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Article Original Correspondence. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Original Correspondence. Page 2 of 2 Article REVIEWS Page 1 of 2 Article REVIEWS Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
STATUS OF P . M . ' s . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — As the question of the status of P . M . 's has not only been so ably argued by your correspondents , but is also likely to attract a great deal ¦ cjf attention in the
forthcoming revision of the Book of Constitutions , I venture , with your permission , to place my own case before you and your readers . 1 st . 1 have served the several offices leading to the W . M . ' s chair , and having been elected to that office , have filled it for the full period of twelve months and have
assisted to install my successor . 2 nd . Through inopportune circumstances I vvas compelled to resign my membership of the lodge , and for three years I have not subscribed to that or any other lodge . 3 rd . Of course I know that I am struck off the list of members of Grand Lodge ; but what 1 want to know is
—what would be my status providing I were to rejoin my old lodge , or to join another one ? Could I claim to wear my P . M . ' s apron and jewel ? and should I be eligible to be elected to the chair of a lodge without again serving as a Warden ? I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally ,
S . VV . CHALMERS . 1 , Market-street , Stafford , ( Some time VV . M . 726 . ) September 13 th .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — It is related of Nelson at the battle of Copenhagen , when his attention vvas drawn to a signal he wished not to observe , that he put his blind eye to the glass , and exclaimed , " Really I can't see it ! "
Some of your correspondents put their blind eye to what has been clearly set forth in this discussion ; permit me , therefore , another effort to make plainer what to most is plain enough already . In previous letters it has been clearly shown that the Book of Constitutions deals plainly with the status of Past
Masters , in relation —( istly ) to Grand Lodge ; ( zndly ) to Prov . Grand Lodge ; ( 3 rdly ) to the lodges wherein they filled the chair of W . M . ; ( 4 thly ) it has been clearly shown that Past Masters who join other lodges have all the privileges , save one , of the Past Masters of such lodges ; ( sthly ) it has been clearly shown what this one exceptional
privilege is , viz ., " the right to take the chair in the absence of the VV . M ., " such right being at present restricted to Past Masters of the lodge ; and ( Gthly ) , the question , " Ought joining Past Masters to have this particular privilege ? " has been propounded as a fair subject for discussion . " But , " says M . M ., " I do not see that this question , "
i . e ., the status of Past Masters , " is at all nearer solution . The difference between a Past Master of a . lodge and a Past Master in a lodge" ( i . e ., a joining Past Master ) " has not been sufficiently observed , and the dilemma has neither been met nor removed . " Now , Sir , if the status of all joining Past Masters has been
shown , the status of the individual Past Master quoted by " M . M . " has been also shown ; for , what is predicated of a whole class is also predicated of each individual in that class . However , as some brethren will not make inferences for themselves , we will endeavour by using the syllogistic form of argument , to make inferences for them .
We have already divided Past Masters into three classes : 1 . Past Masters who remain in the lodges wherein they acquired rank . 2 . Past Masters who withdraw from , or , to quote "M . M . " " give up their lodges . "
3 . Past Masters who still holding Grand Lodge status , join other lodges . With classses 1 and 2 this discussion is not concerned ; for class 1 retain all their privileges , and class 2 forfeit all their privileges ; so we have only to do with class 3 . Bearing this in mind , we will proceed to state the
argument in the form proposed , thus : All joining Past Masters have the same privileges , save one , as the Past Masters (/ the lodge they join . " M . M . " is a joining Past Master . Therefore , " M . M . " has the same privileges , save one , as the Past Masters of the lodge he has joined .
