Ad00503

ESTABLISHED 1871 . ¦ W . MARTINDALE , **•ENGRAVER AND WRITER . MEMORIAL BRASSES , A SPECIALITY . , CULLUM ST ., FENCHURCH ST ., CITY , E . C .

Ad00504

M ^^ AYO'S CASTLE HOTEL , EAST MOLESEY , HAMPTON COURT S TATION . BRO . JOHN MAYO . MASONIC T EMPLE . Accommodation in the new wing for Banquets for any number up to 120 . Every convenience for Ladies' Gatherings . Spacious landing to river , whence Steam Launches can start . Five Lodges meet here , and reference may be made to thc respective Masters as to thc catering , & c .

Ar00505

SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 14 , 1901 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

It would be difficult , if not impossible , to give adequate expression to the feeling of horror with which the announcement was received by the British public that an attempt had been made on the life of the President

of the United States . Every one is hoping—and , according to the latest telegrams from the City of Buffalo , where the foul deed was done , not without justification for the hope—that the life of that exalted personage may be spared . " But whether he recover oi

succumb to the dangerous wounds inflicted on him by his assailant , the whole civilised world will be filled with indignation that the ruler of no State , be it an absolute or constituted monarchy , or a republic , is safe from these dastardly attempts of the brutal

Anarchist , who respects neither divine nor human law , and apparently has no other object than to cause a widespread terror and grief among all classes and conditions qf men . The men who murdered the Empress of Austria and the King of Italy , who

attempted the life of his Majesty when Prince of Wales , and who have just dangerously injured President McKinley , are , as one of our evening contemporaries described them , " human beasts , " and should be dealt with as such .

•» » As Masons we are a non-political body , nor do we concern ourselves about forms and government or the party by whom a government is administered . The principle by which we are actuated is that of loyalty to all constituted authority , whatever may be its form

and by whomsoever it may be exercised . But these murderers or would-be murderers of Sovereigns and Presidents are the avowed enemies of all constituted authority and of all who exercise it , and in advocating the infliction of the death penalty on them we are keeping well within the four corners of our Masonic faith .

* * « It seems to us that no' objection—no reasonable objection—can be taken to the arguments of the Grand Registrar in supporting the resolution , upon which , at the instance of his Royal Highness the

M . W . Grand Master , Grand Lodge was invited to express its sense , and which it adopted without a dissentient voice . There can be no doubt whatever that , in warranting a lodge at Copenhagen the Grand Lodge of Hamburg has violated what may be called the

interjurisdictional law of Masonry , nor , as it appears , is this b y any means the first occasion on which it has done so . Once a Grand Lodge is recognised as the supreme Masonic authority in any State or District , it is opposed to all law and justice , to say nothing of the

courtesies due from one Masonic body to another , for another Grand Lodge to claim to exercise any of the rights or prerogatives appertaining to supremacy within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge affected ;

and the offence in this instance is aggravated by the persistency of the Grand Lodge of Hamburg in maintaining its claim—in spite of the protests of the Grand Lod ge of Denmark—to form a lodge of its own in Danish territory .

We have before called attention to a somewhat similar case , which occurred a few years ago , and in which the Grand Lodge of Manitoba warranted a lod ge at Gibraltar . Butassoon ' as our Grand Lodge

Masonic Notes.

authorities pointed out that English lodges under an English District Grand Lodge were already established there , the Grand Lodge of Manitoba made the amende honorable , and cancelled its warrant . This is what the Grand Lodge of Hamburg ought to have done when the Grand Lodge of Denmark courteously protested against the invasion of its territory , nor will it

add to the prestige which the former enjoys in Masonry should it persist in doing what it has not the shadow of a claim to do . We trust , for the sake of Masonry , that wiser counsels will prevail , and that the Grand Lodge of Hamburg will withdraw from the offensive position it has taken up towards the sister Grand Lodge of Denmark .

* * * The voting papers for the School elections next month have been issued this week , and with them the lists of candidates , as to the number and distribution

of which we shall have occasion to offer our usua l remarks next week . The days on which the elections will take place are—for the Girls' School , Thursday , the ioth , and for the Boys' School , Friday , the nth October .

* # * The monthly meeting of the Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution was held at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , under the presidency of Bro . W . Vincent , P . G . Std . Br . The Secretary reported the deaths of two Male annuitants , and the Committee accepted , after due examination , the petitions of one Male and two Widow Candidates .

* * * We are informed that Bro . the Right Hon . Sir W . T . Marriott , K . C , P . G . D ., has resigned the office of Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Sussex , which he held for many years under H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , K . G ., lately the Grand Master of the Province .

