Consecration Of The Shakespeare Mark Lodge, No. 40, At Warwick.

its origin to a higher source than the intention or invention f jna ' n—that in fact it was derived from the example of the G . O . O . T . U . Himself , who from the first set His mark of approval or disapproval on men—the works of His hands : witness Cain , witness those spoken of by EzekicI , and those seen by St . John having the seal of God in their foreheads . And I see much reason for thus interpreting the words of that " wise master-builder" St . Paul , " I bear in

my body the marks of the Lord Jesus , " as far more in accordance with his mind than the meaning assigned by puzzled commentators . Perhaps nothing shews more the importance attached to this marking than its assumption by the Beast who " causcth all , both small and great , rich and poor , free and bond , to receive a mark in their right hand , or in their foreheads . " Hence we cannot be surprised to find that this distinguished body of builders , our Masonic

ancestors , became strictly ecclesiastical in their constitution , and that , like their ancestors of Jerusalem , they devoted themselves to labour for the House of the Lord . Nor can we fail to see by how easy a gradation and transition , while they were so engaged , they spiritualised their works and tools , and though operative became also speculative . Employed upon the grandest piles of sacred architecture , " they dreamt not of a perishable home who could and would thus

build . " We are not then so severed from our operative forefathers as some would have us think . Many , and the best of them , thought , amid their daily tasks , of higher things—of duties to God as well as to one another ; of His g lorious works throughout the hidden mysteries of nature , and of their end which would be also a beginning of " Mors janua vittF , " knowing that if the earthly house of this tabernacle were disolved they had a building of God—an

house not made with hands , eternal in the heavens . In this , surely , they have leftus'an example . Not operative in the ordinary sense , we are , or ought to be , still truly operative . And he is but a sorry Mason who does not see in what direction , to what end , and on what work , every part , point , and letter of our ineffable mysteries would direct his energies . Each one has to labour for himself and his fellows that they may as lively stones be built up a spiritual

house . Each one should work under the exalting assurance that he is a Temple of the living God , that each of his brethren is , or should be so , that they are rearing a glorious edifice on a sure foundation , upon a chief corner stone , elect , precious , "in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord . " Believe me , this is the wisdom , this the strength , this the beauty , of

our Order in whatever Degree ; and the consecration of a lodge , to be effectual , must be the consecration of the heart of every member to the love and service of God and man Let us hope and pray that the G . A . O . T . U ., who is with us , whose all-seeing eye observes us , will to-day set His mark on each of us , as tried and approved stones , to be in His good time transferred from the quarries here below to "the Mountain of the Lord's House " above .

Presentation To Bro. J. A. Witter.

PRESENTATION TO BRO . J . A . WITTER .

At the regular monthly meeting of the St . Bede Lodge , nip , held in the Mechanics Institute on Wednesday , the 27 th ult ., previous to the closing of the lodge , the W . M ., Bro . M . H . Dodd , said : Before closing the business of the evening a most pleasing duty has been deputed to me , and it is one of the proudest moments of my Masonic

career to have to present to my I . P . M ., Bro . J . A . Witter , this beautiful gold P . M . jewel and craftsman s collar , with silver jewel attached . A more worthy brother , or one more devoted to the Craft , 3 'ou cannot meet ; not only as a Mason , but as a citizen . His straightforward and manly conduct has caused him to be universally respected and admired by the Craft . It gives me much pleasure , Bro .

I . P . M . Witter , in presenting you with this P . M . jewel and collar , on behalf of the brethren of St . Bede Lodge , and trust that you may be long spared to wear them and to aid us b y your excellent counsel . Bro . Witter in reply , said : I had hoped and expected that this last and greatest trial had been spared me . What I have done for our ancient and honourable Institution has been prompted by love and

love alone ; and I had so ardent a desire to stand before you as a Mason to whom no mercenary motive could be attributed in any shape , that I tried to prevent this ; but when I see such a demonstration of genuine feeling accompanying this magnificent gift , I find that I was wrong , and I shall henceforth wear these jewels with more pride than I should wear a coronet . Freemasonry has convinced me that a

body of men may live in harmony , even in this mercenary age , and unite in the grand design of trying to please each other , and to live a higher and holier life , and it has placed an effectual barrier between me and misanthropy . For this Jam grateful , and I am doubly grateful to you for the

esteem which has prompted this present , antl for the spirit you have all displayed ever since 1 became a member of your lodge—a spirit which has enabled all of us to live in perfect love and harmony for many years . Brethren I thank you , and hope we may continue so to live , that we may meet in the Grand Lodge above where love and harmony Will have a wider field .

Mixed Marriages.

MIXED MARRIAGES .

