Ad00703

A Feature of the metropolis . SPIERS & POND'S / CRITERION RESTAURANT , PICCADILLY CIRCUS , LONDON , W . EAST ROOM . Finest Cuisine , unsurpassed by the most renowned Parisian Restaurants , Luncheons , Dinners and Suppers a la carte and prix fixe . Viennese Band . GRAND HALL . Musical Dinner 3 s . 6 d . per head . Accompanied by the Imperial Austrian Band . WEST ROOM . Academy Luncheon 2 s . Cj ., Diner Parisien 5 s ., during both of which the renowned Mandolin Quartette performs . BUFFET & GRILL ROOM . Quick service a la carte and moderate prices . Joints in each room fresh from the Spit every half-hour . AMERICAN BAR . Service of special American Dishes , Grills , & c . Splendid Suites of Rooms for Military and other Dinners .

Ar00704

^^^ ^^ ro SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 6 , 1897 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The regular Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter was held at Freemasons' Hall , on Wednesday , the 3 rd instant , when a long discussion took place over the motions of which notice had been given , and to which we briefly referred last week . It will be seen that Comp . Strachan carried his motion , but modified

as proposed by Comp . Thomas Fenn , while Comp . Le Feuvre ' s motion was also adopted , and Comp . Basket ' s , by leave , withdrawn , as the proposal it contained was virtually embodied in Comp . Strachan ' s motion . The full report we publish elsewhere will enlighten our readers as to the general tenour of the discussion that took place .

* * * We have been requested to announce that Thursday , the 9 th December , will be the latest day on which petitions for the April Election , 1898 , of the Royal

Masonic Institution for Girls must reach the offices of the Institution , 5 , Freemasons' Hall . It is hardly necessary , however , to add that it is highly desirable they should be received as much before that date as possible .

* » * A new lodge has been added to the roll of lodges in Northumberland , the Victoria Commemoration Lodge , No . 2666 , which has been established in connection with the Reserve Forces , having been consecrated b y Bro . Sir M . White Ridley , Bart ., M . P ., Prov . G . M ., assisted by Bro . Richard H . Holmes , J . P ,, P . G . D .

Eng ., Dep . P . G . M ., at tbe Central Masonic Hall , Newcastle-on-Tyne , on Friday , the 29 th ult ., at a meeting of the Prov . Grand Lodge . Everything passed off moat satisfactorily , and when the new lodge had been duly constituted , Bro . J . Straker Wilson , Prov . G . D . C , was installed in office as the first W . M ., and afterwords invested his officers for the year . We trust that the Victoria Commemoration Lodge , which starts well

Masonic Notes.

under the guidance of an able and experienced bro thcr , may have before it a long and prosperous career .

# * We regret to hear that the Board of Stewards for the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , which will be held in February next , is far below its usual strength at this period of the year . It is true that upwards of three months must elapse between now

and the day appointed for the celebration , but in November we look forward to seeing that substantial progress has been made in the constitution of the Board , and we are sorry to say this is very far from being the case at the present date . We must remind our readers that the sum now required for

annuitiesto say nothing of the expenses of management and for the Asylum at Croydon—is between , £ 16 , 000 and £ 17 , 000 , and it will need a strong Board of Stewards to raise that sum . We , therefore , urge upon our readers the importance of sending in their names at as early a date as possible , so that the Benevolent Institution may obtain the sum required for its maintenance .

* The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Leicestershire and Rutland was held at Narborough , on Thursday , the 2 SU 1 ult ., when Bro . the Rev . C . Henton Wood , M . A ., who has rendered most valuable service to the l ' rovince in several capacities ,

but more especially as Prov . G . Secretary for several years , was presented with his Grand Lodge clothing on his recent appointment as Past l ' rov . G . Chap , of England . Such a token of respect as this must be especially gratifying to our Rev . brother , and we trust he may be spared for many years to render , if possible , still more important services to his l ' rovince .

* * * It seems that next year the Grand Chapter of Connecticut will celebrate its centenary , and in order to provide the wherewith to defray the expenses attending the celebration , it has been resolved that " a per capita tax of 35 cents" shall be assessed upon the

chapters on the roll for the ensuing year . According to the latest returns we have seen there are 38 chapters holding under the Grand Chapter with an aggregate subscribing membership of 5521 , so that the proceeds of the assessment will amount to a pretty considerable sum—upwards of 1900 dollars . Comp . I . F . Stidham is the new G . H . P ., under whose auspices we presume

the auspicious event will be celebrated , while Comp . James McCormick retains the office of Grand Secretary , which he has held for some time past with so much advantage to the Grand Chapter . We sincerely hope that the Centenary Festival will prove a succs < s to which future generations of Connecticut companions may be able to point with pride .

* * * A regular convocation of the Provincial Grard Chapter of India under Scotland was held at Freemasons' Hall , Byculla , Bombay , on the 6 th September , under the presidency of Comp . K . R . Cama , Grand Superintendent , when that

distinguished companion , notwithstanding that he expressed a hope that a younger man would be nominated to succeed him at the close of his five years' term of office , was unanimously re-nominated for a further term , and promised to do all in his power to promote the welfare of Royal Arch Masonry in India under the

Scottish Constitution . Comp . Capt . C . D . Wise , Prov-G . S . E ., Past Depute G . Supt ., in proposing the nomination for re-appointment , pointed out that Comp . Cama ' s administration had been most successful ; that his jurisdiction , heretofore restricted to Western India ,

had been extended to the whole of India j and that the number of chapters on the roll was 15 as compared with nine in 1 S 91 . There was no gainsaying these gratifying statements , and the proposal was adopted by acclamation .

