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IMPORTANT NOTICE .

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TO OUR READERS .

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To Advertisers.

TO ADVERTISERS .

The Freemason has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , its advantages as an advertising medium can therefore scarcely be overrated . For terms , position , & c , apply to GEORGE KENNINO , 198 , Fleet-st .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

All Communications , Advertisements , & c , intended for insertion in the Number of the following Saturday , must reach the Office not later than 12 o ' clock on Wednesday morning . Bno . DI ) MIII . F . U <; I : ' impression of the seal dug up in a village three miles from Diss , Norfolk , is undoubtedly Masonic , whatever age it may be . A fac simile of it will appear in the September number . of the " Masonic Magazine . "

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . Od for announcements , not exceed ing four lines , under this heading . ]

BIRTHS . BF . AtMosr . —On the 23 rd inst ., at Hill House , near Swansea , the wife of Lieut .-Col . Godfrey Wentworth Beaumont , late of thc Scots Fusilier Guards , of a daughter . BHOWN . —On thc 23 rd inst ., at Charlewood-road , Putney , the wife of II . Brown , of a daughter . EVANS . —On the 20 th inst ., at Hertford , the wife of E . R .

Evans , of a son . 1 ' isiiEii . —On the 18 th inst ., at Conway , North Wales , the wife of T . C . Fisher , Esq ., prematurely , of a son , stillborn . ARNOLD . —On the 18 th inst ., at Wimbledon , Mrs . C . T .

Arnold , of a daughter . BUTI . EII . —On the 25 th inst ., at the Boundary , Wormley , Herts , the wife of W . H . Butler , of a son . CLARK . —On the 17 th inst ., at Compton House , 4 6 and 47 , Frith-street , Soho , the wife of adolphus Clark , of a son .

MARRIAGES . CA . MI ' . —SKIO . MOBE . —On the 20 th inst ., at Croxley Green , Rickmansworth , John Campbell , of Strachur , Argyleshire , to Ellen , only daughter of E . Skidmore , ol The Pines , Rickmansworth , Herts . MASON—HOLME . —On the 20 th inst ., at St . James ' s , Clapham , John Davis , only son of H . Mason , of Brixton and Aldersgate-street , E . C ., to Mary Louisa ,

daughter of the late A . Holme , Esq . No cards . SUTHERLAND—HART . —On thc 241 I 1 inst ., at St . George's Church , Hanover-square , Eric Sutherland , of Morayshire , N . B ., to Jane Hart , of Berkeley-square , London , and Newcastle-court , Radnorshire , South Wales . CHRISTOPHER—SPARKS . —On the 22 nd inst ., at St . Andrew ' s , Watford , Thomas Christopher , jun ., of Rough Down , Boxmoor , to Edith Eleanor , daughter of J . Sparks , Esq .

DEATHS . SPENCER . —On the 21 st inst ., Bro . Richard Spencer , aged 76 . JONES . —On thc 21 st inst ., Bro . Capt . Jones , of Liverpool . STANsn-i . D . —On April 23 rd , at Firby Hall , York , Bro , R . J . Stansfeld . MATHER . —On May 3 rd , in Adelaide , South Australia , Mr , J . Mather , youngest son of the late Mr . J . Mather ,

statuary , of London . MURE . —On the 20 th inst ., at Gloucester-place , Portmansquare , James Mure , Esq ., in the 80 th year of his age . PULLEY . —On the 22 nd inst ., at Porchester Terrace , Hyde Park , Mary , wife of J . Pulley , Esq ., of Lower Eaton , Hereford . STEWART . —On the 21 st inst ., at Norfolk-terrace , Bayswater , Archibald Stewart , Esq ., accountant , aged so .

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , J 29 , 1876 .

West Yorkshire.

WEST YORKSHIRE .

We stated in our last impression that we sincerely rejoiced at the " healing result " which West Yorkshire in its last Provincial Grand Lodge meeting had arrived at , and we cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of reiterating the same expression of feeling and opinion to-day .

For some time past , for the last twelve months , or thereabouts , owing to the publication of certain pamphlets which had better now be forgotten , a good deal of excitement has been occasioned , and a great amount of personality has been evoked , in that active portion of our

little Masonic world . We have from time to time pointed out that the agitation thus aroused in West Yorkshire was alike factitious and unwise , but wc all of us know that it is easier to raise a storm than to lay it . We may add , a good deal easier . An old and sound authority told us many

years ago , though we often forget it , that the " beginning of strife is as the letting out of water , " and as we ourselves often note in human life to-day , mid in passing events , there are no limits , humanly speaking , to which angiy feelings and aroused sensibilities may not lead

11 s all , when once the "steam is up , " and we are engaged in personal warfare or vituperative controversies . The " cacoethes scribendi " comes over us , and we rush into print with alacrity , we carry on the contest with acerbity , and we end often iu developing . Freemasons

though we call ourselves , both a wonderful amount of "Billingsgate , " and a striking acquaintance , with choice expletives , and choicer epithets . The controversy which began about twelve months ago seemed to be moving on in the same vicious circle . A little question of

internal administration of the Boys School became magnified into a great grievance by the heated outpourings of carping criticism and indignant individuality , until the good old Province of West Yorkshire appeared literally carried away by the idea , permeated by the suspicion , that there were

gross wrong doings to reform , and some unheard of expenditure to reduce in the Boys' School . Pamphlet had followed pamphlet in quick succession , ( among them the famous suppressed one ) , until the position reached by West Yorkshire was mournful and alarming , derogatory alike to

its position and its prestige . At the Quarterl y Court in April of the Boys' School nearly every province in England voted with the Executive , and £ 12 , 1500 have been since sent to the annual festival in proof of the general sympathy of the Craft , unaffected by these attacks , and undeterred

by this agitation . The motion , then , of the Prov . J . G . Warden of West Yorkshire , Bro . Booth , was alike unwise and uncalled for , in that it served only to fan the flame of agitation , and to perpetuate a state of things which , while injurious to the Boys' School , and opposed to

