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deserve if ever men did , a handsome testimonial in recognition of their services to American Masonic legists and editors . They have furnished these worthy brethren with material for elaborate disquisitions in their several proceedings and journals which should last them for a round dozen . c ° ... » rc IYI romp . In nrarlv all the Masonic iurisdictions
Ul ycai . ~~ - — - — ., . J e throug hout the North American continent the conduct of our jfark Grand Lodge has been the subject of discussion quite for 12 months , and the question is still being considered with a vigour which , instead of showing any signs of flagging , becomes daily more and more pronounced .
THE M ASONIC EDUCATION AND CHARITY FUND , MASSACHUSETTS . An Act has recently been passed by the Legislature of Massachusetts , which establishes and incorporates " The Masonic Education and Charity Trust , " which is about to be organised by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts . Towards this fund it has been resolved to appropriate 5000 dollars ( . Ciooo ) a year out of the surplus receipts of the
said Grand Lodge . "The income of the money so appropriated shall from time to time be added to the principal " during the 10 years following the enactment of the law . " After the said 10 years one-half of the income of said Fnnd shall be added to , and become part of , the principal , until said Fund shall amount to one hundred thousand dollars " { £ 20 , 000 ); while the income not thus " directed to
be accumulated , shall be applied to such of the purposes named in the Act" establishing the Fund " as the Grand Lodge from time to time by vote may direct . " There are to be eight Trustees of the said Fund , of whom one shall retire annually , and the Grand Master for the time being is to be President of the Board of Trustees . These Trustees will be elected at the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge in December next .
GRAND LODGE OK NEBRASKA . We have been favoured with a copy of the proceedings of this Grand Lodge at its Annual Communication , held at Lincoln on the 24 th and 25 th June last . From the reports contained herein it appears that there are now 129 lodges in this jurisdiction , with a total membership of 5274 , as against 4 t 2 Q on 1 st May , 1 SS 3 . From the G . Treasurer ' s report it
appears that the receipts for the year , including balance forward , amounting to 8235 dollars , reached a total of 16 , 136 dollars , while the expenditure was only 4262 dollars , leaving a balance to carry forward to the credit of Grand Lodge of 11 , 874 dollars . The total of the Orphan School Fund , established in 1 S 60 , is 14 , 486 dollars ; but , in accordance with the scheme of the originator—Bro . Rob . VV .
Furnasthe sum of 20 , 000 dollars must be reached before it is attempted to appropriate any portion of it to the purposes designed . The principal Grand Officers for the year are Bros . John J . Wemple , M . W . G . M . ; Manoah B . Reese , D . G . M . ; Charles R . Contaux , G . S . W . ; Milton J . Hall , G . J . W . ; Christian Hartman , G . Treas . ; and Wm . R . Bowen , G . Sec . Two Special Communications , of which reports are given , were also held—one on the 23 rd June , under the of
the day before the annual meeting , presidency the then Grand Master , Bro . Samuel W . Hayes , for the purpose of consecrating the new Masonic Temple at Lincoln ; and the other on the 15 th July , under the presidency of the newly-elected Grand Master , Bro . Wemple , when the corner-stone of the Capitol of the State of Nebraska was laid in accordance with ancient Masonic usage , in the same city of Lincoln .
PAST G . M . BURNHAM . The " Freemasons' Repository" for September contains a well-executed portrait and biographical sketch of Bro . E . P . Burnham , a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Maine , who was initiated into Freemasonry as far back as July , 1852 , and has since attained high distinction in every branch of Masonry , having been Grand Master of Maine
' 77-9 ; G . H . Priest of Grand Koyal Arch Chapter , ditto , J 86 I ; G . M . of the G . Council , 1867 ; a member of the Grand Encampment ( K . T . ) of the United States in 1 S 59 and 1880 ; Hon . 33 , Ancient and Accepted Rite , 1 S 62 ; and an active member of the Supreme Council , ditto , since September of last year . Bro . Burnham was born 3 rd December , 1827 .
SOUTH AUSTRALIA . Following close on the heels of our recent announcement that a lodge had been consecrated under the constitution of the new Grand Lodge of South Australia , the particulars reach us in the columns of the Adelaide Rough Ashlar of the consecration of two additional lodges—the Emulation Lodge , No . 32 , Norwood , and the Semaphore Lodge , No .
