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Article FREEMASONRY IN DURHAM. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 1 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 1 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 1 Article Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 2 →
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Freemasonry In Durham.
Shields ; Globe , Scarborough ; Raby , Staindrop ; St . Hild ' s , South Shields ; Union , Gateshead ; Concord , Barnard Castle ; Sion , North Shields ; St . Nicholas , Newcastle ; Granby , Durham ; Restoration , Darlington ; Halifax , " and also Bros . Scarth , P . G . S . W ., and Finch , D . P . G . M ., both distinguished Craftsmen of that day .
Two points of interest in connection with this event are worth noting . First , the Committee entrusted with the arrangements ruled that none under the Degree of Master should be admitted to take part in the ceremony , and that , with the exception of Present or Past Grand Oflicers , all were to wear
white aprons or bound with white silk . In the second place , immediately following tho two trumpeters , who headed the procession , was " a detachment of operative Masons , joiners , smiths , and labourers . " The oration was delivered by Bro . Rev . W . Neslield , and the sermon preached by Bro . Rev . John Brewster . A full account will be found in Vol . VII . of thc aforesaid "Freemasons' Magazine . "
"Ihe Bro . W . H . Lambton , M . P ., referred to above , was father of the late Earl of Durham , who died in 1 S 40 , after having filled thc Prov . Grand Mastership for some years . On 21 st January , 1 S 34 , a grand Masonic festival was held at thc noble carl's seat , Lambton Castle , for the purpose of presenting his lordship with a Masonic medal , about 140
brethren being present . At the Prov . Grand Lodge held on 5 th November , 1 S 39 , at Chcster-Ic-Street , H . R . H . thc Duke of Sussex , Grand Master , honoured the brethren with his presence . On 28 th July , 1 S 40 , the Earl of Durham died , and in the interval between that sad event and the appointment of a successor the province was administered
by Sir Cuthbert Sharp , D . Prov . G . M . On 5 th December , 1 S 42 , Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart . —father of the present Sir Hedworth Williamson , D . P . G . M . —was installed as Grand Master of thc province , and he , in turn , was succeeded in 1 S 47 hy Bro , John Fawcett , who has just retired from oflice .
It is worth while noting , in conclusion , a leading feature in Durham Freemasonry . No less than nineteen of its twenty-five lodges meet in Masonic Halls ; one of them , the Freemasons' Hall of Sunderland , where meets the Phcenix , No . 94 , thc third senior lodge in thc province , being very nearly as old as the Freemasons' Hall ,
Great Queen - street . This hall was originally built by Captain George Thompson , who presided as Master for seven years , for the Phoenix Lodge or , as it was designated at the time , the King George ' s Lodge , the first stone of thc building having been laid on the anniversary of George the Third's accession to the throne . Thc
hall was solemnly dedicated to Freemasonry on thc iSth of July , 177 S , when the music performed at the dedication of Freemasons' Hall , London , was kindly lent by Grand Lodge . The learned Bro . Hutchinson , of Barnard Castle , the author ofthe "Spirit of Masonry , " "History of Durham , " and other works , delivered an animated oration
in honour of thc event , and a banquet was subsequently held at which some 140 brethren sat down . On the 19 th November , 17 S 3 , altera Master ' s lodge had been held , thc hall accidently took ( ire , and was entirely destroyed . Some of the furniture and papers were saved , but the loss was heavy , including as it did several valuable paintings . On
thc 5 th April , 17 S 4 , Dr . Tipping Brown , who succeeded Captain Thompson as W . M . of thc lodge , laid the first stone of a new hall , known as the Pluenix , and a twelvemonth after to the day exactly , the building was solemnly dedicated , an ode , especially written by the W . M ., Bro . Dr . Brown , being performed by thc whole musical strength o ( Durham Cathedral and the neighbourhood . A suitable
oration was delivered by Bro . Rev . Thomas Hall , Chaplain to the lodge , and at the close of the proceedings 176 brethren sat down to a sumptuous banquet . Wc refer our readers for a full account of the Phcenix Lodge during the earlier part of its career to Vol . II . of the " Freemasons ' Magazine" for 1 794 , and wc may congratulate the Sunderland brethren on the earnest support they have given to Masonry from the very first .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
I ' vedo not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , t '" pinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish iu a spirit of fair play to all to permit—williin certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]
n ROYAL ARCH CHAPTERS . Dear Bro . Kenning , — „ 1 note in the Times of the iSth inst . a report of Ihe l ''? u Chapter consecration meeting on the Kith inst ., and that b y the verbiage used , though not intentionally , it would seem as ; if our good friend Comp . Buss at the banquet thought it his dutv to correct a statement of mine in
naptcr in the oration . I stated , as our lamented friend John Hervey stated , if I remember rightly , at the consccrau ? l f ** i * ' * Chapter , that Royal Arch Masonry ntu of late years had been comparatively neglected , enough the reason was difficult to discern . 1 also alluded to the fact that , while the lodges were over Soothe
, chapters were , I believed , under Soo . I expressed a no P 'hat the " margin " might be reduced . I differ from K , ce , " Comp . Buss as to the present number of I in ? I A chapters being either sufficient or satisfactory ; out 1 do not write to commence a controversy , hut only to point out that it is a fair matter of opinion , and that , as toou * companions of the Royal Arch Masonry , if we do agree to differ " we " differ , after all , only to agree . " Yours fraternally , A . F . A . WOODFORD .
