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To ADVERTISERS . THE Circulation of THE FREEMASON being now at the rate of nearly Half-a-million per annum , it offers peculiar facilities to all who advertise . It is well known that the Fraternity of Freemasons is a large and constantly increasing body , mainly composed of the influential and educated classes of society ; and as The Freemason is now the accepted organ of the Brotherhood in the United Kingdom , and also enjoys an extensive sale iu the colonies and foreign parts , its advantages as an advertising medium can scarcely be overrated . For' terms apply to GEORGE KENNING , 2 , 3 , & 4 , LITTLE BRITAIN , LONDON , E . C .

Foreign And Colonial Agents.

Foreign and Colonial Agents .

AMERICA : Bro . J . FLETCHER BRENNAN , 114 , Mainstreet , Cincinnati , Ohio . „ Messrs . WOODRUFF & BLOCHER , Little Rock , Arkansas , U . S . CANADA : Messrs . DEVIUE & SON , Ottawa . CAPE OF GOOD HOPE : Bro . GEORGE BRITTAIN , Cape Town . CEYLON : Messrs . W . L . SKEENE & Co ., Colombo . CONSTANTINOPLE : Br . J . L . HANLY , Levant Times . EAST INDIES : Allahabad : Messrs . WYMAN BROS . Bombay : Bro . M . B . COHEN . Byculla : Bro . GEO . BEASE . Central Provinces : Bro . F . J . JORDAN . Kurrachce : Bro . G . C . BRAYSON . Madras : Mr . CALEB FOSTER . Jlflumi : Bro . COWASIEE NUSSERWANJEE . Poona : Bro . W . WELLIS . GALATA : IPSICK KHAN , Pcrche-Bajar . LIBERIA : Bro . HENRY D . BKOWN , Monrovia . PARIS : M . DECHEVAUX -DUMESNIL , Rue de Harlaydu-Palais , 20 , near the Pont Neuf ; Editor Le Franc-Mafon . WEST INDIES : Jamaica : Bro . J A . D . SOUZA , Falmouth . Trinidad : Bros . S . CARTER and J LEWIS , 3 , Aber crombic-slrcet , Port of Spain ; and Bro . W . A KERNAHAN , Snn Fernando . And all Booksellers and Newsagents in England , Ireland , and Scotland .

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

DBA TI / . FAIRIIVRST .- On the Gth inst ., at his residence , Bath Buildings , Warrington , Bro , Hugh Fairhurst , one of the oldest members of the Lodge of Lights , No . 148 .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

All communications for THE FREEMASON should be written legibly , on one side of the paper only , and , if intended for insertion in the current number must be received not later than 10 o ' clock a . m . on Thursdays , unless in very special cases . The name and address of every writer must be sent to us in confidence , BRO . J AMES WEAVER . —WC regret that the length of your letter precludes us from inserting it this week . EQUES . —Refer to thc Book of Kings , where the recital is given .

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ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION FOR AGED FREEMASONS AND THE WIDOWS OF FREEMASONS . —We commend the case of Mrs . Mary Ann Halton , widow of the late Bro . William Halton , many years in business as an undertaker in the Essex-road , Islington . He was initiated in

the Canonbury Lodge , No . 657 , in 1 S 56 , and continued a member nine years . He joined the De Grey and Ripon Lodge , No . 905 , Ilford , in 1862 , and was W . M .-elect of that lodge at the time of his death . His widow is left without means of support , and is dependent on friends and her small earnings

as a needlewoman and occasional nurse . We may add , the case is stronglv recommended by Bros . Henry Price , W . M . 6 57 ; Charles Roberts , P . M . 6 57 ; John G . Chancellor , P . M . 6 57 and 46-,, P . P . G . D . Surrey ; David W . Pharsc , P . M . 6 57 ; Samuel Hill , P . M . 6 57 and 157 ; Thomas W ' cscombe , P . M . 905 ; Samuel May , V . P ., W . M . 23 , P . M . 101 ancl

780 ; Benjamin P . Todd , l ' . M . and Treas . 27 ; Henry G . Buss , P . M . and Sec . 27 , 6 57 , 780 and 1293 , Prov . G . Treas . Middlesex ; John Coutts , P . M . 27 ; A . A . Pendlebury , P . M . 1056 and 1194 ; & c . Proxies will be thankfully received by Bro . Todd , 5 . 5 , High-street , Kingsland , E ., and Bro , Buss , 127 , Offord-road , Barnsbury , N .

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TheFreemason, SATURDAY , APRIL 16 , 1870 .

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THE FREEMASON is published on Saturday Mornings in time for thc early trains . The price of THE FREEMASON is Twopence per week ; quarterly subscription ( including postage ) 3 s . 3 d . . Annual Subscription , 12 s . Subscriptions payable in advance . All communications , letters , & c , to be addressed to thc EDITOR , s , 3 , and 4 , Little Britain , E . C . The Editor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted to him bnt cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage stamps .

