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SATURDAY , J 16 , IQOO .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

We are glad to find that the very reasonable proposal of Bro . ] . W . Burgess to the effect that the Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge should be held at six instead of seven , has received the cordial support of the Grand Registrar , and was carried unanimously . Except On very special occasions , when

questions of more than usual interest are down for discussion , there is no reason why under the new rules the business should not be concluded by about 7 or 7 . 30 p . m ., or at about the hour heretofore fixed for it to commence ; and if the further proposal submitted by Bro . G . W . Speth as a rider , but not tacked on to the original motion for obvious reasons , were submitted

Masonic Notes.

at some future meeting , there would be a further curtailment of the time occupied . Bro . Speth ' s proposal , it will be remembered , was that the minutes of the previous communication should be printed and circulated among those attending Grand Lodge , thereby doing away with the necessity for their being read by the Grand Secretary .

» » In our remarks on the proceedings in Mark Grand Lodge on Tuesday , the 5 th instant , we omitted to note that a letter from Sir Francis Knollys , the Prince

of Wales ' s Secretary , expressing his Royal Highness ' s thanks for the address of congratulation voted at the special communication on the 27 th April , on the Prince ' s escape from assassination was read and received with the most enthusiastic acclamations of

those present . « » * We further note that Bro . the Hon . Alan de Tatton Egerton , M . P ., Prov . Grand Mark Master of Cheshire , has been appointed in succession to Bro . Viscount Dungarvan , the Dep . Grand Master of Mark Grand Lodge . Both the late and the present Deputies are

Mark Masons of exceptional distinction , Lord Dungarvan having been Prov . Grand Mark Master of Kent for . the last four years as well as Deputy Grand Master , while Bro . the Hon . A . de Tatton Egerton is a Past Grand Warden of the Degree , and his patent as Prov . Grand Mark Master bears date the 27 th January , 18 97 .

» * Bro . W . H . Spaull , P . A . G . D . C , Prov . G . Secretary of Shropshire , deserves credit for calling attention to the exceptionally large number of unused votes at the recent Benevolent Elections . For the Male Fund close upon 23 , 000 out of the 142 , 000 votes issued

were unpolled , while in the case of the Widows Fund the difference was still more marked , the new votes issued being not far short of 133 , 000 , of which about 31 , 500 were unpolled . In other words , taking the two Funds together , about S 4 , Soo were unpolled out of

some 275 , 000 . The total polled for the Unsuccessful Men and Widows , including those brought forward in many cases from previous elections , did not greatly exceed 40 , 500 . The fact , as he very pointedly remarks , " does not say much for the exertions of those interested in the Unsuccessful candidates . "

The Order of the Secret Monitor appears to be prospering under the able rule of the Earl of Warwick . His lordship remarked that the Order , which is on terms of amity with all other Masonic Bodies , would be all the better for an increase in numbers , but , even

in its present circumstances , it must be doing well . We judge so at least from the announcement that it is in contemplation to start a Benevolent Fund in connection with the Order , in behalf of which a Festival will be held some time during the autumn .

* * The Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution held their regular monthly meeting at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , the 13 th instant . There was a fair attendance of members , under the presidency of Bro . John T . 0 .

Winkheld , D . L ., P . A . G . D . C , and the business on the Agenda Paper was transacted . Four Petitions ( two Male and two Female ) were considered , with the result that one of the men ' s was deferred for further information and the other three accepted . The Committee also had under their consideration the case of the two Widows who at the recent election tied for third

place among the unsuccessful candidates and shared between them the , £ 5 given by the Emulation Lodge of Improvement ; and we are glad to find that the suggestion wc threw out has been acted upon , the Committee voting a second £ 5 , so that each of the ladies should have the full benefit of the Emulation gift .

