To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

The following stand over : Consecration of St . Petroc Lodge , 17 S 5 ; Westbourne Lodge , 733 ; Albert Victor Lodge , 1773 ; Clapham Lodge , 1 S 18 ; London Masonic Club Lodge of Instruction , 5 8 ; St . Barnabas Chapter , 94 S ; Macdonald Chapter , 1216 ; Beaconsfield Mark Loelge , 205 ; Plantaganet Conclave , 2 .

BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . " Biief , " " Whitehall Review , " " Hull Packet , " " The Rough Ashlar , " "Citizen , " "Broad Arrow , " " Alliance News , " "Masonic Advocate , " " Hebrew Leader , " "Royal Cornwall Gazette , " " Barnet Press , " " Sheldrake ' s aldershot and Sandhurst Military Gazette , " " European Mail , " " Civil Service Gazette , " " Croydon Guardian , " " Australian Freemason , " "The Bedford Record , " "The Globe , "

" Cheltenham Evening Telegram and Express , " " Lines Addressed to New South Wales , " " Daily Bristol Times and Mirror , " "The Freemason , " Sidney , " DerTriangel , " " The Hackney and Kingsland Gazette , " " Keystone , " "The Athenreum , " " The Masonic Newspaper , " "The Methodist , " "The Cheltenham Examiner , " "Canadian Craftsman , " " Bulletin du Grand Orient de France , " "Le Monde Maconnique . "

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . 6 d . for announcements not exceeding Four Lines under this heading . ] BIRTH . OLIPHANT . —On thc 22 nd inst ., at 13 , South Audley-street , the wife of Lieut .-Col . Oliphant , Grenadier Guards , cf a son .

DEATHS . DELANE . —On the 22 nd inst ., at his residence , Ascot-heath , Berks , John T . Delane , for 36 years editor of the Times , aged 63 . DICKENS . —On the 22 nd inst ., at Gloucester Crescent , Regent ' s Park , Catherine Thomson Dickens , widow of Charles Dickens , after a long and painful illness most patiently borne , aged _ :.

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THEFREEMASON. SATURDAT , NOVEMBER 29 , 1879 .

Bro. John Hervey.

BRO . JOHN HERVEY .

The entire Craft will have . read with deep feelings of personal regret our announcement last week of the resignation of that distinguished brother , and on the ground of continued and confirmed ill-health . Jn the proposal to accord to him a retiring * pension , as made by the Board

of General Purposes , all will heartily concur , as no one has ever , in his official capacity and Masonic labours , deserved truer recognition at the hands of the Craft and of Grand Lodge . It will be the sincere hope of all , as well as the prayer , that , in the wisdom and providence of

the G . A . O . T . U ., he may be spared many years to enjoy the rest and solace of domestic retirement , and let us hope the renewal and restoration of that greatest of blessings—health , accompanied , as he will be , by the hearty good wishes of our entire brotherhood . For in Bro . John

Hervey the Grand Lodge has not only lost a most valuable adviser , but all Freemasons a sincere brother and real friend . The discharge of his laborious duties by Bro . John Hervey , increasing yearly in serious severity , has been most remarkable and commendable , paying

attention , as he did , to the most minute as well as the greatest responsibilities of his high oflice , letting nothing escape him , and being ever easy of access , urbane and genial , kindly and considerate , shrinking from no duty , and labouring manfully when prudence might have whispered , " spare

your health and strength . " Those of us who have had the privilege of working with and under our old Grand Secretary will call to mind his intense unselfishness , his wish to put forward others , his generous recognition of the work of others , and the unwillingness he ever displayed

either to claim the prerogative of his office or high official position . It will , indeed , be a long time before Freemasons' Hall shall welcome so truthful and zealous an administrator of official functions , so courteous and friendly to all , whom to know was to admire , respect , and love . He has left a mark on Masonry which it will

nnt be easy to efface , and whoever succeeds him will have a hard task before him , whether as emulating his zeal and yet his tact , his forbearance and yet his fairness , his profound acquaintance alike wiih the Constitutions and ritual of Freemasonry . But the hardest labours ' of all will be to win , as he did , the confidence , and regard , and affection of his brethren .

Bro. John Hervey.

The name of Bro . John Hervey will linger for many a long year on the mouths and minds of Masons , "familiar on our lips as household words , " and those who knew him well , those

who were associated with him the most , will ever gratefully recall the pleasant hours of intimacy with him , the privilege of friendship , and the advantage of fellowship—will ever honour him as a Mason , will always love him as a Man .

The Prestonian Lecture.

THE PRESTONIAN LECTURE .

We think it high time that some attempt be made to revive this valuable source of Masonic instruction , and to carry out the will of Bro . Preston . If it be true , as we have heard , that there is some difficulty now in ascertaining where the original legacy is , in that it has become

mingled with the general funds of Grand Lodge , there can be no reason why we should not revive the trust , and have an annual lecture and lecturer . There are , it seems , Trustees of the Fund but it does not appear in our Grand Lodge accounts , and no appointment has been made since Bro . Warren , many years ago , who

delivered the Lecture on [ the First Degree . But those of the Second and Third Degrees , have not been delivered in the memory of Masons , and are , we are told , still in cypher in the archives of the Lodge of Antiquity or the Board of General Purposes . Would it not be well to appoint some brother of that lodge the Lecturer for 18 S 0

The Girls' School.

THE GIRLS' SCHOOL .

