A Word Of Warning.

Scotland , on February 26 th , by ' clearly showing that the emblems on a Freemason ' s apron represented the Trinity , ' and that Freemasons wore the lambskin ' as an emblem of purity and innocence , representing the Lamb , or Son of God . ' Truly much learning hath made our brother mad ,

, and he is appropriately named , ' Maddiver . ' ' ' [ slow , though we do not agree with the interpretation which our able " confrere" in America has put on such explanations , and think that a brother mig ht , in the dangerous ease of suppositious symbolism , use such words without being ,

as we say , " off the nut , " yet we have thought it not unseasonable or improper to allude to the subject in our columns , and we confess that we deeply regret that such hurtful " allegorizing " and such needless sensationalism should be in vogue amongst us just now . We feel bound ,

once for all , to protest against it , in the interests of peace and harmony , for the avoidance of ridicule , and as repugnant to our uncontroversial Brotherhood , and above all tending to introduce amongst us an unsound and uncritical school of Masonic " exegesis , " alike as to the symbolism and teaching of our excellent Fraternit y .

The Consecration Of The St. Dunstan's Chapter.

THE CONSECRATION OF THE ST . DUNSTAN'S CHAPTER .

This interesting ceremony , which took place on Shakespeare ' s Birthday , is fully reported elsewhere , minus the oration , which , owing to printing exigencies , will appear next week . This is , curiously enough , a parochial chapter ,

associated with St . Dunstan ' s Parish and Fleetstreet , and summoning up memories of eloquent Donne , and honest Izaac Walton , as well as the statel y form of Dr . Johnson . We wish the chapter all success .

Good News From Zulu Land.

GOOD NEWS FROM ZULU LAND .

Except forthe poor mourning families at home , and

" The pangs which o'er the heart-strings creep , At every post that comes , " among the friends of our gallant soldiers and sailors abroad , the news from Zulu Land is

cheering in the extreme . Ekowe has been relieved , the Zulus defeated in two encounters , and the avenging arms of England will soon restore peace and tranquility , and subdue , by God ' s help , a treacherous and savage foe .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . !

THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE . To the Editor ol" the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — lam not at all surprised at "Mcmphis ' s" replyit is pretty much what I expected . I thought he was a little too bold in his challenge as regards the legality [ of the Grand Council of the English Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite , and I do not wonder

at his shrinking from an honest , open , manly , unpersonal discussion . Onl y , henceforth , to use a vulgar phrase , let him " shut up . " His plea that , because I am an " Outsider , " I can know nothing of the Ancient and Accepted Rite is , I must beg to remark to him , not only a very absurd " petitio principi , " but it is a declaration of intense weakness on his part , which cannot escape the

notice of the critical and the competent . What in the name of everything mentionable and unmentionable does jt signify to him , or any one else , who I am , or whence I hail from ? The argument is a very simple one . Has the G . Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite a " locus standi" legitimately in this country , as the governing body of the Rite ? This is the entire " Crux "

! ° titled . I say it has , " Memphis" says it has not ; ** ut Memphis " will not argue the question with me , bemuse he says I am an " Outsider . " Perhaps it mi g ht be und as the controversy progressed , that , as it happens , I th T mueh of the h-stoiy- an < 1 Constitutions , & c , oi ne Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite as "Memphis" does , . . me People mi ght think a little more , though an " Outam Aml at anv v ; lte - have lh - advantage , that I

J" arguing the whole question from the ground of history , ok " ! I and comtRon sense , whereas " Memphis " is tor Intcnt on writing for ¦ ' pure personality , " and pure personality alone , I very much fear me . - , nU n ° w let mc ask " Memphis" a question , which a nY" , lsWlT or not > as Ile l ' 'S- 's " Memphis" legally > t he " ! ° f lhc Ancicnt aiKl Accepted Scottish Rite , or "as once belonged to it and does not belong to it

Original Correspondence.

now , why has he left it ? is hc even still in it ? I have reason for asking these questions , because it is possible that , as '" Memphis " will not discuss the matter with me , because I am an " Outsider , " he may find a great difficulty in inducing any member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite to discuss it with him at all . With regard to the " Rite of Memphis " itself , it is

possibly perfectly true , that , as it is tersely put in " Kcnning's Masonic Cyclopaedia , " to which I refer my readers , the grades of Memphis seem to be taken from the " old hi gh grade system worked in France . " But then , as I have always considered all this "parap hernalia" of high grades as supremely useless , I do no injustice to " Memphis " in terming the grade he seems so anxious to puff a " ridiculous one . " But then I do

not profess to do more than to offer my own subjective opinion on the subject ; I do not dogmatize for others or to others ; and if thc word "ridiculous" hurts the sensitive nerves of " Memphis" 1 gladly withdraw i > . It is quite sufficient for me that many excellent Masons believe in such " grades . " They have as much right to their " Pine apple " as I have to mine . Yours fraternally , AN OUTSIDER .

