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PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE MARK MASTER MASONS OF MIDDLESEX AND SURREY . The R . W . Bro . Sir . FRANCIS BURDETT , Bart ., Prov . Grand Master . The V . VV . Bro . FREDERIC DAVISON , Deputy Prov . Grand Master . THE PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE Mark Master Masons of the Province of Middlesex and Surrey , will be holden at the CHARENCE HOTEL , TEDDINGTON , On Wednesday , 26 th July , 1882 , When all Present and Past Provincial Grand Officers , together with the Worshipful Masters , Past Masters , and Acting Wardens of Lodges in the Province , are hereby summoned to attend , and all Mark Master Masons are invited to be present . The Provincial Grand Lodge will be opened at Five o ' clock . Brethren to appearin full Masonic Costume of the Mark Degree , and Provincial -Grand Officers in the clothing of their respective rank , ( Morning Dress ) . By command of the R . VV . P . G . M . M . J . M . KLENCK , PM ., P . Z ., & c . Provincial Grand Mark Secretary . 25 & . 2 O , Bishopsgate Street Without , E . C , nth July , 1 SS 2 . BUSINESS . To read and ( if approved ) confirm the Minutes of the previous Provincial Grand Lodge Meeting , held at the Star and Garter Hotel , Richmond , on the 2 nd July , 1 SS 1 . To call over the roll of lodges , and report thereon . To nominate the R . W . the Provincial Grand Mark Master for the ensuing period . To appoint and invest the Provincial Grand Officers for the ensuing year . To receive the Accounts of the Provincial Grand Treasurer . To receive Propositions , and consider any other Business . Banquet at 6 o ' clock . Tickets One Guinea each , including Wine . Brethren intending to be present should notify their intention to the Provincial Grand Secretary on or before the 22 nd July .

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T ^ LECTION , NOVEMBER , 1882 . TO THE GOVERNORS OF THE ROYAL HOSPITAL FOR INCURABLES . Vour Vote and Interest are earnestly solicited on behalf of R H O D A W H 1 T E , Aged 39 , a Candidate for the Pension , Who was a Dressmaker ; but , in consequence of acute rheumatism and brittleness of the bones , was obliged to relinquish her trade and depend upon charity . About three years ago , when in bed , she was seized with violent spasms ; it was discovered that the bone of the left thigh was broken . Efforts were made to bring about a re-union of the bone , but without success . Shortly after the bone of the right arm broke—then that of the left . She has not been able to move for nearly three years , hence requires constant help and attention . Her relatives cannot assist her ; she , therefore , entirely depends upon charity . » The Case is strongly recommended by Lady BLACHIORD , Blachford , Cornwood , Devon . A . CUAMI-ERXOWNE , Esq ., Dartingion Hall . Tomes . Miss COMILE , Beaumont , Bridgetown , Totnes . I EFFERY MICIIELMORE , Esq ., Berry House , Totnes . Rev . A . 1 . E VERETT , Berry I ' omeioy Vicarage , Totnes . T . II . EDMONDS , Esq ., Solicitor , Bridgetown Totnes . ? Miss DL-. VVER , 123 , Holborn , London . *\ V . H . RUIIERTS , Esq ., Stock Exchange , and Boyne House , Nottitlg Hill , London . VV . M . TOM . IT , Esq ., C . E ., Highlands , Totnes . Rev . VV . WATKINS , Bridgetown Parsonage , Totnes . Proxies "ill be gratefully received by those against whose names there is an asterisk (*) And by RHODA WHITE , Bridgetown , Totnes . Voles for this or any other Charity will be thankfully received by BRO . R . P . TATE , P . M . No . S 62 , 31 , Holborn , E . C .

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ROYAL SEA BATHING INFIRMARY , MARGATE . ESTABLISHED 1791 . THE ONLY ONE EXCLUSIVELY FOR SCROFULOUS POOR . COL . CREATON , TREASURER . JOHN M . CLABON , ESQ ., HON . SECRETARY . This Hospital requires aid . An extra liberal diet table is of necessity required on account of the exhausting nature of this terrible disease . Donors of £ 10 10 s ., Annual Subscribers of £ 1 is ., can recommend patients . 250 beds . Average number of Inpatients per year , 750 , and of applicants over 1000 . Bankers , the Bank of England ; Coutts and Co . ; and Cobb and Co ., Margate . Offices : No . 30 , Charing Cross , W . JOHN THOMAS WALKER , Secretary

To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

23 C . has not conformed to our invariable rule by sending his name . J . GETII SMITH . —Letter and extract received . It shall appear in our next .

