Freemasonry In New South Wales.

. deeper into the esoteric teachings underlying the Symbolism of Freeonry hut , unfortunately , the result of their researches is not by any 1 113 ns widely disseminated . It may be too much to expect the Fraternity " ^ M s , Wales to produce a Hughan or a Gould , a Mackay or a Fort ; but '" ntellectual tone of the lodges would be elevated if something more than

ii mere easily-acquired ritual was worked . 1 here is only one lodge of ¦ truction in Sydney , which meets once a month , and in which rehearsing ' hp ritual and an occasional section of the lectures is about the extent of its , rlt . In the current number of the Sydney Freemasons' Chronicle , the w ° y Secretary of the lodge of instruction laments the paucity of attenda nce on the part of its members . The " Ars quatuor coronatorum " is not a reciated because it is not understood . Obsolete expressions—such as ^ free-born "—are still to be heard in some lodges ; and obsolete landmarks

ucnas " bodily imperfections disqualifying candidates "—are still ob"T fved . Some of the W . M . ' s of our lodges have only been Masons for r" ur years . What experience can a brother have of Masonry to fit him for the chair of a lodge in such a short period of time ? " He may be in every tner way fitted—punctual , zealous , impartial , dignified , and a clever ° . ( Ua ] ist—but he is scarcely a Master of the Art , and in a position to afford

that instruction the aspirant seeks . " Here we cannot forbear saying that men whose intentions were very honest , and without any evil design , commit great errors , and sometimes have been the destruction of good lodges , and this occasioned by their brethren hurrying them into office wherein their slender knowledge of Masonry rendered them incapable of executing the

business committed to their charge , to the great detriment of the Craft and their own dishonour . " The same remarks apply to Royal Arch Masonry —only more so . The Degree is not as popular as it deserves to be , although „ t—perhaps too great—inducements are offered to enable brethren to obtain it . . . . „ _____

Relative to the unrecognised Grand Lodge of New South Wales , that orig inated the great schism which has served in a measure to bar the onward progress of Freemasonry in the colony , it not only has 51 lodges and boasts a membership of 4000 brethren , but it has erected one of the most beautiful Masonic temples in the Southern Hemisphere . Without entering upon any discussion as to the legality or otherwise of its

constitution ( and perhaps before this reaches England recognition may have been cabled and union accomplished ) , English and Scottish brethren cannot shut their eyes to the fact that it has introduced reforms as far as concerns itself , that could with advantage be emulated by the two regular Grand Lodges holding concurrent jurisdiction in the colony—notably , the election of officers on a purely democratic principle , and the appointment by its Grand

Master of District Grand Superintendents , whose principal duties are to forward a statement of the condition of Masonry in their districts to the Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge , and to hear all cases of Masonic irregularity and complaint which may arise in their respective districts , and forward the evidence taken thereon , with an impartial statement of the matter in dispute , to the Grand Master , whose instructions they are bound to carry out . If some such appointment existed under the

constitutional Grand Lodges there would not be such numerous unaffiliated Masons . As it is at present with us brother , a in a country lodge about three or four hundred miles from the centre of Masonic government has a grievance , and as he cannot obtain justice without great expense and loss of time , which he is probably unable to afford—his own lodge being incompetent to deal with the matter—he calls off in disgust , not knowing ( because it has never been explained to him ) how his Masonic status is affected , only that he cannot consistently sit in the lodge after the solemn declaration he made at his initiation . This is not an occasional occurrence

but a very frequent one . The country lodges suffer in many other ways . Distance prevents their members from being elevated to the " Purple , " and they are rarely accorded a Grand Lodge visitation . Many of them were never yet honoured by the presence of the " Purple , " and consequentl y have become apathetic and careless on finding themselves ignored . To remedy this evil the Grand Lodge of New South Wales appoints a Grand Inspector of Workings , who is obliged to visit every lodge at least once in six months .

Such , then , are a few of the defects in the interior organisation of English and Scottish Freemasonry in New South Wales which require remedying , and which have hitherto contributed to prevent the Craft accomplishing anything extraordinary , beyond its financial and numerical achievements , to recommend it to the fraternity at large , or to the " outside and popular world . " The fons et origo of this is undoubtedl y want of unity . Many

persons , well qualified to judge , are of opinion that the Craft in New South Wales wants consolidating , and several lodges have recently expressed informall y an opinion "that union of all the Masonic bodies in the Colony is desirable , " and " that steps should be taken for the formation of a United Grand Lodge of New South Wales , " and Committees have been elected to arrange a basis of union to be submitted to the various lod for approval

ges . If ) therefore , union is consummated , a revolution may take place . Then , perhaps , we shall have our Charitable Institutions ; then , perhaps , " our lod ges will be schools , our labour , study , and our wages , learning ; " and then , perhaps , " the Masonic temple ot universal love and concord will raise lts beautiful head , not only above all opposition of those who are

unacquainted with its excellences , but also that all its avenues of brotherly love will be occupied by brethren of one heart and one mind , all aiming , according to the true principles of Masonic union , to love each other with a Pure heart fervently , that the gazing world , admiring to see how we Brethren love , may anxiouslv desire to increase our numbers and our means of doing good . " M I- W . W . New South Wales , May ist , 1888 .

