Ad00808

The Four Masonic Publications . T HE F REEMASON . WEEKLY , TWOPENCE . ANNUALLY , 10 s . 6 d . THE M ASONIC MAGAZINE , MONTHLY , SIXPENCE . RTANNUALLY , 7 s . HE OSICRUCIAN , QUARTERLY , ONE SHILLING . MCTANNUALLY , 4 s . d . BHE OSMOPOLITAN ASONIC POCKET OOK , POST FREE , 2 s . 2 d . ANNUALLY , TWO SHILLINGS . The above four Works sent post free to any part of England , Ireland or Scotland for 12 Months , for 24 s . Address : PUBLISHER , 198 , Fleet-Street , London .

Ar00800

TO OUR READERS . Tae FREEMASON is a sixteen-page weekly newspaper , price id . It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Annual subscription in the United Kingdom , Post free , io / 6 . P O . O . ' s to te made payable at the Chief Office , London .

Ar00801

TO ADVERTISERS . The FREEMASON has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , its advantages as an advertising medium can therefore scarcely be overrated . ADVERTISEMENTS to ensure insertion in . current week ' s issue should reach the Office , 198 , Fleet-street , by 12 o ' clock on Wednesdays .

Ar00802

NOTICE . To prevent delay or miscarriage , it is particularly requested that ALL communications for the FRIT . . SON , may be add rtsscd to th Office , 19 8 , Fleet-street , London .

Ar00809

IMPORTANT NOTICE . COLONIAL aad FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS are informed thH acknowledgments of remittances received & n published in the first number of every month . It is vs . y necessary for our readers to advise us of ill money orders they remit , more especially cnase from the United States of America and India j otherwise we cannot tell where to credit them .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

C . B ., P . M ., under consideration ; " Masons' Marks " and Bro . Dr . Baxter Langley ' s letter in our next . The . following stand over : —Provincial Grand Lodge of Oxfordshire ; Lodges 1002 , 1502 , 1609 ; Chapters 73 , 249 , I 4 * 3- BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . " Keystone , " " Monde Maconnique , " " Hebrew Leader , " "The Rosicruchn , " and " New York Dispatch . "

Births, Marriages And Deaths.

Births , Marriages and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . Od . for announcements , not exceeding four lines , under this heading . ] BIM H . AHNISON . —On the 2 nd inst ., at York House , Sheffield , the wife of Bro . R . Arnison , of a son .

DEATHS . BE EEV . —On the 30 th ult ., Bro . the Rev . W . Beeby , M . A ., aged 45 . INCUS . —On the 6 th ult ., suddenly , at Budnagherry , East

Indies , Win . Hugh Inglis , youngest son of the late W . A . D . Inglis , of thc H . E . I . C . S . JOHNSON . —On the 29 , ult ., drowned at Cromer , Norfolk , the eldest son of Henry William and Janie Johnson , of Camden-road , Holloway , aged 12 .

Ar00810

The Freemason , SATURDAY , J 9 , 1877 .

Ar00811

ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE OF WALES . Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived in London on Thursday morning .

Ar00812

THE LAST QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION . We shall refer to the proceedings at the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge on Wednesday last , in our ne x

Charity Voting.

CHARITY VOTING .

So far as the discussion has gone , we do not see that we have gained much that is new or decisive in respect of this very important question . We note no argument of any force ; we perceive no illustration of any power . We have a good deal of assertion , dogmatic opinion , " it is because

it is , " the " post hoc propter hoc , " the arguing from a particular to an universal . And though we anxiously study the question , we are as yet exactly where we were , neither wiser , nor better , we fear , nor the least whit impressed by much effective writing and much

eloquent language . For the difficulty we feel strongly cannot be decided in this way . If there is one thing , as sensible men and intelligent Masons , we should set ourselves against just now , it is the tendency to appeal more to sentiment than to reason , more to assertion than to

proof , more to sensationalism than to fact . It is easy enough , as all who have had much to do with public life , the platform , or the " forum ' ' well know , to appeal to human prejudices and sensibilities , in order to carry a point , or to silence an adversary . But truth and richt-reason .

as all philosophers know , will not be so dealt with , and the attempt so to treat them always brings its own Nemesis with it , in crude theories , and impracticable proposals , in unsound dogmatism and illogical arguments . It would be deplorable , were it not so very much '' of the earth

earthy , " to realize , what a long way in all things just now , a few p lausible platitudes , a few florid figures of speech , will lead some of us , and how often the clear and the careful , the thoughtful and the intellectual , have to make way in the noisy arena of life for the man blessed with a