Original Correspondence.
GRAND LODGE OFFICERS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Your correspondent "Not Infallible" has altogether misapprehended ( he point which it has heen my object to raise , my contention being that Provincial and District Grand Masters arc not " Officers of Grand Lodge . " Upon the question of their being- " Grand
Oflicers I shall have a word to say presently ; but so far as my argument has yet extended , I have only endeavoured to show that they are not " Grand Lodge Officers . " In their provinces or districts they are veritable " Grand Masters , " but in the Grand Lodge of England , whilst assigned , very properly , a high position in the Masonic hierarchy , they hold no oflice , and are simply members * to whom a marked superiority of rank has been sriven by
the Table of Precedence . I do not profess to understand the argument of " Not Infallible " as presented in his first letter . He there states , " lt is true that Provincial and District Grand Masters are not actual officers of Grand Lodge , but are they not reckoned in some sense as such by the Book of Constitutions ? " If " it be true " that these dignitaries " are not-actual oflicers of Grand Lodge "—as conceded by your correspondent—thc question with which
the foregoing extract concludes can only be answered in the affirmative by assuming that they are supposititious officers of Grand Lodge . This conclusion , though necessarily resulting from the premises , can hardly , I imagine , be what the writer intended to convey . Your correspondent in his last letter observes "that if ' Bayard ' s' contention be correct , the whole practice of Grand Lodge since 1 S 13 has been unconstitutional . " A
sweeping assertion of this kind , unaccompanied by proof and unsustained by argument , I shall not attempt to confute ; indeed , it would be beyond my province to do so . The law of Grand Lodge is one thing and the practice or usage of Grand Lodge is another thing . The latter is subordinate to the former ; but I have yet to learn , even supposing the practice of Grand Lodge to have been
" unconstitutional since 1 S 13 , " how any amount of irregularity can vary or repeal the law ; and it is with the " law " only that I am concerned . Perhaps you will accord mc space to briefl y sum up thc result of the correspondence on this topic , and , at the same time , to slightly widen Ihe area over which my contention extends . It has been shown on the authority of thc Book of
Constitutions—( a ) That ProvinciM and District Grand Masters rank in Grand Lodge after Past Deputy Grand Masters and before Grand Wardens —( p . 17 ) . ( b ) That the Grand Master , at thc annual Masonic festival or on the day preceding , is to nominate his Grand Officers , who , with the exception of the President of the Board of General Purposes , are to be thereupon installed or invested —( p . 29 ) . ( cl That no Grand Officer can be removed without thc
approbation of Grand Lodge —( p . 31 ) . ( d ) That a Provincial or District Grand Master is invested with a rank ancl power in his particular district similar to those possessed by the Grand Master —( p . 45 ) . ( e ) That a Provincial Grand Master holds his office at the pleasure of the Grand Master —( p . 49 ) . (/* . ) That in the absence of the Grand Master thc Grand Lodge is to bc ruled by the Grand Officer or Past Grand Officer next in seniority who may be present , and if no Grand Officer bc present by the Master of thc senior
lodge —( p . 23 ) . The foregoing laws may bc read together without any ambiguity becoming apparent . Provincial Grand Masters are not nominated ancl invested at the annual festival ( b ) , they arc removable without the consent of Grand Lodge (<•) , and are not , therefore , according to the Book of Constitutions " Grand Officers " ( r ) . As bearing , however , against this conclusion there has
been cited the usage or practice of Grand Lodge , whereby in the absence of the G . M ., Pro G . M ., and Deputy G . M ., the senior Provincial or District Grand Master is called upon to take the chair , and it is contended ( according to a letter in your Masonic contemporary from a London and Colonial P . M . ) that because the law enacts that
Grand Lodge is to be ruled by the senior Grand or Past Grand Officer (/); and as Provincial or District Grand Masters do take the chair—ergo : these dignitaries arc Grand Officers . This reasoning , if you will , deservedly merits the appellation of "special pleading , " and the Latin phrase , " post hoc , propter hoc , " with which " Not Infallible" has decorated his last letter , also recurs to one ' s