As we have already shown what this one exceptional privilege is , there is really nothing left to solve ; and the socalled dilemma disappears . All that remains for discussion is the question propounded in par . G of this letter . " M . M . " puts the case of " a Past Master who has given up his two previous lodges , and is suspended in a third . "
But , giving up two , or two hundred lodges , has little or nothing to do with the subject . It is not the giving 11 p of lodges , but the joining of lodges which has given rise to the whole controversy . " A Past Master suspended in a third lodge " is too ambiguous for rational argument . No brother , whether a Past
Master or not , can be suspended except fora grave Masonic offence . It is unlikely that " M . M . " means this ; but wliat he does mean is quite an open question . Bro . Richardson expresses " surprise that a Past Master should lose his rank on resigning the lodge in
which he earned it . " A Past Master cannot lose his rank-Once a Past Master , always a Past Master , is as good Masonic law , as , " once a Mason , always a Mason . " But , whilst a brother cannot lose his rank as a Past Master ; he "lay , by withdrawal , forfeit the status and privileges attached to such rank during membership .
Original Correspondence.
The membership which is requisite to acquire such status and privileges , is necessary to retain them . For , as without membership they never would have been gained ; so , without membership , they cannot be retained . Some brethren state that they cannot see the difference between a Past Master of a lodge ; and a Past Master in 1 .
a lodge , i . e . a joining Past Master . And yet to many , the difference is " as plain as way to parish church . " We will again have recourse to the syllogism . Those brethren only can be Past Masters of any given lodge , who have been duly elected and installed as Worshi pful Masters thereof , and executed their office for a year .
A . B ., although a joining Past Master , has not been elected and installed as Worshipful Master of such given lodge , nor has he executed his office therein for a year . Therefore : A . B . is not a Past Master of such lodge . Nor can he be , if words have any meaning , any more
than he can be Ex-Lord Mayor of London without previous election to , and serving of the office ; though he may be an Alderman , and an Ex-Lord Mayor of York and Dublin to boot . Yours fraternally , E . T . BUDDEN .
CROWN WINDFALLS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — A parliamentary return recently issued shows that during the year 1 SS 1 there was received by the Treasury solicitor , on behalf of the Crown , in respect of the estates
of persons dying without known next of kin the sum of £ 64 , 227 5 s . iod . Since the passing of the Treasury Solicitor ' s Act , 1 S 76 , the receipts have been as follows : 1 S 77 , £ 127 , 875 19 s . 1 id . ; 1 S 7 S , £ 139 , 769 9 S . 3 d- ; 1 S 79 , £ 140 , 879 3 s . 56 . ; iSSo , £ 5 S , 44 S 13 s . lid ., so that during five years more than half a million sterling has thus accrued .
After payment of the Crown ' s share , grants to persons having claims on the bounty of the Crown , costs , & c , there remained a balance in hand of £ 177 , 374 . 5 s . iod . These estates are only held by the Crown till legitimate claimants appear , and I venture to think that future returns might give a little fuller information , so that persons
interested could , without trouble , obtain all necessary information to enable them to substantiate their claims . The following notice was given last Session : — " Sir Herbert Maxwell—intestates Estates Reverting to the Crown—Return showing the total amount received on
behalf of the Crown since the passing of the * Treasury Solicitor Act , 1 S 7 G , with the names and addresses of intestates ; also the names and addresses of intestates whose estates are in course of administration , with the amount of each estate . "
This notice will , I hope , be renewed next Session . The return suggested would prove invaluable to the public , as many persons interested fail to see the advertisements issued by the Treasury solicitor . I may add that an Act
just passed transfers to the Exchequer an extraordinary " windfall , " namely , no less than £ 143 , 272 11 s . 2 d ., arising from fractions of a penny on dividends on the National Debt , it not being customary to pay fractions of a penny on Government Stocks .
Yours Sc . EDWARD PRESTON . ( Author of " Unclaimed Money . " ) 1 , Great College-street , Westminster , September 5 th .
