To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

The FREEMASON is a Weekly Newspaper , price ACI . It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful information , relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Subscription , including postage : United America , India . India , China , fcc .

Kingdom , the Continent , & c . Via Brinelisi . Twelvemonths ios . 6 d . 12 s . Cd . 17 s . 4 d . Six ' „ 5 s . 3 d . 6 s . 6 d . 8 s . 8 d . Three „ 2 s . 8 d . 3 s . 3 d . 4 s . 6 d . Subscriptions may be paid for in stamps , but Post

Office Orders or Cheques are preferred , the former payable to GEOUGE KENNING , CHIEF OFFICE , LONDON , the latter crossed London Joint Stock Bank . Advertisements and other business communications should be addressed to the Publisher .

Communications on literary subjects and books for review are to be forwarded to the Editor . Anonymous correspondence will be wholly disregarded , and the return of rejected MSS . cannot be guaranteed . Further information will be supplied on application to hi Publisher , IQ 8 , Fleet-street , London .

Important Notice.

IMPORTANT NOTICE .

It » s very necessary for our readers to advis us of all money orders they remit , more especially those from the United States of America and India 3 otherwise we cannot tell where to credit them . Several P . O . O . ' s are now in hand , but having received no advice we cannot credit them .

To Advertisers.

TO ADVERTISERS .

The FREEMASON has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , its advantages as an advertising medium can therefore scarcely be overrated . ADVERTISEMENTS to ensure insertion in current -week ' s issue should reach the Office , 198 , Fleet-street , by 12 o ' clock on Wednesdays . SCALE OF CHARGES FOR

ADVERTISEMENTS . Whole of back page jf 12 12 o Half , , ,, 6 10 o Inside pages ... 7 7 o Half of ditto 400 Quarter ditto ... ... ... ,. 2 10 o Whole column 2 10 o

Half „ 1 10 o Quarter „ ,. 100 Per inch 050 These prices are for single insertions . A liberal reduction is made for a series of 13 , 26 , and 32 insertions . Further particulars may be obtained of the Publisher , 198 , Fleet-street , London .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

The Anonymous Contributor of 3 , 5 , 7 , is thanked for his spiritual communication .

BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . " Broad Arrow , " " Masonic Record of Western India , " "Alliance News , " "Die Bauhutte , " "Night and Day , " " Hull Packet , " "The Citizen , " "The Civilian , "

"Programme of the Birmingham Musical Festival , " " Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of the State of Indiana . " "Annals of the Grand Lodge of Iowa , " "Thc Hebrew Leader , " " Masonic Newspaper , " " The Canadian Craftsman , " " Keystone . "

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . 6 d . for announcements not exceeding Four Lines under this heading . ]

BIRTHS . BIRLEV . —On the 12 th inst ., at Mitcham House , Mitcham , the wife of Mr . F . H . Birley , Barrister-at-Law , of a daughter . SAUNDERS . —On the 10 th inst ., at Malabar House , Churchend , Finchley , the wife of Mr . Albert Saunders , of a son .

MARRIAGE . EVERETT—FISHER . —On the 6 th inst ., at St . James ' s , Clapham-park , by the Rev . Charles Aubrey Pi ice , George Land , eldest son of George Everett , Esq ., of Clapham-road , to Mary , youngest daughter of the late Henry Fisher , Esq ., of Brooklands , Wandsworthroad .

DEATHS . POLE . —On the 10 th inst ., Mr . Charles R . Van Notten Pole , late of Wyck-hill House , Gloucestershire , in thc 83 rd j ear of his age . QUAYLE . —On the 7 th inst ., at Bognor , Louisa Voung , widow of thc late Rev . T . Quayle , Vicar of Airington , Cambridgeshire !

Ar00609

THEFREEMASON. SATURDAT , AUGUST 16 , 1879 .

Royal Arch Chapters.

ROYAL ARCH CHAPTERS .

The demands for warrants for Royal Arch chapters are happily progressing and progressive at a marked rate of increase . We are glad to note it . It has long been our opinion that the restriction of chapters was unwise and unsound , and that the time had come when every lodge

after twelve months' existence might fairly ask for a charter for a Royal Arch chapter to be attached to it . All lodges , in our opinion , ought to have chapters belonging to them , except in the case where one chapter can be made to do for two lodges , as may well often happen in

London . But the present rule works hardly for Royal Arch Masonry and no better for Craft Masonry . A lodge is founded and consecrated in a good provincial town , twelve months elapse , the lodge is numerous and flourishing , and thirty Master Masons wish to obtain the Royal Arch

Grade . Where can they get it ? Well , they have to go to another town to obtain that which they ought to be enabled to obtain at home . Thus , over and over again , the " status " of the Craft lodge is weakened , because its members going elsewhere for Royal Arch Masonry join

the lodge also elsewhere , and equally the Royal Arch Grade suffers , in so far that a large proportion of Master Masons have never taken the Royal Arch Giade . At this moment not one-twentieth of Master Masons are Royal Arch Masons . And there is no reason for this . The ceremonial

is most interesting , the tradition of the Grade is striking , and all its accessories are both pleasing aud attractive . Indeed , we speak from personal experience , when we say how much pleasure and profit we have found from Royal Arch Masonry , and we can remembei a remark of our good old

friend and companion , John Boyd , which was marked by all his common sense and knowledge of the subject , " that it was quite unaccountable to him why the Royal Arch Degree was so much neglected , as no more beautiful degree existed . " We trust that better days are in store for Royal

Arch Masonry , and we hope that ere long we may hail a removal of all restrictions as to granting Royal Arch charters , which militate with the happy progress and expansion of this stately and picturesque Grade . Twelve months are quite

sufficient time , as we said before , for a lodge to establish its position and exhibit its working qualities , its cohesion , and its concord •nnd we are not without hopes that so reasonable a reform will commend itself ere long both to our rulers and the majority of Grand Chapter .