memory . A learned brother informs me that a Provincial Grand Master is a Grand Officer in but not of Grand Lodge , and that as such he is entitled to preside over Grand Lodge ( a and /) , although not a Grand Lodge Officer . This may be so , but if we take the plain meaning of words and arc right in believing that the laws of Masonry are published
for other purposes than those of quibbling and mystification , t there seems no escape from the conclusion that Provincial and District Grand Masters are not " Grand Officers , " and that the practice of Grand Lodge in placing them in the chair is , as " Not Infallible " correctly puts it , " unconstitutional . " I must apologise for the length of this letter , but I was desirous to state the case clearly . I am , yours , & c , & c ,
BAYARD . [ B y some unaccountable delay in ( he post this letter has only just been received . It should have appeared early in September . —En . F . M . ]
Original Correspondence.
THE ADMISSION OF VISITORS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Permit me to make a suggestion in reference to the above question . It appears to nic that a brother about to visit a lodge where he is not personally known would do well to go armed with his certificate , and thus be in a position to
produce it if required . The inconvenience of carrying such a cumbrous document might be got over by having it folded and gummed into a pocket book with a tuck , " precisely as some continental tourists carry their passports . The name and ^ number of lodge could also be embossed thereon . I am , yours fraternally , SEMPER FIDELIS .
To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Appreciating thoroughly the intended kindness of Bros . James Stevens and E . de Francois dc Pontchalon , and thanking them sincerely for bringing into notice my "Masonic Portrait ; and Certificate Case , " still , I scarcely think the "Original Correspondence" column should be
occupied by discussing the advantages or disadvantages of my novelty , therefore , I beg to refer those brethren interested on the subject to your advertisement columns , and I shall be pleased to argue its usefulness ( pro . and cop . ) with any brother who will honour me with a call during business hours .
I may add that I have not registered my idea , for I am most anxious that any suggestion for its improvement should bc carried out by myself , or any one having the welfare of our Craft at heart . Thanking you , I remain , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , W . SHURY MARSHALL .
LODGE SUPPORT TO THE CHARITIES . To thc Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The solution of the question raised in thc following statement will doubtless bc of interest to the members of many of our lodges—Thc old lodge of which 1 am a P . M . has for many years
done scarcely anything for the Masonic Charities—the subscriptions and initiation fees being almost entirely absorbed by hotel and other expenses . Nevertheless , we have been very successful in ourcandidates for the Masonic Institutions , and for years an old member and the widows of two members of our lodge have been annuitants . A few years ago , a Charity Association was established
in the province , through which nearly two-thirds of the members of my lodge have either alread y secured , or will within a short time obtain , Life Subscriberships to our Masonic Institutions . A short time since a Committee was appointed by the brethren of the lodge in question for the purpose of suggesting some mode , either by reduction of expenses or
otherwise , _ whercby the lodge contributions to the Charities could be increased ; and , in their subsequent report , the Committee recommended that the annual subscription should be increased from £ 1 to £ 1 5 s ., the additional five shillings being carried to a separate fund to be devoted exclusively to the purchase of lodge votes ; but some of my brethren now hold that as many of them arc for a time
subscribing £ \ is . yearly for Charity votes , their lodge , in its corporate capacity , is not called upon to make any special payment for the like purpose , because of the additional tax thereby imposed on themselves . Others , like myself , on the contrary , say that the jCs 5 s . payment for a Life Subscribership is a personal matter between the member and the Institution he has selected , for which contribution he has
the pleasant equivalent of being able for life annually to record his two votes , and that the lodge is not thereb y relieved from its manifest duty to the Benevolent Institutions . Kindly give me your valuable opinion , and permit the insertion in the Freemason of any comments on this letter your readers may bc good enough to make . I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , CHARITY .