Reviews
REVIEWS
GLIMPSES OF OUR ANCESTORS IN SUSSEX , etc By CHAPLES FLEET . Farncombe and Co ., Printers , Lewes , Sussex . Glimpses of the life and habits , the words and ways of our ancestors , is equally valuable and welcome for all thinking students , whether of past or present . It is the sign of a weak or a vacant mind when all that is antique or byegone represents to some vacuous loiterer here nothing
but an unknown quantity of rubbish or boredom , while it is a betokening of culture and understanding , sure and straightforward , when older days have an interest for us , and we can ourselves be moved and fascinated , even amid the engrossing claims of to-day and to-morrow , by the memories and realization of other scenes , ages , and persons , dead and buried , past and forgotten . We are aware that some writers have liked to throw ridicule over the
pursuits and tendencies of the antiquary and the archaeologist , the insatiable acquisitions of a Bibliomaniac , and the untiring researches of a Dryasdust . But we beg leave to say that when , as to-day , so many hurtful amusements and pernicious dissipations affect our waking and sleeping hours , occupy our thoughts , absorb our time , and empty our pockets , few are so simple and satisfactory , none more seasonable and refreshing , than those which bid us linger ,
nothing loath , in the debateable ground , and sometimes fairy realms of ancient traditions , faded realities , the shadowland of archaeological research , and often dark conjecture . Mr . Fleet , who is the author of other works , has succeeded in obtaining a second edition for his book , which takes us back to Sussex Diarists and Sussex worthies of all kinds . We would make one remark here , —three classes Mr . Fleet
has , to a great extent , omitted , which would have added interest to his work , namely , the Sussex landowners , the Sussex clergy , and the Sussex yeomen . For though it may be quite ri g ht to mention " Sussex smugglers " and Sussex specialities of character , yet vvc would prefer much to hear of those great classes which have lent calm steadfastness and gives such silent progress to that quiet county , than to be told of Sussex Regicides , or—can we make bold to say
Reviews
it—Sussex poets . Sussex itself , with its Downs and its sheep , its farms and lanes , its ancestral homes and rural parsonages , has a greater attraction for us , as we grasp it in its _ reality and entirety , than even a good-humoured gossip about Sussex sheep-shearers , or learned statistics about Sussex iron - masters . Still the book has great interest for all students : of the past , nay , for all readers , inasmuch as in the
. diaries of the Rev . Giles Moore , Thomas Turner , Anthony Stapley , Walter Gale , Leonard Gale , Thomas Marchant , Councillor Burrell , and Dr . Burton , we have records drawn from the very life and thought of contrasted classes—• the squire , the clergyman , the , professor , the barrister , the shop-keeper , the school-master . the yeoman , the iron-master , more or less nearly all Sussex grades of society , replete with reality , full of information , and abounding with
lifelike touches of the manner of speech , thought , habits of life , homes of and temper , social hospitality ] which give a characteristic tone and colouring of temper to those past generations and those forgotten times . The earliest diary begins in 16 55 ; the others go on from the end of the seventeenth to the end of the eighteenth century . And what scenes do the chroniclers tell us of , " currente Calamo ? " What sights have they witnessed ? VVhatchantres
have they gone through ? There was the rising of the Puritan spirit and hypocrisy which led to the murder of King Charles ; the tyranny of the Commonwealth ; the reaction _ and profligacy of a portion of society in the Restoration epoch ; the Jesuit policy of James ; the advent of William of Nassau ; the final settlement of the House of Brunswiclc on the throne , and the efforts of the Stuarts , which failed , as if a doom was on their ill-fated
race . These diaries throw a wonderful light on the social characteristic and habits of those days , far truer than the caricatures of Macaulay or the deliberate burlesques of theatrical jesters . It has been said that whereas as with our ancestors the dinners were hot and the welcome hearty , now the menu is cold and the reception formal . There may be a scintilla of truth in all this ; and , no doubt , much of society now is very stereotyped and artificial indeed ;
not society for society sake , but sacrificed to the evil genius of "Mrs . Grundy , " and " good and bad form . " Still , who can venture to deny that matters are changed much for the better ? The times when all the men got drunk habitually every evening , and the ladies as habitually retired to tea , cards , and scandal , have long since happily passed away . Such grosser vices have disappeared , leaving , no doubt , in their stead more refined
ones . Society still has , no doubt , its bad and its dark side , its open or secret scandals , its hateful libels and cruel slanders , and much of materiality and immorality . But culture has taken the place of ignorance , and general decorum of open excesses . And , ' as wise men , let us be contended with small blessings . Let us not always be reaching after the unattainable ; let us learn the great truth that all amelioration is gradual , and all true progress
slow ; and while we are not insensible lo greater or lesser shades of evil amongst us , around us , above us , beneath us , let us take things as they are , make the best of them , do the best we can ourselves for them and in them , and neither ape a needless fanaticism , nor seek to be preternaturally wise . We thank Mr . Fleet for an entertaining and valuable volume , which deserves study and merits thought .
