Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

¦ y-. — .. ¦ - The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed b Correspondents .

"THE PURPLE . " ( To the Editor of Ihe Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In your issue of October 15 th , page 514 , " M . M . " speaks of "music always cleverly introduced according ; to authorized

method . " I was not aware there was any " authorized method . " Can you enlighten me upon this subject , as it is a matter I take great interest in ? I am dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , P . Z . [ There is no authorized method . ]—ED . F .

( To the Editor of Thc Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I fully agree with M . M ., that there is a just and reasonable complaint as to the selection of officers in the P . G . LodgeofWest Lancashire , for not only have most of the brethren he names been re-elected this year , but for several

years previously , until they appear to hold the offices by right of occupation . Why this should be I am at a loss to know . It cannot be for their attendance at the Provincial Grand Lodge meetings , as two at least ( holding high office , ) are not remarkable for good attendance , neither can it be for their

proficiency in working the Craft degrees , as some of them do the work very indifferently , and I question if others could open a lodge in the three degrees . Like M . M ., I belong to a lodge which has subscribed a little to the charities , works correctly ^ pays its dues promptly , and numbers amongst its

members , many who are certainly equal in Masonic knowledge and in social position , to those who have for so many years been re-elected P . G . Officers . Many who I think are able to hold the light to our Liverpool brethren , and yet during my membership I have not seen a purple collar in tlie lodge , except a

worn by some of the re-elected brethren , or visitors from the neighbouring provinces . I contend that this state of things should not be permitted to continue . 1 st . It is neither right nor fair ; 2 nd , It is not Masonic ; and 3 rd , It is not done to the same extent in any other province . I

quite agree with M . M ., " that some lodges might as well be at the North Pole as in West Lancashire , for the chance of ever seeing a brother of their lodge made a provincial officer . " I see M . M . is wrong in stating that Bro . Mott was re-elected , as he appears to have followed the

example of Bro . Moorc , and retired with past honours . I think , however , that the offices of D . P . G . M ., Prov . G . Treas ., and Prov . G . Sec , ought to be continuous , especially that ofthe P . G . Sec . in this province , for I doubt if there is a pctter or a harder working Mason , than Bro . H . S . Alpass throughout

thc province . It is not on my own account that I complain , as there is no hope that I shall ever have the honour of wearing thc collar of a I ' rov . G . Officer , but I would ask what would bc the result if the same

principle was adopted in a Craft lodge as that which is observed and practised in the Provincial Grand Lodge of West Lancashire ? lam certain , that I for one , would never be able to subscribe myself other than ,

Yours fraternally , ANOTHER M . M .

A CRY OF DISTRESS . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — Will you kindly permit me to say that I have received from Brother Haycock , W . M . of 901 , the sum of 14 s ., which lie collected at his lodge , on Monday evening , for thc

poor peasants of France who have been rendered homeless and penniless by the war . He says , ' * If every Mason made even a slight effort in response to your appeal in this holy cause , a considerable sum would bc easily gathered . " Will you permit me to add , in proof of the

merciful object of my appeal , that Miss Oley , an English lady , who has just returned from the east of Fiance , says , " Not a handful of straw or a blade of grass is left in all the surrounding country . Horses are starving , and are seen gnawing the bark from the trees that are left standing , and even respectable

person * , beg a bit of bread from a stranger . " Brethren ! come to the help of these poor destitute thousands , chiefly women and children , the husbands and fathers being in the field or on thc ramparts . Truly yours , WM . CARPENTER . 3 , Huston-square , N . W .

"FROM REFRESHMENT TO LABOUR . " ( To the Editor of Thc Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Referring to your able leader under the above heading , which appeared in a recent issue , permit me to observe with regard to our Charities , I do not think that the rules , terms

Original Correspondence.

of subscription , & c , & c , are sufficiently understood by many of our brethren , but that ignorance , not indifference , is the cause of many withholding their mite from those noble institutions . That this is the case , particularly with our Indian and colonial lodges and brethren , I am convinced . May it not ,

to a great extent , be the case at home ? Are the charities sufficiently known by the various Masonic bodies here ? Have printed rules , blank forms for subscriptions , & c , been circulated ? I fear not ; and hence the apparent lukewarmness of our brethren . What do you say in the case of an Indian lodge collecting 6 d . monthly from each of its members

for our Boys' School , owing to change of old officers to a distant station , the new ones did not know how to dispose of the money collected . Well , after waiting some time , the money was sent to a high Mason in London , and by him returned—as he "had nothing to do with the Masonic charity in question" ( or words to that effect)—the consequence was , the subscription ceased !

