Charity Organisation.

Ghle , their curt and peculiar announcements would seem to imply that " there was somethin ? behind , " and so close the perennial fountains of public charity and sympathy . Luckily for noor Mrs . Williams and the orphans , an independent medical man and some friendly ladies

took up the case , and having by a careful inquiry ascertained that there was no truth in some foolish and some unfounded statements of some inferior agents , have raised a small sum of money , taken her out of the workhouse , and have placed her and her children in a comfortable

home . It is most touching to be told that one of the first acts of this benevolent committee , was to enable the poor woman to take her wedding ring out of pawn , so as to enable her to follow her poor husband to a pauper ' s grave . We rejoice to think that some medical men and

some ladies were so sympathetic and so independent as not to be deterred by an assumed authority , or intimidated by a dogmatic officialism , as to look into the whole matter themselves calmly and reasonably , fully and dispassionately , and so be able to arrive at a conclusion , at which

all who have not quite forgotten yet the sublime teaching of the great parable of the " Good Samaritan , " will be glad to hear of , and be ready to endorse . In all these matters , as it seems to us , that noble profession which has rendered such priceless services to cosmopolitan humanity ,

—we mean the medical profession—has a great duty to perform and to fulfil . Intelligent and educated , liberal-minded and tolerant , humanitarian and religious , it ought and generally does set itself above the mere " ipse dixit " whether of sciolist or quack , the " nostrum " of the

impostor or the " high falutin " of the " windbag . " It is enabled , perhaps , better than any other profession , to discern the difference as between assumption and proof , between assertion and fact , between suspicion and certainty , between appearance and actuality , for it bases its

correct Diagnosis on a skilful induction of connecting evidence , evidence which laps over , so to say , in the ever lengthening chain of scientific accuracy , and rejects what is either uncertain or incorrect , unsound or untrue per se . We rejoice , then , to think , we repeat , that amidst so much

that is utterly unsound and unscientific to-day , so marked by a want of logic and the noisy utterances of " charlatanism , " there are those amongst us who will manfully seek in the best interests of society , to separate the true from the false , the outside show from the

inner reality , and thus are enabled alike to vindicate the dignity of a great profession and the cause of our common and suffering humanity . So important is the whole subject now , for many reasons , that we propose next week to enter into the whole question of personal charity , and we

may add that Dr . Cotton , 3 , 3 , Cavendish-square , will receive subscriptions for Mrs . Williams and her fa m ily , and that the " Haven of refuge" which , through Miss Rotch ' s kindness , has so properly given shelter to Mrs Williams and her children , is the House of Charity , No . 1 , Greek-street , Soho .

The Earthquakes In Peru.

THE EARTHQUAKES IN PERU .

FROM A CORRESPONDENT . At present everything here is in a state of excitement , owing to the late earth- quakes , and tidal waves , that we have been visited withalong the whole West Coast of Peru and Bolivia . No

damage of any account has happened to Lima and Callao , j > ut south of here , all along the coast , there has been a fearful cataclysm , great loss of property and life . To convey an idea of the sad catastrophies , I will give you the following extracts from W . M . Neill , of " Antofoyesta , " and Brother W . M . Pendavis , of Tocopilla , where we have a " 0 d ge in each place .

Bro Neill says : " Autofoyesta , 12 th May , 1877 . —On 'he 9 th , at half-past 8 p . m ., we were visited by the most severe ferremoto earthquake that has ever been felt on the coast . The old residents that are used to them say that they never felt anything like it before , and that it was far " ore violent than that of 1868 , which destroyed Airca and

'yniqui , which drove the U . S . war steamer Wahrei rvn three railes fcom the beach - J tried to get my cnildren out of bed , and could not stand on my feet , the oscillation was so violent ; however , I succeeded in getting '" em into the street , where there was a cry of " the Sea , bur S f ' - comin £ in on us - " I did n ° t believe it at first , ' true " . and we had to run for out live 9 just as we w « e . 1 he excitement was frightful , the night unac-

The Earthquakes In Peru.

