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NOTICE .

The Subscription to THE FREEMASON is now IQS . per annum , post-free , payable in advance . Vol . I ., bound in cloth 4 s . 6 d . Vol . IL , ditto 7 s . 6 d . Vol . s III ., IV ., V . and VI each 13 s . od . Reading Cases to hold 52 numbers ... 2 s . 6 tl . Ditto ditto 4 do . ... is . 6 d .

United States of America . THE 1 'V . KESIASON is delivered free in any part of the United States for 12 s . per annum , payable in advance . The Freemason is published on Saturday Mornings in lime for the early trains . The price of the Freemason is Twopence per week ; annual

subscription , 10 s . ( payable in advance . ) AH communication ' s , letters , & c , to be addressed to the Editor , 108 , Fleet-street , E . C . The Editorwili pay careful attention to allMSS . entrusted toliim , but cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage stamps .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

All Communications , Advertisements , Sec , intended for insertion in the Number of the following Satuiday , must reach the Office not later than 6 o'clock on Wednesday evening . All Communications should be sent to 198 , Fleet Street .

J UNIOR WARDEN . —Can a J . W . initiate ? In our humble opinion , decidedly not . We tlo not think either Warden can , but it is only our opinion . We think the whole question of the " chair" is settled by section 1 "Of the Masters ami Wardens ' of Lodges , " where the difference is clearly pointed out between an installed ami a 11011-inslalled Mastf . r .

P . M . —What do you understand by " ruler" We understand all matters which relate to the mere routine of necessary business , and the opening ami closing of the lodge . The Warden cannot perform the duties of the chair .

Jiu . r . —We adhere to our opinion that . 1 W . M . cannot leave the chair . The following communications stand over : — Glasgow : Athole , Marie Smart , St . John , ami others ,

P . G . L . Renfrewshire . P . G . L . Glasgow . Dunfermline , Masonic Balls at Bootle and at Barrow-in-Furness . Lotige Union , Kennington Lodge , Hervey Lodge , Adam's Mark-Lodge , Sondes Lodge , Langthorne Lodge , Kendal Chapter , and several communications .

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TheFreemason, S ATURDAY ; , F EBRUARY 6 , 1875 .

Our Royal Brother, Prince Leopold.

OUR ROYAL BROTHER , PRINCE LEOPOLD .

The Royal invalid continues daily to gain strength . We hope next week to announce his complete convalescence .

The Late Lady Carnarvon.

THE LATE LADY CARNARVON .

The entire Craft is sincerely grieving , with its excellent and valued Pro Grand Master , in the great loss which has filled with mourning and personal sorrow many families and many homes . In such hours of earthly affliction , so grave and so overwhelming , words of sympathy seem often

all but in vain , the expression of condolence becomes almost out of place . Yet , as loyal Freemasons , we may , perhaps , be permitted to tender to one of our most distinguished chiefs , without any violation of the privacy of sacred sorrow , our fraternal assurance of heartfelt concern and

regret . The remembrance of Lady Carnarvon will long linger in the memories of very many in all ranks of life , not only among those with whom she was wont to consort habitually , in all the happy charms of intimate acquaintanceship , but among those whose trials and whose wants she ever sought to alleviate and minister to with

a woman ' s unselfish kindness , and a woman s ready tact . We feel sure that we but express the genuine and earnest feelings of our entire Order , however imperfectly , when we say that our solicitude attends , our good wishes accompany our brother , as formerly in his elevation and high position amongst us , so now in his afflictive trial , and in liis loneliness and sorrow ,

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

We congratulate Bro . Terry , and the Order generally , on the result of the first public appeal to Masonic sympathy and benevolence in ib / jj . At the anniversary festival on Wednesday the large sum of £ 6630 13 s . was reported , with eleven lists to come in . We can therefore probably

reckon the return at about £ 6 , 700 in round numbers . This is surely a very striking result , and one that reflects every credit alike on our warm-hearted Craft and the zealous Stewards . Neither should we forget Bro . Terry ' s praiseworthy exertions , which must have been many

and untiring , and , we rejoice to think , rewarded with such a liberal response . Let us go back a few years . In 18 57 the triennial festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution took place , when , as the Masonic Mirror of that day records the large sum of ^" 1 ,-558 6 s . 6 d . was

announced by its good old Secretary , Bro . W . Farnfield . During that year , 1857 , the committee had to regret the " continued decline in the donations and annual subscriptions , " which for the Male Fund amounted to £ 405 2 s . as against £ 71733 . in 1 855 , and for the Female

Fund £ 152 4 s . as against £ 212 JOS . in 1 855 . The total amount of income for 18 57 , reached to £ 3 , 323 18 s . . 3 d . but of this Grand Lodge contributed no less than £ 2 , 100 b y special and regular grants , and Grand Chapter £ 135 . The whole amount raised by the Craft , together with dividends , & c , was , for 1857 , £ r , o 88 iSs . 3 d .

In 18 5 8 it was arranged , with approbation of the Grand Master , to hold a Biennial Festival , and at the Biennial Festival in iS <; o , £ 1 , 875 were announced . In 1860 the festival became annual , from January 25 that year when £ 2 , 096 18 s . lod . was raised . And here , in 1875 , we are happily able to report the noble contribution of £ 6 , 700 , an amount which reflects no less credit on the

zealous officers cf the institution and the effective Stewards than on the ready hands and warm hearts of English Freemasons . May the anniversaries for the Boys' School and the Girls ' School tell the same welcome tale , and may our

Order continue to evince that , despite all the agitation and uproar of polemical controversies , it marches on its peaceful mission , and in its own tolerant path , regardless of opposition , heedless of contumely , intent on doing good , in reverence for God and in love for man .