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Masonic Notes and Queries .
LIST OF LODGES , 1735 . Your correspondent " Bro . G . M . J . II . " seems to have lost sight of the fact that years ago I gave the list of the year 1735 , from Picart , and of late , our learned Bro . Kenneth R . II . MacKcnzic also gave it in full in Ihe Freemason . The list is a copy of one of Pine ' s Engraved Lists of 173 s , b y Bernard Picart . The wqrk was published ( i e ., The " Ceremonies" & c . ) in nine vols , in all , ranging
from 1723 to 1743 , the tome in which the List of Lodges occurs being of the year 173 ( 1 . As yet the medallion portrait of Sir Richard Steele has not been explained , that of Lord Weymouth as Grand Master being most appropriate . Those interested in these old Lists of Lodges should consult Bro . Gould ' s "Four Old Lodges and their Descendants , " in which all the registers known are given from 1723 down to 1 S 13 I The value of this work increases with
thc advance of time , and is not likely to be thoroughly appreciated as it deserves b y thc present generation , so few being versed in the intricate details of the early old lodges . The lists above are not obtainable anywhere in one lot , and even a few are worth more pounds now than there are leaves in the work ! The "Atholl Lodges , " by Ihe same able brother , and my " Masonic Register of Lodges" complete the information down to the year 1 S 7 S . W . J . HUGHAN .
ARMS OF PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGES . My friend Bro . Whytehead , P . M . IGII , & c , desires "to hear competent authority" as to the Arms of Provincial Grand Lodges , ancl suggests the honoured name of the R . W . Bro . Sir Albeit VV . Woods .
I can afford the information wanted by Bro . T . F ., and others , as to this point , because our new banner for the Province of Cornwall was painted from a design kindl y supplied by the Grand Director of Ceremonies . It consists of the Arms of the Freemasons ( Grand Lodge of England ) , painted in proper colours on garter blue silk , having the words above and below ( divided ) "Provincial Grand Lodge of Cornwall . " Around the silk is bullion fringe , and the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In Durham.
Shields ; Globe , Scarborough ; Raby , Staindrop ; St . Hild ' s , South Shields ; Union , Gateshead ; Concord , Barnard Castle ; Sion , North Shields ; St . Nicholas , Newcastle ; Granby , Durham ; Restoration , Darlington ; Halifax , " and also Bros . Scarth , P . G . S . W ., and Finch , D . P . G . M ., both distinguished Craftsmen of that day .
Two points of interest in connection with this event are worth noting . First , the Committee entrusted with the arrangements ruled that none under the Degree of Master should be admitted to take part in the ceremony , and that , with the exception of Present or Past Grand Oflicers , all were to wear
white aprons or bound with white silk . In the second place , immediately following tho two trumpeters , who headed the procession , was " a detachment of operative Masons , joiners , smiths , and labourers . " The oration was delivered by Bro . Rev . W . Neslield , and the sermon preached by Bro . Rev . John Brewster . A full account will be found in Vol . VII . of thc aforesaid "Freemasons' Magazine . "
"Ihe Bro . W . H . Lambton , M . P ., referred to above , was father of the late Earl of Durham , who died in 1 S 40 , after having filled thc Prov . Grand Mastership for some years . On 21 st January , 1 S 34 , a grand Masonic festival was held at thc noble carl's seat , Lambton Castle , for the purpose of presenting his lordship with a Masonic medal , about 140
brethren being present . At the Prov . Grand Lodge held on 5 th November , 1 S 39 , at Chcster-Ic-Street , H . R . H . thc Duke of Sussex , Grand Master , honoured the brethren with his presence . On 28 th July , 1 S 40 , the Earl of Durham died , and in the interval between that sad event and the appointment of a successor the province was administered
by Sir Cuthbert Sharp , D . Prov . G . M . On 5 th December , 1 S 42 , Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart . —father of the present Sir Hedworth Williamson , D . P . G . M . —was installed as Grand Master of thc province , and he , in turn , was succeeded in 1 S 47 hy Bro , John Fawcett , who has just retired from oflice .
