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TO ADVERTISERS . The FREEMASON' has a large circulation in all parts of thc Globe , its advantages as an aelvertising medium can therefore scarcely be overrated . ADVERTISEMENTS should reach thc Office , 198 , Fleetstieet : London , by 12 o ' clock on Wednesdays .

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NOTICE .

To prevent delay or miscarriage , it is particularly requested that ALL communications for the FRI F . MASON , may be addressed to the Office , 'oS , Flee't-street , London .

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IMPORTANT NOTICE .

COLONIAL and FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS are informed that acknowledgments of remittances received are published in the first number of every month .

It is very necessary for our readers to advise us of all money orders they remit , more especially those from the United States of America and India : otherwise we cannot tell where to credit them .

To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

The FREEMASON * is a sixteen-page weekly newspaper , price 2 d . It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful

information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Annual subscription in the United Kingdom , Post free , 10 / 6 . P . O . O . ' s to be made payable at the chief office , London .

NEW POSTAL RATES . Owing to a reduction in the Postal Rates , the publisher is ueiw enabled to send the " Freemason " to the following parts abroad for One Year for Thirteen Shillings ( payable in

aelvance ) : —Africa , Australia , Bombay , Canada , Cape of Good Hope , Ceylon , China , Constantinople , Demerara , France , Germany , Gibraltar , Jamaica , Malta , Newfoundlanel , New South Wales , New Zealand , Suez , Trinidad , United States of America , Sec .

Answers To Coerrespondents.

Answers to Coerrespondents .

J . DIONVSIUS Loviinuo . —Greatly thanked . As will be seen , translation alreaely received . BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . " Deeds of Daring Library . " "The Craftsman . " "The Masonic Herald . " " New York Dispatch . " " Isje of Man Times . " "Young Folks . " "May ' s British and Irish Press Guide . "

Births, Marriages And Deaths.

Births , Marriages and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . 6 d . lor announcements , not exceeding four lines , under this heading . ]

Mill 1-IS . BALL . —On the ijth inst ., at The Deanery , Petersborough , the wife of the Rev . C . R . Ball , of a son . GALE . —On the 18 th inst ., at 63 , Lcftus Road ,

Shephcrd'sbusn , tne wile ot J . K . ualc , ot a daughter . MAHTIN . —On thc 14 th intt ., at Highweek , Newton Abbot , the wife of J . Maitin , of a daughter . WALKEH . —On the 18 th inst ., at Waterloo-Terrace , Wolverhampton , thc wife of W . W . Walker , of a daughter .

DEATHS . VALGIIAN . —On the ist inst ., atConcham , Yorkshire , Bro . H . S . M . Vaughan , aged 27 . Cooi'icn . —On the 27 th ult ., at Cooper-Hill , Clarina , Limerick , Mary , wife of J . C . Cooper , aged 47 . Guv . —On the iSth , at San Remo , Henry Guy , of Lincoln

College , Oxford , aged 20 . HAYNES . —On the 10 th inst ., at Puntaks , Cadiz , Anne Jenkinson , wife eif T . Haynes , Esq ., aged 66 . WHITE . — At Buckingham Palace-road , Pimlico , Majcr-Gen . John White , aged 60 .

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , MAR . 24 , 1877 .

Departure Of Our Royal Grand Master For The Mediterranean.

DEPARTURE OF OUR ROYAL GRAND MASTER FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN .

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales will leave Marlborough House on Saturday ( this day ) for a cruise in the Mediterranean in the Royal yacht Osborne . The

Prince of Wales will visit the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at Malta , and the Princess will visit the King and Queen of the Hellenes at Athens . Their Royal Highnesses are expected to be absent from England about six weeks .

Some Breakers Ahead.

SOME BREAKERS AHEAD .

Do not let our readers be alarmed by the heading of this leader of ours , as the remarks we are about to make do not concern Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry . But abroad there appear to us to be some breakers ahead of the good ship " Freemasonry , " which threaten disaster to it , unless by skilful steering the gallant craft can be kept

oft a lee shore . There are two seeming dangers just now , which appear to us to require very cautious treatment , and very judicious handling . The one is , the prevailing tendency abroad in some quarters to make Freemasonry a meeting place both for the beliefs and the disbeliefs of the world . Now there is

a consensus of teaching which runs through universal Speculative Freemasonry , ( as all speculative Freemasonry is Anglican in origin ) , which is , that Freemasonry recognizes the G . A . O . T . U . in all its proceedings , and all its formularities . The " fibres penseurs "

and the " esprits forts in French Freemasonry are now seeking to remove this profession of faith in God as a pre-requisite for admission into the Masonic Order in France , in order that those who do not believe and those who do may meet on equal ground .