HISTORY OF THE ANCHOR AND HOPE LODGE , No . 37 , Bolton . By Bros . G . F . BROCKBANK and J . NEWTON . Thomas Morris , Oxford-street , Bo ! ton-le-Moors . We gladly welcome and cordially acknowledge this careful compilation by two brethren . Bro . Newton is wellknown as a Masonic student and Masonic writer , and we thank him once again for a very valuable contribution to
lodge history and lodge life in England . Unfortunately , the pages of the Freemason are limited , and we could hardly do justice to the little book in this column . We trust that a fuller review of it may find a place in the next " Masonic Monthly . " And then there ' are reviews and reviews , and we never ourselves feel quite sure whether the mere clever dovetailing of extracts together contributes a proper review or purview of a work . There is far too
much ready-made second-hand information given to us all to-day in the "padding " which fills up serials and journals , and which too often serves as a very weak " pabulum mentis , " for those who eloquently and " illigantly discoorse " on what they have neither taken the pains to read , nor have they the " nous" to understand . There are however points of special interest in this history for the Masonic archaeologist , which is neither ri ght nor safe to
overlook or ignore . First there is the antiquity of the warrant , under which the brethren of No . 37 are still working , and of which a copy is given , and which is probably the oldest original document of this character now in existence . Secondly , we have here the direct use of Montacute , to which we call Bro . Jacob Norton ' s special attention , and will now say no more on this head at present . Thirdly , we have the fact of the Royal Arch worked in a modern lodge in 1767 , which , explain it as you will , is a very startling fact . For at this time , as far as we knowthis special
, nomenclature of the grade vvas repudiated by the Modem Grand Lodge , and though worked by the " Antients , " ( in fact the distinguishing feature of the schism ) , was a forbidden display of the " higher secrets of Masonry , " in the Modern system . We can only suppose that there was more intercommunication and friendship between the two Grand Lodges in the provinces than was possible in London . The charge for admission vvas 5 s . Gd ., and the three
brethren exalted at Warrington , in 1707 , seemed , between ! 7 G 7 and 1774 , to have exalted twenty-four brethren at Bolton . The history of No . 37 begins , as we said before , with 1732 , though its first extant minute book only commences in 1 7 > 5- There is , however , in possession of Bro . ] . Newton , P . Prov . S . G . D ., an original copy of Pines ' s engraved list of 1734 , which originally belonged to Edward Entwisle , and has the initials E . E . on it , on a silver clasp , also the square level , and plumb rule . It is 6 . | - inches long by 2 . V wide '
bound in cloth and with gilt edges . In this work it is stated that the lodge was 105 , meeting at a private room at Bolton in 1 734 , the warrant being of date 1732 , though that locale cannot be quite accurately identified now . On the evidence of Mrs . Mary Fielding , in whose possession this relic vvas atone time" and whose memory went back to the eighteenth century , the place of meeting is believed to have been " in Church-gate , opposite the Man and Scythe Inn . Mrs . 1 'ielding further stated , that in those days the brethren assembled in white gloves with long cuffs or
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
STATUS OF P . M . ' s . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — As the question of the status of P . M . 's has not only been so ably argued by your correspondents , but is also likely to attract a great deal ¦ cjf attention in the
