Correspondence.

Correspondence .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents bnt we wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limitst t discussion .

MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I have been expecting further papers on this subject , as I am anxious to learn how we ought to behave when a Secretary acts in the manner I have described . In previous articles it has been laid down that the members must not disturb the harmony of the lodge . We may say we don't agree , and request our dissent to be entered on the minutes .

In your last publication we find " M . L . S . " asks a similar question . 1 give you with this another instance . A lodge established a Benevolent Fund over 50 years ago for the sole purpose of relieving their OWN members , and accumulated rather a large sum , for this purpose only .

The Secretary , when going up as a Steward for the Boys' Centenary Festival , proposed that the lodge should authorise the Benevolent Fund to place £ 200 on his List , and as no one ventured to object , the thing was done . I really should like to know if there is nothing to be done to prevent this kind of thing . —Yours fraternally , AN INDEPENDENT P . M .

OLD MASONIC ENGRAVING . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I have recently purchased an old Masonic engraving ( steel ) ,

presumably executed in the early years of this century , and containing no less than 120 emblems peculiar to Freemasonry . Can any reader tell me its exact age ? It was " Printed and Published for B . A . Neely , 41 , Great Jackson-street , Hulme , by John Bradshaw , 6 , Church-street , Manchester , " and is * ' Dedicated to the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Freemasons . "—Yours fraternally ,

CHAS . F . FORSHAW , LL . D ., F . R . S . L 48 , Hanover-square , Bradford .

THE SEASIDE CAMP FOR LONDON WORKING BOYS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Will you again kindly allow us to appeal to your readers for help to carry on the work of this camp ? Through the War Funds , and other equally deserving appeals to public support , and owing to the death of several liberal subscribers , our financial position is really serious .

The intense heat which all Londoners have had to endure recently has no doubt caused many of your readers to yearn for their holiday , and to plan their escape for a time from crowded streets and heated pavements . We would ask all those who find in their purses enough to guarantee such a respite for themselves to think of our hard working London lads , and to spare something to

help them to a breath of sea air and a health-giving sojourn on the beach , Eighteen hundred lads were enabled , through our camps , to obtain such a holiday last year , and there is every indication of a considerable increase in this number this season . Unless , however , your readers can come to our assistance quickly and liberally , there seems little hope lhat we shall be able to meet thu demands upon our resources .

Each lad pays something towards the cost of his holiday , so that he is not pauperised ; but this something does not do much more than cover the railway fare . Everyone has found the recent heat more or less difficult to endure , but no

one assuredly more acutely than the mere lad whose daily work takes him to the hot oily workshop or printing room , up and down steep stairs or along pavements shimmering with heat , or even into the furnace room . He is now worn out and run down . We are asking your readers to help him to that which alone can pick him up again for another year of toil—a refreshing seaside holiday .

Contributions may be paid direct to our Bankers , Messrs . Cocks , Biddulph , and Co ., 43 , Charing-cross , S . W ., or may be sent to our Secretary , Mr . F . Abel Bloxam , at Northumberland Chambers , Charing-cross , who will gratefully acknowledge them . —We are , Sir , yours faithfully , ALFRED MARLBOROUGH , lip . A . F . STEPNEY . R . W . LOWRY , Lieut-General . E . A . FORD , Treasurer .

THE HANDY MAN . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir , England feels that she owes a deep debt of gratitude to her seamen and Royal Marines for their gallant deeds in South Atrica , and now again in China . Whenever there is a scrimmage , ashore or afloat , Jack and Joe are in for it , and never come out second best .

Vast sums of money have been raised for wives , orphans , and mothers , and although great energy is expended in the administration of these funds , there must still be missing links . Your paper is widely read , and the eye of some Service man may light upon this letter . He knows full well that my heart is ever with our men of the Navy and those dear to them , and I only want to know of a case of distress unrelieved to get that case helped . I ask my Service friends and

others to let me know of any unrelieved and deserving cases , and f will do my best for them . While much is done for widows and mothers , but little is done for Jack and Joe . The Naval Brigade are the fortunate fellows , but every day men are invalided out of the Service—without work , without pension , in weak health , and often with insufficient clothing . This state of affairs has only to be known to be remedied . Help for a few weeks would soon set many a bluejacket

or marine , worn by sickness , on his feet again . A warm suit of clothes on invaliding wo . ild be a boon to many a man on leaving the hospital for civil life ; and small swns of money ran be wisely expended in paying the railway fare of mother or wile to enable her to look once more into the face of the dying son or husband , and to hear his last words . I am ready to do all this for our men—for richly do they deserve it—in their lime of weakness and sorrow . —Yours very truly ,

AGNES E . WESTON . Royal Sailors' Rest , Portsmouth .

Correspondence.

OUR COLONIAL SOLDIERS . To the Editor ot the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Will you kindly reprint the letter I now enclose , and which appeared in last Saturday ' s issue of the City Press , and , strangely enough , elicited no

response ; for this no blame can be attached to Londoners generally , who were in complete ignorance of the fact that these men , who so readily volunteered when wanted , and have shown such conspicuous bravery in South Africa , particularly at Paardeberg , were Canadians returning home from the war . Had it been otherwise , I feel sure it would not have been left for Liverpool to show us how such men ought to have been treated .

