A Grave Peril.

A GRAVE PERIL .

Poor man is never free from dangers of one kind or another here . Indeed , while many are the perils of his way , the greatest of all arises from the dangerous snares of woman ! It always has been so in the history of the world , it even now is so , and we may feel perfectly

satisfied that it always will be so . A forlorn and help less biped cannot escape from the delusions and artifices of the designing or the dangerous female . Indeed , it is still true as when the poet sang of old , as man journeys along , that " Incidit in Scyllam cupiens evitare Charibdin , " or , as we

say in our more homely vernacular , " he only gets out of the frying pan into the fire . " Man is , therefore , greatly to be pitied amid all those manoeuvres , and all those seductions , whose consequences are often of the most affecting kind . We have been led into these sentimental

reflections by the following extract from the proceedings of the Probate Court , in which the dangerous fascinations of a widow fully justify Mr . Weller ' s lucid fears of old , which some of our readers will probably well remember . Let us note the account : — " And did she not

make you an offer of marriage ? The witness shook his head , but did not seem quite at ease . Mr . Sergeant Robinson . — There was no wrong in it . I repeat , did she not ask you to marry her ? * Witness . — ' Well , well ! She didn ' t ask me to marry her , but very near . When I had

resolved on leaving , I said in the morning , ' I must leave to-day . ' ' Leave to-day , ' she said . 'Yes , ' I said , ' I must . ' She said , ' Oh , no ; I wish you would stop a little longer . ' ' I can ' t , ' I said , ' I can ' t ; I have some business to attend to , but I'll come up again in a day or two . ' ' Ah ! she

said , 'but I feel the nig ht so bad . ' You may judge from that that it was coming very close . But a friend had warned me on coming up from Tvmbridge . ' Beware , Bark 1 ' he said , ' Beware !' and I was very glad . ' ( Great merriment , in which the learned President heartily joined , was

occasioned by the vividness with which the witness narrated this memorable and perilous incident in his history . " ) Certainly the matter was beginning to get very pressing indeed , when the lonely widow thus opens out her heart to an obdurate male friend , and as it is not every

one who likes to come to such close quarters , prima facie , we can quite enter into the modest hesitation of poor " Bark . " But yet , who knows , thc widow was probably like otlitr widows , kind and considerate , pleasant am . prosperous , and on the whole , taking

the affair all round , as they say , we think that " Bark " had better have faced the danger like a man , and , like " Jack Smart , " made himself agreeable and sentimental at the same time , and married the widow . If we were to understand that widows were in the habit generally of

making such advances to timid and recalcitrant " man , " we should deem it to be our duty to take the high moral line and make a "deliverance" on the subject . But widows are more or less privileged persons , whether like the sympathetic and lonely woman in the story

before us , who felt the " night so bad , " or like that charming creation of Anthony Trollope , Mrs . Max Giislar , who says to the man of her heart and affections , in all the fulness of her gushing nature , " At last , at last ! " It will be seen , that as sensible Freemasons we

have taken a lenient , a friendly , and we will add , a Masonic view of the subject . Widows , like the fair individual of whom "Bark" was so afraid , are , as far as we know anything about the matter , like our estimable Order , courteous and kindly , p hilanthropic and friendly , in the

highest degree . We think that " Bark " made a mistake , and had better not have shown the " white feather " to a lone woman , for after all a widow is only a widow still , and nothing else . The story has its alarming side , alike for the peace and comfort of young bachelors and old bachelors , of

desponding widowers , of timorous misogynists ; andwe recommend our many readers to peruse it carefully , and lay it to heart . Who knows how soon that we may have ourselves to face " Bark ' s " danger , and let us hope that in such an emergency of our life , we may prove equal to the occasion , and seek to comport ourselves with

A Grave Peril.

he alacrity and dignity of men , of Britons , and of Freemasons .

The New Grand Secretary For Scotland.

THE NEW GRAND SECRETARY FOR SCOTLAND .

We congratulate Bro . D . Murray Lyon on his election , and the Grand Lodge of Scotland on their appointment of so fitting a brother for so important a post . We shall recur to the subject in our next .

The Spurious French Grand Lodge In London.

THE SPURIOUS FRENCH GRAND LODGE IN LONDON .

( Communique . ) We have received the Monde ITaconnique for March , and find there , in answer to our natural and somewhat indignant remarks in a recent Freemason respecting the public announcement of this illegal body , some statements so extraordinary , signed by Bro . Adrien Grimaux , that we think it well to translate them and call the

attention of our readers to them , alike at home and abroad . At page 407 we find these words under th & head " Angleterre : "— " It is known that for a great number of years there existed in London a lodge , ' Les Philadelphes , ' formed by foreign Masons outside the Grand Lodge of

England . That is it which they call . an irregular and clandestine lodge — irregular very much against its own will , because the Grand Lodge ( sic ) ( of England , we presume ) has never been willing to grant it a warrant of constitution . As regards the clandestineness of this lodge , it has

consisted in never hiding itself , acting in open day , founding a special organ , & c . ( Literary , we presume . ) But nevertheless it is an irregular and clandestine lodge . Since that time it has been re-united with the Lodge ' La Concorde , ' and has constituted itself a mother lodge or

Grand Lodge . " Such is the statement which appears in the Monde Maconnii / ue of March , and certainly a more , extraordinary one never was put forth by any Masonic journal . Our Grand Lodge has already warned the Craft against the " Loge des Philadelphes , " of which ,

or of some synonymous body , certificates have been sold up and down the country , and of which we have one in our possession . It is not true to say , as Bro . Grimaux docs , that the Loge des Philadelphes ever applied for a warrant to our Grand Lodge ; the Lodge " La

