Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADER— PAQH . Freemasonry Abroad ... ... ... ••••••631 An Oration Delivered at Consecration of the Victoria Lodge , No . 2671 ... 632 A Handsome Medal ... ... ... ... ... "" •••633 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of North Wales ... ... •••G 33 Israel Lodge of Instruction , No . 205 . —An Address by the Grand Tyler ... C 33 MASONIC

NOTESNew Year ' s Greeting ... ... ... ... ... " 35 Appointment of the Earl of Warwick as Deputy Grand Master ... ... 635 New Year ' s Entertainment at the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... 635 Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 2076 ... ... ... •¦•635 Masonic Lifeboat Saturday Fund ... ... •¦•... 635

Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 636 Provincial Priory of Kent and Surrey ... ... ... ... 63 G Red Cross of Rome and Constantine—Divisional Conclave of Kent ... ... 636 Secret Monitor—Consecration of Transvaal Conclave , No . 30 ... ... 636 The New Deputy Grand Master of England ... ... ... ... 637

Ladies' Banquet of the De Grey and Ripon Lodge , No . 1161 ... ... 637 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 637 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 63 S Mark Masonry ... .. ... ... ... ... ( 138 Royal Ark Mariners .,, ... ... ... ... ... G 38 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... — ... 6 40

Freemasonry Abroad.

FREEMASONRY ABROAD .

Our review of " Freemasonry in 1898 , which appeared in our Christmas number , extended to such a length that we were unable to find room in it for any remarks upon the Craft in foreign countries , nor are we in a position to say more in

respect of Continental Freemasonry than that , so far as our knowledge goes , it has well maintained its character and position during the year , which is now on the point of closing its career . As regards the Grand Lodge of Hungary , respecting whose

adherence to the'fundamental principles of the Order there was some time since a lengthened discussion in our columns , we can only hope that the Grand Master remains firm in the intention which was ascribed to him of having the V . of the S . L .

restored to its place in Grand Lodge and the lodges under its jurisdiction . In the case ot the several Grand Lodges in Germany and elsewhere we note that certain changes arc recorded in our Grand Lodge Calendar as having taken place

during the past twelve months . The Grand National Mother Lodge , of the Three Globes , at Berlin , has a new Grand Secretary in the person of Bro . OSCAR FlOlCKAU in the place of Bro . J OHANNES SCHUMANN . Bro . J OSEPH WARNER has succeeded

Bro . KARL PAUL as G . Master of thc Eclectic Grand Lodge at Frankfort-on-the-Maine . Bro . J . D . MAENS is Grand Secretary ofthe Grand Lodge of Holland , and Bro . ERNESIO NATHAN is G . Master of the Grand Orient of Italy , vice Bro . ADRIANO

LEMMI . Moreover , by the death of the Earl of LATHOM , the G . Lodge of Denmark and the G . Orient of Brazil have for the present no one to represent them at our G . Lodge , while the G . Lodge of Sweden is in the same plight through the death of the

Duke of ST . ALBANS . As for the Grand Lodge of Peru , which , in consequence of its having banished the V . of the S . L . from the altar , and forbidden all reference to the Bible in its ritual , our Grand Lodge solemnly declared to be outside the pale of

pure and ancient Freemasonry , and therefore unrecognisable by us , we are rejoiced to say that a new G . Master has been elected , under whose auspices the obnoxious decree ordaining those departures from the princip les of the Craft has been rescinded ,

and the V . of thc S . L . and the Bible restored to their respective p laces on thc altars and in the ritual . But , as we have remarked on many previous occasions , the Freemasonry which ,

as it most nearly resembles our own , more immediatel y deserves our attention , is that which was originally established , at least , in the case of the older jurisdictions , by one or other of our Grand Lodges , in what are now thc United States of North

Freemasonry Abroad.

America , and here it is that our Order has made suchjunexampled progress . There are many points of difference between the American and English systems of Masonry , but they have reference to matters of practice rather than to matters

of principle . VVe do not trouble ourselves overmuch about the non-affiliate or jurisdiction o / er rejected material . We do not conceive it to be any part of our duty as Masons to wage war against the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages , nor do

we aim at exalting Freemasonry into a religion . We do nothing to encourage the inordinate growth of lodges , and we place no restriction upon the number of lodges of which brethren may

desire to become members . But , though in these and other matters there are divergencies of practice between the two systems , the fundamental principles of our Masonry is the same , and it is for this reason that we view with so much satisfaction

the amazing developments that have taken place of late years in Freemasonry in the United States . There has been no increase that we are aware of in the number of Grand Bodies that preside over Craft , Royal Arch , and Templar

Masonry under the Stars and Stripes , but nearly all of them arc in a position to record an increase of membership . The Grand Lodge of New York , which , numerically , is far and away the strongest of the 50 Grand Lodges in the United States ,

cannot have less than 90 , 000 subscribing members ; while , financially , it stands as firmly as ever . Its Masonic Home , too , which was started not so very long ago , is being steadily improved in its organisation , and is better able to meet the requirements for

which it was established . The Grand Lodges of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are prosperous , and the G . Master of the latter—Bro . HUTCHINSON , M . W . G . VI . —had the pleasure of laying , on the Sth June , the first stone of a new Masonic Hall at

Boston . Illinois , Ohio , Michigan , and other of the larger jurisdictions , have also had their share in the general prosperity ; and the same may be said of other Grand Lodges , such as Connecticut , New Jersey , and others , which , if not among the more

numerous bodies , have been established for a century or more . New Jersey , in particular , has good reason to be proud of what it has done , and is doing , towards founding a Masonic Home . Its annual meeting was held in January of the present year , and

from what was then reported , we gather that only a year previous a Committee was appointed to consider what steps should be taken towards establishing this Home , the result being that some 28 , 000 dollars were collected , a suitable

property purchased and prepared for immediate occupation , and Grand Lodge has made due provision for its efficient maintenance . As regards Royal Arch Masonry , it has kept pace with the Craft , and from the reports of meetings which it has been

our privilege to read , there is clearly as great an interest taken in this branch of constitutional Masonry as ever . But the great event of the year appears to have been the triennial meeting of the Grand Encampment of the Order of the Temple , at

Pittsburg , in the month of October , under Sir Knight WARREN LA RUE THOMAS , M . E . Grand Master , who , as well as his Grand Officers and the visiting Commanderies , received a most cordial

welcome from the Mayor of Pittsburg , as well as from the Grand Commandery of Pennsylvania , in whose , jurisdiction thc meeting took place .

There was , as usual , a grand parade of those present , who were ranged in 13 divisions , the whole column , comprising the Templars and the bands , numbering over 10 , 600 , of whom over 8 , 600 were Sir Knights . The G . Recorder ' s