GRAINE DE SENEVE , CONT ? RERIE DE LA—Der Orden vom Senfkorn W ° i Grain of Mustard—is said by the " Handbuch " to have een a p rotestant knightly Order , spread in England , Holland , and notr ? '_ t 0 have been founded in l 7 °% - We , however , know otning about it in Rncrlanrl . Tf is «„ irl in h _ ., o V . oo ,. fr . „ nrIorl h „ P ..,,.-.

ofM wr some Moravian Brethren . Its days of meeting were 25 th Eachf y Day ^ ' and l 6 th of Au S ( the day a [ ter the Assumption ) , himself » members wore a £ old rin &» witn the m ° tto " N ° ° ne hveth to in an 7 a £ reen enamelled and golden cross , with a mustard tree seems Vu ° " the cross ' with the words " Quod fuit ante ninil" It a PPear H- y ? been in existence at Biidingen in 1740 , as its rules then iii . f _ . . " German there , and an account is ci ' vpn r > f it in a wnrk . " R _ i . ir .

many r S CU ' a Slna P e nomen est : " Emden , 1790 . There are whomp . ™ - works about it seemingly ; we know of no English writer "entions \ t . ~ Kenning ' s Cyclopcedia of Freemasonry

Consecration Of The Warner Lodge, No. 2256.

CONSECRATION OF THE WARNER LODGE , No . 2256 .

By the consecration of the Warner Lodge , No . 2256 , on Monday , the 16 th inst ., at the Forest Hotel , Chingford , the 27 th lodge was added to the Province of Essex , and from the eclat which characterised the proceedings of the inaugural meeting promises to prove a valuable acquisition . The lodge takes its name from the S . W . designate , Bro . Courtenay T .

Warner , whose name is well known in the neighbourhood . Bro . Warner was initiated into Freemasonry by Bro . Lennox Browne , F . R . C . S ., P . M . 2108 , the W . M . designate , in the Empire Lodge , No . 2108 , over which he still presides ( by dispensation from the M . W . G . M . ) owing to the lamented decease of the distinguished W . M . elect . Bro . Lennox Browne , besides his valuable services in the Craft , has another claim on the Province of

Essex , being descended from parents intimately connected with the county . It was perhaps in the fitness of things that the Grand Lodge vessels should be used for the ceremony on the occasion under notice ( this being an unusual occurrence outside the Metropolitan District ) , as the handsome gold salt cellar was presented by Bro . Lennox Browne to Grand Lodge to

complete the set . The consecration ceremony was performed by R . W . Bro . Lord Brooke , Prov . G . M . Essex , assisted by Bro . F . A . Philbrick , Deputy Prov . G . M . ; Thos . Humphreys , Prov . S . G . W ., as S . W . ; G . H . Finch , Prov . J . G . W ., as J . W . ; Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , Grand Sec , as Chap . ; Thos . Railing , P . A . G . D . C . / Prov . G . Sec , as Sec ; A . Lucking , P . G . P ., as D . C . ; and A . Buck , P . P . S . G . W ., as I . G .

The founders of the new lodge are Bros . Lennox Browne , F . R . C . S ., P . M . 2108 , W . M . designate ; Courtenay T . Warner , S . W . designate ; Thos . Scoresby-Jackson , M . D ., J . W . designate ; Rev . W . V . Palmer , Wm . Shurmur , H . Comins , J . J . Briginshaw , H . J . Horton , L . R . C . P ., James Speller , F . J . W . Dellow , Wm . Turnbull Tonkin , Wm . Bellingham , N . Cash , and F . M . Mercer .