PARIS GOSSIP . „ , Paris , Monday . 1 he Freemasons , who have always played an important Part in every political manifestation of opinion , and whose strong anti-Clerical ideas have brought them into collision with their English brethren , have undertaken to replace the

ceremonies of the Church . The pomp with which hf j ifnt un (^ tne auspices of rel igion has | been celett £ kecn refrarded by the Freemasons as an appeal : ° . , Passions and feelings of humanity , and the gentlemen Who have become the feeble imitators of those who invented trie mysteries of Isis have made up theirminds to introduce a certain portion of their ceremonial to the outer world , auapting it to the exigencies of every-day life . The Code

«?• Vi le mamage sI , a 11 tal < e place after due publication of banns , and with the expressed consent of parents L J D "'" " le Mairie - The ceremony is very prosaic ninlo t e and hnae g ™ ° ™ feel that marriage loses ¦ MUCH ot its romance when thev are surrounded In . frii-nrk nl

¦ ine bare room entitled "Salle des Manages "in the the T i ° .- **< : &<» ' or cler , < > who is writing out to wit f , ara ' . each party has to si gn . They have rirt ah ™? f ? ° ns , e " ? ' » a podgy , snuffy gentleman , rfrovfrTr ^ w th a tncoloured sash , who came V from the provinces and made his fortune m trade , without forgetting

Mixed Marriages.

the uncouthness of his earl y training , rendered more conspicuous by the paltry pride and idea of self-importance which generally distinguishes the parvenu . The ceremony at the Mairie is most prosaic . The Code prescribes the duty of husband and wife , both are formally warned of all the obligations they assume , and when the final question is put to them and answered , they fee ! as if- there was no appeal and as if they had been irrevocably condemned .

The nuptial benediction given afterwards at the church was considered as the only thing which could restore the mind to its equanimity , and reconcile persons to the idea that-there "was something holy and imposing in the state of matrimony . This portion of the ceremony has been replaced by the Masonic Lodge , which has been substituted for the church , and several marriages have taken place in the presence of senators , deputies , municipal councillors ,

& c . A d . tailed account has been given of the manner in which the blushing , or perhaps unblushing , bride stood before the dais under which the Worshipful Master and his guests had gathered , while speeches were made denouncing the superstitions of the age , and telling the woman that the traditions of her cradle were old women ' s tales . The rlrnni

of the Church was replaced by a concert , and Madame Agar spoke a piece . We are told that these ceremonies are in time to supersede those of the Church ; but infidelity , like religion , has its weak point , and requires that certain nuptial manifestations should accompany each expression of the articles of its creed . —Globe .

Red Cross Of Constantine And The Appendant Orders.

RED CROSS OF CONSTANTINE AND THE APPENDANT ORDERS .

As the Grand Conclave is now finally fixed for December , and as every conclave no doubt would wish to be represented , any conclave not having made its returns should do so at once to the Grand Recorder , Dr . Woodman , Ford House , Exeter , to enable members of such conclave to be present on this important occasion .

Frence.

Frence .

ORDER OF MISRAIM OR EGYPT . L'ARC-EN-CEIL LODGE . —This ancient lodge held its usual monthly meeting on Thursday evening , the 21 st ult ., at the Masonic Temple , Rue Jean-Jacques Rcu ; - seau . Although the hour of meeting was marked on the summons ei g ht o ' clock rigorously precise , it was not until a quarter to nine that the lodge was opened in the name of the G . A . O . T . U . by the Ven . Bro . Ossclin , pere , assisted

by Bros . Doyen , First Assessor ; Maulois , Second Assessor ; Debray , Orator , and Bazergue , Secretary . There were some thirty other brethren present , and among the visitors were Bros . Mesnier ,-Venerable of the Lodge Franchise Ecossaise S . R ., and G . C . Dickey , 1744 , England . Lodge being opened , the minutes of the previous meeting were read b y the Secretary , and unanimously confirmed . The Venerable then read the correspondence , which consisted of invitations to the brethren from other lodges , and

two communications from lay schools , each announcing a meeting to be held and enclosing tickets for a lottery to be drawn , after such meeting , for the benefit of the school . 'The Venerable ordered the tickets to be handed to the Second Assessor , from whom any brother , wishing to do so , could purchase them . He then called upon Bro . Chassard to read a paper , the subject of which was announced as

"What the romance is , and what it should be . " Bro . Chassard commenced b y stating that what he intended to speak of more especially was the Roman feuilleton ( romances published and continued from day to day in the French daily papers ) . The speaker mentioned in favourable terms Dumas , pere , Eugene Sue , and some others less known , defended Rabelais , Voltaire , and Rousseau , and

severely condemned Zola , Dumas fils , X . Montcpin , and those writers who have contributed to that disgraceful literature which has outraged public decency in Paris for some three months past , and to which literature the expressive term pornographic has been applied . The speaker added that it was deeply to be regretted that the worst offenders were soi-disant Republican papers . Other

speakers followed , and while all were very sensible of the cankerous evil , none could propose other remedy likely to be efficient but a vigorous and impending application of the law . The subject being closed for the evening , the Venerable called on the brethren for a warm battery in thanks to Bro . Chassard and others who had spoken . This having been heartil y responded to , the " Tzedaka" was circulated , and the lodge then closed in the usual form .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Renfrewshire East.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF RENFREWSHIRE EAST .

