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PR ^ Sason ^ Mggffi ^ iffl ^

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The regular Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge will be held at Freemasons' Hall , on Wednesday , the 1 st prox ., when , in addition to the business ( hat is ordinarily transacted , there will be SATURDAY , MAY 28 , 18 9 8 .

submitted for the consideration of the brethren a communication from his Royal Highness , the M . W . Grand Master , in reference to the recent action of the Grand Lodge of Peru in violating the most important of the ancient principles and tenets of Freemasonry .

» » Many of our readers have , doubtless , learnrd with regret that some ; lime since the said Grand Lodge decreed the removal from the altars of all the lodges under its jurisdiction of the Volume of the Sacred Law , and substituting for the word " Bible '' in its

nlual the words the Grand Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Peru . " Moreover , the said Grand Lodge , to quote the very words of our Grand Master ' s communication " has not only refused to reconsider its decision in authorising such decree , but requires obedience thereto from the several lodges under its jurisdiction . "

Masonic Notes.

Under these circumstances , his Royal Highness the Grand Master is of opinion that recognition by the Grand Lodge of England should no longer be accorded to the Grand Lodge of Peru as a Masonic body , and desires that the sense of Grand Lodge should be

taken on a series of resolutions , in which such recognition is declared to be impossible , and Grand Lodge requests his Royal Highness to take such steps as he may consider necessary to give effect to the views of Grand Lodge , and instructions arc given for the

conduct of English lodges in the circumstances ; the resolution of the 6 th March , 1 S 7 S , is reaffirmed ; and copies of said resolutions are to be forwarded to all lodges under the jurisdiction of our Grand Lodge , with instructions to have them read in open lodge and entered on the minutes .

* * * From the report of the Board of General Purposes , it appears that steps have recently been taken with a view to purchasing certain property to the rear of Freemasons' Hall so as to allow of the Temple being

enlarged and to provide additional means of egress therefrorruas well as from the adjacent hall of Freemasons' Tavern . Accordingly , the sanction and approval of Grar . d Lodge will be asked for a contract into which the Board has provisionally entered with

the owner for the purchase of the said property for a sum of . £ 7000 , together with a further sum of , £ 126 Ss . to defray the Vendor's Surveyor ' s fees and Solicitor ' s costs . # * *

Among the notices of motion is one which will be submitted by Bro . Sir John B . Monckton , P . G . W ., to the effect that a sum of 500 guineas be voted from the funds of Grand Lodge to the Royal Masonic

Institution for Boys on the occasion of its Centenary Festival , which will be held next month under the presidency of his Royal Highness , the Most Worshipful Grand Master .

* * * We note , lastly , that since the March Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge , the M . W . Grand Mister has been pleased to issue warrants for the constitution of 12 new lodges , of which'four are located in the

London district , six in the Provinces , and two Abroad . The four London lodges arc the Playgoers ' , No . 2705 ; the Jubilee Masters ' , No . 2712 ; the "Acanthus , No . 2715 ; and the Midland and Oxford Bar , No . 2716 . Of the six Provincial lodges , the Weald , No . 2707 ,

will be located at Brentwood , in Essex ; the Royal York , No . 2709 , at Nailsworth , in Gloucestershire ; three in West Lancashire , namely , the Holmes , No . 270 S , at Wigan , and the Imperial and Temperance , Nos . 2711 and 2714 respectively , in Liverpool , and the

Foster Gough , No . 2706 , at Stafford . Of the two lodges Abroad , Minchin , No . 2710 , will meet at Trevendrum , in the District of Madras , and the Vanna Levu , No . 2713 , at the place of the same name in the Fiji Islands . » * *

The Grand Lodge ol Mark Master Masons of England and Wales , & c , will hold its regular Quarterly Communication at Mark Masons' Hall on Tuesday , lhe 31 st instant , when the Grand Officers for the

ensuing year will be appointed and invested . On Grand Lodge being closed , the Grand Festival will be held at the adjoining Freemasons' Tavern . Tickets for the Festival , at 21 s . each , to be obtained of the Grand Stewards .

It appears from the Report of tho General Board which will be submitted at the Communication , that during the quarter ending 31 st March , there were issued , 631 Mark certificates , raising the total number of registered M . M . M . 's to 38 , 322 ; and 195 Royal Ark

. Mariner certificates , raising the total registered to 55 SS . During the same period warrants for four new Mark and two Royal Ark Mariner lodges were issued , all of which are located in foreign parts . The Ma rk lodges are the Addington , No . 515 , Natal ; the

Hammerton , No . 516 , Gibraltar ; the Wedad , No . 517 , Minieh , in Egypt ; and the Yeatman-B / ggs , N ; . 51 S , Darjeeling , in the Uistrictof Bengal . The Royal Ark Mariner lodges are both located in Egypt , namely , the Raghcb , attached to No . 510 , and the AI Ilakeeka , to

No . 513 . A new District has been formed—that of the Western District of South Africi , and his Royal Highness has been pleased to appoint Bro . Cape ! J . Hogg to preside over it as District Grand Master . The vacancy

caused by the lamented death of Bro . Major-General A . G . Ye ilinan-Biggs , C . B ., District Grand Master of Bengal , has been filled by the appointment of Bro . the Hon . Mr . Justice Burkitt , but the duties of the District Grand Mastership of Burma , vacant by the death of

Masonic Notes.

llro . Judge Donald G . Macleod , will for the present be carried on by the Deputy District Grand Master . Bros . Col . Charles Hunter and Thomas Cook have been re-appointed for a further term of three years , the former as Provincial Grand Master of North Wales and the latter as District Grand Master of Natal .