33 . The former event took place in the town Hall , Norwood , on Thursday , the 28 th August , Bro . Dr . John Sprod being afterwards installed as W . M ., Bros . K . St . Berbe Miller and G . C . E . Stevens being his Senior and Junior Wardens respectively . The Semaphore Lodge was consecrated at the Institute , on the 29 th August , the first W . M . being Bro . Philip Sansom . On both occasions Bro . the Chief Justice Wav , M . W . G . M ., was compelled to be
absent , owing to the recent death of his father ; but his place was very ably filled by Bro . Downer , D . G . M . Great enthusiasm was shown at the banquets which followed , and the W . M . ' s , officers , and brethren were warmly congratulated by all present on the success of the proceedings . The addition of three new lodges within a few months after the establishment of the new order of things speaks well for its future prospects .
D ISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF WESTLAND , NEW ZEALAND . We learn from the New Zealand Freemason that the Quarterly Communication of this D . G . Lodge was held at the Masonic Hall , Greymouth , on the 8 th July , under the presidency of the D . G . M ., Bro . J . Bevan . After the ordinary business had been transacted , and the District
Grand Lodge closed , the installation meeting of the Greymouth Lodge xvas held , Bro . Bevan acting as Installing Master , assisted by Bros . Revel ! , D . D . G . M ., and Hudson , P . D . G . S . W . The following are the officers of the lodge for the new year : Bros . E . I . Lord , W . M . ; B . J .
Westbrook , S . W . j Charles Wamwnght , J . W . ; H . H . Oxley , Treas . ; S . A . Murphy , Sec ; J . G . Thomas , Chap . ; S . C . Hill , S . D . ; H . S . Castle , J . D . ; T . Relling , I . G . ; H . W . Robinson and ^ A . Matheson , Stwds . ; and J . McLaren , Tyler . Bro . Skoglund was afterwards presented with a Past Master ' s jewel in recognition of his services , and an
The Craft Abroad.
unanimous vote of thanks accorded to Bro . Bevan , District Grand Master , for his assistance . The usual banquet followed .
ROYAL ARCH MASONRY . Our worthy New Zealand contemporary has likewise an interesting article on Royal Arch Masonry . After pointing out that " there is no Degree in Craft Masonry that may be approached with as much elevation of feeling and sublime pleasure as the Royal Arch , " and suggesting that it might naturally be expected "that a Degree in which there is so much to appreciate and admire would be much sought
after , " it expresses regret that in this colony " this condition does not exist , but rather the contrary , " and it very reasonably adds that " when we know this to be the state of affairs , we should endeavour to find out the reason for it . " It then proceeds in the following strain : " Masonic authority tells us that the ultimatum of Craft Masonry is not reached until we find it in the Royal Arch , and thus a majority of the Fraternity in the colony halt midway in
their course , and would be , we venture to say , astonished to find that , although they have taken the Third Degree , they are not perfect Master Masons ; they possess only that which was substituted ; they have not yet found that which was lost , and never can until they enter the portals of a Royal Arch chapter . This fact is never kept satisfactorily in view by those mostly interested in it . The fashion of looking on chapter Masonry as something extraneous to
the Craft Degrees , instead of forming its apex , is too much indulged in , not only by young Masons , but by old and experienced members of the Craft . Who ever hears the Royal Arch referred to in a Blue Lodge ? No one ; or if they do , it is but seldom . Why should not the Masonic aspirant , after being ' raised , ' have the importance of this Degree , and the desirability in due time of his seeking to be elevated thereto , impressed upon him by the W . M . of
the lodge ? There is not sufficient fusing of the Masonic interest in this respect . " After explaining further what it believes to be the cause of this indifference , the article goes on to suggest that " perhaps the chief reason is the difficulty of getting officers of ability to do the work ; and the cause of this effect may be again traced to the Blue Lodge and to the want of continuity of interest under the English system . " It adds : " The P . Ms , of the lodge should be
properly reckoned on as the principal officers of the chapter ; but they cannot by a long way be depended on to continue taking an interest in their lodge , much less undertake the onerous duties of a Principal of the Royal Arch . They seem entirely content when they assume the badge which raises them a step above their brethren on the floor of the lodge , and which marks their superiority at any public appearance . They have done enough for themselves , and
therefore enough for Masonry . They have attained their ultimatum , and they cannot be bothered any longer . ' It takes up so much time you know ! ' They do not add that it also makes a further demand on their brains , and that although some of them make liberal use of their Immediate or some other Past Master in scraping through their year of office in the Blue , that without such assistance it is useless their attempting the Arch , and which from the nature
of circumstances they are not likely to obtain . If the l . P . M . of a lodge were accustomed to look on it as a matter of course that he should next take the office of Principal Sojourner in the chapter , and so work up through the chairs until he was installed Z ., and if he were taught from the first to think that his ultimatum , and nothing short of it , that would be one good reason why we should see more vitality in chapter Masonry . " Our contemporary concludes
its remarks by suggesting the chapter should consist of the " most worthy and most intelligent members" of the lodge , and that " the minimum fee for exaltation , and the smallest amount for dues , " should be fixed compatibly with good management . " It should not cost near as much to work a chapter as a Craft lodge . The companions meet less often , and have not the same claims for Charity , & c ,
coming before them as have the Blue lodges ; and as the expense of keeping up both lodge and chapter comes out of the same pockets , it is most desirable that the qualification of attending to chapter duties should be made to cost as little as possible . " There is a good deal of sense in the remarks of our Antipodean contemporary , nor is the question which has given rise to them confined to the limits of the New Zealand Masonic districts .