The visitors present were : Bros . E . Shevvell , P . G . R . ; N . Salmon , J . W . 177 ; S . Hash ' p , P . M . S 13 ; W . Dawson , W . M . 1228 ; Albert Challenor , 1694 ; Allan Wright , 398 ; D . Campbell , 1365 ; James Terry , P . G . S . B . ; E . Gray , jun ., 65 ; T . Boulton , P . M . 287 ; Hy . Sadler , G . Tyler ; N . Finch , P . M . 1365 ; C . F . Barham , P . M . 754 ; S . Turner , S . W . 151 S ; W . Hawtin

1677 ; F . Gott , P . P . S . G . W . Beds ; W . Sampson , 14 ; W . Hicks , S . D . 1694 ; R . Wilson , I . G . 122 S ; W . D . Church , J . D . 1365 ; C . G . Cutchey , W . M . 16 S 5 ; T . D . R . Burnett , P . M . 1901 ; E . T . Wright , P . M . 1364 ; J . R . A . Hine , 1045 ; C . Steel , P . M . 1365 ; R . Eve , P . G . Treas . ; A . J . Hands , J . W . 1297 ; Dr . Ernest Sanson , W . M . 2033 , P . M . 1494 ; and W . W . Lee , 1897 .

The Prov . G . M . having taken the chair , and appointed his officers , the lodge was opened in the Three Degrees . A hymn was then sung , after which The PROV . GRAND MASTER addressed the brethren on the nature of the meeting . He said it gave him great pleasure to see how steadily Freemasonry was increasing in their province , and he congratulated it on the

worthy addition they were about to make to the number of their lodge . He thought he was right in saying that that lodge would be the 27 th lodge in the province , and he was sure it could not possibly have a more charming site in which to hold its meetings . Hewas pleased to see several of his friends present who were intimately connected with the formation of the new lodge . He knew a lodge was not started without a considerable amount of trouble ,

work , and enterprise , and he hoped the founders would act up to the objects of Masonry , for they would find they possessed a lodge which was preeminent in all the attributes of the Craft . Although he had not anticipated being with them , owing to ill-health , he was pleased to be present , and had no doubt that , with the kind assistance of his Deputy Provincial Grand Master and the Grand Secretary , they would get through the ceremonies with satisfaction .

The PROV . GRAND SECRETARY read the petition and warrant , and the founders signified their approval of the officers named therein . The GRAND SECRETARY said that , having undertaken to act as Chaplain at a moment ' s notice , he regretted he was not prepared with a set oration . He , however ,, gave them an interesting and exhaustive account of the origin , application , & c , of the term " lodge . "

At the conclusion of the Grand Secretary ' s remarks , the ceremony was proceeded with , and the new lodge constituted and dedicated . The Prov . G . M . then vacated the chair in favour of Bro . F . A . Philbrick , G . Reg ., Dep . Prov . G . M ., who proceeded with the installation ceremony , and a dispensation having been read , Bro . Lennox Browne was regularly installed into the chair as W . M . Bro . W . Shurmur was

unanimously elected Treasurer , and Bro . Ives elected Tyler ; the officers being appointed and invested as follows : Bros . Courtenay T . Warner , S . W . ; T . Scoresby-Jackson , M . D ., J . W . ; Rev . VV . V . Palmer , Chap . 5 W . Shurmur , Treas . ; H . Comins , Sec ; J . J . Briginshaw , S . D . ; H . J . Horton , L . R . C . P ., J . D . ; J . Speller , I . G . ; F . J . W . Dellow , D . C . ; W . Turnbull Tonkin , Stwd . ; and Ives , Tyler . The addresses were then delivered by the Installing Officer , Bro . F . A . Philbrick .

The WORSHIPFUL MASTER said his first pleasing duty was to return thanks to the Consecrating Officers for their kindness in attending to consecrate the lodge . He thought they were especially fortunate in having Lord Brooke to preside , and he was grateful to him tor the interest he had taken in the proceedings . That being his first entrance into the province , he could not help remarking the interest and trouble taken by the Prov . G . M . He also desired to thank the Dep . Prov . G . M . for performing the

installation ceremony , and they were likewise indebted to the G . Secretary , who , in the first instance , when there was a doubt whether the Prov . G . M . could attend , promised to consecrate the lodge , and then said he would attend and assist in the proceedings . They had all seen how well the G . Secretary had performed the duties of Chaplain . In conclusion , he proposed that the Consecrating Officers should be asked to accept the honorary membership of the lodge .

The SENIOR WARDEN seconded the proposition , which was carried unanimously , and briefly acknowledged by Lord BROOKE . The following gifts were made to the lodge : Bro . Courtenay T . Warner , S . W ., a handsome banner , on which was inscribed the names of the founders , and the small lodge furniture ; Bro . Shurmur , Square and

Compasses ; Bro . Mercer , Bible ; Bro . Briginshaw , the preliminary printing , & c . ; and Bro . Lennox Browne , W . M ., the necessary books . AM the officers presented the collars and jewels of their respective offices . Bro . Bellingham gave £ 5 5 s . to purchase Tyler ' s sword and Charity box , the balance , if any , to go into the box .