Grand Lodge Of Canada.

tition of that evening . I shall never forget it , for it was a genuine English welcome , one that truly touched my heart , and , as I rose to return thanks , I thought of you all and my Masonic home across the sea , and that with all my faults you vvould feel proud to know of the royal manner in which your Grand Master was greeted

in the Grand East of the Mother Lodge that gave us life . It is pleasant for me to state that the officers of the Grand Lodge of England entertain the most friendly feelings for our jurisdiction , and that they acknowledge that we in Canada are heirs to the antiquity of our ancestors , the fathers of the Canadian Craft ,

who , from 179 2 until 1855 , fought for Masonic freedom , and founded the extensive jurisdiction , which , although not well up in years , can look around and see her children growing in strength , and in the true spirit which should guide and govern those who kneel at Craft altars . My visit to England was rendered more than ordinaril y

eventful by the courtesy of the Grand Secretary , who allowed me to make an accurate examination of all the old and written records of the Craft , and , as Bro . Henry Sadler , the Grand Sub-Librarian of the Grand Lodge , and the author of quite a number of interesting Masonic books , showed me into the strong room at

Freemasons' Hall in London , and brought down from the shelves the original and earliest records of the Grand Lodge of 1717 , and I opened at the first written page , which was dated 1723 , and turned over the leaves , how I did yearn to have about 24 hours with that old record , that I might be able to tell you , my brethren

something about your birthri ght . In this old volume I found that in 1777 , the Modern Grand Lodge voted ; £ ioo towards the relief of many distressed Masons at Halifax , N . S . While this old book was , of course , of interest , my thoughts were centred on the Athol records , the Grand Lodge which came into existence

in ! 753- There were four Grand Lodges up to 1790 . The senior was the Grand Lodge of I 7 i 7 , then a Grand Lodge , formed out of an old lodge at York , in 1725 , which assumed the title of " The Grand Lodge of All England . " Then we had the Grand Lodge of the Ancients , established in 1753 , and a fourth Grand Lodge , formed

in 1779 by a few members of the Lodge of Antiquity , in London , under the egotistical title of 'The Grand Lodge of England , south of the River Trent' After 1790 the two latter lodges went out of existence , and the two were left , one of which , the Athols , gave you , my brethren , life in 1792 . But it is unfair to weary

you with a digression from the purposes of this meeting . All the Craft and Royal Arch records are kept in this strong room , piled away in regular order read y for use at a moment ' s notice . The gold plate of Grand Lodge and the gold vessels for the laying of cornerstones and for the consecration of lodge rooms , are

kept in this room , as well as the Grand Regalia . There are two suits for the Grand Master , H . R . H . the Prince of Wales ; one is kept at Marlborough House and the other in the strong room , for use when he visits Grand Lodge . The Prince presides about once a year , and his place at other meetings is taken by the Pro Grand Master or the Provincial Grand Masters according to

seniority . He is an enthusiastic Mason , and takes a lively interest in the Craft work , always ready to take part in ceremonials , while the practical work is looked after by the Grand Secretary , who , by the way , has the happy faculty of giving a pleasant welcome to everyone , so that even a visitor across the sea is just as much at home as if in his own jurisdiction .

The Late Colonel Macleod Moore.

THE LATE COLONEL MACLEOD MOORE .

The following appears in the last issue ofthe Toronto Freemason .- — " To the Editor of the ' Toronto Freemason . ' " Sir and Brother ,

" It may interest your readers to have a few particulars relative to the early Masonic career of that giant among Masonic Kni ghts Templars , the late revered and beloved Supreme Grand Master of the

Great Priory of Canada . I , therefore , have looked up the minutes of the Abbey Preceptory , No . 242 , Boyle , Ireland , and found the record of his first installation in that encampment , as it was then styled . The conclave which admitted Colonel MacLeod Moore to the Degrees of Knight Templar and Knight of Malta (

afterwards to become the most erudite and distinguished Masonic Kni ght Templar in the world ) was held on the 29 th October , 1844 , when the following officers presided : Bro . Sir John Leland , Grand Commander ; Bro . Sir John Wallace , Captain General ; Bro . Sir Mungo Cranston , Grand Martial ; Bro . Sir Arthur Brown ,

Grand Prelate ; Bro . Sir Robert Armstrong , Grand Recorder ; Bro . Sir Thane Leland , Standard Bearer ; Bro . Sir Gilbert Wallace Whyte , Sword Bearer . "The minute subsequently records that 'Bro . Companions Patrick Horan , Joseph Adolphus MacGrath , of Jamaica , and William J . B . McL . Moore , 69 th

Regiment , al ! received the Degrees of High Knight Templars and Knights of Malta . " In the margin of the book there is a note that ' Bro . J . MacGrath is a R . A . Companion of No . 4 , Kilwinning R . A . Chapter , Glasgow , and Bro . Moore , of St . Machers , No . 37 , Aberdeen , Scotland , ancl also of

No . so , Dublin . " I have also searched the minutes of the Craft Lodge No . 242 , Boyle , and find that ' Bro . W . J . B . MacL . Moore was unanimously elected Senior Warden' of that lodge on the 7 th January , 1845 ; and further , it is recorded that on the 4 th February , 18 45 , ' He gave a very excellent lecture to the brethren on Masonry . '

The Late Colonel Macleod Moore.