THE MARK DEGREE IN AMERICA . Very great interest is now being evinced in all that relates to the origin and early working of the different degrees in Masonry , and we g ladly extract from the " Liberal Freemason" the following useful contribution to our knowledge of the Mark Degree , now so deservedly popular among all classes of the brethren . Our readers are no doubt aware that the Mark and other degrees than those included in the
system of pure Craft Masonry were more often than not worked under the agis of the Craft warrant . As Bro . Hughan remarks in his valuable work on the " Origin of the English Rite of Freemasonry , " if we accept the evidence of old lodge minutes " it will be found that the lodge itself was often the scene of representations foreign to Craft Masonry ; and for many years the view prevailed that the presence of a regular warrant in the lodge room legalised
all the business transacted , no matter whether the degrees worked were connected with the first three , or with any of the numerous inventions of imaginative brethren . " Our Boston contemporary in its latest number lays before its readers what it describes as " the first known records of the Mark Masters' Degree " in the North American continent . They are among " the early records of Masonry in Halifax , Nova Scotia , " the lodge which conferred them being the Virgin ,
on the registry of England ( Ancients ) , originally established iSth February , 17 S 2 , at Halifax , " under a dispensation granted by the R . W . John George Pyke , Esquire , Grand Master of Nova Scotia , and worked under such dispensation until October , A . D . 1784 , when a warrant was granted to that body by the same Bro . Pyke , under the title of Artillery Lodge , No . 2 , on the registry of Nova Scotia . " In 1 S 00 it resumed its original name of Virgin Lodge ,
and figures as such in the list of "Ancient Lodges , published in "Ahiman Rezon " edition , 1 S 07 . There are some half-dozen minutes having reference to the working of the Mark Degree , but the following are all we can find space to insert : " Halifax , 16 th November , 1784 . Upon application to the Worshipful Brother Fife , he was pleased to open a Master Mark Mason's Lodge . Worsh . Bro . Fife , Master , formerly of 213 , a Square ; Bro . Hall , S . W . ; Bro . Allen , J . W . of L . No . 1551 Bro . Lewis , Tyler , of L .
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No . 210 . The following brethren received the degree of Master Mark Masons , and made choice ol the following marks , viz .: William Matthews , of Lodge No . 155 , Mark , a Bible ; Hugh McBean , of Lodge No . 2 , Artillery , Level ; Jno . Wigton , of Lodge No . 2 , Artillery , Compass ; And . Gray , of Lodge No . 2 , Artillery , Keys ; Edw'd Byrn , of Lodge No . 2 , Artillery , 5 Points ; Jas . Johnston , of Lodge
No . 2 , Artillery , Mark , Plumb Rule . These brethren having justly paid the demands for such Marks , hath received the same with proper instructions . The business of the night being finished , the lodge was closed in due form . ( No signature . ) " The other minute we have selected for insertion is as follows : "Halifax , 21 st Feb'y , 57 S 6 . A Master Mark Mason ' s Lodge opened in due form
at the Pontac . Worship . Bro . Fife in the Chair . Bros . McBean , S . W . ; Wigton , J . W . ; Darling , Sec'y ; Mcintosh , S . D . ; Grey , J . D . ; King , Tyler . When the following , upon application , were balloted , found worthy , received the degree of M . M . M ., with proper instructions , and paid for their Marks as usual , their choice of which are as follows , viz . : Worship'l Bros . Duncan Clark , Mark , Urica ; Charles Geddes , Ladder ; Wm . Millet , Sun ; Geo . Thomas , Hand in Hand !; Robt . Western , Hammer ;
Jno . Tyson , Triangle . Upon a request of VV . Bro . Clarke , in behalf of the brethren of Lodge No . 210 , who received their Marks under Artillery Warrant , No . 2 , that their Mark , etc ., should be transferred from this Warrant to their own , was unanimously resolved , that the said request should be granted and that the Master should transmit the same upon written application . The business of the night being over , the lodge was closed in love , harmony , and due form at nine o ' clock . "
MASONIC BAPTISM . We believe that in France formerly and at ] the present day in the United States of North America there have been instances in which the infant children of brethren go through some kind of Masonic ceremony of adoption at the time of their baptism , but such cases are of very rare occurrence in this country , even if they occur at all now .
