Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 665 United Grand Lodge of lingland CSj Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons ... 667 Grand Lodgeof Scotland 66 9 Provincial Grand Chapter of Lincolnshire 670 provincial Grand Chapter of Oxfordshire C 70 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Lancashire 650 Installation of H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught as District G . M . of Bombay ... 671 CORRESPONDENCEBritish Authors and American Pirates ... 673

The New Lodges in West Lancashire ... 673 The Charity Committee of East Lancashire 673 Was Darwin a Freemason ? 673 Reviews 673 REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 674 Instruction 676

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS ( Continued)—Roval Arch 677 Instruction ., 6 77 Mark Masonry \ 677 Knights Templar 6 77 Ancient and Accepted Rite 6 77 Rosicrucian Society of England 677 Royal Ark Mariners 6 77 Masonic Service at All Saints' Chu-ch , Manchester 67 S Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 6 79

Dedication of New Masonic Hall , Mirfield Lodge , No . 1102 , Mirfield 679 Grand Lodge of All Scottish Freemasonry in India . ' . 679 Theatres 679 Obituary 679 Masonic and General Tidings GSo Lodge Meetings for Next Week iv .

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R . W . BRO . W . W . B . BEACH , M . P ., Prov . G . M . of Hants Uni Lod (! e ! ancI and the IsIe of Wi £ > presided at the Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge on Wednesday , and our anticipations of last week , that the several motions to be submitted to the brethren present for their acceptance would be adopted unanimously , have been

verified . The acting GRAND MASTER had the entire sympathy of Grand Lodge with him when recommending that a sum of ^ 500 should be granted towards the relief of the present distress in the Metropolis . Our own poor and distressed brethren and their families have the first claim upon our pockets , for " Charity begins at home , ' but there is always a reserve corner

in our hearts and purses for the afflictions of non-Masons , or we should not be so fuliy entitled to the respect with which the world regards us . As regards the motion for presenting a silver-wedding gift of the value of £ 500 to the Prince of WALES , and a suitable address of congratulation to her Royal HIGHNESS and her husband , M . W . G . M ., on the auspicious occasion ,

Bro . SPIEGEL , as we suggested , gracefully withdrew his minor proposition in favour of that submitted on behalf of Bro . the Earl of LATHOM , D . G . M ., which was more appropriate to the circumstances and was acquiesced in at once . The rest of the business on the agenda paper , being of a more

formal character , was soon dispatched , nor is it necessary we should say more in reference to it than that the Prince of WALES was again nominated for the Grand Mastership and that two brethren—Bros . S . B . WILSON and A . BARFIELD—were nominated as candidates for the Grand

Treasurership . At all events , the reader who may be desirous of any further information will find it in the very ample report of the proceedings which appears in another part of our columns . it . ^ THERE was a full attendance at the Half-yearly Communica-Grand __ _ _ . ¦ ' .. .

. _ _ Mark tion at the Holborn Restaurant , on Tuesday , of the Grand Lodge . Lodge 0 f ]\< iari . Master Masons of England and Wales and the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown , and the business that was transacted was of a highly gratifying character . The Pro Grand Master , M . W . Bro . Lord EOERTON of TATTON , who presided , led the way

wilh a proposal , not included in the agenda paper , for presenting H . R . H . the Princess of WALES with an address of congratulation on the approaching 25 th anniversary , or "Silver Wedding" day , of the Prince of WALES , M . W . Grand Mark Master , and her Royal Highness , vvhich would be signed by the PRO GRAND MASTER , on behalf of Grand Maik Lodge , and

enclosed in a suitable casket . It is needless to say this proposal was agreed to with complete unanimity , and it was referred to the General Board to carry into execution . The Grand Secretary , Bro . BINCKES , announced that his Royal Highness the GRAND MASTER had been graciously pleased to confer brevet Grand rank on a number of worthy brethren in commemoration

of the Q UEEN ' Jubilee , and those included in the list who were present had the honour of receiving their patents at the hands of Bro . Lord RGERTON . The report of the General Board for the half-year ended on the 30 th September last was in its main features of a satisfactory nature . There had been issued during the half-year 4 86 Mark certificates , four new Mark lodges

had been constituted , raising the number on the roll to 383 , and a Prov . Grand Mark Lodge of New South Wales had been constituted , with R . W . Bro . NORMAN SELFE as Prov . G . Master . The Grand Treasurer ' s statements of accounts of the different funds in his charge , and of the Mark Benevolent Festival , disclose a degree of financial prosperity never before

attained , every one of the statements showing a considerable balance in favour of the fund , while the largeness of the receipts at the Festival had enabled the Executive to place a sum of - £ 500 to the credit of each of the three branches of the Benevolent Fund ; that is to say , the Benevolent Fund proper , the Educational Fund , on which there are 26 children who are educated and

clothed out of the funds at its disposal ; and the Annuity Fund , which grants annuities of ^ 20 to distressed Mark Masons , and £ 16 to the widows ° f Mark Masons . A recommendation of the General Board to the effect that tlie sum of ioo guineas should be granted to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls on the occasion of its Centenary Festival in 1888 was

