Surrender Of Warrants.

certain correspondence which was read at the Quarterly Communication of the District G . Lodge of Queensland , and is published in the report of its proceedings , that Bro . Philbrick's ruling is not adopted either by the Prov . G . M . of the North Island of New Zealand under the Scotch Constitutions—Bro . the Hon . F .

Whitaker—or the District Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Auckland under the English Constitutions—Bro . G . S . Graham . The former in a circular issued to the lodges in his province or district after stating that he has been informed that some of them " have resolved in the affirmative by a majority of

those present" to transfer their allegiance to the newly-constituted Grand Lodge of New Zealand , goes on to say that it appears to him that " in this course there has been a grave misapprehension . " He then lays down the law in the following words : " No lodge , whatever number of members are in favour

of it , can transfer the allegiance of the lodge as a body , and by the laws of our Constitution it is prescribed that ' should the majority of any lodge retire from it , the power of carrying on the work remains with the minority . ' Should the number of members of a lodge be reduced to less than three , the

charter becomes extinct . " As regards Bro . G . S . Graham , District Grand Master of Auckland , E . C , Bro . J . P . Clark , Dirtrict Grand -Secretary , acting under instructions from his chief , writes as follows : "In the event of his" ( the Deputy Grand Master ) " electing to erase or suspend the warrant of any

seceding lodge , he intimates that if any members , not less than three in number , and not being connected with the so-called Grand Lodge of New Zealand , are desirous of retaining the lodge warrant and continuing the working of the lodge , he will be prepared to grant such request upon application . "

We have only to quote the figures furnished by our correspondent of last week—Bro . John J . Williams , P . M ., P . Z . —to show how harshly the ruling of the Grand Registrar will tell against the loyal brethren in New Zealand if it is permitted to pass unchallenged . According to his statement the figures furnished

by Bro . Sir H . A . Atkinson , District Grand Master of Wellington , showed that 134 members of lodges voted in favour of establishing the Grand Lodge of New Zealand , and 125 against it , while 3 63 members " have expressed no opinion whatever , having been absent from the meetings . " Again , as

regards his own District of Westland , Bro . Williams has told us that only the youngest lodge in it , consisting of some " 30 odd members on the roll , " would allow the question to be discussed , and that in this case it was resolved at a meeting at which i ^ members , or less than one-half , were present , by a majority of

seven to six to declare in favour of secession . If these figures are correct and may be taken as pretty accurately representing public Masonic opinion throughout the whole colony of New-Zealand , it is clear that only a little more than one-half of the brethren are in favour of having an independent Grand Lodge ,

and only a little less than one-half of them in favour of remaining as they are . Surely the law never intended that a minority of the members of a lodge should be called upon to surrender all the rights and privileges they enjoy under the English Constitution at the will of a bare majority .

Grand Lodges In The United States Of America.

GRAND LODGES IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA .

Bro . L . L . Munn , Grand Secretary of Illinois , in his report for 188 9 , has favoured that Grand Lodge with a remarkable compilation respecting the various Grand Lodges in the United States of America . The chief table deals with these bodies during 1800 , 1840 . and each decade since to 1880 : some ,

however , of the Grand Lodges did not respond to Bro . Munn ' s fraternal request , hence portions of the totals have had to be estimated . The figures are very striking and most suggestive in character . In the year 1800 there were n Grand Lodges in the United States of America , with 347 constituent lodges and

about 16 , 000 members . In 18 40 the estimate approached double that number , but during the next decade an immense advance is registered , no less than 18 35 lodges and 66 , 142 members being noted by those Grand Lodges which made returns . In . i 860 the figures are still more startling , having changed to 4406 lodges

and 193 , 76 3 members . Another great advance is registered for 18 70 , viz ., 7194 lodges and 445 , 8 9 8 brethren . The year 1880 witnessed another considerable increase , the figures being 9308 lodges and 53 6 , 86 7 subscribing members , all the Grand bodies being included . For the last term available ( . 1889 ) Bro .

Munn reports 10 , 088 lodges , returning 609 , 46 3 members . This vast number is based upon most exact reports from the several subordinates , and , as dual membership is not permitted in the United States , the grand total represents precisely the number of subscribing brethren in that great Republic . The largest Grand Lodge is New York , with 74 , 065 members , followed b y Bro . Munn ' s own organisation ( Illinois ) with 41 , 479 .

