True Fraternity.

universe should now uplift his voice—every nation should proclaim its horror of this most cruel and sanguinary war . The happ iness and prosperity of peoples must no

longer be destroyed at the will of kings or rulers , nor must the glorious g ift of life be thrown away in obedience to their insane behests . All our efforts—all the force of

intellect and the mi ght of persuasionshould be unceasingly directed towards the annihilation of the fearful scourge of Avar .

And in the meantime let us , as much as possible , mitigate its horrors and circumscribe its sphere .

War Notes By The Editor.

WAR NOTES BY THE EDITOR .

We have received a circular letter from the Grand Master of France ( similar to that addressed to R . W . Bro . Sir E . Borough

Bart . ) respecting the Avar , and from a postscript Ave learn that the Council of the Order have decided to establish an ambulance near the Rue Cadet—the seat of the

Grand Orient . The latter body has headed a subscription for the sick and Avounded Avith 3 , 000 francs , and a first list of contributions from the members of the Council amounts

to 1 , 100 , francs . A large sum will doubtless he raised amongst the brethren in France . His Highness the Prince de Solms , AVIIO so narroAvl y escaped sharing the fate of the

Emperor Maximilian in Mexico , tvas killed at the battle of Rezonville , on the 18 th ult . The unfortunate Prince Avas a member of the Masonic Fraternity , and represented the

Grand Lodge of England at the ci-devant Grand Lodge of Hanover up to 1866 . General Mellinet , Past Grand Master of France , commanded thc troops at the

Tuilenes at the time of the Emperor ' s deposition , but very wisely refrained from employing the force under his command against the newly-organised Government

of the Republic . When the National Guard entered the gates , the General Avas standing on the terrace , and was addressed by M . Ravenez , AVIIO demanded that thc palace

should be surrendered as the property of the nation , upon Avhich General Mellinet handed over thc post occupied b y his troops to the National Guard , and bloodshed Avas thus happily averted .

The following is thc circular convening the Special Grand Lodge : — United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England . W . MASTER , — Your attendance is required ,

together with your AVardens and Past Masters , at an especial Grand Lodge , to be holden at this place on Friday , the 16 th of September next , at six o'clock in thc evening , for the purpose of considering and deciding upon a motion which will be

proposed by the Deputy Grand Master , the Right Hon . the Earl of Carnarvon , for a grant of , £ 500 towards the fund now being raised , under the auspices of H . R . H . thc Prince of AVales , K . G . , P . G . M ., for " Aid to thc Sick and Wounded in War . "

The Grand Lodge will be opened at seven o ' clock precisely . By command of the R . W . D . G . M ., J HERVEY , G . S . Freemasons' Hall , London , AV . C ., 9 th September , 1870 .

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

—< •>—The article on Freemasonry by " The Son of Salathiel" at page 205 of THE FREEMASON for April 30 th , 1870 , appeared to me to mark an

era in the Masomc career of the writer . At the time I was much pleased with it , and wished him good speed ; I trust that , without fear or favour , he will be enabled to bring his Masonic researches to a successful and definite issue . His late

remarks at page 421 are especially valuable and interesting . Seeing the " History of Freemasonry , " by Bro . Thos . L . Fox , advertised in THE FREEMASON , I sent for it , but was woefully disappointed when I got it . Its get-up is fine , so is the gilded motto

on its outside , " Sit lux , et lux fuit , " but upon examining the inside I found the motto appertaining to that to be , Sit lux , sed non lux . However , there is one thing I am highly pleased at , and that is the manly tone ofthe editorial critique , given at page 434 of THE FREEMASON . Bro . Fox ' s compilation is in great measure a

collection of our Masonic fairy tales , which may have been very useful when Freemasonry was in its infancy , but as it has now , we trust , reached manhood , such childish productions do not suit its taste , as Bro . Fox would find when he read the remarks at page 434 . The laurels of Masonic authorship are not to be won by such a simple production as Bro . Fox has laid before us . W . P . B .

VARIETIES OF FREEMASONRY . We hear of various varieties of Freemasonrysuch as Christian Freemasonry , Jewish Freemasonry , Mohammedan Freemasonry , and so on : but what , I ask , are these ? Not one of them ,

I venture , to say is true Freemasonry ; they are all mere shams . To speak of Christian Freemasonry , e . g ., is a pure contradiction in terms . The only true Freemasonry is the Freemasonry shadowed forth in the 1723 Constitutions ( the

great foundation of our " landmarks " ) , viz ., Universal Freemasonry . This acknowledging God the Great Architect of the Universe as the Father of all , hails all men , Christian , Jew , and Mohammedan alike , as brethren . It is this idea

of an universal human brotherhood that is the great charm of Freemasonry . It is Universal Freemasonry alone that can fairly and honestly

admit all men on the level into its ranks . It alone can fairly and honestly hold out the right hand of fellowship to the Christian , the Jew , or the Mohammedan alike . "W . P . B