As a Canadian I regret the seeming apathy , but am happy in the knowledge that with better official managing their progress through the City would have been to them a memory of which they would have been proud . —Yours faithfully , CANADIAN .

OUR COLONIAL SOLDIERS OF THE QUEEN . HOW LONDON WAS PREVENTED FROM GIVING THEM A WKLCO . MK . Sir , Acting on the information contained in a faily paper on Tuesday , I was delighted , as doubtless many others besides myself , at the thought of having the opportunity of showing my appreciation and admiration of the loyalty and

conspicuous bravery of our Colonial brothers , and went over to Cannon-street station in time to add my greetings on their arrival . I was disappointed there , however , not taking into leckoning the short-sighted and blundering policy of somebody , which has been very much in evidence with regard to the Colonies . A crowd of some 400 or 500 assembled in the station , but no information could be gained about the matter

of their arrival . After waiting until about 25 minutes past 10 it became known that the men would leave the train at Charing Cross . Personally , I was not inclined to be done out of my chance of g iving the men a cheer , so I took a cab to Charing Cross , and later I found that a few others had also journeyed from Cannon-street -vith the same object . When the Colonials arrived the total muster was about a score at the barrier in the station , and we did what we could . Inadequate arrangements were made for the conveyance of the men by

waggonettes , and several found it necessary to go out of the station and find cabs . Now , sir , what possible reason could there be for making fools of 400 or 500 loyal citizens ? It would appear that it is intended by the authorities that the men should leave for their homes not greatly impressed by the gratitude shown them by the people . There is no evidence that gratitude exists with the authorities , but it does exist in the hearts of the people , and it seems a great pity that we were baulked in showing the Colonials what we think of the splendid services rendered by them to the mother country . —I am , & c , IMPERIALIST .

Board Of Benevolence.

BOARD OF BENEVOLENCE .

The monthly meeting of the Board of Benevolence was held on Wednesday evening at Freemasons' Hall . The day being that appointed for the quarterly meeting of the General Committee of Grand Lodge , the Board of Masters first held its meeting , when Bro . James Henry Matthews , President of the Board of Benevolence , presided , and after the minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee had been read and confirmed , the

business paper for the next meeting of Grand Lodge was laid before the brethren . The Board of Benevolence meeting was next held , Bro . J . H . Matthews , President , in the chair . Bro . Henry Garrod , Junior Vice-President , acted as Senior Vice-President , and Bro . H . A . Tobias , P . G . Std . Br ., as Junior Vice-President . Bros . W . Lake , Asst . G . Sec , W . Dodd , G . S . Recknell , and H . Sadler , G . ' Tyler , represented the

department of the Grand Secretary . There were also present—Bros . Lewis Lazarus , F . W . Hancock , W . Fisher , Felix Kitt , E . W . Nightin gale , R . W . Kerr , James Block , D'Arcy Power , W . Kipps , E . C . Mulvey Major Henry Wright , P . G . S . B . ; John Ellenger , Charles Henry Stone , W . M

Bywater , W . H . Caton , C . H . Webb , W . L . Phillips , James Robert Whittle , J . VV . Burgess , Edward George Easton , J . S . Goldstein , J . W . Sparrow , A . T . Eyers , W . H . Saunders , H . Massey , T . Moysey , W . IS . Cossham , John F . Roberts , F . W . Golby , W . A . Hardy , W . J . Stratton , Alfred B . Bennett , Ci . S . Brand , and A . C . Smith .

The sum of £ 300 was recommended at the last meeting for the Grand Master to sanction in gifts of £ 10 and £ _ o each , and sums of money were paid on account to each case but one . In one case where £ _ o was recommended £ \ o was paid on account , but since then the petitioner had died . Some considerable expense was incurred by his brother in reference to the deceased ' s illness . The question was raised by Bro . H . Garrod , and was

ultimately referred to the Grand Registrar , whether , as the Board could have granted . £ 20 on account , it had power now to grant another £ 10 . The new list contained the names of 22 petitioners , qualified through lodges in the London district , and at Ftltham , Chepstow , Linslade , Romford , Dursley , Ryde ( Isle of Wight ) , Smyrna , Bombay , Spalding , Jeppestown , Oswestry , Liverpool , Newton-le-Willows , Preston , Umballa , Bournemouth ,

and Calcutta . Of this number four cases were deferred , and one petition was withdrawn . The sum of £ 420 was awarded to the remainder . Grand Lodge was recommended to sanction the gift of , £ 75 in one instance and £ _ o in another . The Grand Master was asked to approve of a gift of £ - \ o in each of two cases , and ^ 30 in one case . , £ 20 was voted in seven instances , . £ 10 in four cises , and £ 5 to one petitioner .

Knights Templar.

Knights Templar .

PROVINCIAL PRIORY OF DORSET .

This well-ordered and most popular provincial meeting was held on the 16 th instant , at two p . m ., in thc Masonic Hall , Weymouth , under the banner of the All Souls' Preceptory , No . . 51 , the members from different parts of the county arriving by tne midday trains . All Souk' Preceptory was opened , and the V . E . Prov . Prior , Sir K . N . Howard , accompanied by the Sub-Prior , Sir Knight Zillwood Milledge , with the Sword and Biiinei Bearers , entered the hall , and were received under an arch of steel .