Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . " ) " CIPES " AND " RES NON VERBA . " . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) - RESPECTED FRIEND AND BROTHER , —As " Cipes , " while attempting to answer my last letter has

introduced a number of unseeimngly and un-Masonic personalities irrelevant to the subject into his letter , I beg to decline any further consideration of the subject with such an ungentlenianly opponent . I mig ht have expected such treatment after thc style in which he previously alluded to David Murray Lyon , the Historian of Scottish Freemasonry , but I was led

to hope that the remarks subsequently made would have taught him better manners . One thing is certain—to attempt to show the illegality of Odd Fellows ' , Rcclv . vbites ' , Foresters ' , Good Templars' and other Friendly Societies , will never do any harm to these bodies , and will only recoil on the writers of such articles as " Cipes . " RES NON VERBA .

ITINERANT MASONIC BEGGARS . ( To thc Editor of The Freemason . ) SIR AND BROTHER , —I desire to draw tho particular and serious attention of the Craft gencrally , through the medium of THK FREEMASON , to the method adopted by the lodge of which I for some years past have been Treasurer , in dealing with men calling themselves

Freemasons , who wander about the country soliciting relief with extraordinary plausible statements , generally alleging that they are in search of employment , and that they eome from long distances , poor and penniless . On such brethren calling upon the W . M . or any of

the brethren of our lodge , they arc directed to call upon me as the LYoasurer , and I thereupon demand their G . L . certificate , anil afterwards put them through a severe examination , with a view not merely of proving them to be Freemasons , but also of endeavouring to discover whether they are really poor , and bona file in

search of employment , and deserving relief ; or are impostors upon society . T am sorry to say that in many instances , I have on careful examination , found their statements questionable , ambiguous , and far from satisfactory to me , and have been led to the conclusion that they were

impostors , roaming about from town to town and extorting money from worthy brethren by untruthful statements , contrary to tho cardinal principles of Freemasonry , and in opposition to the laws of our land ; consequently in exercise of the discretion vested in me , by virtue of my office , I have declined to relievo

them . [ shonld , indeed , be . deeply sorry to withhold assistance from genuine brethren in distress , but from experience which I have gathered , I very strongly recommend thc general adoption of a similar course by every lodge throughout the kingdom , which would

most assuredly cheek the system thus carried on hy unworthy men ( many of whom possess the blessings of health and ability ) imposing on and disgracing the Craft , and would very materially curtail the number of itinerant brethren addicted to a disgraceful begging and imposing practice .

If my suggestions are worthy of publication , and Treasurers or other Hrethren appointed by the lodges for the purpose before alluded to , will take pains to remedy anil endeavour to put an end to a practice so injurious to real charity , my object will be attained . Yours fraternally , j . A . K .

TtiB writers of clandestine works upon Masonry have overlooked flic , important fact that that which makes a man a Mason can never be written even though that which enables Masons to communicate

might be . These expositions then , at the best , could only be useful fo hypocrites . But the truth is they fail to serve even them ; for no imposter by their aid ever did or ever can impose himself upon a Mason or a lodge .

IN an enumeration of thc various mysteries of "human nature" by tho celebrated Sum Slick , the following humorous description of that ineoniprelunsibleone styled a kiss , is wonderfully Masonic : " A kiss is a great mystery . Tt is not a thing that can ever be forgot . No language can express it , no

letters will give the sound . Imagination can ' t conceive it . It can ' t be imitated , or forged . It is confined to no clime or country , but is ubiquitous . It is disembodied when completed , but is instantly reproduced and is immortal . It is as old as the creation , and yet it is as young and as fresh as ever . It preexisted , still exists , and always will exist . It pervades

all natur . Tho breeze , ns it passes , kisses the rose , and flic pendant vine stoops down and hides with its tendrils its blushes as it kisses the limpid stream that waits in an eddy to meet it , and raises its tiny waves like anxious lips to receive it . I shall always maintain to my dying day that kissing is a great mystery . " Well done , Brother Slick ! you'll do for Adoptive Masonry .

Retirement Of The M.W. Grand Master.

RETIREMENT OF THE M . W . GRAND MASTER .