forthcoming revision of the Book of Constitutions , I venture , with your permission , to place my own case before you and your readers . 1 st . 1 have served the several offices leading to the W . M . ' s chair , and having been elected to that office , have filled it for the full period of twelve months and have
assisted to install my successor . 2 nd . Through inopportune circumstances I vvas compelled to resign my membership of the lodge , and for three years I have not subscribed to that or any other lodge . 3 rd . Of course I know that I am struck off the list of members of Grand Lodge ; but what 1 want to know is
—what would be my status providing I were to rejoin my old lodge , or to join another one ? Could I claim to wear my P . M . ' s apron and jewel ? and should I be eligible to be elected to the chair of a lodge without again serving as a Warden ? I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally ,
S . VV . CHALMERS . 1 , Market-street , Stafford , ( Some time VV . M . 726 . ) September 13 th .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — It is related of Nelson at the battle of Copenhagen , when his attention vvas drawn to a signal he wished not to observe , that he put his blind eye to the glass , and exclaimed , " Really I can't see it ! "
Some of your correspondents put their blind eye to what has been clearly set forth in this discussion ; permit me , therefore , another effort to make plainer what to most is plain enough already . In previous letters it has been clearly shown that the Book of Constitutions deals plainly with the status of Past
Masters , in relation —( istly ) to Grand Lodge ; ( zndly ) to Prov . Grand Lodge ; ( 3 rdly ) to the lodges wherein they filled the chair of W . M . ; ( 4 thly ) it has been clearly shown that Past Masters who join other lodges have all the privileges , save one , of the Past Masters of such lodges ; ( sthly ) it has been clearly shown what this one exceptional
privilege is , viz ., " the right to take the chair in the absence of the VV . M ., " such right being at present restricted to Past Masters of the lodge ; and ( Gthly ) , the question , " Ought joining Past Masters to have this particular privilege ? " has been propounded as a fair subject for discussion . " But , " says M . M ., " I do not see that this question , "
i . e ., the status of Past Masters , " is at all nearer solution . The difference between a Past Master of a . lodge and a Past Master in a lodge" ( i . e ., a joining Past Master ) " has not been sufficiently observed , and the dilemma has neither been met nor removed . " Now , Sir , if the status of all joining Past Masters has been
shown , the status of the individual Past Master quoted by " M . M . " has been also shown ; for , what is predicated of a whole class is also predicated of each individual in that class . However , as some brethren will not make inferences for themselves , we will endeavour by using the syllogistic form of argument , to make inferences for them .
We have already divided Past Masters into three classes : 1 . Past Masters who remain in the lodges wherein they acquired rank . 2 . Past Masters who withdraw from , or , to quote "M . M . " " give up their lodges . "
3 . Past Masters who still holding Grand Lodge status , join other lodges . With classses 1 and 2 this discussion is not concerned ; for class 1 retain all their privileges , and class 2 forfeit all their privileges ; so we have only to do with class 3 . Bearing this in mind , we will proceed to state the
argument in the form proposed , thus : All joining Past Masters have the same privileges , save one , as the Past Masters (/ the lodge they join . " M . M . " is a joining Past Master . Therefore , " M . M . " has the same privileges , save one , as the Past Masters of the lodge he has joined .
