Grand Lodge Decisions.*

during the last quarter of a century or more is due to the Book of Constitutions having , under the operation of successive revisions , become less and less ambiguous , and we quite agree with Bro . LAWRANCK that if is difficult " to find ambiguity

now , " but we are inclined to think that he has hardl y attached sufficient wei g ht to the greater interest thai is now taken in the stud y of our laws . Just as nowadays the majority of those who are elected Worshipful Masters of lodges are competent to

discharge the duties of the chair as regards the ritual of the several Degrees and the ceremony of installation , so happil y have they for the most part taken counsel with themselves and their more experienced fellow members as to the rule and

practice that must be followed under the varying sets of conditions which are likely to arise in certain eventualities . Thus by the greater knowledge which the rulers of our private lodges possess or are able to obtain , the opportunities for invoking tlie

assistance of the higher authorities are fewer , while the latter are themselves more competent to decide questions of moment . Thus our brother ' s pamphlet of between So and 90 pages is , in fact , a sort of manual of Masonic law , and should enable Masters

to decide at once'the majority of the questions that are likely to arise , and thereby avoid the necessity for consulting the Provincial , District , or Grand Lodge authorities , a process which naturally involves a considerable amount of delay . With

chapter and verse from the authorised reports of Grand Lodge to o-uide him , a Master , with the assistance of this manual , is likel y to find the adjustment of any little difficulties in the law and practice of Masonry that may arise during his occupancy of the office comparatively p lain sailing .

We do not quite agree with the author that " for convenience the decisions and proceedings have not onl y been carefull y indexed , but have been arranged under their heads or chapters . " We allow the indexing so far as the ^ ide-note indicating the

subject of each successive decision is concerned , but not that form of index which enables the reader to find at once the particular decision he is in search of . Thus to make our meaning more obvious—as regards " a Warden ' s eligibility for the chair , '

there is no index which will enable the reader to discover offhand the page or pages containing the decisions on this very important question . Had the decisions affecting this question been " carefully indexed , " we should have known that they were

to be found at p . 29 . Again , as regards their arrangement " under three heads or chapters , " there is nothing to indicate where one chapter ends and the next begins . Each " decision has its own proper side-head , and the whole series of decisions

is continued rig ht away from the beginning to the end without beino- numbered consecutively or in consecutive groups of one or more decisions . Thus in the case we have already

quoted" a Warden ' s elig ibility ( or the chair "—the decisions are g iven ; but as they deal with the one subject they form a group , and as such should be distinguished by a number .

We take nu exception to the " heads or chapters" into which the book is said to be divided and the note at top of p . 3 is a o-uide as to the method of classification adopted , which is as follows : " Pages 1 to 31 contain questions affecting the

constitution or prerogative of Grand Lodge ; Pages 32 lo 56 deal with resignations , erasures , and exclusions ; Pages 57 lo the end contain miscellaneous decisions which cannot he classified conveniently chiefly concerning offences against Masonic disci p line . "

But though this note is a help it onl y removes the difficulty we have referred lo to this extent that it tells you that what appears on pp . I to 31 constitutes the first head or chapter , and so on ; it does not help the reader to find the particular decision he may be in search of under one of these heads .

It is unfortunate that our Rev . brother should have allowed himself to commit three serious errors in page 3 . If any of his readers take these as illustrating the value of his compilation—¦ which is , indeed , in its main features and as regards its general

accuracy in the matter of "decisions , ' a most meritorious OIK . ' —they may be inclined to treat his pamphlet unjustly . But nothin " 'is tobe gained by allowing these errors to pass unnoticed ,

more especially as we have much p leasure in adding thai they are not to be regarded as a sample of the reall y beneficial work ontained in his book . The first of these very obvious mistakes

Grand Lodge Decisions.*

is that the rank of P . G . M . was conferred on H . R . H . the Prince of WALES in "September , 186 5 . " His Royal Hi ghness was not initiated till towards the close of 1868 , during a visit he was paying to the late King of SWEDEN , and it was not till i 860

that , on the motion of the Earl of ZETLAND , he had the rank of Past Grand Master conferred upon him . Again , it was not in December , 1 S 6 9 , that the Prince accepted the office of M . W . Grand Master , and appointed the Earl of CARNARVON Pro

