The Freemasons' Life Boat.

THE FREEMASONS' LIFE BOAT .

The Committee met at Bro . Foster ' s , Railway Tavern , London-street , E . C , on Thursday , the 2 nd June . Bro . H . M . Levy was unanimously voted in the chair . There were also present : Bros . S . Davies , 141 , Treasurer ; Cotheil , P . M ., 141 , Hon . Sec . ; T . Mortlock , P . M . 1 S 6 ; AV . M . Carter , P . M . and Treas . 141 ; N . Gluckstcin 141 , P . M . 51 ; C . C . Taylor , J . AV . 141 ; T . Kennett , 141 . Letters of apology were read from Bros . AV . Maun , P . M . 186 ; H . J . Isaacs , iSS ; etc .

A proposition by Bro . LEVY , seconded by Bro . MORTLOCK , that Bro . Fred AValters , P . M . 73 and AV . M . ofthe Acacia Lod ^ e , be accepted as a member of the committee , was carried with applause . The HON . SECRETARY then announced the following subscriptions : — £ s . d . Acknowledged in THE FREEMASON of March 26 th , 1870 107 7 o Lodge De Moulham , 1146 1 1 o Fowev . 077 ... ... ... I ? o

,, St . John , AVapping , 1306 ... 220 ,, New Concord , S 13 110 Bro . Partridge , 79 50 „ J- Nash S o „ Roberts 10 6 ,, Myatt 10 6 Fowler 2 6 •¦¦

.. ... ... ... ... ,, -v- *— - * rr ,, Bond 2 6 „ Bro . Campbell , 176 . ... 26

,, Shallers , 140 10 o „ AA * . AV . Smith , P . M . S 90 5 o ,, Barrett , S 71 2 0 ,, Draper , 144 2 6 „ A . H . Price , 1 S 6 2 6 ,, Pullen , AV . M . 144 — 2 6

,, YV . Beck , 1306 10 6 „ D . D . Beck 2 6 ,, Dawson 2 6 ,, Fountain ... ... 2 6 ,, Pearson 2 6 .. Ruket 2 6 - -

,, „ Yeoman 2 o ,, Hayward 10 o „ Mond 2 6 ,, Jackson 2 6 „ M'Doughal 2 6 ,, Luckly 2 6 .. Holt 2 6

A Scotch Brother 2 6 Per Bro . Astley , Coventry 170 Bro . II . Gab 110 „ J . Bartlett , AA' . M . 813 5 o „ King , Sis : 5 o ,, G . Chaster 5 o ,, Chas . Lacey , P . M . 174 I 1 o ,, Dyke , no 1 1 o

Per S . Davis 1 1 o Bro . Edingcr , P . M . 95 50 PerD . Davis , 141 7 6 Bro . Pardo , 511 3 ° „ 15 . Fuller , New A ' ork 2 6 „ Cobham , P . M 10 o „ Champion , New A ' ork 10 o

Total ... ... Z 126 16 6 A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the meeting , which was adjourned to Thursday , the / th July , 1870 , at S p . m .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

A BFAIEF IN GOD & A FUTURE RESURRECTION IS A NECESSARY QUALIFICATION FOR ADMISSION AS A MEMBER OF THE MASONIC ORDER .

( To the Editor of Thc Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AXD BROTHER , — When I made application lo be admitted as a member of the Masonic Order , the parly who proposed me enquired of me if 1 believed in God and a future resurrection . I replied in the affirmative , and on

initiation learned that this quahtication is founded on the unchangeable landmarks of the Order . But it would seem ' that this qualification is now not requisite in some Scottish lodges from the fact that a gentleman thinking of initiation declared that n leading Freemason in Glasgow—Brother James

Wallace , Junior Grand Deacon in the Provincial Grand Lodge of Glasgow—said to him that he could get him initialed as a Freemason without any belief in a future s ' . ate . As a gross error may thus take deep root in the minds of many Freemasons who have not paid

attention to this important qualification , I desire , th'ough tbe columns of THE FREEMASON ' , for those who declare to be of the same opinion as 1 am myself—'' that a belief in God and a future resurrection is a necessary qualification "—to give the lie to any opposite doctrine being promulgated by any one . Should Bro . lames Wallace , P . J . G . 1 ) . of Glasgow ,

have anything to say against this , perhaps lie will kindly reply through Tiiir FREEMASON . Should he bs silent , then nothing is a wan ting to confirm thc statement as declared by the gentleman thinking of joining the Order , but absolutely disqualified . 1 remain , vours fraternally , A PAST MASTER ' OF THE SCOTTISH COX ST IT Ult ON .

