Important Notice.

IMPORTANT NOTICE .

Wf have great p leasure in announcing that me have decided to publish THE FREEMASON —commencing with Volume III ., January 1 st ,

1870—on toned paper , and with old-faced type , similar to that used b y the Pall Mall Gazette and other hig h-class publications .

The size will also be permanentl y enlarged to Sixteen Pages , and , with other improvements contemplated , THE FREEMASON will then be the leading loeekl y organ of the Craft throughout the globe .

Foreign And Colonial Agents.

Foreign and Colonial Agents .

—?—AMERICA : Bro . J . FLETCHER BRENNAN , 114 , Mainstreet , Cincinnati , Ohio . „ Messrs . WOODRUFF and BLOCHEB , Little

Rock , Arkansas , U . S . CANADA : Messrs . DEVRIE & SON , Ottawa . CAPE OF GOOD HOPE : Bro . GEOBOB BMTTAIN , Cape Town . CEYLON : "Messrs . W . L . SKEENE & Co ., Columbo . CONSTANTINOPLE : Bro . J . L . HANLY , Levant Times .

EAST INDIES : Allaliabad : Messrs . WTM . VN BROS . Bijculla : Bro . GEO . BEASE . Central Provinces : Bro . P . J . JORDAN . Kurrachce : Bro . G . C . BRAYSON . Madras : Mr . CALKB FOSTER . Mhow : Bro . COWASJKK NUSSERWANJEE . Poona : Bro . W . WELMS .

GALATA : Iraici * . KAUN , Perchembe-Eajar . LIBERIA : Bro . HENRY D . BROWN , Monrovia . PARIS : M . DECUEVAUX-DUMESNIL , Rue de Harlay-dn-Palais , 20 , near the Pout Neuf ; Editor Le Franc-Macon . And all Booksellers and Newsagents in England , Ireland , and Scotland .

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

BIRTH . FRIEND—On the 20 th inst ., at New Ferry , Cheshire , the wife of Bro . Edward Friend ( P . M . 1013 , W . M . 12 S 3 ) , of a daughter . DEATH . HSDOMAN . —On tho 12 th inst ., at Elm Bank , Barnes , Bro . William Iledgnian , P . G . S . ( Lodge of Antiquity ) , lato of Lincoln College , Oxford , B . A ., in his 27 tU year .

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AU communications for TIIK FRKKMASON should bo written legibly , on ono side ofthe paper only , and , if intended for insertion iu the current number must be received not later than 10 o ' clock a . m . ou Thursdays , unless in vcrv special cases . The name and address of every writer must ba sent to us in confidence .

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

—?—Mr . Chambers , in his Cyclopedia , says : "Free and Accepted Masons are an eminent society oi body of men , so called cither from some extraordinary knowledge of masonry , or buildings , which they were supposed to bo masters of , ov

because the first founders of this society were of this profession . " In thc present time we , as " Masons , " are not operative . Wc are a body , composed of all sects and denominations . We are bound together by a secret and mystic tic Tlio result is , true

friendship and clnrity in its fullest extent . Even in the ordinay occurrence !* of life is not secresy essential 1 And it ought to bc more ri gid in excluding those whose character would not bear thc strictest , investigation . It is very easy to be admitted into the Order , but not , unfortunately ,

to be so easily excluded . It , therefore , behoves all Masons never to introduce any one whoso character is Mich that the least taint would bring discredit on our ancient and excellent institution . ( Copied by ) JAMES BALLANTIKE , P . S . W . " Strong Man , " St P . S . " Mount Libanus . "

Reports of meetings of Lodges Humber ( 57 ) , Three Grand Principles ( 208 ) , Industry ( 301 ) , Panmure ( 720 ) , Whittingt'in ( 8 o * 2 ); and other communications received too late for insertion this week , will appear in our next .

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Cju J- ne was flit , SATURDAY , DECEMBER 25 , 1869 .

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THB FBRKMISOU is published on Saturday Mornings in time for the early trains . The price of Ian * P » HBMisoa * is Twopence per weekquarterly subscription ( includinu postage ) 3 s . 3 d . Annual Subscription , 12 s . Subscriptions payable in advance . All communications , letters , & c , to be addressed to the EDITOB , 3 & \ , Little Britain , K . C . The Editor will pay careful attention to all JISS . entrusted to bim , but cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by postage stamps .

St. John's Day.

ST . JOHN'S DAY .

IT is well-known that when modern or speculative Freemasonry arose like the dawn of moral and intellectual light from the chaotic elements of the operative system , many of the ancient customs 'were retained , and many of the

traditions cherished in the past were incorporated in the ritual adopted by the revivalists of 1717 . All the old Masonic documents now in existence , quaint as they are in language and obscure in style , will yet prove with singular unanimity

that the Craftsmen of old were professors of tho Christian relig ion . Hence we find , notwithstanding the new-born universality of the institution , at the date ofthe formation of the Grand Lodge of England , several usages apparently of

a sectarian character still prevailed ; amongst others , the dedication of lodges to tho " Holy Saint Johns , " and the celebration ofthe St . Johns ' anniversaries on thc 24 th Juno and tho 27 th December .

