Table Of Contents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS .

PAGE THE RECTANGULAR REVIEW AND FREEMASONRY 5 S 7 & 588 PROV . GRAND LODGE OF EAST LANCASHIRE 588 & 5 S 9 PROV . GRAND LODGE OF DEVON 5 S 9 & 590 CONSECRATION OF THE DE TABLEY

CHAPTER , NO . 605 590 THE CRAFTMetropolitan 590 & 591 Middlesex ... ... ... ... ... 591 Provincial ... .. ... ... ... 591 INSTRUCTION 591 BIRTHS , MARRIAGES , AND DEATHS 592 THE STATUS OF DEPUTY PROV . GRAND

MASTERS 592 & 593 MULTUM IN PARVO 593 ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCEJurisdiction of Grand Lodges .. ... ... 593 The Albany Lodge , Graham ' s Town ... 593 & 594

The Purple P . West Lancashire ... ... 594 The Warkworth and Alnwicke Lodge , A . D . I 7 ? 8 * 594 Queries .. ... ... ... ... ... 594 CONSECRATION OF THE LODGE OF ASAPH , NO .

i 3 ! 9 594 & 595 REVIEWSThe ABC Universal Freight List 595 GRAND LODGE OF QUEREC 595

POETRYThe Road we Travel On ... ... ... 595 MASONIC MISCELLANEA 596 ORDERS OF CHIVALRYKnights Templar 596 ROYAL ARCHMetropolitan 596

Provincial ... 596 SCOTLANDThe Craft 596 Royal Arch .. 59 ( 5 DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF Host DAY 597 MARK

MASONRYInauguration of the Grand Lodge of M . M . Masons of Bombay 597 & 59 S Metropolitan ... ... ... ... ... 59 S Provincial 59 S MASONIC MEETINGS FOR NEXT WEEK 59 S ADVERTISEMENTS 585 , 5 S 6 , 599 , & 600

The "Rectangular Review," On "Freemasonry: Its Use And Abuse."*

The "RECTANGULAR REVIEW , " on "Freemasonry : its Use and Abuse . " *

BY BRO . FREDERICK BINCKES , Secretary Royal Masonic Institution for Boys . As much mischief has becii wrought , I suppose , under the veil of "good

intentions , as by * undisguised , overt hostility . If it is allowable to argue from results , and to judge of acts by their consequences , to me it appears of small matter to enquire as to the influences which guide the operator .

I fancy that the writhing worm on the fish-hook derived no spark of consolationthat thc exquisite pain it suffered in tlie requisite manipulation was in no respect mitigated—owing to the angler doing his

best to obey old Izaak ' s instruction to impale it "tenderly , as if you loved it . " Nay more , I will go so far as to say , spite of what wc are told as to " kissing tlie rod , " that a blow comes upon us with tenfold

seventy when dealt by " a friendly hand , " as home truths never sound so harsh and unpleasant as when urged liy your "dashed good-natured friend . ' It cannot be believed but that in tlie case of thc mighty Roman ,

the pang of assassination was intensified liy thc sight ofthe dagger of the " well-beloved , " and found utterance in thc wail of anguish evidenced in the exclamation , "Ettu Brute !" and numerous instances may be quoted to

prove that that enmity is hardest to lie borne which proceeds from those of your own household . Without , however , proving further these and other kindred obvious

considerations , I will at once address myself to a notice of thc article to which my attention has been forcibly drawn , ancl more Particularly to section 12 , " Masonic Charities , " p . 255 .

The "Rectangular Review," On "Freemasonry: Its Use And Abuse."*

In dealing with these Institutions the writer states that it is in connection with them " that reform is as ( sic ) urgently needed" ( though he does not say as what ) , and then proceeds most disingenuously thus

" The questions , whether most is made of them ? whether they are so systematically and fairly distributed as to be most conducive to the objects of the donors , and the benefit of the recipients ? may be briefly answered thus : What remains for

distribution is what remains after paying expenses , and these expenses amount to a very large per centage . We could name several other societies that equally waste the funds thns

entrusted to them , & c . One society , with an annual income of £ 3000 spends £ 1650 on salaries , allowances to officers , & c . another spends . £ 4000 on salaries , and not quite so much on the objects of relief . "

Now , I ask any candid reader what is his impression on perusing this paragraph ? It can be no other than that the extravagance so minutely described as existing in certain charitable societies , exists " equally " ( the

italics in all cases are mine ) in the Masonic Institutions . I know it is attempted to be made outthat the succeedingparagraph , "but these , we should think , are extreme cases , " & c , does away with any such impression , but how does the writer continue ? After

throwing blame on the general public as careless contributors , he proceeds , " with such a body ( ' as the Masonic ' ) this waste of charitable funds ought never to be

possible , nor submitted to for a day . But as in the world everybody ' s business is nobody ' s business , so in the Masonic Brotherhood , which is a world in itself , the same rule seems to obtain : hence thc abuses wc

complain off If this be not charging directly on the Masonic Institutions the extravagance " equally" existing in the other general societies of which instances are given , then