However , two or these so-called Masonic baptisms came under our notice the other day when turning over the pages of an old volume of the " Freemasons' Quarterly Review . " One of them is announced as having taken place on nth November , 1835 , the child being Augustus Waring Thiselton , son of Bro . A . U . Thiselton , a Past Master of St . Thomas ' s Lodge , and Secretary of the Royal Masonic
Institution for Boys . The officiating clergyman was Bro . the Rev . Thomas Moore , W . M . of the lodge , the clerk Bro . O . Y . Thiselton , acting clerk of St . Pancras , one of its Past Masters , and the godfathers Bros . Thomas Waring , another Past Master , and Edward Harper , G . Secretary , Bro . Sweatman , a fourth P . M . of St . Thomas , and accoucheur to Mrs . Thiselton , being likewise present . The
second instance occurred at Bolton , Lancashire , on the 6 th March , 1 S 36 , when Nehemial Blunt , 6 th son of Bro . Matthew Blunt , a member of Anchor and Hope Lodge , No . 32 ( then No . 44 ) , was baptized at Bradshaw Chapel , by Bro . the Rev . Birkett Dawson , B . D ., Prov . G . Chaplain East Lancashire and Past Master of the lodge , the godfathers
being Bros . David Barber , Prov . G . I . G . and Secretary No . 32 , and Matthew Blunt , and the godmother Mrs . Thorp , wife of Bro . William Thorp . We are told that the child in this case was invested with a handsome Masonic apron , made especially for the occasion , and other emblems of the Order .
GRAND ENCAMPMENT KNIGHTS TEMPLAR . The following general order has been issued by Grand Master M . E . Sir Knight Robert Enoch Withers . To all the Constituent Grand Commanderies , and all subordinate Commanderies holding Charters from the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America . Greeting : Know ye , that whereas , by satisfactory
documentary evidence , officiall y received by us , it appears that the " National Great Priory of Canada" has , with the consent and approval of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , Supreme Grand Master of the Order , been absolved and discharged from all allegiance to the " Convent General of the United Orders of the Temple and Malta in England and Wales , " as shown by his manifesto , bearing date the
17 th dayof April , 1 SS 4 , and has , by the adoption of a new constitution , been constituted "The Sovereign Great Priory of Canada , " with M . E . Sir Knight William Jahies Bury MacLeod Moore , Grand Cross of the Temple , of Prescott , Ontario , Canada , Supreme Grand Master ad vitam , with jurisdiction over the whole Dominion of Canada . And whereas , This Sovereign Great Priory of
Canada has received official recognition by the officers of the " Convent General of England and Wales . " Be it therefore known to you and all Knights Templar under our jurisdiction , that we , Robert Enoch Withers , Grand Master of Knights Templar in the United States of America , do now and hereby proclaim our official recognition of the "Supreme Great Priory of Canada" as a
sovereign and independent body , of which M . E . Sir Knt . Wm . James Bury MacLeod Moore , G . C . T ., is Supreme Grand Master , M . E . Sir Knt . James A . Henderson , Q . C ., G . C . T ., is Deputy Grand Master , and R . E . Sir Knt . Daniel Spry , of Barrie , Ontario , is Grand Chancellor ; and whereas it hath been communicated to us by the Supreme Grand Master aforesaid that it is his desire , and that of his
Sovereign Great Priory , to establish a more cordial and intimate knightly relation between the " Sovereign Great Priory of Canada" and the Grand Encampment of the United States , and in furtherance of this end he hath duly commissioned Sir Knt . Theodore Sutton Parvin , Iowa , as the Grand Representative of the " Sovereign Great Priory of Canada near this Grand Encampment , now therefore we , the Grand Master of Knights Templar in the United States ,
do announce , that in cordial response to this action we have appointed and commissioned Sir Knt . James A . Henderson , Q . C , G . C . T ., of Ontario , as our Grand Representative near The "Sovereign Great Priory of Canada . " Done at Wytheville , Virginia , this 12 th day of September , A . D . 1884 , A . o . 7 C 6 , by the Grand Master . Attest , my hand and the seal of the Grand Encampment of the United States , this 25 th day ot September , A . D . 1884 , A . O . 766 , T . S . PARVIN , Grand Recorder .