Our readers will perceive by our report elsewhere that Bro . Col . Creaton cairied his motion unanimously at the Special Court of the Girls ' School on Saturday last , to purchase house and grounds at the price of £ 65 , 00 . We feel sure

that the Quarterly Court arrived at a wise decision , and that the amount , though large per se , is both justifiable and will be well expended . For it will , we think , commend itself to all our readers when they realize tho immense importance to us as an Order of our admirable Girls '

School , and when , above all , they fully understand that did we let this opportunity slip of freeing the School from probable inconvenient buildings , we should only regret it once and for ever . It is not the first time in the history of the School , that by an injudicious parsimony , the

health and position of the School have been jeopardized , and we , therefore , congratulate our distinguished brother , the Grand Treasurer , and the Quarterly Court , on the reasonable and sensible acceptance of a far-seeing and practical proposition , made for the happy progress and the permanent welfare of the Girls' School .

Bro. Clabon's Scheme.

BRO . CLABON'S SCHEME .

It is not often we venture to differ with this most distinguished brother , and when we do so we always do so with diffidence and reluctance . Bro . Clabon ' s high character and good services render him one ofthe " authorities" of our Craft , and his words are always listened to with

pleasure and profit , and his suggestions always received with deference and respect . But we must demur to his present proposal respectfully on this one ground , that until the words at page 9 6 of the Constitutions , which relate to the Fund of Benevolence , are enlarged by Grand

Lodge , they do not cover this appropriation of the money . The formation of such a fund cannot under any principle of legal interpretation come under the definition of " solely devoted to charity . " Believing , therefore , that Bro . Clabon is " estopped" by the verbiage of

our enactments at present from thus using the Funds of Benevolence , we think we can predict the fate of the motion . We do not enter into the arguments " pro and con . " Much no doubt may be said , but it is needless , we fancy , at present to enter on such a topic , independently of

the legal objection to the course proposed , another pertinent question arises , how can you legally divert to the specific objects of special institutions funds set apart to the general purposes of Masonic charity ? Wh y select even the two metropolitan educational Institutions ? is a

Bro. Clabon's Scheme.

further query which many in the provinces will also desiderate a reply to . We all recognize Bro . Clabon ' s good intent and praiseworth y aims in this utilization of the Fund of Benevolence

but we doubt its practicability , and , above all , its legality . On the whole we think the preferable plan would be increased grants from Grand Lodge qua grants to the three great Institutions .

Uniformity Of Ritual.

UNIFORMITY OF RITUAL .

We note Bro . Stevens ' s notice of motion at the next Grand Lodge , which we heartily regret to read . For , in our opinion , which we have never sought to conceal , the proposition is alike uncalled for and unsound in the highest degree , inasmuch as it raises questions which had better

remain in abeyance , and throws down a "bone of contention" which may lead to ulterior consequences not likely to be productive of harmony or satisfaction ia our Order . Indeed , we feel bound to say , a more inopportune and unwise resolution we have never perused , as it ignores

the entire history of Masonic ritual , puts on one side the present " status , " which is quite satisfactory on the whole , and if carried out to its legitimate conclusion , as the mover hopes , must lead , in all probability , to a prolonged and accrimonious controversy . We cannot too much

deprecate the way Grand Lodge has been treated in this matter . Not until much published matter has been largely circulated does the mover approach Grand Lodge , reversing the Masonic order of procedure at any rate . If there is one point which ought not to come before the public

it is the question of Masonic ritual , but from some recent contributions on the subject to which our attention has been called , we really do not know where our Masonic conscience is gone to . We hope that at the next meeting of Grand Lodge a decisive majority will put a stop

to a senseless agitation , and affix its mark of reprobation on all who , forgetful of Masonic duty , and insensible of the benefits of Masonic toleration , ate ready to invest a mere question of verbiage and traditionary formulae with the importance of a subject bound up with the vital interests of English Freemasonry .

A Grumble.

A GRUMBLE .

We have read the remarks of "I . P . M ., " but we confess , with little satisfaction on the whole . If there might be some foundation for his first , letter , and with parts of which we fully agree , there can be none for his second , which has degenerated , ( he must pardon us for saying so ) ,

into a foolish , vituperative , unfair , and unfounded attack on our great and useful Charities . It is clear , as our brother ingenousl y confesses , that he is a young Mason , despite his rank , and has a good deal to learn before he can be permitted to declaim or to dogmatize on subjects which

many of us havo been familliar with for many long years . Having said this , we will proceed to point out where we agree and where we disagree with " I P . M . " We think , as we have always thought , that our annual reports might be improved , and that a short statement of the

annual operations and position of each Charity mig ht judiciously be sent for distribution among the lodges . As it is , the present reports fall into the hands of the few instead of the many , and certainly not more than one-third of the Craft know anything of the working of our great

Institutions , take cognizance of their proceedings , or subscribe to their funds . Here then is a simple improvement , easily accomplished , which mig ht lead to much addition and desired support of the Charities . But there our agreement with * * ' I . P . M . " ceases . His attacks on ihe voting

system seem flavoured with the quack nostrums of the Charity Reform Association , and are neither realistic as fads nor practical as suggestions . His picture of the present elections is a very highly coloured one indeed , and if drawn

with apparent pre - Raphaelite minuteness is maiked by that grotesqueness of imagery and those contortions of personality which sometimes mark ihe elaborate productions of the acolytes of that demonstrative but doubtful school . We think it needless to animadvert upon them , as