Belgian Freemasonry is following suit , and if it carries out its present insane agitation to a logical result will assuredly fall , lamented by none , as , to say the truth , some of the utterances of unwise Belgian Masons have been most offensive to our English mind . And yet there is no reason

why those sensible and stable Flemings should so belie the dictates of their national good feeling and indigenous common sense . We heard of a story the other day which we believe can be thoroughly depended upon . In a lodge in France or Belgium , but one of the two , which matters

not , an aspirant was asked , did he believe in God ? "Jamais , " was the reply . "Jamais ? " asked the Venerable . " Jamais de ma vie , " was the response , and a murmur of approval ran through the lodge . Comment is needless . If this liberty of unbelief and negation is to

characterise the French and Belgian lodges , the future of Freemasonry in those countries is pretty certain to be a melancholy one . It is not difficult to foretel what its end must be , humanly speaking . We protest once for all , in the name of our common and religious Order , against this

pitiful agitation , and this unwholesome change , this Jesuitical and puerile pretence of toleration , this uprooting of the universal formula of Masonic recognition of the Most High . And another great danger staring us in the face is the theory that

Freemasonry is an association whose one idea is the " solidarity of humanity , " whatever that may mean . Hence comes the grave error , that Freemasonry has a right to mix itself up with questions which affect the political status , the general and special condition of

nations and the world . We conceive this to be a fatal misunderstanding of the real character and scope of Freemasonry . Freemasonry is a benevolent brotherhood , favourable to peaceful progress and advancing civilization ,

professing toleration of opinion , and liberty of conscience , devoted to active labours of kindness and benevolence , but not " travelling beyond its own record , " not "testifying , " or holding forth out of its own lodges , in matters of personal con-

Some Breakers Ahead.

test or polemical excitement . It simply avo \ v its own kindly , considerate , large-hearted , and unchanging teaching , and leaves it to the svrrt . pathies of its brethren , and the approval of man . kind . But it nowhere professes to dogmatize nor seeks to denounce . Sufficient for it that it

proclaims religiously the teaching of its unvary . ing principles , and seeks to demonstrate their enduring worth , by the active fruits and labours of brotherly love . Carefully , then , should we all ever seek to act up to the warning and

seasonable advice of our Royal Grand Master , to '' keep clear of politics , " and to " confine ourselves to our proper duties , " as thus we shall best evidence and most safely maintain , before an ad . miring and appreciating world , the high character and noble aims of Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry .

Anonymous Masonic Communications.

ANONYMOUS MASONIC COMMUNICATIONS .

It would almost seem as if the writers and senders of anonymous letters and the like were just now on the increase , as if we had a number of " special agents" in society , who sought to do as much mischief as they could do , and traduce the fair fame , of some

unsuspecting neighbour . The Bishop of Lincoln has recently objected to the admission of " alms bags" in churches , on account of , inter alia , cuttings from papers , and anonymous communications thrown in . And here we , as Freemasons , have to complain of some kind brother , in the

purest spirit of Masonic philanthropy , sending us an anonymous communication , directed to the The Freemason , which consists of printed extracts from our own paper , and one or two friendly iVIS . comments . To whom we are indebted for such a truly Masonic

attention we do not exactly know , and it is not worth while to trouble our minds about his personality , as that personality must be very low , and those Masonic principles must be very valueless which could induce any one to act as "Bro . Anonymous " has acted with respect to 77 ie ?

Freemason . The comments he makes , and the animus he displays are alike beneath notice , indeed so childish , so ridiculous are they , that il is really charitable to suppose that the individual , be he who lie may , who took the trouble to gum those extracts from The Freemason together ,

and add the running comments on them , was , as one of the police magistrates said some time ago of a special case , " either mad or drunk . " And here we leave the matter . Did we know the writer and transmitter of this precious communication positively , we should decline to meet him in a lodge , or acknowledge him

as a brother , as we feel sure that all our readers will agree with us in holding , that of all reptiles who crawl on this mother earth , the lowest and vilest of all is the anonymous libeller . No true Freemason will , even under any circumstances , be a cowardly slanderer or surreptitious traducer of his brother .

The Propagation Of Error.

THE PROPAGATION OF ERROR .

A new Masonic journal , // Moto , published at Palermo , of which we have received No . 4 , seems to treat the spurious socalled Grand Lodge " Les Philadelp hes " as a veritable Masonic body , and to assuro * that Bro . Valleton is acting in the interest ol English Freemasons . We must beg at once to

undeceive our contemporary , whose appear ance we welcome , and to protest again : any assumption by which an illegal and clan destine body can be called a Grand Lodg * in England , and distinctly to declare that Bro Valleton ' s profession of acting in the interest d the English brethren is an insult to our entif Craft . II Moto rests its statement on the

authority of the Monde Maconnique , which , as fff have already shown , has taken a most reprehensible liberty alike in respect of the name " our English brethren and the dignity and le-P position of the English Grand Lodge .

"Le Monde Maconnique" An D " The Freemason."

"LE MONDE MACONNIQUE" AN " THE FREEMASON . "

We shall call attention to some remarks " this periodical for March in our next .