Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS— PAGB United Grand Lodge ... ... — . — — 2 73 The Recent Elections of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... 274 United Grand Lodge of England ( Agenda ) ... ... ... ... 274 Mark Grand Lodge ( Agenda ) # ... ... •» ••• — 275 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... — 276 Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire ... ... ... ... 276

Provincial Grand Chapter of North and East Yorkshire ... ... ... 277 Provincial Grand Chapter of West Yorkshire ... ... ... ... 277 Ladies'Night of the Lodge of Harmony , No . 298 ... ... ... 277 MASONIC NOTESQuarterly Communication of Mark Grand Lodge ... ... ... 279 Annual Athletic Sports of Boys' School ... ... ... ... 279 Consecration of the Royal George Lodge , No . 26 43 ... _ ... ... 279 Pioceedings of Quarteily Communicaticn of District Grand Lodge of

Bengal ... ... ... ... ... ... 279 Provincial Grand Lodge of Middlesex ... ... ... ... 279 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 S 0 Masonic Service at St . Saviour ' s , Southwark ... ... ... ... 280 Festival of the Grand Masters' Mark Lodge of Instruction ... ... 2 S 0 Annual Festival of the La Tolerance Lodge of Instruction , No . 538 ... ... 281

Eleventh Annual Dinner of" The Old Masonians" ... ... ... 281 Masonic Concert ... ... ... ... ... ... 281 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 S 2 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... . ; . ... 283 Lodges and Chapter of Instruction ... ... ... ... 283 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 S 3 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... -.. ... 284

United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

There is a very full programme of business to be transacted at the Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge on Wednesday , the 2 nd prox ., the most important item in the Agenda being the Report of the Special Committee which was

appointed at the March Communication "to consider certain additions to , and alterations in , the Book of Constitutions , proposed by the Grand Registrar . " It is to be regretted that all the members of the Committee were not present at the meeting

on the 27 th April last , when the proposals were considered , but Bro . RICHARD EVE , Past Grand Treasurer , who takes a great interest in these matters , was unable to attend , and so likewise was Bro . Major-General GADSDEN , who was , unfortunately ,

prevented by illness . Otherwise the additions to , and alterations in , the Book of Constitutions , which in March came forward , on Notice of Motion by the Grand Registrar , are now submitted on the unanimous recommendation of the Committee , and for this

reason we trust will be as unanimously adopted . They are , as they were in March last , most reasonable in themselves , and we feel sure they will have the effect of minimising , if they do not entirely prevent , those dissensions which in many cases appear to

have followed upon a proposal for the establishment of an independent local Grand Lodge in oneof the Coloniesor Dependencies of the British Crown where there are lodges , either organised into a District Grand Lodge or not , holding under the Grand Lodge of England .

The present proposals are published in another page , but we may state at once that they are substantially the same as those which the Grand Registrar proposed in March last , and which were then referred to this Special Committee . It

will , doubtless , suffice , too , if we state that the Articles in the Book of Constitutions affected are Nos . 218 and 219 , the former of which will be greatly enlarged and thc latter amended , if the Report is adopted . Article No . 218 at present provides that "the

Grand Master shall not be applied to on any business concerning Masons or Masonry except through the Grand Secretary . " If these proposals are adopted there will be added 218 A and 2 i 8 u , the former of which provides that a District Grand Master

United Grand Lodge.

may , if he shall think proper , grant a dispensation by which it will be lawful for a lodge , or two or more lodges united , to hold a special meeting or meetings to discuss and resolve on the question of the formation of a proposed Sovereign Grand

Lodge for or including the District , and in the event of the District Grand Master or Masters refusing to grant such a dispensation an appeal will be made to the Grand Master . Power is reserved to the District Grand Master to make such

dispensation " subject to any conditions " which he " may deem proper . " This , as we have said , is a most reasonable law and will enable the members of a lodge to decide as a lodge and regularly , instead of as individuals and irregularly , thc question whether

they will or will not join a movement for the promotion of a local Grand Lodge . The proposed Article 218 B is designed to meet the case in which a Grand Lodge , -with thc assent of the Grand Master , recognises a newly-formed Grand Lodge

and the Grand Master signifies his intention of issuing no further warrants for new lodges in that jurisdiction . The new rules are ( 1 ) that within six months after such recognition the Master of every lodge within that jurisdiction , or failing him ,

the District Grand Master or the acting Deputy , shall convene a special meeting of such lodge on a 2 . 1 day ' s notice in order that ( 2 ) the brethren or those present at such meeting" whose names appear as subscribing members on the last Return filed with the Grand

Secretary , " shall decide the question whether " they desire that the lodge shall continue under the Grand Lodge of England or not , " and in the event of their determining to join the new Grand Lodge , then they shall decide "in whom the property and effects

of the lodge shall be vested and the warrant shall be forthwith returned to the Grand Secretary to be delivered up to the Grand Master . " A two-thirds majority will suffice to decide the question . ( 3 . ) No other question

shall be considered at such special meeting , and ( 4 ) a copy of the minutes of proceedings shall subsequently be forwarded to the Grand Secretary , with a list of the members present and

showing how they voted , signed by the W . Master and countersigned by the Secretary ; while ( 5 ) no further special meeting shall be convened to consider the question " without the special leave of the Grand Master . "

The other Article affected is No . 219 , which in its present form enacts that in the event of a majority of the members retiring from any lodge , " the power of assembling remains with the rest , " provided that they do not fall short of three , in which

case the warrant becomes , ipso facto , extinct . The proposed new Article 219 , provides that if the members of a lodge shall be fewer than five , then "the Lodge shall cease to meet and the Warrant shall be delivered up to the Grand Master , who may

nevertheless , if he thinks proper , grant a dispensation to enable the members to meet subject to such conditions as he may deem expedient , until he finally decides whether cr not the lodge shall be continued . "

Among thc other items on the Agenda there is only one to which we need direct attention , and that is the Notice of Motion by Bro . Sir JOHN B . MONCKTON , P . G . W ., who proposes that Grand Lodge , with a view to commemorating the completion of

60 years of the QUEEN ' S reign , shall vote grants of £ 2000 each to the Prince of WALES ' S Hospital Fund for London , ancl the three Royal Masonic Institutions respectively , the total of the grants

amounting to £ 8000 . We can say no more with reference to this motion than that we both hope and believe it will be carried , as such a motion deserves to be , unanimously .