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BRITISH HOME for INCURABLES , CLAPHAM RISE . President : VISCT . HOLMESDALE , Prov . G . M . Kent . This Institution provides a home for those of the middle class xvho are unable , through incurable disease , to maintain themselves . In certain cases pensions of , { . ' 20 per annum are granted . At present there are 40 in and 261 out patients on the books of the Charity , to the support of xvhich FUNDS are most urgently SOLICITED . CHAS . HOOD , Esq ., F . R . S ., Chairman . ROBERT G . SALMOND , Secretary . Offices , 37 , Cheapside . E . C . luncheon on Wednesday by the inhabitants of Galivay , and afterxvards joined a lawn-tennis party . Addresses xvere presented , to xvhich his Royal Highness responded , expressing his gratification at the reception given to him . Masons of the Province of Buckinghamshire xvill hold their

To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

ONE OPPOSED TO CHANGE . —As the order in question has noxv become laxv , xve do not see that any practical purpose is served by calling it in question .

BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . " Freimaurer Zcitung , " " Jexx-ish Chronicle , " "Freemasons ' Repository , " " Broad Arrow , " "Citizen" "Royal Cornxvall Gazette , " " Freemasons' Chronicle , " "Thc Colonization of Nexv Guinea , " "The . Metropolitan , " " The Freemason " f > yi ! ney ) , "Public Ledger , " ' * Keystone , " "Tlic Daily Telegraph" ( St . Johnl , "Allen ' s Indian " Mail , " "Thc Freemason " ( Toronto ) , " Tricycling lournal , " "l . a Chaine d'Union , " "The Times of MarOLCO , " " El Taller . "

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» m ^ ^^^ j ^^ ^^ FJtyjs ^^^^^^^^^ M SATURDAY , AUGUST 23 , 1884 .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ Wedo not hold ourseh-es responsible for , oreven approvin pol the opinionsexpressed by ourcorrespondents , but we wish in asplrit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . 1

A MATTER OF TASTE . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In this hot iveather and dull season , Masonically , the folloxving little extract from an Antipodean paper may serve to relieve and amuse your readers : It seems that a Bro . N . S . Marks , P . M . of the Washington Lodge , has xvritten to the Editor of the Victoria Masonic Journal

giving his experience of travel , and the xvonders he has seen . Having paid a visit to England and France and Holland , he xvent on to Italy . There , it appears , he attended a lodge meeting at Naples , called " Figli di Garibaldi , " and xvhich he tells us specially " meets only in secret . " We fear that these xvords let the " cat out of the bag , " and that this lodge is not merely a Masonic lodge , hut something more . Bro . Marks hasl hoxvever , a

pleasurable recollection of the gathering , for he goes on to say that he received "honours on leaving , and was hissed three times by the W . M . " Well , " all tastes are respectable , " says the French proverb ; but , for my part , 1 prefer a xvarm , fraternal shake of the hand to any suchjusculatory proceedings . I

am axvare they have abroad the " accolade maconnique " and the " ' baiser fraternel j " but all such proceedings are specially objectionable to Anglo-Saxon Masons and to , yours fraternally , 3 A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD .

PROVINCIAL CLOTHING AND PAST MASTERS ' LEVELS . To the Editor ofthe "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Your correspondent , "G . M . M . CO ., " in setting you right in reference to the clothing of a provincial or past provincial officer ( after ceasing to be a subscribing member of a lodge in the province in xvhich he got his rank ) , goes on to make another statement tothe effect that

a Past Master having ceased to subscribe to the lodge xvherein he got his rank of Past Master ( by virtue of bavin g served the office of Master therein for the specified time ) , even though he is a subscribing member of another lodge or joins one xvithin the prescribed time ( 12 months ) , he has nevertheless to strip his apron of the Levels . I cannot find this on record . Would " G . M . M . CO . " kindly quote his authority ?