Masonic teaching , was a great cause of grief to a large number of West Yorkshire Masons , and unworthy of so staunch a supporter of the charities as West Yorkshire has proved itself to be . We cannot but feel that Bro . Gill ' s words , the

Prov . S . G . Warden of West Yorkshire , endorsed gs they were by the eloquent language of our esteemed and respected Bro . Bentley Shaw , well pointed out the great inadvisability of any further continuance in so hazardous and un-Masonic a

cause . Bio . Booth , yielding to the evidently all but unanimous feeling of Prov . Grand Lodge , judiciously withdrew his motion , and we will now hope and trust that we have heard the last of this painful subject . We have from the first spoken out boldly , simply , decidedly , and , we

will add , consistently . We have done so because we have the deepest personal feelings of regard and attachment for our good brethren in West Yorkshire . We know from long and pleasant experience their real worth , their manly honesty ,

their true Masonic sympathies , and their warm Masonic hearts . Even their zeal ,. if not tempered with as much discretion as we deemed requisite in this recent discussion , we know well , as none can better know— is sound and earnest at the bottom , and with their usual warmth

West Yorkshire.

of impulsiveness and yet sincerity , they Were actuated by a belief ( a mistaken one ) , that there was really some reform to make , some wrong to redress , in all they said and in all they did . We do not wish to retrace , and we will not go over the beaten track of the

controversy now , nor even allude any more to unwise words , and injudicious pamphlets ; but we will echo the words of Bro . Gill , and say , let bvegones be bye-gones—on both sides let us , ' as brother Freemasons , shake hands , and forget that any differences have divided us , or that any

severances have severed us for any time , in any manner , in any degree . There is no province in England which has a nobler past , a more prosperous present , or a more promising futute before it than the Province of West Yorkshire , ft led years ago the provincial

movement in favour of the metropolitan charities , and earned for itself the admiration of ihr Craft and the gratitude of our London brethren . It has ever been marked by unity and order , by peace and loyalty , by high Masonic prineipies , and true Masonic work . It would indeed

be a sad culmination of glorious effbits and Masonic labour for years , as Bro . Bentley Shaw so well put it , if anything now should tend to pull down the goodly building erected by W . Yorkshire with so much care , so much cost , and so many sacrifices in the greatest of all causes ,

Masonic charity . And , above all , it would indeed be most lamentable if such a province should continue to be torn in two b y internal differences , by contending camps , or lowered by unworthy personalities , or agitated by angry pamphlets , if this antagonistic feeling to the Boys' School

should be foMered , or extended , or tolerated , or encouraged any more . In the words of its amiable and distinguished chief , Sir H . " Edwards , let all good men and Masons work together in love and harmony for the great and good cause of our Masonic charities , and . as Bro .

Gill well expressed himself , if any grievances exist , if any supposed mismanagement prevails , let the life governor or life governors complaining come before the proper tribunal , and calmly and temperately , and carefully and manfully , make the complaint and avow the suspicion . From

what we know of the London brethten , and 3 bove all of the Executive of the Boys' School , we can say beforehand that they are always ready to hear any such bonA-fide complaints , and will readily award to all legitimate complainants the attention they crave and the hearing they require . But then our good brethren must indulge in no

spirit of unworthy and groundless fault-finding , and they must avoid the evil and unmasonic habit of anything like anonymous libels or perverse denunciations . And , above all , there must be an end of personalities , of angry and vehement and ex parte arraignment of the executive , of direct or indirect imputations on the motives and the acts of others . No

go ^ d cause was ever really served by personality , nothing is gained by statements " ad invidiam , " except momentarily , if even then , while nothing is so injurious , even to the best of causes in the long run . on account of the inevitable reaction to false statements and unfounded

allegations . And , in addition to this , as a general rule , nothing is so hurtful to the temper or thc " morale " of us all , or so destructive of friendly feeling , harmony , goodwill , as personalities . And if this be true of all our human contests , how much more is it of that Masonic strife ,

which , despite our profession of hig her views and " nobler aims , " is apt to degenerate into the very lowest form of angry ebullitions , of unfair , unworthy , and unmasonic personalities ? In all contests like these we are bound to allow for honest convictions , if

mistaken ones , but we are also bound by every feeling of Masonic honour , and every princip le 01 Masonic duty , to reprobate openly and decidedly , in the interest of our great and goodly Order , any departure from the unchanging princip les of Freemasonry , and any relaxation of those genial

and kindly sentiments which bind us so closely as a fraternity , and mark our profession , am distinguish our principles , as before men and the world . May the " entente cordiale " nosV happily restored by the removal of an unwise agitation long endure between West Yorkshire and the Boys' School—nay , may it increase