Original Correspondence.

it observed , as the S . G . C ) , what power is there to prevent it ? If crowned with success , such efforts would not fail to be recognised as legitimate , and even if not , iuho has a power effectually to condemn ? If appealed to to pass judgment on the offenders , twenty-eight out of every twenty-nine of the

population of the kingdom would be convulsed with laughter at anything so serio-comic ? If coercion and penalties were to be threatened by self-elected judges , they would be inoperative in society , and indeed could not be enforced , for Freemasons are not under such autocratic rule . But as I comprehend the matter

Bro . Yarker represents the old and only legitimate " Council of Rites , " whose functions the 33 have usurped , and stands a better chance of recognition than his antagonists . The same writer asserts that people are " gulled ' by the present offenders , who are such good social

economists as , m their legitimacy , to accept tees of is . 6 d ., for which the antagonistic body charges , £ 10 under forged warrant . The concluding grand peroration of the letter in question is highly diverting , inasmuch as multitudes

of as good Masons as the writerare laughing heartily at such impotent rap . For my own part , however , I pity it , and hope these zealots will read the daily papers , profit by the progress of the times and Parliamentary reform , and learn to be " wiser and better men " rather than " children of a larger growth . " VAMPIRE

No. 3 Bis And Its Proceedings.

NO . 3 BIS AND ITS PROCEEDINGS .

( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I have read the exceedingly curious , and I think I may also add , unparallelled proceedings of the Glasgow St . John ' s Lodge , No . 3 bis , as recorded at page 205 of your paper . It seems strange to me , to say the least , how

the members of a lower court can take upon themselves to interfere in such an arbitrary manner with the proceedings of a higher court . One would have thought that the proper plan for them to do , had they found fault with anything said , or supposed to have been said , in Grand Lodge , would have been to have

made a complaint to that body , stating the grounds of what they found fault with ; instead of which they openly ignore Grand Lodge , and in consequence we perceive a daughter lodge sitting in judgment upon Grand Lodge itself . However , when we look under the surface , the

enigma can be easily solved , which , to us , turns out to be a most barefaced attempt to bamboozle the members of alodgeby the office-bearers . Said officebearers were carrying on a very high-handed policy against Grand Lodge , in which , however , they were defeated , and had all their absurd actions and

pretensions thrown back upon themselves , as is shown by Grand Lodge Report , page 220 , April 8 th . In order , therefore , to lead away the minds of the members of their lodge , they cast about for a scapegoat upon which to lay the sins of their own proceedings , and , Eureka ! they discover it in one of their own

members ! Capital idea to lay the burden of their own faults upon another . So , the signal being given , the crowd rush on as they are led , without even knowing or thinking of what they are doing . Only I should not wonder if before long they find out somehow that they have made a mistake . Scein "

also that according to their Memorial , a copy of which is given at page 662 , December 17 th , they actually desired a vote of censure to be passed upon the Grand Master himself ( the Earl of Dalhousie ) , we need not wonder at any absurd proceedings they may enter into against one of their own members

who takes the liberty either to think or judge for himself , and who will not , therefore , tamely submit to be led by the nose by any unmasonic pretensions , no matter who are the authors of them . Another point in this case is , that while the one party appeared in Grand Lodge as R . W . M . of No . 3 bis ,

the other appeared there as Proxy S . W . of No . 432 ( St . Andrew , Duncdin , N . Z . ) ; consequently this adds to the absurdity of any Glasgow lodge , or even the Provincial Grand Lodge of Glasgow , sitting in judgment upon the action which one of the

representatives of a foreign lodge chose to take in Grand Lodge , and more especially when that action , whatever it really was , was not called in question by either the Grand Master in the chair , or Grand Lodge at the time . I am , yours fraternally ,

M . G . L . BIBLICAL ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION

( Reply to Bro . Carpenter ' s Letter of March 4 th , p . 13 S . ) ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —My letter printed February 25 th , was designed to show that Anderson ' s charges separated the past from the present .

