Masonic Miscellanea.

Masonic Miscellanea .

LODGE OF HorE , JJV . WBURY , XO . 574 —A Council Chamber of the above lodge will be held on Friday , the 2 nd April , at 8 o ' clock . WE are infurmed that I ? ro . Pundas , the nephew and heir presumptive to the Earl of Zetland , M . W . G . M .. was passed to the second degree in the Prince of Wales' Lodge , No . 259 , at AVillis ' s Uoonis St . James ' s , on the 23 rd inst .

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

[ Announcements of Births , Marriages , and Deaths relating to the Craft , or their families , will be inserted , free of charge , if properly authenticated . ] BIRTH . TnwAirES . —On March 13 th , at the "Old Hall , " Cockermouth , the wife of Bro . S . Thwaites , of a daughter .

DEATH . GLADWIN . —On the 10 th March , at his residence , Rugby House , Warwick-street , Regent-street , William Gladwin , aged 62 years , much respected and regretted by all who knew him . —[ liro . Gladwin was initiated in the Robert Burns Lodge , No . 25 on the 2 nd October , 1854 , served the office of Master in i 859-60 , and continued a member up to the time of his death . —ED . F . ~ ]

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

SPHINX- —Thanks for your good opinion ; your suggestions shall have due attention . The brother to whom you allude has no connection with Tin-: 1 ' : I :. MASOX , and as we cheerfully recognise till lawfully-constituted authority , both in and out of the Craft , we are not likely to engage such a moral Ishmael .

Asiii-Ait . -We doubt much if you will ever find a "fair and candid" statement of the charges brought by the Roman Catholic priesthood against Freemasonry . The bulls of various Pontiffs will give you an idea of their hatred of the Craft , and the works of the Abbe" IJarruel and of Professor Robertson , of Dr . Oitllen ' s Dublin Catholic University , will prove how "fairlv" Ihev estimate the Order .

Cardinal Cullen invariably classes rrccmasonry with Fcnianism and Ribhoiiism to the disgust of all unprejudiced Roman Catholics . The works of Oliver , Ragon , Mackey , and Findel being expositions of the principles of the Craft , contain sufficient answer- * to the malignant falsehoods of the priesthood , but ih < j best answer is to point to the works of mercy and charity in daily practice amongst the members of the Order .

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Cjf r Jrccntasan , SATURDAY , MARCH 27 , 18 G 9 .

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Tim FiutKitAso . v is published on Saturday Mornings in time for tho early trains . Tho price of Tun Fjti rem sow is Twopence pur week ; quarterly siibvcriptiun ( including postage ) 3 s . 3 d . Annual Subscription , \ 2 & . Subscriptionspayable in advance . All communication * , letter * , Ac , to ho uddreased to tho KDITOR , 3 & t , Little Britain , K . C Tho Kditor will pay careful attention to oil MSS . entrusted to him , hut cannot undertake to return them UIJIOHS accompanied by postage stamps .

Allegorical Teachings.

ALLEGORICAL TEACHINGS .

THKRE are few . subjects less understood , even by Freemasons , than the allegorical science of Freemasonry . We must travel back through the mist of nges—through the accumulated dust of centuries—before we arrive at the first

triumphs of that divine architecture , which had its impress from the hand of God . We must trace , as it were , step b y step , the advance of that noble art which has substituted the marble palace for the mud-built habitation . We must

follow it through its successive developmentsunder the ban of slavery , in the glimmering dawn of freedom and the radiant sun-rise of civilization—aud we shall then rcalizo its spiritual as well as its material aspects . Even at the

present day , we can contrast tho hut of the Zulu , or the clay-built domicile of the llosjesnian , with the palatial and luxurious houses of the great ; we can compare the barn with , the cathedral ; and it is in this spirit that we must

contemplate the moral victories of Freemasonry . What grand : ; r allegory of the life of man can be imagined than the wonders achieved in the domain of architecture . From those rude and savage caves we have emerged into the lofty domes of pillared temples—a symbol of our

Allegorical Teachings.

growth m knowledge , a type of our progress in wisdom And as the mansions which we rear upon this sublunary sphere—however beautiful , however perfect—will bear no comparison to the everlasting abodes which Jehovah

has prepared for the least of his servants , let it be our constant aim , so to purify the moral edifice of our souls as to be able to realize that

pure and incomparable Freemasonry which exists iu the mysterious depths of those unknown regions where the li g ht shines for ever and " darkness is not "

Lodge Of Benevolence.

LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE .

Ihe Lodge of Benevolence held its monthly meeting on Wednesday evening , the 21 th inst ., when 29 cases were investigated , of which 27 were relieved to the extent , of . £ 397 ; one was dismissed and one deferred .

The chairman of the evening was Bro . H . Browse , J . G . D ., supported by Bros . J . Mason , P . G . S . B . its S . W . ; and W . Ougle , A . G . P . as J . W . ; and a large number cf Grand Officers . Masters , and Past Masters of various Lodges in the Metropolis , were also present .

The Editor's Portfolio.

The Editor's Portfolio .

A RED CROSS SONG . By R . WENTWOKTII LITTLE . Let ' s rally round the standard Which blazed on high of yore , A symbol of our dearest

hopes—A sign for evermore . Beneath that starry banner Our fathers fought and bled , And we will bear it still aloft As did the glorious dead .

Then rally round the standard , & c . That Red Cross flag has ever waved Above the brave and true , Whose swords were drawn in honour ' s

cause—I ' or Faith and hreedom , too . Their mighty deeds tire now enshrined In Fame ' s resplendent , dome , And ages yet unborn shall bless Those noble Knights of Rome !

