Supreme Grand Chapter Of Scotland.

SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER OF SCOTLAND .

The Quarterly Communication of the above Supreme Grand Chapter was held on the 17 th inst ., in the Freemasons' Hall , Edinburgh . There was a good attendance of companions , and several apologies for absence were intimated by the G . S . E . Among the companions present were Comps . James Crichton , acting First Grand Principal ; Dr . G . Dickson , acting G . H . ; Dr . John Foulds , acting G . J .,- R . S . Brown , G . S . E . ; Edward Macbean , acting G . S . N . ; Major F . W . Allan , acting ist G . S . ; G . Wilson , 2 nd G . S . ; and John Taylor , 3 rd G . S .

Reports of proceedings of the Grand Mark Lodge of England , Grand Chapter of Canada , and the Grand Chapters of Vermont , Pennsylvania , Nesv Hampshire , South Carolina , Missouri , and Ohio , U . S . A ., were presented and received with the

thanks of the Grand Chapter . The minutes of the Supreme Committee showed that the income for the quarter amounted to ^ 113 ios . iod . ; the expenditure to ^ 87 13 s . 8 d . ; excess of income over expenditure , £ 25 17 s . 2 d ., while the income for the corresponding quarter

last year amounted to £ 123 ios . gd ., shovvinga decrease of £ 9 19 s . nd . Considerable discussion arose on a recommendation from the Supreme Committee " to delete certain words from the Mark Instructions . " A motion for and against having been put to the meeting , it was decided by a large majority to make

no change . Petitions for charters for a chapter to be named the Hartley Chapter , and for another to be named the John Saunders Chapter , both for South Africa , were granted . __ In reference to a communication received from a body styling itself the Early Grand Chapter of Scotland , a Committee appointed by the Supreme Committee were deputed to investigate and report .

The ACTING F IRST GRAND PRINCIPAL made suitable reference to the loss sustained by Masonry in the death of the Earl of Rosslyn , Past First Grand Principal . The G . S . E . was instructed to send a letter expressive of their sympathy to the Dowager Countess . Notice of motion was read from Comp . Charles Baxter , which proposes limiting the occupancy of the same office in the Supreme Grand Chapter by any one companion to two years . Supreme Grand Chapter vvas then closed .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF CHESHIRE .

The above Provincial Grand Lodge held its annual meeting at Stockport , on Wednesday , the 17 th inst . The gathering took place in the Mechanics' Institute , and there was a very large attendance , upwards of 400 brethren being present . Bro . Lord Egerton of Tatton , P . G . M ., presided , and Bros . Lieut .-Col . Wilkinson and Capt . Gilbody occupied the P . G . W . s' chairs , Bro . J . H . Bellyse acting as Dep . P . G . M ., in the unavoidable absence of Bro . Sir Horatio Lloyd .

The P . G . SECRETARY announced that a letter had been received from Bro . T . Ward , P . M . 428 , the P . S . G . D . designate , expressing regret that his departure for America prevented him from attending , and enclosing a subscription of £ 3 3 s . beyond his fee of honour for a charity to be named by the P . G . M . Bro . J . SALMON , P . M . 425 , read the report of the Auditors as to the Prov . G .

Treasurer ' s accounts . The report , vvhich was satisfactory , mentioned among other items that , in accordance with the recommendation of the Financial Committee appointed at the Provincial Grand Lodge meeting at Hyde a year ago , £ 200 had been placed in the bank , and two accounts had been opened , one of them for the provincial Fund of Benevolence .

Provincial Grand Lodge adopted the report , and also a report , read by Bro . SALMON , from the Committee of Benevolence . The PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER afterwards addressed the brethren . He said

he was glad to find that in the old town of Stockport Provincial Grand Lodge had received a most cordial welcome , and that the attendance was so very large . It vvas 11 years since Provincial Grand Lodge met in that town . Since that time , although he had no actual satisfies to quote , he vvas aware that Masonry had made considerable progress in the province . During the past year two new lodges had been formed , and of these one had recently been consecrated at Alderley , and the

other vvould be consecrated shortly at Hoylake . The number of members now stood at 1737 . The roll was steadily increasing , and he hoped the increase mig ht be maintained . Through ill-health he had not been able to go about the province much during last year , but the Provincial Grand Secretary had visited all the lodges , and , taken as a whole , there was a good report of their general working and prosperity . There vvas one lodge , vvhich he vvould not name , vvhich

