Contents.

CONTENTS .

L EADERS " » ' ¦"" J ,, " V" ? Consecration o £ the Cowper and Newton Lodge , No . 2244 no Royal Masonic Institutions—Benevolent , Girls ' , and Boys' no History of the Lodge of Unanimity and Sincerity , No . 361 ( Continued ) m Masonic Ball of the Whitwell Lodge , No .

noo , at Millom in Presentation to Bro . Dr . F . E . Pocock m C 0 RRSSH 0 » DENC«— . _ Early Masonry in Cheshire 113 An Old Lodge at Chichester 114 A Question of Custom 114 Our Masonic Charities—A Suggestion ... 114

The Benevolent Festival 114 Masters' Lodges 114 Reviews 114 Notes and Queries 114 R BPORTS 07 M ASONIC MSKTINGSCraft Masonry 114 Instruction 118

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS ( Continued)—Royal Arch ng Instruction 120 Mark Masonry 120 Knights Templar 120 Ancient and Accepted Rite 120 Rosicrucian Society of England 120 Order of the Secret Monitor 120

Annual Soiree of the Caledonian Lodge , No . 204 , Manchester 121 The Second Annual Ball of the Rothesay Lodge , No . 168 J 121 Consecration of the Ascotvale Masonic Hall 121 District Grand Lodge of Victoria ( E . C . ) ...

Board of Benevolence 121 Freemasonrv 121 The Craft Abroad 123 Theatres 123 Obituary 123 Masonic and General Tidings 123 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 124

Ar00101

IN a few days' time the Festival for the current year of the of W edesday Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , with which we have Next . jjeen so kus jj y occupying ourselves for the last two months , will take place under the presidency of R . W . Bro . Sir GEORGE ELLIOT ,

Bart ., M . P ., Prov . Grand Master of South Wales ( Eastern Division ) , and the question every one is anxiously considering is—What chances are there in favour of a sufficient sum being realised to meet the requirements of the year ? We know that the Chairman will exert his utmost eloquence in order to charm the contributions from the pockets of his audience . We are

satisfied his province will support him to the best of its ability , and that the other lodges and provinces which have sent representatives will assist with their accustomed generosity . This much is a foregone conclusion ; but we cannot in reason expect a Board of Stewards to do more than its duty . Perhaps the brethren who are acting as such , and who know how much depends

on the success of their exertions , may be able to accumulate a larger sum in proportion than we are justified in associating with a somewhat restricted Board ; but it would be out of all reason to expect from 260 brethren as massive a total as from close on 400 brethren ; and , as far as present appearances go , this year ' s Board will barely exceed the former number ,

while in 1887 it reached the latter . We must be prepared , therefore , for a substantial diminution from last year ' s total , though if the sum announced will enable the Institution to pay its way without trenching upon its capital ,

we shall have good grounds for being thankful . As for the position of the Board of Stewards , it has been considerably strengthened during the week , the number at present , after allowing for withdrawals , being 256 , and no doubt a few further names will be added to the list between now and

Wednesday next , thereby raising the total to about 260 , as already stated . Had all the brethren who tendered their services remained firm to the last , the number would have been much more considerable ; but one of the chief

difficulties with which the Secretaries of our Institutions have to contend in connection with their Festival arrangements is that brethren give in their names as Stewards and withdraw them at the last moment , or only a short time before the Festival is appointed to be held , when it is difficult , and in

some cases impossible , to replace them with advantage . The Secretaries are well aware that many of their disappointments in this respect are unavoidable ; but it is none the less vexatious when they find that lodges and even provinces , on whose assistance they had been reckoning , are left

otewardless when there is no time to make good the default . However , ne arrangements are about as complete as they can be , and if they are not as promising as we have known them at former Festivals , we have still the consolation of knowing that no effort will be spared in order to realise , as nearl y as possible , the total that is needed .

* # * The New ^ vacar > cy in the District Grand Mastership of Malta , ^ Maita' caused by tne lamented death of Bro . W . KINGSTON , has been filled by the appointment of Bro . Col . MARMADUKE RAMSAY ,

" was Uist . G . Master of the Punjab from 1874 to 1881 . The selection a brother who has already presided over one district abroad to be the na Master of another district is of rare occurrence in our annals . We ave known instances in which a brother has been Grand Master of more p an one Province , and the Duke of CONNAUGHT at the present time is r ^ ov . Gran d M aster of Sussex and Dist . Grand Master of Bombay , while r j ' ° HARLECH is ProvGMof North Connaught under the Irish WV i ! V « IV * 111 VWIIIIQUglU l bill

n „ rT . .. . Q _ J Q w — ' J * » , ^ .. ** . A . UNUV- * lIlOUj 0 ™ v- G -M . of North Wales under the English , Constitution . Moreund r ' B ™ - Sir W . J . CLARKE , Bart ., is Dist . G . M ., or P . G . M . of Victoria , nP „ } Conslitutions of England , Ireland , and Scotland . Perhaps the