Bro . Henry Irving , who , with his company , has been on a tour through Canada , commenced a three weeks ' engagement at the Globe Theatre , Boston , Mass ., on Monday , the 20 th inst .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
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deserve if ever men did , a handsome testimonial in recognition of their services to American Masonic legists and editors . They have furnished these worthy brethren with material for elaborate disquisitions in their several proceedings and journals which should last them for a round dozen . c ° ... » rc IYI romp . In nrarlv all the Masonic iurisdictions
Ul ycai . ~~ - — - — ., . J e throug hout the North American continent the conduct of our jfark Grand Lodge has been the subject of discussion quite for 12 months , and the question is still being considered with a vigour which , instead of showing any signs of flagging , becomes daily more and more pronounced .
THE M ASONIC EDUCATION AND CHARITY FUND , MASSACHUSETTS . An Act has recently been passed by the Legislature of Massachusetts , which establishes and incorporates " The Masonic Education and Charity Trust , " which is about to be organised by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts . Towards this fund it has been resolved to appropriate 5000 dollars ( . Ciooo ) a year out of the surplus receipts of the
said Grand Lodge . "The income of the money so appropriated shall from time to time be added to the principal " during the 10 years following the enactment of the law . " After the said 10 years one-half of the income of said Fnnd shall be added to , and become part of , the principal , until said Fund shall amount to one hundred thousand dollars " { £ 20 , 000 ); while the income not thus " directed to
be accumulated , shall be applied to such of the purposes named in the Act" establishing the Fund " as the Grand Lodge from time to time by vote may direct . " There are to be eight Trustees of the said Fund , of whom one shall retire annually , and the Grand Master for the time being is to be President of the Board of Trustees . These Trustees will be elected at the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge in December next .
GRAND LODGE OK NEBRASKA . We have been favoured with a copy of the proceedings of this Grand Lodge at its Annual Communication , held at Lincoln on the 24 th and 25 th June last . From the reports contained herein it appears that there are now 129 lodges in this jurisdiction , with a total membership of 5274 , as against 4 t 2 Q on 1 st May , 1 SS 3 . From the G . Treasurer ' s report it
appears that the receipts for the year , including balance forward , amounting to 8235 dollars , reached a total of 16 , 136 dollars , while the expenditure was only 4262 dollars , leaving a balance to carry forward to the credit of Grand Lodge of 11 , 874 dollars . The total of the Orphan School Fund , established in 1 S 60 , is 14 , 486 dollars ; but , in accordance with the scheme of the originator—Bro . Rob . VV .
Furnasthe sum of 20 , 000 dollars must be reached before it is attempted to appropriate any portion of it to the purposes designed . The principal Grand Officers for the year are Bros . John J . Wemple , M . W . G . M . ; Manoah B . Reese , D . G . M . ; Charles R . Contaux , G . S . W . ; Milton J . Hall , G . J . W . ; Christian Hartman , G . Treas . ; and Wm . R . Bowen , G . Sec . Two Special Communications , of which reports are given , were also held—one on the 23 rd June , under the of
the day before the annual meeting , presidency the then Grand Master , Bro . Samuel W . Hayes , for the purpose of consecrating the new Masonic Temple at Lincoln ; and the other on the 15 th July , under the presidency of the newly-elected Grand Master , Bro . Wemple , when the corner-stone of the Capitol of the State of Nebraska was laid in accordance with ancient Masonic usage , in the same city of Lincoln .
PAST G . M . BURNHAM . The " Freemasons' Repository" for September contains a well-executed portrait and biographical sketch of Bro . E . P . Burnham , a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Maine , who was initiated into Freemasonry as far back as July , 1852 , and has since attained high distinction in every branch of Masonry , having been Grand Master of Maine
' 77-9 ; G . H . Priest of Grand Koyal Arch Chapter , ditto , J 86 I ; G . M . of the G . Council , 1867 ; a member of the Grand Encampment ( K . T . ) of the United States in 1 S 59 and 1880 ; Hon . 33 , Ancient and Accepted Rite , 1 S 62 ; and an active member of the Supreme Council , ditto , since September of last year . Bro . Burnham was born 3 rd December , 1827 .
SOUTH AUSTRALIA . Following close on the heels of our recent announcement that a lodge had been consecrated under the constitution of the new Grand Lodge of South Australia , the particulars reach us in the columns of the Adelaide Rough Ashlar of the consecration of two additional lodges—the Emulation Lodge , No . 32 , Norwood , and the Semaphore Lodge , No .