Scenes At Elections.

SCENES AT ELECTIONS .

We think it right to express our approval of our distinguished Bro . Lieut .-Col . Creaton ' s letter on this subject , as we feel sure that all our readers will share in his surprise and regret at such an expression from our Past G . Chap , Bro . Simpson . Like our esteemed Grand Treasurer , we feel sure that there is some " mistake " in the

matter , and that either our excellent brother has been " imposed upon" by some gossipping brother or sister , or " more hibernico" has "imposed upon himself . " We do not remember seeing Bro . Simpson at many of our Quarterly Courts , and we do not think that he is a life governor of

either the Girls' or the Boys' Schools , but we may be in error on this point . Therefore his remarks must apply to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , and we think we see Bro . Terry ' s face when he realizes that such an imputation rests on the election proceedings of that great Institution he serves so well . We must

leave our esteemed Past Grand Chaplain to the tender mercies of Bro . Terry , who is a host in himself , and we , who have often heard his eloquence and admired his energy , know well , that he is able efficiently to defend both the interests and reputation of a most useful and benevolent Masonic Charity Again we ask , like the Grand Treasurer , what are the " scenes ? "

Truth—Nothing But The Truth.

TRUTH—NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH .

We are immensely amused with the expansive pertinacity with which the editor of Truth affects to assume the position of the " Great Revealer of Masonic Secrets . " It puts one in mind , more than anything else , of the old showman at Greenwich fair , " Walk up , ladies and

gentlemen ; take care , my little dear , you pays your money , and you takes your choice . " There is a flavour of Bohemian audacity about it which is immensely striking . It is quite clear , despite his categorical statements , that the writer knows nothing whatever about Freemasonry , Royal

Arch , or any other , himself , and simply goes to a " crib " for information , which he then with "pompous preludes" declares to be his own original and personal information . In the present instance this excellent and admirable representative of Truth—pure and simple : truth

" semper eadem , " truth one and undefiled , through all changing vicissitudes and startling epochs of the world ' s history—has had recourse to the so-called " Revelations " of that viler impostor Morgan , which have a lie on their brazen front , and are utterly worthless as an

authority , being equally incorrect and contemptible . What a pity it is that when editors will express their opinions on subjects on which they know nothing , they do not get some meritorious but sensible " sub" to post them up in the facts , and to keep them from blunders and fellies of

various kinds . Freemasons , especially Royal Arch Masons , will laugh heartily at this last professed exposure of Masonry , which , like many another of similar savoury antecedents , will go the way of worldly disbelief and oblivion . For us , we regret to see Truth wasting type and

space on such absurd and fictitious statements , which , positively deceptive and unfounded in themselves , are a disgrace to Truth , and a reflection on decent journalism . What can Mr . Laboucherc be about to allow some " Anser Maximus " so to impose on his ignorance and credulity and on that of his patient readers ?

Manners And Morals.

MANNERS AND MORALS .

We feel bound as honest journalists to call attention to a growing evil amongst us all—this haunting of law courts in which spicy or startling cases are heard , this love of the sensational and the morbid , tht questionable and the

unwholesome , which affects so many readers of all classes amongst us just now . There seems to be a tendency to read matters and cases which our forefathers and foremothers carefully eschewed , and some papers devote their publication , ( to please

for instance domestic servants and others ) , to the record of what is criminal , and appalling , or discreditable and debasing . All such sensational narratives are greedily read , ' all such doubtful cases are curiously attended , until , in our humble

opinion , the public taste is greatly vitiated , and personal motals are gravely relaxed amongst us . In a recent melancholy trial , in a well-known court , Sir Henry James , very properly , called attention to the number of ladies attending this

deplorable exhibition , ana we quite concur in the gist and tendency of his appropriate remarks . Certainly such scenes and such trials ought to be avoided by ladies , and nothing can more decidedly point to the decadence of moral feeling amongst

us than this intense desire to listen to evidence in which the basest and the worst passions of human nature are unfolded , in which , as recently , we hear much which is discreditable to honour and morality , degrading to virtue and truth , and

calculated to throw a lasting suspicion on the motives of the professed religious , and to discredit openly the sacred name of religion itself-We cannot commend the publication of such reports and proceedings , because , in our op inion , they tend to deprave public manners , to loosen

private moral .., and to shake to its very foundation the whole fabric of our social existence . 1 ° assume that such a " cancer " exists in the very bosom of society , often hidden , partly unsuspected , which a recent trial exhibits is alike saddening and humiliating to all thoug hifu ' minds , and we cannot too much deplore the fa " that such prurient statements and such mourn '