SWEDENBORGIAN RITE . To the Editor ofthe " Fretmason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I have the pleasure to inform you that a new lodge and temple in thc primitive and original rite of Freemasonry , otherwise known as the Swedenborgian Rite , has just been warranted for the town of Sheffield , named the

Britannia Lodge and Temple , No . 10—the warrant being dated the 17 th April , 1879 . Its first W . M . is our wellknown and energetic Bro . Samuel B . Ellis , who is also the Chief Adept for Yorkshire of the Rosicrncian Society ; the first S . W . is Bro . Thomas BUir , and Bro . John Eadon Reancy is the first J . W . This lodge proposes to hold its consecration meeting on the 3 rd of May next , and Bro .

John Yarker , the S . Grand Master , had been invited to be present on the auspicious occasion . A meeting of the Yorkshire College of the Rosicrucian Society will subsequently be held , and it is anticipated that both gatherings will be well and influentiall y attended . May 1 ask you to oblige me by adding to this letter thc subjoined list of Grand Officers for the year 1870-80 ,

corresponding to the Order date , A . O . S ., H 52-3 ? Thc names ia italics mark thc promoti-ns in Grand Lodge as well as tbe new members who have been admitted to the purple . I may add that the meeting of the Royal Oscar Lodge and Temple , No . 9 , Liverpool , took place on the ioth inst ., when Bros . Charles Jacobs and Thomas Henry Hall were

duly elevated to the degree of Perfect Freemasonry by Bro William Thomas May , the W . M . I remain , dear Sir and Brother , faithfully and frater nally yours , KENNETH R . II . MACKENZIE , IX , Supreme Grand Secretary . Hounslow , 2 ist April , 1879 .

Officers of the Supreme Grand Lodge and Temple 1879-80 : M . W . Bro . John Yarker , P . M ., Supreme Grand Master . R . W . „ Capt . Francis George Irwin , P . M ., Supreme Senior Grand Warden . R . W . Bro . Major George Turner , P . M ., Supreme Junior Grand Warden .

( Who form the Supreme Grand Council . ) V . W . Bro . Samuel P . Leather , Supreme Grand Treasurer . V . W . „ Thomas L . Shaw , Supreme Grand Registrar . V . W . „ Kenneth R . H . Mackenzie , Supreme Grand Secretary . V . W . Bro . Rev . W . Stainton Moses , M . A ., P . M ., Supreme

Grand Chaplain . V . W . Bro . Benjamin . Cox , P . M ., Supreme Grand Marsha ' . V . W . Bro . William Wynn Wcstcolt , Supreme Senior Grand Deacon . V . W . Bro . Thos . Wainman Holmes , Supreme Junior Grand Deacon .

V . W . Bro . Thomas Clarke , P . M ., Supreme Grand Standard Bearer . V . W . Bro . Major J . Nash , Supreme Grand Sword Bearer . V . W . Bros . Robert T . Brown , P . M . ; Henry Martin Green , P . M . ; George Suckey , P . M ., Supreme Grand Stewards . V . W . Bro . George Kenning , Supreme Giand Sumptuary . V . W . „ Reginald Young , P . M ., Supreme Grand

Pursuivant . V . W . Bro . Devey Fearon Ranking , M . A ., Supreme Grand Assistant Pursuivant .

Grand Masters of Provinces : Bro . Captain F . G . Irwin , P . M . Western District . „ Major George Turner , P . M . Lancashire . „ Samuel B . Ellis . Yorkshire , IVesl Riding . Deputy Provincial Grand Master : Bro . George Tuckey , P . M . Western District . By command of the M . W . S . G . M ., KENNETH R . H . MACKENZIE , Supreme Grand Secretary

AN OLD MASON . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In your last number , at page 165 , a letter from thc Secretary of the Royal Cumberland Lodge , No . 41 , Bath , speaking of Bro . Charles Marsh , who was initiated in that lodge on the 6 th Aug ., 1819 , has the following : —

"There can be no doubt that our brother is the oldest living Mason in Englantl . " It would be interesting on all grounds to ascertain to whom belongs the distinction of being the " Father " of our English Craft , and as a contribution to the ventilation of this subject in your columns , I may state that an initiate of the Moira Lodge , No . 92 , i § entitled to seven years

Original Correspondence.

priority over Bro . Charles Marsh . Bro . Sir Moses Montefiore was received into Masonry in the Moira Lodge ( then No . 118 ) on the 13 th April , 1812 . Yours fraternally , R . F . GOULD , P . M . 92 .

