Correspondence.

Correspondence .

I Wr do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed b * - our correspondents , but we wish in a . spirit of fair play to aP to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]

A CORRECTION . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I beg to call your attention to a slight mistake the Right Hon . Lord George Hamilton made when he nominated Bro . W . M . Stiles for the office of Grand

Treasurer . He said Bro . Stiles is Vice-President of all three Masonic Institutions . He should have said Vice-Patron . If you will kindly insert this in your next issue of the Freemason , I shall feel obliged—Yours faithfully and fraternally , W . A . SCURRAH . December 13 th .

FIELD LANE REFUGES AND RAGGED SCHOOLS . To the Editor of lite " Freemason . " Dear Sir , The Managing Committee would be exceedingly obliged if you would allow them to appeal through your columns for the funds they so urgently

need . Their work is not confined to any creed , district , or nationality—the deserving poor being never refused assistance of some kind . Fifteen hundred pounds before the end of the year would enable the managers to continue their labours without anxiety . During the past year S 38 men and

women were sheltered in the refuges ; 268 children were fed , clothed , and educated in the homes ; 6 , 402 hot dinners were given to poor children ; 30 , 044 breakfasts were given to men and women ; 20 , 528 portions of broken food were distributed . All the other operations of the Institution were vigorously carried on

and in addition 26 b men and women were assisted to obtain employment . The distress prevailing at the present time is greater than it has been lor many years . The Committee desire also to provide a Christmas dinner for 600 poor families—all personally known to our workers , —and for 700 of the homeless

on Christmas Day . Our treasurer , Mr . Wilfrid A , Bevan , of 54 , Lombard-street , will gratefully receive contributions , or they may be sent to—Your obedient servant , PEREGRINE PLATT , Secretary . The Refuges , Vine-street , Clerkenwcll-road .

Reviews.

Reviews .

RICHMOND MASONIC DIRECTORY FOR 1 S 93 . This excellent annual has been compiled by Bro . C W . Dunstan , 33 ° , Editor of the Rough Ashlar , Richmond , Virginia , U . S . A ., and it is as well printed as it is ably edited . The personnel of the Craft for the City and State are herein duly recorded , and much interesting information is given , thus rendering this " Masonic Directory" quite

indispensable to brethren ot that jurisdiction , and meeting a real felt want . Thc statistical tables are most useful and prove how popular the Degree of Knights Templar is in Virginia , for out of 19 S 5 companions ( Royal Arch ) over 1200 have joined that chivalric organisation . The important " Sovereign College of Allied Masonic and Christian

Degrees for America is a most influential body , the Grand Officers including some of thc most distinguished brethren in the United States . The fee in Richmond for the Craft is * > 50 , and full particulars arc given as to all the other Degrees , making the volume a reliable vade mccum for those who consult its well-lilled pages .

THE MASONIC ANNUAL FOR NORTHERN CHINA . This carefully-edited publication is in its second year of issue , the editor being Bro . F . M . Gration , P . M . 570 , & c . The frontispiece consists of an excellent view of the Masonic Hall , Shanghai , and the tables , & c , which follow leave but little to be d-sired . The historical sketch ofthe Executive Committee , ceremony of laying the foundation-stone by

Bro . R . F . Gould in 1 SG 5 , and other particulars make good reading . 1 he esteemed District Grand Master is Bro . J . I . Miller , his respected predecessor , Bro . C . Thorne , being , happily , still an active member of the local Craft . The oldest lodge ( No . 501 ) dates from 1 S 44 , and the next in senority is No . 570 , warranted in 1849 . Of this lodge Bro .

R . F . Gould was the W . M . in 1 SG 4-5 . The other English lodge is No . 1027 , the three having 129 members . There are also a Scottish and Massachusetts lodge , together 148 members , so they outnumber the three of the Grand Lodge of England . There are several organisations connected with the additional Degrees , including the "Royal Orderof Scotland , " about which there are abundant particulars .

