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p REAT WESTERN RAILWAY . CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS . On DECEMBER iSth , and during the week preceding CHRISTMAS DAY , CHEAP THIRD CLASS RETURN TICKETS , available on forward journey from December ' 22 nd to 25 th , and for return up to December 29 th inclusive , will , in addition to ORDINARY tickets be issued at PADDINGTON , Victoria , Battersea , Chelsea , West Brompton , Kensington ( Addison-road ) , Uxbridge-road , Hammersmith , Shepherd ' s Bush , and Westbourne Park , and at the Company ' s Receiving Offices , viz ., 193 & 407 , Oxford-street , 23 , New Oxford-street , Holborn Circus ( Bartlett ' s Buildings ) , 26 , Regent-street , 269 , Strand , 29 , Charing Cross , 5 , Arthur-street East , London Bridge , 82 , Queen Victoriastreet , 43 and 44 Crutched Friars , 67 , Gresham-street , 4 , Cheapside . and the L . B . & S . C . Company ' s Booking Office ( under Grand Hotel ) , Trafalgar-square , to Bath , Bristol , Taunton , Barnstaple , Ilfracombe , Exeter , Torquay , Plymouth , Falmouth , Penzance , & c . ; also to the Yeovil and Weymouth districts , to most of the STATIONS WEST OF BRISTOL , and to Guernsey and Jersey . The tickets will be available by all trains . Ordinary tickets issued in London between December iSth and 24 th will be available any day between and including those dates . On THURSDAY , DECEMBER 24 th , the 11 . 45 a-m- from Paddington will carry passengers to the Minehead Branch . The 1 . o and 5 . 0 p . m . trains from Paddington lo Plymouth will be extended to Falmouth and Penzance . The 6 . 20 p . m . from Paddington to Bristol will run to Exeter , calling at Weston-super-Mare , Highbridge , Bridgwater , Taunton , Wellington , and Tiverton Junction , reaching Exeter at 11 . 55 p . m ., and will convey passengers for stations on the Barnstaple Branch . A SPECIAL FAST TRAIN will leave Paddington at 10 . 0 p . m . for New Milford , calling at the same stations between Swindon and New Milford as the 9 . 15 p . m . ordinary train . A special will leave Oxford at 10 . 5 p . m ., Radley 10 . 15 , and Culham at 10 . 23 P- * in connection with this train , returning from Didcot after arrival of the 10 . 0 p . m . special . A SPECIAL FAST TRAIN will leave Paddington at 11 . 50 p . m . midnight , for Reading , Swindon , Bath , Bristol , Bridgwater , Taunton , Exeter , Dawlish , Teignmouth , Newton Abbot ( for Torquay and Kingswear ) , Totnes , Kingsbridge Road , Plymouth , and Stations thence to Penzance . On CHRISTMAS DAY thc usual Sunday trains will run , but the 5 . 30 a . m . newspaper train will run as on week days to Oxford , Weston-super-Mare , and Swansea . The train will be five minutes earlier than usual between Didcot and Oxford , so as to connect at Oxford with the 7 . 25 and 7 . 40 a . m . trains , thence to Banbury , Leamington , Birmingham , Worcester , Malvern , Kidderminster , Wolverhampton , & c . For the convenience of Passengers returning to London on SUNDAY , DECEMBER 27 TH , special trains will be run in the afternoon , from PLYMOUTH , SWANSEA , and WOLVERHAMPTON , callingatthe principal intermediate Stations . For further particulars see special bills obtainable at the Company ' s Stations and Offices . HY . LAMBERT . General Manager .