» * » It is to be regretted that Romish newspapers—by which we mean those newspapers which devote themselves to the promotion of Roman Catholicism—cannot leave Freemasonry alone , but insist on attacking it and its principles on every possible occasion , both in

season and out of season . It is proverbially hard to kick against the pricks , and these organs of the Romish do their cause more' harm than good by the war they think it necessary to be always waging against our Society . It was only a short while since that our

attention was called to one of these attacks , but on looking through the arti cle , which was sent us for our perusal , we found it was merely a repetition of what we had read before , times out of number . Since then some one has kindly favoured us with an article on " The Order of Masons , " which professes to give in

Masonic Notes.

more elaborate form than usual an " Historical Sketch of its Development" with " Its Aims and Ends ; " but there is nothing new in it , and very very little that is true . • •

The fact is people nowadays are too well informed to stand this kind of thing . There is nothing to be gained by affirming that Freemasons are opposed to Religion and constituted Authority , when almost everyone knows that a large proportion of those who are most deeply interested in the development of

Religions and the maintenance of the State are Freemasons . There are many of our statesmen , Church dignitaries , judges , men of literature , men of science , and others who are known to all who care to trouble themselves about these matters , as Drominent

members of " The Order of Masons , " and these only laugh at the nonsense which appears in the venomous attacks on Masonry which are published in these ultra-Romish papers . » * *

We have received copy of the proceedings of the District Grand Lodge of Madras at a regular Communication held at the Masonic Hall on the 28 th February last , under the presidency of Bro . Col . Sir George Moore , Dist . G . M . Ic appears from this record that the District , though it has made no progress

numerically , has at all events held its own , while the Dist . G . Treasurer ' s statement shows that financially its position is sound , there being a balance on the General Fund of about 4400 rupees , and on the Dist . G . Charity Fund of 516 rupees , the latter having an invested sum of 20 , 600 rupees as compared with

20 , 400 rupees in the previous year . All the Returns and Dues to the close of 18 99 had been received . On the recommendation of the District Board of General Purposes a sum of 1000 rupees was voted to the South African Relief Fund , and the sum has since been announced in our weekly Return of Contributions .

The District Grand Master delivered a brief address in the course of which he congratulated the meeting on the satisfactory position of the Craft in the District . Appended to this address is a report of the Dep . District Grand Master as to the visits , he had paid to the lodges during the year , and from this it is

evident that the lodges generally are doing their work well . The aggregate membership of the 24 lodges returned as working is 791 , as against 789 in 18 98 , or about 33 members per lodge , which , considering the special difficulties which attend our lodges in India , is a very good average .

The Australasian Keystone for the month of March contains full reports ot the Q uarterly Communication of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria on the 14 th of the month , and of that of the United Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons on the 2 nd March . At the former Bro . A . J . Peacock , formerly Pro G . Master ,

was declared du ly elected M . W . G . M ., he being the only brother who had been nominated for the office . From the G . Secretary ' s Report it appears there are 7740 subscribing members of lodges in this jurisdiction , of whom 3284 belong to metropolitan , and 4456 to country lodges . The Grand Secretary ' s Statement showed that there were balances on the

General Benevolent Funds amounting . together to £ 6984 , that on the former being £ 3 6 3 , and that on the latter £ 6621 . In the case of the United Mark Grand Lodge , Bro . E . Coulson , who has lost his son in South Africa , and was , therefore , unable to be present , was re-elected M . W . G . Master , and a vote of condolence was passed to him , the brethren standing to order while the G . Organist played the Dead March .

* # # The same number of the Australasian Keystone contains a short " communicated" article on the " Introduction of Freemasonry into Victoria , " showing what steps were taken , and by whom and when , to establish the first English lodge in Melbourne .

This was the Australia Felix Lodge , formerly No . 474 on the register of our Grand Lodge , but now No . 1 on that of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria . The dispensation to form this lodge was obtained from the Provincial Grand Lodge—subsequently District Grand Lodge—of Sydney , and under it the lodge was

constituted on the 25 th March , 1840 , the English Grand Lodge warrant being dated a year later . During the first year of its existence it met 28 times , mostly on emergency , initiated 50 candidates , and was further strengthened by the addition to its roll of 30 joining

members , so that with the founders , who were about 20 in number , the lodge mustered about 100 in 12 months . Our only regret in respect of this article—which is signed " P . G . C" —is that it is so short , and that ther is nothing to show that it will be continued