Provincial Grand Chapter Of Cornwall.

Comp . J . M . Cornish , 131 ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ C . Mitchell , 510 ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ N . Lean , 970 ... ... ... Prov . A . G . S . E . „ J . V . Bray , 450 ... ... ... Prov . G . Janitor .

Comps . R . YENNING , on behalf of L * > skeard Chapter , and G . E . PEARCRI on behalf of Kast I . ooe Chapter , extended a cordial welcome for next year ' s Prov . Grand Chapter . On the motion of Comp . P . COI . VII . I . E SMITH , a cordial vote of thanks was given to Comp . B . F . Edyvean , on his retiring from the office of Prov . Grand Scribe E ., which he has held for the past three years .

A long and interesting discussion took place respecting the . working of the chapters , which , it is hoped , will lead to greater uniformity throughout the province . Comp . J . G . Osborn then presented Comp . Colville Smith with a copy of his new book on " History of Freemasonry in West Cornwall , " which was graciously accepted , Comp . SMITH strongly recommending the book to all Masons .

The Prov . G . Chapter was then closed , and the brethren adjourned to the dining hall , where an excellent banquet was pro / ided by M ' . W . H . Trevena , White Hart Hotel . Comp . P . Colville Smith presided over a large company , and on the removal ofthe cloth , the usual loyal and Masonic toasts were duly honoured . Songs , recitations , & c , were given during the evening , and a very pleasant time was spent .

Science, Art, And The Drama.

Science , Art , and the Drama .

CHRISTMAS NOTES . On the Continent the custom of carolling at Christmas is almost universal . During the last days of Advent , Cslabrian minstrels enter Rome , and are to be seen in every street , saluting the shrines of the Virgin Mother with their wild music , under the traditional notion of soothing her labour pains on the approaching Christmas Day . The Christmas decorations of our churches and houses may be traced back to the earliest

times . Among other evergreens there was the laurel . This was used by the ancient Romans as the emblem of peace , joy , and victory . In the Christian sense it may be applied to the victory gained over the powers of darkness by the coming of Christ . The mistletoe ( so called because its seeds are said to be dropped by the missel-thrush , which feeds on its berries ) was held sacred by lhe Druids , because of their reverence for the sacred

numberthree . Not only the leaves , but also the berries , grow in clusters of three , united on one stalk . Although the mistletoe , held in such favour by the' fair sex on account of its mystic privileges , adorned the halls of the gentry , and also the houses of the middle classes , and even the poor , it was never put up in churches , except through the ignorance or mistake of the sextons , it being considered a heathenish and profane plant . At Bath , they used to be very particular on this point , so that it was never seen in any of the

churches . An old sexton , at Teddington , had once the temerity to put it , wilh other evergreens , in the parish church , trusting that it might escape unnoticed , but the watchful eyes of the rector , when taking a last survey of the decorations on the day before Christmas , soon perceived the intruder , sharply rebuked the sexton , and ordt red the mistletoe to be at once removed , with which command the sexton was fain , much against his inclination , to comply .

We continue our remarks by noting the plants used for decoration at Christmas . Holly is so called from its supposed corruption from holy ; the appellation was given it most probably from its being used in holy places . It has a great variety of names in Germany , amongst which is Christ dom ; in Danish it if also called Christhorn , and in Swedish , Christtorn ; all these clearly mean Christ thorn in English— Rosemary . Its botanical name is

rosimariuns , being derived from ros d ' . w and marintis , alluding to its situation en the sea-shore . At Christmas feasts the boar ' s head was stuffed wilh rosemary . The boar ' s head formerly was one of the chief dishes at Christmas ; brawn was considered a great delicacy . When served up a special carol in its honour was sung . Dugdale tells us that * " at the inns of court during Christmas the usual dish , at the first course , at dinner was a