A . meeting of the leading brethren of the Craft was held on Friday , the 12 th inst ., at Freemasons ' Hall , when it was announced that the Earl of Zetland declined being placed in nomination for the office of Grand Master at the next Quarterly Communication

of Grand Lodge , and it was unanimously resolved to support the claims of the D . G . M . Earl de Grey and Ripon , to succeed the present Grand Master . It was also understood that the Prince of Wales ,

from motives which dohimhonor , declined beingacandidate . In future the chair of Grand Lodge will not , we believe , be held by the same brother for more than three consecutive years .

Ancient And Modern Mysteries.

ANCIENT AND MODERN MYSTERIES .

BY BRO . ROBERT WEXTWORTII LITTLE , President of the Liondon Literary Union , Editor of " Thc Rosicrucian , " ibc . ( Continued from page 219 . ) The ceremonies of the ancient Druids possess for English Masons an interest which is enhanced by the

fact that their chief scat was in Britain . I have therefore consulted various authorities—such as Godfrey Higgins , and Russel—in order to afford in a brief compass as much information as possible , upon a subject which bears an undefined relationship to some of the observances of Freemasonry .

The Druids were divided into three classes , viz . : Druids , properly so called ; Bards , or Sacred Poets ; and Eubafcs , or Vates , who possessed the magic powers of divination or prophecy , from -whence we derive the word " vaticination . " The first class regulated all public transactions , both secular and

ecclesiastical , and were under the direction of a chief elected by themselves , who was denominated the " Arch-Druid . " This dignitary possessed plenary power over the princes and the people , and held the scales of life and death in his hands . The second class presided over the education of the children of

both sexes , and also , as their name implies , commemorated the deeds of their warriors and kings in spirit-stirring verse . _ Tho slaughter of the Welsh bards by Edward I . is a proof of the dread entertained of the power of music even in that comiiaratively modern period . The third class not onlv dealt in

augury and magic , but practised the more useful art of p hysic , and in this manner the various grades of Druidism secured their hold upon the minds of the unenlightened mass of the people . Their religious ceremonies were performed chiefly in groves , and the oak was especiall y regarded by them with veneration

, and the mistletoe—which entwines itself round the branches of that kingly tree—also came in for a share of their reverence . Their philosophy in some respects was admirable , but unfortunately it became debased by an admixture of superstitious rites and idolatrous

ceremonies . ihe barbarous custom of offering human sacrifices to tho Deity in propitiation of His supposed wrath was enjoined by their precepts , as we find in the following curious verses quoted by Russel : —

" Prisoners of war are doomed by fate to die , Then sacrifice thorn to some deity ; Upon tho altars let them soon expire , Or , closed in wicker , feed tho snored fire . " On the other hand , they taught the sublime doctrine of the immortality of the soul , as is evidenced by the same metrical version of th-jir tenets

"bet no mean thoughts of dissolution fright , Or damp yonr spirits with the dews of night : Tlio soul ' s immortal , and can never dio ; Then death and all his dreadful train defy . Another world is ready to receive Immortal souls that earthly bodies leavo ;

To dust tho perishable parti return , But at tho grave eternal spirits spurn . And if in virtue ' s paths they trod below , Iu heavenly mansions 'tis their fate to glow ; lint , if by vice enslaved , thoir doom ' s to roam Without a heavenly or an earthly home . "

The island of Anglesey , then called Mona , was the most sacred retreat of the Druids : it was there they established the principal seminary , at which the youthful princes and nobles received instruction in all the branches of education then known . It is believed by antiquarians that Stonehengo was one of the principal temples of this singular and mysterious

race , and other parts of Great Britain contain ruins which aro unquestionabl y Druidical remains . The precise natnre of their mysteries can onl y be guessed by analogy to other ancient religious rites , as no authentic records have been handed down to posterity . A general resemblance , however , pervades thc occult practices of idolaters in every age , and those of the Druids aro no exception to the rule . ( To ba continued . ')

The Rosicrucian.

THE ROSICRUCIAN .

