Contents.

CONTENTS .

„ , „ 541 { Curious Book 542 Scottish Masonry 542 Jrovincial Grand Lodge of Worcestershire 543 -OBBBSHONDSNCE— An Important Point 545 Reviews 545 S 1 RT ^ M 1 TN . C M « T . NO ; - - ' Craft Masonry 54 ° Instruction 547 Royal Arch 547 Mark Masonry 54 8 British Columbia 548 Queensland 54 8

Roard of Benevolence iA & Proposed United Grand Lodge of Victoria 54 8 Annual Banquet of the Royal Brunswick N 0 , 532 549 Testimonial to Bro . T . Fenn , Pres . B . G . F ., Dy Locige La France , No . 2060 549 T - »„ . I : .: — ~ t ~ M ...., n , T „< .,..,:,. u ^ u Johannesburg . South Africa \ 549 Theatres 540 The Craft Abroad 55 ° Honour to a Pennsylvanian Veteran 550 Obituary 550 Masonic and General Tidings 551 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 552

Ar00100

Udy Lech mere AN event , which we believe to be unique in the annals of and the Prov . G . p , _ Q , Lodge meetings , occurred at the annual gathering Wor cestershire , of the brethren of Worcestershire at Moseley on Wednesday , the 12 th instant . Previous to the opening of the Prov . G . Lodge ,

Lady LECHMERE , wife of R . W . Bro . Sir E . A . H . LECHMERE , Bart ., M . P ., Grand Master of the province , accompanied by several other ladies , was introduced into the lodge room by Bro . A . F . GODSON , M . P ., Dep . P . G . M ., and , in a speech of short duration , but expressing the utmost respect for the princip les of Freemasonry and their faithful observance by

the brethren , formally presented two beautifully-embroidered standards , which her ladyship had previously announced her intention of offering , and requesting their acceptance by the Prov . G . Lodge in token of her admiration of the brotherhood and the " noble , Charitable work " it carried on , " without distinction of creed or nationality . " The PROV . G . MASTER , in

a speech which was very much to the purpose , accepted the beautiful gift in the spirit in which it had been offered , and endeavoured , to the best of his ability , to express his thanks and those of his brother Masons of Worcestershire to her ladyship for so eloquent , and at the same time so handsome , a . tribute of her respect for Freemasonry , and

he begged her ladyship to believe that her kindness would nerve them to attempt greater things in the same field of labour than they had been hitherto able to accomplish . The incident then terminated . Lady LECHMERE and her fair friends retired from the lodge , and the brethren at once set about dispatching the business for which they were

gathered together . We have said that we believe this event is unique in the history of Prov . G . Lodge meetings , but whether it be so or not , it will certainly have the effect of encouraging our Worcestershire brethren to redouble their efforts to raise Freemasonry stili higher in public estimation . The praise of men is worth striving for , but the unstinted praise of women ,

who are by nature sympathetic with all that is good and noble , is a guerdon more difficult to win and therefore more precious to keep and hand on undimned to future generations . We congratulate our Worcester friends on the honour paid to them and the principles of Freemasonry generally , nor

can we doubt that , after this public expression of Lady LECHMERE ' S admiration for the Craft and its work , they will feel more encouraged than ever to continue in the course they have pursued for many years past , with so much credit to themselves and so much advantage to the Society of Masons .

• • A Further Com- THERE are few men who take a more active interest in the phmenMoBro . worfc 0 f Freemasonry than the distinguished brother who pre-P . B . G . P . sides over the Board of General Purposes . He has attempted many things in his time , and won fame in every role he has essayed . He

had the lion's share of the work in superintending the necessary arrangements for the great Masonic gatherings in the Royal Albert Hall in 1875 and 1887 . Since the resignation of Bro . Sir J . B . MONCKTON , he has been President of the Board entrusted with the maintenance of discipline and good order and to secure the scrupulous observance of the Book of

Constitutions . For years he has been conspicuous at the Emulation Lodge ° f Improvement as our ablest expositor of the ritual of the Craft , and were are few , if any , that equal him in the knowledge he possesses of all the "isandoutsof private lodgeduty . Since the constitution of Lodge La France , No . 2060 , which is intended for brethren of French nationality , and does

j "' its work in the French language , he has surprised his English brethren by his intimate acquaintance with the French language and the facility with Which he speaks it ; and the assistance he has rendered this lodge from ne very outset of its career has secured to him the esteem and res pect of all its members . This , indeed , was clearly shown

. ' the recent meeting of the lodge on Monday , the 17 th ns tant , when Bro . ST . CLAIR , Worshipful Master , in the name ntl on behalf of the lodge , rose in his chair and presented tt n Worth y brother with the lodge jewel , having on it the inscription : — "esented to the V . W . Bro . T . FENN , P . B . G . P ., by the VV . M . and breen of the Lodge La France , in acknowledgment of the eminent services e "as rendered that lodge since its foundation . 17 th September , 188 S . "

Ar00101

We dare say Bro . FENN will prize this jewel as not the least among the many distinctions conferred upon him . He has well-deserved the compliment and kindly feeling of which it is the outward and visible symbol , and we congratulate both him who has received it and the lodge which has thus felicitously appreciated his worth .

