To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

The Freemason is a sixteen page weekly newspaper , price 2 d . It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Annual subscription in the United Kingdom , Post free , 10 / . Brethren in foreign parts , wishing to have this newspaper sent them regularly from the office of publication , should , in sending their remittances , add tu the 2 d . per week the postage on 2 oz .

newspapers . The Freemason may be procured through any newsagent in the United Kingdom by giving ( if needed ) the publisher ' s address , 198 , Fleet-st . All communications , correspondence , reports , & c , must be addressed to the Editor .

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 . For terms , position , & o , apply to GEORGE KENNING , 198 , Fleet-st .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

All Communications , Advertisements , & c , intended for insertion in the Number of the following Saturday , must reach the Office not later than 12 o ' clock on Wednesday morning . Careful attention will be paid to all MSS . entrusted to the Editor , but he cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by stamped directed covers .

The following letters , reports , and other communications unavoidably stand over : — " A Quotation ; " " An Enquiring W . M . ; " " Masonic Tokens ; " " Bro . Curteis . " " Grand Lodge of the Province of Quebec . " " Laying Memorial Stone at Falkirk . "

Reports of Lodges : Hartington Lodge , 1085 , Derby ; lira Lodge , 1423 , Hampton Court ; United Industrious , 3 , Canterbury ; Lodge of Truth , 1458 , Manchester ; Francis Burdett , 1503 , Twickenham ; Etonian Lodge , 209 , Windsor ; Royal Edward Lodge , 892 , Leominster ; United Military Lodge , 1 53 6 , Plumstead .

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TheFreemason, SATURDAY , OCT . 16 , 1875 .

Our Royal Grand Master's Visit To India.

OUR ROYAL GRAND MASTER'S VISIT TO INDIA .

By the time that these lines meet the eyes of our readers our Royal Grand Master will be on liis route ( D . V ) . to Brindisi , to embark on hoard the Serapis on the 16 th . He will leave Paris , we understand , by the 20 tn y train from Paris on Wednesday evening , and , reaching Turin 20

minutes to 7 on Thursday evening , will proceed to Brindisi , where , as we have just said , he will find some of his suite and the Serapis waiting for him . The whole suite will then comprise the Duke of Sutherland , Lord Alfred Paget , Lord Aylesford , Lord Carington , Sir Bartle Frere , Lord Suffield ,

Major-General Probvn , Lord C . Berestord , Colonel A . Ellis , Mr . F . Knollys , Canon Duckworth , Mr . Albert Grey , Captain Williams , Dr . Fayrer , and Dr . Russell . We also are informed that on leaving Brindisi our Grand Master will proceed . to Athens , arriving there on the 18 th

of October . In the capital the Prince will be the guest of the King and Queen of Greece . Regaining at Athens till the 20 th of October , the Prince will cross the Meditenanean to Port Said , •and enter the Suez Canal . It is expected that

ihe Prince will reach Cairo about the 24 th of October . Aden will be the next stage , and thence the Prince will proceed to Bombay . The Prince himself may be expected to return to England about the close of March . The abstract from

the " Times in another page will give our brethren the full account of his departure from Engl ? nd , in itself a subject of great importance to all concerned . Our good wishes and earnest aspirations for his health and happiness go with him , and we trust that the result of his visit to India may answer all our national and patriotic

expectations , and tend to the lasting happiness of a mighty Empire . And while we say this in all feivent sincerity , the sympathies and interest of the entire biotherhood will be timceiittated , so to say , on that august lady , an that little family ciicle whom he leaves behind looking forward to IU ' glad return , ere long to a home of afketion , of happiness , and peace .

Intolerance Of The Roman Catholic Church. Liberality Of The Orthodox Greek Church.

INTOLERANCE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH . LIBERALITY OF THE ORTHODOX GREEK CHURCH .

We are sure that all our readers will have shared with us the pleasure with which we perused the interesting communication forwarded to us by Bro . H . Jevon from Alexandria . It appears that a deceased brother of ours , an Italian of the name of Figari , a man of " great

virtues , " as the Greek Patriarch called him , and " who was greatly respected by all who knew him , " was refused Christian burial because , and only because , he was a Freemason , by the Roman Catholic authorities . Thereupon , the Patriarch of the orthodox Greek Church , Sophronios ,

buried him with religious ceremonies . Three hundred Freemasons of all nationalities have presented an address to the Patriarch , of thanks and gratitude , which was kindly received and warmly responded to by that true minister of religion , and we feel sure that all English Freemasons

will applaud alike his sentiments and admire his tolerant and kindly sympathies . Indeed , it might be a question whether our Grand Lodge , seeing the all but universal persecution and contumely that Freemasons are now enduring at the hands of the Roman Catholic authorities , should not officially thank the Patriarch