The Master of every English Lodge was formerly installed upon one or other of these red-letter days , and even to'the prescnttime there arc in England many lodges which preserve the traditional veneration for the so-cal . ' ed " patron-saint" by

holding their annual festivals upon St . Johns day . Wc aro well aware that in London the memory of such a celebration has almost died out , but inasmnch as Freemasons in other lands , and notably our Transatlantic brethren , still cling to

the ancient system , it may bo well to recall the doings of our fathers , and to show that wc are not insensible to the proceedings of the Craft , wheresoever dispersed or under whatever auspices they may choose to assemble . Thero cannot be a

doubt that tho custom of meeting at a stated period , such as ono of the days dedicated to St . John , was a salutary one ; it is pleasant to know that our distant friends aro engaged in tho same good cause at the same time with ourselves .

It forms an appreciable link in tho mystic chain of brotherhood , and causes our thoughts to wander beyond the narrow circle of homo and country to the comprehensive sphere of our

world-wide fraternity . Still wc are bound to recognise , and in a certain sense , applaud thc motive which induced thc Grand Lodge of England in 1 S 13 to abolish the celebration of the

St . Johns Days , and the curious plea of an ingenious brother , that this honour was paid to the saints , " not as Christians , but as eminc * : t Masons ; not as teachers of a religious sect , but as bright exemplars of all those virtues which

Masons are taught to reverence and practise , " would scarcely pass muster in this advanced ago of Masonic scepticism . The orig in of tho dedication of Masonic lodges . to St . John the Baptist , and St . John the Evangelist , is attributed to the

circumstances narrated m tho following legend : — " From the building of the first temple at Jerusalem , to the Babylonish captivity , Freemasons' lodges

were dedicated to King Solomon ; from thence ( o the coming ofthe "Messiah , they were dedicated to Zcrubbabel , the builder of the second temple ; and from that time to the final destruction of the temple by

St. John's Day.

Titus , in the reign of Vespasian , tliey were dedicated to St . John the Baptist ; but owing to the many massacres and disorders which attended that memorable event , Freemasonry sunk very much into decay ; * . *; many lodges were entirely broken up , and but few :

could meet in sufficient numbers to constitute their legality , and at a general meeting ofthe craft , held in the city of Benjamin , it was observed that the principal reason for the decline of Masonry * was the want of a Grand Master to patronize it ; they therefore

deputed seven of their most eminent members to wait upon St . John the Evangelist , who was at that time Bishop ofEphesus , requesting him to take the office of Grand Master . He returned for answer , that though well stricken in years ( being upwards of

ninety ) , yet having been in the early part of ins Ufainitiated into Masonry , he would take upon himself that office I he thereby completed by liis learning what the other St . John had completed by his zeal , and

thus drew what Freemasons term a line parallel ; , ever since which Freemasons' lodges in all Christian countries have been dedicated both to St . John tho Baptist and St . John the Evangelist . "

In Scotland , the Symbolic or Craft degrees are styled " lit . John ' s Masonry j" in Ireland , every brother hails from the " Holy Lodge of St . John ; " ** in Sweden , the " blue" degrees are under the same titular distinction , and one of the higher

degrees of the Swedish rite confers upon its possessor the appellation of " Favourite Brother of St . John , " while , as we intimated before , : American Masons sedulously cherish the old traditions , and dedicate all their lodges to the

" St . Johns " whom they consider the " two great parallel lines in Freemasonry . " However , at this season of the year no matter what our faith may be , we may safely accept these personages as types of " the great covenant into which every member of the

Masonic fraternity has entered . Lot us regard the Baptist as the type of that moral purity which we should all strive to attain , ar . d view the Evangelist as an exemplar of tho love and kindness wo should entertain towards our

fellowcreatures . Let us remember that another year is about to close , fraught , it may be , with , memories of hours mis-spent , of opportunitieswasted , or of derelictions from the lino of dutv ; let us at this solemn period review

our conduct and principles , let us determine to retrieve the past , by practising tho precepts of the Craft , and by evincing to the world thafc our professions of faith , hope , and charity may

be ripened into glorious fruit . Unity amongst thc brethren—let that bo our prayer—whether they bow the knee before our own altars , or worshi p the Great Spirit of thc Universe after a difFi'i-fiiifc fashion—with their eonscimitions belief

we do not , and dare not interfere , but in heart , in soul wc are or ought to bo one . Living as we do in an age of progress , when each year almost blots out the footsteps of its predecessor , we have , as Freemasons , especial cause to be

thankful that however forms have changed , however ceremonies havo altered , the great essential objects of onr Craft remain unimpaired by tho hand of time—and why ? because they aro inunison with the eternal laws of truth :

becausethey are based upon the foundation of justice and mercy , and are practically developed by acts of charity and goodwill . While the Order is found advancing iu this sublime path , all tho malice

of enemies , or the snecis of sceptics , can effect nothing against its stability , but when wo forget the virtues of which tlu two S . iint Johns may be regarded as types , we may fairly tremble fur the duration of our venerable institution .

HONOUR TO WHOM HONOUR IS nun . —In our report last week of Union Lodge , No . 332 , Glasgow , we ought to have stated that the R . W . M ., D . M ., and S . M . were installed by Bro . Thomas Steward , K . W . M . Thistle and Rose Lodge , 73 , and tbe other office-bearers by Bro . Balfour , I ' . M . Union Lodgo , No . 332 .