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/^ REAT WESTERN RAILWAY . CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS . On DECEMBER iSth , and during the week preceding * CHRISTMAS DAY , CHEAP THIRD CLASS RETURN TICKETS , available on forward journey from December 22 nd to 25 th , and for return up to December 29 th inclusive , will , as also ordinary tickets , be issued at PADDINGTON , Victoria , Battersea , " Chelsea , West Brompton , Kensington ( Addison-road ) , Uxbridge-road , Hammersmith , Shepherd's Bush , and Westbourne Park , and at the Company ' s Receiving Offices , viz .: —193 and 407 , Oxford-street ; 23 New Oxford-street ; Holborn Circus ( Bartlett ' s Buildings ); 26 , Regent-street ; 2 ' c Strand ; 29 , Charing Cross ; 5 , Arthur-street East , London Bridge ; 82 , Queen Victoriastreet ; 43 and' 44 , Crutched Friars ; 6 7 , Gresham-street ; and 4 , Cheapside , to Bath , Bristol , Taunton . Barnstaple , llfracombe , Exeter , Torquay , Plymouth , Falmouth , Penzance , & c . ; also to the Yeovil and Weymouth Districts , and to most of the STATIONS WEST OF BRISTOL . The tickets will be available by all trains . Ordinary tickets issued in London between December j Sth and 24 th , vvill be available any day between and including those dates . ¦ On WEDNESDAY , DECEMBER 24 th , the 11 . 45 a * * from Paddington vvill carry passengers to the Minehead Branch . The 1 . 0 and 5 . 0 p . m . trains from Paddington to Plymouth will be extended to Falmouth and Penzance . The 6 . 20 p . m . from Paddington to Bristol vvill run to Exeter calling at Weston-Super-Mare , Highbridge , Bridgwater , Taunton , Wellington and Tiverton Junction , reaching Exeter at 11 . 55 p . m ., and vvill convey passengers for stations on the Barnstaple and Bridport Branches . A SPECIAL FAST TRAIN vvill leave Paddington at 10 . 0 p . m . for New Milford calling at the same stations between Swindon and New Milford as the 9 . 15 p . m . ordinary train . A special will leave Oxford at 10 . 4 p . m ., Radley 10 . 15 and Culham at 10 . 23 p . m . in connection with this train , returning from Didcot after arrival ofthe 10 . 0 p . m . special . A SPECIAL FAST TRAIN vvill leave Paddington at 11 . 50 p . m . midnight , for Reading , Swindon , Bath , Bristol , Bridgwater , Taunton , Exeter , Dawlish , Teignmouth , Newton Abbot ( for Torquay and Kingswear ) , Totnes , Kingsbridge Road , Plymouth , and Stations thence to Penzance . ' . On CHRISTMAS DAY the usual Sunday trains vvill run , but the 5 . 30 a . m . newspaper train vvill run as on week days to Oxford , Weston-Super-Mare , and Swansea . The train vvill be five minutes earlier than usual between Didcot and Oxford , so as to connect at Oxford with the 7 . 25 and 7 . 40 a . m . trains , thence to Banbury , Leamington , Birmingham , Worcester , Malvern , Kidderminster , Wolverhampton , & c . For the convenience of Passengers returning to London on SUNDAY , DECEMBER 28 th , special trains vvill be run in the afternoon , from PLYMOUTH , SWANSEA and -WOLVERHAMPTON , calling at the principal intermediate Stations . First ,- Second and Third Class Passengers are now conveyed by all trains . * For further particulars see special bills obtainable at the Company ' s Stations and Offices . HENRY LAMBERT , General Manager .