I believe the lodge alluded to— ancl , indeed , many others—would gladly subscribe if they knew how . Ignorance of rules , & c , alone prevents them , I assure you . Now , Bro . Editor , kindly enlighten us in your next . Yours fraternally , BENEVOLENTIA .

THE ELIAS DE DERHAM LODGE , No . 586 . ( To thc Editor of Thc Freemason . ) SIR AND BROTHER , — My attention has been directed to your report of the proceedings of Grand Lodge in reference to the late appeal of Bro . Cother as to the election of W . M . for Lodge 586 .

The following extract from your paper of io ^ jb September— "In the meantime the P . G . S . had written certain questions and circulated them among thc accused brethren , ivho were to give theiransivers ih writing , "—is so incorrect , and makes me appear to have clone something so eminently out of order ,

that I must ask you to correct it . Should any document have been sent to or filed in Grand Lodge justifying your report , I beg to give it a most unqualified contradiction , as I did nothing ofthe kind nor is there the slightest ground for such a statement . Absence from home , and many professional

engagements have prevented my writing to you earlier . Please give this letter the same publicity as your report . Yours fraternally , HENRY C . TOMBS , P . G . S . Wilts . Wootton Bassctt , 15 th Oct ., 1870 .

BRO . NORTON'S REPLY TO BRO . WILLIAM CARPENTER ( vide page 440 ) . ( To the Editor of Thc Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — -Our Bro . Carpenter repeatedly assured me , through the columns of THE FREEMASON , that he was opposed to the introduction of sectarian dogmas into assemblies of Masons . At page 332 he said : " I expressly disclaimed thc

idea of introducing religious topics into a lodge , as a thing inconsistent with thc institution and foundation of Masonry ; " and went on to say , " and this I put in so many ways that it is astonishing Brother Norton should . still misunderstand me . " It appears , however , by his last defence of sectarianism , that I did not misunderstand him after all .

A Grand Chaplain preached a sectarian sermon before the Craft . A brother , who signed himself " A Freemason , " pointed out thc impropriety in a letted republished in your paper from the Suffolk Chronicle ; the Rev . Brother replied to said letter : I deemed the excuses of the Rev . Brother

unsatisfactory , knowing the mischievous effect which such precedents have produced , and do produce , in undermining thc fundamental Masonic aim . I thought proper to warn our over-zealous Christian brethren that by endeavouring to grasp too much , they may cither lose certain concessions made to them , or by

succeeding in their effort , 1 pointed out thc new troubles likely to arise from the difficulty of reconciling thc vari > us translations and interpretations ol the Bible . True , Bro . Carpenter had studied the iiible , and knows all about it—he knows that the differences are trifling , immaterial , etc . : but it

cannot bc denied that there were others , as learned as Bro . C , who have studied the Bible as carefully as he has , but who , nevertheless , entertained very opposite opinions on many points , which served to keep Christendom in a ferment for many centuries , which caused the most cruel persecutions and wars , which even now , though thc fire is smothering ,

still breaks out occasionally — when the question came up whether you were to have Bibles in your public schools , how anxious one sect was to have it , and another sect not to have il . I think I was justified , therefore , to caution our over-zealous brethren , that the Bible has not proved one of the best pacificators , and thc moment dogmas arc tolerated in lodges because thc said dogmas arc in the

