To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

The F REEMASON is published every Friday morning , price 3 d ., and contains the fullest and latest information relating to Freemasonry of every degree . Subscriptions , including Postage : — United States , United Kingdom . Canada , the Continent , India , China , Ceylon , the Colonies , & c . Arabia , & c .

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SATURDAY , AUGUST 29 , , 1891 +

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The regular ( Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge will be held at Freemasons' HaU on Wednesday , the 2 nd prox ., at 6 for 7 p . m . The business to be transacted will include the consideration

of the reports of the Boards of Benevolence and General Purposes and of an appeal against a sentence passed on a lodge by the R . W . P . G . M . of Jersey . The report of the Board of General Purposes contains a recommendation that Bros , the Earl of Mount

Edgcumbe , D . G . M ., the Earl of Limerick , the Earl of Euston , and Thomas Fenn be appointed Trustees of the real property of Grand Lodge , and Bros , the Earls of Mount Edgcumbe , D . G . M ., and Limerick of its personal property , in place of certain brethren deceased .

The number of new lodges for which the M . W . G . M . has been p leased to grant warrants of constitution since the June communication is eight . Of these two will meet in London , five in the provinces , and one abroad—in the Eastern Division of South Africa .

* * * The Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales , & c . & c , will be held at Mark Masons' Hall on Tuesday

next , the ist prox ., at 5 for 6 p . m . The report of the General Board will be submitted , and we have no doubt , adopted ; but beyond this there is no business entered on the agenda .

# * # The Woodgrange Lodge , No . 2409 , will be consecrated at the Princess Alice Hotel , Forest Gate , on Thursday next , the 3 rd prox . The ceremony will be performed by Bro . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , Grand

Secretary , who will be assisted by Bros . F . A . Philbrick , Q . C , G . Registrar , as S . W . ; James Terry , P . G . S . B ., as J . W . ; the Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , P . G . Chaplain , as Chaplain ; and Frank Richardson , P . G . D ., as Director of Ceremonies . The musical arrrangements

will be under the direction of Bro . R . de Lacy , Vicar Choral of St . Paul ' s . The principal officers designate are Bros . A . R . Trew , P . P . G . D . Suffolk , W . M . ; Robert Brannon , P . P . G . S . B . Hants and Isle of Wi ght , S . W . ; and Robert J . Tucker , P . M . No . 033 , J . W .

Bro . J . G . Stevens , P . M . No . 554 , who has taken a very active part in the organisation of the new lodge , will be appointed acting P . M . There is every prospect of there being a large muster of brethren to witness the

inauguration , and from what we hear there is good reason to anticipate for the Woodgrange Lodge a long and prosperous career . It undoubtedl y has our best wishes for its success .

* * * The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Worcestershire will be held in the Corn Exchange , Tenbury , under the banner of the St . Michael ' s Lodge , No . 1097 , on Wednesday , the 16 th prox ., at the hour of

"ftoon . There is a very full programme of business to be transacted , and at the close of the proceedings the brethren will dine together at the Swan Hotel , under

the presidency of their respected Provincial Grand Master . Tickets for the banquet 6 s . 6 d ., and brethren intending to be present should notify the fact not later than Wednesday , the gth prox .

* * * Wc learn from a circular which has been issued from the head quarters of the Supreme Council of the 33 'or the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of

America that Bro . Jas . C . Batchelor , 33 ° vvho succeeded the late Bro . General Pike as Sov . G . Commander , has been very seriousl y ill and thereby prevented from discharg ing the duties of his important office . The latest reports , as contained in this circular , are , however ,

Masonic Notes.

most favourable , and vve sincerely trust that Bro . Dr . Batchelor will soon be completely restored to health and able to undertake his appointed part in the work of the Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction U . S . A .

