Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERSEpisode in the Masonic History of Bengal ... ... ... 37 Masonic Literature ... ... ... ... ... 3 ^ Freemasonry in Pennsylvania ... ... ... ... 39 Our Larger Province—Kent ... ... ... ... ... 39 Consecration of the Prince Llewellyn Lodge , No . 2570 ... ... ... 4 °

Consecration of the Borough Lodge , No . 25 S 9 ... ... .. ... 4 l Consecration of the Baliol Chapter , Nn . 1230 ... ... ... ... 4 1 Presentation to Rro . VV . Harrop , P . P . G . W . West Yorks ... ... ... 4 ' Presentation to Bro . Lord Henniker ... ... ... ... 43 Presentation to Bro . W . Lake , A . G . Sec . ... ... ... ... 43 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... ... ... 43 Masonic Notes ... ... ... ... ... ... 45 Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... ... ... ... 4 '

Ladies' Night at the Eccleston Lodge , No . 1624 ' ... ... ... 4 6 Board of Benevolence ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 * Cralt Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 47 Scottish Freemasonry in India ... ... ... ... ... 47 Royal Arch Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 Our Portrait Gallery ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 > Maik Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 Lodges and Chapters of Instruction ... ... ... ... . so Masonic and General Tid'ngs ... ... ... ... ... 52

Episode In The Masonic History Of Bengal.

EPISODE IN THE MASONIC HISTORY OF BENGAL .

It is not everyone who is in a position to boast that , in a certain sense , lie ' has forced an entrance into a lodge of Freemasons , bul th . e portrait we publish on another page of Bro . P . C . IDUIT , Deputy District Grand Master of Bengal , and the

pamphlet from which tiie brief sketch accompanying it of his Masonic career , disclose the -fact that as recently as 30 years since ihe broad and generous principles of Freemasonry were not

fully understood and appreciated even by brethren in high places . In the year 1863 , Mr . DuTT , a Hindoo gentleman of repute , conceived the idea of becoming a Freemason , and , at his own

request , was proposed for initiation 111 Lodge Courage with Humanity , No . 392 , Calcutta . At that time , the By-laws of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bengal—as thc pamphlet informs us—contained an article to thc effect that— "No Mohammedan

or oilier Asiatic shall be initiated in any Lodge without the previous sanction of the Provincial Grand Master . " Accordingly , the W . M . of No . 392 applied to the then Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Hc'GH D . S . \ Xl ) l * :. \ iA . \—who onlv a few months since

resigned the office of Grand Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Rite—for a dispensation to ballot for , and , if approved , initiate the said Mr . P . C . DiJTT . I he request , however , was refused , and at the next

Communication of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bengal the question " Whether the admission of Hindoos into Freemasonry is in accordance with the principles of thc Order as inculcated by the Grand Lodge of England " was discussed at lensrlh

md decided in the negative , the Provincial Grand Master , in bringing the debate to a . conclusion , remarking " that Hindoos were not eligible for admission into Freemasonry , and ,

moreover , that it was not desirable , with reference to social considerations , that they should be admitted , and so long as he held a veto under the By-laws , he would exercise the power rigidl y and with the utmost caution . " This decision was in due

course communicated to Mr . DuiT , who appears to be a man of considerable determination , and , resolving not to bc baulked in his desire to become a Freemason , addressed a long appeal to ' ••< - ' Earl of ZETLAND , then M . VV . Grand Master , in the course of

which he mentioned , among other matters , as constituting a peculiar hardshi p in his case , that another Hindoo gentleman of us own rank in society had previously been proposed and

'"' dated after making the following declaration : " I am not a 'l )>! heist or a Polytheist . [ do not identify my Creator with any one of j | i s creatures . I believe in the existence of one Great •' reinfect of the Universe , whose wish is the happiness of all s Clcat -ures , whose will is law , whose laws are impressed on thc

Episode In The Masonic History Of Bengal.

heart of every right-thinking individual , and whose never-failing justice shall reach the transgressors of His laws on the Great Day of Judgment to come . " This letter was dated the gth

November , 186 3 , and on the 7 th February , 1865 , Bro . W . GKAY CLARKE , the Grand Secretary , after apologising for a delay which had been " unavoidable , as letters had to be written to India and information had to be gathered from different sources , " informed Mr . DuTT that the Grand Master was not aware

"that any objections had ever been raised against the initiation of anyone who professed a belief in the Great Architect of Heaven and Earth , ancl who was in other respects worthy to be admitted to the Order , " and was " surprised to

( ind that the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bengal had passed and had acted upon , a prohibitory law . " Bro . CLARKE added that this law had " since been removed , " and consequently that there was nothing , " at least in as far as the Grand Master can infer ,

to prevent you or any other gentleman who believe in the one Omnipotent , Omniscient , and Omnipresent God , and who in private life practice the sacred duties of morality , from being initiated into the secrets and mysteries of our Order . " The latter

concluded with a reservation in respect of the Private Lodges , which had By-Laws of their own for the admission or rejection of candidates , and with which , provided they were not " inconsistent with the general laws of the Order , " the Grand Master

had no power to interfere . It may have been imagined that after such a letter , in which the law as to the admission of candidates—so far as the question of religion is concerned—was so fully and clearly explained , would have sufficed to enable Mr .

DUTT to attain the object of his desires and become a Freemason , but the Provincial Grand Lodge of Bengal appears to have appealed against the order of the Grand Master , and again we lind Mr . DUTT addressing himself to the authorities of Grand

Lodge with a view to securing thc removal of the obstacles to his admission into the Order . This we learn from a further letter from Bro . W . GRAY CLARKE , dated 19 th October , 1865 , in reply to one from Mr . DUTT of the 16 th August preceding , in which

the G . Secretary , after again explaining that the G . Master has no power of interference , much less any intention to interfere , with "the individual feelings or opinions of any member of the Order , " or " with any decision a Masonic Lodge might come to upon a

ballot , informs his correspondent that " the Grand Master has , since the meeting of thc Provincial Grand Lodge of Bengal to which you refer , again refused to allow the objectionable By-law

to be retained , " and that " any Loc ' ge that is so disposed can admit you or any other native ; but you must understand that no Lodge is compelled to do so . "

The decision of Lord ZETLAND not " to allow the objectionable law to be retained " among the by-laws of the District Grand Lodge of Bengal had already been communicated to the District Grand Master in a letter dated the 23 rd September , 186 5 , from

which we extract thc following paragraph concerning the initiation of Hindoos or other Asiatics : " Every Private Lodge has the undoubted right to decide for itself whom it will admit , provided the ancient landmarks and the laws of the Grand Lodge

arc not infringed . In one of the ancient charges it is expressly stated that ' Let a man ' s religion or mode of worship be what it may , he is not excluded from the Order provided he believes

in thc Glorious Architect of Heaven and Earth , and practises the sacred duties of morality . ' The Grand Master cannot alter tbat rule , neither can he sanction any subordinate authority enacting a rule , compelling a Lodge to ignore it . And it must