Red Cross Of Constantine.

the conclave , and had ever since worked continuously , sparing n , ither labour or expense in its behalf , and that it is our desire that his name should be respectfully submitted to the C'lnsidcration of trie G . > ov . for some mark of his favour . This was supported by Sir Kt . Harrison and thc Int . Gen ., and adopted . The Recorder in acknowledging the honour thus proposed far him , stated that he was

confielent Ir . m the first that the Order must flourish eventually in this division ; that this flattering mark of their approbatio . i was most p leasi-ig to him , and he hoped still ( if life be spared ; to work in the future as much or more than in the past . Several brethren having been proposed for installation , the conclave was closed at ei ght , when the Sit Knights adjourned to the George Hotel ,

Highstreet , Portsmouth , where the Red Cross annual festival of Sir Knights and brethren was held , under the presidency of Em . and Pt . Sir Kt . G . A . Green , M P . S ., supported on the ri _ ht by the Int . Gen . of Hants , Dr . Knott , and visiting brethren , and on his left by ths Dep . Int . Gen . Sir W . J . Clark , lillywhire , Robinson , Groom , Simister , Osborne , and others . Letters were received from

the G . Sov . Col . Burdett , J . P ., Rev . Canon Beckles , Int . Gen . Dorset , expressive of regret at compulsory abserxe . After the tables were cleared , the usual toasts were duly honoured , that of Inr . Gen . Hams , bring proposed by the M . P . S . in most ft licituous terms , making special mention of the great accession of numbers since the division had been under his generalship . Dr . ( Cm it in responding paid

a high eomphment to the labours of the Past and Present Officers , expressing his conviction that all and each Sir Knight endeavoured to ket p iu view the high character of our Knightl y Orcer , but above all the grand principle of C h . rity , and lor the information of these brethren present who were not of the Red Cross Order he would state that the conclave being tree from debt , had , at his suggestion

made a commencement by endowing the chair wnh ten guineas for the Girls' Sell-ol , associating with the donation the name < if Bio . Past Master Harrison , who in carrying out hi-s duties had frequency travelled many miles anil sacrificed much time and money in so doing . When he contrasted their feebleness some two years since , with their present strength and prospects , he failed ptopcrly

to express his thank'ulnc-s to those brethren ; who in spite of good natured criticism and sometimes something more severe th in that : still held on the even tenour of their way , as Christian Masons ; and were now receiving their reward in the acquisition of many P . M ' s . and past and present P . G . Officers to their standard ; and , as their mission became known , the elite of Hampshire Masons would

join : —still exercising a wise discretion in the adrnis ion of candidates ; and thus maintain a real bond of brotherhood . In conclusion , he said this was , without exception , one ot the happiest M . sanic gatherings at which he had ever been present . This sentiment was cordially assented to by every air Knight and visitor present . The banquet by Mr . Kemp cave much satisfaction to all .

Ancient And Accepted Rite.

Ancient and Accepted Rite .

BOURNEMOUTH . —Vigne Chapter Sovereign Prince Rose Croix , H . R . D . M . — The regular Advent nieiting of this chapter was held on Wcdneselav , 19 th bece-moer , at thc Masonic Hall . After th * - chapter had been opened by 111 . Bio . S . G . Kirchoffer , 30 ° and certain fotmal business had becn transacted , Bro . Kirchhoffer vaiated his chair of office in favour ofthe

Installing Officer , 111 . Bro . Emra Holmes , 31 , who thereupon inducted III . Bro . Kin hholtdr into the chair , and in doing so express , d the great pleasure it gave him to instal his friend as M . W . S . ot the Vi ^ ne Cha , ter . Bro . Kirchhoffer having becn re-elected for a second term of office , in consequence of the efficient manner in which he had governed the chapter during- the past year it was not

necessary for him ( Bro . Holmes ) to perforin the full ceremony of installation . He was glad , however , to take this opportunity of congiatulating him on his re-appointment as it was an evidence of ihe gootl will of the brethren , and hc hoped the chapter would prosper during his year of office . He would venture to remind the brethren of the great duty of obedience to the commands e f the