It is worth while noting , in conclusion , a leading feature in Durham Freemasonry . No less than nineteen of its twenty-five lodges meet in Masonic Halls ; one of them , the Freemasons' Hall of Sunderland , where meets the Phcenix , No . 94 , thc third senior lodge in thc province , being very nearly as old as the Freemasons' Hall ,
Great Queen - street . This hall was originally built by Captain George Thompson , who presided as Master for seven years , for the Phoenix Lodge or , as it was designated at the time , the King George ' s Lodge , the first stone of thc building having been laid on the anniversary of George the Third's accession to the throne . Thc
hall was solemnly dedicated to Freemasonry on thc iSth of July , 177 S , when the music performed at the dedication of Freemasons' Hall , London , was kindly lent by Grand Lodge . The learned Bro . Hutchinson , of Barnard Castle , the author ofthe "Spirit of Masonry , " "History of Durham , " and other works , delivered an animated oration
in honour of thc event , and a banquet was subsequently held at which some 140 brethren sat down . On the 19 th November , 17 S 3 , altera Master ' s lodge had been held , thc hall accidently took ( ire , and was entirely destroyed . Some of the furniture and papers were saved , but the loss was heavy , including as it did several valuable paintings . On
thc 5 th April , 17 S 4 , Dr . Tipping Brown , who succeeded Captain Thompson as W . M . of thc lodge , laid the first stone of a new hall , known as the Pluenix , and a twelvemonth after to the day exactly , the building was solemnly dedicated , an ode , especially written by the W . M ., Bro . Dr . Brown , being performed by thc whole musical strength o ( Durham Cathedral and the neighbourhood . A suitable
oration was delivered by Bro . Rev . Thomas Hall , Chaplain to the lodge , and at the close of the proceedings 176 brethren sat down to a sumptuous banquet . Wc refer our readers for a full account of the Phcenix Lodge during the earlier part of its career to Vol . II . of the " Freemasons ' Magazine" for 1 794 , and wc may congratulate the Sunderland brethren on the earnest support they have given to Masonry from the very first .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
I ' vedo not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , t '" pinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish iu a spirit of fair play to all to permit—williin certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]
n ROYAL ARCH CHAPTERS . Dear Bro . Kenning , — „ 1 note in the Times of the iSth inst . a report of Ihe l ''? u Chapter consecration meeting on the Kith inst ., and that b y the verbiage used , though not intentionally , it would seem as ; if our good friend Comp . Buss at the banquet thought it his dutv to correct a statement of mine in
naptcr in the oration . I stated , as our lamented friend John Hervey stated , if I remember rightly , at the consccrau ? l f ** i * ' * Chapter , that Royal Arch Masonry ntu of late years had been comparatively neglected , enough the reason was difficult to discern . 1 also alluded to the fact that , while the lodges were over Soothe
, chapters were , I believed , under Soo . I expressed a no P 'hat the " margin " might be reduced . I differ from K , ce , " Comp . Buss as to the present number of I in ? I A chapters being either sufficient or satisfactory ; out 1 do not write to commence a controversy , hut only to point out that it is a fair matter of opinion , and that , as toou * companions of the Royal Arch Masonry , if we do agree to differ " we " differ , after all , only to agree . " Yours fraternally , A . F . A . WOODFORD .
Original Correspondence.