I find , according to No . 9 , that every brother xvho has duly served the office of Master of a lodge under the English Constitutions is a member of Grand Lodge so long as he does not cease to subscribe to any lodge in this Constitution . According to 228 , it is stated no brother shall be admitted into Grand Lodge or any subordinate lodge xvithout his proper clothing ; rule 295 describes the jexvel of a Pa-t Master ; rules 307 and 30 S describe collars

and when to le xvorn ; and 310 provides that Masters and Past Masters shall xvear levels instead of rosettes on their aprons . There is no description that I jean find of the clothing of a P . M . mho has ceased to subscribe to the lodge of which he was Master any more than there is a provision that a Past Provincial Grand Officer shall have to doff his finery upon ceasing- to subscribe to a lodge in

the provincj xvherein he received his rank ; one thing is quite as much the expression cf a fact as the other , and unless I can get more light I shall treat the statement of "G . M . M . CO . " as the expression of a misconception , though possibly founded upon some local and enoneous practice xvhich may need attention . —Yours fraternally , "P . M . "

A POINT OF LAW . To the Editor of the '' Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I note a point raised in some recent Quebec correspondence xvhich deserves note . It is gravely asserted , I

Original Correspondence.

observe , that the present Secret Societies Act is the outcome of Roman Catholic intolerance . The facts are these . In the seditious disturbances of 1 S 37 in Canada , or soon after , the 2 nd Victoria , cap . S , xvas duly passed , framed on the model of the English Act , and intended to cope xvith the then groxving evil of secret societies . Ail Freemasons xvere exempted xvho " hailed " from Great Britain , and for this

reason , that all Canadian Freemasonry then xvas of , and from , Great Britain , Such an argument as the one alluded to above only shoivs the desperate straits to xvhich our Ouebec brethren are reduced . As laxv is against them , they attack the laxv ; as the facts are against them , they start several "hares ; " and xvhen firmness is ex'inced in England , they adopt the Roman

Catholic idea of excommunication xvith " Bell , Book , and Candle , " at the same time declaring that they are suffering from the effects of laxv made in a " Popish legislature . " I am sorry to say that the only conclusion I draiv is one unfavourable to the principles of Freemasonry , or rather , to them as manipulated and illustrated by unscrupulous brethren . —Yours fraternally , A BYE-STAN DER .

REGULATIONS OF ROYAL ARCH MASONS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , A Committee of very able and experienced companions of the Order having been formed to consider the Regulations , I most respectfully offer a fexv suggestions . Rule 2—To read : That Grand Chapter convocation be

held once in each year on the first Wednesday in May . My reason for this is that not five per cent , of the companions eligible attend Grand Chapter . I have made many inquiries , and find that the majority of old Past Principals have never attended at all . Warrants could be granted and the business done by the General Committee xvithout holding a formal meeting for about ten minutes , to simply

read xvhat appears in the Freemason of the previous xveek . Rule 5—To be struck out . I can see no reason for the absence of ordinary companions at the opening of Grand or any subordinate chapter , and , in fact , at the May meeting the Grand Treasurer xx-as present , although not installed until the 17 th day of the same month . Provided that sufficient support can be obtained to the

petition , I see no reason for fixing three years as the time for a lodge to be established before having a chapter attached to it . The robes for the Three Principals should be retained ; but those for the Scribes and Sojourners abolished , as they are ugly and untidy , detracting from , instead of adding to , the dignity of the chapter . The companions xvould look much nicer xvith only apron , sash , and collar . HENRY LOVEGROVE , P . Z . 1 549 , M . E . Z . 72 .

THE PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR BOYS . To the Editor of thc "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I am very sorry to be obliged to comment on the action of brethren so generally respected as the members of the Building Committee , but I cannot allow certain matters to pass xvithout comment , and your pages appear

to me the most suitable place for their insertion . t Having appointed Bro . Berridge architect to the nexv building , xvhich gave satisfaction to all , it xvould have appeared a common sense proceeding to have appointed one of the many supporters of the School to prepare the bills of quantities . One of the brethren , a surveyor of great experience , it is stated , offered to prepare them for a

commission of one and a half per cent ., giving a large portion as a donation to the building fund . The House Committee eventually decided to alloxv the builders to appoint their oxvn surveyor , xvhich means in ordinary practice that the architect hands the builders ' names to some friend of his , and the said friend sends out circulars and secures the appointment .

