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TO ADVERTISERS . The Freemason has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , its advantages as an advertising- medium can tin refore scarcely be overrated . ADVERTISEMENTS should reach the Office , 198 Fleetstreet , London , by 12 o ' clock on Wednesdays .

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NOTICE . To prevent delay or miscarriage , it is particularly requested that ALL communications for the " Freemason , " may be addressed to the Office , 8 , Fleet-street , London .

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IMPORTANT NOTICE . COLONIAL and FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS are informed that acknowledgments of remittances received are published in the first number of every month .

It is very necessary for our readers to advise ns of all money orders they remit , more especially those from the United States of America and India ; otherwise we cannot tell where to credit them .

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TO OUR READERS . The Freemason is a sixteen-page weekly newspaper , price 2 d . It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Annual subscription in the United Kingdom , Post free , 10 / 6 . P . O . O . ' s to be made payable at the chief office , London .

NEW POSTAL RATES . Owing to a reduction in the Postal Rates , the publisher is now enabled to send the " Freemason " to the following parts' abroad for One Year for Thirteen Shillings ( payable in

advance ) : —Africa , Australia , Bombay , Canada , Cape of Gootl Hope , Ceylon , China , Constantinople , Demerara , France , Germany , Gibraltar , Jamaica , Malta , Newfoundland , New South Wales , New Zealand , Suez , Trinidad , L ' nitcd . States of America . < Src .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

The following iepoits and other communications stand over . — Walton Lodge , 10 S 6 ; Duke of Lancaster Lodge , 1353 ; Union Lodge , Margate , 127 ; Lodge of Honour , Bath , 3 ~ n ; Royal Cumberland Lodge , Bath , 41 ; Priory Lodge ,

Southend , 1000 ; Unanimity Lodge , North Walsham , 102 j Lodge of Unity , Southport , 613 j Kennington Lodge , 1 . 581 ; Lodge it Faith and Unanimity , Dorchester , 41 7 ; Pallisnii Lodge , I'lurnsirad , 913 ; Dc Grey ami Ripon Chapter , 153 ( 1 ; Tynte Chapter , 379 . A innietion by Uro . R . VV . Little , too late for this week , in our next . li . Hopwood—Yts ; most certainly .

Births , Marriages And Deaths.

Births , Marriages and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 S . fid . for announcements , not exceed ing four lilies , under this heading . ]

BIRTHS . Bin . ! .. —On the 5 th inst ., at Laurel-villa , Brixton-rbc , the wile uf H . I ' . Bell , of a daughter . CAMI ' IICI . ! .. —On the 3 rd inst ., at Poona , the wife of Maj ir Sir W . Campbell , Llart ., U . A , of a sun .

. )• . ¦ IT .. —On the 19 th ult ., at - hii . liania , Ihc wife of Capt J'iii's " , ll . M . ' s Ciaij-ul-Geneia ' , of a son . Pun 11 ¦!! . — On llie 7 th in :, l ., at Clifton-villa , Lower itr . at I 1 . 1111 , ( lie wife ol II . Porter , of a daughter . Wiivit . —On the Hill inst ., at King liciij- y ' s-mir ) , Prim it . se-liill , the wife uf l ( . Whyte , of a son .

MARRIAGES . LOCKE—P 111011 . —On the nil inst ., at St . Mark ' s , Bangalore , Madras , S . A . Locke , of the Middle Temple , Harrister-at-l . iw , to Susan 1 ) . Prior , daughter of the

lale Capt . ( i . U . Prior . SAMrEI . —Dur < 11 . —On the ijlh inst ., at ' 103 , St . Slc | , | icn'sgreeu , Dublin , Albeit . Samuel , Esq ., of 10 , Ludgatthill , London , to Miss Fanny Dutch , daughter of the late S . Dutch , Esq ., of London .

DEATHS . GHAV . —On the 5 th inst ., at Bovverswell , Perth , N . B ., George Gray , Esq ., in his 711 th year . RICHARDSON . —On the 8 th inst ., Thomas Richardson , Esq ., of The Briary , Shotley Bridge , Durham , in his 45 th year .

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , J . 1 , 3 , 1877 .

The Especial Grand Lodge.

THE ESPECIAL GRAND LODGE .

The proceedings of the last Especial Giand Lodge , if they do not altogether accord with the individual wishes of many , must be admitted by all impartial persons to be alike most interesting , and dignified , and creditable in the extreme to our great Order . He must be a very

narrowminded or very perverse person who does not enter into all that is involved in the elevated truth and judicial fairness of Lord Carnarvon ' s eloquent address . As we follow that distinguished brother and able statesman through his lucid utterances , we see , perforce , how difficult

was the problem which the Special Committee had to solve . We rejoice to think that some humble remarks of ours at the time when the Grand Lodge committed the great mistake of rejecting Bro . Havers' befitting motion , have received practically , in his own more eloquent

language , the approval and enforcement ot our Pro Grand Master . We ventured then to point out that as Freemasons we had to avoid the opposing dangers of making a bad precedent by an unfitting grant , and the popular imputation of

selfishness by limiting our " grant of recognition to our own Charities . We were , however , told by some wiseacres , if Ave remember rightly , that such remarks were " nonsense , " " twaddle " —anything you like—and we were all but denied the exercize either of common sense or

a Masonic mind , m putting forward such a theory and such a propos tion . Well" Time , '' they say , always brings its " revenges , " and here to-day we are glad to record , that the humble arguments we ventured to shadow out , so to say , have procured the approval and support

