Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS- PAGH Election and Admission to our Scholastic Institutions ... ... 525 Freemasonry and the War in Sjuth Africa ... ... — 5 5 r «~< h » K \ V < r Indue ... ... ... ... "" ... 526

Supreme Grand Chapter ( Agenda Paper ) ... ... ... - 525 East Lancashire Systematic Masonic Educational and Benevolent Institution 527 Rev . Charles Chiniquy ' s Last Book , " Forty Years in the Church of Christ . " 527 Provincial Priory of Somerset and Monmouth ... ... •••527 Bro . Alderman Newton , Lord Mayor Elect of the City of London ... 527 Craft Masonry ... ... ... •••¦•••••5 2 S

M ASONIC NOTESSupreme Grand Chapter ( Quarterly Convocation ) ... ••••••531 Consecration of the Marlow Lodge , No . 2572 ... ... ... 53 l Monmouthshire Freemasonry ... ... ... ••••••53 ' Ashton Mark Lodge ... ... ... - — 53

Correspondence ... •••••••••••••••532 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ••••¦••••532 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... - — •••535 Mark Masonry ... ... ... •••¦•••••535 Royal Ark Mariners ... ... ... •••••••••535 instruction ... ... •¦••¦••¦•••••••535

THE CRAFT ABROADDistrict Grand Lodge of Natal ... ... ... •••535 Obituary ... ... ... ... •••- •••536 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 5 Z

Election And Admission To Our Scholastic Institutions.

ELECTION AND ADMISSION TO OUR SCHOLASTIC INSTITUTIONS .

We do not think there can be two opinions as to thc wisdom shown by thc General Court of Governors and Subscribers of thc Royal Masonic Institution for Boys in accepting Bro . KEVSER ' S amendment of Law No . 77 , relating to the admission into the School of those candidates who have had the < rood fortune to be

elected to its benefits . It appears that some members of the Board of Management were in doubt as to whether or not it was in the Board ' s power to make any grant to a boy who had

been elected into the Institution until he was able to pass the examination prescribed b y Law 77 . Bro . KEYSER , in bringing forward his motion , mentioned that there had been several cases

in which it had been impossible to admit boys who had been elected to thc benelits of the Institution owing to their inability to satisf y the required educational tests as provided under thc Law just specified . In securing the election of these boys

many brethren had taken great trouble and spent much time , and we quite agree with him as to the great hardship experienced b y all such elected candidates , and wiih his proposal of such an amendment of the Law as would place it in the power of thc Board

of Management lo make them a grant of money for out-education until such time as they were found to be qualified for admission to the full benelits of the School . In the discussion that followed sundry brethren of distinction and influence expressed

their dissent from the proposal , but , apparently , upon certain side-issues rather than directly , and in thc end the proposed amendment of thc Law was agreed to by an overwhelming majority .

So far . so good ; but we confess we greatl y sympathise with much that was said by Bros . WYLIE , P . G . ]) ., Dep . P . G . M . . . and W . GOODACRE , P . G . S . B ., Prov . G . Secretary of West Lancashire .

Bro . E . M . MONEY , P . A . G . D . C ., and Bro . F . B . WESTLAKE , I ' . D . G . D . C . Bro . WYLIE went straight to the point when he said that "the Institution was established for the purpose of educating boys , " and expressed his opinion that the prescribed

Election And Admission To Our Scholastic Institutions.

examination was too stiff . Bro . GOODACRE took the same view , though , at the same time , he looked with favour upon Bro . KEYSER ' S proposed amendment . Bro . MONEY expressed his belief that " it was their duty to take into the School boys if

elected and qualified for it , and if boys were backward , it was their duty to do the best they could for them , " adding , it was his opinion that "the stipulated examination was too stiff ;" while Bro . WESTLAKE pointed out that some years ago they

had founded a preparatory school , into which the children were admitted without examination and inquired if now they were about to have a large establishment , they could not make similar " provision for the backward children . Wc certainly agree with

the opinion expressed by these brethren as to the character of the prescribed examination . We can well understand that the Head Master does not desire that the boys elected into the School should be stupid ; all head masters must prefer that their

recruits should be wranglers and first classes in the classical tripos in embryo than dunces ; but , as Bro . WYLIE pointed out , the Institution has been established " for the purpose of educating boys" quite irrespective of their intelligence or stupidity

individually ; indeed , thc more stupid the boy who has had the good fortune to be elected , the more he stands in need of the training , mental and moral , which the Institution provides . Moreover , the children that are elected are of different classes , some being thc

sons of professional men , some of men in trade , and some of men of other avocations , but in all cases alike their claims to become candidates for the benefits proposed ' to be conferred upon the sons of deceased or indigent brethren have been accepted , and

in the event of their being elected their right to be admitted into the School is indubitable , with which the question of their mental capacity or incapacity and thc very natural preference of thc Head Master to have under his charge intelligent instead

of stupid boys have nothing whatever . No one would venture to affirm that the children in the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls are not well trained and educated . Why , then , as Bro . MONEY suggested , cannot the simple tests applied to elected

Girls—reading , writing , and one of thc first four rules in arithmetic—be deemed sufficient in the case of elected boys ? In both cases the absolute rights of the elected children to be educated have been established by the votes of the Governors and Subscribers .

Freemasonry And The War In South Africa.

FREEMASONRY AND THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA .

Now that war has broken out in South Africa and serious fighting has taken place in more than one locality , our attention and sympathy are naturally directed to the numerous lodges and brethren that are scattered about the different Colonies of Great

Britain and in the territories of thc two Republics with which she is engaged in mortal struggle for supremacy over the whole of the southern portion of the great African continent . Upon the political aspect of the question we . of course , as Freemasons ,

have necessarily nothing to say . As loyal subjects of the Queen , we pray for the success of her armies just as the Boers of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State are actuated by the same feelings in behalf of theirs . But there is a vast amount of

suffering , not only among those engaged in' fighting , but also among the peaceful inhabitants , and more especially the women and children , throughout the whole of thc affected country , and it is greatly to be hoped that Freemasonry ,