Contents.

CONTENTS .

I . E .. BF . RS 1 ° <) United ( irand Lodge no Annual Festival of the Royal Masonic Uenevnlent Institution no Worshipful Masters—IV 112 Provincial ( Irand Chapter of Ilerks and Bucks " 3

Laving Ihe Foundation Stone of a New I ' . od ^ e at Addington , New Zealand nj CtlRRF . SPllXllF . XCEThe Three ( . rami Lodges of the I nitcd Kingdom "I Apollo University Lodge 114

'I fit Worship ful . Masters 114 The Prophet of . Ksthcticism 115 Printers' l . rrors 115 Review * " i . " Masonic Notes ami Oucries 11 ; Opening of a New Masonic Uall at [ arrow 11 ;

; 'the Caledonian Lodge Soiree at Manchester un j Masonic Ball- ; lit ) Presentation to llro . Lieut , A . J . Lindsay at I Dublin ' . nf " Li miner ' s 11 7 j RR .-ai . Ts OF MASONIC MF . F . TIXGS—! Craft Masonry 117

J Instruction 120 I Royal Arch 121 j Mark Masonry 121 Ancient and Accepted Kite 131 ) Royal Masonic Institution for ( lirls 121

Obituary 121 The I heatres 122 Music 122 I Science and Art 122 , Masonic aud Oeueral Tidings 123 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 124

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THE Annual Festival of the R 03 . il Masonic Benevolent Institution look p lace on Tuesday last , at Freemasons'Tavern , uneler the effective presidency of Bro . Colonel J . A . .. uiYD-PiiiLirrs , J . P ., Prov . CM . for South Wales ( Western Division ) . There were 138 Stewards from thc Metropolis , and n _ from the Provinces . Of thc 1 , 8 Stewards from London the lists amounted

to the goodly sum of £ (' 1884 10 s ., and the 116 Provincial Stewards returned the sa _ i . sfac . 0 r 3 ' sum of £ 547 : * 13 s . _ d ., makin * , * ' a grand total ot £ 2 . 357 _ s - 6 d . Ten lists , it seems , are yet lo come in . This is a result on which wc may , indeed , fairly congratulate heartily all concerned—Stewards ,

Managing Committee , and Bro . TERRY . It is a good omen for our other great charities in 1882 , and we shall trust to record similar striking and satisfactory results for thc Girls' and Beys' School in due time , as sterling proofs of thc unabated charily of our good Craft .

* + TUB Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution has received another striking proof of thc affection and confidence of thc Craft , alike for its gracious

benefits as for its admirable management , in that it " opens the ball , " as the saying runs , in respect of our great Metropolitan Charities , wilh thc really noble sum of £ ' 2 . 357 3 s - *>< ' ^' shall make some remarks on the returns next week , but , to-day , our words are strictly those of unallovcd

congratulation and pride . * THE agenda paper of Grand Lodge for March 1 st is now before thc Craft . Our readers will be struck with thc heavy pressure on the Lodge of Benevolence . Bro . PERCEVAL ' S motion for tellers is objected to by the Boartl of General Purposes on the reasonable ground , that Grand Lodge isa

fluctuating body and no list of members is possible . The proposal of the Hoard of General Purposes to rcmfcdy the inconveniences complained of seems lo us very reasonable and sensible . We cannot approve of Bro . DAVISON ' S motion lo duplicate the meetings of the Board of Benevolence , nor of Bro .

BRIT-TON ' S , to throw so much , and practically unnecessary , clerical work on the Secretariat . Indeed , we think thc proposal is likely to do harm , inasmuch as it will publicize our proceedings and our cases for relief , —a very objectionable result . Wc c-uite agree wilh Bro . NI'N N ' S motion to change the hours of meeting from six to four o'clock .

_* * A VERY agreeable paity assembled at Limmcr's on Thursday week , to celebrate the opening of that old and . well-known hoslcl . 3 . and to take pari in a pleasant housewarming , hospitably offered by Bro . BENSKIN . A large number of our brethren were present , as a special notice tells us elsewhere ,

and , after a most tasteful reception and a most social evening , departed with "Hearty good wishes" for thc prosperity of Limmer ' s , under the skilful management of our respected and enterprising brother . Some of our Craft have also very genial memories of agreeable reunions at the Castle and Falcon . * .

A VERY interesting discussion has been going in our pages relative to the duties and qualifications of W . M . ' s . We think that such a skilled treatment of the subject must do good , and we gladly invite literary contributions on the subject . Our only remark we think it right to make , —that in all such theoretical questions we doubt much if proposals of change will tend to

advance the end of the discussion as we understand it , the more so as Bro . WHYTEHEAD , who gave 'is the first essay on the subject , laid before his readers certain wise and seasonable laws as regards the " rationale" of election , and some equally sensible suggestions for an improvement in the practice of electing the head of a lodge , in which all , we think , must concur , and which all , we think , must approve of .

