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^^^S^OTl^ SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 23 , 18 99 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

Rirkby Lonsdale is a fortunate town . On three occasions during the last 32 years it has been the scene of the annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lod ge of Cumberland and Westmoreland , the first occasion having been in 1 S 6 7 , when the late Bro . the

Earl of Bective was installed in ollice as Prov . Grand Master by the late Bro . Lord de Tabley , Prov . Grand Master of Cheshire , assisted by the late Earl of Lathom , then Lord Skelmersdale , and Past S . G . W . ° f England . In 18 7 6 the Prov . Grand Lodge again ¦ net for the purpose of its annual communication ;

whilst the third occasion was on Friday , the 8 th inst . , when Uro . Lord Henry Cavcndish-Bentinck , M . P ., the son-in-law and successor of the late Lord Bective , "oth as Lord of Underley and Grand Master of the Province , presided at a meeting which , from the teport we published last week , appears to have been " 1 all respects a great success . Though the town is

Masonic Notes.

by no means easy of access , there was a full attendance of the brethren , notwithstanding that the members of the more distant lodges were under the necessity of rising early in order to reach their destination in time , and departed late on their homeward journey . Moreover , all the lodges on the roll save one were

represented , and the members of the unrepresented lodge had the misfortune to miss their train , and , in consequence , the pleasure of being in attendance at one of the most agreeable assemblies the Province has known . * * *

The sta ' e of the Province , as shown by the several reports that were presented and adopted , leaves nothing to be desited . The Provincial Grand Treasurer ' s audited statement of account showed a substantial balance in hand . The Charity Committee

Report was also accepted as satisfactory , and its recommendations unanimously adopted . And then , when the business of the day was ended , and Provincial Grand Lodge closed , the brethren marched in procession to

Underley , where , in a marquee especially erected on the lawn in front of the Hall for their accommodation , the meeting enjoyed the hospitality of their chief , subsequently spending a pleasant hour in roaming through the grounds and Hall .

The following day will also be memorable in the Province , having been set apart for the consecration of a new lodge , the Ambleside , No . 2745 , on the roll of Grand Lodge , and the 22 nd on that of the Provincial Grand Lodge . The ceremony was performed by the

Prov . Grand Master , and when the lodge had been constituted , Bro . Thomas Taylor , a P . M . of one of the Gosport lodges and Past Prov . G . D . C . of Hants and the Isle of Wight , was installed in the chair as the first W . M ., by Bro . George Dalrymple , Past G .

Std . Br . England , Prov . G . Sec . The customary banquet followed under the presidency of the W . M ., and before the proceedings of the day were over , a toast in honour of the lodgewhich had just been launched into existence under such favourable circumstances and

wishing it all prosperity , was drunk with the utmost enthusiasm . For ourselves , we cordially echo the " Hearty good wishes " expressed in its behalf , and sincerely hope that the Ambleside Lodge may have before it a long and prosperous career .

# * * The recent meeting , at Launceston , of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cornwall passed off , as we expected it would , with marked success , the arrangements made by the Dunheved Lodge , No . 789—which has not had

the honour of entertaining the Provincial Grand Lodge for upwards of 20 years—being adequate to the requirements of Ihe occasion and warmly recognised as such , in the course of the proceedings , by the Prov . Grand Master . Having regard to the distance which many of the brethren must have covered , the

attendance was a full one , and Bro . the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , the Prov . Grand Master , met , as he always does , with the most cordial of greetings , while the several reports that were submitted for acceptance must have been extremely gratifying to his lordship . * *

A regular communication of the District Grand Lodge of Bengal was held at Freemasons' Hall , Calcutta , on Saturday , the 24 th June , when , as appears from the Report of the Proceedings which has reached us , the most important of the business transacted had

reference to money matters . The Dist . G . Master , Bro . the Hon . Sir H . Thoby Prinsep , mentioned in his address that the Hall Building Account showed a total of investments and cash amounting in round figures to 87 , 989 Rupees , while the amount at debit of the Land Account was 72 , 684 . Hence , if the

investments were sold at the rates given , there would be a balance of upwards of 15 , 000 Rupees towards the erection of the new Hall , this being the sum at which it was contemplated to commence operations . But the Dist . G . Master advised that Dist . G . Lodge should wait till towards the end of the year before realising and settling the Land Account .

The Dist . G . Treasurer ' s accounts for the quarter to the 31 st May , as contained in the report of the District Board of General Purposes , were also passed , there being the following balances in hand , namely , on the General Fund , 2528 Rupees ; on the Masonic

Hall Sustentation Fund , 3000 Rupees ; on the Musical Instrument Fund , . ( 8 3 Rupees ; and on the Fund of Benevolence , 1140 Rupees , in addition to 3000 Rupees in Government Paper , ft is gratifying to learn from these figures that the District of Bengal is , financially , in such a nourishing condition .