GRAND LODGE OFFICERS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Your correspondent "Not Infallible" has altogether misapprehended ( he point which it has heen my object to raise , my contention being that Provincial and District Grand Masters arc not " Officers of Grand Lodge . " Upon the question of their being- " Grand
Oflicers I shall have a word to say presently ; but so far as my argument has yet extended , I have only endeavoured to show that they are not " Grand Lodge Officers . " In their provinces or districts they are veritable " Grand Masters , " but in the Grand Lodge of England , whilst assigned , very properly , a high position in the Masonic hierarchy , they hold no oflice , and are simply members * to whom a marked superiority of rank has been sriven by
the Table of Precedence . I do not profess to understand the argument of " Not Infallible " as presented in his first letter . He there states , " lt is true that Provincial and District Grand Masters are not actual officers of Grand Lodge , but are they not reckoned in some sense as such by the Book of Constitutions ? " If " it be true " that these dignitaries " are not-actual oflicers of Grand Lodge "—as conceded by your correspondent—thc question with which
the foregoing extract concludes can only be answered in the affirmative by assuming that they are supposititious officers of Grand Lodge . This conclusion , though necessarily resulting from the premises , can hardly , I imagine , be what the writer intended to convey . Your correspondent in his last letter observes "that if ' Bayard ' s' contention be correct , the whole practice of Grand Lodge since 1 S 13 has been unconstitutional . " A
sweeping assertion of this kind , unaccompanied by proof and unsustained by argument , I shall not attempt to confute ; indeed , it would be beyond my province to do so . The law of Grand Lodge is one thing and the practice or usage of Grand Lodge is another thing . The latter is subordinate to the former ; but I have yet to learn , even supposing the practice of Grand Lodge to have been
" unconstitutional since 1 S 13 , " how any amount of irregularity can vary or repeal the law ; and it is with the " law " only that I am concerned . Perhaps you will accord mc space to briefl y sum up thc result of the correspondence on this topic , and , at the same time , to slightly widen Ihe area over which my contention extends . It has been shown on the authority of thc Book of
Constitutions—( a ) That ProvinciM and District Grand Masters rank in Grand Lodge after Past Deputy Grand Masters and before Grand Wardens —( p . 17 ) . ( b ) That the Grand Master , at thc annual Masonic festival or on the day preceding , is to nominate his Grand Officers , who , with the exception of the President of the Board of General Purposes , are to be thereupon installed or invested —( p . 29 ) . ( cl That no Grand Officer can be removed without thc
approbation of Grand Lodge —( p . 31 ) . ( d ) That a Provincial or District Grand Master is invested with a rank ancl power in his particular district similar to those possessed by the Grand Master —( p . 45 ) . ( e ) That a Provincial Grand Master holds his office at the pleasure of the Grand Master —( p . 49 ) . (/* . ) That in the absence of the Grand Master thc Grand Lodge is to bc ruled by the Grand Officer or Past Grand Officer next in seniority who may be present , and if no Grand Officer bc present by the Master of thc senior
lodge —( p . 23 ) . The foregoing laws may bc read together without any ambiguity becoming apparent . Provincial Grand Masters are not nominated ancl invested at the annual festival ( b ) , they arc removable without the consent of Grand Lodge (<•) , and are not , therefore , according to the Book of Constitutions " Grand Officers " ( r ) . As bearing , however , against this conclusion there has
been cited the usage or practice of Grand Lodge , whereby in the absence of the G . M ., Pro G . M ., and Deputy G . M ., the senior Provincial or District Grand Master is called upon to take the chair , and it is contended ( according to a letter in your Masonic contemporary from a London and Colonial P . M . ) that because the law enacts that
Grand Lodge is to be ruled by the senior Grand or Past Grand Officer (/); and as Provincial or District Grand Masters do take the chair—ergo : these dignitaries arc Grand Officers . This reasoning , if you will , deservedly merits the appellation of "special pleading , " and the Latin phrase , " post hoc , propter hoc , " with which " Not Infallible" has decorated his last letter , also recurs to one ' s
memory . A learned brother informs me that a Provincial Grand Master is a Grand Officer in but not of Grand Lodge , and that as such he is entitled to preside over Grand Lodge ( a and /) , although not a Grand Lodge Officer . This may be so , but if we take the plain meaning of words and arc right in believing that the laws of Masonry are published
for other purposes than those of quibbling and mystification , t there seems no escape from the conclusion that Provincial and District Grand Masters are not " Grand Officers , " and that the practice of Grand Lodge in placing them in the chair is , as " Not Infallible " correctly puts it , " unconstitutional . " I must apologise for the length of this letter , but I was desirous to state the case clearly . I am , yours , & c , & c ,
BAYARD . [ B y some unaccountable delay in ( he post this letter has only just been received . It should have appeared early in September . —En . F . M . ]
Original Correspondence.
THE ADMISSION OF VISITORS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Permit me to make a suggestion in reference to the above question . It appears to nic that a brother about to visit a lodge where he is not personally known would do well to go armed with his certificate , and thus be in a position to
produce it if required . The inconvenience of carrying such a cumbrous document might be got over by having it folded and gummed into a pocket book with a tuck , " precisely as some continental tourists carry their passports . The name and ^ number of lodge could also be embossed thereon . I am , yours fraternally , SEMPER FIDELIS .