* * In the very interesting address which Bro . C . Letch Mason , Prov . G . Mark Master of West Yorkshire , delivered at the recent half-yearly mei .-ii . ig of his Prov . G . Lodge , one of the matters he referred to as having a special claim upon the attention of the

brethren was the history of Freemasonry . He readily conceded that great advances had been made in this direction during the past 25 yea's , that much light had been thrown " upon what was obscure and difficult , " and " that many iallacies" had been " exploded and

fantastic theories proved groundless . " The " accumulated rubbish of centuries" had been cleared away and the student was now striving " to build upon a solid basis of fact some superstructure , whose material may be sound , teneral outline correct , aid details historically accurate . "

Masonic Notes.

We are informed that the attention of Bro . Henry Barnato , one of the trustees under the will of the late Bro . B . I . Barnato , having been called to the fact o f there being a balance of 50 guineas still required to complete the sum of £ 1000 which is being raised to endow in perpetuity abed in Guy ' s Hospital in the name of the Freemasons of England , that brother at

once intimated his intention of consulting his cotrustee with a view to furnishing the sum required . He has done this notwithstanding that the late Bro . B . I . Barnato generously presented the Hospital in question with £ 1000 on the occasion when H . R . H . the Prince of Wales presided at the Special Festival held last year in aid of its re-endowment .

* * * Bro . Mason expressed his opinion that in this work there were many who mi ght render valuable assistance and he promised that in the event of any brother conceiving the idea " that he can interest or instruct us in the history or traditions of

Mark Masonry , " he and the Mark brethren of West Yorkshire would not hesitate to give him every encouragement in their power . This is most encouraging and we hope that competent brethren will be induced by the prospect of such support to make researches into the " history and traditions " of the Mark

Degree . A little—we are afraid it is only a very very little—has been done in respect of the history of Mark Masonry and its lodges , but it is something to know that a beginning has been made and we hope it will not be long before the good work is carried still further .

* According to Bro . Geo . Ven . Saun , of Iowa , as quoted in the Canadian Craftsman of last month the position of a non-affiliate from the jurisdiction of another Grand Lodge is a peculiar one , if , indeed , that can be described as peculiar , which has no recognised

existence . The said non-affiliate may , writes Bro . Ven . Saun , " Knock at our door for admission as a visitor , and yet the Worshipful Master is obliged to deny his request under our law—he has no ri ght of visitation , no right of Masonic relief from the lodge , and , in case of death , no right of Masonic burial . "

The reason for all this is , we ara told , because " he has committed the great crime ( Masonic ) of taking a dimit possibly to join a lodge in another State , and is accordingly denied the courtesy of visiting with his brethren in the tyled precincts of the lodge . " If Bro .

Ven Saun has been correctly quoted , and his statement is true , we can have no very high opinion of Freemasonry in Iowa in respect of this treatment of nonaffiliates . We consider the non-affiliate outside the lodge portals in a jurisdiction which can think of acting in this fashion towards a brother .

* » ? The Indian Masonic Review , in its October number comments upon the very poor attendance at the meeting of the District Grand Chapter of Madras on the 4 th September , and considers it was a very dismal inauguration of the new departure of having two

chapter meetings annually instead of one . It does not believe that a feeling of antagonism to a September meeting had anything to do with it , but rather that it was owing partly to the absence from Madras of many of the most regular attendants at these gatherings , and possibly also to the fact that the business on the agenda was limited to the passing of the revised by-laws . The

Grand Superintendent appears to have taken it somewhat more seriously to heart , and pointed out that attendance at Grand Chapter " was a duty on the part of its members , and one not to be lightly neglected . To say the least of it , it is showing a decided want of respect to the head of the District , " when the members neither attend personally , nor , if that be impossible , send an apology for non-attendance .

* * * Wc are afraid that Madras is not the onl y District in which this " decided want of respect'' to its Grand Superintendent is exhibited . and indeed that there arc not a few Provinces as well as Districts in which the same complaint as to the paucity of attendance might be

made . Nor in this case of Madras do we think it 1 sufficient excuse for the smallne-is of the attendance that the business was restricted to the " passing of the revised by-laws . " The revision of by-laws is a matter of some importance , and ought to command at least a fair attendance of those interested in the proper government of a Province or District .

. . « _ TUB KIRIIV MEMORIAL . —The monument to the memory of our late Bro . VV . H . Kiiby , is now erected in High Wycombe Cemetery , and will be unveiled by the Grand Secretary , Bro . E . Letch worth , to-morro * ( Saturday ) , at four o ' clock , to which ceremony the subscribers and other Masonic friends of the deceased are invi ' ed . It is proposed

to leave Paddmg ' on by a special train about 2 30 p . m ., and to return from High Wycombe about 5 p . m . It is anticipated that a large number of brethren will take this opportunity of paying a visit to Bro . Kirby ' s grave and viewing the monument , which is of a most and unique character , being distinctly Masonic . It was designed by Bro . Henry S . Wellcome .