33 . The former event took place in the town Hall , Norwood , on Thursday , the 28 th August , Bro . Dr . John Sprod being afterwards installed as W . M ., Bros . K . St . Berbe Miller and G . C . E . Stevens being his Senior and Junior Wardens respectively . The Semaphore Lodge was consecrated at the Institute , on the 29 th August , the first W . M . being Bro . Philip Sansom . On both occasions Bro . the Chief Justice Wav , M . W . G . M ., was compelled to be
absent , owing to the recent death of his father ; but his place was very ably filled by Bro . Downer , D . G . M . Great enthusiasm was shown at the banquets which followed , and the W . M . ' s , officers , and brethren were warmly congratulated by all present on the success of the proceedings . The addition of three new lodges within a few months after the establishment of the new order of things speaks well for its future prospects .
D ISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF WESTLAND , NEW ZEALAND . We learn from the New Zealand Freemason that the Quarterly Communication of this D . G . Lodge was held at the Masonic Hall , Greymouth , on the 8 th July , under the presidency of the D . G . M ., Bro . J . Bevan . After the ordinary business had been transacted , and the District
Grand Lodge closed , the installation meeting of the Greymouth Lodge xvas held , Bro . Bevan acting as Installing Master , assisted by Bros . Revel ! , D . D . G . M ., and Hudson , P . D . G . S . W . The following are the officers of the lodge for the new year : Bros . E . I . Lord , W . M . ; B . J .
Westbrook , S . W . j Charles Wamwnght , J . W . ; H . H . Oxley , Treas . ; S . A . Murphy , Sec ; J . G . Thomas , Chap . ; S . C . Hill , S . D . ; H . S . Castle , J . D . ; T . Relling , I . G . ; H . W . Robinson and ^ A . Matheson , Stwds . ; and J . McLaren , Tyler . Bro . Skoglund was afterwards presented with a Past Master ' s jewel in recognition of his services , and an
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unanimous vote of thanks accorded to Bro . Bevan , District Grand Master , for his assistance . The usual banquet followed .
ROYAL ARCH MASONRY . Our worthy New Zealand contemporary has likewise an interesting article on Royal Arch Masonry . After pointing out that " there is no Degree in Craft Masonry that may be approached with as much elevation of feeling and sublime pleasure as the Royal Arch , " and suggesting that it might naturally be expected "that a Degree in which there is so much to appreciate and admire would be much sought
after , " it expresses regret that in this colony " this condition does not exist , but rather the contrary , " and it very reasonably adds that " when we know this to be the state of affairs , we should endeavour to find out the reason for it . " It then proceeds in the following strain : " Masonic authority tells us that the ultimatum of Craft Masonry is not reached until we find it in the Royal Arch , and thus a majority of the Fraternity in the colony halt midway in
their course , and would be , we venture to say , astonished to find that , although they have taken the Third Degree , they are not perfect Master Masons ; they possess only that which was substituted ; they have not yet found that which was lost , and never can until they enter the portals of a Royal Arch chapter . This fact is never kept satisfactorily in view by those mostly interested in it . The fashion of looking on chapter Masonry as something extraneous to
the Craft Degrees , instead of forming its apex , is too much indulged in , not only by young Masons , but by old and experienced members of the Craft . Who ever hears the Royal Arch referred to in a Blue Lodge ? No one ; or if they do , it is but seldom . Why should not the Masonic aspirant , after being ' raised , ' have the importance of this Degree , and the desirability in due time of his seeking to be elevated thereto , impressed upon him by the W . M . of
the lodge ? There is not sufficient fusing of the Masonic interest in this respect . " After explaining further what it believes to be the cause of this indifference , the article goes on to suggest that " perhaps the chief reason is the difficulty of getting officers of ability to do the work ; and the cause of this effect may be again traced to the Blue Lodge and to the want of continuity of interest under the English system . " It adds : " The P . Ms , of the lodge should be
properly reckoned on as the principal officers of the chapter ; but they cannot by a long way be depended on to continue taking an interest in their lodge , much less undertake the onerous duties of a Principal of the Royal Arch . They seem entirely content when they assume the badge which raises them a step above their brethren on the floor of the lodge , and which marks their superiority at any public appearance . They have done enough for themselves , and
therefore enough for Masonry . They have attained their ultimatum , and they cannot be bothered any longer . ' It takes up so much time you know ! ' They do not add that it also makes a further demand on their brains , and that although some of them make liberal use of their Immediate or some other Past Master in scraping through their year of office in the Blue , that without such assistance it is useless their attempting the Arch , and which from the nature
of circumstances they are not likely to obtain . If the l . P . M . of a lodge were accustomed to look on it as a matter of course that he should next take the office of Principal Sojourner in the chapter , and so work up through the chairs until he was installed Z ., and if he were taught from the first to think that his ultimatum , and nothing short of it , that would be one good reason why we should see more vitality in chapter Masonry . " Our contemporary concludes
its remarks by suggesting the chapter should consist of the " most worthy and most intelligent members" of the lodge , and that " the minimum fee for exaltation , and the smallest amount for dues , " should be fixed compatibly with good management . " It should not cost near as much to work a chapter as a Craft lodge . The companions meet less often , and have not the same claims for Charity , & c ,
coming before them as have the Blue lodges ; and as the expense of keeping up both lodge and chapter comes out of the same pockets , it is most desirable that the qualification of attending to chapter duties should be made to cost as little as possible . " There is a good deal of sense in the remarks of our Antipodean contemporary , nor is the question which has given rise to them confined to the limits of the New Zealand Masonic districts .
