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¦ PREEMASON'S HYMN . —THE I MYSTIC TIE . Words and Music composed by F . J . STEIN . Price is . 6 d . nett . I ^ indon : GRORfji' KUNNIIMO , ifi &* x 6 \ Gt . Oupen-st .

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f AIETY RESTAURANT , STRAND . T HE VIENNESE STRING BAND WILL PLAY DURING 3 s . 6 d . DINNERS , 5 s . C TO S . 3 O . SEPARATE TABLES . NO CHARGE FOR ATTENDANCE .

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PARTRIDGE & COOPER , " THE" STA TIONERS , 191 & 192 , FLEET STREET , LONDON , Would invite attention to their LARGE AND WELL-SELECTED STOCK OF GENERAL & FANCY STATIONERY , Suitable for presents , such as Inkstands , Stationery , Cabinets , Ladies ' ^ and Gentlemen's Dressing Bags , Travelling and Brief Bags , & c , all of which are enumerated in their New Illustrated Catalogue , sent free on application .

To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

Tht { oil-owing communicaUons , amongst others , unavoidably ¦ Handover : CRAFT LODGES . —Liverpool Dramatic , No . 1609 ; Rothesay , No . 1687 ; Sir Charles Bright , No . 1793 ; Londonderry , No , 2039 ; Chertsey Abbey , Nn . » i 20 ; Royal Victoria Jubilee , No . aiH ^ ; Anglo-Ameiican , No . 2191 ; Chough , No . 3264 ; Carrington , No . 2421 ; and Bradstow , No . 2448 . MARK LOUGH . —Industry , No . 203 .

LOHOBS AND CitAi'iKKS OK INhTRt . 'LTioN , —Robert Burns , No . 2 $ ; Egyptian , No . 27 ; St . Michael ' s , No . 211 ; Camden ( Mark ) , No . 41 H ; I ^ a Tolerance , No . 538 ; Katclagh , No . 834 ; Harrow , No . 1310 ; Blackheath , No , 1320 ; Kensington , No . 1767 ; Coborn , No . 1804 ; St . Ambrose , No . itgi ; Chiswick , No . 2012 ; and Star Chapter , No . 1375 . Freemasonry in Malta , Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham ,

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m ^^^^^ j ^^ ' ^___^ _^^ i ^ /^^^ j^KS^^^^S SATURDAY , OCTOBER 7 , 1893 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

His Royal Highness the Most Worshipful Grand Master has appointed Tuesday , November the 28 th , •or the consecration of the Chancery Bar Lodge , and " 's arranged to be present on the occasion . The lod ge will hold all its meetings by permission of the "enchers at Lincoln's Inn , and the consecration

ceremony will probably be performed in the Lincoln ' s Inn Library , the subsequent banquet taking place in the Hall .

* * * We have to remind our readers that thc autumn School elections will take place at the Quarterly " •¦ 'neral Courts of Governors and Subscribers , which * 'H be held in Freemasons' Tavern on Thursday and "' day next , the 12 th and 13 th instant respectively ,

hat for admission into the Girls' School being due on j " * former day , and that for the Boys' School on the alt er . On both occasions the chair will be taken at 2 noon precisely , and the poll will bc opened when "v ordinary business has been concluded , and will c | ose at 3 p . m . prompt .

Masonic Notes.

For the Girls' School election there are 15 vacancies and 37 candidates , and for that of the Boys' School 25 —or if Bro . Everett ' s motion is carried there will be 26 —vacancies and 4 6 candidates . This is a reversal of what has been the ordinary course of things at most recent elections , the proportion of vacancies to candidates having been more favourable to the latter in the case of the senior than in that of the junior School .

* But thc point on which we are anxious to lay the greatest stress is that at each of the elections there are three candidates who are bound to secure places among the successful under pain of having their names removed from the lists altogether . The girls who are in this predicament are placed in the list at No . 17

( Cheshire ) , No . 27 ( Monmouthshire and London ) , and No . 28 ( Warwickshire ) ; while the three boys are placed at No . 10 ( Cheshire and Derbyshire ) , No . 28 ( Eastern Archipelago ) , and No . 35 ( Middlesex ) . In accordance with the practice we have adopted for several years past , we earnestly appeal to all who have votes and influence at their command and are not

already pledged to the support of any case or cases , to do all in their power to secure the election of these children . * * * We have adopted this practice for two especial reasons , which we have many times already set forth

in these columns , but which are well worthy of being repeated . ( 1 ) The presence of their names in thc lists of candidates is direct and indisputable evidence of their eligibility , especially now when all petitions arc subjected to the strictest scrutiny . ( 2 ) While the list of candidates continue , to be as restricted in point of

numbers as they happen to be just now , there is a good reason why every boy or girl , who has been adjudged worthy of admission , should secure his or her admission without fail . We hold these views , not from any interest we have in the children themselves , of whom we know nothing , but from motives of a generous policy towards the children of unfortunate Masons .