M . W . S ., a duty especially inculcated in Freemasonry . He also would ask iht-ni to be careful in the selection of candidates fe . r this office so that none but Masons of hi gh social character should be admitted to this sublime degree . This he believed was the wish of ihe Supreme Council 33 ° As they were doubtless aware the Rose Croix degree was the most widely diffused aud probably the most ancient of

any degree outside the Craft . It appear d under one form or another , in almost every known rite throughout the civilised World . It w ; is formerly an appendant degtce to the Order of the Temple and was given in Knight Templar Knca 1 pmenis , and he the sp akerknew of one chapter where they would not admit candi -ats who were not alieatfy Templars . They would understand by all

this how interesting ihe degree was , and for his own part he thought that every man should be a Mason , every Christian should be Rose Croix , and every gentlemen a Templar . Bro . Holmes concluded his remarks by wishing ihe M . W . S . every prosperity both during his year of oflice and through the years to come . The M . W . S .,

returned thanks and proposed a vote of thanks to Bro . Holmes for the instructive remarks he had made upon the degree . This was seconded b y Bro . E . W . Rebbcck and carried unanimously . The M . W . S . then appointed his officers for the ensuing year ; alms were collected , and the chapter was closed in ancient and solemn form .

Special Christmas Services will be held in St . Anne ' s Ci . urch , Soho , Westminster , on Fridays , December 28 , 1877 , January 4 , 11 , and 18 , 18 7 8 , at eight o ' clock , at which a selection from Bach ' s Christmas Oratorio will be sung , with orchestral accompaniment .

"Who Shall Be Greatest?

"WHO SHALL BE GREATEST ?

This is a question of the hig hest importance , especially in a Masonic lodge , and just now it is propounded to us all . Another year has rolled away ; we are approaching thc f stival of St . John ' s Day ; and iu all of our lodges each Freemason must answer the question we have placed at the heart of this column . Let us see to it that it is

answered aright , for an erroneous answer may bring the saddest consequences upon the Craft . At the annual election of your lodge , you are called upon to determine not only who shall be greatest during the approaching Masonic year , but also , practically , who shall be greatest during the two succeeding years , for the Senior _ nd funior Wardens almost iuvarianly are regularly

advan . ed to the supreme station in the lodge . Certainly there are two questions of prime importance , namely , who shall be Master and who Junior Warden ; and there are two other questions , of only less importance , as to who shall cccupy the Treasurer ' s and the Secretary ' s stations , for absolute fidelity is required in tne one , and unusual accuracy and business tact in the other . First as to the

Master : Character is the primary and absolute pre-rcquisite of a Worshipful Master ; without it he is but a shad .. \ v , or worse . See to it , then , that your candidate stands well with the world , is unblemished morally , and is such a one as will enforce the precepts he utters by his example . One of the duties of the Master ( if not delegated to a Chaplain ) is to

address the Great Architect of the Universe in prayer , and it ill becomes him who is not distinguished by sobiiety in word and deed to stand between man and his Maker . Intelligence is the secondary qualification—secondary only in order , however , not in importance , fe > r how can a ruler govern without it ? This word intelligence covers many ree-misitcs , such as knowledge of the work of the

lodge , acquaintance with men and measures , information as to the orig in and history of the fraternity , and aptness in instructing his subordinates and the brethren subject to his authority . We do not say that the Master must neces sarily be a scholar and person of literary ability , although such qualifications will adorn the dignity of his station , and render the ptrfoimance of its duties peilished as well

as instructive . Novices are to be taught the mysteries of Freemasonry , and all of the members are to be led by a way that they know not ui > to the stature , morally and intellectually , of Masonic manhood . Intelligence of no mean order is needed for the accomplishment ot this work . Ambition may be named as the third qualificationambition to cxicl . There arc twelve months in ihe year ,

and the duties of each suiceei ing month sha'l be increasingly v-ell performed . The best ot us are learners , including teachers tin nisi Ives . He who cannot le . rn should not teach . When the first year i " .. lis around , if a laudable ambition has been exhibited , and it is justified hy results , a second term may and should reward the Master , and distinguish the lodge . We believe in second

terms—when lhey are diserved . When character ancl intelligence are matched with ambition in the Master , the lodge cannot tlo better , or so well , as to retain him , Bro . Oliver hit the nail uuon the head when he said , in one aphorism : " An incompetent person in the chair of a lodge is like a hawk on the wing , Irom which all the iuferie . r birds hasten lo escape , and leave him the s „ le tcnai t