Before 1717 , Masonry was undoubtedly exclusively Christian ; since 171701-1723 , itavowed itself as an universal institution , and every departure from universality must necessarily be a violation of the principles laid down in those charges . Now , the

No. 3 Bis And Its Proceedings.

paper of January 7 th reached me on the 21 st , and my reply was mailed January 24 th , in short , my letter was written in haste , and as I have no chance of correcting the proof sheets , I hope the reader will be indulgent in overlooking errors which do not affect the main question . As a case in point , I

happened , for reasons which I shall hereafter state , to say that " Oxford professors deny the biblical account of creation . " Had I said scientific instead of " Oxford , " it would not have weakened my argument , and had I known that the phrase would give offence , I most likely would have used the former .

The word " Oxford , " however , appears to have furnished my worthy Bro . Carpenter with an opportunity of pouncing upon me—of clinching me—of pinning me down to the point . He not only challenges me for proof as to when and where Oxford said so , but is pleased to hamper me with rules

and conditions how the desired proof should be given . He not only challenges , but claims also the rights to choose the ground and weapons . As this , however , is against all the rules of civilized warfare , I beg most respectfully to decline his conditions , and shall explain matters after my own fashion .

I must here premise by reminding the reader that I have hitherto abstained from giving my personal opinion on bible questions , because the ventilating of such opinions must tend to the introduction of religious discussion , and discussions of that nature should be avoided among Masons . I am , however

m self-defence , compelled in a measure to depart from that rule , and therefore beg to state to my worthy opponent that when the bible tells me that " in six days God created the heaven and earth , " and an Oxford professor says that " six" meant more or less than six , I am justified in saying that

the professor denied the bible account of creation , and what is more , in order that there should be no mistake in the writer ' s meaning , he was pleased to define " one day " to mean " evening and morning one day . " After this definition , I have no more right to construe or misconstrue the " one day " to

mean an indefinite , epoch , than the forty day ' s deluge to mean forty indefinite epochs . Now suppose I was informed that the Copernican theory of astronomy was taught in Oxford , would not I have a right to infer that the Oxford professors denied the Ptolemaic theory ? For equal reasons I was

justified in stating that the teachers of geology deny or disbelieve the Mosaic account of creation . With regard to the encyclopedia , I shall only say that I formerly owned an edition of the " Britannica , " printed in the last century , with a supplement printed in 1824 . In one of the articles of the former

it may have been " earth or " deluge , I distinctly recollect the writer combating the then modern heresey of indefinite epochs , while in the supplement the writers on geology appear to have become converts to the new theory , and it is needless to say that the seventh and eight editions of work

maintain the anti-biblical theory of creation . Bui to show still further that geologists without exception have discarded the Mosaic account , I shall summon Mr . C . W . Goodwin , M . A ., to give his evidence . On page 210 , "Essays and Reviews , " he says , " The school books of the present clay , while they

teach the child that the earth moves , yet assure him that it is little less than six thousand years old . On the other hand , geologists of all creeds arc agreed that the earth has existed for an immense scries of years , to be counted by the million rather than by the thousand , and that indubitably more than six

days elapsed from its first creation to the appearance of man upon its surface . " And as I have no reason to doubt Mr . Goodwin's veracity , I have a right to infer that by " geologists of all religious creeds , " Mr . Goodwin includes the Oxford professors . Now , my aim in importing ( as Bro . Carpenter

was pleased to call it ) the fact that the Oxford professors deny the Mosaic account , was simply done to call attention to another fact , viz ., that certain parts of the English ritual cannot conscientiousl y be subscribed to , even by men holding the highest positions in your seats of science and learning , and

if Bro . Carpenter should still doubt my assertion , I would respectfully suggest to him to send a copy of that part of the section which illustrates the six day ' s creation , such as I formerly used to hear in the Grand Stewards' Lodge , to the Oxford professors of geology , and if those learned gentlemen should

acquiesce and acknowledge the correctness of the theory as expounded in that lecture as literally true , then I shall cheerfully admit that I was misinformed . Bro . Carpenter ' s own letter , however , convinces me that there is , after all , very little difference between us . We only differ in this , that what he is pleased to call " interpreters" of the bible , I call

pervcrters . For it is my opinion , that if the author of the Book Genesis had intended or designed to convey the idea of six indefinite epochs , he could and would doubtless have found a Hebrew word or words to have expressed that idea lucidly and clearly .