« * * We have been favoured with a copy of the proceedings of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at a special meeting held at Eastleigh on the 22 nd June , and at the annual meeting at Aldershot on the 6 th August last , At thc

former , it was announced that the subscriptions to the " Beach Presentation " to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , intended to serve as a memorial of the Prov . Grond Moster ' s chairmanship at the 103 rd Anniversary Festival of that Institution on the 26 th of the same month , amounted to upwards of ^ 1200 , and

on the motion of Bro . Harold R . Pink , Prov . S . G . W ., seconded by Bro . C . F . Simmons , Prov . J . G . W ., it was unanimously agreed that the balance necessary to complete the amount required (^ 1627 ios . ) should be voted from the funds of Prov . Grand Lodge . It was further

unanimously resolved , on the recommendation of the Provincial Grand Lodge Committee , that a special grant by the Provincial Grand Lodge should be made to the Boys' School in honour of Bro . Beach ' s chairmanship , it being agreed that the amount of the grant should be Soo guineas C £ s 25 ) -

* » » The annual meeting was held , on the day originally fixed , under the most mournful circumstances . The Prov . G . Master had made arrangements to preside in person , had selected thebrethren on whom he intended to confer Provincial office during the ensuing year , and

would have been most warmly congratulated on the splendid success of the Boys' School Festival , at which he had presided on the 26 th June , and the sum of . £ 23 . 000 had been raised in donations and subscriptions . But this , alas 1 was not to be . The necessary business of the Prov . G . Lodge was done , and the

newly-appointed Prov . G . Officers who were in attendance were invested , but in place of the vote or address of congratulation to their respected chief , a resolution of sympathy with the widow and family of their late chief—who had succumbed three days previously to injuries he had received in being thrown out of a

cabwas adopted in solemn silence . It devolved on Bro . Edgar Goble , as Dep . P . G . M . in charge , to pay a tribute of respect to the memory of their late revered chief , who had been thus suddenly taken from them , and he is to be congratulated on the able and impressive manner in which he performed his melancholy task .

» * * Freemasonry in the United States appears to have sustained exceptionally severe losses by death during the past eight or 10 months , but in a country where there are more than 800 , 000 subscribing members of lodges , the death-roll must necessarily bs a long one . But it does not often happen thit as many as six out of 50 Grand Secretaries die within the brief space we

Masonic Notes.

have mentioned . With one exception all these Grand Secretaries had been in office for nearl y 20 years and upwards , while all of them died in harness .

Such losses as these tell heavily upon the Grand lodges , the successful administration of which is so largely dependent on the ability and powers of organisation of these officers .

*** * * The best known of these six distinguished Masons —Bro . Theodore S . Parvin—who had been Grand Secretary for more than half a century—is the subject of one of our leading articles , and there is no need for

us to refer to him again . Brj . John Warren Laflin , who died August 30 th , 1900 , had been Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin for 17 years , his original election dating from 188 3 , while Bro . Henry Clay Armstrong , who died on the 17 th December la > t ,

some fen * days after the annual meeting of his Grand Lodge , was appointed Grand Secretary of Alabama in 1892 . Bro , William Reynolds . Singleton was Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge , District of Columbia , from 1875 till his death on the 23 rd February ,

1901 . Bro . E . Carroll Parmelee , Grand Secretary of Colorado , was a still older official , having been appointed in 1866 " , and retained his post till death claimed him on May ioth , 1901 ; and Bro . Edwin

Baker , who only survived his Colorado colleague five days , was Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island from 18 72 till the 15 th May last . We sympathise with the Grand Lodges which have ' lost such distinguished officers .

••* At a meeting held on the 2 nd instant , a further step was taken in connection with the institution of a library for the Bournemoth Masonic Lodge of Instruction . The Preceptor reported gifts of books from Bro .

Hy . Sadler , Sub-Librarian of the Grand Lodge , and Bro . W . J . Hughan , P . G . D ., and promises from others . A librarian will be appointed , and the books properly

catalogued and cared for . Brethren who are interested in the movement are invited to send any Masonic works they may have to spare either to the Preceptor or the Secretary .

? * * An interesting announcement was made in the Masonic banqueting hall in College-street , Whitehaven , on Monday , the 2 nd instant , by Bro . Wilson Hastwell , who has just besn honoured by being

appointed Worshipful Master f jr a second year . It is safe to state that no member of the Craft takes a greater interest in Freemasonry in the Province of Cumberland and Westmorland than Bro . John Barr , P . M ., who is almost invariably in attendance at the

meetings of the Sun , Square , and Compasses Lodge , No . 119 . Few , if any , members can show such a record . It is exactly 40 years since that Bro . Barr joined the Craft , at Whitehaven , he having been initiated on September 2 nd , 1861 , and during that

long period of service he has only been absent from two ordinary lodge meetings . When this announcement was made to the members present it was received with enthusiastic cheering , and " Hearty good

wishes " were expressed that Bro . Barr might long be spared to •render his invaluable services to Freemasonry in general and to his mother lodge in particular .

* * * The Indian Freemason of the 15 th July contains a further instalment of the " History of Freemasonry in Western India , " by Bro . I . M . Shields , Past Dep . Dist . G . Master ot Bombay . There is also a full report of

the Half-yearly Convocation of the Dist . Grand Chapter of Bengal , which was held at Freemasons ' Hal ) , under Ihe presidency of Comp . the Hon . Sir H . Thoby Prinsep , on the 29 th Much last . At this

meeting three donations of 100 Rupees each were voted to the Queen Victoria Menorial Fund , the Bengal Masonic Association , and the Masonic Hill Building Fund respectively . The Dist . Grand Officers for the ensuing year were also appointed .

It is noteworthy in reference to this periodical that after an 18 months' experience as a bi-monthl y it has , with this July number , reverted to its old monthly issue . In making this announcement—to which we have before leferred—our contemporary states that as a bi-monthly

it was published at a loss , and it has very wisely dropped the extra issue . It certainly deserved that its efforts to enable the Fraternity to obtain fuller

information should have received a more liberal measure of support . It is a well-conducted journal , and though its reports of meetings are rather late in appearing , its information is trustworthy .