Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a sp irit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—tree eliscussion . ]

LODGES AND CHARITY . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Several letters have appeared in your columns in reference to the above subject . Perhaps the subjoined statement , which was annexed to the balance sheet of Lodge No . 163 , may he of interest . I am , yours very fraternally , P . M .

PARTICULARS OF DONATIONS AND STATEMENT OF VOTES , POSSESSED BY THE LODGE OF INTEGRITY , NO . 163 . ROVAI . MASONIC INSTITUTION- FOR BOYS . Donations to date , to the General Fund £ 168 , giving 42 Votes every year in perpetuitv .

Donations to date , to the Building Fund 84 , giving 32 Votes every year in perpetuity . £ 252 74 The Votes are divided as follows : The W . M . is a Vice-Patron and has 40 "Votes .

The l . P . M . is a Vice-President ,, 14 „ The S . W . „ „ 10 „ The Treasurer ,, „ 10 ,, And 4 „ for Annual Subscription of Two Guineas Tidal , 78 Votes .

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION 1011 GIRLS . Donations to elate ... ... ... ... £ 18 9 0 o This gives 33 Votes in perpetuity . Divieled as follows : The W . M . is a Vice-Patron with 23 Votes . The l . P . M . is a Vice-President with 10 ,, And 4 ,, for Annual Subscription of Two Guineas .

Total 37 Votes . Aisisn FREEMASONS AND WIDOWS or FREEMASONS . Male Fund . Donations to date ... ... ... £ 202 10 o

Giving 30 Votes every year in perpetuity . The W . M . is a Vice-Patron with 30 Votes . The l . P . M . is a Vice-President with 10 ,, The S . W . „ „ , 0 „ And 4 ,, for Annual Subscription of | Oiic Guinea .

Total , 54 Votes . Female Fund . Donations to date ... ... £ 202 10 o ( Jiving 50 Votes every year in pcr | ittuity . The W . M . is a Vice-Patron with 30 Votes The J . W . is a Vice-President with 10 ,, The Treasurer „ ,, 10 ,, Ami 4 ,, for Annual Subscription * of One Guinea .

Total 54 Votes . EAST LANCASHIRE MASONIC EIH ' CATION . IL AND BENEVOLENT INSTUTLTION . Donations to date , jf 100 , for which the lodge is a patron , and receives ico Votes at every election . MANCHESTER WAREHOUSEMEN AND CLERK ' S ORPHAN

INSTITUTION . Donations to date ... ... ... ... £ 57 15 o For which wc receive 1 Vote yearl y for 20 years , from December , 186 9 Anel 10 Votes yearly for 20 years , from December , 1 S 76

—Total 11 voles . SUMMARY . We have given to the Masonic Institutions £ o , a (> , for which wc receive 307 Votes in perpetuity ; add 16 Votes for our Annual Subscriptions , the lodge is in possession of 323

Votes for Masonic Charities , and as will be seen from the above , we also possess 11 Votes for a local institution . WM . ROME , W . M . J . W . P . SALMON , P . M ., P . G . D . C , Treasurer . 14 th December , 1878 .

OLD LODGES . To the Editor if the '" Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I have perused with much interest the list of lodges published in the Christmas number of the " Masonic Magazine , " but in one respect , atleast , Bro . Hughan

seems not to have carried his researches far enough , or to have been searching in a wrong direction , for he has entirely missed my mother lodge , the present No . 35 , holding its meetings here . This lodge was originally warranted on the 17 th February , 1732 , as No . in , and its place of meeting , at that time , was the Theatre Tavern , Goodman ' s

Fields . In 175 6 , it was No . 57 , meeting at the City of Norwich , Weiitworth--trcct , Spitalficlds ; and in 1761 . it was removed to Cowes , how or why does not appear , fir the written records , now in existence , do not go further back than 1780 . In 1770 , it had become No . 39 , and in

17 81 , it was No . 33 . In 1792 , the number was again changed , and it became No . 31 , anil so remained until the Union , when it was No . 48 , and has since , by the different closings up of the roll of lodges , become No . 35 . The original warrant appears to have been lost or destroyed , for in 1824 , H . R . H . the Dukecf Sussex granted a warrant

Original Correspondence.

of confirmation , under which the lodge is now working . It is one of the very few lodges which has a special centenary jewel of its own , the warrant for which was granted by the late Eail of Zetland , as G . M ., and the ri ght to wear which is confined to actual subscribing members . 1 am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , T . W . FAULKNER , P . M . Cowes , 8 th January , 1879 .