To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Appreciating thoroughly the intended kindness of Bros . James Stevens and E . de Francois dc Pontchalon , and thanking them sincerely for bringing into notice my "Masonic Portrait ; and Certificate Case , " still , I scarcely think the "Original Correspondence" column should be
occupied by discussing the advantages or disadvantages of my novelty , therefore , I beg to refer those brethren interested on the subject to your advertisement columns , and I shall be pleased to argue its usefulness ( pro . and cop . ) with any brother who will honour me with a call during business hours .
I may add that I have not registered my idea , for I am most anxious that any suggestion for its improvement should bc carried out by myself , or any one having the welfare of our Craft at heart . Thanking you , I remain , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , W . SHURY MARSHALL .
LODGE SUPPORT TO THE CHARITIES . To thc Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The solution of the question raised in thc following statement will doubtless bc of interest to the members of many of our lodges—Thc old lodge of which 1 am a P . M . has for many years
done scarcely anything for the Masonic Charities—the subscriptions and initiation fees being almost entirely absorbed by hotel and other expenses . Nevertheless , we have been very successful in ourcandidates for the Masonic Institutions , and for years an old member and the widows of two members of our lodge have been annuitants . A few years ago , a Charity Association was established
in the province , through which nearly two-thirds of the members of my lodge have either alread y secured , or will within a short time obtain , Life Subscriberships to our Masonic Institutions . A short time since a Committee was appointed by the brethren of the lodge in question for the purpose of suggesting some mode , either by reduction of expenses or
otherwise , _ whercby the lodge contributions to the Charities could be increased ; and , in their subsequent report , the Committee recommended that the annual subscription should be increased from £ 1 to £ 1 5 s ., the additional five shillings being carried to a separate fund to be devoted exclusively to the purchase of lodge votes ; but some of my brethren now hold that as many of them arc for a time
subscribing £ \ is . yearly for Charity votes , their lodge , in its corporate capacity , is not called upon to make any special payment for the like purpose , because of the additional tax thereby imposed on themselves . Others , like myself , on the contrary , say that the jCs 5 s . payment for a Life Subscribership is a personal matter between the member and the Institution he has selected , for which contribution he has
the pleasant equivalent of being able for life annually to record his two votes , and that the lodge is not thereb y relieved from its manifest duty to the Benevolent Institutions . Kindly give me your valuable opinion , and permit the insertion in the Freemason of any comments on this letter your readers may bc good enough to make . I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , CHARITY .
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Masonic Notes and Queries .
LIST OF LODGES , 1735 . Your correspondent " Bro . G . M . J . II . " seems to have lost sight of the fact that years ago I gave the list of the year 1735 , from Picart , and of late , our learned Bro . Kenneth R . II . MacKcnzic also gave it in full in Ihe Freemason . The list is a copy of one of Pine ' s Engraved Lists of 173 s , b y Bernard Picart . The wqrk was published ( i e ., The " Ceremonies" & c . ) in nine vols , in all , ranging
from 1723 to 1743 , the tome in which the List of Lodges occurs being of the year 173 ( 1 . As yet the medallion portrait of Sir Richard Steele has not been explained , that of Lord Weymouth as Grand Master being most appropriate . Those interested in these old Lists of Lodges should consult Bro . Gould ' s "Four Old Lodges and their Descendants , " in which all the registers known are given from 1723 down to 1 S 13 I The value of this work increases with
thc advance of time , and is not likely to be thoroughly appreciated as it deserves b y thc present generation , so few being versed in the intricate details of the early old lodges . The lists above are not obtainable anywhere in one lot , and even a few are worth more pounds now than there are leaves in the work ! The "Atholl Lodges , " by Ihe same able brother , and my " Masonic Register of Lodges" complete the information down to the year 1 S 7 S . W . J . HUGHAN .
ARMS OF PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGES . My friend Bro . Whytehead , P . M . IGII , & c , desires "to hear competent authority" as to the Arms of Provincial Grand Lodges , ancl suggests the honoured name of the R . W . Bro . Sir Albeit VV . Woods .
I can afford the information wanted by Bro . T . F ., and others , as to this point , because our new banner for the Province of Cornwall was painted from a design kindl y supplied by the Grand Director of Ceremonies . It consists of the Arms of the Freemasons ( Grand Lodge of England ) , painted in proper colours on garter blue silk , having the words above and below ( divided ) "Provincial Grand Lodge of Cornwall . " Around the silk is bullion fringe , and the