A Grand Library.

A GRAND LIBRARY .

Very interesting is the sketch with which we have been favoured , and of which a lady , who signs herself " Lydia Jackson Lauphere , " is the writer of Bro . T . S . PARVIN ' s establishment of the Masonic Library , at Cedar Rapids , belonging to the Grand Lodge of Iowa . In some respects , perhaps , the sketch is

disappointing . It mentions only a very few of the literary treasures it contains , nor does it say anything as to the appropriations voted by the Grand Lodge , except at the very outset , towards the work which has been so abl y and faithfully carried out by Bro . PARVIN . It speaks highly of the qualities of this distinguished

brother—who is undoubtedly one ot the brightest ornaments ot the fraternity in the United States—of his protracted labour as Grand Secretary during an almost unbroken period of 45 years , of the part he took in the forwarding of the edifice in which the library is housed , and of the variety as well as of the value of

the collection which he has succeeded in forming . lhe lady , however , does not enter minutely into particulars , and leaves her readers pretty much to themselves in judging of the character and extent of this Grand Library , which certainly ranks among the most notable Masonic libraries in the world . It is possible ,

however , that we shall form a juster estimate of the part played by Bro . PARVIN himself by reason of this scantiness of detail . The contrast is very strikingly drawn between the library as it is and

as it was in 18 45 , when the project for forming a library was first conceived , and no one will have any difficulty in imagining to himself the steady persistency with which the project has since been carried . We are told that one of the first acts of the

Grand Lodge of Iowa was to appoint a Library Committee , there being , of course , no library to which it could devote its attention . This Committee reported at the annual Grand Lodge in 18 45 :

" We believe that a commencement should be made , and additions from time to time as the Grand Lodge may be able , so that in time we may have a collection of Masonic information that may be an honour to us . " The immediate result of this was that a

sum of five dollars { £ 1 sterling ) was made that it might " be extended under the direction of the Grand Secretary such information as he may see proper . " This was certainly not a very generous grant for such a purpose , but Bro . PARVIN set about his work with so much energy and will , that "so early as 18 49 ,

four years from date of first appropriation , books enough had been gathered to justify the publication of a small four page catalogue . " By 1882 the report of the Committee showed that the library was worth § 12 , 000 (^ 2400 ) , though , " through the indefatigable exertions of its Collector /* ' tlie

expense to Grand Lodge had not been more than § 2500 ( £ 500 ) . Before the close of this year the library was about doubled in value by the addition of the private library of Bro . R . F . BOWER , of Keokuk , Iowa , which vvas obtained by the Grand Lodge for § 4000 ( £ 800 ) , but which , we are told , " besides

an extensive miscellaneous assortment of books on subjects allied to Masonry , embraced the largest collection of purely Masonic works ever belonging to one individual , its cost having aggregated fully § 12 , 000 , to say nothing of the time and labour expended in its collecting . " On the 17 th May , 1884 , Bro . PARVIN

assisted in laying the corner-stone " of what is now the completed structure of one of the most beautiful and most perfectly appointed library buildings within the borders of the United States . " It is a fire-proof building , constructed of brick , stone , and iron , at a cost of § 32 , 000 dollars ; the ground upon which it stands , with $ 10 , 000 in cash , having been donated by the

publicspirited Masons of Cedar Rapids , Iowa , which generous gift determined its locality . Among the rare works enumerated as being included in the collection are copies of ANDERSON ' S first edition of the Constitutions , and FlFIEED DASSIGNY ' S work ,

printed in Dublin in 1744 . The establishment of such a library > s an honour to the Grand Lodge of Iowa , and especially to its •earned ancl indefatigable Grand Secretary , Bro . PARVIN , on whom the bulk of the labour of collecting has necessarily develo ped , and we should very much like to see a taste for Masonic

A Grand Library.

literature more generally disseminated among the Masons of England . The establishment of such a library as we have described is not to be accomplished , and , moreover , we have a Grand Lodge Library of our own which in some respects is unequalled by any other Masonic library in the world . It would ,

however , be a great gain to Masonry if the example set by the Yorkshire and Worcestershire brethren were more usually followed , and we hope the time is not far distant when there will be generally throughout England greater facilities than now exist for the cultivation of Masonic literature .

A Munificent Gift.

A MUNIFICENT GIFT .

lhe brethren present af the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania , were startled in a most pleasant manner on St . John ' s Day , by the announcement of Bro . THOMAS R . PATTON , Grand Treasurer , that he had made a gift of § 25 , 000 G 65000 ) to the Grand Lodge , to forma fund on behalf , and for

the relief , of necessitous widows of Freemasons . The Keystone states that it fails to find any parallel to this princely gift , the nearest being that of Bro . STEPHEN GIRARD in 18 31 , 0 ? § 20 , 000 for indigent brethren . The latter was bequeathed , however , whereas this present amount is donated during the lifetime of

the donor , and is , moreover , intended as his affectionate memorial to the merits and virtues of his lamented wife . We can quite understand the enthusiastic applause that greeted the announcement . We are pleased to add that Bro . PATTON is the

representative of the Grand Lodge of England at Pennsylvania , and lately qualified as a Life Governor of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , through the medium of his friend Bro . HUGHAN , of Torquay .

A Lodge Presentation.

A LODGE PRESENTATION .

A short while since , a correspondent , who signed himself " West Yorkshire , " expressed a wish that we should give our opinion as to what , in the case of a testimonial , constitutes and what does not constitute a presentation by the lodge . The

circumstances which induced him to make this request were described by him as follows : Some members of a lodge were desirous of presenting a jewel to another member . No ' general canvass was made , nor was it looked upon as a matter that in any way concerned the lodge . But at the next regular meeting ,

towards the close of business , one of the brethren rose in his place and made the presentation " in the name of the lodge . " Assuming that our friend ' s account of the circumstances is correct , we have no hesitation in saying that the gift thus made was not the gift of the lodge , but of the brethren who subscribed to

present it ; and that the latter had not a particle of right to declare the jewel , which they had purchased out of their own private funds , and without inviting the other members of the lodge to join them in the purchase , as being given " in the name of the lodge . " This was a stretch oftheimagination on their part forwhich

there was no warranty whatever . Our correspondent adds that he gave it as his opinion that the jewel was not the gift of the lodge , but it is not clear that he did so at the time as ' a kind of protest . It appears to us that the Master neglected his duty in not preventing the act being done , and the question arises

whether , in the absence of any interference on the part of the Master or any protest from one or more of the non-subscribing brethren , the gift , having been allowed to be made " in the name of the lodge , " is not now virtually a lodge gift as much as if it had been paid for out of the lodge funds in consequence of a vote to

that effect having been passed by the lodge . We do not say absolutely that this is the case , but the question might fairly be raised , on the very ordinary ground that silence implied acquiescence on the part of all present , whether they had or had not any part in the purchase of the jewel . It is manifestly desirable that a distinction should be drawn between a testimonial which is presented by the lodge , having been purchased out of the lodge funds or by general subscription among the members , and