To Correspondents.

The following- reports stand over until next week for want of space : — Provincial Grand Lodge of Kent . Camden Lodge , No . 704 . Duke of Lancaster Lodge , No . 1353 .

New Cross Lodge , No . 1559 . Gallery Lodge , No . 192 S . Corinthian Lodge of Instruction , No . 13 S 2 . Faithful Lodge , No . 229 ( Mark ) . William Stuart Preceptory , No . 76 ( K . T . ) Metropolitan College ( Rosicrucian Society ) .

BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . "The Citizen , " " The Restoration of the Jews , ' "The Yorkshire Gazette , " "The Court Circular , " "Sunderland Herald and Daily Post , " " Friemaurer Zeitung , " Le Monde Maconique , " " Keystone . "

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^^reggas^^ SATURDAY , JULY 22 , 1882 . - ^

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

fVVe do not hold ourselves responsible tor , or even approving of , the opinions expressed by ourcorrespondents , but we wish in aspirit of fairplay to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ] ——

A POINT OF LAW . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — A matter has come before my notice lately which has , I think , something in it , and may , especially at this lethargic season of Metropolitan Freemasonry , interest

those of your readers who do read the Freemason week by week . It is this . It very often happens that when worthy brethren are popular and energetic as W . M . ' s , they become members of many lodges . 1 know of some brethren who are positively members of six lodges at the same time . Now , what I want to know , what is their position as P . M . 's

in their various lodges .- ' They are P . M . 's of their mother lodge , they are P . M . ' s in the remaining five lodges . But have they any special privilege or status in consequence of being P . M . ' s ? It is sometimes assumed tnat because ' a brother is a P . M . in a lodge , therefore he is eligible for the chair ,

because he is a P . M .. But the truth is , his eligibility does not rest on his being a P . M . but on his having served the office of Warden . Suppose a brother , P . M . of another lodge , is elected and duly installed VV . M . of a second , he simply , as I understand the Book of Constitutions , repeats his old work as

an Installed Master , and having duly executed the office o f VV . M . for one year , becomes the P . M . of lodge No . 2 and so on , in turn , if even he be installed VV . M . of five lodges in succession . Hence , then , he has five qualifications for Grand Lodge , so long as he subscribes to his lodges .

Now the point to which I wish to direct your attention is this . He is a P . M . of his mother lodge so long as he subscribes to it , and a P . M . in the Craft so long as he subscribes to some lodge . But supposing he be elected W . M . of a third lodge , and in the meantime has resigned his membership in the two other lodges , and by some

vicissitudes of Masonic life , becomes involved in a controversy with his third lodge , so much so that he withdraws from it and leaves the P . M . to finish his years work , what is his position ? Has he any as regards lodge No . 3 ? Has he not in fact forfeited his status as P . M ., both as regards the Craft and rega rds the lodge ? The fact is , is he any longer

P . M . of any lodge , and therefore has he not lost his seat in Grand Lodge ?—Yours fraternally , M . M . [ The whole question and status of P . M . ' s are very difficult to discuss , owing to the brevity and obscurity of the Book of Constitutions on the point . There is onl y one clause , as far as we know , which deals with P . M . ' s legislatively , and that is almost a parenthetical passage . Undoubtedly the lodge , so to say , is the unit of the P . M . 's rights and claims ; and in the case put such rights and claims have passed away . —ED . F . M . ]

THE GIRLS' SCHOOL . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — At a meeting of the Quarterly Court of the Girls ' Institution , held on Saturday , the Sth inst ., at Freemasons ' Hall , Bro . Tattershall moved the following proposition

"That no girl should be admitted , by purchase or otherwise , if she had already a sister there , unless the vacancies exceeded the number of candidates , " which was carried by twelve votes to nine , or a majority of three . Now , I , as one of the minority , beg to enter my protest against , and express a desire that , such resolution should not be

confirmed at the next Quarterly Court , for the following reasons : 1 st ., that the number present was too small to carry such an important measure ; 2 ndly , that in the case of purchase it is contrary to common sense or justice ; and , lastly , on grounds entirely differing from those which were given as coming from the Grand

Registrar , by Bros , xichardson and Woodford , who were with me in the minority . Now , as the first reason is subservient to the second , I must answer the second first . For example , we will take the present state of the Girls ' Institution : accommodation is provided for , say 250 girls , and we have at present only 230 " on the strength , such