* It is announced under the head of the " Fund of Benevolence" that the 30 th Anniversary Festival in behalf of the Mark Benevolent Fund will be held at Freemasons' Tavern , on Wednesday , the 13 th July , and that the Hon . Alan de Tatton Egerton , M . P ., Prov . G . Master of Cheshire , has very kindly undertaken to preside as Chairman on the occasion .

* We regret exceedingly that an error of considerable importance should have crept into our report of the proceedings of the recent Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . Bro . J . M . McLeod , in repl ying to the toast of "The Kindred Charities , " is reported to

have said that he acknowledged the handsome way in which all the Committee of the Girls' School voluntarily assisted him in the Old Masonians' Lodge list , which was the second best of Lay Stewards . " What , in effect , Bro . McLeod did say was , that he acknowledged the very kind and cordial assistance he had

received from the members of the Girls' School House Committee and from Bro . Hedges in his task of preparing the necessary arrangements for the Boys' School Centenary next month , and their generous action in becoming Stewards as a body for the Festival . The

merit of compiling the second highest list of . £ 246 15 s . belonged entirely to Bro . McLeod as Steward for the Old Masonians' Lodge , No . 2700 , while the personal donations and collections of the members of the House Committee appeared on the list ot Bro . Sir Reginald Hanson , Bart ., M . P ., the Chairman of the day ,

* * * We note with pleasure that the Governors and Subscribers of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , at the Annual General Meeting , on the 20 th instant , followed our advice , and rejected the proposal of Bro . W . C . Parsons to award without ballot two of the

annuities that fall vacant between the meeting of the Committee of Management , on the second Wednesday in February , and the Annual General Meeting , on the third Friday in May , to the two candidates who had been longest on the list— " if deemed worthy o £ the same . " It is not quite clear whether Bro . Parsons

intended that two such vacancies on each Fund should be so awarded , or that the two should be reckoned on the two Funds taken together ; but , as the motion was rejected , the point is immaterial . We are pleased that the motion has fared as it did , not because we do not sympathise with the unfortunate candidates , but

because , firstly , we do not desire to see the existing laws concerning vacancies to be altered ; and , secondly , because we consider that the ri ght thing for Bro , Parsons to do is to address himself to the Provinces , from which these long-protracted unsuccessful cases emanate , with a view to enlisting for them their support . If he succeeds in this , then we have no doubt

that outside help will be forthcoming from the very large number of voters who are not interested in , or pledged to , assist any particular candidates , If he does not succeed , then he cannot in reason expect that the election of other and equall y deserving cases shall be deferred in favour of those who arc not assisted by the voters even in their own provinces .

* * * A meeting was arranged to be held at the Freemasons' Hall , Ipswich , on Thursday , the 26 th instant , under the presidency of the Prov . Grand Master of Suffolk , or , in his absence , of the Dep . Prov . Grand

. Master , at which all W . Ms , and P . Ms , in the Province were invited to be present to hear an account by Bro . S . T . Klein , W . M . Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 2076 , of his recent discovery of the genuine secrets of a M . M . and his esoteric demonstration ' thereof .

» # We have been requested b y Bro . E . Whitley Baker ' P . M ., Secretary , St . Cuthberga Lodge , No . 622 , Wimborne , to warn our readers against a man who some time ago traversed the country in the vicinity of Warcham , Poole , and Wimborne in search of relief

from unwary brethren , and , we regret to say , succeeded in obtaining help of a substantial nature from each town . He is described as being about s feet 8 inches in height , with a brown beard , rather thin in the centre , and occasionally keeps the left eye closed , stating that it was injured by an

accident , whereas both eyes are perfect . He claims to be an engineer , speaks with an Irish accent , and gives indillercntly the names of Standich and Wilson . He says he is an Irish Mason , has no certificate , but carries with him a letter of recommendation from a brother at Swansea , of whom Brc . Baker instituted

inquiries with the result that he ( Bro . Baker ) was informed that the man was a rogue who had imposed on many residents in the nei ghbourhood of Swansea , wa > disowned by and unknown to the Irish lodge and would not work when offered employment . 'The

vagrant in question is believed to have been in the neighbourhood of Wimborne about Easter twelvemonth , so that he has been following his predatory habits , and apparently with success , for a considerable time past .