Archaeological Progress.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROGRESS .

We alluded a week or two back in our columns , to the advance of Aichreological study amongst us , and to the difficulties which still impeded our advance . These are still for the most part , as of old , the unreliability of assertion , and the untrustworthiness of documents . We

have not , even in 1875 , 8 ot over completely the tendency to accept , as evidence , what is in truth no evidence at all . And not only this but we meet with assumptions of proof which cannot bear the touchstone of historical scrutiny , and we are expected to deal with pretensions which

fade at once before the approach of competent criticism . Can any of our good brethren suppose that this , our modern School of Masonic enquiry and research , will accept any document , be it what it may , on the mere " ipse dixit" of a known or anonymous writer ? It is preposterous

to expect it . Charters and MSS ., legends and traditions , all have to be examined and sifted closely , and by experts—if they are true their reality will be established and admitted , if they are worthless , they must go down ; only they do mischief to Freemasonry proper , be it

remembered , if their genuineness is invalidated , if their authenticity is successfully overthrown . •We pointed out in our preceding article the' many objections which must occur to every Masonic Archaeological student , to the so-called Charter of Larmenius , the same objections , iJ ^ ifl / dilTerent fonn somewhat , equally apply to thfr ' assumed

Charter of Roger de I'lor . It seems a great pity at this period of our Masonic studies , to re-introduce the old habits of self-elected Masonic teachers and founders in the early part of the last century , though we fear , unless some more satisfactory evidence of the Oriental Templary is to be forthcoming , we shall have to relegate it

Archaeological Progress.

to the creations of Ramsay and the compilations of Hund . Another difficulty also often confronts the Masonic student . This is the tendency to create new systems of Freemasonry , and apparently to claim for them alike the belief of the enlightened , and the assent of the serious . And

yet , for the most part , all of these novel orders are the manufacture of some able and well-read Freemason , either in England or the United States . Take for instance Cryptic Masonry . What is Cryptic Masonry : We speak with all reserve and respect on the subject , the more so

as we note that our esteemed Bro . G . R . Portal is at the head of it in this country . But it is to us a novel order , and one which , so far , we have not met with in our researches . We have seen it , indeed , mentioned casually in Masonic papers and magazines , but we have never come across

it in old MSS . of any kind . Some of these novel emanations of the 19 th Century , startle as they harass the Masonic student . Their claims are but assertions without proof , their creation is of yesterday . And the result which the earnest and impartial enquirer into Masonic history ,

must come to , is this , and this alone , namely , the antiquity of the Craft system , the modernity , if we may use such a word , of the multitude of so-named knightly , mystico-dramatic , aesthetic degrees , which positively almost take away one ' s breath , with their numerical immensity and their

wondrous nomenclature . -We fear that we have all a good deal to learn , as regards the simple facts and points of legitimate induction and historical criticism in Masonic Archaeology , before that we can hope that we are in the ri ght path , much less making any headway .

Masonic Canards.

MASONIC CANARDS .

That Freemasonry is ever still of " the earth earthy , " and that Freemasons are both frail and imperfect , each week , as it passes over our heads , ought to convince us all . Indeed , he must be a very weak brother , or a very unsound teacher

who seeks , in grandiloquent language , as has been done , to lead us all to forget this sober fact ; this most wholesome truth . Many are the weaknesses and littlenesses of man , as we all must admit , and equally multitudinous are the weaknesses and littlenesses of Freemasons . Nous

sommes tous mortels , says a very clever French writer , though it is a truism we all of us seem to like at times to forget altogether . In former days it used to be said that in the dull months of the year , the British Press was accustomed to discover the wonderous cabbage or

the gigantic beetroot ; gooseberries of fabulous capacity have even been chronicled in the pages of distinguished journals , while even sometimes a hoax has been perpetrated upon the Times , as Dr . Liddon says , that "Master of many Legions . " And latterly it has seemed as if owing to this

inevitable weakness of humanity , and even of Freemasons , we , as an Order , were giving way to the exhilarating amusement of " Canards . " It is remarkable how the taste for such a luxury grows , how " vires acquirit eundo , " until'with some it seems to exist almost as an indigenous

parasite . Lord Ripon ' s unhappy secession and perversion , the one deplorable fact for English Freemasonry in 1874 , seems to have been the signal fcr this new little Masonic game , if not so exhilarating as croquet , or so fascinating as cockamaroo . Hence we have thought it well , in the capacity of a faithful mentor , to give a

few words of caution , and strike a note of warning for our kindly and generous Craft . Some of our readers will remember Virgil ' s description of " CEolus , " letting out the winds from his noisy cavern , and Lord Ripon ' s resignation seems to have had the same effect on our peaceful Order . No sooner was it announced , than

we were told in " bated breath and with angry epithets , that we had others amongst us , others of the " same kidney , " that even a Jesuit was stalking amongst us ; that danger was afloat , that breakers were ahead , and all the rest of that remarkable verbiage which " feeble lorcibles " always their

adopt , the more so when they know that case is bad , and their statements are mendacious-We need hardly remark that the statement was a pure invention , coined for the occasion , rathe ' we fear , a deliberately-invented falsehood—th