THE MARK DEGREE IN AMERICA . Very great interest is now being evinced in all that relates to the origin and early working of the different degrees in Masonry , and we g ladly extract from the " Liberal Freemason" the following useful contribution to our knowledge of the Mark Degree , now so deservedly popular among all classes of the brethren . Our readers are no doubt aware that the Mark and other degrees than those included in the
system of pure Craft Masonry were more often than not worked under the agis of the Craft warrant . As Bro . Hughan remarks in his valuable work on the " Origin of the English Rite of Freemasonry , " if we accept the evidence of old lodge minutes " it will be found that the lodge itself was often the scene of representations foreign to Craft Masonry ; and for many years the view prevailed that the presence of a regular warrant in the lodge room legalised
all the business transacted , no matter whether the degrees worked were connected with the first three , or with any of the numerous inventions of imaginative brethren . " Our Boston contemporary in its latest number lays before its readers what it describes as " the first known records of the Mark Masters' Degree " in the North American continent . They are among " the early records of Masonry in Halifax , Nova Scotia , " the lodge which conferred them being the Virgin ,
on the registry of England ( Ancients ) , originally established iSth February , 17 S 2 , at Halifax , " under a dispensation granted by the R . W . John George Pyke , Esquire , Grand Master of Nova Scotia , and worked under such dispensation until October , A . D . 1784 , when a warrant was granted to that body by the same Bro . Pyke , under the title of Artillery Lodge , No . 2 , on the registry of Nova Scotia . " In 1 S 00 it resumed its original name of Virgin Lodge ,
and figures as such in the list of "Ancient Lodges , published in "Ahiman Rezon " edition , 1 S 07 . There are some half-dozen minutes having reference to the working of the Mark Degree , but the following are all we can find space to insert : " Halifax , 16 th November , 1784 . Upon application to the Worshipful Brother Fife , he was pleased to open a Master Mark Mason's Lodge . Worsh . Bro . Fife , Master , formerly of 213 , a Square ; Bro . Hall , S . W . ; Bro . Allen , J . W . of L . No . 1551 Bro . Lewis , Tyler , of L .
The Craft Abroad.
No . 210 . The following brethren received the degree of Master Mark Masons , and made choice ol the following marks , viz .: William Matthews , of Lodge No . 155 , Mark , a Bible ; Hugh McBean , of Lodge No . 2 , Artillery , Level ; Jno . Wigton , of Lodge No . 2 , Artillery , Compass ; And . Gray , of Lodge No . 2 , Artillery , Keys ; Edw'd Byrn , of Lodge No . 2 , Artillery , 5 Points ; Jas . Johnston , of Lodge
No . 2 , Artillery , Mark , Plumb Rule . These brethren having justly paid the demands for such Marks , hath received the same with proper instructions . The business of the night being finished , the lodge was closed in due form . ( No signature . ) " The other minute we have selected for insertion is as follows : "Halifax , 21 st Feb'y , 57 S 6 . A Master Mark Mason ' s Lodge opened in due form
at the Pontac . Worship . Bro . Fife in the Chair . Bros . McBean , S . W . ; Wigton , J . W . ; Darling , Sec'y ; Mcintosh , S . D . ; Grey , J . D . ; King , Tyler . When the following , upon application , were balloted , found worthy , received the degree of M . M . M ., with proper instructions , and paid for their Marks as usual , their choice of which are as follows , viz . : Worship'l Bros . Duncan Clark , Mark , Urica ; Charles Geddes , Ladder ; Wm . Millet , Sun ; Geo . Thomas , Hand in Hand !; Robt . Western , Hammer ;
Jno . Tyson , Triangle . Upon a request of VV . Bro . Clarke , in behalf of the brethren of Lodge No . 210 , who received their Marks under Artillery Warrant , No . 2 , that their Mark , etc ., should be transferred from this Warrant to their own , was unanimously resolved , that the said request should be granted and that the Master should transmit the same upon written application . The business of the night being over , the lodge was closed in love , harmony , and due form at nine o ' clock . "
MASONIC BAPTISM . We believe that in France formerly and at ] the present day in the United States of North America there have been instances in which the infant children of brethren go through some kind of Masonic ceremony of adoption at the time of their baptism , but such cases are of very rare occurrence in this country , even if they occur at all now .