OUR LATE BRO . P . W . BENHAM , OF JERSEY . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — It affords me much pleasure to have perused , through the medium of your valuable paper , so full and able an account of the funeral arrangements of our late

respected brother . It too affords me the greatest possible pleasure and delight to be able to inform you that our late brother was a prudent , as well as a thoughtful member of our Order ; Viis life being assured in the office of which I am managing director . Immediately on receipt of the sad

intelligence of the death , communicated to me by one so much esteemed and regarded as our Bro . Binet , the company ' s representative in Jersey , I acknowledged the communication in question and , on behalf of the company , offered at once to pay the claim . Yours fraternally , A . TORK 1 NGTON .

OLD , BLIND , AND IN WANT . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — May I just say that I propose to close the list of kinel subscriptions this day week , and to then send to you a statement , both of the amounts leceived since my last publication , and also of the total contributions . If a few more kindly brethren on reading this would be inclined to join the charitable rank of donors to a most worthy object , it will give me real pleasure to add their names to my list , which , though liberal and most serviceable , is capable of a little extension , without exceeding the object in view . 1 am faithfully anel fraternally yours , JOHN B . MONCKTON , Prest . Bd . G . P . Queen Anne ' s Mansion , S . W ., January 1 Oth , 18 79 .

SUPREME COUNCIL OF SCOTLAND , & c . To the Editor of the " Fret mason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I am a constant reader of the Freemason , anel was much interested in the correspondence which has appeared in it in reference to the genuineness of the Supreme Councils of Scotland anel i >{ that eif Charlesteiwn , U S .

In the absence of any contradiction by General Pike or others , of the facts stated by your correspondents , would you kindly say whether your readers may now look on the Councils of Scotland and Charlestown as of spurious formation ? Yours fraternally , A PRINCE OF THE ROYAL SECRET .

Reviews.

Reviews .

EBORACUM MASONIC CALENDAR FOR 1879 . Presented by Bro . T . B . Whytehead , P . M ., Prov . G . D . of Ceremonies . We have received this neat anel handy little Calendar , and which contains a " photo" of these interesting relics , the Bible which belongeel to the Freemason's Lodge , " at Mr . Howard's , al York , 1761 , " the " guage , " which bears the

names "John Drake , William Baron of York , ' - and John B . iron , with the elate 1 ( 16 3 , " and two emblems , interlaced triangles , and Ihe silver loving cup , now belonging to Mrs . Newstead Sulby , anil which is said to have been the property eif the Granel Lodge of York . We like this " opusculum" very much , all except the publication of the " woiking tools , " which we think a mistake . We arc quite

aware that Bro . Whytehead can plead the authority of Oliver , but we are of those who think that Oliver published a great deal which he had no right or authority to publish . We need hardly point out that all such publications are only " exparte , " and not , in any sense , authoritative or authorized . We feel sure that Bro . Wh ) tehead will take our fiatemal remarks in good part , as all are aware what a zealous and investigating Mason he is .

MONTHLY MAGAZINES : — "Temple Bar ; " " Scribner's Magazine ; " "All the Year Round ; " " London Society ; " " The Leisure Hour ;" " Sunday Magazine ; " " Argosy ; " " Cassell ' s Family Magazine ; " " Golden Hours ; " " Monthly Packet ; "

" Macmillan ' s Magazine ; " " The Gentleman ' s Magazine ; " " The Fortnightly ; " " The Contemporary ;' " The 19 th Century ; " " Cornhill ; " " Good Words ;'' " Belgravia . " * These various magazines come before our readers with

multifarious claims , and often with great inteiest . TEMPLE BAR is , we think , this month hardly up to its normal tone and temperament , though the new story " Probation , " seems to open well . There is in" Sciibner" a somewhat remarkable paper on Leonardo da Vinci , and we can cordially commend this always genial magazine . In " All the Year Round " " Vixen " moves on serenely and pleasantly enough , and

the number is worth reading . " Golden Hours , " " London Society , " " The Leisure Hour , " "The Sunday Magazine , " "The Argosy , " all have varied claims em a friendly circle of readers . Soha \ e " Macmillan's , '" Cornhill , " "The Gentleman ' s Magazine , " and ' ¦ Belgravia . " " The Monthly Packet" is very interesting , under the able editing- of Miss Yonge . We give a little " bit" from the " Otter ' s Story : "

Reviews.

