of 50 or 60 acres of ground in a healthy locality and the erection of thc necessary buildings , while the reduced annual outlay in rates

wafer , rental of sanatorium and playing-field , eV' c , will very soon make . ' . HI :, such loss as may be incurred in thc first instance . r l he question , therefore , to'be decided is whether tin' Boys' School shall he retained on ils present unhealthy site and with its

admitted insufficiency of accommodation even for the number of bovs al present on the establishment , or whether the present properly shall be disposed of to the best advantage , and a new School erected on a healthier and more commodious site . To this we add fhe further ouestion—Will London and the Provinces

which have so generousl y supported this Institution 111 its present undesirable locality , discontinue that support if it is removed to one lhat is desirable as regards both ils healthiness and surroundings ? Our linn belief is that tbey will decline to stultify themselves by the adoption of such a course .

In The Master's Absence.

IN THE MASTER'S ABSENCE .

At the Quarterly Communication of thc United Grand Lodge of Victoria , which was held at the Masonic Hail , Melbourne , on the 15 II 1 ult ., an important discussion arose over one of the paragraphs of the Board of General Purposes , which is of more than local interest . According to the paragraph in question , thc

" Senior Warden of a country lodge wrote stating that his W . M . being absent , he assumed that he was the principal officer lo rule the lodge until the next installation ; to this the Past Masters of ( he lodge demurred , rel ying on Rule 123 of the Book of Consfflutions , which they considered supported lhc claim of

the I . P . M . to officiate and work the lodge . 1 he hoard approved ( he action of the Past Masters . " When the paragra p h came on for consideration , a long discussion , as we have said , ensued , and in its progress the President of thc Board affirmed that the S . W . concerned claimed in the letter he addressed to them

"that he had power himself to transact the whole business of the lodge , thus actuall y llouting the Past Masters . " This , however , was emphaticall y denied by Bro . McCoXNEI . L , who proclaimed himself the S . W . who had written thc letter , and declared that in it he " set forth most emphatically that the S . W . could not

confer Degrees , but was there in command in the Masters absence . " He added lhat "if the ( j . Secretary had the letter with him he should like it read , " but if not , "he would bow to the ruling of fhe brethren , and take his censure accordingly . " Thereupon

R . W . Bro . SCOTT moved as an amendment that the paragraph be referred lo ( he Board for further consideration . " A Bro . VAIILAND lo a certain extent confirmed fhe statement of the S . W ., Brn . MrCn . WKLL . He said " The Board believed that the S . W . in

his letter claimed not onl y fhe right to summon , but also the right lo rule lhe lodge in the Master ' s absence , lie did not claim to confer I legress , but he undoubtedly , as far as he recollected—and it was scarcely possible that he ( lhe speaker ) and tbe whole Board could be mistaken in the interpretation of a simple English

letter—did contend for the right of the S . W . not only to summon but fo take lhe chair below the dais and rule the lodge in every way , excepting in the conferring ol Degrees . " R . W . Bro . Bi . ASUKi , in seconding Bro . SCOTT ' amendment—to refer the matier back fo the ; Board—expre .-ssed il as his opinion "thai

fhe S . W . did rule . " lhe Presiilent ofthe Be . ard— -V . W . Bro . M . Vt'l IIKWS- —contended "thai fhe S . W . ' s duly ceased when he had summoned the' loelge ' . " Rule 1 . 53 was subsequently re-ad ,

firstl y bv a Bro . McliKOH and afle-rwanls b y Y . W . " Bro . M KADowcROI- 'T , G . Si'crelary lor Foreign Correspondencewhose- remarks are not ch-ar owing tei the evident omission eif a wore ! or worrls in the earlier pari of the speech , though in the '

In The Master's Absence.

concluding . sentence he is reported—in the Australasian Key . stone—to have maintained lhat "it was distinctl y stated that l | le S . W . shoulel rule the loelge . " In thc cnel Bro . SCOTT ' amend , ment was lost anel the paragraph approved by Granel Lod ge .

Our own Law—Article l . | l , Book of Constitutions—secnis tolerably clear on the point . Therein it is laid down lhat "if the : Master shall die , be ; removed , or be rendered incapable of discharging the dulie _ s of his office , thc Senior Warden , and in

thc absence of the Senior Warden , the Junior Warden , and in thc absence of both Wardens , the Immediate Past Master , or in bis absence , the senior Past Master , shall act as Mastcr in summoning the lodge , until the next installation of Master . In

the Master ' s absence , the Immediate Past Master , or , if he be absent , the senior Past Master of the lodge present , or if no Past Master of the : lodge bc present , then the senior Past Master who is a subscribing member of the lodge shall take the chair

And il no Past Master who is a member of fhe lodge be present then the Senior Warden , or in his absence the- Junior Warden , shall rule the lodge . When a Warden rules thc lodge , he shall

not occupy the Master s chair , nor can initiations take place or degrees be conferred unless the chair be occupied b y a brother who is a Master or Past Master in thc Craft . "

United Grand Lodge Of England.

UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND .

The Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of England was held on Wednesday evening at Freemasons' Half , Great Quecn-slreet , W . C , Bro . VV . VV . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . M . for Hants and the Isle of Wight , presided . Bro . Thomas Fenn , Past President of the Board of General Purposes , acted as Past Grand

Master ; Bro . Dr . J . Balfour Cockburn , Prov . G . M . for Guernsey and Alderney , as Deputy Grand Master ; Bro . Rev . W . K . Riland Bedford , P . G . C , as S . G . W . ; Bro . Rev . C . J . Martyn , P . G . C , as J . G . W . ; Bro . Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , P . G . C , as G . C ; and among other Present and Past Grand Officers who attended

were—Bros . W . E . M . Tomlinson , M . P ., G . D . ; Robt . Grey , President Board of Benevolence ; Richard Eve , P . G . T . ; Samuel Cochrane , P . G . T . ; Bailey , G . Treas . ; Edward Letchworth , G . Sec . ; W . Lake , Asst . G . Sec . ; Kupferschmidt , Asst . G . Sec . for German Correspondence ; R . Clay Sudlow , Dr . Clenient Godson ,

George Read , James Lewis Thomas , Henry Lovegrove , G . S . B . ; A . C . Spaull , George Lambert , James Terry , Sec . R . M . B . I . ; J . M . McLeod , Sec . R . M . I , for Boys ; P . de L . Long , Prank Richardson , VV . A . Scurrah , G . Std . Br . ; Dr . Geo . Mickley , E . St . Clair , C . A . Cottebrune , J . J . Thomas , H . Garrod , S . V . Abraham , Walter Hopekirk , and John Neivton .

After Grand Lodge had been opened , the minutes of the meeting of June 2 nd and of the special meeting of J uly 29 h were read and confirmeel , Bro . BEAe'ii then faid : I have to read a It tier from Marlborough Mouse — " Sir Francis Knollys is desired by his Royal Highness the Grand Master to thank Grand Lodge for their address of congratulation , and for the expression of their good wishes on the occasion of the 21 st anniversary of hi ? installation as Grand Master of Fieemasons of England . Dated 27 th July , 1 K 9 G . " ( Applause . )

The following recommendations of the Biardof Benevolence were confirmed , on the motion of Bro . ROBERT GREY , President , seconded by Bro . C A . COTTF . IHU ' , Junior Vice-President : A brother of the Lodge of Philanthropy , No . ij ( o , Stockton-on-Tees £ 50 o o

A brother of the St . Ambrose Lodge , No . ISIJI , London ... ... 50 o 0 The widow of a brother of the Social Lodge , No . < J 3 , Norwich ... 50 o 0 The widow of a brother i . i the Prosperity Lodge , No . ( 15 , London 75 o o A brother of the Lodge of Freedom , No . 77 , Gravesend 50 0 o A brother of the Trinity Lodge , No . 2 S 4 , Coventry co o o

After the report of lhe Board of General Purposes—as published in the Freemason last week—had been taken as read , and ordered to be received and entered on the minutes , Bro . THOMAS YVEIIII VVIHTMARSH , P . G . P . moved , and Bro . CHARLES ALEXANDER COTTEHRUNE , P . G . P ., seconded , the approval by Grand Lodge of the following alterations in the laws of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows

of Freemasons , agreed to at a special meeting of the Governors and Subscribers of that Institution on July aS ' . h , 1896 : That Clause 18 be expunged , and the following substituted in lieu thereof : In consideration of the grants from Grand Lodge , the Mastcr of every loelge in the London District shall at every election for Male Annuitants be entitled to two votes , and at every election for Female Annuitants to

one vote . Every Provincial Grand Mastcr , or his Nominee , shall ¦'' every election for Male Annuitants be entitled to two votes , and at cvi-ry election for Female Annitants to one vote for every lodge in his pr 0 ' vince . And in consideration of the grants from Supreme Grand Chap 11 r > the First Principal of every London Royal Arch chapter shall at every election for Male Annuitants be . entitled to two votes , and at ce < y

election for Female Annuitants to one vote , livery Superintendent "' province , or his Nominee , shall at every election for Male Annitants be entitled to two votes , and every election of Female Annuitants to <> nC vote for every chapter in his province . In the case of a provine : e whe-re there is no Superintendent , the VJtes shall be sent to the First Principal of the respective chapters . Tbe number of lodges and chapters claii " t . in the provinces to be determined by the number of lodges recorded in 1 '" '

" Freemasons' Calendar and Pocket Book " for the current year . That in Clause No . 1 of the Widows' qualifications , after the word " bodge " in the third line , the following words be inserted : Unless in the case of her last husband's petition having been accepte'l l >) the Committee , and he had died before his election , in such case . ' heapplication will be considered eligible . The motion was agreed to without any remark being made , and Gr ^ Lodge was closed in form .