of the sky . In the same manner , such a master will cause the lodge to be deserted by its I est members , anti to be left alone in his glory . " Here we have a key to a mystery which we will unfold . The ability or ignorance of the Master , as the case may be , will gauge the attendance at the lodge . Brethren will not go there for nothing ; they will not dance attendance ,

and every time be sent empty away ; and if the Master is incompetent , the number of non-affiliatrs will also be rapidly increased . It is indisputable lhat lodge meetings should be made interesting ; aud to do this thc work must be well performed , or if there be no work , something that is legitimately Masonic must be improvised to Uke its place .

If a brother be ambitous , and intelligeut , or seeking to be intelligent , he will be a " reading Mason . ' Every candidate for Masonic office should be of this class , now a growing , if not a large one . Freemasonry possesses vast literary treasures . Nearly four thousand volumes have becn written upon it and its related branches . There is no dearth of intelligence , then , in books if there t e in

men ; and this intelligence is readily available to nuke . Craltsman wise . Wc have known of a young Mason , only six months after his initiation , elected to the Master's station . This was the fruit of character , industry and study . An easy and handy way of increasing one's knowledge is to take and read a Masonic newspaper . It will keep one not only abreast with the current news of the

dav , but also acquainted with the latest decisions in Masonic law , and wilh discussions relating to the leading principles of Freemasonry . In every jurisdiction the judicious voter might advantageously ask of each candidate , " Do you take and read a Mas . nie journal ? " Lcrd Chancellor Bacon said , " Reading makes a lull man , " and we

need full men , intellectually , in all of thc chairs of the lodge . Brethren , everywhere , select the ablest and best members for office , and the Craft during the approaching year will largely prosper , the meetings will be fully attended , and " more light " will be dispensed in Freemasonry . "—Keystone .

Students of chjmistry will be interested hy the following telegram from Professor Pietet , of Geneva , which was received yesterday by Pitjfessor Tyndill;—" Oxygt-nc liquifi samedi par acide-s sulfuroux et carboniques combines . Prc . sion 320 atrnosphe ' res . Temperature loodeg . Centigrade de froid . " Hitherto all attempts to liquiiy oxygen have failed . J

"Who Shall Be Greatest?

WESTMINSTER ABBEY . —This week has been completed the window erected by the Dean to the memory of Lady Augusta Stanley above her grave in Henry VIl . ' s Chapel . It is executed by Messrs . Clayton and Bell in the style of the stained glass ot the piriod of the b aiding of the chapel . In the upper compartment the s-ibj cts are taken from the history of the Bruce family : —; . King

Robert Bruce watching the spider— " Patience worketh experience , and experience hope ; " 2 . King Rob .-rt Bruce halting the army for the sake of a poor washerwoman" Be piti ul , be courteous ; " 3 . King Robert Bruce bequeathing his heart to Douglas— " Keep that good thing committed to thee ; " 4 . Lord Elgin dying in India— " Faithful unto death : I give thee a crown of lfe ; " 5 . Robert

Bruce guiding the Prince of Wales to Jerusalem— " I will be surety for him : of my hand require him . " 6 . Frederick Bruce ' s remains brought from America— "Trie path of the just is a shining light . " In the lower compartment the subjects represent Lady Augusta . Stanley in the six acts of mere-y ( Matt , xxv ., 35 , 36 , 37 ) 1 , feeding the hungry ; 2 , giving drink to the thirsty ; 3 , receiving the stranger ; 4 ,

clothing the poor ; 5 , visiimg the sick ; 6 , deliveiing the prisoner . The heraldic emblems consist of the armorial beaiings ol the houses of Stanley aud Bruce , with those of the Lycestcr and Oswald families . At the two sides are the armorial bearings of the House of Orleans ( -as represented in the tomb of the Duke of Montpensicr ) on the east side , and of the Worsley family ( as represented on the

grave of General Worsley ) on the west . The vacant spaces are filled with the Roy . l insignia of Henry VIl . ' s Cnapel from the Tudor dynasty—namely , the portcullis ofthe house ofB-aufort ( . John of G . unt ) , the daisies of Margaret Richmond ( mother of Henry VII . ) , the greyhound e f thc house of York , thc fetterlock of the house York

( Elizabeth of York ) , thc diagonof Wales ( Owen I ' udor ) , the crown on the bush ( the battle of B isworth ) , ( he white and red rose ( union of the houses of York and Lancaster ) , A window ( also by Messrs . Clayton aud Bell ) has been completed in memory ofthe Ashantce war in St . Michael ' s Chapel , in the north transept , representing St . Michael in Heaven , and St . George and St . Maurice on earth .