V-¦ * ¦ * IT occurred to us the other day , that after all is said and done , despite our many lodge symposias , we hardly yet make enough of the Masonic social

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system for personal acquaintance and for private friendship . We assemble together so 111 . 1113 ' limes a 3 'car ; we are happy to meet , sony to pari , and glatl lo meet again ; bnt then it nil ends . Very often when the Masonic season is over Bro . TIMMINS and Bro . TOMKINSOX , who are the greatest of mates in lodge , part , only again to sec each other when the good Secretary

summons them in November to renew the work and hospitality of the old " United Brothers . " WI 13 ' should this be so ' . ' Xeed it be so ' . ' Is there not a private sociality of Freemasonry which even might render its public gatherings more pleasant and more intimate . We think il is a very good thing for any lodge , and a good sign , too , of any lodge , when ils brethren are glad lo

meet each other in the private social circle as well as al the lodge banquet . We feel sure that it would add to the harmony of many a good lodge , and conduce to smoothness of working and a general " entente cordiale " among the members , if the W . M . and his oilicers met together as friends and

gentlemen , as well as Freemasons , if the members kept up that charm of intimate friendly interest , union , and good will which thc true Masonic social S 3 'stem and the pleasant Masonic festive gatherings so fitly pourlray and illustrate .

* * WE were attending some ritual work in a good lodge the other evening , and a thought came into our minds which we venture to hand on to our readers , though whether it be good for much or little we must leave them to decide . It was this : What a very wonderful compilation , after all , is our Masonic

ritual when carefully delivered and . rsthelically performed , and what a mine of reflection , consideration , cherished memories , and pleasant associations it really always opens out for the serious and the attentive . I low many years have passed away , perhaps , since we first saw the mystic light of Masonry , since we joined that great Order , whose stakes are just now so far extended

whose lodges are in every portion of the globe , and whose use and value to mankind arc so great and significant . I low many cheery , if melancholy , souvenirs crowd in upon us as we iccall , half musingly and tenderly , the ceremonies wc have witnessed , thc bright Masons wc have worked with , the doctors of Israel at whose feet we have sat , and from whom we have learned

that old world-lore which lime does nol change , and innovations and affectation do not sweep away . Such as we heard our Masonic ritual for the first time years ago , such it is Exactly ihe same to-day ; line upon line , word upon word , ceremony upon ceremony . Nothing is altered , nothing is increased or diminished , nothing in essentials is different , not one iota . No : there is this

great charm in our Masonic ritual , it i .- > " semper eadem ; " such as our fathers taught wc leach still , and what was the " mus inajorum " of 1782 , such is almost exactly in its entirety what the children receive and hand on in turn in | . S 8 _ . \ We are aware that with that love ef change inherent in man , that restlessness ol passing crowds incident lo mortality , each generation thinks

itself wiser and better than thc preceding one , and able to improve on what no doubt best accorded with the opportunities or intelligence of yonder dead and buried company . But we trust no rash hands will be laid on our Masonic ritual , no outcry of eager alteration or hasty innovation will be allowed to overpower the scruples of the hesitating ,

or overrule the doubts of ihe expert . To say that the Grand Lodge of 1882 could not find a committee competent lo take the ritual in hand would be an absurdity ; but we would rather strike a keynote of caution and warning when we say that we hope the policy of ihe Grand Lod ge will be to leave well alone . The lillie variations and debateable points which exist are all so

harmless , so immaterial , so much the result of local traditions , of old and valued formula . ' , the remains of several antique and partly sj-nchronous systems , all tending to a common centre , that ' ll is advisable to preserve them in the best interests of skilled exposition , and the interesting claims of Masonic archxology . One stereotyped formula would , in our opinion , betl . e

death blow of all Masonic industry and interest amongst us , ol the faithful labours of lodges of instruction , of the happy ancl skilful assistance of well known teachers . The oftener we listen to our well known phraseology , 1 r note the collocation of ceremonial , the fitting arrangement of symbol and

verbiage , the more wc admire the skill and abilities of our Masonic forefathers , who handed over to our keeping and possession that which time does not weaken or destroy , but rather adds lo its value , its effect , and its reality .

IN 1778 ADAM BOEHMP . published , at Leipsie , an alphabetical list of all then known Masonic lodges , except ihe Swedish . So interesting is the return that it is proposed , we are told , 10 print it in the

" Documcnta Latomica Inedita" of the April " Masonic Magazine . " We think the idea a good one , inasmuch as we shall be able to realize what is the position of Freemasonry after just about 100 years . The lodges then minus the Swedish return , which could not have been larg-e , were 8 91 , and lo