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ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION FOR AGED FREEMASONS AND WIDOWS OF FREEMASONS , CROYDON . Patron and President : HIS ROYAL , HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES , K . G ., & c , M . W . G . M . THE ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL Of this Institution will take place On TUESDAY , 21 st FEBRUARY , 18 S 2 , AT FREEMASONS' TAVERN , GREAT QUEEN ST ., LONDON , Upon which occasion LIEUT .-COLONEL J . A . LLOYD-PHILIPPS , R . W . PROV . G . M . FOR SOUTH WALES ( Western Division ) , has been pleased to signify his intention of presiding . Brethren arc earnestly invited to accept the Office of Steward upon this occasion , and they will greatly oblige by forwarding their Names and Masonic Rank , as soon as convenient , to the Secretary , who will gladly give any information required . JAMES TERRY , Prov . G . S . W . Norths and Hunts , Secretary . 4 , Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C .

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TWTASONIC HALL , CROYDON . HAREWOOD HOUSE , 105 , HIGH STREET . This Hall has every requirement for Masonic purposes . It contains a large Organ , blown by hydraulic power , and has an excellent cellar for Lodges to keep their own wines . The following Lodges are held there , viz . —Frederick , 452 ; Addiscombe , 155 6 ; Mozart , 1920 ; Croydon Mark , 198 ; Frederick Chapter . For terms , & c , address—JOHN RHODES , P . M .. P . P . G . O . Surrey ; P . P . G . M . O . Middx . and Surrey .

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TO ADVERTISERS . THE FREEMASON * hafe a large circulation in all parts of the Globe . In it the olficial Reports of the Grand Lodges of England , Ireland , and Scotland arc uublishedVilh thc special sanction of thc respective Grand-Masters , and it contains a complete record of Masonic won : in this country , our Indian Empire , and the Colonies . The vast accession to thc ranks of the Order during the past few years , and thc Increasing interest manifested in its doings , has given the Frcenustm a position and influence which few journals can lay claim to , and the proprietor can assert with confidence that announcements appearing in its columns challenge the attention of a very large and influential body of readers . Advertisements for thc current week ' s issue arc received up to Six o ' clock on Wednesday evening . "

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TO OUR READERS . THE FREEMASON is published . every Friday morning , price 3 d ., and contains the fullest and latest information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Subscriptions , including Postage : — „ ., ,,, - , r ^ if ^ . hl *"'^' ,,. ! India , China , Australia , United Kingdom . Canada , Uie ^ Conti- Ke \ w Zealand , kc . 13 s . 15 s . 6 d . 17 s . 6 d . Remittances may be made in Stamps , but Post Office Orders or Cheques arc preferred , thc former payable to GEORGE KEN-KING Chief Office , Lcndon , thc latter crossed London Joint Stock Bank .

To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

A QUERY . A correspondent writes to enquire if there is a lodge of instruction held at Brockley , or anywhere near there . Ihe following stand over till next week : — Brunswick Lod ^ e , Stoncham , No . 159 . Friendship Lodge , Devonport , No . 202 .

BOOKS , & . c , RECEIVED . " The Freemason " ( Canada ) , "The Masonic Review , " "The Hebrew Leader , " "The Keystone , " "Allen ' s Indian Mail , " "The Antiquarian Magazine , " "The West London Advertiser , " " The Cape Times , " " Thc Montreal Herald , " "The 1 ' azette" ( Montreal ) , "The Masonic Herald , " "The Masonic Record , " " Die Bauhiitte , "

"The Broad Arrow , " "The Citizen , " "History of the World" ( Illustrated ) , "Amateur Work , " The Revised Version of the New Testament , " " Annuaire du Supreme Couseil Rite Ecossais Ancien Accepte , " ' * Calvert ' s Mechanics' Almanack , " "Christmas Number of the Theatre , " "The Oracle , " "The Jewish Chronicle , " "The Hull Packet , " "Original Designs of Headstones and Crosses , " by W . Borrowdale .

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THEFREEMASON,SATURDAY , DECEMBER 31 , 1881 .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ Wc do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , tlie opinions expressed by our correspondents , but wcwish in a spirit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]

THE RITUAL QUESTION . To thc Editor ofthe "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — With deference to Bro . Chadwick , I submit that the Grand Registrar's ruling applies to the Oldham case . In the absence of the W . M . there is no such thing as a delegation of authority . The Book of Constitutions lays

Original Correspondence.

