Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS S 3 * Lodge of Benevolence $ 32 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls £ 32 Marriage of Bro . H . R . H . Prince Leopold ... £ 32 provincial Grand Chapter of Somerset 533 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of North and East Yorkshire $ 33 Consecration of the Temple Chapter , No .

CORRESPONDENCEThe Province of Cheshire and the Charities £ 36 The Performance of Ceremonies by Others than Dulv Installed Masters in the Chair . ' $ 3 6 ' A Query 537 Prov . ~ Gra . nd Lodge Somerset and 41 , Bath 537 Reviews 537 Masonic Notes and Queries 537

$ 18 , at Folkestone 533 Consecration of the Alexander Chapter , No . 1661 , at Newark-on-Trent 534 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 534 Watling Street Lodge of Mark Master Masons , No . 292 534 Obituary 53 a Victoria S 3 s Amusements S 3 s Brighton < 3 s Master Bakers' Protection Societv . ' . Ws

RF . I' - IRTS OF MASONIC : MEETINGSCraft Masonry $ 38 Instruction .. ' . 542 Royal Arch 543 Mark Masonry ^ S 43 Ancient and Accepted Rite 543 Rosicrucian Society 543 Daring Burglarv at Bro . Sir \ V . \ V . Barren ' s , P . G . M . Sussex ; .. 543 Masonic and General Tidings 544 Lodge Meetings for Next Week ni .

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THE whole of our world-wide Fraternity , as well as the " gentle Craft , in Great Britain , will receive the news of the approaching marriage of Bro . H . R . H . the Duke of ALBANY , better known as Prince LEOPOLD , with the utmost and unanimous feelings of loyal gratification . His " brethren in Masonry" have followed his public career , and listened to his genial and

able speeches on artistic and educational matters with pride and pleasure , and for his fair bride and for himself they do , as one great Brotherhood , united in goodwill and sympathy , heartily seek to express , we know , in the

pages of the Freemason to-day , their deep , sincere , and heartfelt aspirations for all that earthly happiness and prosperity which , under the overruling hand and providence of T . G . A . O . T . U ., it is wise and befitting for them to desiderate and hope . *

* * WE regret to note the great loss West Yorkshire Freemasonry has sustained by the premature death of Bro . HENRY DAY , whose " obituary" we give with much regret elsewhere , as sent to us by a friendly correspondent . Bro . DAY was one of those earnest and true-hearted Masons who formed part of

that band of Yorkshire brethren of yore , now , alas ! sadly reduced in numbers , who set to work manfully some years back to exemplify the true spirit of Freemasonry in good work- for its great Charities . He was always ready to help ; genial , kind , considerate ; and his cheerful countenance and friendly words will long be remembered by those who knew him , and worked with him , and loved him . He had been a Steward at sixteen festivals .

* * MANY of our readers will see with pleasure elsewhere that Bro . J OSHUA NUNN , who has recently resigned the Vice-Consulship of the United States ,

has been presented with the handsome testimonial of 1500 guineas , as the token of approval from those with whom he was daily brought into contact in matters of arduous and important business . Bro . J OSHUA NUNN ' S services to Freemasonry arc too well known to need mention in our columns .

* * A WRITER in the Building Ncivs , who signs himself " Veritas ? " thus "iligantly discoorscs " on a recent little controversy between the Freemason and its enlightened and suave contemporary , the Saturday Review , " I have read both the article on page 439 , and the letter of ' Knight Templar , ' on

page 509 ; but though the latter proves the writer has a warm heart to the ' Order , ' the historical knowledge he shows is scarcely so creditable to him . If he had read much about the history of Freemasonry he would have known that many students of history have asserted that what has been known for the last century and a half as Freemasonry , ' was invented and

established in , or about , 1717 . ' The fact that Freemasons adopted old Masonic signs , tools , and emblems is no proof that Freemasonry itself is old , and I hardly think WOODI ' and WHYTEHEAD arc the most reliable Freemasonic writers . W . J . HUGHAN in England , FINDEL in Germany , and D . MURRAY LYON in Scotland , are all authors of higher repute ; the

latter is the Grand Secretary for Scotland , and both he and HUGHAN—an officer in the Grand Lodge of England—coincide in asserting that there was no Freemasonic system of Three Degrees untilabout 1717 , nor any Grand Master until the same year . Then a good while after that , viz ,, towards the end of last century , Masonic Knights Templars , and other high-sounding

Degrees sprang up . The adoption of a similarity in nomenclature does not involve historical or hereditary relationship . " Probably Bros . WHYTEHEAD and WOODFORD will take the criticism of " VERITAS , " —appropriate , happy pseudonym , —very easily , and may remark , as has not been unfrcquentl y remarked under similar circumstances before , " what a pity that

charming ( old ) women will talk of things that they don't understand . " The " point" of the antiquity of Masonry , or of the actuality of a monograde or tri grade system , cannot be decided by the off-hand assurance of an " unexpert student . " The discussion going on week by week in our columns shows how difficult and far reaching is the whole question especially at Present to deal with and decide