The Quarterly Communication of the Provincial Grand Lodge , Renfrewshire East , was held on Saturday evening , the 30 th ult ., in the hall of Renfrew County Kilwinning Lodge . There was a large attendance . Bro . Sir Arch . C Campbell , Bart ., of Blythsivood , P . G . M ., presided , and

was supported by Bros . James Caldwell , S . M . ; Geo . Fisher , S . W . ; and George Hart , R . W . N . 153 , acting J . W ., were in their respective chairs . The Benevolent Fund Committee reported that they had had five applications for grants from the Benevolent Fund under consideration—four from widows , and one from a brother . They had resolved to recommend grants to the

amount of £ 13 in four of the cases , and decline to receive one . Their report was adopted . The Treasurer , Bro , ALEX . MACPHERSON , reported that the amount at the credit of the General Fund was £ 20 3 s . i } d ., and Benevolent Fund £ 97 igs . Bro . Gl . KN , R . W . M . 42 G , submitted the report of the Committee recently appointed to devise a scheme for assimilating the working of Degrees in the various lodges of

the province , but as the report was not in accordance with the remit it was sent back to the Committee . The annual visitations of the various lodges were arranged . The SECRETARY submitted the annual report of the Provincial Grand Master to Grand Lodge , in which the P . G . M . states that he felt warranted in saying that in his province the brethren were taking a deep interest in Masonry , and that its spirit was extending in , a manner that gave great hope for the future .

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS .

Craft j & asonrg * LODGE OF ASAPH ( No . 1319 ) . —The installalion meeting of the Lodge of Asaph was held on Monday last , at Freemasons' Hall , Bro . Edward Swanborough , W . M ., presiding . The attendance of brethren was very large , including the names of Bros . Edward Swanborough , W . M . ; Charles Wcllard , S . W . ; Harry Cox . J . W . ; William Meyer Lutz , S . D . ; John Maclean , J . D . ; Arthur Swanborough , D . of C . ; Frederick Delevanti , I . G . ;

Abraham I lenson , Steward ; Charles Coote , Treas . ; John Gilbert , Tyler ; J . M . Chamberlin , P . M . ; J . Weaver , P . M ., P . P . G . Org . Middx . ; George Bucklan ' d , I . P . M . ; Edward Frewin , P . M . ; Charles S . Jekyll , P . M . ; William A . Tinney , P . M . ; William H . Cremer , Henry Baker , Charles Harper , jun . ; Joseph Perry , John M . Ball , Henry Snyders , Henry J . Tinney , Julian Egerton ,

Joseph Baker , Frederick Burgess , William J . Castell , William Graves , Leopold Silberberg , Henry Lazarus , Gustavus R . Egerton , Ambrose Austin , Frederick Kendall , William Lewis Barrett , Arthur Thomas , Robert Soutar , William J . H . Waud , William Jones Hill , James Charles Hamblcton , Victor Tussaud , Charles George Alias , Charles Francis Fogarty , Alfred Phasey , Walter Hopkins Smith ,

Henry James Carter , Robert Dodson , Jules Guitton , Andrew McEleney , Pietro Le Conte Castell , Charles Ernest Tinney , Org . ; Edwin James F . Bell , William John Kent , James Beveridge , Henry James Calcott , Alfred Morton , Henry Ashley , Lestock Boileau Wooldridge , Richard Temple , Harry James Hitchins , Edward Humphrey . George Edwin Fairchild , James G . Taylor , Henry Marsh Edsall , Charles Millward , Edward H . W .

Wright , Charles J . Taylor , Robert D'AIbertson , Henry Parry , John L . Simon , H . Bracey , W . Rolls , A . Woodhouse , G . W . Strout , and Max Klein . Visitors : Bros . E . E . Davies , P . G . S ., 23 ; J . Healy , P . M ., 59 ; J . B . Spence , P . P . G . J . W . Surrey , 1049 ; JHart , 59 ; W . E . Gaze , 1351 ; E . H . Harrison , 369 ; H . C . Davey , 716 ; H . R . Baker , 1641 ; J . Read , 13 , P . M . 720 ; H . M . Clemow , St . Dunstan ' s : I . H .

