Provincial Grand Lodge Of East Lancashire.

his place in the chair was taken by P . P . G . W . J . L . Hine . Bro . Hine next gave the toast of "The Masonic Charities , " which was responded to by Bro . Terry , Secretary of the Royal Benevolent Institution , and Bro . Binckes , Secretary of the

Masonic Boys School , London . Song ( by desire ) by Bro . Wroe , " A Mason ' s True Jewels . " Bro . Hine next proposed "The Provincial Grand Stewards , " which was responded to by

Bro . Frank Ainsworth . Glee , by Bros . Edmondson , Bailey , Lovatt" Willie brewed a peck o' maut . " The toast of "The Ladies" was proposed in very gracious terms by Bro . Pilkington , P . M ., and responded to by Bro . Walter Pennington , W . M . 678 .

The last toast on the list , " All poor and distressed Masons , " was given by Bro . Hine . Bro . Dumville next sang " The Final Toast " which brought the banquet to a close .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do not hold our .-elves responsible for , nr even as reproving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but wo wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . J

MASONS' MARKS . To the Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — I have hesitated not a little before resolvingto addresstoyouafew words in reply to a letter on Masons' Marks , which appeared in the

Freemason , of 18 th February ( p . 234 ) , signed " A Masonic Student , " for I do not think it generally advisable to carry on controversy with any one who has the meanness to descend to personal abuse ; and I was very much inclined to think that the letter of " A Masonic Student" could

produce little impression on the mind of any intelligent Freemason , except to disgust him by its low abusiveness , to amuse him by the selfconceit which it displays , and to astonish him by the extraordinary blundering of which it is full . " Self-praise is no honour , " it is said ; but our Student Brother seems to be of a different

opinion , and sounds his own trumpet loudly enough . However , when he takes credit to himself for his diligence in the study of Masons ' Marks , saying " I have probably studied Masons ' Marks far longer and far more carefully than Bro . Paton , " I feel no inclination whatever to

dispute the point . I am willing to give him credit for the utmost assiduity in the study , and for having persevered in it for years enough to make him quite a remarkable student ; but I cannot help reflecting that mere time and diligence in study will not produce very

satisfactory results without something else . Perhaps he has heard the story of a great painter who being asked by an aspirant for artistic fame what he mixed his colours with , replied "with brains , sir ! " How far this ingredient has entered into the composition of "A Masonic Student ' s letter they may judge Avho read it . "

Permit me , however , to point out that he has fallen into utter confusion as to the state of the question on which he professes to write . He says : — "Bro . Chalmers I . Paton ori ginally asserted that all Mason ' s Marks must have even points . " Most certainly , I asserted no such

thing . I suppose that by " even points" the Student means an even number of points , although the expression used does not very clearly convey that , nor any other meaning . Everyone who has read what has previously appeared in the Freemason on this subject , must

know that instead of asserting that all Mason ' s Marks mnst have an even number of points , I asserted the very opposite , that they must have an odd number of points , and to this it is that the whole controversy relates . Far be it from me to suppose that " A Masonic Student"

consciously and deliberately made a statement directly contrary to the truth . I onl y suppose him to have got bewildered , like a man in a muddled condition , who does not know very well where he is or where he wants to go . 1 mi ght have imagined that the word even , in the

Original Correspondence.

sentence which I have quoted , was written by a slip of the pen for odd ; but other things which follow forbid the entertainment of this opinion , as , for example , when we read : — " In operative Masonry there is no such rule as even points , in speculative Masonry there is no trace of such a

custom , " a statement on which it is evidently unnecessary for me to make any observation , beyond this that it makes the proof of bewilderment complete . "A Masonic Student" is pleased to speak of my " noisy asseveration and overbearing

assertion , " and resolutely declares that he for one never intends to allow auy one , so long as he is able to hold a pen , "to mislead the Craft , either by absurd pretensions to infallibility or by idle claims to authority . " Now he ought to be aware ,

if he has read and is capable of understanding the letters on which he seems to animadvert , that I adduced proofs and authorities in support of the assertions which I made , that I referred to the authority of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and of the best writers on Masonic

History , dead and alive , both in England and in America , whereas he indulges in assertions unsustained by any proof or authority whatever , and in favour of which he brings forward no semblance of Masonic argument . It is he that

is misleading or attempting to mislead the Craft , not I . I am inclined to think that he is not a Mark Mason himself , and that amidst all his Masonic studies , he has never read Laurie ' s History of Mark Masonry . It is plain that he has not recently looked into Bro . D . M . Lyon ' s

book , as the fac-similes of marks there all belong to operative Masonry , and to the period from A . D . 1 , 599 , to A . D . 1 CSo , and there is nothing in the whole volume to afford countenance to any of the views he apparently wishes to maintain . And if he is an English Freemason , it is quite

evident that he is not acquainted with Bro . Oliver ' s landmarks . He writes about a subject of which it is evident that he knows nothing , and all his tall talk does not conceal his ignorance of the difference between operative and speculative Masonry .