1 * 1 IE MINERVA LODGE DIRECTORY , 1 S 93 . This most useful publication is now in its 14 th year of issue , and is a credit to its editor and publisher , Bro . M . C Pi ck , the indefatigable Prov . G * and Secretary of North and East Yorkshire . As it is from Bro . Peck's press we need not slate that the printing is good , and editorially the handy pamphlet has been well attended to from thc first

|> ag .: throughou * : to thc list . The list of members of No . 250 b .-gins wilh Bro . William Thompson , whose membership dites from 184 S ; Bro . Peck joined in 1859 ( the Treasurer ) , and the Earl of Londesborough in 18 O 0 ; Bro . H . Haigh ( the Lecture Master ) is of the year 1 S 64 , and the list includes some 150 names . The honorary members

are printed in italics and include Bros . W . D . Keyworth , I . G . Kindt I , Col . the Hon . W . T . Orde-Powlett , and W . J . Hughan . The roll of thc Mark Lodge , No . 12 , begins with Bro . Peck , in 1 SO 1 , and contains almost ai many names as the list of the Cralt lodges , the roll of the Worshipful Mas ' crs fioin 18- 53 being of a very influential

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character . The membership also of tbe Antient York Conclave of Redemption ( K . T . ) and that of the "Ancient York Chapter ( Rose Croix ) are also given , and weare very pleased to sec that Bro . Peck has printed his oration delivered i-, th September , 1 S 93 , in fraternal remembrance

of the late W . Bro . Walter Reynolds , " an esteemed Past Master of No . 250 . The Directory , however , this time , is not of such general interest as some of the past issues , because the historical notes are not inserted , but to the members it must prove a veritable vade mccum for local Masonic purposes .

THE ILLUSTRATED ARCH / EOLOGIST . Edited by J . ROMII . LV ALLEN , F . S . A . Scot . London : Chas . J . Clark , Lincoln ' s Inn Fields , W . C . We are glad to welcome another number of this excellent artistic quarterly , Part 3 for December , with contents of a varied and most interesting character . Seventy-two pages are well filled with articles ot more than average ability ,

and illustrations that add much to the value of the magazine . The subscription is half-a-guinea per annum , post free , or half-a-crown each per number , and those desirous of becoming subscribers should lose no time in ordering the three parts issued , so as to start from the beginning . Undoubtedly the early numbers will soon become scarce and difficult to procure , for this quarterly is bound to be a

success , and has only to be seen to be appreciated . It fills its own niche admirably , and we may venture to prophecy that on the completion of Volume I . the" Illustrated Archxlogist" will be an accepted authority in the department which Mr . Romilly Allen has so thoroughly made his own . The publisher has ably supported the editor , for evidently no expense has been spared to render the typography and

the plates all that can possibly be desired . Part 3 begins with an article on the " Excavation of a Pictish Tower in Shetland , " by Mr . Gilbert Goudie , which in many respects will come as a surprise to those who have usually looked upon Ireland as exclusively the possessor of round towers . The arguments , as respects Scotland , appear to be in favour of their Celtic or Pictish origin ; certainly not

Norwegian , as many have claimed . The nine figures , or plates , illustrating the paper , are most realistic , being from photographs ot the various portions now remaining . As the author observes , that when one thinks about the Castle of Monsa , standing ] as it has for long over a thousand years , and attempts to restore and re-people the numerous similar towers , "the picture conjured up of human life , long pissed

away , tn these far-off melancholy isles , is truly strange and bewildering . " The next paper is also on towers , but at Liege , and is by Mr . Arthur Elliot . This brochure is followed by a very interesting article b y the Editor on " The Celtic Brooch , and How it was Worn , " which will much please all minds of an archicological turn , especially as the information is of an " out-of-the-way " sort , and scarcely

obtainable in the ordinary way . The " Notes on l" lint Saws and Sickles " are of a remarkable kind . They are by Dr . Munro , and remind us of the premier paper in Part 1 on " A very Ancient Industry , " by Mr . Lovett , which began with "Prehistoric and Modern Picks , " and ended with the "Old English Tinder-box Flint . " The " Notes on Books " are refreshingly plain-spoken and critical , without being

hyper-critical , several of the remarks , though doubtless unpleasant reading for thc authors , are just , and calculated to help the reader to a fair conclusion . Ihc same also may be said of those on " Archaeology and Kindred Subjects , " features which we hope to see extended in future issues , and thus considerably enhance the practical value of this excellent quarterly .

GLIMPSES OF WELSH LIFE AND CHARACTER . By Marie Trevelyan , author of" Brave Little Woman , " & c . HOURS IN MY GARDEN and other Stories . By Alexander H . Japp , LL . D , F . R . S . E , author of * ' Life of De Quincey , " & c , with 138 illustrations by W . H . J . Scott , A . W . Cooper , and other artists .

