Women Masonry In Mexico.

WOMEN MASONRY IN MEXICO .

It was hardly to bc expected that Bro . T . S . PARV 1 N , Past Grand Master ancl Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Iowa , would allow to pass unnoticed the many comments which have been made on this subject in the Masonic and general press

ofthe United States and other countries . Indeed , it is quite on the cards that , if it had been anyone else than the son of so distinguished a member of our Order who had married a lady Freemason , the matter would have been allowed to pass without

comment . But unfortunatel y respect for the privacy of individuals is not a characteristic of the American press , and we are the reverse of surprised at finding that Bro . PARVIN has expressed in good round terms the disgust he very naturally feels at the

notoriety which has been thrust upon him and his daughter-inlaw merely because he is a prominent Mason , and the latter is , or rather was , as many other Mexican laches appear to be , a member of one of the lodges in her native country . The Voice

of Masonry for the current month contains a long and elaborate letter from Bro . PARVIN , which contains a good deal of valuable information about these lady Freemasons of Mexico . Having first of all given vent to his annoyance by pointing out that though

it might be well enough "for editors of political as well as Masonic papers" to discuss the question of ' Women Masonry ' in Mexico , it was most ungentlemanly and discourteous to introduce the names of particular ladies into these discussions , " Bro .

FARVIN goes on to show , in the first place , that the subject is not a new one . On the contrary , as far back as 188 9 , thc late Bro . Gen . PIKE , " then head of the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Masons , published an article denouncing the Supreme

Council of Mexico for having conferred the Degrees , Fourth and Fourteenth inclusive , upon a lady doctor . " He then goes on to state that the Gran Dieta of Mexico , which was organised in iSgo , as the " national and governing body of the several state

Grand Lodges , " notwithstanding that its " constitution did not provide for or permit it , " by resolution authorised the initiation of women , and that " its Grand Secretary organised lodges of women and presided at their initiation . " It was in one of these

lod ges that " the daughter of General RIVERA , one of the leading generals and public men in Mexico , was initiated , took an active part in the organisation of the Martha Washington Lod ge , composed of ladies , and became its Master . "

Subsequentl y this lady was married to the son of Bro . PARVIN , who "being a Knight Templar and a 32 ° Mason from this State , was opposed to Women Masonry and in deference to his views , " the lady " ceased meeting with the bodies and has had nothing to

do with them since . " VVe are further told b y Bro . PARVIN that in ° n ! y about five out of the 28 States in Mexico did this custom of making Women Masons prevail , but " they are now all prohibited b y the Gran Dicta " from doing so , " that body having repealed

the law under which such proceedings were held , although it 'ailed to deny to the women already initiated the ri ghts Previously conferred upon them . " But notwithstanding this and ot ' "(* r departures from the landmarks which he found in Mexico

' ¦ e considers that Freemasonry has done a vast amount of good to Ihe country . He says he recognised the various Masonic 'odies therein established as " legitimate under their law , ' I ' docs not regret that he visited them . But he appears to

'ave stood up manfully—as we should expect that so '¦ istinguished a brother would do—for the true order of * gs and promptly told " the Grand Master of one of the ' - < - ' Grand Lodges" who asked him " what we , in Iowa ,

Women Masonry In Mexico.

would do should he and his wife or his daughter ( both of whom are Masons and sit in Grand Lodge wilh him and vote , as do his sons and himself ) visit our lodges or Grand Lodge , " " that we would admit , him , but exclude his

wife and daughter . Bro . PARVIN adds as regards his son that he is the Master of a lodge , which is called an " American Lodge , " because all its members arc Americans , and that it holds its Charter from the same Gran Dieta which , issued the

Martha Washington Charter , but that lie had addressed a letter to the lady Masons in the City of Mexico , in which he gave them clearly to understand that , if any of them applied for admission to the lodge over which hc presided , he should refuse

to admit them . They have taken the hint , and Bro . PARVIN , jun ., has never been called upon to carry out his threat . It is therefore clear from the particulars we have quoted from Bro . PARV'IN'S letter in this month's Voice of Masonry —( 1 ) that the

custom of making lady Masons in Mexico is now forbidden b y the Gran Dieta , while ( 2 ) as regards those who have been initiated , neither hc nor his son has the slightest idea of recognising any claims they may be supposed to have to enter a regular lodge of Masons and take part in its proceedings .

Lane's "Masonic Records."*

LANE ' S "MASONIC RECORDS . " *

We had the pleasure of announcing last week that the Second Edition of Bro . JOHN LANE'S " Masonic Records" had at length been issued , and the duty now devolves upon us of conveying , or perhaps we ought rather to say , of attempting to

convey , to our readers some idea of the further progress which the author has made in carrying out his original design in compiling this important work . That design , if we have understood it rightly , was to provide a solid basis of fact as regards the

development of our modern system of r reemasonry from the year 1717 , when thc lirst Grand Lodge of England was constituted by four of the then existing Operative lodges , till the present time . In order to carry out his plan as completely and

as accurately as possible , Bro . LANE has made it his business to trace out , as far as the information he succeeded in obtaining would enable him , all the lodges that have ever been warranted by the Grand Lodges which have at different times been

established in this country . That he has succeeded in his task was recognised at once on the publication of the lirst edition , and has since been emphasised by the honour conferred upon him by Grand Lodge , and the encomiums he

has received from all the most competent judges of this class of compilation . But none the less does the marvel remain that any man should have been found ready and willing to impose upon himself a duty involving such an infinity of minute and

apparently endless labour , and having undertaken it , that he should have carried it out with such unwearying patience and such amazing ability , judgment , and accuracy . The lirst edition of these " Masonic Records " was , as it seemed to us , to all intents

and purposes , a perfect compilation , but its successor so far excels it , that , in our humble opinion , then * is little ; left for future compilers of this class of work to do hut to follow in its author .- * footsteps , and in ninety-nine cases out o ( every hundred accept , undoubtingly , the conclusions at which he has seen fit to