South VV 'S d Br ° ' ' 0 HN WlLLIAMS < who was D . G . M . of New and rn 6 S . m l 86 x t 0 l 86 7 > and was appointed a second time in 18 77 , show' r ^ tains n ' position . However , the point is immaterial , except as R ' the a Ppreciation in which the Masonic services of Bro . Colonel gf atuU T * ' y h ' ° yal Hi S hness the GRAND MASTER , and we con"' "i ^ cl K ° ° " r res P ected brother on the latest honour conferred upon disthw u , District Grand Lodge of Malta on the appointment of so "P'sned a Mason as its ruler .

Ar00102

IT is gratifying to learn from the report for the year 1887 , shire Masonic which was presented by the Committee at the annual meeting of the East Lancashire Systematic Educational and

Benevolent Institution on the 27 th of January last , that the position of this important provincial organisation is as prosperous as ever . It is true that owing to the great efforts made by the lodges in the Province in behall of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution during the past year , the donations

and subscriptions from these bodies show a considerable diminution as compared with 1886 , but as a set off against the loss thus sustained , those from individual brethren have been substantially increased . The income from all sources amounted to a fraction over X 785 , while the expenditure was

between £ 452 and £ 453 , the balance thus accruing to the Institution at the close of the year ' s operations being in excess of . £ 332 . The grants in relief were four in number and amounted to ^ 50 , while the Educational grants were 29 in number and reached nearly £ 253 . But the point on which the General

Committee very properly lay the greatest stress is the small outlay incurred for expenses of management , which for the year just terminated only slightly exceeeded ^ 80 . The invested property of the Institution , including Government Stock and railway scrip to the value of £ 512 ios . purchased during the

year , is over £ 6711 , and the balance remaining at the bankers and in hand at the close of the account was a few shillings short of £ 560 . The number of children assisted by the Charity is 33 , as against 30 in 1886 , and one who was formerly on the fund is now in the Boys' School at Wood Green on the

Blair Presentation . In fine , the East Lancashire charitable organisation is well managed and generously supported . It has done good service in the past , and it does not need the gift of prophecy to foretell that under the able

administration of its General Committee it cannot fail to be as prosperous in the future as in the past . We congratulate the President of the Institution—Bro . Col . Le Gendre N . Starkie , P . G . M . —the Committee , and the officers , on the success of the past year ' s proceedings .

* * * WE are not surprised that the article on " Freemasonry , " / JVjoenn Q Criticism of which we have reproduced from the columns of the Echo of last reem 0 . weeic should have evoked some unfavourable criticism . Every

society which has a plan or system of operations of its own , and follows it out strictly , is sure to have almost as many enemies , or , at all events , hostile critics , as it has friends . Those who understand or have benefited by

its plan of work can hardly praise it sufficiently , while those who do not understand it or have not benefited are equally loud in their condemnation . But it passes our comprehension that an hostile critic of this article should have been found in a brother Mason who , though his personal

experiences have been unfortunate , must be well aware that the interior arrangements of our Society , for the relief of distressed members as in all other things , are governed by a set of laws , known as the Constitutions , and that those who break or do not observe those laws have only themselves to

blame if their endeavour to effect the purpose they have in view result in failure . Every brother must sympathise with one who has been in the position in which "ANTI-HUMBUG" describes himself to have been "in the depth of last winter , " when he found himself "in an empty house ,

without even a chair to sit on , " and his " children lying on the bare boards . " Much , too , may be forgiven to a man who , being in such dire necessity and not obtaining instantly the relief he so urgently needed , interprets , in his anger , the slight delay that must necessarily have occurred before his wants

could be alleviated , as a direct and absolute refusal . But possibly the very natural pride of a man who has known better circumstances may not have allowed him to disclose the full extent of his misery , and the lodge , not knowing how immediate was his want , may have referred him to the Grand

Secretary , while the latter , after giving him a form of application to the Board of Benevolence would properly refer him back to his lodge in order that it might receive the sanction of its recommendation . This , indeed , according to his own showing , is what did take place , and had he been

able to wait , the relief would have been no doubt forthcoming . But we venture to say there is not a lodge in the kingdom , which , if it had known he was without food and a chair to sit upon , and that his children were ' lying on the bare boards , " would not have supplied him , by individual

subscription , if not out of the lodge funds , with sufficient for the immediate necessities of himself and his family . We fear that "ANTI-HUMBUG " has overstepped the limits of just criticism , and before passing any opinion upon the circumstances as described by him , we should like to hear what his lodge has to say upon the subject .