FOOTSTEPS TO FAME . By J . Hain Friswell , author of " Out and About , " & c . A new and revised edition , with illustrations . PHIL THORNDYKE'S ADVENTURES and other Stories . By F . M . Wilbraham , E . M . Piper , Lady Charles Thynne , Sic , with three coloured plates , six full-page woodcuts , and twenty illustrations in thc

text . THE STORY OF HERBERT ARCHER and other Tales . By Lady Charles Thynne , Amy Key , Mrs . Russell Grey and others , with three coloured p lates , six fullpage woodcuts , and twenty illustrations in the text . London : John Hogg , 13 , Paternoster Row , E . G . Among those who cater for the literary entertainment of

the public at Christmastide , Bro . John Hogg invariably takes a foremost place . The books he publishes are nnst excellent . They instruct as well as entertain . The most valuable are those which furnish their readers with glimpses into the lives of the great men of the world , the generals and admirals , the Sovereign and statesmen , the men of science and of literature . But there are many of a lighter

character , containing short tales and stories intended chielly for the entertainment of young children . Hut whether they contain the more solid pabulum of history and biography , or the lighter refreshment of quaint stories and the like , they are equally valuable in their ability to satisfy the craving of all classes of people for reading during the long evenings of winter , and in their leisure moments in the

other seasons of thc year . Of the above books , taken in the order in which we have placed them , " Glimpses of Welsh Life and Character , " and " Hours in my Girden , " are the most important , not merely because they are sold at a higher price , but because they contain , each in its special way , a rare fund of information . In the former we find a succession of chapters

in which arc described " Home Life in the Past and Present , " amusements , social changes , curious customs , " Welsh Myth and Romance , " " Cymric Festivals , " " Welsh Singing and Song . " "The Hill People , " " The Vale Women , " " Welsh Parsons and Country Doctors of the Past , " " Welsh Traditions and Superstitions , " "Welsh Smugglers and Wrecks , " Welsh Anecdotes , " Folklore

and Ghost Stories , " & c . This mere enumeration of a majority of the chapter headings will serve to give a yery good idea of the range and variety of the contents , and of thc valuable insight they must give into the life and character of the inhabitants of the Principality . In a book which covers so much ground , it is lo be expected that the glimpjcs vouchsafed us ivill be slight , telling us what

Reviews.

it is or has been , without diving into reasons and ori gins or attempting elaborate explanations based on old chronicles which have been preserved to our time . The author deals lightly and pleasantly with her subject , while at the same time she is careful to note whatever is calculated to excite the interest of the reader or add to his store of knowledge . Few , indeed can rise from the perusal of Marie Trevelyan ' s book without realising that they have learned

more about Welsh life and character than they had previously known . "Hours in my Girden , " will prove quiteatreasure-house oi knowledge to aspiring young naturalists . Here again it is marvellous what a variety of matter Dr . Japp has contrived to introduce into the pages of his book . After bringing to our notice what he sees from his " Summer Garden-Seat , " he takes us to the pond and the wood . Then he discourses

ably , but by no means pedantically , about" The Delights of Hedgerows , " or describes his experiences when " Up in the Morning Early . " Then we find him in company "With the Nightingales at the Vicarage , " or "At the Village Well , " while elsewhere he discourses pleasantly about " Bees and Bee-keeping , " or about " Wild Duck , Water-birds and Sea-fowl . " The last three chapters contain information about Durham and its neighbourhood ,

Coquetdale and Wooler , while the Appendix comprises five chapters , of which the first two treat of " Imitative Birds and the Nightingale ' s Song , " and the "The Voles . " Throughout the style of treatment is simple and unaffected . Dr . Japp is more concerned to tell us what he knows about the country and its animal life than about the manner of telling it . Herein , indeed , lies the great charm of Dr . Japp ' s book , that it conveys to us in plain and homely

language all kinds and degrees of information about things rural without the least affectation of learning oi his part . The illustrations with which the work is embellished add very considerably to its value . That Mr . Friswell ' s book , entitled " Footsteps to Fame , " has already met with no small share of the appreciation to which it is justly entitled , is shown by the demand which Bro . Hogg has thought it desirable to meet for a new and

revised edition . Mr . I'riswell has traversed much ground within the narrow limits of this volume , describing to us brielly , yet with sufficient detail , the careers of men , who , in their various callings , have won fame . In the chapter devoted to " The Great Thinkers , " we are introduced to Confucius , Pythagoras , Socrates , and Plato . In the short chapter on " Heroes , " the chief personage described is " A lexander the Great . " Amongst those included in the

three chapters , dealing with " The Rulers of Mankind , " are to be found the first and third Napoleons . Humboldt occupies nearly the whole of the space devoted to "Notaries of Science ; " while other chapters treat ol " The Ploughers of the Deep , " " The Searchers of the Skies , " " Patriots , " " Benefactors , " " Workers and Thinkers , " & c . Bro . Hogg has done well in issuing a second edition of Mr . Friswell ' s work . The book which takes its title of " The Story of Herbert