" It vvould appear that he left Boyle shortly afterwards . On the 4 th June , 1845 , the brethren of Lodge 242 presented him with an address , in which they said ' We feel ourselves imperatively called on this ( to us ) painful occasion of your departure from this town to offer to you our sincere and heartfelt thanks for the

truly Masonic conduct which has characterised every act of yours since you came amongst us , proving , indeed , that you have made Masonry your constant and unerring guide in your intercourse with the brethren of 242 . Your zealous co-operation with your brethren and the liberality of your presents to our lodge make

us feel that it will be a long time before the void made by your removal can be filled up . ' Truly do these words of 1845 speak in 1890 ! Colonel MacLeod Moore , 33 ° , Masonic philosopher , historian , moralist , antiquary , adviser—no more ! " ' It will be a long time before the void made by his

removal can be filled up . ' Yet his writings , his teachings remain— ' He being dead yet speaketh . '—Yours fraternally , "FRANCIS E . CLARKE , M . D ., LL . D ., 30 , " Past Preceptor , Registrar of the " Abbey Preceptory , Boyle , Ireland . " ist October , 1890 . "

Installation Of H.R.H. The Duke Of Clarence As P.G.M. For Berkshire.

INSTALLATION OF H . R . H . THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AS P . G . M . FOR BERKSHIRE .

The following instructions have been issued in reference to the above : " Town Hall Chambers , Reading , " 29 th November , 1890 . "PROVINCE OF BERKSHIRE . "Sir and Brother ,

" In forwarding to you the accompanying summons and agenda of the especial Provincial Grand Lodge to be held on the 15 th day of December next , I beg to point out to you that the space for the accommodation of brethren is limited . If , therefore , you intend to be present at the lodge you will fill up the form on the other side . If you also intend to be present at the luncheon you will in addition remit me one

guinea . " The form must be filled up and returned to me on or before the Sth inst ., but an earlier reply will be esteemed a favour .

" No application for an admission ticket to lodge or luncheon can be received after the Sth of December , and if the application for the latter ticket be not accompanied by the required remittance , the luncheon ticket will not be sent .

" Your faithfully and fraternally , " J W . MARTIN , P . P . G . R ., "Officiating P . G . Sec . " N . B . —A special train leave Paddington Station for Reading , on Monday , December 15 th , 1 S 90 , at 10 . 30 a . m ., and returning at 4 . 45 p . m . —Tickets , 7 s . iod . each . "

Ireland

Ireland

There has been a great deal of Masonic enthusiasm in the North-west during the past few weeks . A Masonic ball and concert , which is now an annual affair , has been held in Castleblayney , under the superintendence of the brethren of Lodge No . 352 . The success was even more marked than on previous

occasions . The proceeds of these elegant annual reunions are devoted to the Building Fund of the new Masonic Hall in that town . The concert was held in the Town Hall , where ample accommodation was provided for a large and fashionable audience . The proceedings opened with the entry of the brethren in full Masonic

regalia , and there an attendance of brethren from Ball ybay , Carrickmacross , Cootehill , Monaghan , Dundalk , Dublin , & c . At the termination of the concert a move was made to the Masonic Hall , where the ball took place , and was kept up till dawn . The supper , which was laid in the lodge room , was very elegant , and the whole

proceedings reflected the greatest credit on the W . M . and officers of No . 352 . All the lodges are at present electing officers for 18 91 , and we hope a judicious selection will be made to further the interests of the Craft next year . But death has been calling to the Grand Lodge above some of our

most prominent brethren . We greatl y regret to announce the death of Bro . Thomas Fitzgerald , CE . He occupied high office in the Order , and was representative of the Grand Lodge of Colon and Cuba at the Grand Lodge of Ireland . Lodge No . 227 loses one of its most active members in him , and the Masonic

Charities had in Bro . Fitzgerald a warm-hearted supporter . It was owing to his generosity that the mansion and grounds at Richview were secured as the habitation for the orphan boys , and in both Schools he took a most lively interest . In the death of Bro . John Arnott Taylor , J . P ., a Past

Prov . G . Officer , Lodge 314 , Belfast , loses a faithful and trusted friend , and the warrant of this lodge owes its existence to his energy in 1885 . He was also a member of Chapter No . 8 , Belfast , of Prince Masons of Ireland , 18 ° , and a liberal supporter of our Charities and Schools . He was elected a representative of St .

