The "Cosmo" For 1888.

THE "COSMO" FOR 1888 .

Not only does the " Cosmo " provide for the wants of the Craft , represented by the universal " Three Degrees , including the Royal Arch , "but the additional or " Higher Degrees " are also duly cared for , and indeed no other publication contains the mass of valuable information to be found in its pages respecting all the Masonic Organizations , which are , so to speak , raised on the enduring foundation , of the Craft .

Besides which , other Grand Lodges are fairly described , to some especially , much space being given , such as those of Scotland , Ireland , and the various Colonial Grand Lodges ; whilst to all known and regular Grand Bodies , some details , at least , are afforded , so far as space and circumstances permit and its hundreds of closely printed pages will allow .

In Scotland , the " Patron " is our Royal Grand Master , the Grand Master being Col . Sir A . C . Campbell , Bart ., M . P . ; the Earl of Kintore being the "Substitute Grand Master . " who is well known to English Mark Masters as their late Grand Master . Colonel Sir Archibald Campbell is also Grand Z . of the Grand Chapter and one of the Supreme Council 33 .

The Duke of Abercorn , presides as Grand Master of Ireland , who as the Marquis of Hamilton , was S . G . W . of England in 1875 . The Hon . Judge Townshend , LL . D ., is still the first Grand Principal of the Grand Chapter , and the honoured Chief of the Supreme Council 33 ° for that Country . Of Colonial and Foreign Grand Lodges may be enumerated , Canada ,

( Ontario ) , Quebec , New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , Manitoba . South Australia ; France , Belgium , Switzerland , Spain , Portugal , Italy , the Netherlands , the German Grand Lodges , and others , together with the numerous Grand Lodges in the United Stales , and others ot lesser magnitude and importance .

Relative to the Degrees worked in England addilional to those recognised officially by the Grand Lodge , the Mark Grand Lodge , being by far the largest body , falls first to be considered . Its influence and vitality appear to be ever on the increase , and its popularity still continues unabated . H . R . H . the Prince of Wales is the Grand

Master now , just as in the Craft , so there is now a Pro Grand Master appointed , the present occupant of that distinguished position being the Right Hon . Lord Egerton . The roll of Past Grand Masters includes ten brethren who are noted for their zeal and hig h rank in the Craft ; the Deputy Grand Master being the Marquess of Hertford , and the S . G . W ., H . R . H . Prince Albert Victor .

There are 46 Provincial Grand Lodges formed at home and abroad , the senior now being that of Devon , formed on nth December , 1857 , when the Rev . John Huyshe , M . A ., was the first Provincial Grand Master . The first Provincial Grand Lodge , however , that was constituted appears to have been

that of Berks and Hants , with Ihe . R . W . Bro . W . VV . B . Beach , M . P ., as Provincial Grand Master . The second now in point in seniority is Leicestershire , which , ttrange to say , has the same Provincial Grand Master now as it had in 1 S 58 , and has so continued fiom that year to the present time —well nigh 30 years !— we refer to the esteemed R . W . Bro . William Kelly , F . R . H . S ., & c .

There are 3 S 7 active Mark lodges , being a net increase of seven , as compared with the last " Cosmo . " Of the Degrees incorporated with the Mark Grand Lodge , H . R . H . the Prince of Wales is Grand Master of the " Royal Ark Manners , " and M . W .

Bro . the Rev . Canon Portal , M . A ., is M . P . Grand Master of the "Royal and Select Masters . " There are 80 Ark Mariners' lodges , and nine " Councils" of the Royal and Select Masters . Of the " Allied Degrees , " of which M . W . Bro . Rev . Canon Portal is also Grand Master , there are 25 Councils held in this country and abroad .

The head quarters of all these bodies are at SA , Red Lion-squre , where any information needed may be obtained . ' Of the United Orders of the Temple and Malta , there are really two controlling Bodies virtually , of whom the " Convent General , " under H . R . H . the Piinceof Wales , as Grand Master , governs , in a sense England and Ireland ; Canada having withdrawn from the arrangement , and Scotland never seeing fit to join .

The eminent '' Great Prior" of England is the Rt . Hon . the Earl of Lathom , having our respected Grand Secretary as " Great Sub-Prior . " There are 2 S Provincial Priories , and over 100 Preceptories . Of the latter there are some 27 "Suspended , " thus raising the gross total to 135 . Some eight pages of the "Cosmo" are devoted to the '' Ancient and

Accepted Rite , " which continues to be much favoured by brethren of exalted rank in the Craft . The Grand Patron is H . R . H . the Princeof Wales , the Grand Commander is the Rt . Hon . the Earl of Lathom , who has for his Lieut . Grand Commander , Captain N . G . Philips , and in the Supreme Council are seven other brethren whose names are as " Household words " so far as the Craft is concerned .

There are several pages required for the names of members of the Degrees from the 33 down to theso , followed with a list of the chapters numbering 96 in all , or an increase of five since the publication of the "Cosmo" for 1887 . The " Royal Order of Scotland" is also noted , and finally the "Red

Cross of Rome and Constantine '' concludes the part for England . Of this Organization Colonel Sir Francis Burdett , Bart ., is the M . P . G . S ., and he lias the honour to preside over 80 and more Conclaves . Renewed interest has been ' taken in this Degree of late years , and the vigorous management at head-quarters may yet restore it to its former position .

