Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 45 S Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 456 I , Royal Masonic Institution for I 3 oys 457 i Royal "Masonic Benevolent Institution 45 S ; . Secretaries 458 [ provincial Grand Lodge of Cumberland and I Westmorland 4 S 9 f : Provincial Grand Lotlge of Susses 459 Reviews 4 60 jjasonic Notes and Queries 460 provincial Grand Mark I . odge of Cumberland and Westmorland 4 61

Ancient and Accepted Rite 4 61 Lines ., 4 6 1 REI " IBTS or MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 461 Instruction 466 Royal Arch 4 OC Ancient and Accepted Rite 4 66 Reil Cross of Constantine 4 66 Scotland 466 South Africa 4 66 Masonic and General Tidings 00 . 46- 7 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 4 OS

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THE Quarterly Court and elections of the Girls and Boys Schools have taken place since our last . At the former , on Saturday last , the proposal [ or a swimming * bath was carried , and Bro . GLADWELL ' S proposition as to Secretaries of lodges of instruction , though a good deal may be said nn both sides of the question , & c , was rejected . Fifteen candidates

out of twenty-four were elected , and thc voting was very brisk and heavy , and the attendance large . Owing to the small number ( twelve ) to be elected at the Boys' School meeting , out of so large a number of candidates ( sixtyilircc ) , the demand for Boys' votes was very great , many of the provinces having candidates , and the voting , as was confidently said in the hall on

Saturday , would turn out to be unprccedentedly heavy . Indeed , it was reported that many of the candidates would poll 2000 votes . In the Girls ' School election the highest successful number was 2116 , the lowest successful 1260 . A question arose as lo a " scrutiny" for MAUDE HILL , NO . 19 on the list , and 16 on the poll , 1245 , and it was staled by Bro . MATIER that

11 S voting papers were rejected as informal , many of them not even being signed . We shall allude to this extraordinary fact later . Too much praise cannot be recorded to thc body of Scrutineers , with Bro . MATIER at their head , whose zeil , carefulness , and courtesy are deserving of grateful recognition from all who largely benefit from their important and arduous

labours . The Quarterly Court of the Boys' School took place on Monday , the 10 th inst ., when Bro . RAYNHAM STEAWART ' S motion was carried and 'Bro . GLADWELL ' S again rejected . The poll then opened and closed amid an amount of high voting and heavy work unparalleled in the annals of thc Boy ' s School . The great hall was crowded all the day . Of the twelve

successful candidates 'the highest polled 2227 , the lowest 1948—abnormal figures ; and though , probably , on April next the increase will not be very great , in October twelve months wc must expect a very large increase to the number of vote s . At thc present elections the numbers were very large , in all , 54 , 824 , thus made up , — 17 , 643 . carried forward , issued 37 , 181 .

1 : * AT the monthly meeting of the Managing Committee of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution a Sub-Committee was appointed lo revise the Laws . Subsequently to the meeting thc Sub-Committee sat for nearly two hours , and , after another meeting , will make a report lo a Special General Meeting .

! * * i | THE more we think over tlie recent attack of thc Saturday Review the more forcibly arc we struck with its impotence and childishness . The " cui bono " dearl y applies . What is the use , in 1 SS 1 , of serving up , if a templing " ragout " . to some , —an " olla podrida , " a complete "hash" of exploded "exposures "

pid ancient animosities . Wc apprehend that the " idea" of the writer is , ( assuming he has one ) , if thc article be not " mere padding , " that Frcemapis are claiming too great an antiquity . But how then does the " critic " Vxk to disprove this assertion ? Verily , by reproducing the refurbished Napons of past controversies , which were never very good , sound , or safe ,

j ** d are now utterly useless and worthless in the " phase" of acliveresearch , p contemporary criticism . If even the writer's " facts " were " facts , " pnich they are not , all ihey would go to prove would be that great difficulty psts as lo thc real connection and actual continuance between operative j * * - * ! speculative Masonry , which no onc denies . This a truism upheld by a

suction of mouthy platitudes . But , unfortunately for him , the evidence of pre-Ev < -nteenth century Masonry rests on non-Masonic witnesses , rather than n Masonic . And if a Freemasonry akin to our own to day , on remarkable 0 |" ni * non grounds of identity and organization , was in existence in this , a 'Ury in 16 4 6 , as we apprehend will shortly be proved to have been the

a : e , where arc all thc arguments of our assailant as to Masonry taking its / m lhe early eighteenth century , and adopting its name , in actuality and - . " -bolism , from a defunct operative sodality , with which it had no connecj . 'f- This is , indeed , the " eighteenth century theory" with a vengeance . \ r *¦ ' ' * - » - " w J " J -..- -. * . ~ .. w ,... ww .