Original Correspondence.

( To the Editor of Thc Freemason . ) SIR AND BROTHER , —Your readers are probabl ; always glad to hear of Masonic liberality and zeal more especially in places somewhat out ofthe ustia track of visitors , and where but small praise can bi expected .

On visiting the lodge here ( Perseverance , 164 ) , . was much struck with two magnificent chairs made of black oak , believed to be 200 years old . Thc AV . M . ' s chair ( value . £ 50 ) was designed and pre seated to thc lodge by Bro . Dr . Hodge , P . M ., and P . P . G . D . It is ornamented witli carving anc Masonic emblems .

Bro . Hodge is well-known in Devonshire as r distinguished Mason ; he has served in the highesl offices , not only in thc Craft , but also in the R . A and K . T . degrees . He was lately re-elected AAAI of his lodge for thc sixth time , and on this occasion had presented to him by the members a very handsome P . M . jewel .

Ihe other chair I have alluded to ( thc S . AV . ' s ; was also designed by Bro . Hodge , and presentee by Bro . AVarncr . I am , yours faithfully and fraternally , K . T .

THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION FOP FREEMASONS AND WIDOAVS , CROYDON . ( To the Editor of Thc Freemason . ) SIR , —OnAA'hit-Sunday , I was at this institution . I was much surprised to find the AVarden , Mr . Norris had on the day before informed the inmates thai the Committee of Management had made a new

rule , that no grocer or tradesman should be allowcc to go upstairs to the poor old inmates for orders , 01 to deliver goods-when ordered . Now this is a great hardship , and I hope the committee will do awaj with that rule , aud allow tradesmen to call for order ; and deliver goods as they have done for many years . A ours , & c , A SUBSCRIBER .

A QUERY . ( To ihe Editor of Thc Freemason . ) SIR , —AA'ill you kindly inform me in your next publication , whether or no the Prince of AVales was

initialed in Sweden , and whether it was the Kingol Sweden or thc Crown Prince , who held the office ol Grand Master of the Freemasons in that country at the time , ancl oblige , Sir , yours respectfully .

A CONSTANT READER . Birmingham , June 6 th , 1870 . [ Answer next week . —ED . / - " . j AVHICH STEP IS IN THE RIGHT

DIRECTION . ( To the Editor of The Freemason ) . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER ,--A humanitarian once chided an old woman for her cruelty of skinning live eels . " AA'hy , my dear Sir , '' said the old dame , "it don ' t hurt them ; I have been skinning

live eels ever since 1 was a little girl , and by this time they must have become used to it . " The reply by '" English M . M ' , " in your paper of May 14 th to my letter ofthe week previous , is on a par with thc logic of thc said dame . Because 150 lodges arc named after Christian saints , ancl sonic lodges

use sectarian prayers , it therefore proves , that " the present system of Freemasonry is Christian , " fence , though solemn a-. suraiices arc given at the initiation , that there is nothing conflicting in Masonry with any one ' s religion , yet the Jew ought to listen with equanimity to the preaching of doctrines , which docs

conflict with his religious opinions , because , I suppose , he ought to ha \ e become used to it . There are some points raised by your correspondent , such , as my misunderstanding the aim ol your article , of 1 , 0 : 0 odd different lodges said lo exist in Bro . Norton ' s countrv , " cor . These points have

really nothing to do witn tne question at issue . ' English M . M . " by calling chivalry , "Masonic Orders " seems to favour the multiplicity of degrees , and if I misunderstood the editor ' s views , there is certainly no mistake in the views of the English M . M . " AA- 'hether his theory or mine can best

conduce to promote harmony and brotherly love among the heterogeneous clem -nts composing the Masonic Fraternity , has already been suiiichnily discussed in my letter of May 71 b . AVhich of our theories harmonise best with Masonic professions , and with the solemn ae- a ream : s ! 'ivi"i - ¦>' . initi itioni

our readers must judge A themselves . Tnere is one point , however , raised by mv English brother which I must reply to . He says , ' 1 ask Bro . Norton to read up a few works published in his country on the connection of O i .-rative Masonry of the ancients and our Speculative s-.-steni , and lie will not ask

what Operative Masons had lo do with Christianity , " and " will not think of his bread aud butler theory any more . " But , my de ir Bro . "English M . M . " 1 assure you I have not the least faith in the truthfulness and hoa-esty of what you may regar 1 as the great Masonic