Archer , " from the lirst of a series of stories , contains , under the head of " The Seeker and the Finder , " an account of Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the New World . " Millie's Victory" ; a tale of the French Revolution , entitled " Louis Duval . " " The Seaside Home , " and " The Crvsaders , " Peter the Hermit , Richard the Lion-hearted , and Saladin , receiving a large share of the writer ' s attention . The tales which have struck us most are those of "Herbert Archer , " "The Seeker and the Finder , " and Louis Duval . " But the whole series is readable .

lhe remnning book contains , in addition to "Phil Thorndyke , " five other talcs , severally entitled " Home at the Haven , " "The Fusillade , " "The Young Emigrants , " "The Wanderer , " and " Alfred the Great . " They are all of them well told , though we onfess to a preference for the first and the last of the series .

Be it added as generally applicable to all five works that they are well printed , neatly bound , and mast attractively and artistically illustrated ; and in the case of the less , as well as in that of the more costly , the same remark applies to them all , viz . that they are especially suitable as Christmas gifts , and deservo to lind a ready market with all who have devolving u-jon them the duty of making such gifts .

Craft Masonry.

Craft Masonry .

fe ^ iil ^ ^^^

METROPOLITAN MEETINGS . Moira Lodge ( No . 92 ) . —The installation meeting of this ancient and distinguished lodge was held at the Albion Tavern , Al Jersgate-street , E . C , on Thursday , the 7-I 1 inst . The members present included Bros . M . F . Twoedie , W . M . ; Ernest GreinerS . W . : M . A . Tweedie

, , J . W . ; T . L . Wilkinson , P . M ., Treas . ; R . F . Gould , P . M , P . G . D , Sec ; ) . M . Mitchell , S . D . ; II . M . Carter , P . M . ; W . Bohm , P . M . ; R . W . Tweedie , P . M . ; G . Greiner , P . M . ; J . P . Murrough , ; and John Webb . 'Ihe visitors were Bros . Richard Eve , P . G . Treas . ; J . . E Le Feuvre , P . G . D , D . P . G . M . Hants and Isle of Wight ; Hamon Le Strange , P . G . D , D . P . G . M . Norfolk ; W . M .

Bywater , P . G . S . B . ; G . J . McKay , P . G . Std . Br . ; Deputy Prov . Giand . , Master Cumberland and Westmoreland ; J . P . Richards , P . M . 15 S 4 ; G . A . Mounsey Heysham , S . W . 1532 ; W . W . Lee , P . M . 23 S 1 ; II . Times , S . W . 165 ; H . W . Noakes , J . W . 10 S ; F . Hallows , P . M . 8 G 1 ; M . Laistner , 23 S ; VV . J . Fisher , VV . M . 2190 ; II . Reid , P . M . i . | 2 ; A . G . Clinton , 723 ; Charles Mussared , P . M .

226 4 ; J . Kaufman , 10 S 0 ; Rev . J . II . Smith , P . P . G . C . Leicestershire and Rutland ; G . R . Ousey , P . M . 59 ; T . H . Gardiner , P . M . 1150 ; L . Hansard , P . M . 150 C ; and James Buchanan , Mother Kilwinning ( S . C ) . Lodge was opened , and the minutes having been confirmed , letters of apology for non-attendance were

announced from several brethren . Bro . J . Webb was unanimously elected a joining member . Bro . R . F . GouId . P . G . D , then , by rc-111 ! st , took the chair , and duly installed Bro . IC . Greince as W . M . for the ensuing year . The following ollicers werr appointed : Bros . M . A . Tweedie , S . W . ; j . M . Mitchell , J . W . ; T . L . Wilkinson , P . M ., Treas . ; K . 1 * . Gould , P . M , P . G . D , Sec ; Rev . R . I . Woodhouse , Chap , and S . D . ;