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ESTABLISHED 1871 . ¦ W . MARTINDALE , ENGRAVER AND WRITER . MEMORIAL " BRASSES , A SPECIALITY . ,, CULLUM ST ., FENCHURCH ST ., CITY , E . C .

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MAYO'S CASTLE HOTEL , EAST MOLESEY , HAMPTON COURT STATION . BRO . JOHN MAYO . MASONIC TEMPLE . Accommodation in the new wing for Banquets for any number up to 120 . Every convenience for Ladies' Gatherings Spacious landing to river , whence Steam Launches can start . Five Lodges meet here , and reference may be made to thc respective Masters as to the catering , & c .

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SATURDAY , AUGUST 17 , 1901 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

It will have been seen from the report last week of the recent Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Scotland that Grand Committee reported receipt of a representation of the Grand Lodge of Denmark , in which the latter protested against the

action of the Grand Lodge of Hamburg in creating a daughter lodge at Copenhagen , that is to say , in the jurisdiction of the Danish Grand Lodge , and invited the good offices of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in bringing the remonstrance of Denmark to the notice of the foreign Grand Lodges with which it is on terms of

amity . Without going fully into the circumstances , our knowledge of which has only been obtained at second hand , it appears to us that the facts as set forth in the Danish remonstrance establish a clear c ise of invasion , and , we fear we must add , of wanton invasion , of Masonically occupied territory by the Grand Lodge of Hamburg . * »

It is difficult to understand what advantage the Hamburg authorities can hope to reap from invading the territory of a sister Grand Lodge and wounding its amour propre . There are certain well-understood laws and customs which govern the relation to one another of the different sovereign and independent Masjnic

Grand Lodges , and among those none is more clearly defined than the law which forbids one of these bodies from setting up a daughter lodge within the known territory of another lodge . We presume the Grand Lodge of Hamburg is not so ignorant of the state of Masonry outside its own jurisdiction as to be unaware

of the existence of the Grand Lodge of Den nark . Both those Grand Lodges are on terms of amity with the Grand Lodges of the United Kingdom , and exchange representatives with them , and if from no other source than our Grand Lodge Calendar the

Grand Lodge of Hamburg must know that the Crown Prince of Denmark , as Grand Master of the Order in that kingdom , is a Past Grand Master of England , and Prince John of Glucksburg , G . Master of the Grand Lodge , is , and has been since 1880 , a Past G . Warden of England .

* There is here no question of concurrent jurisdiction such as the Grand Lodges of England , Ireland , and Scotland exercise over the brethren of their respective Constitutions in those British Colonies and Dependencies in which no local supreme Masonic authority

exists . But even these do not carry their ideas of concurrence so far as to set up English , Irish , and Scottish lodges in the very centre of the territory of a foreign Grand Lodge . We respect the supremacy of other Grand Lodges just in the same way and for the same reason that we expect the latter will respect ours . But this establishment of a Hamburg daughter

lodge at the very seat of Masonic Government in Denmark strikes us as being in the nature of an outrage upon the Sovereign independence of the latter such as all that are interested in the maintenance of international respect and decorum will hope to see atoned for , • « When some few years since the Grand Lodge of Manitoba , which , be it remarked , is a British Colon ' a )

Masonic Notes.

and not a f-reign , Grand Lodge , granted a warrant , for the formation of a daughter lodge at Gibraltar , our authorities courteously pointed out to those of Manitoba that the Grand Lodge of England had daughter lodges under a District Grand Lodge already established there and the Manitoban warrant was at once withdrawn . This is what we hope the Grand Lodge of Hamburg will lose no time in doing .

* * * Our Leeds brethren are to be congratulated on the success of the important function which took piace in their midst rather more than a fortnight since , when Bro . the Right Hon . W . L . Jackson , M . P ., Prov . G . Master of West Yorkshire , dedicated the Masonic

Hall which has been in course of erection for more than a year . In the summer of last year , the Earl of Warwick in his capacity of Deputy Grand Master of England , visited the City and laid the foundation stone of the new building . A considerable sum of money has been expended upon it , but the whole of the

capital of . £ 10 , 000 required for the purpose had not been rSised when on the 29 th ult . the Prov . Grand Master attended and performed the ceremony ot dedication in the presence of a very numerous gathering of the brethren not only of the six Leeds lodges more especially interested , but also of the members of the

other lodges in Leeds and elsewhere throughout the Province . However , there was such an amount of enthusiasm displayed on the occasion that before the proceedings came to an end , the Dep . Prov . Grand Master—Bro . Richard Wilson , P . G . D . —who in his speech at the banquet which was held afterwards in the Town Hall , had the satisfaction of finding himself in a

position to announce that the whole of the capital had been subscribed . This , too , is a matter for congratulation , and we trust that as years roll on , Leeds , and indeed , the whole of the Province of West Yorkshire will be found to have reaped the advantage of having a building intended principally , if not entirely for the use of the Craft .

* Nor though the proceedings were on a less extended scale must we withhold our congratulations from the Master , officers , and members of the Lodge of Concord , No . 1135 , llfracombe , on also being in possession of a ITall of their own , which has been erected at their

own cost , and which , from the description that was contained in our report of last week , appears to be in every way suitable to the requirements of the lodge , and admirably adapted to afford them all the comfort and convenience they can possibly desire . The foundation-stone of the Hall was laid by Bro . G . C .