Grand Master . If was on this occasion that the late Earl of ZETLAND expressed a wish that he should not be again nominated G . M ., and the Marquis of RIPON was nominated and elected to succeed him , and remained in office till the autumn

of 18 74 . Then the Prince was approached on the subject of becoming Grand Master , and expressed his willingness to accept the office if elected . Lastly , as regards the meeting in the Royal Albert Hall , at which his Royal Hi ghness was installed

M . W . G . M ., there is no doubt as to the meeting having been of a remarkable character , but it was a Grand Lodge meetino- and consequentl y there was no guinea paid for admission by those present , and those entitled to be present wore " the purple of

Grand rank " if they were Grand Officers , Present or Past , while those who were not Grand Officers wore their li ght blue collars , as Masters , Wardens , or Past Masters , or the simpler insignia of Master Masons if not entitled to wear collars ; the onl y

difference between this and ordinary Grand Festival meetings being that each lodge was allowed to be represented b y one Master Mason in addition lo its Master , Wardens , and Past Masters . What further remarks we purpose offering upon the bod y of the work we reserve for a future article .

Provincial Grand Chapters And The Regulations.

PROVINCIAL GRAND CHAPTERS AND THE REGULATIONS .

I am glad that "Lex Scrip / a has drawn attention to the interpretation of the Regulations of Grand Chapter by the esteemed Deputy Grand Registrar , and confirmed by his Honour Judge Philbrick , Gran J Registrar , at th ; Convocation , held on 5 th May last . The official report is now bsfore me , and clearly states the ruling of the D . G . Registrar to be , that the Prov . Grand Registrar of the Craft , if a R . A . Mason , must be Prov . G . Reg . of

the Prov . Grand Chapter for the same county , & c , and whether so appointed , or not , is entitled to rank as P . Prov . G . Reg . of such a Prov . G Chapter accordingly . This is a remarkable decision , and it surprises me , that so far , it Ins not led to any discussion or remarks from Prov . Grand Scribes , or other officers in Prov . Grand Chapters . As " Lex Scripta " points out , it has long been the custom to look upon the ofti . -e of Prov . G .

Registrar to be as much 111 the gift of the Grand Superintendent as any of the other offices , and presuming that the Dep . G . Reg . is correct in his ruling there are very many companions entitled to rank as Past Prov . Grand Registrars , who have not been appointed , and there are also as many wlvo have been appointed and served as such , who are not

entitled to past rank . Yet , in Rule 36 , the Grand Superintendent is empowered " to appoint " the Prov . Grand Registrar , but not the Prov . G Treasurer ; though according to the Djp . G . Reg ., whether so appointed , or not , the Prov . G . Reg . of that Province in the Craft , is also Prov . G . Reg . in the Arch , if a R . A . Mason .

If Rule 43 applies to Prov . G . Chapters , as so stated by the D . G . Registrar , then the D . Prov . G . M . of Prov . Grand Lodge must be , if otherwise qualified , the Prov . Second Grand Principa l , and in like manner , the Prov . Grand Secretary , is entitled to be the Prov . Grand Scribe E ., and in fact is , whether so appointed or not , and entitled to past rank , notwithstanding the offices have not been served , the decision being retrospective in

character . This lack of precision in respect to the Regulations has much to answer for , if the Ruling be correct , as it appears G . Superintendents h ive not the power to appoint Prov . Grand Hs ., Scribes E ., and Registrars unconditionally , as with the other Officers , but only if these three offices cannot be filled by reason of such brethren not being qualified as R . A . Masons .

According to my experience , it has never been the custom in Prov . G . Chapter to look upon these three offices , or either of them , as not within the province of the G . Superintendent to unconditionally appoint , as with the others enumerated in Rule 3 6 . The Grand bodge Calendar , if consulted , will prove that as respects , the Prov . S . Es ., the Rule in question has

not been interpreted in several instances , as now for the first time promulgated , and Provincial Calendars will equally illustrate a similar state of matters regarding the appointments of Provincial 2 nd Grand Principals and Registrars . Of course , if the decision be accepted , we must alter in the Provinces and Districts , but one would like a little more consideration by the Grand Chapter before the Ruling is considered to be obligatory . W . 1 . HUGHAN .

TIIK GKANIJ DI ' KH AND GKAND DUCHESS or MKCKLBNHUKGII -STKELIT / , the Duke and Duchess of York , Princess Mary Adelaide , Duchess of Teck , and the Ouke of Teck , Prince Francis and Alexander of Teck , and the Princess Adolphus of Teck , lunched with T . R . H . the Prince and Princess of Wales , at Marlborough Houston , Monday , in celebration of the birthday of the Grand Duchess .