As we have already shown what this one exceptional privilege is , there is really nothing left to solve ; and the socalled dilemma disappears . All that remains for discussion is the question propounded in par . G of this letter . " M . M . " puts the case of " a Past Master who has given up his two previous lodges , and is suspended in a third . "
But , giving up two , or two hundred lodges , has little or nothing to do with the subject . It is not the giving 11 p of lodges , but the joining of lodges which has given rise to the whole controversy . " A Past Master suspended in a third lodge " is too ambiguous for rational argument . No brother , whether a Past
Master or not , can be suspended except fora grave Masonic offence . It is unlikely that " M . M . " means this ; but wliat he does mean is quite an open question . Bro . Richardson expresses " surprise that a Past Master should lose his rank on resigning the lodge in
which he earned it . " A Past Master cannot lose his rank-Once a Past Master , always a Past Master , is as good Masonic law , as , " once a Mason , always a Mason . " But , whilst a brother cannot lose his rank as a Past Master ; he "lay , by withdrawal , forfeit the status and privileges attached to such rank during membership .
Original Correspondence.
The membership which is requisite to acquire such status and privileges , is necessary to retain them . For , as without membership they never would have been gained ; so , without membership , they cannot be retained . Some brethren state that they cannot see the difference between a Past Master of a lodge ; and a Past Master in 1 .
a lodge , i . e . a joining Past Master . And yet to many , the difference is " as plain as way to parish church . " We will again have recourse to the syllogism . Those brethren only can be Past Masters of any given lodge , who have been duly elected and installed as Worshi pful Masters thereof , and executed their office for a year .
A . B ., although a joining Past Master , has not been elected and installed as Worshipful Master of such given lodge , nor has he executed his office therein for a year . Therefore : A . B . is not a Past Master of such lodge . Nor can he be , if words have any meaning , any more
than he can be Ex-Lord Mayor of London without previous election to , and serving of the office ; though he may be an Alderman , and an Ex-Lord Mayor of York and Dublin to boot . Yours fraternally , E . T . BUDDEN .
CROWN WINDFALLS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — A parliamentary return recently issued shows that during the year 1 SS 1 there was received by the Treasury solicitor , on behalf of the Crown , in respect of the estates
of persons dying without known next of kin the sum of £ 64 , 227 5 s . iod . Since the passing of the Treasury Solicitor ' s Act , 1 S 76 , the receipts have been as follows : 1 S 77 , £ 127 , 875 19 s . 1 id . ; 1 S 7 S , £ 139 , 769 9 S . 3 d- ; 1 S 79 , £ 140 , 879 3 s . 56 . ; iSSo , £ 5 S , 44 S 13 s . lid ., so that during five years more than half a million sterling has thus accrued .
After payment of the Crown ' s share , grants to persons having claims on the bounty of the Crown , costs , & c , there remained a balance in hand of £ 177 , 374 . 5 s . iod . These estates are only held by the Crown till legitimate claimants appear , and I venture to think that future returns might give a little fuller information , so that persons
interested could , without trouble , obtain all necessary information to enable them to substantiate their claims . The following notice was given last Session : — " Sir Herbert Maxwell—intestates Estates Reverting to the Crown—Return showing the total amount received on
behalf of the Crown since the passing of the * Treasury Solicitor Act , 1 S 7 G , with the names and addresses of intestates ; also the names and addresses of intestates whose estates are in course of administration , with the amount of each estate . "
This notice will , I hope , be renewed next Session . The return suggested would prove invaluable to the public , as many persons interested fail to see the advertisements issued by the Treasury solicitor . I may add that an Act
just passed transfers to the Exchequer an extraordinary " windfall , " namely , no less than £ 143 , 272 11 s . 2 d ., arising from fractions of a penny on dividends on the National Debt , it not being customary to pay fractions of a penny on Government Stocks .
Yours Sc . EDWARD PRESTON . ( Author of " Unclaimed Money . " ) 1 , Great College-street , Westminster , September 5 th .