* * * With a view to freeing the Masonic Hall , Adelaide , South Australia , from the burden of debt resting upon it , a suggestion was made some months ago that a bazaar on a large scale should be held in the city ,

and the suggestion was at once taken up with such enthusiasm that on Wednesday , the Sth July , Bro . the Earl of Kintore , Governor of the colony , vvho is M . W . Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of South Australia , had the satisfaction of opening the bazaar

in the Town Hall . His Excellency was accompanied by his aides-de-camp and by a numerous gathering of the chief officers of the Grand Lodge , among whom vvere Bros , the Hon . A . M . Simpson , D . G . M . ; W . B . Webb , G . Reg . ; J . H . Cunningham , G . Sec . ; H . D .

Gill , G . L . ; M . V . Adams , G . L of L . ; T . de Cean , S . G . D . ; W . Burnett , A . G . D . C ; and A Simpson , G . S . of W . At the invitation of Bro . W . Burge , W . M . of the Adelaide Lodge bis Excellency the G . M . formally declared the bazaar open , and expressed the pleasure it

had afforded him to preside on so auspicious an occasion . The various stalls are described as well furnished , and the ladies who presided at them no doubt fulfilled

their agreeable duties successfully . At all events their labours have resulted in a profit of . £ 250 , and to that extent , therefore , the debt on Freemasons' Hall has been reduced .

# # # It is with very sincere regret we announce the death of Bro . the Rev . William Tebbs , M . A ., who in former days was a frequent contributor to the " Masonic Magazine , " and a great personal friend of the late Bro .

the Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , P . G . C . The deceased had been incumbent of St . Matthew ' s , Auckland , New Zealand , since 1880 , but having for several years been a sufferer from Bright's disease , had been ordered home ,

and was staying with his brother at Bedford , when on the 19 th inst . he was suddenly taken worse and died . His funeral took place on Saturday last . We offer our sincere tribute of respect to the widow and children who remain to mourn his loss .

Correspondence.

Correspondence .

LWe _ o not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spirit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion , ] FREEMASONRY—WHAT IS ITS FUTURE ?

To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I should like , with your permission , to gauge the feelings of some of the best members of our Order as to the actual present status and future prospects of

Freemasonry . What are we aiming at ? What are we already ? In what direction are we drifting ? What are we shortly to become ? Are we a Charity Organisation Society , a Mutual Insurance Society , or a Society for the promotion of Good Fellowship and "Charity " in its best sense ?

For some years I have looked with alarm upon the conduct of many lodges as regards the admission of candidates , and have strongly felt that numbers of persons are being introduced into the Craft who are totally unfitted , by reason of their financial position , to be received into Freemasonry .

Clause 186 of the Book of Constitutions tells us that every candidate must be " at the time of initiation in reputable circumstances . " Interpretations of this phrase may be various . Perhaps the Grand Registrar may see fit to give his opinion thereon , but I humbly submit in the meantime that the commonsense

meaning of the words may be thus rendered : No man shall be made a Mason unless his financial position be such that if he were to die on the following day his family would be independent of Masonic Charity . I offer this interpretation the more confidentl y because it is plain that if I am wrong then Freemasonry is left

in the position of being a mere benefit society under distinguished patronage , and is about on a level with Oddfellowship , Forestry , Druidism , & c . Now no one who possesses the most elementary knowledge of the history of our Order will for one instant admit that such is or ought to be our actual status .

Why was Freemasonry founded , and why do we make such a boast of our Order ? It was founded for purposes of good fellowship and for the promotion of brotherly love and mutual intercourse amongst all classes of society . Freemasonry as we know it now

was formulated early in the last century , but vve hear nothing of organised Charitable Institutions in connection with the Order until close upon the beginning of the present century . If Freemasonry had been intended to be a " vast Charitable and Benevolent Society" ( as I heard it diagnosed by a brother in

Correspondence.

Provincial Grand Lodge the other day ) , its founders would have started it concurrently with schools , hospitals , & c . The real fact is that the " Charities " are accidental outcomes , never orig inally contemplated , but gradually grown and become parasitical upon the original plan

of Freemasonry . The main objects and views of our ¦ founders vvere entirely independent of anything like our present Charitable Institutions . Freemasonry is unlike any other society . It is not , as many people unfortunately seem to imagine , a kind of insurance or benefit club . It is a medium for linking temporarily

together persons of respectability and good means , drawn from all social grades , for the propagation of good fellowship , and the interchange of kindl y feelings , and especially for the purpose of breaking down , for the time being , the barbed-wire barriers of reli gious and political creeds .