. Our respected Pro Grand Master must be very proud of his Province of West Lancashire , over which he has presided for the last 20 years , not merely from its numerical strength—though where the quality is good , as it is in this instance , that of itself is a matter for

sincere congratulation—but from the devotion of the brethren to the fundamental principles of the Craft . There are 107 lodges on the roll of this Province , while the number of subscribing members is 7160 , showing an increase during the past nine years of 2572 ; and though it is not concealed that differences , and it may

be even dissensions , have arisen in the management of these lodges , yet it is recognised in every quarter that their affairs have been on the whole both well and wisely administered . Indeed , if it bad been otherwise there would not be such enthusiasm for Freemasonry as characterises our West Lancashire brethren as a body ,

* * * But while numerical strength and wise administration are among the chief features of West Lancashire Freemasonry , there is still a third feature which is calcu-Iated to elicit unbounded respect and admiration from the whole body of English Masons . Not only is the Province a loyal supporter of our great Central

Institutions , but it maintains three local Masonic Charities of its own , which secure to West Lancashire brethren in reduced circumstances , their widows , and their children the same class of benefits—though not quite on the same scale—as are conferred , by our three general Charities on poor but worthy brethren and their belongings throughout England .

* The three local Charities wc are referring to are the Educational Institute , with an invested capital of ^ 22 , 000 , and the Hamer and Alpass Annuity Funds , for men and widows respectively , with a capital in each

case of about . 65000 . Half a century ago our main Institutions , of which all English Masons are so justly proud , were hardly as important as regards the extent of the benefits they conferred as are these three West Lancashire Institutes at the present time .

* * By the way , while we are on the subject of West Lancashire and its local Masonic Charities , _ wc may as well take the opportunity ot / mentioning that the annual meeting in aid of the Alpass Fund was appointed to be held at Southport on the 5 th inst .,

under the presidency of Bro . Lord Skelmersdale , son of the Prov . Grand Master , and we trust it will be in our power to furnish a full account of what we have no doubt will be a highly successful gathering . It is the youngest , though by no means the least valuable , of the three West Lancashire Institutes .

Masonic Notes.

We are indebted to the kindness of a correspondent for the report we publish in another part of our columns of the visit paid by the members of the Institute of Journalists to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . We knew nothing of the visit—which the

Institute was specially invited to pay to the School by the Executive—till after it had taken place , owing no doubt to an oversight on the part of the said Executive , and not to any lack of that courtesy of which we have been so constantly the recipients .

Correspondence.

Correspondence .

f We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spirit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . 1

VISITING BRETHREN . To the Editor of the "Freemason , " Dear Sir and Brother , Your correspondent , " P . M ., W . L ., " in replying to my letter , evidently omitted to read what I wrote , or is ignorant of the meaning of the phrase " called off . "

It may , therefore , be a sufficient answer to his letter to say that at such a time none of the officers he mentions—save one—are required to be in their places . " P . M ., W . L ., " may not be aware that on temporaril y retiring , in such a case , from a lodge , some Masons are in tbe habit of leaving their clothing in the room ,

so that the Tyler would be excused for allowing the brother to walk in through the open door without clothing . The brother has missed the point of my letter , which was—that it was a strange thing for a visiting P . M . to expect to be admitted under the circumstances I narrated . —Yours fraternally , P . M .

THE INSTALLATION OF THE PROV . GRAND MASTER OF WEST YORKSHIRE . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Glowing as your account is of the above interesting and important event , it falls short perhaps of

the reality , for a more imposing ceremony—excepting in one collateral function—was , perhaps , never witnessed in the Northern province , and all true Masons are justly proud of the appointment of our esteemed chief , the Hon . W . L . Jackson , M . P ., to be our Masonic guide and Master .

The exception I allude to was the music , which I may say at once was of the most meagre , insignificant character . Instead of the splendid compositions we have generall y had in the North on these occasions , we were treated to a few common-place hymn tunes , led b y a weak harmonium—or by accordion—which nobod y

heard , sung by every brother in his own style and tune , much to the chagrin of those who , like myself , possess some knowledge of and taste for the divine art . And then the music at the grand banquet—which was , indeed , a glorious feast of reason and How of soul —why it was neither appropriate or interesting , and , pray , where was our old , esteemed Bro . Dr . Sparks and

the mighty organ ( unequalled in Europe for its power and beauty ) on an occasion like this ? Numerous have been the comments on the palpable omission , especially from our esteemed musical friends from Lancashire . Can any of our Leeds brethren explain ?—Yours fraternall y , P . M . Leeds , October 2 nd .

"FREEMASONRY IN THE ARMY . " To the Editor of the "Freemason . ' Dear Sir and Brother , In your issue of this day I am glad to see a letter signed " S . D ., " referring to a former article on the above subject , and which at thc lime struck me in

the same way , but , being on the eve of a journey from home , I allowed the opportunity to slip . There are still many active lodges in the Army . I can name two , viz .: Lodge 322 ( I . C ) , in the ist Battalion Worcestershire Regiment , old 2 i ) th * , date of warrant 1759 ; and Lodge 128 ( I . C . ) in the 1 st Battalion Dorsetshire

Regiment , old 39 th . The former lod ^ c was revived , after a long dormancy , by me in 1854-55 ( the Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding being the lirst W . M ., but unable , through absence 011 staff employ , from taking his place ) , it devolved on me , as S . W ., under thc new warrant ( with old number , the original warrant being almost illegible ) ,

to work the lodge . This lodge before leaving what was then British Pegu planted an E . C . Lodge Astrn-a at Thayetniyo , from its non-regimental members under the approval and thorough amicable relationshi p with the District Grand Lodge of Bengal . This , I think , is a unique case of Irish seed producing an English plant . —Yours fraternally , H . G . COLVILL .

P . P . S . G . W . Cornwall , P . D . J . G . W . Bengal , and late Captain 29 th Regiment . September 30 th .