Correspondence.

granted out of funds subscribed by the charitable foi an entirely different object . This ^ 350 a year if allowec to pass will prevent 10 or 11 sons of Freemasons frorr being maintained , clothed , and educated in our Institution . ( I am of course inferring that the cost foi maintenance , & c , per head should be from , £ 30 to £ 35

or thereabouts , and not ^ 50 16 s . ) It appears to me that the resolution ought not to be sustained for the following reasons : 1 . The object of the Institution , as prescribed b } Law 2 , being to receive under its protection , and tc maintain , clothe , and educate certain of the sons ol

Freemasons , the funds should be strictly devoted tc this purpose , the cost of management being kept as low as possible , and that the application of any part oi such funds for the maintenance of retired officers of the Institution is contrary to Law 2 . 2 . No notice of motion for a new law in the place of

Law 2 , or for the abrogation or alteration of Law 2 has been given , and until such a notice of motion is given , and the motion carried , the object of the Institution , as prescribed by Law 2 , cannot be departed from . Such notice should have been servgfl on the whole number

of Subscribers , and as the effect of the passing of such resolution vvould be to leave the Institution entirel y devoid of any income from invested funds , it vvas imperative in convening the meeting that this important fact should have been expressly brought to the notice of the Subscribers .

3 . The Chairman of the Quarterly Court refused to accept an amendment to the motion for the pension , although such amendment was duly proposed and seconded . 4 . No method of ascertaining the qualification of the persons attending the meeting was adopted , except

the inefficient one of requiring attendance sheets to be signed before entering the room in which the meeting vvas held . As 3 8 4 persons signed the attendance sheet , although 433 voted upon the resolution , there were 49 persons who voted on the resolution who may or may not have been duly qualified .

And 5 . Upon the division , the names of those voting vvere not taken , whereby it was further rendered impossible to ascertain whether the persons voting vvere duly qualified to vote or not . To my mind , a resolution claiming to be passed , vvhich , if carried into effect , is practically a

misappropriation of trust funds is a distinct breach of faith , and I consider it the duty of the Subscribers to do their utmost to prevent the resolution being confirmed at the next Quarterly Court , and , if confirmed , from being carried into effect . The opinion of some Equity Counsel of eminence ought to be obtained on the

various points raised , and if , in his opinion , the resolution granting the pension is illegal , or if , in his opinion , the manner in vvhich such resolution was proposed and passed , is improper , then , no doubt , the Provisional Committee will take the requisite steps to have the matter set ri g ht .

In any event , if it be intended to propose at the next Quarterly Court the confirmation of the resolution ( which confirmation , it must be borne in mind , must be a distinct approval of the resolution passed at the recent Quarterl y Court , and not merely the formal assent of the Court that the minutes of the last Court are

correctly entered ) , the whole body of the Subscribers of the Institution should be asked to attend the next Quarterly Court , and vote against the confirmation of a resolution which , if confirmed , will work irreparable injury to our noble Institution . —I am , yours faithfull y and fraternally ,

STANLEY J . ATTENBOROUGH , November 13 . Life-Governor . PROVISIONAL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE .

To the Editor of "The Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Would you kindly insert in your next issue the names of the Provisional Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys . —Yours faithfully ,

LIFE-GOVERNOR . [ We are very pleased to comply with the request of our correspondent . —ED . FMA ~ \ EUSTON , Rt . Hon . the EARL OF , 4 , Grosvenor Place , S . W ., Chairman . ALLCROFT J . DERBY 108 . Lancaster GateW

, , , . BEVIR , H ., Wootton Bassett , Swindon . BLYTH , J ., 19 , Park Road , Regent ' s Park , N . W . BODENHAM , J , Egmond , Newport , Salop . BOURNE , R . W ., Townfield Lane , Liscard , Birkenhead . LLABON , J . M ., 21 , Great George Street , S . W . (

Exofficio ; Trustee ) . CORBLE , GEO ., 12 , Finsbury Circus , E . C . EASTES , J . S ., Fairlawn , Ashford , Kent . ESCOTT , A ., Queen ' s House , Royal Hospital School , Greenwich , S . E . EVE , RICHARD , Aldershot . BOWLER , Alderman Sir R . N . BartM . P . 50

Corn-, , , , r , Wil , E . C . J ^ LASS , J , 4 , Lordship Park , Stoke Newington , N . HANSON , Alderman SIR REGINALD , Bart ., KI , Botolph Lane , E . C . HARWOOD , Alderman E . G . , 92 , Clarence Street ,

RAMBERT , Major G ., 12 , Coventry Street , W . LANGTON , J . D ., 37 , Queen Victoria Street , E . C . £ E FEUVRE , J . E ., 8 , Gloucester Square , Southampton . WASTERS , W ., 71 , Bolsover Street , W . 1 N , H . F ., Mon Abri , Larkfield , Richmond , Surrey .