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accepted without the least demur , and the Prince of WALES "having been nominated for the Grand Mark Mastership for the next year , and Bros . J . L . MATHER and E . LETCHWORTH as candidates for the Grand Treasurership , the proceedings' terminated , and the customary banquet

followed . We congratulate the Grand Mark Lodge on the progress which it has made during the year now drawing to its close , and of which the proceedings on Tuesday as recorded elsewhere furnish such indubitable evidence . # .. *

THE Lecture which was recently delivered by Bro . RAMSDEN ,. , P 00 lJ . RILEY before the Airedale Lodge , No . -387 , and to which we I'ellovvship . , , , , ° , . , referred at some length last week , contained much sound advice on a variety of interesting questions . There is no doubt that our

lodges , and especially those which are held in the country , will benefit materially by an occasional lecture or two . It is expedient lhat the members of a lodge should exercise due caution in the introduction of candidates for initiation or membership ; nor will any brother dispute his proposition , that what is known as " the fourth degree " should be cultivated with a due

regard to moderation . We assume that our readers , so far from finding fault with Bro . R ILEY for having introduced these topics into his lecture , will consider themselves under a debt of gratitude for his outspokenness in dealing with them . But there is one subject on which we think he might have dilated , namely , the advantages which a Masonic lodge offers in ihe

way of promoting goodfellowship among the members composing it , who in many , if not in a majority of instances , are men moving in different spheres of society , and entertaining different opinions on the questions of the da )' , be they religious , political , or social . VVe are far from undervaluing the importance of having the work of our lodges well done , and we

recognise that the time is not mis-spent which is devoted to the salutary lecture and the exercise of hospitality . But latter-day Masons are apt to lose sight of the fact that our modern or Speculative system of Freemasonry was established as offering a kind of neutral ground on which men of opposite factions in religion and politics might meet together , enjoy each

other ' s society , and gradually learn to esteem and respect each other for their several good qualities , irrespective of those differences which kept thum apart elsewhere . The political and religious strife which prevailed in England during the earlier half of last century was very bitter . The men who were ranged on opposite sides regarded each other almost as personal

enemies , and it was one of the chief designs of Freemasonry to allay those feelings of personal animosity as far as possible . Now-a-days we are not quite so terrible in our opposition to the men who differ wilh us . But occasionally a certain bitterness of spirit is found to prevail among different sets of partisans , and there is undoubtedly a good deal of class feeling

abroad , though most of us have the good sense not to express it in mixed assemblies . Now there is no society which the ingenuity of man has yet established that is so well calculated as Freemasonry to determine those petty animosities , and if the brethren , when meeting together in lodge or at the festive board when the lodge work was done , would give greater

prominence to what we feel inclined to call the social character of Masonry , the society would reap the benefit . The banquet is a great hel p in this direction , and the songs and toasts which come alter are a still greater help . But there is too often apparent a sense of restraint , begotten of the formality which is observed , and if some attempt were made to lessen this feeling , so

that members mig ht learn to know each other better and more intimately , the spirit which pervades most of our lodges would be still more harmonious . Good work and sensible lectures are an essential part of oursysten ; but still more essential is it that our lodges should do everything in their power to strengthen and extend the spirit of goodfellowship .

United Grand Lodge Of England.

UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND .

The December Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of England was held on VVednesday evening in the Temple . Bro . VV . W . B . Beach , Prov . Grand Master of Hants and the Isle of Wight , presided . Bro , Thomas W . Tew , Prov . Grand Master for West Yorkshire , acted as Deputy Grand Master , and Bro . H . D . Sandeman , Past District Grand Master of Bengal , as Past Grand Master . The other Grand Officers who attended were : —

Bros . Rev . T . C . Smyth , G . Chap , j Richard Eve , G . Treas . ; F . A . Philbrick , G . R . ; T . Fenn , President ot the Board of General Purposes ; Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , G . Sec ; Robert Grey , President Board of Benevolence ; George Cooper , S . G . D . ; F . S . iKnynett , J . G . D . ; V . P . Freeman , J . G . D . ; Sir A . W . Woods , G . D . C . ; J . L . Mather , A . G . D . C . ; VV . M . Bywater , G . S . B . ; A . A . Pendlebury , A . G . Sec . ; VV . H . Perryman , G . Purst . ; W . Honekirk , A . G . Purst . ; Chas . Egan , D . G . M . South Afiica ( East Division ); Aubrey Saunders , P . D . G . M . Madras ; Sir Reginald Hanson , P . G . W . ;

VV . T . Orde-Powlett , P . G . W . ; Rev . J . N . Palmer , Rev . T . Cochrane , Rev . R . M . Sanderson , Rev . H . Adair Pickard , Rev . R . P . Bent , Rev . R . J . Simpson , and Rev . C . W . Spencer Stanhope , P . G . Chaplains ; Major J . W . Woodall , H . B . Marshall , D . P , Cama , and J . D . Allcroft , P . G . Treasurers ; R . W . Stewart , J . S . Perin , J . Glaisher , P . H . Brette , C . A . Murton , Capt . N . G . Philips , J . C . Parkinson , J . M . Case , Dr , Ralph Gooding , E . Letchworth , W . Whittley , Jabez Hogg , F . Davison , H . Maudslay , W , A . F , Powell , W . W . Walters , Fred , West , J . E . Le Feuvre , Ralph Glutton , T . H ,