As everything relating to the " 1717 " MASOIIS is interesting I send you the following lines , which appear iu a curious old poem called " Isabella , or the Morning . " VIATOR . " I hope , " says he , " your Grace is well to-day ,

And caught no cold by vent ' ring to the play . " " Oh , sir , I ' m mighty well—won ' t you sit down ? Pray , Mr . Stanhope , what ' s thc news in town ?" " Madam , I know of none ; but I'm just come

From seeing a curiosity at home ; "' Twas sent to MARTIN FOI . KKS , as being rare , And he and DESAGULIERS brought it there : It ' s called a Polypus . "

AID TO THE SICK AXD WOUNDED . Are the Freemasons of England justified in voting Grand Lodge funds for the above purpose ? There are several brethren of opinion that the

money might be better applied in assisting our own charities . Again , many Masons arc contributing as individuals , and ought not to be called upon for more as a corporation . SAPIENXIA .

The King of Prussia is a subscriber to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , and possesses two votes . NOTA . The Craft will be glad to learn that Frederick

Tennyson , brother of the poet laureate , and himself a bard of great power and originality , has lately become a member of our ancient Order . NOTA .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents .

ELECTION OF W . M . ( To ¦ the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In your report of the proceedings in Grand Lodge held on Wednesday last , there is a case of appeal brought forward , concerning which I should wish , with your permission , to make a few remarks . Although I am a

strong advocate for more stringent regulations than those which now prevail in every branch of Masonic practice , yet I do not think that the enforcement of a rule making it obligatory for the S . W . to succeed to the chair would be by any means a wise or a salutary provision . At the same time , I am

considerably surprised that a brother who is the founder of a lodge should be so little acquainted with the ' * Constitutions " as " to be under the misapprehension that it was consequently binding that the S . W . of the lodge should be elected to the office of Master . " In the majority of lodges , it is tacitly

admitted , it is infact a lex non scripta , " that the S . W ., provided he be in other respects a fit person for the position , succeeds to the chair on the retirement of his predecessor . " Were it otherwise , it is not easy to perceive what inducement there would be for any brother to accept office . He naturally looks

upon each step , from I . G . upwards , as bringing him nearer and nearer to that goal , the attainment of which ought to constitute the object of every young Mason ' s legitimate ambition . But on the other hand , to assert that the S . W . must of necessity occupy the vacant chair suo jure , whether he

be fit for it or not , and in spite of the voice of the majority of the lodge , displays a complete ignorance of the laws of the " Constitutions" which govern " the election of officers . " I do not mean to maintain that the law , as it now stands , which vests in the W . M . the sole power of electing his own annual

officers , is a good one . On thc contrary , I consider it a very bad one , and , like a host of others relating to Masonic matters , might be altered to great advantage . But that is not the point . At present it is the law , and until altered must be adhered to . In practice it is almost a dead letter , as the

system of seniority , combined with merit , is that which prevails in all really good lodges , and is the only principle which will ever ensure the promotion of bona fide working Masons , and make the working of our lodges what it ought to be , and what in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred it is not . The

system of patronage , and the notoriously abused privilege of nominating men to the duties of positions of which they were hopelessly ignorant , have at last nearly exploded in every department of our civil and military institutions . Let the scandal no longer remain in a society so ancient and so

honourable as Freemasonry . I regretted to perceive , as I continued the perusal of the report in question , that the whole election of W . M . was a miserable example of " bungling . " I candidly confess that had I been either the S . P . M . or the Secretary of thc lodge , I should have

infinitely preferred leaving matters in statu quo , than attempt to alter them at the expense of so flagrant an exposure of thc manner in which the business of thc lodge was conducted . Thc whole account reads like a farce . To elect a AV . M . by a majoritypartially install him—subsequently discover that

thc majority was a minority , and then endeavour to eject him , furnishes an episode in the annals of Masonic practice which is , fortunately , as unusual as absurd . As thc case rests , the appellant , to use parliamentary language , has no locus standi , unless he can prove a conspiracy existed to exclude his

proh ' ge from thc chair . It is needless to state that this is barely possible , for even if there did exist among a certain party or clique in thc lodge an agreement to vote against the election of the S . W . to the chair , it would not come under the term conspiracy . Besides , the brethren can vote as they

please , and have a perfect and legitimate right to join one another in any question before the lodge . At the same time , I quite agree that provided the S . AV . was in all other respects an eligible person for the post , he ought morally to have been elected . But thc fact that he was not , is no breach of thc

' * Constitutions , " and supplies no possible excuse for an appeal . Here it is where the appellant has fallen into error . He has made out a casus belli , where none in reality exists . In all probability he was urged towards the rock 011 which lie split , by feelings of private chagrin und disappointmentever a fallacious monitor and guide in instances

of this description . I now como lo tlie decision of the Provincial Grand Master , a portion of which is directly at variance with the laws of the " Constitutions " governing thc election of officers , and consequently interferes with matters beyond his jurisdiction , and over which he has no control . In his decision there is the clause : " Secondly , that the officers