Ar00600

NOTICE . Tits Subscription to THE FREEMASON is now lew . per annum , post-free , payable in advance . Vol . I ., bound in cloth 4 s . 6 d . Vol . II ., ditto 7 s . 6 d . Vol . III ., ditto 15 s . od . Reading Cases to hold 52 numbers ... 2 s . 6 d . United States of America . THE FREEMASON is delivered free in any part of the United States for 12 s . per annum , payable in advance .

Ar00605

KOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS . The Office of ' THE FREEMASON is 71010 transferred to 19 8 , FLEET S TREET , E . C . All communications for the Editor or Publi her should therefore be forwarded to that address .

Ar00606

g )' trt |) s , Carriages , anb Scatjjs . —?—BlKTlf . STOCK . riAl . r- On the 22 nd inst ., at No . 2 , Dunrobinplace , Vaislcy-ruad , Glasgow , the wife of Bro . Nathaniel Stockdale , M . M . Lodge Clyde , No . 40 S ( S . C . ) , Chief Steward Steamship " Anglin . " of a son

Ar00607

Jvnstocvs tcr CToiTesnonbtnts . o GAVEI .. —Any brother , whether an . Installed Master or not , can take the chair at a Lodge of Instruction . Otherwise , die very object of the meeting—practice in ihc voik—wi . v . ld lie defeated .

Ar00608

BOOK RECEIVED . ' The Legend ot l'hyllis , with a Year of Song , " by William Sawyer . Longmans . Several reviews , notes , and reports of meetings unavoidably stand over till our next .

Ar00609

The Freemason , S ATURDAY , J ANUARY 27 , 1 S 72 . TUB FKEHMASON is published on Saturday Mornings in time tor the early trains . . The price of THE F BRKMASON IS Twopence per week ; annual subscription , 10 s . ( payable in advanci ) . All cumiiunieatiims , letters , & c ., to be addressed to the EDITOR . 10 S , Klcct-strcel , K . C . The lulitor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted to him , but cannot jmlertake to return them unless accompanied by postage stamps .

The Prince Of Wales And The Craft.

THE PRINCE of WALES AND THE CRAFT .

IT has been publicly announced that a National Thanksgiving Service will shortly be held at St . Paul ' s Cathedral , in grateful celebration of the happy convalescence of

his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales . The " Queen , Lords , and Commons , " the Ministers of State , the foreign ambassadors , the civic authorities , will all take part in

this auspicious solemnity ; and , wc need scarcely add , that their devout rejoicings will be shared in spirit by millions who will not have the opportunity of personally

joining in the prean of praise . It cannot be questioned that the recent illness of the Heir-Apparent has stirred the very heart of the whole nation—the exceptions being so

insignificant as to be unworthy of serious comment ; and in this respect—painful and alarming as it undoubtedly was—we must

regard' the Prince ' s affliction as a wiselyordc ; ed dispensation of Providence to dispel the designs of those foolish agitators , who .

The Prince Of Wales And The Craft.

in the absence of any real grievance , are always read } - to conjure up wrongs out of their own imaginations . But the voice of the country has been heard , and the throne

of Lngland stands firmer than ever , based upon no slavish fear , but girt around by true and loyal hearts , and reverenced by every lover of liberty as the

sacred-palladium of British freedom . In making these observations , we are not guided by any abstract comparison of the relative advantages of monarchical or republican systems

of government . It is no province of ours to discuss whether the chief magistrate of the commonwealth should be styled a King

or a President ; but we are happy in the knowledge that the vast , the overwhelming majority of Englishmen are true to their natural instincts — true to their sacred

traditions—true to that glorious history which has made them the envy of the world ; that they are not to be lightly turned aside from the calm , the rational

development of personal and political freedom by every wind which blows from Utopia . We are happy in this knowledge , because it inspires us with confidence in the future of

our country—bearing in mind what the prophet of old said of Reuben , " Unstable as water , thou shalt not excel , " and

believing , as we do , that real progress can only be attained by a steady adherence to the ancient landmarks of the British

Constitution . Let us now consider the situation in our character as Freemasons . If the voice of the nation has sounded with no

uncertain sound , may we not claim for Freemasonry a leading part in the universal chorus of joy ? If the Prince of Wales be

endeared to the inhabitants of these islands as the first-born son of their sovereign , is he not still more endeared to the members

of the Masonic rraternity as a brother of their Craft and a ruler within their halls ? To us he belongs emphatically , and our privilege to sympathise in his sorrow and

pain , and to rejoice at his recovery and well-being , is second only to that of his own immediate family circle . As Freemasons , we have knelt together at one common

altar—we have ministered together at one universal shrine . The mysteries of life , of human knowledge , of Divine science—the appeals of the helpless and the poor—the

flow of social intercourse—the geniality of fiatcrnal communion—we have alike heard or shared . Nor is all this knowledge unprofitable , or this geniality unproductive .

The true Mason is he who is ever ready to listen to a talc of woe—who is , to use the apposite language of the Order , ever ready to pour the healing balm of consolation into

the bosom of the afflicted . The true Mason , however enriched by intelligence , however enlightened by wisdom , is essentially a man—a type of the purest ,

brightest , and loftiest ideal of a yct-to-be-attained Humanity . Our Prince has borne himself nobly in our midst ; he has identified himself with Masonic ideas , he has participated in our

The Prince Of Wales And The Craft.

labours , and fought for our cause . Surely , therefore , such a body as the Free and Accepted Masons of England ought to take a conspicuous part in the proposed public

recognition of tL ; Divine mercy which has spared so invariable a life as that of their Royal Past GrnVd Master : Surely , amongst the thousands who will throng to St . Paul ' s

on the day of celebration , Freemasonry ought to be represented publicly by some of her most gifted and illustrious sons . We are not an advocate for public Masonic

displays , and would deprecate them most strenuously upon ordinary occasions ; but the occasion of our Royal brother ' s recovery is one when , we believe , good might be

done by the appearance of a thousand Freemasons in the procession— -whether clothed in the badges of the Order , or simply distinguished by wearing the

traditional white gloves as emblems of the Craft . In any case , our desire to evince unshaken loyalty to the throne , and to offer our congratulations to the Prince , ought to be

forcibly and specially expressed ; and we are convinced that besides interpreting the unanimous feeling of the Masonic body , it would have an excellent effect in the present state of the public mind .

Since writing the above , we have learned that the Most Honourable the Marquis of Ripon , M . W . Grand Master , has summoned a Grand Lodge of Emergency for Friday ,

the 26 th inst ., for the purpose of adopting an address to her Majesty upon the happy recovery of his Royal Highness the ri nce of Wales ; and although the notice is short

the attendance of brethren will , we trust be sufficiently numerous to manifest the interest felt by the Fraternity in the subject ,

as well as the sentiments of devotion and affection entertained b y all of us towards the Oueen and our illustrious Brother

[ Owing to the exigencies of publication on Friday , wc are compelled to speak in the future tense of this meeting , as it has not taken place up to the time of our going to press . ]

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

On Wednesday next , the 31 st inst ., the first Charity Festival of the season will be held under the Presidency of the Right Worshipful Brother the Earl Percy , who

will plead the cause of the aged Masons and the widows of deceased members of our Order . We trust that the pecuniary success of the forthcoming festival will surpass

the results of previous years ; and when we consider the recent great increase , both in lodges and brethren , and which is still continuing undiminished , we have a right

to expect that our new members will do something to sustain the Charities of the Order . We hold it to be every Mason ' s

duty to contribute , in proportion to his means , to one or all of those noble Institutions—the Asylum and the Schools ; and nothing is more unsatisfactory than to find