Masonic Presentation And Supper.

promenading for upwards of two hours the Sir Knights returned to their encampment and enjoyed a most excellent supper . The remainder of the evening was spent most harmoniously by song and sentiment .

CIRCULARS ISSUED BY THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND .

Freemasons' Hall , 98 , George St ., Edinburgh , Sth February , 1 S 75 . R . W . SIR AND BROTHER , —It is my duty ( in the

absence of Br . Stewart from serious indisposition ) to send you , for the information of your Lodge , the following Enactments of Grand Lodge , passed at the Quarterly Communication held on the 3 rd current , viz . —

1 st , "On and after the passing of this motion the office of Grand Clerk shall cease , and its duties shall devolve on and be discharged by the Grand Secretary ; that the present Grand Clerk shall be conjoined in the office of Grand Secretary with Brother Stewart , as Joint Grand Secretary , and

that upon the occurrence of the first vacancy by death or resignation , the joint office shall cease , and the remaining holder of the office shall be sole Grand Secretary till the date of the next annual election , when only one Grand Secretary shall be elected ; and that the laws of Grand Lodge , in so

far as mt coincident with this motion , be repealed . " 2 nd , "All Lodges holding of this Grand Lodge , whether represented or not by their Master and Wardens , shall be compelled to pay the Fees exigible for representation in Grand Lodge on the 24 th June annually , if not paid by their represenalives previously . "

With reference to the first , the Grand Lodge having done me the honour to promote me to the position of Joint Grand Secretary , it will be part of my duty ( as it shall be my earnest endeavour ) in the discharge of my office to Grand Lodge , carefully to attend to and promote the interest . and

welfare of the Daughter Lodges , and I beg you will do me the favour to assure the oliice-beares and members of your Lodge , that to the inmost of my ability I shall seek , in tlii . i dircct ' nn , to render satisfaction to tiie Grand Lodge , by prompt , unremitting , and impartial attention to the requirements and interests of her subordinate Lodges .

As regards the second enactment , I must inform you that very numerous and constant complaints are received , that the Lodges in itlie Provinces arc not sufficiently infoimeu of what transpires in Grand Lodge . This , in so far as true , must be attributed either to the neglect of the Lodges in

not being represented in Gr . md Lodge , or by their failing to sustain ; i regular communication with their Proxies , who are in a position to acquaint them with ail tiie proceedin .: , of Grand Louge as they occur , and n u leave it 10 ihe issue of the " Grand Lodge Reporter " al . i .-ie to make intimation thereof .

I must also remind you tl-. at every Lodge , in express terms of its Charter , i ; " required to attend the whole General Meeting ; .. < nd ( Quarterly Communications of the Grand i . 'eige by

iheh-Rcpreseiitatives , being their Master and Wardens for the time , or by lawful Proxies in ( heir names , so that they , by their said ' Re : re- ^ enlatiees , may act and vote in the Grand budge , and be duly certiorated of the proceedings thereof . "

The Roll of Represent . uives in Grand Lodge is made up and closing nn , r . i . illy un 1 st April , and you will observe from the new Law ihat the Representatives are allowed rule , dnxn to the 24 th

June , to pay the fees exigible for Representation , at which date , if they have . not . IK-en paid by the Representatives , or if the Lodge lie unrepresented , it will be my duty to request that the sum due be remitted by the Lodge .

If your Lodge is not represented at present ; please inform me as early as possible before 1 st April , whether it will be rqircsenled by the R . W . M . and Wardens , or by a Proxy Ma-, te . ' , and give the A . ldre-ises of these lirethren for irneilion in Grand Lodge Roll .

Any further information on this or any other subject connected with the Craft , I shall be delighted to afford you , on hearing from you . Wishing you and your Lodge all prosperity ,

I remain , R . W . Sit and Brother , Yours truly and fraternally , JOHN LAURIE , Joint Grand Sec .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

SO-CALLED , "MIRACULOUSLY DISCOVERE D . " ( To the Editor of The Freemason . )

In the FREEMASON of January 25 th , under the heading " Multum in Parvo , " Bro . J . W . Hughan , and Masonic Student , invite the brotherhood to call attention through the FREEMASON to any old MSS . or curious Masonic

works that may come to their knowledge , I heartily approve of the suggestion , I think that a great deal of useful information may be diffused among the Craft by such means , and therefore beg to call attention to an old pamphlet sent to me for perustd by Bro . Leon

Hyneman of Philadelphia ; the pamphlet in question , is doubtless not unique , but as it is not alluded to in Bro . Hughan ' s " Old Charges , " it must certainly be rare The title page reads , "The secret history of the FREEMASONS : being an accidental discovery of the ceremonies in the

several Lodges , upon the admittance of a brother as a Free and Accepted Mason , with the charge , oath , and private articles , given to him at the time of his admittance . Printed from the old original Record of the Society , with some observations , reflections , and critical remarks on the new Constitution Book of

Freemasons , written by James Anderson , A . M ., and dedicated to the Duke of Montague by J . ! ' . Desnguliers , LL . D ., Deputy Grand Master ; with a short Dictionary of private signs or signals . London , Printed for Sam Briscoe , at the Bell Savage , Ion Ludgate Hill , " etc ., etc . ( No dak appended . )