The instructions of the Committee could hardly have been carried out , otherwise one xvould have expected the appointment of some gentleman constantly engaged in the preparation of quantities ; but , xvonderof xvonders , the name appearing on the bills is that of Mr . Dunk , the architect , xvho xvon the competition , a gentleman xvho does not usually take quantities ; i . and it xvould appear that his knoxvledge of the

requirements had beer , taken advantage of in the preparation of the plans , the commission on the quantities being his emolument . But the chief object of my letter is to call attention to tbe charge of / TOO and a half per cent , xvhen any surveyor xvould have prepared them for one and a half or one and a quarter . So that a sum of over one hundred and fifty pounds ( to say nothing of the donation xvhich

any independent surveyor might have given ) has been lost to the Institution , besides the money xvasted in premiums . It is too late to do justice and recall the past , but it is not too late to insist upon the charges being reduced by one half , as persons acting as trustees of public funds have no right to pay more than ordinary charges for xx-ork done . Hoping to hear that this matter has received attention ., Iam , & c , ONE WHO KNOWS .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

Masonic Notes and Queries .

3 S 5 ] MASONIC EXHIBITION , WORCESTER . The examole set b y Bro . Whytehead and other friends at York on two ' special occasions is to be folloxved by Worcester on the 27 th inst . and several folloxving days , xvhen Masonic students xvill do xvell to congregate and examine the numerous curiosities , old MSS ., and scarce Masonic books and medals xvhich xvill then be ready for inspection . Through the indomitable perseverance of Bro , George Taylor ( of Kidderminster ) , the esteemed Provincial Grand

Secretary , there xvill be considerably over tooo articles for exhibition , many of xvhich have never been known to any of us students before , and the majority of xvhich are of special value to the Masonic antiquary and scholar . Every effort has been made to avoid duplicates , and all Ritualistic xx-orks have been rigidly excluded . Brethren xvishing catalogues xvill be able to obtain them for 2 s . Cd . and postage from Bro . Taylor ; but those xvho can manage the time should not fail to inspect the unrivalled and unique collection at Worcester on the 27 th inst . W . I . HUGHAN .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

3 S 6 ] KLOSS'S FREEMASONRY . Can any brother oblige me xvith the loan of Dr . KIoss ' s " History of Freemasonry in France ? " or I xvill purchase it , if desired ? The only copy I knoxv of in England is in the British Museum ; and at present I am unable to attend

there . I am also \ -ery anxious to study Thory ' s " History of the Grand Orient of France . " Can any brother oblige me ? My address is Streatham House , Margate ; or doubtless the Editor of the Freemason xvould take charge of either for mc . G . W . SPETH .

3 S 7 J MASONIC STUDIES . During the past quarter of a century in no department of literature has there been such marked advancement as in that of I-reemasonry . Disintcresed writers like De Ouincey and Hallam once , xvith some shoxv of justice , derided the annals of the Craft ; but xvere they alive noxv they could hnd in our accredited histories matter mainly for praise .

Masonic criticism has advanced to the dignity of a science . Masonic historians are both skilled antiquarians and erudite general scholars . They have taken all knowledge for their province . Prior to iSiiu , xvorks of acknowledged excellence were few in Masonry , xvhile since then they have come from the press increasingly each year , both in numbers and value . We xvill mention a fexv of the more notablexvith

, their dates in the order of their publication : " Rebold ' s General History of Freemasonry in Europe" ( 1 SG 0 ); "Steinbrenner ' s History" ( 1 S 65 ); "Findel ' s History " ( 1 S 65 ); " Pearson ' s Traditions of Freemasonry " ( 1 S 65 ); Hughan ' s numerous authoritative Mascnic Works ( 1 S 72 to

1 S 7 S ); " Lyon ' s Freemasonry in Scotland " ( 1 S 73 ); " Fort ' s Early History and Antiquities of Freemasonry" ( 1 S 75 ); " Mackey ' s Encyclopaedia " ( 1 S 75 ); " Mackenzie ' s Royal Masonic Cyclopedia" ( 1 S 77 ); "Woodford ' s Kenning ' s Encyclopedia , " and many more similar useful and excellent xvorks . —Philadelphia Keystone .

