Correspondence.

Correspondence .

We do not hold ourselves responsible lor the opinions expressed by our correspondents ! but we wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limitsfree discussion .

OUR BRETHREN OF THE TRANSVAAL . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , The appeal cf our R . W . Bro . Geo . Richards , Dist . G . M . Transvaal , which appeared in your columns of the 6 th December last , and on which you wrote so ably in the following issue , is of that modest character that I fear it may be considered less important than others which have been so prominently pjished by the daily . press .

The generosity of the Craft has been exemplified in a remarkable degree by its spontaneous contributions to the Mansion House , Daily Telegraph , and other funds , which gifts as recorded in your columns already amount to over ^ 5600 . If I remember aright , Mr . George Wyndham , the Under-Secretary for War , when speaking at the Mansion House Conference early in December gave

statistics which showed that the funds contributed up to that time might prove ample for any and all claims which could be made on behalf of the widows and families of those who fell , or were disabled , whilst activel y engaged in the war . Is there not a chance therefore of overdoing these appeals at the expense of other no less deserving objects ?

Without any desire to interfere with the hundred and one appeals already so fully subscribed to , I venture to ask the Craft to think and act on behalf of those distressed brethren for whom our Bro . Richards makes out so good a case , and on whose behalf Bro . Littler , P . Dep . G . Reg ., spoke in Grand Lodge last December .

It may be said that other districts in South Africa can produce similar claims —the more reason therefore to respond to the present appeal in such a manner as may induce Grand Lodge to assist in making all our loyal Colonial brethren continue their well-founded belief in the unbo unded genero sity of their fellows in this sad time of distress .

I understand the appeal of Bro . Richards has been sent to each lodge under the English Constitution , and I trust it will receive the careful and favourable consideration it deserves . As an instance of what can be done , the Logic Club on " Queen's Sunday " collected £ 21 , and devoted it to this fund . —Yours faithfully and fraternally , J . M . McLEOD . London , 16 th January .

THE NEW CENTURY . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Exactly a century ago this simple question raged as furiously in the Press as the same question does to day . The editor of the Gentleman's Magazine , a worthy , learned , and impartial authority , received many scores of

papers on the subject from correspondents , and at last , after careful examination , admitted that the 19 th century began on January ist , 1800 . The subject is really important , although at first sight a trivial one , that I venture to submit the following further and final remarks , and solicit your generosity for a few lines to elucidate the matter , and to do this I shall invoke the aid of Intuition and Natural Science to present the subject in a new li ght .

I see that you admit that " a new century begins with O , " and that " a second century starts from 100 and ends with 200 , " and so on . Now , then , we begin to see daylight , and may go a step further . Before viewing the " infinitely little , " let us view the " infinitely great . " The astronomical symbol of the Sun is © , the circle without the Inner dot signifies eternity , endlessness infinity , nought , or what the Ancienta deified as Chaos , expressing Nothing , nought the Universe without light— " darkness was upon the face of the deep " —Chaos , see Gen . i ., 2 nd verse .

This nought , or infinite chaos , moved and revolved , and Light was , " And God said let Light be and it was , " and amidst or within the circle infinity O light became the point , and the Sun to man ultimately became the Father or Author of Time and the origin of life or Be-ing . Imagine a wheel revolving with infinite velocity , the hub Is the sun , the spokes the light-rays , and the outer rim of the wheel " Eternity" symbolised

by O . Thus , O precedes the advent of © . and Eternity is before Time . Further ; from this symbol 0 proceeds all conceptions and forms of numbers and things . Thus the symbol 0 , viewed either perpendicularly or horizontally , realising intuitionally its infinite wheel like velocity ( the spokes of the imaged wheel thus are lost to view and become the white light ) becomes $ , and this symbol is the origin or foundation from which is adduced the outli nes or forms of the numerals 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , o , or ten .

Mark well ! now what follows . The year called One , was preceded by O an eternity of cyclic : eous of infinite ages in fact . Who by , or when , time was first computed is unknown and unknowable , begin when you please only of necessity being bound by ten or 10 , the outcome of 0 . Suffice it to say that so as to fix the point of the matter in question that as O must precedes all conceptions of time , so before we can definitely indicate one year we must conceive that One year , start , as I say , when you please , and preceded by 31 , 53 6 , 000 ( thirty-one millions , five hundred and thirty-six thousands ) seconds of time .

We have descended to the infinitely little . So before we can even imagine or speak of one day we must conceive 86 , 400 seconds of time preceded and composing it . Now place 100 dots , representing years . So :

Now , before counting the first dot as one year of the century or time , we must rightly imagine 31 , 536 , 000 seconds elapsing , and thus when the hundredth dot is reached at that very second of time the century is complete , and the next second of time begins to count up to another 31 , 536 , 000 seconds to complete the 101 st year of time .

Correspondence.