seemed to be in a declining state , and it might , perhaps , be desirable that the Prov . Grand Secretary , together with the Prov . Grand Wardens and the Prov . Grand Registrar should again visit that lodge and endeavour to ascertain what were the causes svhich had produced the decline in the members of the lodge . They had already heard the account of the Provincial Grand Treasurer , and he thought they vvould agree with him that the suggestions vvhich had been

made as to a better method of keeping the financial accounts would conduce to the better management of the finances of the province . The brethren , too , were now in possession of a neiv code of by-laws , which were , after a great deal of investigation , drawn up by the Committee appointed last year at Hyde for that purpose . He trusted that those by-lasvs would be studied and their provisions carefully attended to . He was happy to find that the books of the lodges vvhich

had been laid before him were on the whole very well kept . There had been one or two minor inaccuracies and irregularities which he had called the private attention of several of the Worshipful Masters of the lodges to . He vvould remind Worshipful Masters of lodges that in cases of joining members the Grand Lodge certificate and the clearance certificate from the former lodge should be produced as guarantees , which were both necessary and required , and that the fact of both such

certificates having been produced should be entered on the minutes of the lodge . He mentioned this matter because relaxations of the rule on the point had been found in some of the books . He would impress upon the Worshipful Masters the desirableness of doing everything in due order , and having the books regularly and clearly kept . He thought the report which they had just heard as to the working of the Fund of Benevolence was also very satisfactory . In order that the

Committee of Benevolence might be strengthened and mig ht receive the support of every lodge , a recommendation had been made in the report that a Charity representative should be elected in every lodge in October of each year . He trusted the adoption of that recommendation would aivaken interest in the Charities and would cause great zeal to be shosvn in promoting the cause of the Fund of Benevolence in the province . He svould remind the brethren that it was by their acts of charity and benevolence

that Masons were judged by the outside public . The reason for their existence was shown to the world in their splendid Charities , and these Charities , in order to be maintained , must have the support , not only of the brethren generally , but also of each province . Their province had been able to assist in the election of Bro . McLeod as Secretary of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , and they were all pleased to have Bro . McLeod with them on that occasion . There was another matter vvhich he would like to mention . He had received from one brother of the province what he regarded as a very un-Masonic letter , which appeared to

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

have been written under a misapprehension of the princip les of Masonry . He hoped the brother vvho had written the letter would at once withdraw it after he had heard what vvas to be said against it . That brother ought to be aware that Masonry vvas an ancient institution with certain well-established and well-defined laws , and that it was not possible for any individual Mason to find fault with any of the principles of Masonry as long as he remained a brother Mason . The

particular point on which the brother to whom he referred had criticised the conduct of the Prov . Grand Master showed him ignorant of the principles of Masonry , for he ought to know that the Prov . Grand Master was responsible for the appointments he made . He ought also to know that in these days politics had nothing whatever to do vvith Masonry . Yet in his letter he made allusions to institutions which had nothing whatever to do with the Order . Masonry was a system , as

they understood it , of universal brotherhood , but for those who entered the Order it had also a constituted authority such as was sanctioned in the Volume of the Sacred Law . While all were equally brethren they were bound to obey the constituted authority , and it was not competent for a Mason to challenge the official acts of the Prov . Grand Master . The appointments in that province had been made on exactly the same principles

that appointments in Grand Lodge were made by the M . W . G . M . Suggestions were properly made to the Prov . Grand Master , and the Prov . Grand Master might ask for the assistance of those whom he knew to be able to help him in certain particulars , but vvhen the appointments were made , it was for Masons to respect the decision of the Prov . Grand Master . He must also deprecate the idea that everyone knew better than the Prov . Grand Master as to what particular office a

brother was fitted to fill . They all knew that a Prime Minister in making up his Cabinet had great difficulty in pleasing all his colleagues , and so it doubtless was in the case of the Prov . Grand Master . But humility and obedience were the virtues of Masonry , and although a brother might think he had not got exactly the office for which he was most specially fitted , yet he ( the Prov . Grand Master ) ventured to think a brother vvould be acting more in accord with the principles of

Masonry to accept that office , however bumble it might be , trusting that the Prov . Grand Master vvould duly consider his services on a future occasion , and would endeavour to raise brethren scale by scale from the lowest to the highest offices . He trusted that whenever any appointments were made they would be regarded with a confidence that the Prov . Grand Master gave every consideration before appointing officers . The number of offices vvas limited , and his wish was that

every lodge in the province should have its fair share of provincial grand honours . He had always striven to carry out that rule , and he trusted therefore that in future he should not have any letters sent to him such as the one he had referred to . He feared that anyone holding the opinions of the writer could not conscientiously act up to the duties of a Mason . Turning to a more congenial subject , his lordship

said he had to thank the brethren for the support they had given him during the past year . He regretted that his services had been interfered with by ill-health , but he assured them that he vvould endeavour to use all the time he could spare and all the influence at his command for the spread and the welfare of Masonry in the province . He suggested that next year ' s meeting of Prov . Grand Lodge should be held at Runcorn .

