At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar.

At the Sign of the Perfect Ashlar .

The proceedings of the Provincial Grand Lodge ot Surrey on the 24 th November could not fail to be of unusually special importance , and the fact was especially marked by the presence of a very distinguished assembly . After R . W . Bro . the Earl of Onslow had installed his successor , W . Bro . Col . Davis , A . D . C ., as Provincial Grand Master , who , by the

way , had but just returned from the Masonic deputation to Berlin , to which he referred in an interesting speech , and in which he paid a tribute to the deservedly popular qualities of the R . W . Deputy Grand Master , the Earl of Warwick , W . Bro . Frederick West , P . G . D ., was re-appointed Deputy Prov .

G . Master . Bro . Col . Davis has , until recently , been actively engaged in military duties . R . W . Bro . Lord Ampthill ' s departure for Madras was announced a few days ago , and our best Wishes go with him

on his journey . We predict a truly Masonic welcome to outdistinguished brother on his arrival to take up his Governmental duties .

Colonial Craftsman are following the example of their political leaders , and slowly , but surel y , the lodges in Australia are forming Grand Lodges of their own . The District Grand Lodge of Western Australia , comprising 31 lodges , was the last to disappear from the roll of the Grand Lodge of England . We cannot but think that there is as much

to be said for local self government in the Craft as in the greater arena of political affairs . The loyalt y of our Australian Brethren to all that concerns the welfare of English Masonry is unquestioned—H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . Master , is Patron of all of the already-formed Australian

Grand Lodges , viz .: —New South Wales , Victoria , South Australia , Tasmania , as well as New Zealand , and the District Grand Masters are in many cases the Governors of the respective Colonies . We , in England , are always in danger ( whether " little Englanders " or not ) , of losing sight of the vast area covered , say , by such a district as that of New South Wales ,

which is greater in extent than any country in Europe , except Russia , and three times that of Great Britain , and it is in our opinion no matter for wonder that the lodges under the District Grand Lodge of Western Australia should wish to be administered by a Grand Lodge of their own .

Ihe Grand Lodge of New Zealand appears lo be settling down to work in a very business-like manner . Unlike its sister Constitutions on the Australian Continent , it is working side by side with the older District Grand Lodges , which , b y the convention entered into with the Grand Lodge of England , still exist in New Zealand , but the progress of the

latter has been arrested in so far as additions to its roll of lodges is concerned . While the Grand Lodge of New Zealand is free to constitute private lodges in any part of the colony , the Grand Lodge of England has pledged itself to maintain onl y those ( hat were in existence at the time the

convention was entered into . There can thus be no rivalry between the two jurisdictions other than that health y and desirable one whose object it will be to select the most perfect " materials for the building , " and to preserve most worthily the ancient landmarks and traditions of the Order .

In conjunction with the recognition of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand as an independent sovereign body by the Grand Lodge of England , a somewhat knotty poin ! in Masonic jurisprudence is not unlikely

to arise out ot the compact with regard to the limitation of the light of the older jurisdiction to create new lodges in the Colony . While the agreement entered into is , strictly speaking , one affecting Craft lodges only , vet the relations between Royal Arch Masonrv and the Craft are so interwoven that it is very difficult , if not impossible , to

disassociate them , and therefore it conies about that an apparently unforseen difficulty has been created in what would otherwise have been a mutually satisfactory arrangement . Every Royal Arch Chapter under the Supreme Grand Chapter of England is , as all Masons are aware ,

attached to a lodge , and bears the same number , although not necessarily the same name . It therefore follows that when a lodge ceases to exist , the chapter also becomes de fnclo tixt ' mct .

1 he issue not unlikely to be raised , according to a correspondent , is , whether chapters warranted by the Supreme Grand Chapter of England may be formed in connection with the lodges still remaining under English jurisdiction . On the one hand permission to form such chapters would appear to be a violation in spirit at least

of the understanding entered into , which all admit is intended to arrest the development of English Masonic rule in the Colony ; on the other hand it must be admitted that the effects of such a limitation would be to curtail the privileges and rights of every Craft lodge to attach to

itself a body which the constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England declares to be an integral part of " pure antient Masonry . " We trust that the truly Masonic spirit already exhibited in dealing with the larger problem of Masonic jurisdiction will not be wanting in the present case should the question referred to by our correspondent become in any degree a serious one .

An announcement of interest to our readers was made in The Daily Mail recentl y of V . W . Bro . Horton Smith's appointment as Dean of the Chapel of Lincoln ' s Inn , an ancient office which was instituted in the 15 th century .

lino . WILL H . CHAI'MAN . ( I'linln Viil , lli-h ,-iml . ; hl , „ h , rl , i / . )

Bro . W . E . Chapman , P . M . of the Savage Club and Drury Lane Lodges , was tlie subject of a notice in our last issue in connection with his services in South Africa and his appointment as J . P . for Kiinberley . We have now the pleasure of presenting a portrait of our esteemed brother .