large bore ' s head , upon a silver platter , with minstralsaye . " What the derivation of " plum pudding " may be , we do not know ; it is evidently a misnomer . As everyone must be aware , plums do not form one of its constituents . The earliest trace we have of this seasonable delicacy is in the fact that it was , and still is , customary to eat plum , or rather raisin porridge , with roast sucking pig . There is an amusing story that one of the early

governors of the Bengal Presidency , wishing to compliment his many English guests at a State dinner on Christmas day , ordered that an English plum pudding should be made and served up in due course . He gave the recipe to his cook ( anative ) . When served up , tothe astonishmentof the governor and his guests , it was in a soup-tureen , being , in fact , plum , or raisin , 1 hick soup . The governor ( a widower ) , had given a full list of all the ingredients

required , but forgot to state that they ought to be boiled in a puddingcloth—hence the liquid state of the plum-pudding . Mince pies were originally made in a long shape , at Christmas , evidently to imitate the cratch , that is the rack , or manger , wherein Christ was laid . Christmas gifts are called Christmas boxes , because , in olden times , the Roman priests had masses for almost everything ; if a ship went to the Indies , the

priest had a box in her , under the protection of some saint , the piou ? put something into the priests' box , which was not to be opened till the ship's return . The mass , at that time , was called Christinass , and the boxes in which the offerings were deposited were called Christmas boxes . The money was thus collected that masses might be made by the priests to the saints to forgive the sailors any sins they might have committed during

their voyage . Later on servants of families were allowed to collect boxmoney that they , too , might be enabled to pay the priest for his mass , well knowing the truth of the proverb , " no penny no pater-noster . " An altar , on which was a box , was erected in every village where persons gave money . With our modem Christmas boxes religion is no longer concerned .

NEW YEAR'S DAY .

Although , in a religious point of view , New Year ' s Day is not observed by us English in a paiticular manner , yet , in other countries , it is considered pf importance . Eyen in our ^ Great Britain , Scotland , while generally

Science, Art, And The Drama.

ignoring Christmas Day as a superstitious observance , holds New Year ' s Day in its place , and fixes it for its Bank Holiday . This same custom of observing New Year ' s Day as a festival is prevalent in France , especially in Paris . It is called familiarly " Lc jour des Etrennes . " It is an invariable custom , on that " Day of Ntw Year ' s Gifts , " for all classes of society , from the richest to the poorest , to interchange visits , mutually giving and

receiving presents , in accordance with the means and social position of the donors ; no one dares to neglect this custom , or pay a visit empty handed ; he or she would be certainly tabooed for this neglect . It is the busiest day in Paris throughout the whole year . The practice of making gifts on New Year ' s Day may be traced back as far as the time of Romulus and Tatius , when the usual presents were figs and dales covered with leaf-gold , and

were sent by clients to their patrons , accompanied by a piece of money , which was expended in purchasing small statues of the guardian deities . We must not forget that in the earlier times of the Roman history the New Year did not commence in the month of January but at the period which corresponded with our month of March . The change in the Calendar was reade by Julius Caesar , who named the first month , as it then was , January ,

in honour of the god Janus , Btfrons ( two-faced ) , as an appropriate emblem , signifying retrospect and foresight united . We cannot here speak of the names of the other months of the year and the meaning attached to them ; we may , perhaps , do so at some future opportunity . We mentioned the word Calendar just now ; this table of the year was so called because the Romans named the first days of each month Calends , from a word which signified called , on account of the pontiffs on those days calling the

people together to apprise them of the festivals in the month then beginning . The . calendar of the years is also called an Almanach . This word is derived from the Arabic Almanach to count . This is , however , disputed by Verstegan , a very learned man , who makes the word of German origin , from Almonat . He says that our Saxon ancestors used to carve the annual courses of the moon upon a small piece of wood , which they called Almonniip-lit ( al-moon-head ) . We rather favour this view .