Grand Lodges In The United States Of America.

Pennsylvania makes a good third , with 39 , 785 , the fourth being Ohio , which has 33 , 500 . Michigan and Massachusetts keep close company , being respectively 30 , 005 and 29 , 739 , anc ' Mississippi returns 21 , 000 as the seventh in size . Indiana has

23 , 339 as the ei ghth ; Iowa , 21 , 96 9 as the ninth ; and the tenth is Texas , with 21 , 459 . Tne on ' y other with over 20 , 000 is Maine . There are n Grand Lodges whose membership exceeds 10 , 000 , but does not reach 20 , 000 each , the smallest of the 48 organisations being Arizona , with eight lodges and 417 members .

With regard to the question of the senior body , as Bro . Munn leaves that thorny point unsettled , it is not for me to seek to decide that question . The remarks , however , on the matter are very fair and judicious . He says truly that another tablet presents an ably digested and arranged account of the dates of orig in of these

4 8 Grand Lodges , the number of lodges and members at formation , and the parentage of the lodges which were the founders . It appears to me that in this most useful compilation the important difference between a Provincial and a Grand Lodge organisation has not been observed , but however that may be , I consider the information thus afforded of great and abiding interest .

" Although there is in certain quarters a considerable scepticism regarding these Grand Bodies which claim an organisation before 1760 , there would still seem to be evidence strong enough at least to explain the patriotic claims of certain Grand Lodges interested in boasting of their early formation . "

The introductory observations by Grand Secretary Munn are in excellent taste , and enable the ordinary reader the better to appreciate the mass of figures thus collected , compiled , and presented .

" While numbers do not always prove strength , and while a small number of live lodges have a greater value than a number indefinitely larger of dormant bodies , still , with so large a field , the significance of numbers is more likely to be underrated than

overrated . In certain localities special circumstances extraneous to the merits of an institution may foster its growth unduly , but throughout any great field increase in members justifies the generalisation that with such growth there has been an increase of strength and usefulness in the Institution . "

These are wise words and are fully justified , for at no period has the usefulness of the Craft in the United States been so markedly conspicuous as at the present time , which is also the period of its greatest numerical strength . With few excejstions there has been an advance in the number of contributing

members in the Grand Lodges of the United States from 1880 to 1889 ; the few which exhibit a decrease being mainly due to more stringent regulations , which apparently , from a British point of view , were quite stringent enough previously . Some

of the Grand Lodges have increased considerably over 100 per cent , in 10 years , but such an enormous average is naturally the result of the rush of population to such States as Colorado , Nebraska , and New Mexico , the whole together not running up to the size of one of the larger Grand Lodges .

Personally , I feel much indebted to Bro . Munn for his welldirected labours , and especially because of the reliable character of the statistics thus so carefully compiled . W . J . HUGHAN .

Addressed To Worshipful Masters.

ADDRESSED TO WORSHIPFUL MASTERS .

Bro . W . M ., you occupy the seat of the wise Solomon , and are supposed to have wisdom to open and close your lodge , set the Craft to work , and give them good and wholesome instruction for their labours . By what right do you occupy this exalted position among your brethren ? You may say I am here by

their free choice , and thus rightfully occupy this exalted station . True , but do you meet their expectation when they conferred upon you the highest honour within their power to bestow ? Have you faithfully performed all you promised to do betore being invested with the jewel of your office ? You think so .

Well , that is saying a good deal . There was a long list of interrogatories , fifteen of them , to which you made answer , " I do . " Have you read them since , and do you remember what they are ? If not , please look up the installation ceremony and read them over carefully . Change them then from the present

to the past tense , and see whether you can respond , " I have , " to each one of them in place of " I do . " If you can stand this test , then read what follows concerning " The variousumplements of the profession , " and see if your conduct in life has been in

harmony with their teachings and instructions . Now turn back and read the solemn obligation you took , in connection with your associate officers , the first thing in being installed . Can you say that you have kept that oath ?

Bro . W . M ., we are not writing in this manner in a distrustful mood . There is no class of men in the world in whom we have greater confidence than those occupying the " Oriental chair . " We wish to emphasise the honour and dignity of that position ,