Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 531 The Grand Treasurership 532 The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 532 Records of Extinct Lodges 533 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 534 Lodge of Benevolence 534 Provincial Grand Lodge of North and East Yorkshire 535

-Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Northumberland and Durham j 3 $ Compliment at Bath to V . W . Bro . \ V . J . Hughan , P . G . D 53 S Masonic Presentations 53 J CORRESPONDENCERevision of the Constitutions 536 The Status of Past Masters 537 Omissions from the Revised Book of Constitutions S 3 ?

CORRESPONDENCE ( Continued )—The Junior School for Boys ¦ . J 3 J The Schools Elections 537 Reviews 538 ' Notes and Queries 53 S A Protest Against the Scheme for Rebuilding the Temple 538 The Holborn Restaurant 538

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 1 J 3 S Instruction 541 Royal Arch 541 Mark Masonry ^ 3 Ancient and Accepted Rite 542 Obituary 542 The Theatres 542 Masonic and General Tidings 543 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 544

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OUR venerable Bro . Sir MOSES MONTEFIORE entered his hundredth year on Wednesday last , and was greeted by telegrams and letters from members of all persuasions in all parts of the world . The Royal Family , ever foremost in words and acts of kindness , had forwarded a message of kindly remembrance to him , and during the day congratulations literally

poured'in from all " quarters of the habitable globe . " Surely there is something moving and touching in this fact , and we are supplied , are we not ? with a very opportune if much needed lesson of Universal Toleration . Sir MOSES MONTEFIORE is a member of our Order , as we said before ; the " Moira" is his mother lodge , and probably no address among the many he

received was more appreciated by himself than the one which was forwarded to him by that distinguished body , and of which he spoke with so much gratification . It is stated in the Times of Wednesday that so interested is our old and excellent brother still in our " Royal art , " that no later than

Wednesday , having reached one hundred years , " he tried and proved a couple of visitors who were of the universal Brotherhood . " Thus our good and venerable brother , as the crown of his many years , and in remembrance of his many virtues , receives , so to say , the sympathy and congratulation of Humanity .

# * # Is IT absolutely necessary to incur all the serious expense which the elaborate scheme recently propounded will inevitably entail on Grand Lodge for the rebuilding of Freemasons' Hall ? Is it either conducive to the comfort or essential to the interests of Grand Lodge and its members to do anything

more at present than reconstruct the Hall , making it hold as many brethren as it conveniently can ? We have said before that if we are to have a scheme of reconstruction , let it be a scheme of entire reconstruction , and not a partial patching up , or possible temporary adaptation . But such a plan will involve an outlay far larger than we have it either in contemplation or

means to sanction , and we must , as it seems to us , accept the more feasible and less expensive alternative of simple reconstruction . One of the greatest objections to the " idea " as now before Grand Lodge is , that it seeks to compass too much and too little , paradox as it may seem to say so , at the same time . It will no doubt greatly enhance the value of the " take " of

our worthy lessees ; but will it equally benefit Grand Lodge ? We doubt the latter reality very much . On the whole , therefore , as the least hurtful strain on the Grand Lodge funds , we are much inclined to think , that we had better make up our minds to give up at once all ambitious schemes , and confine our attention to a careful restoration of Freemasons' Hall on the

old ground plan , adopting all the modern systems of acoustics and ventilation . It is true that the enlarged accommodation will not be great ; but is not that accommodation really after all sufficient ? It is more than doubtful whether in any building except one in the theatral form , if we seat 1500 brethren , we can hear the speeches

easily and comfortably . We know of no similar instance at home or abroad . In all similar large halls the strain on the voice is impossible to keep up , and would be especially so in a body like the Grand Lodge . We understand that great objections are entertained both in the provinces and metropolis to the financial arrangements , especially the proposal to purchase the

lease of Bacon ' s Hotel . It is quite clear that we shall not come to an unanimous vote on the subject , and we would urge upon our authorities the urgent propriety of reconsidering the whole scheme . When we meet in December we shall be in somewhat a difficult position . A report is before us , but , so far as we can judge , not acceptable in its present form . Would

't not be better and safer policy to move to refer the whole subject back to the Building Committee , with instructions to present a second report , based simpl y on the idea of reconstructing the old hall properly , and if you like

improving the kitchen arrangements ? Such a course would seem to be the m ° st simple and practical one for us to adopt , more likely than any other to meet with the general approval of Grand Lodge . We venture to add our opinion , that for many reasons it is unadvisable for us as a Grand

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Lodge to launch out into large building expenses just now . Events are stronger than men , and whether we like it or not , we mayere long be compelled to reconsider the whole question of the location of Freemasons' Hall It appears to us to be our surest and safest policy therefore simply to reconstruct Freemasons' Hall , and to leave to the future the things of the future .