* # # The late Earl of THE news of the death , on Sunday last , of Bro . the Right " Tw . past ' Hon . the Earl of MAR and KELLIE , Immediate Past Grand G . M . Scotland . Master Mason of Scotland , will be received generally throughout the Craft in the United Kingdom with regret ; but especially

by his Scottish brethren , over whom he had presided with so much honour to himself and so advantageously to Freemasonry for some few years ; and the feeling will be all the stronger seeing that his lordship had not completed his 49 th year , and in the course of nature , therefore , it might have been expected that his services would have been available for many years

to come . However , it has been decreed otherwise , and the brethren can do no more than show their respect for his memory by treasuring up his good deeds and endeavouring , as far as possible , to walk in his footsteps . As Grand Master of Scotland , his lordship diligently pursued the policy so successfully adopted by his predecessors , the Earl of RossLYNandSir R . M .

SHAW-STEWART , Bart ., and , as a result , the renewed prosperity of the Grand Lodge became still more assured , the brethren exhibiting their sense of his services by presenting to the Countess of MAR and KELLIE a bust of their respected Grand Master . As will be seen from the brief sketch of his career , which appears elsewhere , our deceased brother had been

similarly active and energetic in his efforts to promote the welfare of other branches of Freemasonry , so that his death will be felt throughout every part of Scottish Freemasonry . It only remains for us to tender our sincere sympathy with the family of his lordship , as well as with the Grand Lodge of Scotland , in the grevious loss they have thus recently , and so unexpectedly , sustained .

* * * osed THERE are grounds for believing that at no very distant date Grand Lodge of an independent Grand Lodge of Victoria will be established , Victoria . anc j tna ( . tne t j e w ] n j cn i heretofore bound the lodges of this

prosperous Australian Colony to the Grand Lodges of the old country will be severed . The prospect that such an event would occur has been in the mind of every Mason for some time past , ever since , indeed , the lodges under the several constitutions of England , Ireland , and Scotland determined on having the same Bro . Sir W . J . CLARKE , Bart ., for their District

or Provincial chief . And as a similar step is in contemplation , if it has not already been determined upon , by the brethren of New South Wales , we shall very shortly have established the Masonic independence of three of our great Australian Colonies , each of whom will have its own Grand Lodge , just as Canada has had for the last 30 years and Quebec , Nova Scotia ,

and other provinces of the Dominion for periods of lesser duration . Moreover the new Grand Lodges will start under extremely favourable circumstances , Victoria , with over 100 English lodges , some dozen Scotch lodges , and about 15 Irish lodges , while New South Wales has about 80 English , about 45 Scotch , and a dozen Irish lodges . To these must be added the

lodges constituted by the hitherto unrecognised Grand Lodges of New South Wales and Victoria , so that once these colonies are constituted as separate and independent Masonic organisations , they will possess each of them an ample roll of private lodges , many of them with Royal Arch Chapters attached . Seeing , too , that the lodges are well set up , in

good working order , and with a strong force of members , there is little doubt the new bodies will have before them a tolerably assured career of prosperity . As for the mother Grand Lodges under whose jurisdictions the great majority of their lodges have been constituted , we may rest satisfied the new daughter Grand Lodges will

have their sympathy and good wishes , and that their independence will be fully and freely recognised with the very reasonable proviso that any lodges which may desire to remain under the old order of things , shall be at liberty to do so . In South Australia , which already stands alone , and has fared most prosperously , this proviso appears to have been unnecessary ,

as the movement , we believe , was ultimately , if not quite at the outset , universal in favour of independence , and from what we hear the movement will be similar both in New South Wales and Victoria . It may be as well , however , after what has lately been done by the Grand Chapter of Canada , if the mother Grand Lodges limit their recognition of the new bodies to

their respective colonies , so that we may not hereafter find the Grand Lodge or Chapter of one or other of them warranting lodges or chapters in other British Colonies now in the jurisdiction of the old country . Let them be as free as possible within their own territories , but let it be understood clearly from the first that the establishment by them of lodges and chapters in the colonies now administered b y us Masonicall y , will be an