Sophronios , in the name of our common Freemasonry , for his act of humanity and kindness . Pleasant as is the contemplation of the reli gious and brotherly spirit of the good Patriarch of the Greek Church , sad , we think , most sad , is ] this fresh proof of the high-handed and uncanonical intolerance of the Church of Rome . We believe

that we are correct when we say that there is no power invested in the Pope , even straining to the utmost the dogma of personal infallibility , of excommunicating any one without process . If previous Popes have taken upon themselves to excommunicate people wholesale , it has really

been an usurped authority , and no canon of the Roman Catholic Church can be produced which justifies any Roman Catholic authority , " mero motu , " on his own " ipse dixit , " to excommunicate any one without due citation and trial . We are aware that Roman Catholics

base their persecution of Freemasons on the decrees of Clement and Gregory , of Pius VII ., and of Pius IX ., and on the faith of this the Archbishop of Malines excommunicated lately all Freemasons in Belgium " en bloc , " and Father CufFe refused to

bury Armourer-Sergeant Johnson , and no doubt , on the same ground the Roman Catholic authorities in Egypt refused to bury poor Advocate Figari . But we challenge any Roman Catholic to shew us any authority for such a proceeding , according to Romish Canon Law , unless ,

indeed , he falls back on the Council of Avignon , the decree of which relating to this subject has recently been published " in extenso " by our Bro . Albert Mackey , and will shortly appear in the " Masonic Magazine , " but which , instead of simplifying the subject , surrounds it with

countless difficulties , alike historical and denominational . And , in addition to this technical view of the question , we object on moral grounds to any religious body holding itself up as the " fautor " of persecution , as the representative of intolerance . No more mistaken course has ever been taken by the Church of Rome than in

her defiance ol the guaranteed liberties of nations , and the humanitarian sympathies of the age , which she daily and hourly exhibits , in constant violation of every law of kindness , decency , and piety . To war with the living is bad enough j to set brother against btother , and nation against nation , is almost the acme of human

wickedness , but to carry on the internecine contest with the dejd , to make the very graveyard a scene of ruthless intolerance and unforgiving hatred , is enough to make the " angels weep . " If the Church oi Rome perseveres in her intolerant and untenable course in this respect , or in main others akin to it , she will assuredly end in

alienating from herself some of her own best and most educated 1 hildren , as in thus outraging every fieling of our common humanity she is making ht-sell a sad spectacle , alike f ' 01 the moialist and the student , the cultivated and the refined , her own honest supporters , and her many rejoicing opponents .

Extension Of The Girls' School.

EXTENSION OF THE GIRLS' SCHOOL .

The Quarterl y Court of the 9 th decided , ' and we think wisely , to refer , on Bro . Rucker ' s motion , the r . bove question to the House Committee for consideration and report . Bro . Nunn ' s motion fell to the ground for want of a seconder , and Bro . R . Stewart withdrew his , as , after his

statement , it was quite clear he had not fully realized the whole bearing of the Infirmary question . After the discussion of Saturday last , we are quite convinced that the course pursued was a right one , and we were glad to call attention to some interesting facts and figures contained in

an able paper put out by Bro . Rucker , and which were printed last week . One thing is quite clear , that the Girls' School must be increased , and the only question is , how best to do it . If ground cannot be found in the immediate vicinity , it may be necessary to erect a preparatory

school , in which all the girls admitted will pass a certain time before passing into the upper school . Indeed , we think that if such passing is made to depend on a test examination of proficiency , the cause of education in our Girls ' School will be still further happily promoted !

The one little objection we always felt against Bro . Nunn ' s motion was , whether in his estimate of £ 25 , 000 our worthy brother had fully gone into all the needful calculations ; as it seemed to us , from some little experience in such matters , ratherproblematical whether the site could be

furnished and accommodation secured for 350 children , on the modern scale of educational requirements , for ^ 2 ^ , 000 . As , moreover , it was stated at the meeting that it was not certain that the ground would be wanted by the railways , it was equally clear that any movement to sell

the land and remove the school was at present premature . We therefore , alike in the interests of the Fraternity and our poor orphans , feel it but right to express our entire approval of Bro . Rucker ' s motion , and to say , that we feel convinced the Craft at large may safely rely on the

House Committee to elaborate a plan which shall do credit to the Craft , advance the interests of the School , and , above all , not overlook the most sacred cause of all , in the eyes of every faithful Freemason , the cause of the orphan and the friendless . It was with much regret that we

missed the presence of our excellent Bro . R . W . Little at the Quarterly Court , but we hope , and in this we express the feelings of our brotherhood , that he will soon be restored to his normal condition of zeal , and energy , and efficiency , and health .

Masonic Irregularities.

MASONIC IRREGULARITIES .

We called attention some time back to some very peculiar regulations proposed to be adopted in a lodge in the Province of South Wales , Eastern Division , with reference to the imposition of a fee on all visiting brethren , a proposal which we ventured to say was alike unprecedented and

un-Masonic . We understood that such proposition was abandoned , and we had hoped to hear no more of it . We have , however , before us now the bye-laws of another lodge in the same province , sanctioned by the P . G . M ., though we are inclined to hope and believe , not submitted to the Grand Secretary ' s Office . In them we read

the following bye-law , XV 1 IL , which we give in extenso for various reasons : — "XVIII . —No visitor shall be admitted into the lodge unless he is introduced and vouched for by a subscribing member present , nor until he shall have been properly examined , nor until he has written his name , with the name of the lodge of which he

was or is a member , in the attendance book . He shall also produce his Grand Lodge certificate if required to do so . He shall conform when in lodge to its bye-laws , and shall on no account be permitted to address the lodge , except by request , or with the permission of the W . M . The visiting fee shall be Jive guineas . The member who introduces a visitor shall in all cases be held

responsible for his introduction . " Now , we ventureto conceive that this is a most unparalleled and unconstitutional bye-law , and ought not to be found in any lodge regulations . It is averred , wc understand , that other lodges have similar bye-lawswe should be glad to know of them , as we