Philo-Musicæ Et Architecturæ Societas.*

praise of Geometry as the " Parent of all Arts and Sciences , and the statement that "Music and Architecture , the Happy produce of Geometry , have such affinity , they Justly may'be Stil'd Twin Sisters , and insepcrable , " suggest , in a general kind

of way , that such a connection exists , but the true explanation will be found in the fact pointed out by Bro . RYLANDS in his able Introduction—that though " no qualification for membership is defined in rules , " it was an unwritten , if not written ,

law of the Society that " the Members were obliged to be Masons . ' , ' But for this fact the Book of the Fundamental Constitutions and Orders would have no special interest foi

Freemasons , save , indeed , for the insight it may afford as to the manner in which the proceedings of such a body were conducted .

But if the Reprint itself has no such special interest , the able and ample Introduction compiled by Bro . RYLANDS will be read with equal pleasure and advantage . Bro . RYLANDS has done his part admirably . At infinite pains and labour , he

appears to have unearthed all the information obtainable—at all events all that is necessary for the enlightenment of his readersabout the founders and members of the Society from the beginning to the end ol its career . In his review of the proceedings he

hasmade it his chief care to note everything of a Masonic character , specifying in particular all cases in which members or would be members were initiated , passed , and raised , and drawing particular attention to those among the visitors—such as

GEORGE PAYNE , a former Grand Master , and at the time of his visit one of the Grand Wardens ; FRANCIS SORELL his fellow Grand Warden , JOHN REV 1 S , afterwards Grand Secretarywho were prominent members of the Craft . In the course of his

remarks he has found it necessary to consider sundry questions , which cannot fail to assure attention on the part olhis renders ; sueli for instance , as the regularity or otherwise of the Masonic work done by the Society at its meetings , the position in which it

stood to Grand Lodge ; and in treating of these several points it will be found that Bro . RYLANDS , whether the reader agrees with him or not in the conjectures he hazards or the conclusions he arrives at , has discussed them fully and with great judgment .

The great advantage of this ample treatment is that , with Bro . RYLANDS as his guide , the reader is spared tin ; necessity of wading through the 200 and more pages of dry minutes which

constitute " I he Book . I here is , too , a capital Index , which will enable him to find at once any information he may stand in need of .

But the Introduction , though it is by far the most important part of the Volume , is by no means its sole attraction . There are the Plates , of which one , forming the Frontispiece to the Volume , gives the " illuminated Title containing the

armorial bearings of the Founders . " In addition , three other Plates give reproductions of the Tokens of Distinction of the said founders , both in obverse and reverse ; a portrait of Gli . Mi-NfANI , who was elected at the very commencement of the Society

as the " Sole and Perpetual Dictator and Director of all the Musical Performances , " and of whom a short biography is included in "the Introduction , and Facsimile reproductions of several Pages of the Book . " In . short , nothing has been left

undone in order to make the volume attractive as well as valuable , nor has anything been left unconsidered b y Bro . RYLANDS in his very successful endeavours to throw light upon the history

and organisation of the Society . Wc congratulate him upon his work , and the Quatuor Coronati Lodge on this admirable addition to its series of Reprints .

Masonic Jurisprudence.

MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE .

[" COMMUNICATED . ] VISITATION—Continued . In our last issue we referred to visits—quasi official the )

might be called—paid b y some brother of repute at the request of the District or Provincial Grand Master to remote lodges for the purpose of making reports as to condition and working .

Such visits should be regarded by the lodges concerned as complimentary , and as evidence of the desire of the ruler to be informed of all that goes on under his jurisdiction . The deputation , whilst as already suggested keeping eye

Masonic Jurisprudence.

and ears wide open , should not regard himself , nor allow himself to be regarded as a spy . He will report what is good as well as what is not . If the latter predominate , he should observe whether the laxity or neglect of rules is the result of ignorance or wilful disregard of the Constitutions or landmarks .

If the brethren be ignorant , then the presence of the visitor is more than justified . He should be competent to interpret laws and regulations , and he should be able to expound ritual matters . Having done which , his report should touch but lightly on such matters , as it is to be presumed that on the occasion of the next official visit such things will be matters of the past .

On the other hand , he should not be sparing of criticism if the only excuse for ignoring' Constitutions be the existence of lodge traditions—as was the case in the incident already alluded to , where a candidate ' s declaration was signed when the Grand Lodge certificate was handed to him . Tradition , as we know ,

counts for much in Freemasonry , but it must be remembered that our Constitutions are but tradition and custom crystallized , so as to ensure , unifornutv , and therefore , when tradition and long usage are quoted as excuses for ignoring landmarks and

disregarding Constitutions , it is but the conflict of one tradition with another , much older , of local usage with universal custom , and that which is recent and local must give way . The acceptance of a warrant from the Grand Master and its presence in the lodge should be guarantees of this .

It is now and then the visitor ' s pleasing duty to be able to distribute unqualified commendation , and in reporting to the District or Provincial Grand Master he may even make recommendations as to the conferment of Provincial Grand rank . If

the opinion of the lodge seems to point in any particular direction , a particular brother may be recommended . A case in point occurs to the writer . He was visiting a lodge whose membership was of a very fluctuating character owing to more than half its members being military men . The

lact that the lodge continued to exist at all was largely due to the Secretary , who , when membership had been seriously reduced by the transfer of a regiment , used to be most active in searching out such unattached brethren as might be found in the

incoming regiment . Nothing is so infectious as enthusiasm , and the gratifying consequence was that the lodge always showed up well both in numbers and work when the returns were made . Such merit as this could only be discovered by one on the spot , and the recommendation made to the District Grand Master met

with gratifying and early response . There are—before concluding this part of the subject—one or two little points for the guidance of the deputation . Nothing he says or does should appear in the slightest degree to have the

effect of lessening the esteem in which the Master and his officers are held by the lodge . What is said in open lodge should be in general terms . Anything to be said involving the Master ' s administration or the conduct of his officers , should be said to those brethren alone .

Then , again , his references , either public or private , should be confined to those matters which belong to Freemasonry in general . It may be difficult to abstain from remark if we find the brethren voting each other jewels on the slightest provocation , or frittering away their money on sumptuous banquets . Worse

still , the writer once came across a resolution in the minute book authorising the purchase of four dozen rituals ! As , however , none of these were visible to the naked ( official ) eye , during lodge work , a quiet hint lo the Worshipful Master was deemed sufficient .

He must remember in the last instance that after all his business is to report . Commendation or rebuke , as far as small matters are concerned , is , perhaps , more effective when administered " hie et nunc , " but he must exercise a very careful discretion in anticipating anything the District Grand Master may be inclined to sav or do .

We now come to another class of official visitation . That is , when reports of irregularities come to hand which appear to demand official cognizance . Sometimes these arc investigated at head-quarters , but there must always be the unsatisfactory feeling that all the available information has not been procured , such as could have been afforded by investigation in loco .

Jt is , of course , no part of our duty to suggest in what way the Grand Master or his deputy should proceed in such cases . If penal proceedings are within the range of possibility every step taken should be as official and clear as possible , so that no preliminary objection may be taken as to the limits of

jurisdiction . Scarcely anything can be conceived more aggravating than for an appeal to be successful on a merely technical ground . After the District Grand Master has expended a vast amount of time and trouble and Masonic knowledge in arriving at the root of a matter , it is annoying to find it all goes for nothing , because he has omitted to comply with some technicality .