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READY NEXT WEEK . • "THE CHRISTMAS NUMBER of THE FREEMASON . PRICE ONE SHILLING , WILL CONTAIN ARTICLES AND TALES BY MASONIC AND OTHER WRITERS , WITH ILLUSTRATIONS , Together with a Reproduction , on Plate Paper , of THE PORTRAIT GROUP OF THE PRINCE OF WALES , THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT , AND THE DUKE OK CLARENCE , IN MASONIC CLOTHING , From a PHOTOGRAPH by Messrs . RUSSELL AND SONS , of Baker Street . Orders should be given early , to any Bookseller or News-agent , or it will be sent post free on receipt of is . 3 d . in stamps . LONDON : GEORGE KENNING , 16 & IGA , GREAT OUEEN STREET , LINCOLN ' S INN FIELDS , W . C . TO OUR READERS . The FREEMASON is published every Friday morning , price 3 d ., and contains the fullest and latest information relating to Freemasonry of every degree . Subscriptions , including Postage * . — United States , United Kingdom . Canada , the Continent , India , China , Ceylon , the Colonies , Sec . Arabia , & c . 13 s . 6 d . 15 s . 6 d . 17 s . 6 d . Remittances maybe made in Stamps , but Post Office Orders or Cheques are preferred , the former payable to GEORGE KENNING , Chief Oflice , London , the latter crossed London Joint Stock Bank ,

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GILLIAM ( Successors to Makepeace and Walford ) , SILVERSMITHS , JEWELLERS , AND DIAMOND MOUNTERS , DEALERS IN ANTIQUE PLATE & JEWELLERY . 6 , SERLE STREET , LINCOLN ' S INN , 446 , OXFORD STREET , NEAR ORCHARD STREET . The Freemason ol May lGth , 1891 , says— " Messrs . Gilliam Bros ., Gold and Silversmiths , ot ( i , Serle Street , Lincoln ' s Inn , have been very fortunate in securing so lino a site ( or their new establishment * as 448 , Oxford Street ( near Orchard Street ) , and we congratulate them on the beauty and artistic design displayed in their new premises ; the stock is of the most rare and choice kind , and our brethren , who are fond of old and good things in precious metals , would do well to pay them a visit . "

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Zo Correspondents

The following communications unavoidably stand over CRAFT LOUI , ESPeace and Harmony , No . 199 . St . John ' s , No . 891 ( I . C ) . KNIGHTS TEMPLARTyrone and Fermangh Preceptory ( I . C ) . Consecration of the Grays Valley Chapter , No . 2147 . Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham . Provincial Grand Lodge of the Isle of Man .

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SATURDAY , DECEMBER 12 , 1891 . — : «

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

We offer our most respectful congratulations to his Royal Hig hness the M . W . Grand Master and the Princess of Wales on the betrothal of their elder son . the Duke of Clarence and Avondale , to the Princess Victoria of Teck . The project of marriage has

received the assent of Her Majesty the Queen , who has also visited the Prince and Princess at Marlborough House for the purpose of offering them her felicitations .

We sincerely hope that the union , when it does take place , may bring with it untold happiness , not only to the Duke and his fiancee , but likewise to the Queen and the Royal Family generally .

We also congratulate our illustrious Grand Master and his gracious consort on the very satisfactory progress which their younger son , Prince George , has been making . The latter appears to have had strength to combat the

terrible disease which has prostrated him , and though with a wise caution the physicians in attendance on the Prince are content with describing the condition of

their patient as it presents itself to them after each consultation , there seems to be every reasonable ground for hoping that the Prince is making slow but satisfactory progress towards recovery .

* * * Our readers will no doubt have realised both from our report last week of the proceedings at the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge on the 2 nd inst ., and the comments we made in our " Masonic Notes " that

the resolution on the subject of New Zealand and Article 219 , was adopted unanimously by Grand Lodge , on the advice of the Grand Registrar , seconded by Bro . Thomas Fenn , President of the Board of General Purposes .

* * * We must express our regret that by a lapsus calami , such as will occur from time to time even with the most careful of writers , we should have described the Past Masters who were elected by Grand Lodge on

the same occasion as having been elected to serve on the Board of General Purposes instead of on the Board of Benevolence . The elective portion of the former Board is chosen at the Quarterly Communication in June , and consists of 14 Masters and Past Masters of

lodges , though the number of Past Masters who may be elected is limited to seven—see Article 255 , Book of Constitutions . As regards the Board of Benevolence ,

all actual Masters of lodges are ex-officio members , while the elective portion consists of 12 Masters , who must be chosen at the December Quarterly Communication—see Article 223 , Book of Constitutions .