Original Correspondence.

being considered as much as the Committee feel themselves justified in admitting . Now a sister of one of the girls in the Institution seeks admission , and her friend , or friends , are willing to pay the 170 guineas required for that purpose , which amply covers all the expenses for five or six years , as the only expenses are food

and clothing , for the same staff of governesses and attendants are sufficient . By election , in no case would I admit two sisters , because though at the time of election there might be a vacancy , yet at the next half-yearly election there might be morecandidates than vacancies , and a duly qualified girl , and one equally entitled , vjould be kept out because

two of a family would then be in the School ; so in no case would I admit by election two sisters ; but by purchase , where the expense does not fall on the funds of the Institution , and the qualifications are on all other points satisfactory , certainly yes . Therefore , my first reason against is , that having such a broad basis to go upon , I consider

that a small board of only twenty-one , besides the Chairman , is not a sufficient tribunal to settle the merits of the question . As to my third contra , while bowing with all due submission to our learned Registrar , if he really did give the opinion that a child by purchase could be admitted

without petition , it must be from the very bad wording of the laws but not from the intent thereof , we are told that one can drive a coach and four though any Act of Parliament that ever was framed . Taking that for granted , surely we are not going to take the literal reading of the rule , but the common sense intent expressed therein ,

that before any candidate can be admitted into any of our Institutions he or she must be proved to be duly qualified , and in what better way can that qualification be proved than by answering the necessary questions as set forth in the form of petition , to be duly submitted to those authorised to decide upon such matters . Certainly a bare

letter , stating that A . B . was a son or daughter of C . D ., who was a Mason , would not pass muster entitling the candidate to be considered eligible for thej benefits of the Institution . I beg to apologise for trespassing on your valuable space , but I cannot help thinking that such a j" dog in the

manger" principle , as is no doubt unintentionally conveyed in Bro . Tattershall ' s motion , should be well considered before becoming law ; at the same time we are , well | guarded against abuse of our laws by the terms used in rule fiftysix , " unless thevacancies exceed the | numberof candidates , " and in rule sixty-three " if they can be conveniently

admitted . " Yours fraternally , P . M . 1607 . P . S . —Since writing the above I have carefully considere d the several rules bearing upon the point , and find the following contradictions : —Rule 5 G : "Thatno petition shall be received on behalf of a girl who has a sister in the

Institution unless the number of vacancies is in excess of candidates ; " and rule 63 : "Any person may place a properly qualified girl in the Institution , provided such can be conveniently admitted , upon payment , etc . " Now , as the convenience and qualifications would be duly laid before the Committee , the onus of receiving a second , or any girl of a family , entirely rests with the members thereof ;

and the danger of rendering the Schools a family borough would be met by a defined limit of two , whether by purchase or otherwise , and a rule rendering it obligatory to present a petition in either case . The word " petition " is left out in rule 63 , yet the candidate must be duly qualified , and those qualifications cannot otherwise be obtained than from the answers returned by the several persons authorised to give them .

THE LATE BRO . JOHN HERVEY'S SISTER . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I observe in your current issue an advertisement asking for a purchaser of a presentation biscuit box , once given by his lodge to the late Bro . Hervey .

I regret the terms and tone of the advertisement , because inferences are , as I think , unjustly and unfairly suggested . May I ask if the Bro . K . R . H . Mackenzie , who inserts the advertisement , is the son of the " only surviving sister ? " also , if Bro . John Hervey left behind

him assets amounting to the net sum of jfjsooo ? and , further , whether or no his " sole surviving sister" has a life interest in this money , which should produce at least £ 100 a year ? If I am rightly informed , and this be the case , I do not think the advertisement in question should have appeared . —Fraternally vours , P . M .

To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — 1 notice in the Freemason of Saturday las ' ; an advertisement from Dr . Mackenzie , offering for sale , on behalf of the sister of the late Grand Secretary of England , a small piece of plate which had been presented to him by

the Royal York Lodge , the advertisement further stating that the lady in question is very poorly off . As 1 feel sure that nothing short of absolute necessity would have impelled our Bro . Mackenzie to this appeal , I trust that amongst the many brethren of wealth and

influence who enjoyed the friendship of our lame ntcd brother , some may be found who will consider it derogatory to his memory , and a slur on our much vaunted charity , that the aged and infirm sister of John Hervey should be under the grievous necessity of making a public appeal for assistance . In common with many brethren , I thought that a portion