. e -tdntit that a good deal turns on the argument as lo thc sense in which / '' MOLE uses the word "Freemason , " though Dr . PLOT ' S meaning is clear . ' ' * ASHMOLE was not a member of the Masons' Company , it is quite . that he alludes lo nn independent fraternity . If ever the records of the ' Sons' Company are searched by a critical Masonic eye , many " facts '»

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will no doubt be cleared up and substantiated which at present seem shrouded in doubt and difficulty . * - * * ± As for the foolish " skit " on Freemasonry , as merely a convivial and charitable Benefit Society , Freemasons can afford to laugh at such unmeaning

platitudes . In no sense is Freemasonry , or can it be , a Benefit Society . It confers "benefits , " —many and great indeed , —but not as of "right , " only as of goodwill . It is the great and unchanging tenet of Freemasonry to be charitable ; but true chanty cannot be "bought or sold , " and it is of its very essence , much more of its reality , that it should be free ,

gratuitousgiven for duty's sake , as a matter of principle , and not be bargained for ,-or claimed as a return for money paid . But some good folks are so thickheaded in this world of ours that they cannot be made to understand either the first principles of action , or the secondary principles of application , which

specially mark Freemasonry , and distinguish it from all other earthly sodalities , or all other so-called brotherhoods . It stands b y itself , in that it is " sui generis , " and is "Freemasonry ; " its lasting praise to some , its angry dispraise to others . *

* * WE beg to call the attention of our readers to certain irregularities in " voting papers , " which seem to proceed from neglect or carelessness . Bro . MATIER announced last Saturday evening , as Chairman of the Scrutineers , that 118 voting papers had been rejected , owing to grave informalities , and were

thrown aside as spoilt votes . Bro . MATIER subsequently stated that the voting papers were rejected because some were unsigned , ( not , happily , we are told , a large number ) , and that the rest were refused because no " figure " appeared against any name ; merely a " short line" or mark at the side . That is , as we understood the statement , but it may be open to correction . No

figures , or even marks , were , at any rate , " inserted . " As regards the first cause of rejection , we can hardly " prima facie" understand how such great "laches " on somebody ' s part can have arisen . Either the votes were not looked over carefully by the " sender "or by the brother " working" them in the room , or , given in hastily at the last moment , were as hastily deposited in the box without

inspection . We would therefore impress upon all subscribers , and all who have elections to conduct , to look carefully over every voting paper , —to see that it is properly signed . As regards the second cause of rejection , —it is a very important point in itself , and we think the opinion of the Grand Registrar ought to be obtained , whether a mark down the side of the name , or a cross is a

sufcient indication of the mind of the voter , for theguidanceof the Scrutineers . Wc confess that we think the words on the voting papers in the Girls' School elections , "being entitled to two votes ( say , ) , I desire to vote as inserted above , " govern the case and exclude a mere mark . But it is said , that admitting no "figures " exist , the voter can fairly claim one vote . VVe again repeat , we think

adistinct rule ought to be announced on the subject , and expressed on the voting paper . On Saturday it was undoubtedly the fact that No . 16 on the list lost her election owing to the operation of these two defects in the voting papers .

No blame can be attached to the Scrutineers , as reading the "direction " above alluded to as imperative , they could not be supposed to understand lhe " intention" of thc voter , and could only be governed by the actual signs and voting figure usual and regular in like cases .

* * * A SUGGESTION has been made to us , that owing to the increased number of votes , three full hours from the cessation of the business of the Quarterly Court should be allowed for the polling . As it is , most important business is often slurred over , owing to the desire of the subscribers to proceed to

the voting . Thus , if the business commenced at 12 . 30 the polling would last until 3 . 30 . We are not insensible to the argument of the simplicity of the present arrangement , but we fear that the business is often hastily transacted ,

and thc labour of the polling is rendered very severe . Having said this , it is but fair to remark that at the Quarterly Court of the Boys' School on Monday the motions were all fully discussed and considered . On the whole , perhaps it is better " quicta non movere . "

* * * THE explanations as regards the proposal to grant four votes for every ten guineas for the new building fund , —for the preparatory school , —have removed , we think , any doubts as to its expediency and propriety , Indeed , had we remembered , which we did not , until we were reminded by an old

Masonic friend , that this was no new proposal , but that a " precedent for the course suggested had been created in regard of the older building itself , wc should not have intimated any doubtfulness as existing in our own minds on thc subject . It is clearly a reasonable and unobjectionable course to pursue . The proposal of a junior or Preparatory Boys' School has so much to

commend it to the good feeling of the subscribers and the educational requirements of the School , as a great and growing institution , that we feel sure the proposal will be taken up largely by the friends of the Boys' School and the members of the Craft . One hundred guineas were subscribed in the room .