Original Correspondence.

writers of my country . Our American Masonic luminaricsjincrcly mimicked thc fallacies ofthe late Dr . Oliver—their works are based not on facts , but imagination . They cannot Convince me that human nature had any way changed during the last 700 or Soo years . I believe that a parent during the middle

ages , was impelled by thc same motives to choose a trade or profession for his son , as a parent of today would , whose choice must naturally fall on that trade which commands thc highest wages and the most constant employment . The motive of binding a son to learn thc trade of a tailor , a shoemaker or

a Mason was precisely the same , viz ., " bread and butter . " These trades during the middle ages were respectively united into fraternities or guilds , and if I am rightly informed , many , if not all the guilds were governed by constitutions similar to that of thc Masonic guild . Members were required by thc

regulations of all thc guilds , to assist each other , to find employment for one another , to be moral , to go to confession , to partake of the communion , and in other ways to obey the dictum ofthe Catholic Church . It is therefore just as reasonable to designate Operative tailoring orshoemaking as Christian

Tailoring , and Christian Shocmaking , as to call Operative Masonry Christian Masonry . The fact cannot be disputed that the object of thc then Masonic organisation was precisely the same as those of our present " trade unions . " They united into fraternities , not for thc purpose of

promulgating Christianity , or worked at stone-cutting and building for the love of art , but thc object of their union was to extort from their hard-fisted employers the most pay they could for their labour . If these stone-cutters could have found other employment which yielded higher wages , or employment less

laborious than that of stone-cutting , yet paying the same wages , wc have reason to believe from analogy , that the ) - would cheerfully have exchanged the stone-cutting employment for that other one . Looking at the Operative Fraternity in that light , ancl divesting it of the romance imparted to it by

Dr . Oliver and his imitators—believing that we , or at least a portion of our modern Fraternity , know more of Operative Masonry , than the ancient Operatives knew of our modern Speculative 'Masonrythe question now comes back , how can wc best promote thc present object of our organisation ? or

" which is the step in the right direction ?" If , as " English M . M . " will have it , that Masonry is a Christian institution , then , it is his duty , to petition to Grand Lodge of England , to expunge from thc ritual all allusions to universality , ancl openly adopt the Prussian and Swedish system ,

by excluding from initiation Jews and other unbelievers in Christianity . But on the other hand , if the Fraternity are sincere in their profession of uniting men of divers creeds into an harmonious brotherhood , it is certainly their duty , not to trifle with solemn assurances given at thcinitiation , relative to the exclusion of all dogmas inconsistent with thc

religious belief of candidates , and in the language of even the Christianising Dr . Oliver—thc lodge should be a place , wherein , " a Jew , a Mahometan , or a Pagan may attend , without fear of hearing his peculiar doctrines or mode of faith called in question by comparison with others which arc repugnant to his creed . " Fraternally and resncetfully yours ,

JACOB NORTON . Boston , U . S ., May 27 th , 1070 . THE ARK MARINER DEGREE AND GRAND MARK LODGE .

( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) , DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Last week's FREEMASON in reporthig the meeting of Grand Mark Lodge states : ' As " to thc propriety of working the degrees of Ark , Link , and AYreslle , & c , a long discussion ensued . " AVill von permit mc lo say ( being

present on that occasion ) 1 think that it should lc known that in answer to a i | uestion : by Bro . Joshua Nunn , P . G . D ., the M . AA ' . G . Master slated that he di-. l not propose to interfere with the jt r ' sdiclion of the Royal Ark Mariners , and he has also said that thero is no objection to nnvonc

who Hires taking ihe degree . 1 mention this ns I believe some doubts have arisen in the minds of Mark brethren as to the propriety of joining this Ancient Fraternity . The degree of Royal Ark Mariner , I may further state , on the authority of Captain Invin , Bro . Hyde Pull' n , and several

others , is not the sime as Ark . Link or Chain , nnd AA'ivstle . The Ark Mariner has b-en worked from lime immemorial , and is mentioned in print 118 years back . The Royal Ark Mariner stands in the same relation lo the Mark as the Royal Arch docs to the Craft , and all these degrees including the Mark lead up to it . Certain Ark lodges or vessels

are working , and have been so for years in various parts of the country , and applications have been made to thc Grand Royal Ark Lodge for information and Ave to establish . Ark vessels in six counties A London vee-vi will be . launched on tlient . t June , at 6 o ' eke ' r . at Bio . G ns . Ion ' s , M . iioiia' llall ,