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/ - "VREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY . CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS . DECEMBER 20 th , 22 nd , 23 rd , and 24 th Tickets will be issued in advance , and dated as required , at King's Cross , Moorgate-street , Aldersgate-street , Victoria ( L . C . & D . R . ) , Ludgate Hill , Farringdon-street , Holloway , Finsbury Park , the various West End , City , and other offices , and afc the offices of Swan and Leach , 3 , Charing Cross , and 32 , Piccadilly-circus . DECEMBER 20 th , the S . o p . m . EXPRESS vvill be run from London to York , Newcastle , and Edinburgh . The 8 . 30 p . m . EXPRESS from King ' s Cross vvill run to Edinburgh ,-Glasgow , Perth , and the North of Scotland . DECEMBER 24 th , ADDITIONAL TRAINS vvill be run to meet requirements c f traffc . The 8 . 0 , S . 30 , and 10 . 40 p . m . EXPRESSES from King ' s Cross vvill be run to York , Newcastle , Edinburgh , Glasgow , and other places as advertised in November Time Tables , and a SPECIAL EXPRESS will . leave London ( King ' s Cross ) at 12 . 0 midnight for Welwyn , Stevenage , Hitchin , Biggleswade , Sandy , St . Neots , Huntingdon , Peterborough , Spalding , Boston , Grimsby , Grantham , Lino In , Nottingham , Newark , Retford , Doncaster , Wakefield , Leeds , Bradford , Halifax , Selby , York , Darlington , and Newcastle " . CHRISTMAS DAY the Trains will run as on Sundays , except that the 5 . 15 a . m . EXPRESS from King ' s Cross vvill be run to Peterborough , Essendine , Stamford , Bourn , Grantham , Lincoln , Nottingham , Newark , Retford , Bawtry , Doncaster , Wakefield , Leeds , Bradford , and Halifax , stopping at the Intermediate Stations at which it ordinarily calls , and . vvill be continued to York , Newcastle , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Perth , Aberdeen , & c . CHEAP EXCURSION TO SCOTLAND . TUESDAY , DECEMBER 30 th , for 4 or 8 days to NEWCASTLE , BERWICK , EDINBURGH , & GLASGOW , from Victoria ( L . C . and D . ) , 6 . 57 p . m . ; Ludgate " Hill ; 7 . 28 ; Moorgate-street , 7 . 36 ; Aldersgate-street , 7 . 3 S ; Farringdon-street , 7 . 40 ; King ' s Cross ( G . N . ) , 8 . 10 ; Finsbury Park , 8 . iC . By this excursion , tickets at a ' ¦ -INGLE FARE for the DOUBLE JOURNEY will also be issued to places named , available for return on any day up to and including TUESDAY , JANUARY 6 th , 1891 . For fares and full particulars see bills , to be obtained at Company ' s Stations and Town Parcel s Receiving Offices , and of Swan and Leach , 3 , Charing Cross , and 32 , Piccadilly Circus . * ¦ - - - . HENRY OAKLEY , General Manager . King ' s Cross , London , December , iSgo .

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LONDON and NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY . NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS . On TUESDAY , December 30 th , a CHEAP EXCURSION for Four and Seven Days will be run to CARLISLE , Dumfries , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Greenock , and Gourock , leaving Euston 9 . 0 p . m ., Broad-street S . 25 p . m ., Dalston S . 30 p . m ., . Kensington ( Addison-road ) S . 40 p . m ., and Willesden 9 . 12 p . m . By this Excursion Train Tickets at SINGLE FARE FOR THE DOUBLE JOURNEY will be issued to the places named , available to return on any day within Seven Days . For further particulars see Bills , vvhich can be obtained at the Railway Stations and Parcels' Receiving Offices of the Company , and from Messrs . GAZE and SON , 142 , Strand . G . FINDLAY , General Manager . Euston Station , December , 1 S 90 .

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READY DECEMBER 20 th . PRICE NINEPENCE . THE CHRISTMAS NUMBER OF THE "FREEMASON " CONTAINSLJAPPY TO MEET , HAPPY TO ¦ PART ; HAPPY TO MEET AGAIN . Illustrated by WALLIS MACKAY . jV / TASONRY AND MESMERISM . By the Author of " Withered Leaves . " Illustrated . TJISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE CHAPTER OF FRIENDSHIP , No . 257 , PORTSMOUTH . By W . J . HUGHAN , P . G . D ., & c ., with Facsimile of Letter , by THOMAS DUNCKERLEY , in the possession of that Chapter . TOLD BY THE LODGE REGISTER . HISTORY OF ROYAL SOMERSET HOUSE AND INVERNESS LODGE , NO . 4 . By GEORGE BLIZARD ABBOTT . QUR LODGE OF INSTRUCTION AT THE EQUATOR . Illustrated by WALLIS MACKAY . THE EARL OF MOIRA , ACTING G . M . FROM 1790 TO 1813 . Double Page Illustration , from the Rare Portrait published in 1811 . OTRANGER THAN FICTION . By BARRULE . CAVED BY A SIGN . By T . C . WALLS . May be ordered of any Bookseller or Newsagent , or vvill be sent Post Free for 12 Stamps by GEORGE KENNING , "FREEMASON" OFFICE , - iG Si -I 6 A- GREAT QUEEN STREET , W . C . -