countably dark , and the shrieks of the people running away , and " calling on anyone to save them , made it a scene impossible to forget . In half an hour the town was all deserted , and the hills full of people . After leaving my wife and family iu the hospital , I went hack to see the state of things , and found the whole of the business part of it washed away , houses lifted right up with all their

contents and carried away , and , in one or two instances , some of such a size that it was almost impossible to be lisve or realize it . I thought it was all over , but at 12 p . m . another tidal wave , much longer , and not preceeded by any shock , came in and completed the destruction , and we are left in a sad state . The upper part of the town is uninjured , but the whole of the lower is gone . If the

houses had been built of stone , brick , or adobe , I am certain every one must have fallen , for not one could have stood the shocks . All are of wood , and this has saved us . Since the night of the shock , we have had at | least 100 slight ones , with occasionally a sharp one ; in fact , the ground is continually shaking , and what is strange ,

the sea has repeatedly rose and returned again , but fortunately not in sufficient volume to do any harm . "About 150 miles from here in a direct line with this place , a volcano is in violent eruption , which has not happened for the last hundred years , and I feel certain is in direct communication with the part of the ocean where the convulsion commenced . "

May 20 th . —" Sine : my last about the earthquake , nothing from you , in fact it is some time since I have seen your welcome hand-writing , I hear that Causo has also been affected by a tidal wave ; when I heard this I at once thought of youc establishments , which are most unpleasantly near the beach , I hope nothing has occurred . All this part of the coast has been ruined , Pabellox de

Pica , Tocopillas , Cobija , and Mejellones de Bolivia completely washed away , and other ports like Antofayosta considerably damager , every five or ten minutes there is a shock , and occasionally a pretty big one . I hope it will soon stop . " The poor Tocopilla friends have suffered more than all , their lodge was washed away with charter ,

constitutions , furniture and everything , all now are gone out to sea j Pendenshaw is completely gone , not a vestige remains , he had time only to save life , losing instruments , diploma , medicines , & c . I at once sent him a case containing instruments , & c , which he writes has been a God-send , he also sends me the sad news that Bro . W . Wiggings , one of the founders of the lodge there , and a member of

ours , has perished in a mine with seventeen others , the mine falling in on them , in addition to these fifty others were buried but got out alive , all having broken bones , these have come to me to attend , as there are no houses in Tocopilla . I am going to hold a Masonic festival service to the memory of the brethren . "Directly I heard of the losses of the brethren of

Mejellones de Bolivia , Cobija , and Tocopilla , I sent from the funds of the lodge two large cases of ready-made clothing , as none escaped with more than what they stood in , I called at once a meeting to consider what should be done , 1 proposed to invest all the funds of the lodge in the immediate relief of the sufferers , which was carried , and 800 dols . handed to the commissioner for this purpose , as well as a subscription list opened to

assist all the inhabitants from the above mentioned places that have come to Antofayosta , which have been distributed amongst the families here . I have my house full . The loss will be fearful and it will take a long time to recover from it . Our Treasurer's house was completely washed away as he lived near the sea shore , all the books , accounts , & c , besides about two hundred dollars of the lodge has gone with the tidal wave . " A . J . ED . H . NKILI ., Master .

"Tocopilla , May 17 th , 1877 . To the Grand Master of Grand Lodge of Peru . " Dear Sir and Brother , —I have the painful duty of informing you that the earthquake of the nth inst . caused the total ruin of this most prosperous part of the whole coast . Last Wednesday night , at eight p . m ., while working in lodge and all the brethren but Bro . Wiggins

being present , we had a fearful earthquake which destroyed the whole town , and immediately after a tidal wave , which washed the wreck completely away . " "The mines in this district have suffered greatly , in one of the "Buena Esperanzi" seventeen lives were lost , and amongst them our beloved brother William Wiggin s .

The dispensation of the lodge has been swept away with my house , together with all my effects , both professional and domestic , which I had therein , all the funds and charity fund of the lodge were lost with the Treasurer's house . As soon as we can write with more tranquillity I will do so at more length . For the present farewell .

" The lodge house is saved , the misery and destitution here are frightful . Truly yours , WILLIAM FREDERIC PENDAVIS . W . M . Union and Esperanza Lodge , No . 20 . Having given you these extracts , we feel confident that our brethren at home will not forget us in our hour of need and misfortune as the hearts of our countrymen have ever been open to relieve the calamities of suffering

humanity . The Grand Lodge of Peru has done all that lays in its power to help the sufferers , and she now appeals through your columns to her sister lodges of the world . Subscriptions can be forwarded direct to Edward H . Neill , M . D ., Antofoyesta j William F . Pendavis , M . D ., Topocilla ; Messrs . Wholy Brothers , Lima , Peru . Yours fraternally , ARTHUR N . WHOLV , Grand Master of Grand Lodge of Peru .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do net hold ourselves responsible for , or even as approving of the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , iu a . spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 1

