Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 4 ^ 3 Bro . James Stevens 4 <> 4 Provincial Grand Lodge of Hants and the Isle of Wight 46 4 Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales—( Western Division ) 46 4 Consecration of Saint Mary Abbotts Lodge , No . 1974 4115 Australia 4 <> 7

American Items 4 ( 17 C ORRESPONDENCEThe Stilus of P . Ms 468 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 468 Money or Ability 468 Rovai Masonic Benevolent Institution ... 468 AOucrv 4 <> 8 I

CORRESPONDENCE ( Continued)—The Provincial Grand Master of Victoria , Irish Constitution 468 Business Capacity 46 g Reviews 46 g Masonic Notes and Queries 4 « q RF . I " IRTS OF MASONHT MEETINGSCraft Masonry 470 Instruction 471 Mart Masftnn' JM

Scotland 472 Obituary 472 The Theatres 473 Music 473 Science and Art , 473 Masonic and General Tidings 474 ! Lodge Meetings for Next Week i .

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AN old and friendly correspondent of ours has sent us a communication from Melbourne in respect of a Grand Lodge for Victoria , which we duly published last week . It seems to us that either our worthy friend has fallen into a little mistake himself or that he has taken up too hastily with certain patent fallacies , which are sometimes put forward by those who do not look

closely into matters , or have an intent in misrepresenting affairs . His words are : "The quarterages sent home are good money thrown away . " But what are these quarterages ? THERE ARE NONE . No quarterages are sent home from Colonial lodges , Grand Lodge having relieved them from so doing so far back as 1 S 19 . Since then some few

lodges , very few , have made voluntary contributions to the Fund of Benevolence ; but there are no quarterages in the proper sense of the word . In Victoria , as elsewhere , all an English Colonial Freemason ever pays is 7 s . * 5 d . This payment makes him a member under the English Grand Lodge for life ; gives him his parchment certificate free of postage ; registers him on the

books of the English Grand Lodge ; and renders him eligible for relief by our Lodge of Benevolertce after two years' membership of his lodge . Surely such a fee is not too hard or too high ? We may add that it was

only the other day the Lodge of Benevolence paid the passage of a colonial member back to his colony , and that constant cases from the colonies come before the Lodge of Benevolence , avid are always liberally dealt with . Bro . LAMONBY will , no doubt , correct his little mistake .

* * ANOTHER new lodge added to our long lengthening roll is always an interesting episode , according to our views of the matter . Some , we are aware , do not think so ; and if the advice of certain good brethren were taken , the English Grand Lodge and our English authorities would charter no more

new lodges amongst us . Such an idea is , however , both an absurdity and a paradox , and deserves reprobation in the best interests of Freemasonry . Our Rulers are undoubtedly however most wise in limiting the undue extension of Metropolitan Lodges . There is , no doubt , too great an idea with some of multiplying lodges simply to create officers and obtain rank , and H . R . H .

the GRAND M ASTER , has most seasonably in our opinion expressed his determination of granting no new charters for Metropolitan Lodges , except for specific reasons and on good grounds . There is no rule naturally without an exception , and every now and then a petition comes up , for which clearly a

good case is made out , and which is fairly excepted from the prevailing regulation . We trust that the future of the St . Mary Abbotts Lodge , No . 1974 , will alike justify the action of out constituted authorities , and manifest the zeal and energy of its founders and members . We commend to our teaders' attention an account of the proceedings of consecration elsewhere .

WE are . always glad to hail the infusion of the military element into our lodges . We are quite certain that it is for the mutual good of o : ar military members , and their non-military brethren . Soldiers are lovers of order and authority , are men of education and experience , of travelled tastes and

citizen-of-the-world sympathies , and where once their interest is fairly aroused , either in the aesthetic , or spiritualistic , or ritualistic excellencies of Freemasonry , they make the best of lodge officers and the most steady and persevering of associates . Many of our lodges in India and the Mediterranean , and our Imperial settlements , are admirably worked and

zealousl y kept up ; and those who wish for efficiency of ceremonial and hearty hospitality , may well visit one or more of these well-known lodges , Which still uphold , unfalteringly , the prestige of their original founders , the pleasant memories of "auld lang syne . " We are glad to note so many officers of Her Majesty ' s Army in St . Mary Abbotts Lodge .