Kindly understand that in what I am saying there is no intention of urging anything against our Masonic Charitable Institutions . I esteem them very highly , and am glad , so far as my means have permitted , to have contributed to all of them . But I can see rocks ahead . I note the fuss that is made in the public newspapers over each Festival ; I observe the monthl y

paragraph in the daily journals stating the amounts granted by the Board of Benevolence to indigent cases ; and I can see at the same time the enormous influx of members into the Society . I can put two and two together and see that Freemasonry is being rapidly recruited from the ranks of those who imagine that by joining they will become , or their families will become , pensioners on the Institution .

It might perhaps surprise you and your readers to learn that I am aware of one lodge , at any rate , whose leading members are openly touting for candidates , holding out as a bait the statement that the widows and orphans of Freemasons are always provided for by the Society in case of necessity . I fear that this is not

a singular case , but that greed for the initiation fees is the motive spirit in many lodges . The growing demands upon the Benevolent Fund show that this sort of thing is on the increase , and if matters progress in the same way our old Craft will in a few years inevitably lapse into a mere Benevolent club .

A prominent London brother once said to me that if it were not for its Charities Freemasonry would not be worth 10 minutes of the attention of any intelligent man . I consider that this brother wholly misunderstood the intention and direction of Freemasonry . Ordinary charities ( and their name is legion ) do not

repose their expectations upon ceremonials and rituals , nor yet do their supporters dress up in special ornate garments , neither , in most cases , do they hold frequent banquets . Here at York we have hospitals , dispensaries , refuges , and so on , but we do not find it necessary to " initiate " our subscribers , or to put aprons

upon them , or to feast them . And here comes in the difference . Freemasonry is absolutel y separate and distinct from all other societies . Let us understand this , and let us repudiate at once , and sharply , too , the notion that it is simply a huge Charity organisation . We are being worried out of all patience by the

perpetual Charity howl . " And no wonder , when we are admitting day by day persons who have no ri ght to admission , and vvho should seek membershi p in some of those numerous and excellent societies with quaint names whose declared object is the relief and maintenance of the widows and children of their members .

Allow me to add that I do not intend to follow up this letter . It embodies opinions which may be taken for what they are worth . But I know that the best Masons in my province hold similar views , and I should like to know the sense of other provinces . I do not shrink from publishing what I think , although I dare

say a scream of indignation may be evoked from the sinners at whom I have pointed the finger of warning . I am writing , as I venture to think , in the best interests of the Order , for the sake of pointing out a very imminent danger threatening our future prosperity and even our existence itself . —I am , yours fraternally , T . B . WHYTEHEAD . August 18 th .

THE AUTHORSHIP OF " SETHOS . " To the Editor of the "Freemason , " Dear Sir and Brother , In the last Transactions of Lodge Quatuor Coronati Bro . Dr . Richardson propounds a theory that " ' Sethos' was written by an unknown author , and that the book claiming to be a translation of a French work published in Paris , it had been naturally assumed

that the authorship was French , but he had come to the conclusion that the book was English , and from thc pen of an English author . " I think there can be no doubt that the author of " Sethos " was the Abbe Terrasson , and that the work was published in Paris in 1731 in three volumes in i 2 mo .

Voltaire in his list of writers of the age of Louis XIV . mentions Terrasson as born in 1669 , and adds : " There are fine passages in his ' Sethos . ' " Voltaire , again , in his " Characters and Portraits , "

says -. The finest character I have ever read is unhappily taken from a novel , and even from a novel which , whilst imitating Telemaque , ^ remains far below itsmodel . But there is nothing in Telemaque which can , in my opinion , approach the portrait of the Queen of