The rustle of a dead leaf is all that betrays that the badgers are out on the bank before their earth , sitting up like little bears as they are , to watch the bunnies feeding so innocently in the moonli g ht beyond the trees . " A little squeal sooner or later tells that a bunny is gone , and for a few moments all the tall ears are pricked up to listen , and one or two of the most enterprising and

intelligent of the bereaved family sit up erect ; but they always take it for granted it is no matter , or if it is any matter it can't be helped , and so they drop down again on all fours , and the feeding and scampering in the moonlight go on as before . " But for all that , a brother and a bunny is gone whence bunnies come back no more : and somewhere underneath

the grassy glade where the moonlight looks so sweet and peaceful , in dark dungeon holes below , the big bears and the little bears are having rabbit for supper . " "The 19 th Century , " "The Fortnightly , " "The Contemporary " deal for the most par t with " Vexatse qsestiones" which are outside our Masonic cognizance , and which touch upon that " debateable land" which is

purely neutral ground for Freemasons . We can only refer our readers to them , for fear we should be supposed as Masons to lean to one side or the other in these " tangled skeins" of debate and doubt which so agitate society , so divide the " body politic , " and so vex us poor mortals

here below . Happily in Freemasonry , as Praed sang so genially of old of the Leamington Charity Bazaar" Churchman , Dissenter here for once unite , And here at least they both are in the right , While the hot Tory smilingly throws down For fair Whig hands the sovereign and the crown . "

MEYER'S ALMANACK ( Liverpool . A very gay and coloured almanack , which , no doubt , will be much admired . MUSIC . VINE LEAVES POLKA . B y Bro . Aimiure CLINTON . Very sprightly and dance-attracting .

First Report Of The London Masonic Charity Association For 1879.

FIRST REPORT OF THE LONDON MASONIC CHARITY ASSOCIATION FOR 1879 .

The Committee of the London Masonic Charity Assocition has thought it well , at the commencement of its work for 1879 , to put forward a few considerations , which ir begs respectfully to commend to the serious attention of the London voters for our Metropolitan Masonic Charities .

1 . It has been often said , and it is as constantly still repeated with much emphasis , that there is " no need of such an Association . " The Committee would beg on the contrary , most distinctly to assert that there is , in its opinion , a very great need of such an Association , for the

following reasons : —( 1 ) The absolute Iriendlessncss of many of the London canelidates ; ( 2 ) the necessity of reforming the present system of election , which rests to a great extent , at any rate , on merely personal prepossessions alone ; and ( 3 ) , the prevailing tendency to leave in the hands of a few select brethren , or , as American writers term them , " wire pullers , " the result of our elections .

Not that this view , or this fact , imply necessarily any great weakness in the exi-ting voting system , or are put forward to justify hasty charges or inadvisable meddling with the undoubteel liberty of personal selection , but the Committee thinks it right to point out that there is no uniform system of voting carried out by our London brethren , inasmuch , as owing to old connexions and prevailing individualism

the votes are given as much to Provincial Charity Committees as to London cases , and the consequence is , many most deserving claimants for aid , unable to meet the provincial organization on the one hand , ( quite right in itself ) , and the want of influential patrons on the other in London , fail altogether to secure the benefits of our great Charities , so needful to them , and intended originally for those very

cases which are now too often unsuccessful . It is a matter of fact , beyond dispute , that the opposition to the Association has come from a few influential brethren in London , who , to their honour be it said , in one sense , at any rate , spare no pains in obtaining votes from individual brethren to carry their cases , to help their clients , to whom they arc such friendly and fraternal patrons .

The need cf such an Association was signally shewn at the last elections , when " most deserving cases were left out in the cold" completely , though it was their last chance , for want of influential support . 2 . It is said again that the institution of this Association is improper and unmasonic , in that it would seek to create a difference between London and provincial cases .

But as this assertion , often made , tests upon an entire fallacy , the Committee thinks it well to point out its unreal and illogical character . If no Provincial Charity Committee existed , the Committee would admit that it might be a question whether it would be wise to constitute a specific Metropolitan Committee . But as some of the Charity Committees in the

provinces are of nearly twenty years standing , and many are most powerful now , with their power of accumulated voting , it is clearly within the competency of London subscribers to the Charities to follow a good example , and carry out in fact the dictates of common sense . The provincial brethren so far from looking askance

as was predicted confidently , on the London Masonic Charity Association , have all admitted its raison d ' etre , and fully recognized its sphere of action , and the reasonableness and seasonableness c . f its formation . The Committee thinks it hardly worth while to dilate on a topic , which except in the hands of the interested or th * prejudiced , has no valid importance , and no real weight .