I must invoke the aid of some Educational Board to instruct mc in the meaning of English words . I have , however , not yet done with our friendly critic . He goes on , " We are well aware that no institution can

efficiently be worked without expenditure " ( frank , cheering confession ) , " but when a large per-eentage" ( here again comes the sting ) " of thc funds that ought to be spent on thc education of our children , the relief

of thc distressed , and the support of our decayed aged members , is absorbed by secretaries , clerks , taveru dinners , rosettes and other child ish tinsel , srratis tickets for banquets ,

stationery , printing , & c , we have a right to complain of mismanagement , and to call on thc Masonic Body to support our demand for immediate and thorough reform . " Then follows a condemnation of Members of

Committees , " who ought to be superseded by men more deeply impressed . with the importance , nay the sanctity , of thc duties they undertake , " & c . ( the writer of course being one of the " more deeply-impressed" ) and

thc section is thus concluded : That "tribe of people" ( the secretaries , clerks , Sec , I presume ) " who seem to make a living out of thc sympathies of society , or any class thereof , for the poor , should have no

representatives in the Masonic Brotherhood ; nor should it , from want of proper supervision be possible for Auditors to make things

pleasant , and gloss over lhe amounts squandered in . such manner , and which would go far to assist those who really want aid . "

" These be pravc words , " and without placing upon them any very exaggerated , or strained construction , must , at least to the timid and uninformed , give horrible ideas of malversation , " cooking" and fraud . T ' O Let mc , however , examine somewhat

The "Rectangular Review," On "Freemasonry: Its Use And Abuse."*

closely the startling periods of this very sensational writer , who , by the way , is , I believe , a very genial gentleman , endowed with ample means , relieved from the humiliating drudgery of bowing to the primeval

curse , and , therefore , marvellously welladapted to sit in judgment upon those not so fortunately blessed as himself , and to denounce as an unendurable evil the remuneration of " that tribe of people " who have to earn a living by their exertions .

It would doubtless be very desirable if all institutions , societies , & c , could be carried on " without expenditure , " just as it would be very agreeable to every commercial company , or individual merchant , if business

could be conducted without a " large percentage " being required for the payment of those whose employment is a necessity , and by whose services the gross returns are produced . It is no more possible at a time

when the claims of various institutions are being pressed upon the charitably disposed public , Masonic or general , to effect what is desired by any one particular institution without the assistance of efficient and

competent officials , than , in these days of fierce commercial competition , for a house of business to maintain its position without well-organised , efficient employees , and in both instances , I believe , talent and

ability are generally found to be worth paying for . It is not my purpose now to do battle for others—of that I have had more than enough . Bro . Hervey ( the Grand Secretary ) ,

Bro . Patten , and Bro . Farnfield ( for all are involved— " the Board of Benevolence , the Masonic Institutions for Boys and Girls at Wood Green and Battersea , and the Aged Freemasons' Institution at Croydon" being

alike cited to the bar of public opinion)—arc well able to protect their own interests and to defend their own positions . I shall confine myself to thc particular institution with which I am most closely associated ,

and give to my judges , the public , an opportunity of arriving at a verdict ; and if , while attempting a vindication , I am betrayed into a savour of egotism , they arc to be blamed who render a justification

necessary . Thc history of thc Masonic Institution for Boys at Wood Green is tolerably well known . All that is needed for my present purpose arc a few figures to show how far

there is a foundation for the charges contained in thc article under discussioncharges so serious as to give the writer a " right to complain of mismanagement , and to call upon the Masonic body to support

his demand for reforms . In estimating the remuneration of " that tribe of people who make a living " out of—i . e ., who hold official , paid situations in—the Institution , I shall not include thc staff and servants in

thc establishment at Wood Green , because tlie money paid to masters for education , to a matron for household supervision , for servants in ministering to daily wants , to gardeners for labour in cultivation of thc

soil for production of roots and vegetables , is just as directly spent for tlie absolute benefit of tlie boys under our care as that paid for the food they eat and tlie clothing thev wear . The amount received during

the last ten years is , £ 75 , 289 ( loans and dividends not included ); expended , £ c )\ oo per centage , a trifle exceeding 12 ; average annual expenditure for office purposes , £ 910 . I have not compared this statement

with that put forth by other institutions ; but , certainly , it must bear comparison with tlie instances adduced as samples of " extravagance , " and prove convincingly that whatever may be thc " extravagance "