The brother who wrote the chapter on Masons ' Marks in Laurie ' s History of Freemasonry is Bro . Andrew Kerr , Past Master No . S , S . C , and it was he whom I adduced as an authority for the opinion which I expressed , and have seen no reason to change , that a Mason ' s Mark of the

present period ought always to consist of an odd number of points . It is amusing to see how , " A Masonic Student " refers to Bro . Hughan , as a great authority in Masonry , and how Bro . Hughan , in a letter which appeared in The Freemason of 25 th April , returns the compliment to tlie Student . But it

all conies to this , that they have studied the subject , and they know , and therefore all other brethren must take their word for it . I hope many brethren will prefer to enquire for themselves , and to consider the evidence adduced . Yours fraternally , CHALMERS I . PATON .

A CAUTION . To the Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , I should feel obliged if you will find space in your next Saturday ' s issue for this letter .

A foreigner who professes to be a distressed Alsatian , has been travelling about this province selling French poplins , cloth , & c , which he says have been given to him b y his brother , who he says is a manufacturer at Lyons , to sell , in order to pay his expenses to the French colony

in Canada . During my absence he victimised my wife to the tune of { £ 3 ros ., for a dress ; on my return home , I fortunately found the individual , and compelled him to take back the dress and refund the money ; he then attempted to pass himself off" as a Mason , at the same

time telling me he would , as a brother Mason , let me have the dress for £ 1 ios . Of course , I did not accept his fraternal offering , and fortunately , for after his departure a similar dress bought by another lad y in this place was found to be utter rubbish ( she gave him st ? 3 ios . for it I . Amongst other things , he suc-

Original Correspondence.

ceeded in obtaining ios . from a very worthy and Rev . brother of my acquaintance by passing himself off as a distressed French Mason . He is a man about 48 years old , thick set , rather over the average height , full face , clean

shaven , with the exception of a moustache . He presents cards of numerous people in the neighbourhood , many of which , I hear , have been surreptitiously obtained . He sends in a neat little card ! with his name , over the name

is a crest . In this neighbourhood he presents a letter of introduction which he has obtained by misrepresentation from a lady highly connected , and which letter , much to her annoyance , has led to

his making victims of many of her friends . I may say that the letter is supposed to be signed Alice Barrington , or Alice E . Barrington . His victims in this nei ghbourhood are legion , his gentlemanly bearing and language gaining him an easy access everywhere . Fraternally yours , HERBERT BUSY HODGES . P . P . S . G . W ., Herts .

THE MELROSE LODGE . ( 7 b the Editor of the Freemason . ) Dear Sir and Brother , — After reading the letters of " Fraternal Justice , " at page 2 , 34 of your issue for April 1 Sth , 1 waited to see if there was to be any more in the same style before answering . There

has been none , so in answer to " Fraternal Justice , " I may say that his letters are sufficiently answered already at page 206 . As to his assertion that he is •"' prepared to present me with a bone which I may not find easy to masticate , " I beg to say that the onl y "bone " in the case worth spending time upon is the old

minute-books and papers of the lodge . If he is able to give me a proper chance of " masticating " them , I am willing to try what I can do . In case , however , the effect of my teeth might be dreaded , pray give Bro . VV . J . Hughan the opportunity of dealing with the subject . I understand that a number of the Melrose

Masons are ready to join the Grand Lodge of Scotland , if they get what they want , but for them to have the audacity and presumption to aim at getting in as No . o , and before the lodge of Edinburgh , Mary ' s Chapel , is simply ludicrous . No doubt they may point to the

Kilwinning Lodge as a precedent , and say that if fortune rewarded her pretensions with success , she may also equall y favour them , if they will only be persistent enough and adopt the same course , coming in with all , their illegitt mate children under the paternal coat tails just

as the other so gracefully sailed in with all her ' s under her petticoat ! I am afraid , however , that the times have now changed , and lhat the Grand Lodge of Scotland will now see it to be more to her true interests to deal out " Fraternal Justice " with a faithful hand than to adopt what I consider to be the unfair course she took in A . n .

1807 . And although fortune favoured the Kilwinning Lodge then , it is quite possible that this Melrose agitation now going on is simply the fair Nemesis shaking her whip over the back of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , and threatening to bring it down , as the settlement for past misdeeds . I am , Yours fraternally , MASONICUS .

OPENING OF THE INFIRMARY FOR WIGAN AND DISTRICT . —On Thursday week , the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary , erected at a cost ( including furnishing ) of £ 29 , 500 , was formally opened for the reception of patients , and , at the same time , the first annual general meeting of

subscribers was held . The report placed the deficiency between subscriptions and expenditure at £ 3 , 200 . Of this sum £ r , ooo was written oft' at the meeting . It was stated that the sum required to carry on the institution would be

about £ 1 , 800 per annum , and the endowment fund , after the sale of the old dispensary , would probably be £ 6 , 000 . Hospital Saturday and Sunday had this year produced £ 783 , and in addition there were the annual sqbscriptions .