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PERKINS , Lt .-Col . A . THRALE , Eastcourt , Wells , Somerset . PHILBRICK , F . A ., Q . C , Lamb Building , Temple , E . C . PLUCKNETT , GEO ., 4 6 , Connaught Square , ( Ex-Offwio ; Treasurer J . ROEBUCK , W . ( Ex-Officio ,- Trustee ) .

SMITHSON , W . F ., 3 , Queen s Square , Leeds . SPAULL , A . C , 4 , Verulam Buildings , W . C . SPAULL , W . H .. J . P ., The Poplars , Oswestry . SPAULL , FRANK R ., Stock Exchange , E . C . STEWART , R . W ., no , Cannon Street , E . C . ( Ex-officio ;

Trustee ) . TERRY , EDWARD , Priory Lodge , Barnes , S . W . ( Exofficio ; Grand Treasurer and Trustee ) . VASSAR-SMITH , R . V ., Charlton Park , Cheltenham . WHITTLEY , Rev . W ., 11 , Belitha Villas , Barnsbury , N .

A CONUNDRUM . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In reply to the letter of " Lex Scripta , " vvhich appears in your issue of to-day , I regret that , owing to my having for many years severed my connection vvith

lodges holding under the Scottish Constitution , I am unable to say whether it is considered obligatory to hold a Board of Installed Masters at the installation of the R . W . M . of a Scotch lodge or not , but I imagine that in either case it is the usual practice to do so .

Whether the arrangement between the two Grand Lodges was temporary or permanent I am also unable to say , but doubtless the records of the Grand Lodge of England vvould show , if reference vvas made to them , exactly what the scope of the arrangement

was . In response to the last paragraph of " Lex Scripta ' s " letter , I beg to say that I shall be most happy to correspond with that ( may I say ) learned brother , of whose knowledge and judgment I have formed a hi gh opinion from reading his communications in your columns . M y address is Charmouth , R . S . O ., Dorset . —Yours trul y and fraternally , W . M . COOPER .

November 9 th . To the Editor of the " Freemason A Dear Sir and Brother ,

Allow me to correct an error which has crept into my last letter . It should read— " that the confirming of the 'Degree' of ' Installed Master' ( Art . 4 ) is optional , but not obligatory . "—Yours fraternally , LEX SCRIPTA .

November nth . THE CHURCH TIMES AND FREEMASONRY . To the Editor of " The Freemason . "

Dear Sir and Brother , With reference to the letter of Bro . Emra Holmes , 31 ° , K . C . T ., in your issue of 2 nd November , in vvhich he points out what he is pleased to call "the

changed attitude of the High Church party towards the Craft , " I beg to say that I never knew that the Hi gh Church party qua party are antagonistic to Freemasonry . There may be individuals amongst High Churchmen , as there are amongst the Evangelical party , who are opposed to Masonry , but I am sure High

Churchmen have never issued a protest against the Craft . One of the strongest evidences of this is that the Earl of Limerick , P . G . W ., and P . P . G . M . for Bristol , has for many years ( I think since its inception ) been one of the two Vice-Presidents of the English Church Union , which is well-known as the chief High

Church Society . On the other hand , we have Bro . J . Derby Allcroft , one of the leading men of the Church Association ( the Society of the Low Church party ) , as a distinguished Mason .

To my mind the vast comprehensiveness of Freemasonry is one of the greatest of its many beauties . — Yours fraternally , HENRY WRIGHT . November ioth .

THE PROPOSED UNITED GRAND LODGE OF NEW ZEALAND . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I was surprised to see in my Freemason of July 27 th , just received by the 'Frisco mail , a letter of mine to the New Zealand Herald , reproduced under the statement of the promoters of the proposed

United Grand Lodge ; at the same time , I was very g lad to find that the misleading nature of the latter was as promptly rectified " At Home " as here . Novv that the so-called " United Grand Lodge " is verified as an accomplished fact , allow me to inform your readers that the state of matters is unaltered .