BALANCE SHEET OF A LODGE . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I have taker , the trouble to copy out the balance sheet of a lodge , whicii has been forwarded to me as a specimen of what you and all right-thinking Freemasons

have so often decried , what a misnomer the word " charity , " the watchword 1 f our Order , is , with respect , I fear , to a large number ot our lodges ; in this instance , £ " 155 ios . spent on banquets , out of thc total subscriptions of one year , £ 155 14 s ., and £ 4 4 s . to charity , actually less than the

amount , £ 4 14 s . 3 d ., collected at the banquets for the express purposes ol charity . What a farce ! No words of mine could speak half so eloquently or forcibly as the printed figures now before me . Yours fraternally , CHARLES JOHN PERCEVAL .

YEAH ENDING 2 ** TII APRIL , 1879 . DR . March 25 th , 1878 : £ s . d . Balance in Hand ... ... ... ... 46 19 7 March 25 th , 1879 : Subscriptions—Initiations , Visitors , & c . ... * I 5 J 14 o

£ 202 1 3 7 Cn . March 25 th , 1879 : £ s . d . Banquet expenses for the year ... * ' 55 1 ° ° Grand Lodge dues and certificates ... ... 9 14 6

Provincial Grand Lodge dues ... ... 83 6 Tyler 2 14 o Printing , Postage , & c . ... ... ... ; 11 o Insurance ... ... ... ... ... 050 Balance in hand 18 11 7

£ 202 13 7 CHARITY (?) FUND . 1878 . Du . £ s . d . March 25 , Balance in hand 4 12 it April 4 , Collected at banquet : — 4 8 brethren £ 2 o o

Sep . 5 , „ 3 6 „ o 19 6 Nov . 7 , „ 29 „ o 17 3 1879 . Jan , 2 , „ „ 3 8 „ 0176 * 4 14 3 Fees—One passing 10 / 6 , one raising 10 / 6 ... 1 1 o

£ 10 8 z 1879 . CR . £ s . d . March 25 , R . M . I . B £ 1 1 o

„ R . M . I . G 1 1 o „ R . M . B . 1 220 * 4 4 o Balance ... „ 6 42 £ 10 8 2

FREEMASONRY IN SOUTH AFRICA . To the Editor of the " Freemason , " Dear Sir and Brother , — In November last you werc informed that a change was contemplated in the rituals for the symbolic degrees in lodges woiking under thc G . E . of the Netherlands . The brethren who were members of other lodges

working under the Grand Lodge of England felt indignant at this contemplated change , and have now applied to thc Grand Lodge of England for a warrant for a new lodge at Du Toils Pan , to be named thc Charles Warren Lodge ( after our much esteemed and popular Administrator ) . The ist W . M . is Bro . R . M . Connolly . „ S . W . , D . E . Doveton .

,. J . W . „ R . J . Scholtz . Bro . J . J . Wil-on , P . M ., well-known in Masonic circles , has been a piominent supporter of Dutch lodges in this province , and occupied the principal offices in lodge and chapters , is also a charter member of this new lodge ; and it is now believed that Dutch lodges in this province will

soon be a thing of the past . It is rumoured that another warrant from the Grand Lotlge of England will soon be applied for to open a second lodge here , at Du Toils Pan . The only difficulty appears to have been whether the several W . M . ' s who have occupied the chair for the full period will be recognised as Past Masters by the Grand

Lodge of England . Upon this your opinion is earnestly solicited . I give you list of lodges and chapters now working at this place ( Du Toils Pan ) * . Symbolic Lodge , Peace and Harmony ... Dutch Con . R . A . Chapter „ „ ... Scotch „ R . Croix „ „ „ ... Dutch „

KIMBERLEY . Craft Lodge , Cosmopolitan E . C . „ Ricd . Giddy E . C . „ Athole Scotch Con ,

R . A . Chapter , Concord Scotch ,, R . A . „ E . G . R . Croix ,, Adamanta E . C . Kt . Templar Encampment ... ... ... E . C . Yours fraternally , P . M . and 18 . Du . Toils Pan , 25 th M ^ rvhi 1 S 79 .