Thus , realising my previous case of the pedestrian , with which you agree , so here with the dots counting years , the first dot must be conceived as being preceded and comprising 31 , 536 , 000 seconds of time , and so directly the second of time passes from December 31 st , 12 midnight , 1899 , to one ( next ) second January ist , midnight , 1900 , we have instantly practically passed from one century to

another century , and begin mechanically to record another 31 , 536 , 000 seconds of time complete with 12 o'clock midnight December 31 st , 1 9 00 , when the first year of the century is complete , and so on , and fron January ist , 1 9 , we so symbol and figure it as the first year of the new century , the beginning of which year was the first second of the 31 , 536 , 000 seconds of time , which indicated January 1 st , igoo , and is so rightly written nought or O-

Look at the above dates and count , realising in the mind all the time that preceding each dot , which indicates one year , there are 31 , 53 6 , 000 seconds of time , and when the last 100 th dot is reached corresponding to the year 100 , or 1 9 , at that instant second of time the century was complete , and that the next tick of the clock , viz ., on January 1 st , one second after midnight , 1 9 , we began mechanically to count up another 31 , 536 , 000 seconds of time to complete the nought or O year , which , when ended and complete , must be the first year of a new century .

The above may appear to Bro . Lovegrove and some others about as clear as mud , but to others of your readers I believe that intuition will cause it to appear , as it does to the writer , as clear as the eternal Sun reflected in the starry , imaged , and placid bosom of the Ocean of Everlasting Truth and Wisdom . — Yours fraternally , T . MAY , 754 . Tottenham , January 15 th , 1900—XX , Century .

MISS CLARA BUTT AND THE MASONIC SERVICE IN ST . GILES To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , When Miss Clara Butt , great contralto , was in Edinburgh on Saturday , she was approached by the Secretary of the Arrangements Committee , with a view to securing her assistance for the service , which is to be given under Masonic auspices in St . Giles Cathedral on Sunday , 4 th February . The following

is a copy of Miss Butt's reply and of the Secretary ' s letter of acknowledgment : " The Royal Hotel , Edinburgh , " Saturday , 13 th January , 1900 . " Dear Sir , " I am very sorry I shall be on tour all February , and , therefore

quite unable to help you on the 4 th . I enclose £$ , which I hope will help a little the cause you are working for , and which is a worthy one . Wishing you success , believe me , " Yours sincerely , " CLARA BUTT . "

" Miss Clara Butt , " Madame , " I have to thank you , not only on behalf of the Arrangements Committee , but also on behalf of the Widows and Orphans , for your most generous gift , which will , I trust , form as noble an example to the ladies , as the similar donation of his Grace the Duke of Abercorn has already been to

Freemasons in Edinburgh and district . Under these circumstances I have taken the liberty , which , I am sure , you will forgive , namely , that of communicating your letter to the press . With the renewed thanks , believe me , "Yours sincerely , " R . WOOD HAWKS . " 47 , Frederick-street , Edinburgh , 15 th January .

MASONIC CHARITY . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , You will be glad to learn that Masons in Cyprus , of the English and Greek lodges alike , have contributed to the charities opened in connection with the present war as follows : £ s . d .

Limassol—St . Paul's Craft Lodge , No . 2277—Widows of Soldiers , & c . ,,, ... ,,, 10100 Transvaal Refugees ... ... ... 5 5 o St . Paul's Mark Lodge , No . 455 ... ... ... 220 St . Paul's Chapter , No . 2277 , Royal Arch ... ,., 440 Roise Croix Chapter ( Greek Lodge ) , Zenon , No . 18 ,., 1 1 o

Total ... ,,, ,,, , £ 23 2 o and this sum , in proportion to our few brethren , is a handsome addition to the central general fund being subscribed in this island for transmission to the Lord Mayor of London . —Yours fraternally .

FRED . H . PARKER , P . M . and Treas . 2277 ( E . C ) ., P . M . M . 455 ( E . C ) , First Principal Z ., R . A ., Greek Rhetor of the Rose Croix , iS' ( G . C ) , Zenon Lodge . Court House , Limassol , Cyprus . January 5 th .

THE LAST DISTRICT GRAND MASTER OF NEW SOUTH WALES . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Permit me again to differ from you in the above matter .

The appearance of Lord Carrington ' s name as District Grand Master of New South Wales in the Grand Lodge Calendar for 1889 is about as cogent an argument as the judge's dictum in the celebrated trial of " Bardell versus Pickwick , " particularly so , that his lordship had some six months previousl y been installed as Grand Master of the New South Wales Constitution .

The Grand Lodge Calendar at that time was not a particularly reliable record , as , for instance , after the Grand Lodge of Victoria had been constituted and recognised , several lodges that had not been working for a long period—one of them for over 20 years—were included amongst those that had thrown in their lot with the new body . I pointed out these inaccuracies to the late Assistant Grand Secretary , and he at once made the corrections .

In my humble opinion , therefore , Lord Carrington having no other constitutional privilege than that of summoning his district for the purposes of his installation—which privilege he never exercised—was no more District Grand Master of New South Wales than is a brother a Warden of a private lodge until he be invested .