Reviews
REVIEWS
GLIMPSES OF OUR ANCESTORS IN SUSSEX , etc By CHAPLES FLEET . Farncombe and Co ., Printers , Lewes , Sussex . Glimpses of the life and habits , the words and ways of our ancestors , is equally valuable and welcome for all thinking students , whether of past or present . It is the sign of a weak or a vacant mind when all that is antique or byegone represents to some vacuous loiterer here nothing
but an unknown quantity of rubbish or boredom , while it is a betokening of culture and understanding , sure and straightforward , when older days have an interest for us , and we can ourselves be moved and fascinated , even amid the engrossing claims of to-day and to-morrow , by the memories and realization of other scenes , ages , and persons , dead and buried , past and forgotten . We are aware that some writers have liked to throw ridicule over the
pursuits and tendencies of the antiquary and the archaeologist , the insatiable acquisitions of a Bibliomaniac , and the untiring researches of a Dryasdust . But we beg leave to say that when , as to-day , so many hurtful amusements and pernicious dissipations affect our waking and sleeping hours , occupy our thoughts , absorb our time , and empty our pockets , few are so simple and satisfactory , none more seasonable and refreshing , than those which bid us linger ,
nothing loath , in the debateable ground , and sometimes fairy realms of ancient traditions , faded realities , the shadowland of archaeological research , and often dark conjecture . Mr . Fleet , who is the author of other works , has succeeded in obtaining a second edition for his book , which takes us back to Sussex Diarists and Sussex worthies of all kinds . We would make one remark here , —three classes Mr . Fleet
has , to a great extent , omitted , which would have added interest to his work , namely , the Sussex landowners , the Sussex clergy , and the Sussex yeomen . For though it may be quite ri g ht to mention " Sussex smugglers " and Sussex specialities of character , yet vvc would prefer much to hear of those great classes which have lent calm steadfastness and gives such silent progress to that quiet county , than to be told of Sussex Regicides , or—can we make bold to say
Reviews
it—Sussex poets . Sussex itself , with its Downs and its sheep , its farms and lanes , its ancestral homes and rural parsonages , has a greater attraction for us , as we grasp it in its _ reality and entirety , than even a good-humoured gossip about Sussex sheep-shearers , or learned statistics about Sussex iron - masters . Still the book has great interest for all students : of the past , nay , for all readers , inasmuch as in the
. diaries of the Rev . Giles Moore , Thomas Turner , Anthony Stapley , Walter Gale , Leonard Gale , Thomas Marchant , Councillor Burrell , and Dr . Burton , we have records drawn from the very life and thought of contrasted classes—• the squire , the clergyman , the , professor , the barrister , the shop-keeper , the school-master . the yeoman , the iron-master , more or less nearly all Sussex grades of society , replete with reality , full of information , and abounding with
lifelike touches of the manner of speech , thought , habits of life , homes of and temper , social hospitality ] which give a characteristic tone and colouring of temper to those past generations and those forgotten times . The earliest diary begins in 16 55 ; the others go on from the end of the seventeenth to the end of the eighteenth century . And what scenes do the chroniclers tell us of , " currente Calamo ? " What sights have they witnessed ? VVhatchantres
have they gone through ? There was the rising of the Puritan spirit and hypocrisy which led to the murder of King Charles ; the tyranny of the Commonwealth ; the reaction _ and profligacy of a portion of society in the Restoration epoch ; the Jesuit policy of James ; the advent of William of Nassau ; the final settlement of the House of Brunswiclc on the throne , and the efforts of the Stuarts , which failed , as if a doom was on their ill-fated
race . These diaries throw a wonderful light on the social characteristic and habits of those days , far truer than the caricatures of Macaulay or the deliberate burlesques of theatrical jesters . It has been said that whereas as with our ancestors the dinners were hot and the welcome hearty , now the menu is cold and the reception formal . There may be a scintilla of truth in all this ; and , no doubt , much of society now is very stereotyped and artificial indeed ;
not society for society sake , but sacrificed to the evil genius of "Mrs . Grundy , " and " good and bad form . " Still , who can venture to deny that matters are changed much for the better ? The times when all the men got drunk habitually every evening , and the ladies as habitually retired to tea , cards , and scandal , have long since happily passed away . Such grosser vices have disappeared , leaving , no doubt , in their stead more refined
ones . Society still has , no doubt , its bad and its dark side , its open or secret scandals , its hateful libels and cruel slanders , and much of materiality and immorality . But culture has taken the place of ignorance , and general decorum of open excesses . And , ' as wise men , let us be contended with small blessings . Let us not always be reaching after the unattainable ; let us learn the great truth that all amelioration is gradual , and all true progress
slow ; and while we are not insensible lo greater or lesser shades of evil amongst us , around us , above us , beneath us , let us take things as they are , make the best of them , do the best we can ourselves for them and in them , and neither ape a needless fanaticism , nor seek to be preternaturally wise . We thank Mr . Fleet for an entertaining and valuable volume , which deserves study and merits thought .