down a certain rota of presidency when the VV . M . is absent , and it is thc prescriptive right of the I . P . M ., or in his absence , the senior P . M ., and so on , to rule the lodge . If that rota was adhered to in the Oldham Lodge , and it appears to me that it was , the presiding officer was virtualy the Worshipful Master for the time being , possessing all

his rights , privileges , and authority . With reference to your correspondent "Oldham , " who writes a very thoughtful letter on the question , I would remark that " ancient custom " in Masonry is about one of the most undefinable and intangible things to base an argument upon . What is an ancient practice in one lodge

would be considered a novelty in another . I belong to a lodge many years older than the oldest of the Oldham lodges , and the practice which your correspondentdeprccates so strongly has been occasionally resorted to in this lodge , and is traditionally accepted as being "in order . " I would also point out that I took a purely legal view of

the points in controversy , viz ., as . to . Warden ' s competency to perform ceremonies , and whether a W . M . is , or is not bound to discharge the ceremonial duties of his office . The law of the Craft , as expounded by the Grand Registrar ; says a Warden" may perform ceremonies ; and I again repeat that there is nothing in our laws which binds a

W . M . even to open his lodge in the customary manner . If he thinks well hemay delegate even that duty to another . I grant your correspondent that the whole scope of a VV . M , ' s training in the subordinate offices of thc lodge is intended to qualify him for , and the injunctions of the installation ceremony especially , to forcibly impress upon

him the importance of fulfilling the ceremonial duties of the chair , but what is proper and fitting for a W . M . " to do , and what he is legally bound to do , are two totally different things . The framers of our Constitutions in their wisdom , have not thought it advisable to make it imperative that a Master shall be word-perfect in the

ceremonies as a necessary condition of his undertaking the office . It would have been a deplorable thing had they done so , for it would have excluded from important positions in the Craft , many excellent brethren , who in all other respects , save that of ceremony-working , are ornaments to the Craft and give lustre and dignity to our Order .

I do not at all under-rate ceremonial work . 1 rejoice , as much as any one , to sec a well-worked lodge , with every officer fulfilling his proper duties . At the same time , I am not one of those who think that the be-all and end-all of Masonry is in working ceremonies . I have known very excellent Masters of Lodges who have been but indifferent

" workers . " I do not think there is any danger of the practice of Wardens performing ceremonies , or of W . Masters abrogating their ceremonial functions , ever becoming too general . There is too much good sense and esprit de

corps in our lodges to prevent either the one thing or the other , but the wisdom of the antient brethren who framed our laws , and of their modern representatives who interpret those laws so as to make provision for exceptional cases , will commend itself to all right-thinking Masons . I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours truly and fraternally , CESTRIAN .

MASONIC LAW . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Having discussed the following questions recently , the opinions of your readers would be interesting : 1 . That the resignation of a member of a lodge must be accepted , although his subscriptions are in arrear . .

2 . That joining members can only be elected at regular meetings , and not at emergency meetings . 3 . That the Secretary of a lodge can also bc a Deacon , aud that the I . P . M . can be Treasurer or Secretary . 4 . That thtre is nothing in the Constitutions to prevent brethren wearing " founders' jewels . " If there is anything wrong in the above , any corrections will be much appreciated by OBSERVER .

[•HE PROV . GRAND CHAPTER FOR DERBYSHIRE . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The present Provincial Grand Chaplain for the

Province of Derbyshire is the Rev . Thomas Orrell , vicar of Fotmark , and officiating chaplain 'to Sir John Harpur Crewe , Bart ., and Chaplain of the Arboretum Lodge , No . 731 . Yours fraternally , ' THOMAS DAY , Sec . 731 .

Reviews.

Reviews .

AUTUMNAL LEAVES . By FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH , Editor of the new edition of "Gilpin ' s Forest Scenery , " author of "The Fern World , "The Fern Paradise , " &! c , with twelve coloured plates , produced in facsimile , wood illustrations , engraved by las . D . Cooper , from drawings by F . G . Short , and initialletter leaf designs by the author . London : Sampson Low , Marston , Searle , and Rivington , Crown-buildings ,

iSS , Meet-street . 1 S 81 . During the past few years Mr . Heath has \ von considerable reputation as an enthusiastic and instructive writer on ferns , woodland scenery , peasant life , & c , & c . His style , if over-copious in detail , is fluent and graceful . His love of the beauties of nature is manifest in every page , while his description of the various flora that come under his notice is evidently the result of close study and observation . His knowledge of the trees and plants that are indigenous to our soil is only equalled by his ability to

Reviews.

appreciate the picturesque . Though he quotes freely from the works of authors who have depicted in glowingcolours the beauties of English scenery , he has made himself personally acquainted with the country he describes , and may be accepted , therefore , as a thoroughly trustworthy guide by those who may be desirous of traversing the same districts . There is probably no part of England hat offers greater or more varied attractions than the New