There was no great amount of business to be transacted at the Quarterly Communication of Mark Grand Lodge the other day . His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was again nominated for the office of M . W . Grand Master , while Bro . Sir Augustus Harris , who

Masonic Notes.

has already served the office of Grand Treasurer in Craft Masonry , was the sole nominee for the same post in the Grand Lodge of the Mark Degree . Bro . Harris , indeed , is virtuall y the Grand Treasurer-elect of Mark Grand Lodge for the ensuing year , and we may

reasonably tender him our congratulations on this further honour to which he has aspired having been accorded to him unanimously . As for the other proceedings ,

they were satisfactory as showing that Mark Masonry has made further progress of a sure and certain character but they do not need that we should offer any remarks about them .

The Hiram Lodge , No . 2416 , a lodge which is specially intended for brethren who are members of the Institute of British Architects , has been consecrated . Our wonder is , not that the architects of

London should have followed in the wake of those who are members of the other learned professions , but that they should not long ago have taken a foremost place among the leaders of the movement in favour of class lodges . An abiding faith in the merits of the

architecture of the past , coupled with the hope that some day or other the architects of our time may be able to rival their predecessors in the beauty and endurance of their works , is an article of our Masonic creed-All our symbolism is derived from the implements

which are used in architecture , and , therefore , a lodge for architects is quite in the order of things , and should have been established long ago . However , they have

their lodge now , and we heartily wish it prosperity . It has made an excellent start under the auspices of a very worthy and able Mason—Bro . H . Lovegrove—and that , at least , is a good augury for the future .

It is to be regretted that Bro . Thomas W . Tew , P . G . M . of West Yorkshire , is not making more rapid strides towards recovery . That an improvement , however slight , is taking place we sincerely hope . The greatest sympathy is being expressed throughout the

Province , and it is gratify ing to know that he derives much comfort and consolation from the frequent visits paid to him by his Deputy P . G . M ., Bro . Henry Smith , P . G . D . ; Bro . W . H . Smithson , P . G . D ., Secretary of the West Yorkshire Charitable Association ; and other

prominent members of the Craft in West Yorkshire . For ourselves , we are looking hopefully forward to the time when Bro . Tew will be well enough to resume his Masonic duties and take an active part in the work of his province .

* We have been requested by Bro . J . S . Cumberland , P . M ., P . Z ., & c ., one of the two brethren who were nominated for the office of Grand Treasurer for next

year , to state that the Bro . John Cumberland , P . M . 475 , P . P . S . G . W . Beds , who was kind enough to propose him , is not a relative , it being a mere coincidence that the brother who . nominated and the nominee have the same surnames .

Correspondence.

Correspondence .

f We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spirit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . J CENTENARY WARRANTS AND JEWELS .

To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother Without the sli ghtest desire to stop discussion , I must ask to be excused from following Bros . " 33 " and "Lex Scripta" into a lengthy consideration of topics so far removed from the scope and object of my book .

I am ready and willing to reply to any point therein dealt with , but am not desirous of entering upon suppositious and hypothetical questions which really do not affect the subject , as presented by me . " Lex Scripta" appears to disagree altogether with what I consider to be the only proper and legitimate

interpretation of the term " suspension , " and for which I have quoted ample authority . We must , therefore , agree to differ on that point . I must , however , ask whether " Lex Scripta " is quite correct when he says that " apparently no permission was required in early days" to wear centenary jewels ,

"but that the jewel was assumed as a matter of course , if a lodge thought proper . " Such a statement , if correct , surely ought to be supported by some evidence , but in my opinion "Lex Scripta" will have great difficulty in supplying it . My investigations certainl y do not support that idea ; for of the four lodges referred to in the appendix to " Centenary Warrants

and Jewels " as having adopted centenary jewels or medals , three of them subsequently applied for and obtained centenary warrants , and the members of the fourth do not wear any centenary jewel , implying in each instance that the . medals so adopted were irregular and unauthorised , and consequently were incapable of being legally recognised or worn .