George ' s Ward in the Town Council , Belfast , in 1882 , and at the time of his death was a member of no fewer than five Corporation Committees . A most successful bazaar under the auspices of Lodge 799 , Castlederg , has just been held . About a year ago these brethren decided to build a hall at a cost

Ireland

of ; £ 8 oo , which they have succeeded in doing , and as there remained about ^ 400 to be raised to le . ive the hall free of debt , by a supreme effort this amount was raised at the bazaar . The Building Committee was composed of the officers of the lodge , who in their year of office completed the noble structure , perfect in all

its parts , and honourable to its builders : Bros . T . W . McCormick , W . M . ; Wm . Graham , S . W . ; J . W , Bracegirdle , J . W . ; Rev . J . H . Gatchell , S . D . ; Wm . King-Edwards , J . D . ; J . R . T . Johnstone , I . P . M . ; and Wm . Irwin , Treas . and Sec . On Bros . McCormick and Irwin most of the kbaur

ell , and to them must be accorded most of the praise and congratulations , while Bro . Johnstone cannot be overlooked . The ladies ( without whose assistance it vvould have been a failure ) who presided over the stalls were—Stall No . 1 , Miss McCormick , Miss B . McCormick , Mrs . Johnstone , and assistants ; Stall No .

2 , Mrs . McErvel , Mrs . Leary , and assistants ; Stall No , 3 , Miss King-Edwards , Mrs . Love , and assistants ; Poutry Stall , Mrs . E . G . Leary , of Demerara . The bazaar lasted three days , and amongst those present we noticed Bros , his Grace the Duke of

Abercorn , G . M . ; Sir J . M . Stewart , Bart , D . L ., P . G . M . ; Col . John G . Irvine , D . L ., P . D . G . M . ; Major Henry Irvine , J . P , P . S . G . W . ; Wm . Purdon , C . E ., P . J . G . W . ; Rev . John W . Taylor , LL . B ., P . G . Chap . ; Archibald Anderson , P . G . D . of C . ; and others .

Did Freemasonry Originate Among The Druses?

DID FREEMASONRY ORIGINATE AMONG THE DRUSES ?

A few months ago I had occasion to enter into a business contract with one of my Druse farmers . \ Vlien we were about to draw up Ihe agreement , the Druse suggested that , as he could neither' read or write , we should ratify the bargain in the manner customary among his people . This consists of a solemn grasping

of hands together in the presence of two or three other Druses as witnesses , whilst the agreement is recited by both parties . Being always on the qui vive to gain a practical insight into the manners and customs of the Druses , I readily consented to this form of contract , hoping thereby to learn something more of their

methods of procedure . Accordingly , the farmer brought three of his neighbours to me , and the terms of our contract having been made known to them , one of them took the right hand of each of us and joined them together , whilst he dictated to us what to say after him . To my great astonishment , the Druse who was

grasping my hand gave me the grip of a Master Mason 1 i immediately returned it , to his equal surprise . He asked me how and where I had learnt their secret sign and this set me on the track of further inquiries , the result of which has been to render what was before a very strong belief on my part an absolute conviction .

I now feel morally certain that my theory is correct ; and speaking as a Freemason , and as one who has also searched somewhat fully into the mystic tenets of the Druses , I can assert that , in many particulars , the esoteric teaching of both systems is more or less identical . Owing to the extreme secrecy and

exclusiveness of the Druse character , it is most difficult to gain an insight into their inner rites and tenets ; and it requires many years of intercourse with them , and the firm establishment of relations of mutual confidence and trust , before one can be in a position to learn anything concerning them . But

speaking from experience , I can only say that if those who are qualified to pursue the subject further will investigate carefully for themselves this most interesting matter , they will be more and more convinced of the truth of my statement , and cannot fail to be persuaded that the origin of Freemasonry is to be traced

to the ancestors of the Druses , and that these ancestors were the Phoenician mountaineers of the Lebanon , who were the subjects of Hiram , King of Pyre . As might have been expected under these circumstances , the Druses are essentially a mountaineering race ; there

not being a single Druse vilhage situated upon a plain , either in the Lebanon district , across the Haur ;\ n , or in the Holy Land proper . — " From the Druses of the Holy Land , " by Haskett Smith , in Blackwood ' s Magazine for December 1890 .

Bro . Lord Mayor Savory , when presiding at the Court of Common Council on Thursday , the 27 th ult ., referred in sympathetic terms to the recent death of the King of the Netherlands , and a resolution to the same effect was unanimously passed by the Court , and , after being signed by the Town Clerk ( Bro . Sir John B . Monckton ) , directed to be transmitted to the Netherlands Minister .

Asthma Cured.

ASTHMA CURED .

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