" gift ofthe gab , " for the utterer of specious if preposterous inanities , the asserter of the hopeless magnificence of audacious personality . Now , though such is happily not the case , so far in our Masonic discussion on charity voting has proceeded , we are all , as it appears to us , running

a little " riot , " going somewhat "wide of the mark , " as regards the exact question before us . It is asserted , with much readiness of language and clearness of conviction , that there are abuses in the present system of our charity voting system which require reform ; and it is proposed to make

a great change ( may we not add , pace , one of our correspondents , " P . P . S . G . W ., " a revolution ?) namely by abolishing the voting day and canvassing , and giving autocratic powers to a central committee . Well ! we deny the " abuses " in this sense , and we deprecate , in our opinion , a

fatal change , fatal that is to the best interests of the charities themselves , to their independence and absolute fairness of election . We prefer publicity and the present system , with all its " weaknesses , " ( if you like ) , to privacy and a select committe . Despite the able arguments

of our esteemed P . G . Chaplain , Bro . R . J . Simpson , ( and we speak with some little experience , as he knows , on the subject ) , we cannot endorse any proposed return to a supreme central committee , because it is greatly inferior , in our humble

opinion , to the general public opinion of the subscribers . As regards the evils he mentions , they are really infinitesimal , while those which a close system might introduce , ' may we , not irreverently , say , "Nomen illis legio est ? " If now and then an

Charity Voting.

improper case gets on the list , it is not , as a rule supported , ( though there is no rule without an exception ) , whereas , under the new system , what guarantee can the subscribers have , that personal interest , or private prejudice , may not take out this case or put forward that case ? The central

committee is , remember , to have , as we understand Bro . Simpson ' s suggestion , " unlimited power " in this respect , and from it there is no appeal . Such a system cannot work satisfactorily , we venture to think , and must , from the

nature of the case , be productive of many evils . That cases will get on the list , despite the committee , which ought not to be there we fully admit , but then we feel sure that though that evil will always exist until we are all conscientious , it is greatly

checked by the present system of open voting and public appeal . But on the " silent system" and " secret system " what is to prevent it becoming more active , nay even rampant ? We cannot see how this great evil is , under the new system , to be resisted at all , and for this reason . We take

such different views ourselves of what constitutes a distressing case . We have known cases , not a few , which in our opinion were utterl y unjustifiable per se , and yet which were openl y snpported by distinguished brethren , when the candidate ' s father , for instance , had only barely

subscribed for his qualification , and had been out of Masonry for many years at the time of his death . If then , we are going to make these sweeping changes , we shall have to prescribe that no child shall be eligible , unless the father has subscribed five , seven , or ten years , and was a

subscribing member at the time of his death , unless he was then , or for some time previously , living in "forma pauperis . " Otherwise we should be deluged with cases , which have been taken up hastily or sentimentally , and where the brothei having subscribed the " minimum" of

qualification , leaves the Order , and then , after a lapse ol years , the friends ofthe poor little orphan return to obtain all the benefits they possibly can from an institution , the deceased bad left utterly and practically to itself . Now all these points have carefully to be considered before we talk of change

or complain ot abuses , as we always think that it is better to " bear the ills we have , than fly to others that we know not of . '' And though it is easy to talk of wrong doing it is very difficult , in our opinion , to hit a blot , at least any

essential one , in our charity voting , which is fair , most fair , we believe , to all . We cannot , therefore , concur in Bro . Simpson ' s complaints against " charity voting . " Next week we will deal with the fallacy—for it is a great fallacy—that there is anything wrong in the exchange of votes .

Bro. Simpson's Letter.

BRO . SIMPSON'S LETTER .

As our worthy brother , the P . G . C , seems to think that we have misunderstood his previous letter on "Charity Voting , " we beg to say that we have not done so in any way . The " revolution , " to which ill-omened word , as a loyal

Freemason , the P . G . C . naturally objects , is not in actual voting but in the suggested , in our opinion , violent and hurtful change , which would take away from the subscribers generally the power of approving or disapproving of the

candidates , and give to a committee in London the special jurisdiction of taking out some cases , ana recommending others . Now , though we donot deny that an excellent committee could be formed of impartial brethren , yet in all such leg islation ! with

whether Masonic or worldly , we have to deal things as they are , not as they oug ht to t > j We must provide against the possible misuse 0 autocratic power , and we feel sure tha the subscribers never will consent to allow a

committee in London , be it ever so good a committee , to act as a court of infallible authority from which there can be no appeal . We there ' ' distinctly oppose any change in the actual wor ' ing of our charity system , though wemay be rea > has

to admit that , like everything else here , it weak points . Those weak points are , after a" > and far between , and not very important in then selves . We quite concur , as we say elseyvhe ^ in the proposed suggestion , that more strictne - ^ should be shown in deciding on the origi ^ application , but once on the list , it must be