3 SS ] THE TWO ST . JOHN'S . A great deal is xvritten about the txvo St . John ' s resting on the discursive and unsafe authority of Oliver , xvhich calmer scrutiny and careful research must condemn on both sides of attack and defence . It is quite clear that the adoption of the txvo St . John ' s as patron saints of the Freemasons is late rather than early . The Operatives

had various patron saints , though it is not quite clear xvho xvere the patron saints of the English Freemasons , unless xve assume that the Masonic Poem incorporates the Guild Legends in this respect , xvhen , as xvith the German Steinmetzen , the " Quatuor Coronati " were their patrons . If we can ever find an Operative Masons' Guild return in the time of Richard II . xve shall probably light upon evidence

that , though the annual assembly of the guild did not alxvays take place on the same saint's day , vet John Baptist ' s Day xvas very often taken , and John Evangelist ' s also , and hence the usage xvhich prevailed in the seventeenth century , lt seems to me that a very foolish system of xvhat may be called " severe xvriting " is setting in amongst us on purely archaeological questions , and that

xve may fairly disagree xvith others , question their accuracy , or disavoiv their conclusions xvithout " calling names . " There can be no doubt that the " Antients " leant to the St . John ' s Masonry so-called more than the Moderns , and that all the early , catechisms allude to the Lodge of St . John . To my mind , it matters very little , as there is room in Masonic toleration for the txvo schools xvhich still exist in Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry . MASONIC STUDENT .

Reading Freemasons.

READING FREEMASONS .

We have had our attention called to the folloxving paragraph , and commend it to the notice of our readers : — " Bro . William Snyder , of Lafontaine , Ind ., xvriting to the Masonic Home Journal , of Louisville , Kentucky , gives the following telling rebuke to those Masons xvho plead the shabby and worn-out excuse of " no time to

read " as a reason for not supporting their Masonic journal : * There are so many Masons xvho say that they have no time to read Masonic papers . I don ' t believe there is a Mason but xvhat has time enough to read txvo or three each month . I could say that 1 have not time if 1 xvould think so , for I am axvay from home more than almost

any of them . I leave home on Monday morning at S o ' clock ; get home at S o ' clock Saturday night . Have done this all xvinter , but for all that I take nine Masonic papers , besides the proceedings I get from different Grand Bodies . We don ' t have half enough reading Masons , especially Masters of lodges , who think they know it all . '"

Board Of Benevolence.

BOARD OF BENEVOLENCE .

The monthly meeting of the Board of Benevolence xvas held on Wednesday night at Freemasons' Hall . Bros . Joshua Nunn , President , James Brett , Senior Vice-President , and C . A . Cottebrune , Junior Vice President , occupied their respective chairs . There was a large attendance of brethren , notxvithstanding the holiday season . The Board

of Masters , xvhich xvas lirst held , had submitted to them the paper of business for Grand Lodge on September 3 rd next , xvhich is very light . The Board of Benevolence first confirmed recommendations made to the Grand Master at the July meeting to the extent of £ 140 . The new list contained 21 cases , among xvhich xvcre one from Missouri , U . S . A ., one from Wellington , New Zealand , one from

Guernsey , one from Corfu , and one from Newfoundland . There xvas only six cases from the London district . The remainder xvere from the English provinces , fn the course of a three hours' sitting five of these xvere deferred , some by request , and some because the particulars xvere incomplete . The remaining ifj xvere rclievedjivith a total sum of jfe ' 535- « ,

Bro . John H-light , of Somerville , Mass ., has one of the choicest Masonic libraries in the United Slates . He xvas born in Dukenfield , Knjiland , in 1 S 32 , came to this country in 1 S 55 , xvhere he has since lived . Bro . Haight xvas made a Mason at Laxvrence in 1 S 59 ; has been Deputy Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Afassachusetts and is at the present M . I . Grand Master of the Grand Council R . and S . M . of Massachusetts . The Liberal Freemason for July gives a pen-sketch of our brother .