I do not believe that any lodge under the English Constitution will be taken over as such . There are , I believe , but three lodges ( two small country ones and one in the city—that one the junior ) , of which any considerable proportion of members will be likely to

secede . I use the word advisely , because I believe that in each instance it will be " secession , " as members enough will be left to retain the warrants . The same arguments that you employ in your article of August ioth have been promulgated by the District Grand Lodge here , although such a course seemed

Correspondence.

hardly necessary , no English Masons of standing giving the proposal of severance a moment ' s serious thought . The District Grand Lodge of Auckland is too well aware of its prestige as a branch of the Grand Lodge of England to dream of objection , vvere it not possessed of sufficient inherent loyalty to keep it firm in its allegiance to its parent stem . —Yours faithfully and fraternally ,

WILLIAM TEBBS , 133 8 , Auckland ; P . M . 285 , P . Z . 285 , P . J . 540 , P . Z . 1338 and 1720 ; P . P . G . C . Somerset ; P . P . G . C , P . P . G . R ., P . P . J . G . W ., and P . P . S . G . W . Auckland .

MASONIC CAREER OF SIR WALTER SCOTTTo the Editor of the "The Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Could you favour the world with any information respecting the Masonic career of Sir Walter Scott , Bart . ? Any one who has been enlightened , and read " Ivanhoe , " cannot fail to have many suggestive

thoughts come into his mind when reading what is said about the " Templar , " and also in " Anne of Geierstein , " the "Vehme" Secret Society flavoured much of a knowledge of Craft Masonry . If you could give a little more light to one who has been so far enli ghtened as to be conscious of much darkness yet , you would much oblige ,

F . W . L . October 26 . [ Sir Walter Scott vvas initiated in the St . David's Lodge , Edinburgh , March 2 nd , 1801 . The great novelist , however , does not appear to have taken an active part in the Craft , though evidently in full sympathy with it . —ED . F . MA ]

Reviews

REVIEWS

DEVON MASONIC REGISTER . The old saying " Last , but not least , " is true of this very useful if not timely publication , vvhich , as respects typography , arrangement , and general contents , can scarcely be excelled . Bro . W . Frank Westcott ( the esteemed successor to his lamented uncle ) is making a good and painstaking editor , and doubtless will be

introducing new features from year to year . If we were called upon to state one or two desirable additions , we confess to a difficulty , as so much is given in the excellent annual . Possibly a little statistical information vvould be welcomed by the subscribers , so as to show , say , during this decade , the number of members

returned by the 52 lodges in each year . We note that the numbers have not always been forwarded to the editor , but they can be obtained by application to the Prov . G . Sec , who has the " returns . " For the past official year , we see there were 2871 members , and those of previous years could be secured from the

annual reports . Then again , why not furnish a list of all the lodges in the province having centenary warrants ? We see that Bro . Hughan has kindly supplied a roll of " lodges formerly existing in the Province of Devon , " and could easily add a list accordingly , so as to show all the lodges so distinguished .

Bro . Westcott does not confine the register to the Craft only , for all the other Degrees are as full y noticed—Arch , Mark , Knights Templar , Rose Croix , & c . We are not aware of any other province in England in which Royal Arch Masonry is so popular , or at all events none more so , as there are twenty-eight

chapters at work in the county . The province has nearly 2500 votes in the Central Masonic Charitiesof vvhich a carefully compiled list is inserted—and the local Charities are also duly noted . As copies may be had of Bro . Westcott , Frankfort-street , Plymouth , for

thirteen penny stamps ( though bound in cloth and running to over 130 pages ) , we need only say that brethren wanting more information as to the contents of this capital annual can easily be gratified by remitting accordingly .

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS .

Craft flDasonry . Metropolitan Meetings .

Kennington Lodge ( No . 1381 ) .- —This prosperous transpontine lodge held a regular meeting at the Horns Tavern , Kennington Park , on the 5 th instant , when there were present , among others , Bros . Foale , W . M . ; Westley , S . W . * Heard , acting J . VV . George Everett , P . M . 177 , & c , Treasurer ; VV . Stuart , P . M . 141 , & c , Sec ; [ . La Feuillade , S . D . ; Davies , J . D . ; Lundee ,

I . G . j Burn . Hon . Org . ; Lingley , I . P . M . ; H . Higgins , P . M . j Capt . T . C . Walls , P . M ., P . P . G . W . Middx . ; C . H . Kohler , P . M . ; W . P . Webb , P . M . ; Cockburn , P . M . ; R . La Feuillade , P . M . ; Dr . Millsom , Burrows , Buxton , and others . Bro . Barnett , J . VV . 2102 , was a

visitor . The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed , Bro . Richards was passed to the Second Degree , the ceremony being well performed . Letters from absent members having been read , the lodge vvas formally : losed , and the brethren adjourned to the banquet .