Several brethren from Runcorn expressed their conviction that such a visit would be exceedingly gratifying to the local Masons . Bro . PARKER suggested that the meeting of 1892 should be at Lymm . Bro . BREEN said that as the writer of the letter complained of from the chair , he vvould be a cosvard if he did not acknowledge the fact . He begged leave to say that he unqualifiedl y withdrew any imputation vvhich the Prov . G . M . thought the letter contained . What he ( the writer ) complained of vvas the system of appointment .

The PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER said that was exactly the point the brother vvas not competent to call in question . Either he must withdraw the letter or sit down .

Bro . BREEN asked for the letter to be read . The PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER replied that it was not a letter to be read to Prov . Grand Lodge . He asked whether the writer withdrew the letter . Bro . BREEN repeated that he withdrew any imputations vvhich his lordship thought were cast upon him . Bro . Jas . Cookson svas duly proposed and seconded as Prov . Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year , and his election was unanimously agreed to .

Bro . COOKSON returned thanks in the following terms : Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master will you kindly grant me your indulgence for one moment to thank the brethren for having unanimously conferred the highest honour it is in the power of the province to bestow upon me , and I shall ever gratefully remember your kindness to me this day , and I trust , R . W . P . G . M . and brethren , you may never have cause to regret having elected me the Provincial Grand Treasurer of this important and thriving province .

On the motion of Bro . HERBERT FINCH , P . G . Reg ., seconded by Bro . DANBY , the Audit Committee vvas made up of Bros . Capt . Gilbody , Major Preston , Ramsden , P . P . G . D ., Wildgoose , and Gibson . Bro . Sir Horatio Lloyd was again appointed D . P . G . M ., and the following Past Masters were called to the platform and invested with provincial rank :

Bro . J . Salmon , 425 ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ John Clayton , 8 9 ... ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . „ Rev . R . Hodgson ( re-appointed ) ... ... ) p „ „ „ Rev . Arthur Symonds ... ... j i * Tov . U . Chaps . „ James Cookson ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas .

„ Herbert Finch , 10 4 ... ... ... Prov . G . R . „ R . Newhouse ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ James Hepworth , 1166 ... ... •••( p c r- rs „ Thomas Ward , 428 ( invested by proxy ) ... ... J rrOV ' •*5 ' ^ - * ' ,, George M'Clelland , 287 ... ... ... ) D T r- T- > I ! J . Smith , 323 .- J Prov J . G . Ds . „ W . Dunn , 979 ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . of W .

„ G . H . Browne ( re-appointed ) ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ S . N . Brooks , 3 61 ... ... ... ... Prov . D . G . D . C . „ Thomas Knowles , 721 ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ J . G . Adams , 477 ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ H . E . Heywood , 293 ... ... ... ) „ „ „ , „ " J . P . Bardsley , 1957 j Prov . G . Std . Brs . „ R . W . Baker , 1126 ... ... ... Prov . G . D .

„ Arthur Lawley , Alan Lodge ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Sec . „ W . Astle , 257 ... ... ... ... Prov . G . P . „ George Bowen , 2144 ... ... ... Prov . A . G . P . „ J . Hudson , 28 7 ... ... ... ... ""

„ S . May , 322 „ N . D . Fairbrother , 322 ... ... ... , D n „ . , „ E . Taylor ... ... ... _ J-Prov . G . Stewards . „ J . Fox , 104 „ George Roberts , 28 7

Before closing the Prov . Grand Lodge , the PROV . GRAND MASTER referred to the great loss sustained by the Order in the death of the Earl of Carnarvon , Pro Grand Master , and said he hoped that at no distant date the English brethren would set up some lasting memorial of their distinguished brother . Provincial Grand Lodge was then closed , and the brethren afterwards walked in procession to the parish church , where a special service was held , vvith a sermon by the newly-appointed Prov . Grand Chaplain . In the evening there was a banquet at the Pendlebury Memorial Hall .