Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

—<*—PROV . GRAND LODGES IN SCOTLAND . Bro . Chalmers I . Paton should inform himself better before taking it upon him to declare the law in reference to the

constitution of Provincial Grand Lodges in Scotland . It is nearly ten years since the Grand Lodge of Scotland found , " That , on a sound interpretation ofthe Laws of Grand Lodge , a Provincial Grand Master has

power to appoint , by Commission , from tfcne to time , a Provincial Grand Depute and a Substitute Master , two Wardens , a Secretary and Chaplain , all of whom must be Master Masons , having a residence in

the province , but NOT necessarily Masters or Wardens of lodges within the province . " During nine of the ten years in which I have held a Wardenship in thc Provincial

Grand Lodge of Ayrshire , I have not been a Master or Warden , de facto , of any lodge <—no such qualification being necessary . D . MURRAY LYON .

I do wish that Bro . Chalmers I . Paton would be more careful , and not make so many mistakes . He is telling us that the ofiicers of a Prov . G . L . in Scotland must be all of them , " dc facto , a Master or Warden

of some lodge in the province . " Now , that is wrong , for at present in Glasgow , e . g . several of the Prov . G . L . office-bearers arc neither the Master nor the Warden of any lodge . Further , in Grand Lodge Laws , the

rule is simply : " All of them ( the officebearers ) must be Master Masons on thc roll ofthe Grand Lodge , members of lodges within thc province , and resident in the district for the greater part of the year . "

I lately saw it stated also in an American paper that thc age when candidates were first admitted in Scotland was twenty-one ; but that , also , is a mistake , as thc rule says : " Every candidate shall be at least

eighteen years of age before being entered an Apprentice . " Then , further on , we are told that , two weeks after , he may be made a Fellow-Craft , and in other two weeks a Master Mason . GLASGUENSIS .

Bro . Chalmers Izett Paton , thc new Lycurgus of Freemasonry , at page 789 , tells us that the Provincial Grand Officers in Scotland "' must be a Master or Warden , dc facto , of some lodge in the district , none

other arc qualified to hold the offices . " Cap . xiii ., Provincial Grand Lodges , sec . iii . of thc Laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , enacts that these officers " must be Master Masons on the roll of thc Grand

Lodge , members of lodges within the province , and resident in the district for the greater part of the year . " Bro . Paton advertises a work upon * ' Freemasonry and

its Jurisprudence , " price 10 s . 66 . ; hacl he not better become a student of its jurisprudence , and cease to play thc roll of a teacher ? MAX .

PROV . GRAND SUPERINTENDENT FOR

GLASGOW . At length , wc are to have somebody to look after us in Glasgow ; but thc nominee of the Grand Chapter will not suit . We require a companion of marked

abilityone who understands our laws , and who has displayed tact and talent in presiding over our deliberations . Wc want a working

Mason , not an ornamental ; and it is to be hoped that the Grand Chapter will permit the province a say in the election of its future chief . R . A . M . ( Glasgow ) .

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

"SCOTCH MARK MASTERS . Under the above heading , and at page 789 , I find "An English . Mark Master " stating that the Royal Arch is " inferior in antiquity , as well as in merit , " to the Mark

Degree . Now , that , according to all the real evidence yet produced , is simply a mistake , as we can admit the existence of the Royal

Arch in the fourth decade of the last century , whereas we have no evidence of the existence of any Mark Degree until some time after that . W . P . BUCHAN .

"QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION . I would , with " Errol" and Leo , " see our Craft progress with the age . As for the so-called "Antient Landmarks , " nobody

knows what they were , much less what they are . All thinking men must admit that the time now devoted to committing the ritual to memory would be better devoted to the preparation of lectures , __ c ,

on social , moral , and philosophic topics , and that intellectual improvement should be our aim . Lodges of Freemasons in this country are of three kinds . Firstly , we we have the select London lodge ( an

agreeable one to belong to ) , which is little more than anexclusivedinner club , tobe a member of which it is necessary to be a Mason . Then , we have the rich provincial lodge , which is nothingmore than a benefit society

with a Masonic apron on . The great mass of our lodges are mere manufactories of Masons , where men are initiated , passed , and raised , and the best of them

disappointed , or even disgusted . With all due deference to P . M . Bro Howard , I do not consider that our obliga tion forbids the plan I advocate .

