Grand Council Of Royal And Select Masters.

Thc following appointments were then made for the ensuing year : 111 . Comp . Sir Reginald Hanson ... ... Prin . G . Cond . of W . " n - \\ i v C f , 7 ~^' t' D , D' " 1 G . Chaplains . ,, Rev . W . A . Iootli , M . A . ... ... ) ' R . Bcrridge ... ... G . Treasurer .

„ C . F . Maticr ... ... ... G . Recorder . ,, B . R . Bryant ... ... ... G . Lecturer . ,, Sir Augustus Harris ... ... G . D . of C . A . R . Carter ... ... ... A . G . D . of C

„ Capt . Donald Grant ... ... G . Capt . of Guards . „ Deputy Inspector-Gen . Belgravc Ninnis G . Cond . of Council . ,, Dr . K . M . Lolt ... ... ... G . Organist . W . Maple ... ... ... " ) W . Flockton ... ... ... \ G- Marshals . R . Willard ... ... ¦¦¦ )

,, L . Steele ... ... ... Senior G . Steward . „ S . T . Altenborough ... ... Junior G . Steward .

Comp . Mi ra . s was re-elected Grand Sentinel , on thc proposition ol 111 . Comp . Bcrridge , seconded by 111 . Comp . Vincent . The Degree of Royal Master was exemplified by III . Comps . W . Vincent . C . F . Maticr , and F . Mead , to whom a hearty vote of thanks was accorded on thc motion of thc Dep . G . Master . Thc Grand Council was then closed , and a banquet was subsequently held at Freemasons' Tavern , at which thc Dep . G . Master presided .

Thc usual preliminary toasts having been disposed of , "The Health of thc M . III . Grand Master" was heartily g iven and received . 111 . Comp . C . F . MATIER , G . Recorder , as the senior P . Dep . G . M . present , asked the companions present to drink most heartily and most cordially "Thc Health of Lt .-Col . Cook , Dep . G . Master , " who had taken so much

interest in Freemasonry , and had occupied such distinguished positions in thc Craft , Royal Arch , and the Mark Degree . In the Royal and Select Masters Grand Council , Col . Cook occupied thc proud position of Dep . G . Master , and they had that evening seen how well he could preside , both in the lodge room and at the festive b oard .

The DEI * . GRAND MASTER , in reply , said he regretted the absence of thc Grand Master , but felt it a great honour to preside that evening . It gave him great pleasure to be present and preside in the Council , and also at what had , he thought , been a very pleasant and happy evening . Such evenings helped them to know one another better , and assisted them to do more good for the Order in general . As a Recorder , he would take care in future that all thc members had notice of the meeting of Grand Council , and in anything he could do for the good of the Order his services were at their disposal .

111 . Comp . CI . EEVES responded for " The Visitors , which was given in cordial terms by III . Comp . Bcrridge , G . Treas ., and thc proceedings terminated .

Pope, Friendly Societies, And Masons.

POPE , FRIENDLY SOCIETIES , AND MASONS .

The Speaker of Saturday last has thc following letter , which we think will be of interest to our readers * . — " Thc selection of a new head of the Roman Catholic Church in England gives a good opportunity for calling attention to thc most doubtful point connected with thc policy in Great Britain of that body .

" For nearly , *! quarter of a century 1 have been a humble freemason , and an inactive member of the Manchester I ' nily of Oddfellows- the greatest friendly society in the world . For thc same period I have been an active member of the Ancient Order of Foresters , the next in power of all friendly societies . During the last few years , in Poor Law work , I have seen that the value o ! these bodies to the nation is as great as they themselves claim

that it is . Thc Freemasons of this country , as is well known , are a body of which the first characteristic is goodfellowship , and the second almsgiving ; and thev exist mainly for thc combination of these two qualities . They have so little sympathy with the Continental societies of the same name—which have mostly political or anti-religious objects- -that the whole of thc Masons of the L ' nited Kingdom have solemnly repudiated thc Grand Orient ol France on account of the omission by the Grand Orient of the name of thc

Great Architect of the I ' niverse , and of all recognition of the Grand Lodge above , from their proceedings . It is also a well-known fact that British Freemasons are exhorted ( o be exemplary in the discharge of their civil duties , never to countenance any act which may have a tendency to subvert the peace and good order of society , and to pay due obedience to the laws of any Slate which may become their place of residence . The Manchester I ' nily and the Foresters are immense societies of mutual thrift existing among workmen and democralicallv governed by their members .

" The Roman Catholic Church had in limes past , and has still , its quarrels willi certain Italian secret societies unknown in this country—quarrels with which we never have had anything and have nothing to do . Wh y should British Roman Catholics be prevented in Great Britain or in thc British Colonies from joining such admirable societies as those which I have named ? It is a loss to the societies , and it is still more a loss to Roman Catholic

Britons that this membership should be forbidden on pain of the censure of their Church . In some Colonics mere censure has been exceeded . Cardinal-Archbislvip Moran -according to a private circular which has never , I believe , been repudiated since its publication by Mr . Wise , a former president of the Oxford 1 ' niiin , and a former Attorney-Genera ! of New South Walesdeprives of the sacraments of his Church those who join the Oddfellows ,