This followed with a sarcastic preface , and next comes "The history of the Free-Masons ,

now miraculously discovered . ' Which is indeed no more nor less , than an old ritual , differing somewhat from those published by Bro . Hughan , but not more so , than they differ from each other . The language of the ritual is perfectly modern , and I at first imagined that it was a

copy of Robert ' s Constitution , but on comparing the two , I found it was not so , I have however , afterwards discovered , that the pamphlet was described by Dr . ( Sliver , in the beginning of the fourth chapter of tlie " Revelation of a Square , " and that a second edition was published in 1 725 . "The Dictionary of signs or signals , " with very

few exceptions , have reference to localities in London , where the brother to whom the signal is given , was to meet the one who signalized . Thus , there are signs , for meeting in Westminster Abbey , St . . 1 ' aid ' s < . 1 tht _ -ilr . il , Royal Exchange , the " Horn Ale House ' in Gutter Lane , the "Devil ' s Tavern . " in Fleet Street , etc . And not only were localities rienot .-d by sign- ; , but even the

tun-.: oi meeting was spe : i ., ed i > y [ lulling tint right or left ear , by rubb ' ng the right or left eye , etc , 'J'iie "Observations and critical remarks on Anderson ' s Constitutions , ' are . as we may well imagine , full of biting satire . There is however , one piece of information in it , which 1 am sure , that nine-hundred and ninety out of every

thousand of the present generation of Masons have never heard of , and it" old legends—that is , " somebody said , that somebody said , " that it is an old legend , may be relied on as having some foundation in truth ? who knows , whether the legend which I am about to copy , may not also have had some foundation ? Well—be that as

it may , our author , who withheld his name from the publication in question , informs me , that : " Paracelsus , who was as errant a Freemason as Adam , or any of his posterity , says , 'The miscarriage of the grand design in building the 'Power of Babel , was not owing to the confusion

of languages , but to too glib a tongue , whence happens the mistake in the translation from the Chaldce copy of the word languages for tongue ; for one of the most expert workman in the fabric , being in lied with his wife , who had scolded him severely that night , on a sudden fell

a-laughmg , thinking on the great design they were about , whereupon his wife waking suddenly , demanded the reason of . thift laughter , which waked her from rest ; the ' ' poor ingenious Freemason , who stood in awe of this termagant , at her incessant importunity at last confessed the secret , that he had entered into a combination

Original Correspondence.

with the rest of the builders of Babel , to carry on that work till it should reach to heaven , and he was laughing within himself to think how one day he should give her the slip ; for they all designed when that was finished to make the . best of their way to heaven and leave all their

wives below to shift for themselves on earth , since Eve had played their father , Adam , such a slippery trick as to betray him out of Paradise , he had left it in charge to his male posterity to return the favor the first opportunity ; and this they had bound themselves now by an oath of secrecy to perform . The next morning the

whole camp rung with the discovery , and the confederate body of Freemasons broke up in such confusion , that they understood not one another , but by signs and tokens to depart , and so they left their tools behind . Now the learned do agree , those signs remain among the accepte Masons even to this day . '"

This legend , like many others , is very plausible , and like many others , it will scarcely bear criticism , but anyhow , it will serve to furnish the believers in old legends with a knowledge of the origin of Mason ' s signs .

Respectfully and fraternally , Boston , U . S ., JACOB NORTON . February 10 th , 1 S 73 .

( To the Editor of Tlie Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Allow me space for a few words in reply to the letter of Bro . Jno . Wood , P . M . 1073 , which appeared in your last issue , upon the subject of music in our lodges , and also to thank him for the flattering terms

111 which he speaks of the previous letter of " Orpheus . " I am glad to find that our brethren at Keswick are so well off for musical talent , and that they do not experience the difficulty that we do in a town many times larger , and with two lodges

comprising something like . 150 members , and another just in process of formation . Bro . Wood mentions having encountered a little opposition lo the introduction of music in the ceremonies , from sonic of the old hands in the lodge , and I can feelingly congratulate him upon

its removal , as we have had to encounter a similar opposition from some of our brethren who cannot appreciate the elevating , and at the same time tranquilizing influence of music properly adapted to the occasion . Bro . Wood thinks mv suggestion of a barrel organ rather

"infra dig . " Well I am not sure but what it may be , but if he will turn to my letter once more he will see I only propose it as " dernier resort , " sooner than be deprived of music altogether . I have an idea that the pianoforte parts might be . rendered even in a barrel organ

by enclosing it in a bote with a swell . similar lo the manual organs , ami which might be worked with a lever for the foot to press , fn my previous letter there were one or two typographical errors which I may perhaps be excused in pointing out . I am made to say " music

manufacturers , " when at all events I meant to say " musical instrument manufacturers , " and " i do not mean a P . M ., " when it should have read " 1 do not mean a pun . '' The omission of ihe little word to in the second line of the concluding paragraph causes it lo read as if

I expected the organ "to sing our odes " instead of the brethren . In reply to Bro . Wood's query , as to the most popular music for Craft and Mad ; degrees , I would advise him to write to Bro . Edivin (" row of Leicester , who is a P . M ., P . P . G . O ., <\ tc , and lo my mind

appears thoroughly to understand what is practical , practicable and w uitcJ , in a masonic lodge in the way of music . He has published the music for the Mark and also for the first degree , and as I am given to understand , has the second and third degrees now in press . As the price of each number is only sixpence , a copy can be

provided for every member of a lodge at a small expense . Pardon me Bro . Editor for having intruded so much upon your space , the earnest wish of my mind is to see music esteemed as an essential part of our ceremonies , and that wish must be my excuse . Yours , truly and fraternally , ORPHEUS .