In taking up this question , I have but one object—to make our venerable Order something better than ifc is . We have lost

thc spirit , and cling obstinately to thc empty form . LL . W . LONGSTAFF , P . G . W . N . and E . Yorkshire .

Bro . Longstaff remains untouched in his fortress . "A Masonic Student , " and the other opponents , have not advanced a single argument against his propositions , nor does Bro . Howard , by referring "to thc OB .,

improve their position . I have the following questions to put , which will bring thc subject to a bearing : f . Who is custodier of the ritual , by whom its purity is guarded , and additions or substractions prevented ?

2 . What are the secrets we are sworn to preserve inviolate ? If we are to keep secret the ritual , then , I am much afraid , every Grand Lodge , and every brother who has written upon PVeemasonry , have broken

the OB . Every student knows what value to put upon oral narration , and I have little faith in thc ability and faithfulness of many of our self-constituted Masonic instructors . I stand upon this ground furthermore . Thc

heads of the Order in New York have published thc rituals . If they have not broken their OB ., and are still recognised as brethren , why should thc British brethren be under the penalties ? RANDOLF HAY .

ANTIQUITY OF THE ORDER . The following is a letter from a Right Worshipful Master of a Scottish lodge to a Senior Warden of an English lodge : — "During thc summer of this year I

resided at jvieIro . sc , and from time to time visited the Abbey , a superstructure of great beauty , and most interesting to every one , more especially to Freemasons who are instructed in the symbolical teachings of

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

our speculative science . They render a most beautiful system of religious thought . I made a special point to inquire if any documents could be shown whereby our Order could be traced further back than

1717 , whereby the modern idea , or 1717 theory , could be upset ; and I find that a lodge of Freemasons is still in existence , carrying on the same system that they did nearly 200 years ago . I called on the

Secretary , and was shown a minute book of date 1678 , and also informed that the Freemasons have had since 1683 the privilege of sittings in the Abbey ; but about sixty years ago they were transferred to the new

church , and which they still continue to hold as a right for services rendered in past times . The reason I say the same system that they did nearly 200 years ago is this : I entered into conversation with an old

Mason , whose father belonged to the lodge , and he told me that his father told him his grandfather was a member of the Melrose Lodge , and that their style of working was thc same as at present . I made a

calculation from this , and it took me back nearly 200 years . Another most important fact is , that they still have the original letter from the Grand Lodge of Scotland , inviting them to join under it at its formation ; but to this

they have never agreed , and they still remain an independent and self-supporting lodge , declaring they are the descendants of those Freemasons who built the Abbey in 1136 , being thus four years older than

the Mother Kilwinning Lodge , which has ahvays been talked of as the oldest lodge ; but , certainly , not so old as the Melrose

Lodge , which I visited during my stay to witness their working , which , in every * essential point , is similar to our own . " Excuse brevity . " I remain , yours fraternally , "RIGHT WORSHIPFUL MASTER ( S . C . )"

The Prince Of Wales.

THE PRINCE OF WALES .

The following bulletin was issued on the 28 th instant : — " Sandringham , Thursday ( Noon ) . " His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales bas passed a good night . . Strength is slowly returning . ( Signed ) " VV . J KNNER , M . D . " W . GULL , M . D . "

Important Work On Masonic Ms. Constitutions.

IMPORTANT WORK ON MASONIC MS . CONSTITUTIONS .

Bro . Hughan , of Truro , Cornwall , is now preparing for thc press a work , to be entitled " Thc Old Charges of British Freemasons . " The celebrated MS . belonging to thc Lodge of Antiquity has been carefully

transcribed for its pages , of thc year 1686 , and a fac siiiiflc page will be introduced as a frontispiece . About a dozen other Masonic MSS . will be printed in the volume and a careful sketch will be given of all the

existing MS . Constitutions of the Freemasons . Thc aim of the work will be to place in the hands of all students the whole of the valuable MSS . on Masonry in oue volume , for convenience of reference , and

for thc information of thc Craft universal . Thc cost of the work is not to exceed five shillings per copy , and Bro . Hughan will he glad to receive the names of subscribers as soon as possible , as the more brethren that

subscribe the less will be the charge per copy . Lodges ordering a dozen copies will receive thirteen , and so on in proportion . We shall also be pleased to receive the names of intending subscribers at our office .