CLEOPATRA ' NEEDLE . —A ! popu !_ r authority , speaking of the Christmas waits , inst nccs London as waiting for Cleopatra ' s'Ncedle . Punch and his Irienelthe public will doubtless be glad to hear that in all likelihood London will not have to wait very long . The law ' s delays are proverbial , and maritime law is no exception to the rule . Hence , when Mr . John Dixon's cylinder slip Cleopatra ,

with the obelisk on board , besides treing wrecked m the Bay of Biseay , was caught in the meshes of a salvage suit , there Were but too good grounds f _ r fearing that the new and thorny questions - sure to be raised hy counsel in so peculiar a case might almost indefinitely detain her at Kcnol , so that none could tell when she might be looked for in the Thames , Happily , there arc ways and means of smoothing

over such difficullies . a . d , thanks tothe good sense and right feeling oi the litigating parties , these have been resorted to , Mr . Dixon has given bail in the Admiralty dure to thc owners of thc Fitzmaurice , the ship which picked up the Cleopatra after she ha I been cut adrift b y the Olga , to meet such salvage as shall he ulti-nately awarded . Accordingly a week or two ago Captain Carter , the master of the

floating uce die-case , was sent out to Ferrol , with a picked English crew , t ¦ resume possesion of his ship , and a telegram announcing hisaniv . l has now reached Mr . Dixon ' s office . He reports himself and crcWall well ; he has inspected the Cleopatra , and found her in much hater trim than might have been looked for considering what she has gone througn . The necessary re , airs c in lie completed , he says ,

in ten days . Mr . Dixon has already arranged with Mr . William Watkins for ths hire of one < f his powerful Channel tugs to fetch the Cleopatra from Ferrol . Tne contract is for £ 500 , payment to be contingent on the obelisk ship ' s safely reaching her moorings in the Thames . Mr . Dixon has consulted some ol the most experienced captains in the service ofthe Peninsular ami Oriental Company , and

they are agreed in the opinion tllat the season f the year presents no sufficient reason lor the ship being kept at Ferrol , It has been decided to send a tug for her instead of simply engag ing some merchant steamer to call for her , as the tug would be wholly at her service , could have no interest clashing with the speedy and safe arrival of the Cleopatra at her i-tstiuation , and can wait , if need be , for what in

nautical phrase is termed " a i-tivak of fair vveatner" for thc voyage . Across the Bay of Biscay the dis'ane- is 350 miles , and as much more may be reckoned to the Thames , aud it is computed that , in favourable circu mstaocs , the whole 700 miles could betiaversed by one of Mr . W . itkin's fine Channel tugs , with the Cleopatra in her wak .- , in five days .

THE ST . PANCRAS GARDENS . —The Speci-il Committee appointed for the layii g out of the old St . Pancras and St . Giies-in-the-Field > buiylug-grounds as gardens have reported to the Vestry that Lady l'urdrit-Coutts had evinced great interest in the affair by erect ng a marble monument to the memory of John Walker , author of " Walker's Pronouncing Dictionary . " They

approved also of a very handsome design for a memo , ' , } sun dial to be erected b y her Ladyship to the memory of the illustrious dead lying in the grounds . This memorial will cost pobably £ 3 , , and will be of a unique character and of lasting usefulness in recording the names

of the many distinguished and other persons buiied there . Thc committee reported fuither that the sum of £ icoo , presented by the Baroness , had becn expended in thc erection e > f a greenhouse-, iu accordance witli the suggestion of her Ladyship . The- report vvas approved on the motion of Mr . Westacott , the chairman of the commifee . ,

Two Royal Academicians were elected the week before last—Mr . W . O . Orchardson and Mr . R . Norman Shaw , the architect .