Foresters , Good Templars , Rechabites , and all kindred societies . This is dune on ihe ground that the Church condemns " secret societies . " "Secret societies " is a big phrase for the playful mysteries which surround membership of the socielies which I have named . There arc bookshops in which works at least professing to slate the nature of the ceremonies can actually be purchased . But , for fear of incurring censure , I will not name Masonic

Pope, Friendly Societies, And Masons.

rites , but , alluding only to those of the friendly societies which have amoiiothem in Great Britain now millions of members , I will say that it is notorious that those of the Oddfellows arc merely pleasant , those of the Foresters merely religiously suggestive , and that their nature is such that none of the thousands of the clergy of thc Church of England , none of the hundreds of Nonconformist ministers who have joined the orders having signs or

passwords , have ever seen any reason to publicly or privately complain of these at least harmless symbols . Why then , I repeat , should the censure of the Roman Catholic Church visit those who become members of orders which by almost universal admission , have in them nothing but good ? Surel y thc time has come when the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church in

England and in the British Colonies mig ht properly point out to the Vatican , with all respect , the essential difference which exists between the so-called secret societies of thc British Empire and those secret societies which flourished in Italy between iSt 5 and 1848 , the memory ol which still haunts the Papal repose . " C . W . DILKE . "

There Is Nothing New.

THERE IS NOTHING NEW .

History repeals itself . The age in which we live is but the age of , 1 thousand years ago , brought down to date . Men and women think and act as they did in the years long since forgotten . The story of Homer was

repeated by Virgil , and in turn by Dante , and again by Milton . The thoughts of to-day are but the wavelets of thought from the years beyond the Flood . We are influenced in our actions by those who have been dead for centuries and whose very names are not recorded . There is nothing

new . When Campbell was asked b y a young lady to write something original in her album , he penned this line : "There ' s nothing original , but original sin . " That is original only because it is innate . It is born with us into a world

wonderfully prepared to water the tender plant , and make it bud and bring forth its pernicious fruit . It is not long in its original state , for its rank growth finds a poisoned atmosphere well adapted to feed it . Men and women are the same now that they have always been . They have the same aspirations , the same love , thc same hate , the same vices , and the same

virtues . They are just as fickle and just as easiby influenced . Life to-day is but a picture of life thousands of years ago , onl y changed to suit an advanced education , a refined taste , or a changed climatic influence . There is as much deviltry to-day as in the days of Nero , and man is the same . There would be a hundred Ncros to-day but for the restraining influence of public opinion .

We look with wonder at thc great Pyramids , and admire the genius that erected them . Human genius has not suffered anything by the lapse of time since thc days ol thc Pharaohs . If we had a Pyramid to build to-day il would be built . If the machinery used in those old days is unknown to us now , human genius would devise some other that would accomplish the work- -the Pyramid would be built .

Masonry is not new , any more than anything else is . There is nothing new in it . Its traditions , in some form or other , may be found in all the ages past . From the thunders of Sinai to thc present time , " Thou slialt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart * , " " Thou shall not kill ; " " Thon

shall not steal , " have been the principles proclaimed in every land , in every tongue . They arc Masonic doctrines . In teaching them to-day , we leach nothing new , we only repeat the utterances of Jehovah , repeated time and time again in all the past .

It is interesting to know that all peoples , whether enlightened to our views or not , have some great fundamental doctrines that permeate their teachings in perfect accord with our own . The story of thc Creation anil the Flood arc to be found in thc sacred books of those whom we call brethren .

Their records are but the mind of the Creator , preserved to them in their own language , and according to their own understanding -but they arc not

new . It matters not how we teach Masonry , whether according to the ritual of our fathers or not , so long as we teach it in such a way as to make the " old . old story" p lain , and so impress it upon those who seek its influence as to make them belter men . We cannot hope , after six thousand years of active

human thought , to invent anything that has not been thought of before Words are susceptible of untold combinations , and we may express a thought to-day in language entirely different from that of yesterday , but the thought is the same . And so is Masonry . Its principles of brotherly love , of truth , of mercy , of justice , and every attribute of morality may be clotbeo

in the forms and ceremonies of thc Egyptian Mysteries , the hssenw * the Druids , or any other society , but they are still Masonic , because » c apply these old things to our own modernised views . Masonry is hoi " antiquity , because everything is from antiquity . We must be careful thai in our admiration for the old we do not lose sight of the importance ol

applying the perfect principles of the old to our own time . Because we can " ' invent something new , we must not ignore the good that has always been '" the world , nor cast aside thc teachings that should be embodied in our live- " Let the old Masonry be new 10 us every day . Treasuring up tl ' ° ' \ let us fill our measure of responsibility fearlessly , and at last find a welcoij"

in that old home , where the Grand Architect of the Universe reveals m mysteries of the past . Heaven is not new . It is the same heaven it , v ' ?? when Abel passed through its pearly gates , and it will be the same oil heaven when the last man is received . It will be new to us if \ vc are fortua , a '' enough to reach its golden streets , just as old thoughts arc new when for' l first time we grasp them . . -.

We ought to be afraid of anything said to be new -for a new lh" )» , untried . The old principles of morality as taught in Masonry are tried * ' safe . Windy doctrines of speculation on things unseen and unknown * , hardly a safe anchor . They will not hold against the tempests of doulJl * . . scepticism that abound in so-called new things . Clinjj ; to the old and t principles that have stood the test of the ages past . —New York Dis /"' ' ' 1 ''