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Bible—from that moment the Masonic lodge will become a Babel of confusion and disorder . Our worthy Bro . Carpenter appears , however , to justify the Grand Chaplain , because , as he says ( page 440 ) , " Truth is precious to the man whe hath sought and found it , and to demand of him so to ignore the fact that it shall never be known , or to treat what to

him is truth as if it were of no value , is to demand of him that which is dishonourable alike to truth and his own moral obligations . " Now , once more let me remind Brother Carpenter , that what to him may appear truth , to another conscientious and equally learned man may appear untruth ; and , secondly , I have no objection to Brother Carpenter

putting his thumb into the button-hole of every Israelite ' s coat , and at the same time asking him he don ' t believe in Christ . I have no objection to either believers or disbelievers challenging each other to public discussion , either through the press or in the pulpit , where and when they may pepper

away at each other their real or imaginary truths to their hearts' content ; but I do object to those theological questions being mooted in Masonic gatherings , and therefore I feel surprised , after the admissions formerly made by Bro . C , that he should now take up the championship of preaching sectarian sermons to Masons .

Bro . Carpenter appeared shocked at my suggestion of a possibility of removing the Bible from the lodge . But let my worthy brother for a moment reflect whether the presence ofthe Bible is calculated to make a solitary disbeliever believe , or would the removal thereof cause a believer to disbelieve ? And , secondly , as Bro . Carpenter deems a belief in the

inspiration of the Bible unnecessary as a qualification for Masonry , and even doubts whether anyone is hankering for such a law , a number of men ( say nothing of Mahometans , Parsees , & c . ) are constantly initiated into Masonry who do not believe that the Bible was given by God to man . These men receive the same assurances that " there is

nothing in Masonry to conflict with their conscientious religious belief , and are promised the same rights and privileges as Bro . Carpenter was—among which privileges is certainly that of holding office . Now , I maintain that the present English ritual debars these men as much from holding the office of W . M . in a Masonic lodge as thc

former oath for a member of Parliament debarred Mr . Rothschild from taking his seat in the House of Commons . The present ritual , therefore , either deprives them of guaranteed privileges , or compels that class in taking office to act hypocritically . Why , then , a ritual could not have been formed equally adapted to the intelligence and conscience

of thc Mahometan , Parsce , sceptic , & c , as well as for the Christian and Jew , let others answer . Bro . Carpenter doubts that anyone is hankering to Christianise Masonry ; to pass a law requiring a belief in inspiration ofthe Bible as a qualification of admission . I can mention at least two Grand Lodges—viz ., Texas and Ohio—who have really

passed such a law , and in the rest of the United States Grand Lodges , especially in Massachusetts . Though they have no such a law , and arc very indignant at Prussia for having such a law , yet Prussia is at least consistent ; while here " Masonic universality" is an abominable mockery . Our Boston Masonic Temple from top to bottom ,

outside and inside , is literally covered with all kinds of crosses . Inside of our halls are figures holding up crosscs , and my remonstrances against their humbug is opposed in a majority of thc so-called Masonic press . For a specimen of those arguments I refer Bro . Carpenter to an article " Shall Christianity be cut out of Masonry ? " ( see August number Masonic

Monthly ) , a letter by thc Rev . M . Magill , "Mystic Star" for July , to Bro . C . Moore ' s Magazine , to the Trowel , & c . There are indeed often articles published in those very papers bragging of universality , but , as already said , in practice , it is sheer mockery . Nor need we come to Boston to point out bigots

and hypocrites of that class . I shall not at present dwell on the ritual-tinkers of thc last century—thc inventors of such cock-and-bull stories , as that of the Evangelist becoming G . M . when upwards of ninety years of age , & c . —but must say , that anyone who undertakes to read the late Dr . Oliver ' s

works , especially his " Mirror for a Johannite Mason , " and notices the dodges he resorted to to prove the Grand Mastership of the Saints , thc occasional dedication of lodges to thc Saints , by thc overzealous hankcrers—thc Trinity introduced into the Royal Arch , into which degree Jews are admittedall these facts clearly show that there is an

underhanded and unfair work going on in our midst , which is neither calculated to raise the character of Masonry nor of Christianity . In alluding to thc difficulties attending the various interpretations and translations ofthe Bible , I had

no desire to provoke discussion about the truth of cither the New Testament or the Old . I alluded to those facts merely to show the inutility of dragging abstruse subjects before a hetrogenous body like the Masonic , where some will regard it as truth and others the reverse . Nor have I now any de-