THE ORIGIN OF PANTOMIME

Strange as it may seem , it is a very common error amongst people , even with the educated , who , certainly , ought to know better to speak of a certain entertainment at this season of the year , as a " Pantomine " instead of , as it should be called , "Pantomime . " Let us consider the meaning of the term—it is derived from two Greek words , and signifies that particular kind of entertainment which consists of every kind of mimetic , or , imitative

acting . With us , moderns , whilst we still retain the name , its original purpose is abandoned , and forgotten . The Pantomime of the ancients was a perfect species of dance , united with vocal and instrumental music , employed in the choruses of the tragic dramas ; and being used in the service of religion , it thereby acquired a dignity , which , in modern times , it never possessed . Plato and Xenophon , in the person of their master

Socrates , speak favourably of this entertainment . Plutarch eulogised it , and Lucian prefers the orchestral to the speaking dramas . The chief performer in modern Pantomime , is the Harlequin , so called , because in the time ot Henry III . of France , a young Italian actor being received by the president , Achille de Harlai , at Paris , his brother actors called him Harlequin . The character of Harlequin , as he appears in England , differs from

the ancient mimes and harlequins of other nations . The French harlequin bears a wand , and wears the usual costume , but does not use the wand as with us . Among the Italians , their harlequin is a complete buffoon , who cracks his jokes to amuse the populace , and ranks with punch , monkeys , and puppets ; but in England , he is a silent , mysterious , and magical being . In Venice was formerly an inimitable actor and spcakine- harlequin named

Sacchi , who performed in a comedy called The Thirty-tivo Misfortunes of Harlequin , when upwards of 70 years of age . We may remark that on our stage , Harlequin isalwaysrepresented wearingablack silk mask . Heistheonly one of the characters who does so . At what period the black silk vizor came to be used is doubtful , but masks of black velvet were commonly worn in France in the time of Louis XIV . The fashion came over from Paris ,

and was adopted by the English ladies . Female masks were worn by boys , who formerly played women ' s parts on our stage . Females were not permitted to perform until the time of Charles II ., one of the most notable actresses being Nell Gwynn , at " Old Drury . " Lord Byron gives the derivation of Pantaloon from Plant the Lion—that is the lion of St . Mark , the standard of the Venetian Republic . Thus—Piantaleone , Pantaleon ,

Pantaloon . Pantaloon is represented as a decrepid , silly , old man , a satirical allusion to the decadent condition of the once very flourishing Venetian Republic . The Clown introduced is nothing more than the clown , or fool , or rather the jester , peculiar to opulent families , of which we have familiar instances in the plays of Shakespeare . The origin of Columbine we have failed to trace .

DOWDESWELL GALLERY

NEW BOND-STREET , W . Pictures painted for the Chapel of the Ascension , Hyde Park-place , W ., by Frederic Shields . For the lovers of sacred art there is a series of pictures now exhibited at the above gallery , which should certainly be seen . They are the work of Frederic Shields . The artist seems to have been actuated by a proper

reverential spirit in undertaking his important work . Each picture not only tells its story , or , points its moral , but even , in its minor details , conveys useful lessons to the beholder . There is much that reminds us of Hogarth , trifles , as they would be called by the unthinking , assume an important position in the development of the artist ' s ideas . Let us briefly consider them , seriatim . No . 1 , "The First Cleansing of the Temple . "

Indignant as our Saviour was with the rich profaners of the Holy Temple employing the scourge of knotted cords to drive from the sacred precincts , notice the look of pity and forgiveness he bestows on the poor who had sinned from ignorance and the force of bad example—we consider this the finest of the series ; 2 , " The Leper Healed , " the details , as to the position of the sufferer , and the precaution against communicating infection ,

are strictly correct ; 3 , " The Lesson of Forgiveness "—here is an instance of the value of trifles , notice the sycamore tree , mulberry , and the seeding mustard plant , and the lessons they teach ; 4 , " Faith , " the figure denoting carnal nature and death is well contrasted with living Faith beholding the glory of the risen Saviour ; 5 , Ilohe— this is typified by the triumphant ascension of the risen victorious Redeemer ; 6 , Love—its universality is