Fraternally yours , JACOB NORTON . Boston , March 22 , 1871 .

Qualification For Mastership Of A Mark Lodge.

QUALIFICATION FOR MASTERSHIP OF A MARK LODGE .

( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I was pleased to see the above question taken up by "A Craft P . M . " in his communication to THE FREEMASON of the 8 th April . There can be no difference of opinion as to the

injurious effect which the rule prohibiting any one but a Craft P . M . from occupying the chair of a Mark lodge has upon the degree generally . Many young Masons having no prospect of presiding over a Craft lodge for some years , in consequence of the great number of candidates for the

honour , have taken an interest in the Mark Degree . After working through the various offices below the chair , they find their labour is lost in consequence of their not possessing the qualification the above rule demands , whilst the position of W . M ., which they have fairly earned , frequently goes begging ,

and , as I have more than once seen , is pressed on some P . M . who either has not the time or the inclination to perfect himself in the duties of the office he is selected to fill , and the work of the lodge is consequently either done by deputy or in a very imperfect manner .

I trust the Mark Grand Lodge will speedily reconsider their decision . If , upon such reconsideration , they still find they cannot rescind this unjust rule , they should at least assign some reason for adhering to it , such being entirely wanting in the last Grand Lodge report . I am , yours fraternally ,

KEYSTONE . CAUTION TO THE CRAFT .

( To the Editor of the Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I shall feel obliged if you will insert the enclosed paragraph from the Evening News and Hull Daily Express . Those of your readers who have had any experience among " begging Masons , " will be glad to see that

an effort has been made to check the progress of such impostors . Too much praise cannot be given to the W . M . of the Kingston Lodge , 1010 , for the moralcouragehehas displayed indealingso promptly with this case . He has rendered a great service to the Craft , and I hope to hear soon that others have followed his example . The evil is a growing one ,

and requires energetic and determined action to endeavour to stop such disgraceful practices . As far as possible enquiry should be made respecting the correctness of the statements made by these rascals , and members of lodges should be cautioned not to relieve persons travelling from place to place , but refer them to the person appointed to deal with

such cases . I am , dear Sir , your obedient servant , WM . DAY KEYWORTH ,

P . M . 57 , and Almoner for the Hull lodges . " At the Hull Police Court , before T . H . Travis , Esq ., Henry Ncwcombc was brought up on a charge of begging . —It appeared that the prisoner had obtained from the prosecutor , Mr . C . James Todd , Worshipful Master of the Kingston Lodge of

Freemasons , the sum of 10 s ., being third-class railway fare from Hull to Liverpool , under the following circumstances : —On Saturday last he represented himself to be a member of 26 years' standing of the Mariners' Lodge , 249 , Liverpool , and that he had been the assistant carpenter of the ship Percy ,

Captain Holmes , from Liverpool to New York and home , and which ship , he stated , had been wrecked off Deal on the 6 th inst . on her passage home , in which he lost everything , and that he only wanted sufficient to get to Liverpool again . Instead , however , of going to Liverpool on Saturday , he seems

to have enjoyed himself with the money he had obtained , for on Sunday he was found very drunk in the streets of Hull , and on Monday commenced a fresh system of plunder , carefully concealing the fact that he had already been relieved . He had also collected other sums on Saturday . No ship called Percy had been lost off Deal , nor is the

prisoner a member of the Mariners' Lodge . He pleaded guilty to the charge of begging . —Mr . Travis sentenced him to 30 days' imprisonment , with hard labour . The prisoner is a short , thickset man , with sandy hair , moustache and whiskers slightly tinged with grey , with a reddish face He is about 5 feet 7 inches in height , and about 47 years old . "

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