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CONTENTS . LEADERHampshire and the Isle of Wight ... ... - •¦• 42 ; Lodge Officers ... - - - - - 427 The "Old Charges" ... - - - - 42 S

Masonic Disunion in New South Wales ... ... ••• 42 S General Committee of Grand Lodge and Board of Benevolence ... ... 429 New Masonic Hall for Leeds ... •¦• ••• ••• ••• 429 Physical Qualifications and the Old Charges ... ... ••• 429 RoyalAicn ... ... . - - - - - 4 2 < J

MASONIC NOTESProvince of Devonshire ... ... ••• — 431 Lurpan Masonic Hall ... ••• ••• ••• 43 ' Death of Bro . Asher Barfield ... ... ... ... 43 ' Correspondence ... ••• ••• •¦• ••• ••• 43 2

Craft Masonry ... •¦• ••• ••• — 4 J 2 Obituary ... ... - - - - 432 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys ... ... - ... 433 Scotland ... ... - - - - 433 Indiana and Washington _ ... •¦• ••• ••• 433 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... » . ••• — 434

Hampshire And The Isle Of Wight.

HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT .

That Hampshire and the Isle of Wight shoultl have no difficulty in maintaining the reputation it has long enjoyed as one of our chief strongholds of Freemasonry will surprise no one who has any , albeit even a restricted , knowledge of thc

present condition of thc English Craft . In thc first place , it has been for the last 30 years presided over by a ruler than whom there is no Prov . G . Master who has greater knowledge and experience of Masonry , who is more zealous and

active in the discharge of his duties , and who at the same time is more generally beloved and respected . Hro . \ V . W . B . BEACH , M . P ., has been a member of the Order for upwards of half a century , having been initiated in the Apollo University

Lodge of Oxford , No . 357 , in 1 S 4 8 . In 1 S 51 and 1852 he was Prov . S . G . D ., and in 1853 Prov . S . G . W . of Oxfordshire ; two years later he took a leading part in reviving the fortunes of the Westminster and Keystone Lodge , No . 10 , as a London

home for Oxford University brethren ; and on the ist June , 1869 , he received his patent of appointment as Prov . G . Master of the combined Provinces of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , having , in thc interval , served as W . M . of the Lodge

of Economy , No . 7 6 , and Prov . S . G . W . of Hampshire . Of the 4 8 lodges in the Province exactly one half have been warranted during his tenure of ollice ; while 13 out of the 24 Royal Arch chapters have been constituted during thc

years he has been G . Superintendent . These few particulars will suffice to give some idea of thc length and variet y of the service rendered to Freemasonry by the Grand Master of this Province , while as regards his zeal and activity and the

respect in which he is held , not a year passes but some event occurs which illustrates the character of the work he does and the feelings entertained towards him by his brethren . But it is not alone , in the attributes of its Provincial Grand Master that

Hampshire and thc Isle of Wight is fortunate . It includes in its ranks many brethren who have not only attained high rank in our Order but who have likewise done it valuable service . Lastly , the lodges on its roll are apt in the discharge of their

duties both severally and collectively ; they work together in perfect harmony , and their members are thoroughly imbued with the principles of Masonry , but more particularly with their devotion to that spirit of Charity , which we are taught is characteristic of our Order .

In these circumstances it will not , as we have alread y said , surprise any one who is even moderately familiar with the state of our English Craft to hear that Hampshire and the

Hampshire And The Isle Of Wight.

Isle of Wight is one of the most prosperous among our Provinces . At the recent annual meeting at Southamptonof the proceedings at which it was our privilege to publish a full report last week—there was not onl y an

exceptionally large attendance—only one of the 48 lodges on the roll being unrepresented—but , better still , there was an exceptionally favourable report of the work done during the past year . It appeared from the Prov . G . Treasurer ' s statement

of account that the assets of Prov . Grand Lodge amounted to £ 1443 , while its liabilities were nil , and this notwithstanding that last year thc Province voted 500 guineas to the Boys ' Centenary . The Province , too , had , by borrowing votes ,

succeeded in carrying the election of most of its candidates for the Central Institutions , while its own Provincial Educational and Benevolent Fund was well maintained . There had been one notable function in which the Province had recently taken part

at Boscombe , where thc Prov . G . Master had laid the foundation-stone of the new Hospital , and by way of emphasising the good work in which our Hants and Wight brethren assisted the meeting , on the proposition of Bro . BEACH , voted a donation

of £ 25 towards the cost of erecting the new building . Lastl y , as regards membership , thc returns from thc several lodges showed an aggregate of 3 S 7 S subscribing , which , seeing that the number of lodges is 48 , gives an average of rather more than

80 members per lodge . Of such a record as this the Province must needs be proud , and we congratulate the brethren and their distinguished chief that Freemasonry in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has attained * to such a position of prosperity .

Lodge Officers.

LODGE OFFICERS .

I . —THE TYLER .

[ COMMUNICATED ] As the Tyler is the first lodge officer the candidate comes in contact wilh in a fraternal or official capacity no apoloo-y is needed for considering this very useful brother first . The comfort of the lodge depends much upon him and in practice a

considerable amount of the Master ' s responsibility devolves upon him also . This arises by reason of llie Tyler being the only permanent officer of the lodge , his post being practically a freehold . Now the Tyler deserves sympathy and consideration . His knowledge has to be picked up in a way . He never has the

chance of seeing a ceremony after the conclusion of those in which he bore a prominent part . Other officers of the Iod" * e have the advantage of hearing their duties recited to thcmltt successive meetings , but the Tyler never has that advantage , At the annual installation and investiture of officers the

Worship ful Master frequently has some words of encouragement for his subordinates as one by one he places the collar of office around their necks , but the investiture of the Tyler year after year is not , as a rule , characterised b y any such custom . Moreover , a closed door separates him

from all that makes lodge worth attending . In addition to the disadvantage he thus labours under of being deprived of the ordinary course of instruction in Freemasonry , consider the circumstances under which many serving brethren are admitted into the Order . The brother who has occupied the post for

many years , dies suddenly , we will suppose . It is necessary to select his successor . Now and then some old Past Master who has come down in the world offers his services , and , as a rule , they are eagerly accepted . But if not , a suitable person has to be selected from among the profane . In order that his services shall be at the disposal of the lodge as earl y as possible thc