To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

" Ouis Custodiet . "—Next week ; also " A Provincial P . M " ' ¦ J . W . C —( i ) The I . P . M . performs the duty assigned to him after the W . M . has declared the lodge open . ( 2 ) Under the circumstances you have described , the W . M . must exercise his discretion as to whether the ceremony shall be proceeded with or not . If he is a stickler for the liberal observance of the law , he vvill refuse to let it proceed ; if

he considers the spirit of the law has been obeyed , he will allow the ceremony to be carried out . ( 3 ) The W . M . may order a second ballot , if he has any reason for doubting the strict accuracy of the first , but the lodge by-laws generally determine the limit of time within vvhich a person ' s candidature may not be renewed .

A . W . —Honorary membership is a compliment paid by a lodge to a brother—who may or may not be one of its subscribing members—who has done or is supposed to have done it some service , but it confers upon him no rights or privileges beyond that of attending the lodge meetings . Therefore , in the case you refer to , the P . M ., being ah

honorary member , had and could exercise no rights . or privileges beyond that of being present at the lodge . ( 1 ) Being in the chair—we presume at the request of the W . M ., S . W ., or J . W ., or one'and all of the subscribing Past Masters present—he vvas for the time being the mouthpiece of the W . M ., and his acts would have the same validity as

if they had been done by the W . M . himself . It was clearly his duty to have read out , or had read out by the Secretary , the names of all the brethren who were qualified for election as W . M . ( 2 ) He had no right to nominate himself to act on the Audit Committee . ( 3 ) A W . M . must be elected by a majority of the votes of the members piescnt in' open

lodge : the votes of absent members are not admissible . ( 4 ) There is no law which compels a Master to be present at all the meetings of his lodge , and if he continues in office for thc full term of 12 months , even though he may have been absent from the majority of- the meetings , he will , on vacating the chair , become a

Past Master . There is nothing to prevent him holding office in District Grand Lodge . ( 5 ) We know of no law vvhich forbids a W . M . resigning the chair before he has completed his full term , and still remaining a member ; but if he does not serve the full 12 months , he is not qualified to take rank as a Past Master .

G . Robinson , 656 . —We agree . with much of our esteemed correspondent's letter , but as the Lodge No . 656 , Sydney , N . S . W ., vvas removed from the roll in iSSS , when the matter vvas duly considered by the authorities , it is not for us . tp

object now . VVe fraternally advise our brother to make the best of the circumstances by throwing his lot in with the new Grand Lodge , and thus promote peace and harmony in that jurisdiction . To do otherwise now that the Grand Lodge of New South Wales is formed on such a strong basis would be as un-Masonic as it would be useless .

The following communications unavoidably stand over .: ; * CRAFT LODGES . —St . Ambrose , No . 1891 ; Gallery , No .-1928- ; and Queen's Westminster , No . 2021 . Provincial Grand Lodge of Derbyshire . Hamp hire and Isle u £ Wight Masonic Educational and Benevolent Institution .

The Christmas Week.

THE CHRISTMAS WEEK .

Next week ' s "Freemason" "will be published on Wednesday , and will be ready for the trade on the morning of that day . It will contain the usual Chronology of Events , and a Summary of Masonic Work during the Year 1890 .

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M ^^ r ^^ 9 ^^^^' ^ VV ^^^ W ¥ 99 ^ WM

SATURDAY , DECEMBER 20 , 1890 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

Some of our Scotch Correspondents are rather sore that vve should have given only an incomplete account of the grand bazaar in Edinburgh , in aid of their Grand Lodge Fund of Benevolence . We stated that the total was said to have exceeded £ i $ , ooo , and in the absence

of anything like an official statement , vve are at a loss to see how vve could have done more . At the same time we trust they vvill not jump hastily to the conclusion , as one of our contemporaries appear to have done , that we are in any way desirous of under-rating their success .

We have much p leasure in announcing that Lord Cremorne , P . S . G . W ., has consented to take the chair at the next Festival of the Emulation Lodgeof Instruction . * * *

Bro . J . M . McLeod , Secretary of the R . M . I . B ., was the recip ient on Wednesday last of a very gratifying testimonial from upwards of ioo of his old friends of the Agricultural Engineering business . The Cattle Show at

the Agricultural Hall vvas the place chosen , and the presentation vvas made by Councillor Corbett , of Shrewsbury . It consisted of a purse of £ 7 $ and an illuminated address . The occasion vvas an . interesting one ,