Then rally round the standard , & c . And now beloved brethren Let this be understood , The . men who seek to join our band Must be both wise and good—All who are Masons in their hearts

And filled with zeal divine , Most gladly will be welcomed by The Knights of Constantino ! Then rally round the standard Which blazed on high of yore , That symbol of our faith and love We'll prize for evermore .

Masonic Jurisprudence.

Masonic Jurisprudence .

[ Under this head , in future , we purpose answering corrcs . pondimts mi Masonic law . ] Mackey defines the laws of Masonry as being of two kinds—local and universal . The local laws are those enacted bv Grand and subordinate lodges for

the government of their members . These , of course , may be altered or annulled at the pleasure of the bodies who originally framed them . The universal laws are those handed down by universal consent from times immemorial , and which govern the fraternity throughout the world . These are irrevocable , lor they constitute : i part , of the ancient landmarks .

I'he Officers of all lodges in Dublin must be " passed" by a Committee of Inspection , and the names of all candidates for initiation must also bo submitted for the approval or rejection of the same Committee These are also very salutary regulations and must tend to promote the true interests of the Order in the . Sister Kingdom .

DKI . TA .- Ijpon ihe non-eoiifirmatioiiof the minutes relating to the election of a Master , a fresh election cannot lake place on the same erntiiig , nor can the election be held at a Lodge of Emergency . The Book of Constitutions is perfectly clear upon these points . I ' . M—You have been misinformed : the G . M ., in

the exercise of' his prerogative , hits a right to nominate any Master Mason as the first W . M . of a new lodge , notwithstanding the fact that the brother may never have held oflice in a lodge . In like manner , any companion , provided he be an I . M ., may be the first Z , of a now chapter .

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

—?—Cagliostro , the charlatan , lodged at the house of one Reilly , an innkeeper , in Great Queen-street . This house , 1 have reason to believe , is the tavern now called the " Hercules Pillars , " nearly opposite

Freemasons' Hall . —VIATOR . The Dove . —This is the emblem of the Deacon ' s office in English Freemasonry ; the dove , or " Noah ' s Messenger , " aptly representing diaconal duties . The Colutnba Noachi is also one of the constellations . — VIATOR .

27 te Serpent . —The serpent has ever been considered an emblem of wisdom , and , with its tail in its mouth , it symbolizes eternity . Moshcim informs us ( Eccles . History , vol . I . page 189 ) that a sect of Christians arose in the second century called O phites ,

or Serpenlmians , who maintained that the serpent by which Eve was tempted was either Christ himself , or Sophia ( the eternal wisdom ) , concealed under the reptile ' s form ; and consequently they nourished a number of serpents , which they regarded as sacred and to which they paid a secondary degree of divine honours .

—R . W . L . Rosaic Rite . —Care must be taken not to confound the Red Cross Degree with the Red Cross of Rome and Constantino ; my impression is that the latter was unknown in this country last century , but the Red Cross banner of the Templar was fathered

upon the Order of St . Constantino , and the motto appeared upon the Templars' seal of 1791 , and its pass word was one of the Templar secrets in the Dunckcrlcy ritual JOHN YARKER , Manchester . LODGE REPORTS . —Hint to Reporters . '—What interest can provincial brethren possibly take in long

lists of attendants at lodges , or in knowing who drank Brother Blank ' s health or how he replied ? This bore has always stood in the way of success to the Masonic Press , and the small space at your disposal mi ght be much better occupied than in self glorification . Why should lodges trouble us to read what has no interest ? — DELTA .

The Age of Christ . —The number " 33 " is adopted in many Orders connected with Freemasonry as the correct number of the years of Christ's sojourn on earth . The exactness of this period having been disputed , the following astronomical calculation may be interesting . The great founder of Christianity was

crucified on the day before the Jewish Sabbath , and the crucifixion must have taken place on Friday , the 3 rd April , in the 33 rd year of his age , as that was the only Friday on which a passover full moon fell from the twentieth to the fortieth year of our Lord , reckoning from the vulgar era of his birth . — ANTIQUARIUS .

Ancient and Accepted Rile . — Many thanks for Brother Yarker ' s letter relative to the Bose Croix degree . Few better than that well-known Brother tire capable of writing on the subject , but I beg still to disagree with him in some respects . Will he kindly favour me . with a copy of any certificate mentioning

the Templar degree which connects the 17 th or any other ehivalric degree with Masonry before AD . 1770 ? Bro . Yarker cannot produce any evidence of " hi g h grade" Masonry being mentioned A . D . 1705 by Vhih p of Orleans . At that date even modern Freemasonry

was unknown , and even the term " Grand Master " was not used . It is to be wished that Bro . Yarker would continue his most interesting history of the Jerusalem Encampment , Manchester , in the columns of Tin : FKKKMASOS . — ROSE CROIX .

Mystic Numbers . —Living in a land which is full of mysteries , my desire is to obtain knowledge . AVill some learned Frater explain the secret of the undermentioned mystic numbers in their present position ?

3 !) 27 81 81 27 9 3 9 3 81 27 27 81 3 9

B . C . Perhaps some of your readers could explain why ihe |// iv-pointed star is placed on the to ]) of the Italian coin ( centimes)—is King Victor Emmanuel a Mason ?—CocKKitMouTii .

JI-IUI . KK Mr . ijTixo oi' Tin-: DOMATIC CHAPTER , No . 177 . —This influential Chapter , which was opened on the l-llli March , 1819 , celebrated its jubilee meeting on the 2 . 0 lh inst ., at Aiiderton ' s Hotel " , hleet-street , under the presidency of Companion It . W . Little , the M . K . Z ., who delivered an appropriate address on ( he occasion , ( We shall give a full report of the interesting proceedings in our next issue , including the historical address referred to above . ]