Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 38 9 United Grand Lodge 29 ° Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons 393 CORRESPONDENCE— ¦ Honorary Members 290 Titles ' 96

i'lie New Temple — the Building Com-. mittee ¦¦•296 Polling at the Girls'School House Committee Election 296 A Begging Mason 296 Reviews ' ... ! 5 97 Notes and Queries 297

Testimonial to Bro . John H . Scott , P . G . D ., Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Sussex 297 Presentation to a Northampton Brother ... 298 West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution 29 S

Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 29 S REI ' ORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 299 Instruction 300 Rwyal Arch 30 a Masonic and General Tidings 301 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 303

Ar00100

THE Ouarterly Communication of Grand Lodge took place on Wednesday last , under the presidency of the Earl of CARNARVON ' , Pro G . M . A very important meeting it was , and the Great Hall in Freemasons' Tavern was almost filled with the brethren . The main business , with the exception of

some normal elections , was the report of General Purposes , relative to the burning of the old Hall , and the proposed restoration and new buildings . After some discussion , it was resolved that a special committee of eight , four to be selected by Grand Lodge , and four by the Board of General Purposes ,

should be appointed to assist the Board . Bro . HAVERS , P . G . W ., spoke on the subject , and as he was the Chairman of the Committee for the restoration and readaptation of Freemasons' Hall in 1 S 63 , his remarks were listened to with much deserved attention , and his , ' renewed presence was

gladly hailed by Grand Lodge . The Pro G . M . paid a very graceful comp liment to him , and congratulated him on his reappearance in Grand Lodge , after much and painful illness , and thanked him for giving to Grand Lodge

the benefit of his Masonic knowledge and of his wise counsels . We refer our readers to the full report of the proceedings elsewhere . We shall recur next week to several points arising out of such report .

WE understand there are now 370 Stewards for the Boys' School Festival . We trust that the hopes and prognostications of a most successful gathering ,

and of most remarkable returns , may be fully realized , and that Bro . BINCKES may be enabled to announce another veritable triumph for that excellent Institution , not only a great necessity for our Order , but one that is yearly progressing in utility , reality , and thorough and seasonable efficiency .

* * * THE election for the House Committee of the Girls' School took place on Thursday week last at Freemasons' Hall , and was most numerously attended , as we have already announced . The practical outcome of the voting was

the election of the " House List" by a very large majority . Let us all hope that the result may be entire harmony and unity of action on the part of the House Committee for the ensuing twelve months , and , as in past

times , not only a wise and careful " surveillance " over the normal welfare of the School , important and interesting as that School now is as an educational institution , but a seasonable and reasonable progress in h ygienic " desiderata , " and scholastic proficiency and developement .

* * WE cannot affect to compliment the authorities of the School in respect of their arrangements for the voting on Thursday last . Admitted , if you like , that they were overborne by the overwhelming numbers who came up to

vote , yet there were certain " indicia ; which ought to have made it evident to them , that the voters would be . many , and they ought to have been prepared accordingly . As it was , great was the confusion , serious the jostling , and loud the complaints . ' Several Life Governors went away

without voting . The system , too ,. as regards the Scrutineers was singularl y defective . The same brethren who served out the voting papers were also Scrutineers , so that the scrutiny did not commence until the close of the poll .

Some of the Scrutineers were not very experienced hands , and one of them was singularly slow in reading and finding the names , and gave many of the Life Governors a great amount of unnecessary trouble and interrogation . On another occasion we beg to suggest , in order that the scrutiny may proceed

Ar00101

" pan passu with the voting , that the Scrutineers proper should be entirely distinct from those who give out the voting papers . Bros . STEVENS , TIREMAN , NEWTON , SPAULL , and others did their very best , but they were

penectly overweighted . It was the system in fault , and not the men . We also venture respectfully to suggest that the Scrutineers should be formally proposed , like the House Committee , at the monthly meeting preceding the Election , so that on confirmation of the minutes additions or alterations

may be made if desired . In all such elections , and especially when they are closely contested , every effort should be made that such proceeding should be entirely " according to Cocker" and that no possible loop-hole should exist for any disappointment , disorganization , or " mala fides " in the

matter . This little "block ' was perhaps in this case unavoidable and innocuous , but if our elections are to be so numerously attended better arrangements must be made for the future . The fact that any voters went away without voting constitutes a scandal .

* - * THE time is coming once again for recreation banquets , and we revert , because we think we are bound to do , as duty calls and sympathy prompts , to an " old , old story , " as some may deem to a favourite " Fad . " It seems

to us most astonishing that so much opposition is made , especially by the married brethren , to the proposal of asking ladies to the recreation banquet 1 We do not profess to understand the objection , or the hesitation ! Convinced we are of this , that nothing would do Freemasonry so much good

in more ways than one , nothing would so much and so happily tend to lighten up the often dull and dreary routine of Masonic sociality , of Masonic gatherings . As a rule we know each other pretty well in our London lodges especially . We have guaged each other ' s powers , appraised each

other ' s merits for many a year . We are sure pretty well for the most part what every one will say , can say , is likely under any circumstances to propound or proclaim . Hence too often a gentle dulness , a tedious sameness creep over our recreation assemblies , distinguish our recreation banquets .

The dinner is good probabl y ; the wines are excellent ; the weather is fine ; and the change is agreeable ; and we are ourselves not discontented with our lot , ourselves , or the world ! But it is as the French say , " Toujours Perdrix , " and then at last , as often happens ,

iteration tires and identity bores . Our recreation banquets are not so successful or pleasant as they might be ; and why ? The answer is plain ; we want a little revolution in our system . If there are any selfish and sybaritic brethren who object to ladies because they may interfere

with their " creature comforts , " they have not yet learned the meaning of Freemasonry . We feel certain , and we say it boldly , that the invitation of ladies to our recreation banquets would not onl y both elevate and improve the tone and temper of contemporary Freemasonry , but would give a special

zest and an agreeable novelty to our recreation assemblies . Once a year we may surely ask the ladies to join our peregrinations and . pilgrimages , and thus institute a " White Freemasonry " amongst us , as our Gallic brethren term it , and give to many a lodge and many a brother , young and

old , a vejitable " Alba dies . " We are not aware of any lodge which has once taken the plunge repenting of its rashness and retracing its steps . We have , indeed , heard numerous objections to the proposal , some sentimental , some childish , some far-fetched , and all very untenable , in our

humble opinion ; but we have never met anyone , who having-invited the ladies to be present , ever proposed to go back incontinently to the former tame proceedings and the stereotyped usages of a normal recreation banquet .

* * OUR brethren will read with deep interest of the notable testimonial of regard and affection presented to Bro . SCOTT , of Brighton , P . G . D ., by his

Sussex and Brighton brethren . It must have been a most gratifying presentation to Bro . SCOTT himself , and one that many of us will feel sure no one has deserved better . We congratulate him and all concerned on this most striking evidence of Masonic sympathy and goodwill ,