Forest . Like the rest of our country , it has suffered considerably through the introduction of what are known as modern improvements ; "iron roads and screeching engines have invaded its solitudes ; ' proud oaks , 'and ' seas of birch , ' and many a ' hazel copse' have gone for ever ; and south of the railway a wide extent of enclosures now fills the-spaces once occupied by oak and birch and holly . " " But though , " as Mr . Heath very justly

remarks , "we do not expect that unbroken forest should extend from Brockenhurst and Ringwood southwards to the sea ; nor that the wolf and wild boar should , as of old , roam over its woods , " still " many noble oaks and many a grand old beech that , though contemporaries of the Conqueror , _ might , and should have been preserved intact—trees , whose very antiquity and hoarine * s , so to speak , should have protected them—have been

recklessly , ruthlessly destroyed . This is no more than we could have expected from the spirit of the age we live in . Jn the abstract , no doubt , sylvan beauty still retains manyof its old attractions , but these are nothing to the Utilitarian , hi whose eyes a thing of beauty is worthy no more than the profit that can be made out of it . However , if the New Forest has been shorn of much of-its ancient splendour , tbere j'et exist , as our author suggests , " remnants of

loveliness precious to the teeming population of our busy island , and all the more to be loved and prized because they are the finest of the remainsof sylvan England , and are _ justl y admired _ for their beauty , their antiquity , and their utility ; that is to say , as objects of beauty . " It is not our intention to follow Mr . Heath throughout his autumn ramble round the New Forest . The period for his trip was well chosen . As he notes in his chapter , entitled " The

Blooming of Autumn , " " The beauty of colour in autumnal leaves is made up , so to speak , of many more elements than is the beauty of the same leaves in spring or summer . " And again , " It is the varieties of hue and colour on the same leaf that give the striking character . to autumnal foliage , so apparent when it is closel y examined . " Therefore , if we accompanied him during his entire iourney , we should

deprive intending readers of this book of much of the pleasure they may hope to derive from studying it . His starting point was Brockenhurst , and after walking to Boldre and exploring the Brockenhurst lanes , he made the circuit of the forest by way of Burley , Rinjjwood , Fordingbridge , Bramsha . v , Stoney Cross , and Lyndhurst , and thence back to Brockenhurst . Every bit of the scenery he traversed is admirably delineated , the story in its entirety

forming a series of beautiful word pictures inall respects worthy of what , in one passage—already quoted , he speaks of as " the finest of the remains of sylvan England . " One short extract , we think , wil . l justify this opinion , and we give it with the greater pleasure , that it will serve to illustrate generally the author ' s ability as a descriptive writer . He is passing through the "little hamlet of Battramsley" on his way to Lymington , and catches sight of what he calls "a pretty

little bit of charming English scenery , " which he thus depicts : " To get a view of it we must look over tlie quickset hedge on our left—a hedge of thickly-matted twigs of hawthorn , whose stems are grey and gold with encompassing lichen-green foliage , with purple-brown edges and vermilion berries . In our line of vision wc see a meadnw , cornfield stubble , and wood ' and uplands descending into a quietwooded hollow . On the meadows cattle are quietly

browsing , their red , white , and brown markings prettily contrasting with the spreading green turf of the meadows . The cornfields , shorn now of their crops , are made picturesque by the presence of irregularly-scattered wheat stacks . Redbrick , blue-tiled cottages , with whitened fronts , stand here and there half hidden by screening trees , whilst above the humble dwellings the blue smoke of the hearth-fires curls up against the white clouds which overspread the sky . In

the foreground , pecking' on the meadow near which we stand , arc some fowls gathered in a small group , and in the height evidently of great enjoyment . Cotcage gardens and fruit-trees complete the rural and pastoral features of the scene . But there is still left a feature of woodland scenery , for the backgiound of our picture is formed by clustered forest trees , which cover the distant uplands and rise against the horizon . " Some possibly mav

suggest that Mr . Heath is somewhat too minute in his details , and that the effect would have been heightened if the terms of the description had been more general ; but even they will not deny it is a charming picture—such as only a genuine love of nature could havo drawn—" of a pretty little bit of charming English scenery . " The work is in two parts , the first of which is occupied with a sketch of his ramble round the New Forest ; and thc second more

particularly justifies the title of the whole , namely , ' * Autumnal Leaves . " It is in" this latter that Mr . Heath describes the variations and varieties of hue and colour which are perceptible in the leaves of different trees and shrubs in the season of Autumn . The text is here illustrated by a series of twelve coloured plates , which , as we are told on the title page , " have been produced in facsimile from leaves collected and arranged by the author . " These , apart from their ornamental character , will be found very

useful in elucidating the desciption given by him , just as the wood illustrations of New Forest scenery " engraved ( from drawings by Frederick G . Short ) by lames D . Cooper , of which there are four full page and fourteen vignette , cannot fail to enhance the reader ' s interest in part 1 . In fine , the " Autumnal Leaves " is admirably written and as admirably illustrated , and like all the volumes which have the name of " Francis George Heath " on the title •page , is as at'r'ctive in appearance and finish as its contents are readable and instructive .

•THE CARDIFF FREE LIBRARY , MUSEUM , AND SCIENCE AND ART SCHOOLS . ( Nineteenth Annual Report , i 8 So-Si ) . Cardiff : Printed by Daniel Owen , and Co ., St . Mary-street , 1 SS 1 . Without entering into the details , which are of local interest , we may say at once that Cardiff is to be congratulated on the steady progress which has attended its free library , & c , and the very gratifying results that have followed its establishment . Financially , too , the library has