OUR last utterance was one of gladness , this one is one of regret . We are sorry to note that Bro . J AMES STEVENS is so ill-advised as again to

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trouble Grand Lodge with a renewed motion about Metropolitan District Grand Lodges . We wish to speak kindly always and respectfully of all honest motions , but we cannot think that Bro . STEVENS is right in thus again raising a question so recently disposed of . As a rule , no motion of serious importance is submitted in September , on account of the

thin muster necessarily of members of Grand Lodge ; any matter , in short , which requires or demands careful and deliberate discussion . Even on its own merits , there can be no doubt what the unbiassed decision of Grand Lodge would be on any such matter . There may be some to whom the peculiar extension and expansion of the " Purple " may have special

attractions or personal interest , but the great mass of members of Grand Lodge are not very ready to encourage any more craving for collars and mystic letters . Some of us think quite enough is given for . the real welfare and legitimate aspirations of the Brotherhood . On this point , however , there may be a fair difference of opinion . We ourselves have already conceded the point that

when it shall please the GRAND MASTER to think of extending the Provincial Grand Lodge system in the Metropolitan District , there is necessarily no " a priori " objection to it , except what affects his prerogative , a Provincial Grand Lodge of Middlesex having been already formed . But the the truth is , this movement of Bro . STEVENS ' S is a vain

movement , in that it is an useless one , and out of order . It is pretty clear , as indeed it is most advisable , that proper authority will again interpose to prevent alike a needless waste of the time of Grand Lodge and an undoubted infringement of the privileges and prerogatives of the Grand Master . Any attempt on the part of Grand Lodge to express an

opinion , either as to the advisability of making a new Prov . Grand Lodge , or a new District Grand Lodge , except under special local circumstances , is a direct interference with that ancient and undoubted prerogative of the GRAND MASTER , who has alone the right to initiate and decide such a question . But if some other body , which has no such powers , never had such

powers , never claimed such powers , takes upon itself not onl y to declare that such a creation is advisable , but to lay down precise principles , & c , & c , such constitutes a marked and deliberate , and uncalled for interference with the constitutional prerogatives of the GRAND MASTER . The English Grand Lodge , which has always so manfully upheld its own rights , is not likely

to be led to interfere with the lawful authority of the GRAND MASTER , the more so as those prerogatives have been and are most carefully and properly exercised , alike lor the welfare of the Craft and the honour and dignity of

Grand Lodge . Ihe prerogatives of the GRAND MASTER cannot be thus , undermined , as they would be if any such bold resolution was carried , without seriously affecting the whole status and prestige of the Grand Lodge of England and English Freemasonry .

* BRO . STEVENS has made an amusing alteration in his notice of motion , whereas on the last occasion , the GRAND MASTER in the chair , among many patent reasons , selected one only to uphold the action of the'President of the Board of Masters , and to declare the notice of motion inadmissible ,

namely the use of the term District Grand Lodges ; now the mover seeks by the words " Subordinate Grand Lodges , to be constituted in like manner to Prov . Grand Lodges , " to remove the objection as to District Grand Lodge , and gain a " locus standi , " or rather "loquendi . " But he has only " fallen out of the frying-pan into the fire ; " avoiding "ScylJa "

he has fallen into " Charybdis . " What , in the name of common sense and Masonic law , are " Subordinate Grand Lodges , constituted in like manner as Provincial Grand Lodges ? " There is one only Grand Lodge in England , and several Provincial and District Grand Lodges ; but " Subordinate Grand Lodges" constitute a still more

objectionable and unconstitutional expression in England than even " District Grand Lodges . " But the truth is , the whole proposition is " ultra vires , " as the GRAND REGISTRAR SO unanswerably told us on the last occasion , and there can be but little doubt that such a motion will again be refused by the PRESIDENT of the BOARD of MASTERS , and we presume we shall have another speech anent such legitimate action in Grand Lodge .

WE understand that on the last occasion , when the subject was alluded to in Grand Lodge , some reference was made to the Freemason , amid the marked disapproval indeed of the Brethren present , as to its views on the subject matter . We do not suppose that any personal attack was made on anyone

connected with the Freemason , as that would be too un-Masonic to believe or realize . It is not the first time that the Freemason has been alluded to in very bad form at public meetings , the speaker not seeing that such notice is just the very thing a newspaper lives on . But a good deal of this explosive excitement