Concorde " did , but was , "sous tous les rapports , " very properly refused one by our authorities . But no application was ever made by the lodge " Les Philadelphes . " So that two surreptitous lodges , witho . ut any warrants , can meet together , both equally illegal and clandestine

and declare themselves to be a Grand Lodge , in a country where a lawful Grand Lodge exists ! If this is French Masonic custom or law on the subject , ( which we do not believe ) , the sooner it is openly repudiated by all civilized Masonic brethren the better . Our readers will perceive with

amazement and regret the astounding and Jesuitical argument of the paragraph we have translated above . A lodge which has not a warrant from a lawful Grand Lodge , and for which in addition it has never applied , cannot be considered irregular , because it professes a wish for a

warrant ; and should not be considered clandestine , because it openly avows its breach of all Masonic local and general law . A lodge which has been refused a warrant , for good and sufficient reasons , has a right to join another lodge without a warrant at all , and constitute itself and

call itself a Grand Lodge , in a country where a legal Grand Lodge exists , and a respectable Masonic journal is openly to defend the illegality and the impertinence of such an act . May we notfairl y say , "Risumteneatis amici etfratres . " Luckily in England we care nothing for such manoeuvres ;

they are alike ridiculous and contemptible , and this illegal body may well be left to itself , and its fanfaronades to silent contempt . But certainly we are not prepared for such " outrecuidance , " to use another French expression , in thoso who profess to belong to a lawful body of French Freemasons ,

and we feel that if such be the animus of the ruling faction in France ( which we can everhardl y believe , and look upon it as the outcome of individual perversity alone ) the friendl y feeling 3 S between English and French Freemasons will receive a shock from which they will not easily recover .

The Spurious French Grand Lodge In London.

We may fairly ask ourselves what French Freemasons would say if English Freemasons in Paris imitated the course of action of these obscure foreigners who belong to the "Philadelphes ?" But this , by the way . The present proceeding is

so outrageous , and the argument in support of it so preposterous , that we have thought it well to to leave them to the public opinion of our Order . We give the actual French , to which allusion has been made above . " On

sait que depuis un grand nombre d ' annees , il existe a Londres une Loge , les Philadel phes , formee par des Magons etrangers en dehors de la grande Loge d ' Angleterre . C ' etait . ce que I ' on appelle une Loge irreguliere et clandestine

irreguliere bien malgre elle , puisque la Grande Loge n ' a jamais voulu lui accorder de constitutions . Quant it la clandestinite de cette Loge , elle a consiste a ne jamais se cacher , a agir au grand jour , a fonder un organe special , etc .

Mais , enfin , c ' etait une Loge irreguliere et clandestine . Depuis , elle s ' est reunie a * la Loge la Concorde , et s ' est constituee en Loge mere ou Grande Loge . " We have not entered into any questions as regards Bro . Valleton , Sec .

We are publicists , not personalists , and we only write " pro bono publico , " and with a desire to uphold the honour of Freemasonry , and the rights and dignity of our own distinguished Grand Lodge .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even as approving otitic opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , In a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 3

HUNGARIAN FREEMASONS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The' following is the translation of the extract from the Hungarian Masonic paper Hajnal , as transcribed by " Carpathianus " in your issue of the 1 7 th inst ., " According to a report in the Freemason , the G . M . of New

Zealand has granted the constitution for the formation of a new lodge in Cumara . This news in itself is not extraordinary , but becomes interesting from the fact that Kumara —an auriferous district , about 80 miles from Hokitika—though only very recently discovered , counts already 7000 inhabitants , more than 30 of whom are members of the Craft . "

M . Diosv , P . M ., P . Z . 334 . [ The Hajnal is left at 198 , Fleet-street , for Bro . Diosy . ]

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In justice to the Girls' School , to which I am indirectly under deep obligations , I hope to be allowed to make a few remarks upon the system of education adopted at that institution .

I have two sisters who were educated in the school , and I must say that during the term of their sojourn there the domestic portion of their education was in no way neglected , and at the time of leaving the school they were both well versed in the art of cookery , & c . I have also the pleasure of knowing two young ladies in this neighbourhood , formerly inmates of the school ,

who are willing and anxious to corroborate the above statement . I deeply regret to hear of any brother who would endeavour to cast unjust aspersions upon the usefulness of so noble an institution . Yours fraternally , l . P . M . Manchester , 18 th March , 1877 .

THE OLDEST MASON IN ENGLAND . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I notice in yours of last Saturday , March , 17 , a paragraph stating Bro . Norris , Warden at the Royal Benevolent Institution , Croydon , to be the oldest Mason in England , age 87 , and 65 years a Mason ; but we have in

Stockport a brother slightly Bro . Norris ' s senior , viz ., Bro . Philip Chetham , who is Secretary to the Lodge of Peace , 322 . He has now reached his ninetieth year and his sixtysixth year as a Mason . He was present at their usual monthly meeting , held at the Warren Bulkley Arms , on the 7 th ult ., at the initiation of his fourth grandson , Mr .

James Chetham , who is nineteen years of age , and who was initiated by dispensation . At the social board this veteran brother sang some Masonic songs with much enthusiasm . Yours fraternally , ROBT . RICHARDSON , S . W . 64 s .

MASONIC QUERIES . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Believing that it is to the interest of the Order that all our lodges should keep within the four corners of

our constitution , I think it right to draw attention to the repoit of the Ivy Lodge , No . 1441 , as it appeared in your paper of the 17 th inst ., and as I have not the pleasure of knowing any of the brethren of that lodge , I trust my remarks will not be supposed to be made in a captious spirit . . ,