2 t Cal : of ( Eologne . ( Re-printed from the Dublin University Magazine . )

. —THE FIRE . I know not if men would say that the face of Basil Wolgemuth was beautiful . There were no darkly-gleaming eyes , no sculptured features , no clustering raven locks ; all was fair , and clear , and sunny , as his own soul . And what a beautiful and

noble soul was that ! It lighted up his whole countenance , as tho sun lights up a fair landscapemaking that which would else have been ordinary , most lovely . It was mirrowed in his eyes , as you may see the moon and stars looking out from the depths of a clear lake . It shone in his every gesture ; it

made music in his voice ; it accompanied him like a fair presence , giving life , and love , and beauty wherever he moved . He sat in a low-roofed , half-darkened chamber , whose gloomy recesses looked strange , almost fearful . Now and then passing sounds of human voices rose up from tho street below , and ever and anon the

great bell of Cologne Cathedral boomed out the hours , making the after silence deeper still . The studentfor such he evidently was—leaned his slight and rather diminutive form in the attitude of one wearied and exhausted ; but there was no lassitude visible in his expressive , face , and his eyes were fixed with a dreamy and thoughtful gaze on the blazing faggots that roared and sparkled on the hearth before him .

The Fire was his sole companion , and it was good company , in sooth . Not mute either—for it seemed to talk like a human voice . How the live juices hissed out when the damp pine-wood caught the blaze , and chattered and muttered like a vexed child ' . How furiously it . struggled and roared , as the . flames

grew stronger ! How it sank into alow complaining sound , and then into a dead stillness , being conquered by tho fierce clement at last , and breathing its life out in a ruddy but silent glow . Such was the voice of the Fire ; but the student beheld its form , too . Quaint and mysterious-looking were the long fiery

alleys , and the red caverns which it made ; mingled with dark recesses , out of which mocking faces seemed to peep ; and the light flames waving to and fro were like mrial shapes in a fantastic dance . Beautiful and mystic also appeared the Fire . Basil Wolgemuth was a student and a dreamer .

He had pierced into thc secrets of nature and of philosophy , not as an idle seeker , mechanicall y following the bent of a vague curiosity , but as an enthusiastic lover , who would fathom the depths of his beloved's soul , lie knew that in this world all things bear two meanings ; one for tho common observer ,

one for the higher mind of him who with an earnest purpose for his guide , and a steadfast , but . living heart for his lamp by thc way , penetrates into those mines of hidden riches—the treasures of science and of imagination . Basil was still young ; and yet men of learning and power listened with deference to his

words ; wisdom , rank , and beauty had trodden that poor chamber , and felt not . degraded , but honoredfor it was thc temple of mind , the habitation of genius . And was all this sunshine of fame , all this dawning glory , lavished upon a barren tree , which brought

forth , at best , only the dazzling fruits of mere intellect , beautiful to the eye , bnt deceptive to the heart , as the jewelled apples of Aladdin ; or was it rich in all good fruits of human kindness ? Ask tlie mother , to whom thc very footsteps of her dutiful son brought li ght and gladness ; ask the sister , whose pride iu her noble

brother was even less than her lovo for the gentle and forbeavingspirit which made the sunshine of their home . These would speak for Basil , and there was one—ono more ; but he knew it not then . The fire sank down to a few embers , and through the small widow at tho further end of the apartment ,

the young moon looked with her quiet smile . At last the door was half-opened , and a sweet girlish faco peeped in . " Arc you sleeping , Basil , or only flunking ?" "Is that you , Margareta ? " said ' tho student , without changing his musing attitude .

"Yes—it is growing lato , brother ; will you not eome to supper ?" " I do not need it , dear Margareta , thank you . " " But we want yon , Basil ; my mother is asking for you , and Tsilda , too , is here . "

A bright smile passed over the young man ' s faco ; but his sister did not sec it , and continued , " Come , brother—do come ; you have studied enough for to-day . " He rose up cheerfully . " Well , then , tell my mother I will como directlv . "

Alargareta closed tho door , and Basil stood thoughtfully hy the fire . At that moment a bright fhimo springing up from some stray brand yet uukindled , illumined his face—it was radiant with Ihe light of love . Ilia finely curved lips , tho sole beautiful feature there , were trembling with a happy smile , as they murmured in low tones one beloved name— " isilda , Isilda 1 "