of one of our most distinguished and respected leaders ; above all , the concurrence of Grand Lodge itself . That something might be said in favour of a grant to our Charities , as an appeal " ad Latomos , " we never denied ; and that a proposal which suggested a special grant , under

special conditions , to all our Charities , might commend itself to many minds , we never sought to deny or dispute . But we preferred then , as we prefer still , the more public and national expression of our gratitude as a body corporate , than any effort simply to record it even by

specific grants to our noble Charities . For that , at any rate , was the only legitimate form such a suggestion could take , as any resolution to vote simply so much to each charity , was condemned , as Lord Carnarvon ' s argument will show , by the very facts of the case , inasmuch as during the

past twelve months the Charities have received from a generous and open-handed Craft a larger amount than they have ever received before . Jt might have been possible to create special scholarships for the Boys' and Girls' Schools , and to contribute to a special wing for the

Benevolent Asylum , or create special annuities , but none of these proposals arc without difficulties , to which we need not now allude . The Grand Lodge had condemned tho desire of many to perpetuate the old historical landmarks of the operative and speculative brotherhood , and to

assist in two great works , which , though in one sense no doubt sectarian , were in another national , as bound up with the history of religion , ait , ;; nd Freemasonry in this country . And , therefore , in our opinion , the special committee did peifcclly right , and

Grand Lodge mo ^ t properly supported them , in putting forward a grant which was both national and humanitarian , a credit to our Grand Master and Grand Lodge , inasmuch as it conclusively evidenced to all within ami without Freemasonry , that as Freemasons , we are neither

swayed by selfish motives nor mere beneficiary aims , but raising ourselves above any claims ol sectarian influence , devoted a large sum of money to the best interests of humanity . We may all then , as it appears to us , feel very proud

of the position which our Grand Lodge has taken , and specially grateful for those wise counsels that have led up to a result creditable to all alike . To Lord Carnarvon we all must feel that we owe a debt of abounding gratitude ,

The Especial Grand Lodge.

111 that leaving the absorbing duties of his high office for a time ; he has shared our difficulties and aided our deliberations . We who have ever spoken honestly and bona fide , in the pages of the Freemason , rejoice to think that 1877 has opened for us all as Masons with this striking

proof of the large-heartedness , and unselfishness of our Order , of its sympathy with the necessary wants and daily dangers of a suffering humanity . In loyalty to its royal chief , in charity with all men , our good old brotherhood

commences another year of Masonic work and sympathy , and moves on undaunted and unruffled by denunciation or anathema , honestly and humbly seeking to fulfil in the good providence of T . G . A . O . T . U . its sacred mission for the peaceful union and humanitarian relief of our brethren and sisters of the dust .

Our Charitable Returns For 1876.

OUR CHARITABLE RETURNS FOR 1876 .

A modest paragraph in our last Freemason ( at page 6 ) gives us a very striking and synoptical view of the charitable efforts of our great Fraternity in 1876 , as connected with ou ' r metropolitan charities , though these are , as we have often had occasion to notice before , but a part

of what Freemasons give to those who need . By that summing up , it would appear that the Boys ' School had received ^ 15 , 359 5 s . 4 d , ; the Girls ' School , ^> 11 , 4 , 35 6 s . yd . ; and the Benevolent Institution , , ^ 12 , 540 15 s . yd . ; m all , ££ 39 , 335 7 s . < 5 d . This is the largest sum that has ever

been collected for our charities , and tells its own tale , and points its own moral for all who will take the trouble to think over the reality of beneficence thus presented to their notice . In the first place , at 3 per cent , this amount represents the interest of considerably over a million of

money , and reflects , we venture to think , the greatest credit , not only on our benevolent brotherhood in general , but on those energetic olfi cers of the Institution , like our good brothers the three able and indomitable Secretaries , the Committees of tho Institutions , the Stewards and numerous kind friends of the charities

themselves , alike in the provinces and in the metropolis . When we remember that within 25 years a few hundreds were considered " liberal returns , " not only do we and must we feel how great and how successful has been the charity movement in our midst , but how very

remarkably our brethren realize what is , after all , the true end of Freemasonry . We are not going to day in a cynical or morbid spirit to denounce the " social theory , " or to lay down a too ascetic and exalted view of what Freemasonry is and ought to be , for we are quite aware that

in estimating earthly affairs aright , we should always make allowance for the inevitable wants and harmless conditions of human nature itself . Men will be men , and Masonry will be Masonry to the end of time . Nay we will say more . Kyper-asceticism , and hvper-profession

have never done any good in the world , and Freemasonry , like religion , would teach us a lesson of moderation in all things , not of despotic negation of the wishes and wants of some , not of intolerant interference with the liberty of the individual , or the rights of the personal

judgment . To denounce Masonic social gatherings is alike an act of fanaticism and illiboralism , to declare dogmatically against all allowable and innocent recreation , is either a proof of a shallow mind , or of an unsound judgment . But still , making every allowance ) 011 like , giving

tlio fullest margin you can for the requisite conditions of social assembly and befitting entertainment we fear it cannot be denied that there are still " spots" in our "feasts of charity , " which require alteration and removal . Many of our lodges are in debt to the Treasurer ; many

of our ledges " outrun the constable ; many ol our lodges have no available balance at the close of the year , and shuffle on , so to say , as well as they can . Large bills for comestibles and drinkables have to be paid , and when that is done the balance is so

small that the lodge can vote nothing away . How then arc all the wonderful figures of our charitable returns brought about ? To the lastin ? credit of our fraternity , by the zealous