The Recent Washington Centenary Celebration.

II . O Washington , thy symbol be The oak for strength and constancy : For grandeur and for grace of form , For calmness in the stress and storm , The monarch of the forest thou ! To thee the generations bow ; And under thy great shadow . rest , For ever free , for ever blest .

III . And thine the laurel , for the fame Illustrious of a Conqueror's name—Patient to wait and prompt to strike , Intrepid , fiery , mild alike : Great , for the greatness of the foe Which fell by thy repeated blow : Great , for thy Country ' s greatness , won By thee , her most beloved Son . IV .

And as the ivy twines around Cottage and tower , thy heart was found Clinging to home , and church and wife , The sweeter for the finished strife : *¦ And so thy memory , like the yew , Will still be green to mortal view" The greatest of good men " confest Bv all " and of exeat men the best !"

RICHARD WILTON , Canon of York and Chaplain to the Earl of Londesborough . LONDESBOROUGH RECTORY , EAST YORKSHIRE , November , 1899 . M LONDESBOROUGH PARK .

A HUMBLE TOKEN OF RESPECTFUL ADMIRATION FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST ARCHITECTS THE WORLD HAS KNOWN . WHOSE WORK EVERY ENGLISHMAN PRAYS MAY ENDURE AND PROSPER THROUGH ALL TIME . FROM LONDESBOROUGH , AN ENGLISH HON . MEMBER OF LIBERTY LODGE , BEVERLY , MASS ., U . S . A ., AND PAST MASTER OF CONSTITUTIONAL LODGE , No . 294 , BEVERLEY , YORKSHIRE , ENGLAND .

[ 33 THE WORSHIPFUL MASTER , OFFICERS , AND BRETHREN , OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL LODGE , NO . 294 . OF ANTIENT FREE AND ACCEI ' MASONS , BEVERLEY , EAST YORKSHIRE , ENGLAND . A TOKEN OF THE HIGH ESTEEM IN WHICH THE CHARACTER OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS WASHINGTON IS HELD . 14 th December , 1 S 99 .

Indefinitely Postponed.

INDEFINITELY POSTPONED .

There is a very old trite saying " That everything comes to him who waits . " Doubtless , this is true , as a general rule , but , occasionally , the waiting has been so prolonged , that the event never comes off at all . The facts 1 am about to relate prove my assertion . As to their truth , so many grains of the

proverbial salt would require to be taken , that the recipient would be quite an " old soldier , " he would be so thoroughly pickled . Perhaps you will say that the chief actor in my little romance was himself in a sad pickle . As to the veracity of my facts , I have simply to say , " I tell the tale , as told to me , I will not vouch that such things be . "

Indefinitely Postponed.

I have here , as you see , sacrificed the grammar for the sake of . the rhymea reasonable rhyme I hope—not a rhyme without reason—pray pardon me . Well , to the point—Some time ago , never mind the exact date , let it suffice it was in the Sos , there lived a quiet , unpretentious young fellow , named Frank Green . Good hearted , and kind to all , too simple in his ways for this wicked world , he might , almost , be considered faultless . Among his

few weaknesses was that of a strong impressionable nature , which often entailed upon him great discomfort . He was not entirely destitute of ambition , he had one desire perfectly harmless , and even laudableit was that of joining the Craft and becoming a Brother of our noble Order . In the little country town in which he lived there was a fellow clerk , a friend to whom he was much attached , who

knowing his worth , had kindly offered , at his earnest request , to propose him for initiation in the lodge of which he was a member . Frank Green , in due course , was summoned to attend the next lodge meeting , when he would be balloted for . Our hero , in fond anticipation , would , if it had been possible , have accelerated the flight of old Father Time , so eager was he for the approach of the long expected evening .

Now , it must be mentioned , that in the same office as that of the two friends there was another clerk , a mauvais sujet , a joker , one who was always on the qui vive for anything which might afford him amusement , utterly regardless by what means it was to be obtained , or at whose cost . Under the feigned desire of himself joining the lodge at no very distant date , he induced the artless unsuspicious candidate for F , Masonry , to show him the summons , by which means he made a mental note of the day , the date , and time of the lodge meeting .

Frank Green had wished to keep his approaching initiation a profound secret , known only to his proposer and the joker to whom I have referred , who , with a grave face , solemnly pledged himself to silence on the matter . However , in spite of this precaution , a bird of the air wafted the fact to the ears of Miss Susan Starch , Frank Green ' s maiden aunt . She sent for her nephew , and asked him if it was a true report she had heard . He answered in the affirmative , whereupon she inveighed most strongly againt F . Masonry ,

said it was an utterly ungodly institution , in fact , a snare of the devil to lead the so-called brethren to hopeless perdition . She reasoned in accordance with the false light by which her narrow prejudiced mind was illumined . Such people may yet be found in this , our boasted 19 th century . Our hero , simple as he was , was no fool , and estimated his aunt ' s objections at what they were worth , and possessed enough of manly resolution not to be deterred from his fixed purpose .

His aunt , finding her entreaties unavailing , threatened him with her severe displeasure , and intimated that he would seriously endanger any expectations which he might have entertained of being remembered in her will .

In reply to his aunt s invectives , Frank quietly said that he had made up his mind and fully intended to carry out his purpose . His aunt parted from him in great anger , saying she never wished to see him again . In the meanwhile , Tom Grinley conceived and carried out his plans . He knew that the lodge meetings were held in an old-fashioned house which

was used for the few public meetings during the year . The approach to the lodge room was by a long narrow passage , in semi-obscurity , at the end of which a steep ( light of stairs led to the entrance of the Tyler ' s room . To succeed in his design , it was necessary that Green should be there , at least half an hour before the time fixed for the lodge meeting . He impressed upon his simple trusting friend that it would be esteemed as a

mark of earnestness on the part of the candidate , if he were some half hour or so before the time announced . He said a Mason told him so . Tom Grinley observed that , of course , this was not imperative , but Frank at once said that as he wished to ensure the goodwill of his future brethren , he would readily promise to adopt Tom ' s suggestion . From a man he knew in the town , Grinley hired a goat for the evening . He was aware that the

goat was a very troublesome one , a cross grained old " Billy . " On the evening in question , Tom conducted the animal through a street or two with much resistance on the part of " Billy , " and , at last , with great difficulty , compelled him to ascend the flight of stairs at the end of the passage , to which I have already alluded . At the head of the stairs he fastened him insecurely to one of the balluster rails , arid , concealed in a

remote corner , awaited events . As he expected , Frank Green came punctually , according to promise , and proceeding along the dimly-lit passage , he perceived , glaring at him from the top of the stairs , two large saucer eyes , and he could indistinctly trace a pair of formidable horns . He was amazed and could not make out what it meant , when , suddenly , the silence was broken by a hair-raising , blood-curdling " Ba-a-a , " which

assailed his ears as he had half way ascended the stairs . Thoughts of Satan , in propria persona , involuntarily suggested themselves , and his aunt ' s warning came to his mind ; in fact , he veritably believed that it was no less a personage than Old Nick himself . He hesitated Tor a moment , and then , plucking up courage , resolved to confront the hideous monster , when , all of a sudden , " Billy , " catching sight of the advancing intruder ,

lowered his horns , and with a terrific " Ba-a-a , " breaking the fragile fastening , went for Frank Green ere he could ascend another step . Our terrified candidate was toppled downstairs in a trice , " Billy " after him . Picking himself up as well he might , Frank could indistinctly trace the form of his formidable assailant . With a yell of dismay he took to his heels , just as "Billy" was preparing to go for him the second time . The would-be candidate managed , however , to distance his pursuer , and reached

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