"Masonic Facts And Fictions."

" MASONIC FACTS AND FICTIONS . "

The very complimentary article in last week's Freemason from the pen of the indefatigable Masonic historian , VV . J . Hughan , cannot be otherwise than highly gratifying to the author of the above named work , who , while 1 egretting his inability to at once convert that distinguished brother to his new theory of the origin of the " Ancient" Grand Lodge , will endeavour to

seek consolation in the knowledge that he never for a single moment anticipated so wonderful a result . Indeed he could as readily imagine one of our stately old East Indiamen , filled to the hatches with a valuable cargo , lowering her flag at the bidding of a saucy little Privateer , as that all our historians , after lumbering comfortably along , year after year under

the old familiar flag of Recession , should haul down their colours without firing a shot in self-defence . Fortunately the success of the book is not entirely dependent on the approval of our recognised writers . Had that been the case something considerably less than sixteen pages would have doubtless sufficed for the names of the subscribers .

It may possibly interest these worthy brethren to know that Bro . Fenn is by no means singular in his belief that the author "has proved hh case ; " many other brethren , some of whom are not only eminent in Masonry , but in the legal profession also , having expressed the same

opinion , and who , with the facilities now offered for stud ying the history of our Order , are quite as capable oE arriving at a just and unbiassed conclusion on the subject as those who come under the category of Masonic authors . However , I presume , an unanimous verdict is not absolutely essential in this instance , and , for my own part , I shall be quite content with ( say )

a two thirds majority . Bro . Hughan s letter is of too important a character for me to be able to deal with in its entirety—at one sitting , I must , therefore , content myself for the present with a few observations on the portion wherein he takes exception to my view of the social difference between what I have designated " the old and the new Order of Masons " in London in the

early days of the Grand Longe , and , in support of his own views , he refers to Masonry in Warrington and several other towns , all of them at a considerable distance from the Metropolis . I was certainly under the impression that I had been sufficiently explicit on this point , although I do not attach such importance to it as Bro . Hughan appears to do . All I desired to

convey was that the Grand Lodge of 1717 and that of 1753 were formed b y Masons whose social status was of a similar character , namely , the trading and artisan class , and that shortly after the first named body was established , the Craft was patronised by the nobility and gentry in a much larger degree than had hitherto been the case , and that the infusion of this new

element probably led to so many alterations in the usages , and departures from old customs , as to fully justify the application of the epithet " Modern " to this branch of the Order . I cannot at present see that Masonry in Scotland , Warrington , ice , in the seventeenth century has the smallest

bearing on this subject . If , however , Bro . Hughan is of a different opinion , and will print his evidence , I am quite sure it will meet with due consideration ; but I am inclined to think that the readers of " Masonic Facts and Fictions " will require something more definite than " I cannot quite accept " to influence their verdict .

I show from the records that many of the Masons of the old school , including the first Grand Master and several former Grand Wardens were amongst the first to be relieved from the Charity Fund , evincing pretty clearly that however estimable they may have been , their social position is not likely to have been of a very high order . What then , could have been the calibre ol the rank and file , their constituents 1

Repeating this kind of evidence bears so strong a resemblance to " flogging a dead horse " that I am reluctant to pursue it further , I may , however , remark that I do not depend entirel y upon these isolated cases for evidence as to the social position of our old brethren , mv view beinf amply justified by the early register of Grand Lodge , which , although it ' does not

mention the trades or professions of the members of the old lodges , indicates clearly enough that they were not of the aristocratic class , except in one instance , that of the present No . 4 . Members were first registered in 1723 , and it is highly probable that this lod ge had altered its character entirely during the preceding six years . VVe have no really definite

information as to the status of the members of the " Modern" lodges prior to 1768 when registration became compulsory , and even at that period the Lodge of Antiquity ( one of the lodges that joined in forming the Grand Lodge in 1717 ) , was composed chiefly of tradesmen , as was also original No . 3 another of these old lodges ; indeed , the same remarks will apply generally

to the lodges that were in existence before 1723 . I shall embrace the first opportunity for dealing more at length with the latter position of Bro . Hughan ' s letter , although fully sensible of the difficulty of the task before me ; nevertheless , 1 shall not despair , for if I remember rightly , those small vessels before referred to were generally well

manned , and occasionally carried metal heavy enough to persuade the big ships to surrender , however contrary to their ori ginal determination . If in the face of the evidence I have been able to put before them Bro . Hughan and his colleagues still choose to remain under the old fl ' ao- of

Secession , of course I cannot prevent them ; for my own part I have left it for good and all , the one I now sail under bears the motto ' Truth and Justice , it is nailed to the mast , and something more solid than blank cartridges will be required to bring it down .

One of the many beautiful lessons which Masonry inculcates is " the uncertainty of all things here on earth , " and that the path of this life is beset with dangers and difficulties . Should I ever have the misfortune to labour under the stigma of murder , treason , bigamy , arson , or any other of the numerous weaknesses " that flesh

is heir to , " my most fervent hope would be that I mi ght be tried by a jury of Masonic Historians , for , unless witnesses could be got to solemnly swear that they actually saw me commit the crime ; if the evidence were merely circumstantial—no matter how clear and conclusive it mi ght appear to ordinary minds , nor how strong the chain—I feel sure , if BrorHughan were foreman , that I should " Jeavethe court without a stain upon my character . ' HENRY SADLER .