Davie , P . G . D . Eng ., Dep . Prov . G . Master of Devonshire , on the ioth May , 1899 , and the ceremony of dedicating it was performed some time since by the same brother , assisted by Bros . F . B . Westlake , P . D . G . D . C , Prov . S . G . Warden ; John Stocker , Asst . G . D . C , Prov . G . Secretary ; and others . For

some time past the brethren in Devonshire and other Provinces have exhibited a great desire to have halls of their own , and where the lodges are strong enough in membership , or where two or three or even more meet in the same locality , we strongly advise them to adopt this course . In London the cost of erecting

such buildings would possibly be far too great for a lodge , or even two or more lodges , to entertain the idea . Moreover , the principal hotels and restaurants have suites of rooms which are specially set apart for the use of lodges , chapters , and other bodies ; and ,

moreover , are elegantly furnished , with all the necessary fittings , & c , and so arranged as to ensure to those who use them the utmost possible privacy . In the country , however , it seems to us that Masonic Halls should be the order of the day , wherever it is practicable to erect them .

* » » It is not many months since that Comp . the Rev , Canon Tristram , D . D ., was installed in office as Grand Superintendent of Durham—but for a severe bronchial attack which prevented his attendance his installation would have taken place at the annual meeting of the

Provincial Grand Chapter on the ist December lastand already we have the pleasure of congratulating him on the consecration of a new chapter—the Babington Boulton , No . 1121 , Bishop Auckland , so named after the companion of that name , who is Past Grand Second Principal H . of the Provincial Grand

Chapter , and was installed as the first M . E . Z . As ill luck would have it , our rev . companion was unable to be present at the interesting ceremony , but the proceedings were impressively carried out under the guidance of Comp . John Holt , Prov . G . H ., who acted as Grand Superintendent , while Comp . Boulton was installed in the chair of First Principal by Comp . R .

Masonic Notes.

Hudson , Past G . Std . Br ., the Grand Scribe E . of the Province . We wish the new chapter , which will offer the necessary facilities hitherto unpossessed by our Bishop Auckland brethren for cultivating the Royal Arch , all possible success , and trust it may have

before it a long and useful career . The Wear Valley Lodge , No . 1121 , to which the new chapter is attached , had a membership at the last leturn of 73 , so that there is plenty of Craft material available to place the new chapter on a firm foundation .

* » » By the consecration of this chapter , the number on the roll of Prov . G . Chapter of Durham is increased to 14 , and to this extent the disproportion between the lodges , of which there are 38 , and the chapters is reduced .

But it appears to us that there is still room for improvement . There are now four chapters in Sunderland , one in Durham , and one at each of the nine following towns , namely : Gateshead , Darlington , South Shields , Stockton , Hartlepool , West

Hartlepool , Jarrow , Barnard Castle , and Bishop Auckland . But Stockton has four lodges , Durham , Gateshead , West Hartlepool , and S . Shields , each three lodges , and Chester-le-Street and Darlington two each . Craft Masonry , by the latest lodge Returns—for the year

to the 31 st December , 1899—shows a total subscribing membership of 3350 , but the total of the 13 chapters already in existence is only 554 . The average

membership per lodge is very high , viz ., 88 , and that of the chapters is also high—namely , 43 per chapter , yet the proportion of Royal Arch to Craft Masons is only one to six .

• • Of course , there may be local circumstances with which we are unacquainted , which may go some way towards accounting for this very striking disproportion between the two branches of constitutional Masonry ,

but if we remember rightly , the late Sir Hedworth Williamson more than once called attention to it and urged upon the companions to exert themselves to

redress it . The same advice has been given elsewhere in the North of England , so we think , the Royal Arch in Durham might also with great advantage be strengthened .

The July number of the Toronto Freemason contains a very full account of the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Canada ( Province of Ontario ) at its 46 th annual communication , which was held in the city of Hamilton on the 17 th and 18 th July , under the

presidency of Bro . R . B . Hungerford , M . W . G . M . In the course of the meeting Bros . Hungerford and John E . Harding , K . C , were re-elected Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master respectively , and Bros . Hugh Murray and J . ] . Mason Grand Treasurer and Grand

Secretary , the other Grand Officers being either elected by G . Lodge or appointed by the Grand Master . There was a full attendance , and as the first day of the meeting coincided with the day appointed for the installation of H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , K . G .

as M . W . G . Master of our United Grand Lodge , Grand Master Hungerford took the opportunity of cabling on behalf of his Grand Lodge a message of congratulation on his Royal Highness ' s installation , and received a reply the following day .

The message and reply were as follows : "The Grand Lodge of Canada , on behalf of thirty thousand Freemasons and British subjects , congratulates the Mother Grand Lodge of the AVorld on the installation of a worthy successor to the great Craft ruler who has

passed from your Grand East to the throne of a united empire . —Richard B . Hungerford , Grand Master . " To this the reply from V . W . E . Letchworth , Grand Secretary , was sent and read in open Grand Lodge :

' His Royal Highness and the Grand Lodge received congratulations of Grand Lodge of Canada with greatest satisfaction . Most heartily reciprocate good wishes . "

* * » In the course of . the first day ' s proceedings , Grand Master Hungerford , in a long and eloquent address , reviewed the chief events of the year , about the most important of his announcements having reference to

the likelihood of the affiliation in the near future of the English lodges in Montreal , which from 1855 , when the Grand Lodge of Canada was formed , have steadfastly declined to unite their fortunes with those of ,

firstly , the aforesaid Grand Lodge of Canada , and since 186 9 with those of the Grand Lodge of Quebec , to which , it is hoped and believed , they will soon join themselves . We shall refer to this subject again at an early date .