TALL TALK . To the Editor of Ihe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — As a regular reader of the Freemason I have to congratulate you sincerely on the marked absence from your pages of anything like tall talk , high falutin , " bunkum" or sensationalism , which are so popular just

now . Not that you are dull , or that the reader has to wade through ( as Mr . Slurk had ) bathos and boredom , and ungrammatical twaddle combined , but you very properly eschew that pernicious and mournful egotism which can only think , talk , or write about Number One . I am very much amus-: d to note , when one has to deal with a very different sort of literature , how much is often made

of " zero , " what a great deal may be said about what " I " or " we " have done for Masonry . In nothing is this so conspicuous or so detestable , I venture to think , as in the case of the Masonic charities . With regard to these noble institutions we continually read and listen to the effusions ( and such effusions ) of those , who , if you believe them , have done for those valued institutions

what no one else has ever done or ever thought of doing . Now , like many very humble and modest brethren , I have for years been a zealous friend of our great metropolitan charities in my lesser orbit , but I don ' t think it worth while to be always proclaiming what I have accomplished . There are many of our brethren just now to whom if you listen you would suppose that until they

burst into Masonic life , and adorned the festive scene , nothing had ever been done for the charities , whereas longeven before they were born or thought of , good workers and true Masons had put their hand to the plough . There is one consolation for us stout middle-aged old fogies , often walking lame , and usually somewhat bald , that even the sleekest of jackdaws cm only have their

day , and must , sooner or later , find their level . We , who were workers when they were troublesome little boys in bottle-green trousers and brass buttons , and may now seem to be eclipsed by their pretentious splendour , know well that , depend upon it , dear sir and brother , humbug and

pirade always have a Nemesis here , in that , in their turn these } " tall talkers " will be succeeded by still morc ' aspiring heroes , who will vote them " slow coaches , " " bad form , " " obsolete , " and " out of the running . 'j Excuse a bad bilious attack , which threatens gout , and believe me .

Yours , always fraternally , H . M .

CHARITY LOTTERIES . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In your last number is a letter with the above heading , which is worthy of notice if only on account of the good taste , and absence of all acrimonious feeling , displayed by the writer in . dealing with a subject regarded

by him from an unfavourable point of view . The objections entertained by " W . F . " to the scheme of Bro . Constable are , in my opinion , exaggerated and untenable , and—though I entertain no hope of being able to modify or remove them—seem to me to require a few words in reply . 1 . The essence of " gambling , " as 1 enterpret it , is to

incur a risk of loss in the hope of personal gain , the repetition of which—whatever the issue—gradually becomes | an indulgence more or less habitual , and ultimately an exciting necessity . This element is entirely wanting in such a scheme as that under censure by your correspondent . 210 brethren desire to support an institution , but their means are not equal to their desire .

They deposit one shilling each . The individual shilling secures no qualification , but multiplied by 210 , a governorship with two votes for life is obtained . Who is to enjoy the privilege ? The question is solved in the easiest possible manner by a "draw . " The winner is satisfied , and the 209 are well pleased that by a harmless combination they have contributed to the support of a

deserving institution , which has " charity " for its obj ct . 2 . I do not deem it necessary to enter on the di-cussioit of maxims , "Jesuit" or otherwise , and I contend that in the practice under consideration there is no tampering with morality , Masonic or general . Tne end in view is

simply the organisation of a fund by small donations , which , when realised , shall be presented for a given purpose in the names of certain donors to be determined by lot . How the " laws of public prosperity and general duty " are affected by this , I confess passes my comprehension .

As regards success or non-success , the principle involved is not touched in either event . As , however , " nothing succeeds like success , " it is encouraging to Bro . Constable , and gratifying to all , as evidencing the fact of considerable approval , that by the adoption of the scheme of that energetic brother the funds of our Benevolent Institution profited by £ 100 in 1874 ; of the Girls * School by £ 180

in 18 75 ; of the Boys' School in the present year by £ 4 88 . I could unrepiningly bear stricter censure than I feel confidene " W . F . " is prepared to bestow on Bro . Constable if I could point to such a result . 3 . Admitted that some contributors with ample means do succeed in obtaining the qualifications in a " Charity

Lottery , " where is the objection ? They have subscribed to encourage others to do the same , and gladly accept what honestly falls to them , and again , I am unable to recognise the " hazardous juxta position " to which " W . F . " alludes . The concluding paragraph of your correspondent ' s letter , is couched in terras so thoroughly liberal and