HISTORY OF THE ANCHOR AND HOPE LODGE , No . 37 , Bolton . By Bros . G . F . BROCKBANK and J . NEWTON . Thomas Morris , Oxford-street , Bo ! ton-le-Moors . We gladly welcome and cordially acknowledge this careful compilation by two brethren . Bro . Newton is wellknown as a Masonic student and Masonic writer , and we thank him once again for a very valuable contribution to
lodge history and lodge life in England . Unfortunately , the pages of the Freemason are limited , and we could hardly do justice to the little book in this column . We trust that a fuller review of it may find a place in the next " Masonic Monthly . " And then there ' are reviews and reviews , and we never ourselves feel quite sure whether the mere clever dovetailing of extracts together contributes a proper review or purview of a work . There is far too
much ready-made second-hand information given to us all to-day in the "padding " which fills up serials and journals , and which too often serves as a very weak " pabulum mentis , " for those who eloquently and " illigantly discoorse " on what they have neither taken the pains to read , nor have they the " nous" to understand . There are however points of special interest in this history for the Masonic archaeologist , which is neither ri ght nor safe to
overlook or ignore . First there is the antiquity of the warrant , under which the brethren of No . 37 are still working , and of which a copy is given , and which is probably the oldest original document of this character now in existence . Secondly , we have here the direct use of Montacute , to which we call Bro . Jacob Norton ' s special attention , and will now say no more on this head at present . Thirdly , we have the fact of the Royal Arch worked in a modern lodge in 1767 , which , explain it as you will , is a very startling fact . For at this time , as far as we knowthis special
, nomenclature of the grade vvas repudiated by the Modem Grand Lodge , and though worked by the " Antients , " ( in fact the distinguishing feature of the schism ) , was a forbidden display of the " higher secrets of Masonry , " in the Modern system . We can only suppose that there was more intercommunication and friendship between the two Grand Lodges in the provinces than was possible in London . The charge for admission vvas 5 s . Gd ., and the three
brethren exalted at Warrington , in 1707 , seemed , between ! 7 G 7 and 1774 , to have exalted twenty-four brethren at Bolton . The history of No . 37 begins , as we said before , with 1732 , though its first extant minute book only commences in 1 7 > 5- There is , however , in possession of Bro . ] . Newton , P . Prov . S . G . D ., an original copy of Pines ' s engraved list of 1734 , which originally belonged to Edward Entwisle , and has the initials E . E . on it , on a silver clasp , also the square level , and plumb rule . It is 6 . | - inches long by 2 . V wide '
bound in cloth and with gilt edges . In this work it is stated that the lodge was 105 , meeting at a private room at Bolton in 1 734 , the warrant being of date 1732 , though that locale cannot be quite accurately identified now . On the evidence of Mrs . Mary Fielding , in whose possession this relic vvas atone time" and whose memory went back to the eighteenth century , the place of meeting is believed to have been " in Church-gate , opposite the Man and Scythe Inn . Mrs . 1 'ielding further stated , that in those days the brethren assembled in white gloves with long cuffs or