Masonic Notes.

We congratulate our Aldershot brethren on the step they have determined upon of erecting a Hall of their own . From the description we publish in another column , there can be no doubt the building when completed will be both commodious and ornamental . The Hall when completed will , no doubt , be

found to have cost a good round sum , but Aldershot is a busy and enthusiastic Masonic centre , and in time the lodges , chapters , and other Masonic bodies for which this accommodation has been provided , will find compensation in the increased comfort and greater privacy of their own home . * * «

Apropos of a case quoted from a Masonic con temporary by The Keystone of Philadel phia , in which the Grand Master of one of the Grand Lod ges in the United States " declined to lay the corner-stone of a church , because he did not consider that the building was of such a genera / acid public character as to justify the performance of the ceremony by the Grand

Lodge , our respected exchange remarks that " while it is proper and lawful for Masons to lay corner-stones of monuments and public buildings ( including churches ) , there are times when they are justified in declining to perform the ceremony ; " and in support of this dictum it cites the following in which the refusal was fully justified by the circumstances : " A recent Grand Master of the Grand Lod ge of Pennsylvania ,

having been requested to lay the corner-stone of a church in the jurisdiction , was about to comply with the request , when he was informed that the authorities of the church had tendered the Fraternity the invitation only after having endeavoured to find out which would draw the largest crowd , the ceremonies performed by the Masons or those of the church The . Grand Master , feeling assured the object of the church in asking him to lay the cornerstone with Misonie

ceremony was a mercenary one , wisely and justifiably declined to lay it . " » We are indebted to the same exchange for information relating to the proceedings of the Grand Commandery of Pennsylvania at Altoona in May last . The Grand Commandery , under Sir Kni ght Henry

H . Kuhn , G . C ., received a hearty welcome from the Mayor of the town . The Grand Recorder stated the aggregate membership of the 75 commanderies on the roll of the Grand Commandery as 12 , 355 , while the Grand Treasurer ' s financial statement showed that Knight Templary in Pennsylvania was in a very flourishing state with a substantial sum on the right

side of the account . The report of the outgoing G . C . —Sir Knight H . H . Kuhn—and the address of his successor—Sir Knight James U . Youngson—on his installation , are both spoken of in terms of encomium , while Sir Knight Lee S . Smith ' s report on " Foreign Correspondence , " is decribed as being " readable and instructive . " Sir Knight William S . Allen remains at his post of Grand Recorder .

» * » We learn , with sincere regret , that Freemasonry in Quebec has recently sustained a well-ni gh irreparable loss by the death of Bro . J . H . Graham , LL . D ., M . W . Past Grand Master . The Canadian Craftsman , in referring to the sad event , says : "An enthusiastic Mason , he aided materially in the formation of the

Grand Lodge of Quebec , and was elected its first Grand Master , a position he occupied for nine years . He was likewise elected First Grand Principal of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in that province . Subsequently he obtained the necessary concessions from the Prince of Wales for the constitutional establishment of the Soverei gn Grand Priory of

Knights Templar for the Dominion , and he did like service for the establish ment of the Soverei gn Grand Sody of the Dominion of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry . " Add to this that Bro . Graham was the author of "The Outlines of the History of Freemasonry in the Province of Quebec , " and we

shall the better be enabled to understand how grievous is the loss which has befallen the Craft in the Province of Quebec . We sympathise most warml y not only with the family and friends of this distinguished Mason , but likewise with the Masonic body generall y in the jurisdiction .

? « There are few , if any , of our readers who will not , at this present time of grave political crisis , experience the utmost sympathy with the lodges and brethren under the English Constitution in the South African Republic . The continuance of peaceful relations between the Transvaal and the Imperial

Government is not impossible , but the prospects , we regret to say , grow less hopeful day by day . We fear that already the brethren , over whom Bro . George Richards was appointed to preside in 1895 , must have found the ir peaceful labours seriousl y hampered by ttie differences which have arisen between the two Governments , and should war break out , there will for the time being at all events , be an end to all

Masonic work . This is the more to be regretted , as , under the able and genial auspices of Bro . Richards , there has been a rapid increase in the number of lodges , of which there are now some two dozen , witn a Dist . Grand Lodge to regulate and control their work , and at the same time to encourage them in tli „ - discharge ot their duties . It is piinful to think that all the good that has been done by Freemasonry may for the present be brought to a standstill .