However , two or these so-called Masonic baptisms came under our notice the other day when turning over the pages of an old volume of the " Freemasons' Quarterly Review . " One of them is announced as having taken place on nth November , 1835 , the child being Augustus Waring Thiselton , son of Bro . A . U . Thiselton , a Past Master of St . Thomas ' s Lodge , and Secretary of the Royal Masonic
Institution for Boys . The officiating clergyman was Bro . the Rev . Thomas Moore , W . M . of the lodge , the clerk Bro . O . Y . Thiselton , acting clerk of St . Pancras , one of its Past Masters , and the godfathers Bros . Thomas Waring , another Past Master , and Edward Harper , G . Secretary , Bro . Sweatman , a fourth P . M . of St . Thomas , and accoucheur to Mrs . Thiselton , being likewise present . The
second instance occurred at Bolton , Lancashire , on the 6 th March , 1 S 36 , when Nehemial Blunt , 6 th son of Bro . Matthew Blunt , a member of Anchor and Hope Lodge , No . 32 ( then No . 44 ) , was baptized at Bradshaw Chapel , by Bro . the Rev . Birkett Dawson , B . D ., Prov . G . Chaplain East Lancashire and Past Master of the lodge , the godfathers
being Bros . David Barber , Prov . G . I . G . and Secretary No . 32 , and Matthew Blunt , and the godmother Mrs . Thorp , wife of Bro . William Thorp . We are told that the child in this case was invested with a handsome Masonic apron , made especially for the occasion , and other emblems of the Order .
GRAND ENCAMPMENT KNIGHTS TEMPLAR . The following general order has been issued by Grand Master M . E . Sir Knight Robert Enoch Withers . To all the Constituent Grand Commanderies , and all subordinate Commanderies holding Charters from the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America . Greeting : Know ye , that whereas , by satisfactory
documentary evidence , officiall y received by us , it appears that the " National Great Priory of Canada" has , with the consent and approval of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , Supreme Grand Master of the Order , been absolved and discharged from all allegiance to the " Convent General of the United Orders of the Temple and Malta in England and Wales , " as shown by his manifesto , bearing date the
17 th dayof April , 1 SS 4 , and has , by the adoption of a new constitution , been constituted "The Sovereign Great Priory of Canada , " with M . E . Sir Knight William Jahies Bury MacLeod Moore , Grand Cross of the Temple , of Prescott , Ontario , Canada , Supreme Grand Master ad vitam , with jurisdiction over the whole Dominion of Canada . And whereas , This Sovereign Great Priory of
Canada has received official recognition by the officers of the " Convent General of England and Wales . " Be it therefore known to you and all Knights Templar under our jurisdiction , that we , Robert Enoch Withers , Grand Master of Knights Templar in the United States of America , do now and hereby proclaim our official recognition of the "Supreme Great Priory of Canada" as a
sovereign and independent body , of which M . E . Sir Knt . Wm . James Bury MacLeod Moore , G . C . T ., is Supreme Grand Master , M . E . Sir Knt . James A . Henderson , Q . C ., G . C . T ., is Deputy Grand Master , and R . E . Sir Knt . Daniel Spry , of Barrie , Ontario , is Grand Chancellor ; and whereas it hath been communicated to us by the Supreme Grand Master aforesaid that it is his desire , and that of his
Sovereign Great Priory , to establish a more cordial and intimate knightly relation between the " Sovereign Great Priory of Canada" and the Grand Encampment of the United States , and in furtherance of this end he hath duly commissioned Sir Knt . Theodore Sutton Parvin , Iowa , as the Grand Representative of the " Sovereign Great Priory of Canada near this Grand Encampment , now therefore we , the Grand Master of Knights Templar in the United States ,
do announce , that in cordial response to this action we have appointed and commissioned Sir Knt . James A . Henderson , Q . C , G . C . T ., of Ontario , as our Grand Representative near The "Sovereign Great Priory of Canada . " Done at Wytheville , Virginia , this 12 th day of September , A . D . 1884 , A . o . 7 C 6 , by the Grand Master . Attest , my hand and the seal of the Grand Encampment of the United States , this 25 th day ot September , A . D . 1884 , A . O . 766 , T . S . PARVIN , Grand Recorder .
Bro . Henry Irving , who , with his company , has been on a tour through Canada , commenced a three weeks ' engagement at the Globe Theatre , Boston , Mass ., on Monday , the 20 th inst .