Freemasonry & Judaism.

FREEMASONRY & JUDAISM .

To an ordinary enquirer the history of the Hebrew race is a subject of much interest , to a biblical scholar it is not only interesting but important , while to a thoughtful Masonic

student it is fraught with lessons of the utmost value and significance . In the first place , the traditions of the Craft are inseparably interwoven with the glories of a past

rich in illustrations of the chosen people , and hallowed with memories of the princes and rulers of Israel . From the first , or holy lodge , holden in the wilderness to the

destruction of Jerusalem by Titus , the history of the Jews is traditionally the history of the Craft , and it cannot be gainsaid that even the Scriptural narratives which refer

to the building of Solomon ' s Temple derive an additional attraction in the estimation of Masons from their alleged connection with the origin and progress of the

Fraternity . A nation which could produce so many heroes and prophets , so many poets and philosophers , would in any case challenge

our admiration and respect ; but when we reflect that for many ages thc Jews were the sole teachers of truth—thc sole witnesses for God in a world of pagans and

idolaters—wc may well accord them the highest place in the Temple of Fame , and regard their history as one of thc most solemn and suggestive pages in the records

of the world . No person can contemplate without amazement the extraordinary vitality of the Hebrew race , amidst all the vicissitudes of fortune which they have

experienced , and tlie fiery persecutions they have endured . Scattered over every land , after the ruin of their ancient strongholds —proscribed here , slaughtered there—they

have nevertheless retained from century to century those peculiar idiosyncracics , as well as that unique system of social Government , which is based on belief in one great

Divine Being . But as we have said , the history of thc Jewish nation is more especially interesting to Freemasons , because it is so intimately linked witli our most

cherished traditions . Thc vaults of thc dead past brighten and glow with life in the presence of the enchanter , Freemasonry , from their cavcrned tombs , rock-hewn in the holy

mounts of Palestine ; thc stately procession of Judah ' s princes seems to pass before our eyes like the figures in a vision which is not all a dream . With Moses , wc march

through thc desert , and view thc promised land . With David , we feel the pangs of exile , and rejoice with him when seated on the Throne of Israel . Like Solomon , we build the Temple of the Lord , and parti-

Freemasonry & Judaism.

cipate in the rites by which it was dedicated to the service of Jehovah . Following the evil fortunes of the Hebrew nation , we sit down in grief by the waters

of Babylon , and mourn the desecration of Zion ' s sacred hill . With Zerubbabel , we return to the city of the Kings , and rejoice again with burnt offerings and sacrifices .

These , the principal scenes 111 the Masonic allegory , are also epochs in the history of the Jews , and they establish at once a lasting source of interest and a community of feeling between the descendants of Abraham and the members of the Craft . That

such is the case in England is apparent to the most superficial observer , because many excellent professors of the faith which the inspired Isaiah proclaimed in words of fire ,

are , as is well-known , valuable workmen in the Masonic vineyard , and it is needless to add , that their worth is duly appreciated and honoured .

But , unfortunately , in some European countries , the Jews are excluded from the privileges of the Order , from a mistaken impression that Christians only are admissable . Prussia , a great and progressive

nation , is in this respect behind the age , and of course , the minor German States follow suit . This appears very strange , when we consider that Hebrews arc admitted on equal terms to all the benefits of

citizenship in nearly every other country in Europe , and it will not be denied they are most peaceful and law-abiding members of thc community . In Sweden , the same selfish and mistaken policy prevails , but we

look forward with confidence to a change for the better as a result of the alliance now being contracted between the Grand Lodge of England and thc Masonic powers in Sweden . We cannot consent to the

exclusion of any man from Masonry on account of his conscientious religious opinions , ever bearing in mind , nevertheless , the fundamental principles of thc Craft , that he be no " libertine or atheist . "

In the Indian possessions ofGreat Britain , Parsees are freely admitted into the Order , and somcof them have become very eminent Masons . Let us hope , therefore , that the illiberal views entertained by our German

and Swedish brethren will soon be altered b y the logic of facts , and that we shall speedily find them throwing open thc doors of the symbolic temple of Freemasonry to their Jewish fellow-citizens .

Upon no principle of justice can the present system be defended , nor can the faintest reason be adduced to sustain thc policy of exclusion . Thc universality of the Masonic Institution must be vindicated by

the Grand Lodge of England , which has been the steady champion of true progress and freedom . What wc demand for the Hebrew race is no innovation on thc ancient

landmarks of the Craft , but , on the contrary , it will be in compliance with their spirit , and in fulfilment of tlie original design of Freemasonry .

Believers in thc same God , and sharers in thc same hope of immortality , the Jews have an undoubted claim to participate in thc light of the Masonic Order , and if our

feeble advocacy of their rights in this respect shall hasten , by one day , the triumph ' of their cause in Prussia and Sweden , we shall ever regard it as labour well bestowed .