Grutrgen , 1670 ; A . H . Sitwell , J . W . 1 S 26 , D . C . 127 ; J . Carter , 4 , Glasgow ; G . F . Hammond , 1765 ; H . A . Greenwood , G . Swd . B . ; G . W . Verry ; L . Norden , W . M . 205 ; J . H . Maybrick , W . M . 1706 ; Wilhelm Ganz , P . G . Org . ; J . Stone , 704 ; J . Kenet , P . M . and G . P ., La Tolerance ; G . Duxfield , I . G . 613 ; E . P . Albert , P . G . P ., iSS ; E . E . Smith , S . W . 1559 ; W .

Hilton , P . M . 1351 ; H . Lovegrove , P . M . 1777 , P . P . G . S . of W . Middx . ; R . Hammond , Western Lodge ; Shadwell H . Clerke , Grand Sec ; C . E . Cooper , S . D . 1494 ; J . Wood , W . M . 1470 ; F . J . Ash , P . M . 1343 ; W . H . Blackman , P . M . 140 ; H . Thompson , W . M . 969 ; J . Sandelands Ward , 1 , P . M . 172 ; J . Blyth Well , 173 ; J . Finch , W . M . 795 ; E . Smith ; G . T . Carter , P . M . 382 ; Barfotte

Schartan , 1549 ; E - H . Strong , P . M . 435 ; H . Mackintosh , P . M . 4 ; W . H . Thomas , I . P . M . 1491 ; J . Lloyd , S D . Eclectic ; E . J . Cobby , P . M . 134 ; C T . May , P . M . 7 S 0 ; H . Brocklehurst , SG 2 ; C . Watkins , 1670 ; J . Blyth , W . M . 173 ; G . Perkins , P . M . 140 ; R . W . Dunn , P . M . 1670 ; J . Llewelyn Innes , P . M . 657 , P . P . G . B .

Middx . ; C . Bending , 1706 ; A . Tisley , J . D . S ; W . Smith , i ^ o 5 ; and H . Massey , P . M . 619 ( Freemaso ? i ) . Bro . Edward Swanborough having presented to Bro . Buckland Bro . Charles Wellard , S . W . and W . M . elect , Bro . Buckland duly installed Bro . Wellard , performing the whole ceremony in excellent style . The following brethren were appointed and invested with the collars and iewelsof

their respective offices : Bros . W . Meyer Lutz , S . W . ; John Maclean , J . W . ; Charles Coote , Treasurer ; J . M . Chamberlin , P . M ., Secretary ; F . Delevante , S . D . ; Arthur Swanborough , J . D . ; C . E . Tinney , I . G . ; Henson , D . C . ; W . J . Kent and H . Ashley , Stewards ; H . Tinney , Organist ; and I . Gilbert , Tyler . Bro . Harry Cox , who was appointed J . W . last year , resigned his

privilege of being appointed to the S . W . ' s chair . Bro . Buckland delivered all the charges , and when he resumed his seat \ vas rewarded with general applause for the admirable way in which he had performed the ceremony of installation . Letters were read from Bros , the Lord Mayor , C . H . Stephenson , and E . Stanton Jones , expressing their regret at being unable to be oresent . after which the

W . M . said the brethren had all heard of the lamented death of Bro . Charles Harcourt , who was initiated in that lodge , of which he must say he was an ornament . It would not be right to let that meeting pass over without expressing the brethren ' s regret at the melancholy occurrence , and their deep sympathy with Bro . Harcourt ' s widow in her bereavement . He would , therefore , propose

a motion to that effect , and that a letter of condolence with Mrs . Harcourt should be written to her . Bro . Edward Swanborough , I . P . M ., in seconding the proposition , said that having been an old friend of the late lamented brother , he could inform the lodge that Bro . Harcourt was the first to do a kindness , and the last to do an injury to anyone , and it gave him ( Bro . Swanborough ) a melancholy

pleasure to second the proposition . The motion was carried unanimously , and the lodge was then closed . The brethren afterwards repaired to Freemasons ' Tavern , where a splendid banquet was provided in the large hall by Bro . Best . The usual toasts were proposed , and honoured , after the banquet . The W . M . in proposing "The Health of the M . W . G . M . " said it was a matter of congratulation to Freemasons , that amidst the numerous

engagements and calls upon the time of the Grand Master , he was enabled to devote so much time as he did to Freemasonry . Whenever there was Masonic work to be done , he did not spare himself , but went here and there to plead for the Charities , or to add a red letter day to the Masonic calendar , such as that when he laid the foundation stone of Truro Cathedral . At that grand ceremony he was happy

to say the Asaph Lodge had the honour of being lepresented . The toast of " The Pro Grand Master " followed . In giving the toast of " The Deputy Grand Master , and the Grand Officers , " the W . M . said , those brethren , whose privilege it was to attend Grand Lodge , could bear

testimony to the able and efficient manner in which the Grand Officers discharged their duties . At the Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge a glance at the agenda paper would show what a large proportion of the work fell upon the Grand Secretary . It would be impossible for any man to administer that department in a more able and efficient way than it was administered by Col , Shadwell H .