. . -- — ... w V 4 Uti » U'lLll CIIIU UUUlUi :. Jk / lT will be seen elsewhere that a distinguished company of amateurs , inchiding the wife of our esteemed Bro . the PRESIDENT of the BOARD of

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GENERAL PURPOSES Lady MONCKTON , Mrs . LANGTRY , and other able performers , have been acting , and most successfully , in the cause of charity at Twickenham . ^ - ^ THERE has been a sort of idea afloat that the world was to come to an end in iSSr , though some say 1 S 82 . . In "Knowledge , " a new scientific paper

edited by the well known astronomer , Mr . A . PROCTER , and published by Bro . C . WYMAN , some amusing reasons are given . One is an old prophecy of " Mother Shipton j " another is , that as the ascending gallery of the great pyramid is 1 S 82 inches long , therefore the year of grace 1882 was to introduce anew era ! Our friend Bro . ROWBOTTOM will repudiate ,

we fancy , any such absurd theory ; and without being presumptuous of aspiring to belong to the " school of the prophets , " we think we are ourselves warranted in expressing our belief that as of old , the " end is not yet . " One day no doubt the " valley of dry bones " will be revivified , and the "harvest of the world" will be ripe . But until that great day , of " which

no one knoweth , arrives , in the inscrutable providence of T . G . A . O . T . U . it is our duty to " work " in our several callings and lots in life , essaying to carry out into practice the reality of the angels' song , which still includes the whole chain of moral duty and religious responsibility , " Glory to God " and "Peace and Love to Man . " #

THE perpetrators of the robbery of diamonds at Hatton Garden Post Office are as yet undiscovered . Certainly we are a strange people ! We have a happy knack of always " being wise , " as the French say " apres coup , " and of attempting to perform that remarkable undertaking of " shutting the stable

door when the steed is stolen . " That post bags of such great value should be left in an easily accessible place , without guard but five fully-occupied women , is one of those things which a " fellar can ' t understand . " But so it is , and so it was , and we can only hope , though we confess we gravely doubt the fulfilment of our aspirations , that " something may be done . " We entirely

disbelieve the easy and habitual theory of a " put up , " and we think it rather dirty immediately to say it all arises from " employing women . " In all probability it is only another developement of the " fence system , " as , of course , the thieves must have first of all known their " locale , " and then have the means of obtaining " money dowii" lov their " venture , " in this case so far , unhappily , successful "prima facie . "

WE cannot say that the aspect of our normal literature is either reassuring or edifying . We hardly take up a professed society journal without noting how a love of gossip , scurrility , inuendo , defamation of character , seems to tickle the palate and suit the idiosyncrasies of many unreflecting readers . We fear that t , his evil of " polite and untruthful slander" is greatly increasing amongst us . *

WE think that Mrs . SURR deserves the thanks of all who are interested in the welfare and progress of our industrial schools , for her courageous and consistent exposure of hideous abuses and cowardly cruelties inflicted on friendless , defenceless , helpless children . All Freemasons will applaud her efforts , and sympathize with her in her performance of " duty . "

* * * LORD Chief Justice COLERIDGE ' remarks in the case of SCOTT V . SAMPSON will commend themselves to most of our readers , and though severe and sarcastic , no doubt , yet seem to us perfectly well founded and true in " text and context . " Perhaps his words may have some effect in checking that

increasing "hbertinage" of the Press , which we daily note with regret , in the undermining of private reputation , the destruction of personal character , the promulgation of idle tittle-tattle , and the developement of a spirit of slander which afford apparently such a " pabulum " of pleasure just now for the childish , the empty-headed , and the low-minded .

* * OUR worthy and distinguished brother , the LORD MAYOR , presided most appropriately at the giving of prizes to the metropolitan drawing classes in the Guildhall , on Tuesday last . Wc venture to think that his observations are both most judicious and seasonable .

THE old controversy of the Warden and the P . M ., as regards Masonic ceremonial , is again before our readers . Bro . CHADWICK , the able Prov . G . S . for East Lancashire , brings forward an opinion of the late Bro . HERVEY as against one of our esteemed GRAND REGISTRAR . In our opinion , it all turns , upon what meaning is to be given " to rule the lod ge , " page 78 , s . 6 .

If by that expression is meant the technical govcrnmentof the lodge for business , then Bro . HERVEY may be right , but if it has a wider meaning , as we apprehend , then the GRAND REGISTRAR is undoubtedly right . The ' Book of Constitutions apparently only contemplates a P . M . of the lodge presiding , not

a P . M . simply because he is a P . M ., if not a member of his lodge . It is , as far as we know , the common law , —the " lex inscripta " of English Freemasonry , —the undoubted and unchallengeable right of any W . M . to ask any brother to assist him by performing part of the work for him .