* * * WE are much indebted to Bros . RIACH and HAWKINS for their careful comparison of the old Book of Constitutions with the Revised one , and to Bro . HAWKINS for his clear account of its actual history . We agree ourselves entirely with the conclusions of a very able paper on the " Status of Past

Masters" which appeared in our last issue , and we feel convinced , as tho very candid letter of one of our correspondents also in our last shew-j , that the more the subject is discussed the more it will be seen how great is the inadvisability and the hurtful tendency of the change proposed . It is all very well to indulge in high flown language and sentimental statements

as to the universal rights of Past Masters , but we have rather to deal with , and most carefully to consider , what is for the real peace and advantage of our lodges , and the true progress ' of English Freemasonry . So many are the anomalies and inconveniences which the change will produce , that we

ourselves have the fullest confidence that Grand Lodge will never now confirm it , as alike in province and metropolis its serious consequences are measured out and realized . We invite our readers' attention to the proceedings of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Sussex , and the very able remarks of our esteemed brother , the DEPUTY PROV . GRAND MASTER for that province .

# # As regards the new proposal also to make lodges responsible for any claims on joining members , we cannot think that on reconsideration Grand Lodge will confirm it . It is , to our view , grandmotherly legislation . If lodges do not

make the proper enquiries as to joining members , let them by all means be pulled up and made to obey the Book of Constitutions . But such formal enactments are pretty certain to be unworkable , and are therefore useless and harmful , because they will never be enforced .

* * # THE results of the polling at our recent School Elections present . some remarkable figures which when carefully analyzed deserve the serious attention of all who take part in our half-yearly elections for our great Metropolitan Educational Establishments . In the Girls' School Election

for instance there were 32 , 877 fresh votes issued and 2133 brought forward . Of this number 31 , 532 votes were actually polled , leaving 3378 unpolled , notwithstanding all the circulars of the " mendicant , " and all the appeals of the anxious ; a very remarkable fact , is it not ? The eight successful candicates polled 18 , 572 votes ; the 22 unsuccessful candidates recording 12 , 960

votes ; the highest votes polled for the first successful candidate were 3101 , and the lowest 1682 . Thus it will be noted , that the prognostications of prophets and the calculations of experts were alike signally falsified in the Girls' School Election , inasmuch as it had been generally stated as certain , and was apparently as generally believed in as undoubted , that the voting

would be abnormally high , and that no figures under 2400 were positively safe , and hence it was that some did not poll their full strength , and others were greatly disappointed . We have a warning in this reality against a blind adherence to the assumed certainty of figures . They sometimes signally fail us and perplex us . In the Boys' voting the figures necessarily

ranged higher , and are very noteworthy . As we said before 47 , 769 votes were issued , and 29 , 540 were brought forward , —in all , 76 , 309 , and of these 72 , 429 were polled , leaving 3880 unpolled votes , a very striking margin surely , remembering the "high pressure" we are all now under for votes .

The 20 successful candidates put together the very large number of 52 , 987 votes . Of these 22 , 411 votes were brought forward , and 30 , 576 actually polled on Monday week . We believe that this polling is unprecedented . The average of the twenty successive and successful candidates being over 2600 votes

. * # WHEN we hear that 3378 Girls' votes were unpolled at the half-yearly election , and 3880 Boys' votes also , we are inclined to ask " what becomes of the ' m all ? " To what category do they belong—votes and voters alike ?

We fear that a good many voters will not even take the trouble to sign their names , and that a great number of votes are lost annually through their apathy and inattention . Voting papers are sent in habitually after the poll is closed , and many an election is lost either by the carelessness or forgetfulness of its friends .

* * * THE recent proceedings at Huddersfield have been most gratifying ! to all concerned . Bro . H . R . H . the Duke of ALBANY and his amiable wife re ceived due homage and courtesies from our excellent West Yorkshire bre