At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar

the cathedral . Obviously , it must be desirable that the King should lay the foundation-stone ; but his Majesty cannot , now that he is enthroned , perform or take part in Masonic ceremonial . As the Masons are to erect the chapter-house to which the , name of their late Provincial Grand Master

will be attached , the most appropriate arrangement is that which Lord Lathom proposed . To invite the present Grand Master of England ( the Duke of Connaught ) to officiate at the foundation of the Lathom Chapter House will be to accentuate the Masonic interest in that part of the cathedral which the Masons themselves have generously undertaken to build .

© <& © On Thursday , 16 th February , at the " Ship and Turtle , " the installation took place of the " Eastern Star Lodge , " No . 95 , whose warrant dates back from 1764 . Bro . W . B . Griffiths was installed Wor . Master in a very dignified and

impressive manner by "Wor . Bro . Howard Ruff , P . M ., the well known and enthusiastic Secretary of the Royal Society of St . George . The Wor . Master appointed his officers as follows : —W . Bro . Herbert Riches , I . P . M . ; Bros . A . C . Hughes , S . W . ; F . I . Gearing , J . W . ; W . Bros . A . C . Macklin ,

P . M ., Treasurer ; J . W . Warden , P . M ., Secretary ; Bros . W . A . Forrester , S . D . ; H . Sheffield , J . D . ; J . Jenkins , I . G . ; W . Bro . J . A . Keen , P . M ., D . C . ; Bro . Albert Jordan , Organist ; W . Bro . J . M . Knight , P . M ., W . S . ; Bros . G . E . Grant , A . W . S . ; and A . K . Turbefield , Tyler . At the close of the lodge the brethren adjourned to a banquet , for which this hostel is noted , and a most enjoyable evening was spent .

© ® ^> The Masonic fraternity in Woking , Surrey , will learn with considerable satisfaction that the enthusiastic and popular Secretary of the Woking Emulation Lodge of Improvement , Bro . D . C . Robinson , was installed on Saturday , 13 th February ,

W . Master of the London Lodge , No . 108 , which was founded in 1760 , and has known many vicissitudes . The installation ceremony was performed by W . Bro . William Simpson , the retiring Master , in a highly creditable manner , in the presence of a large number of London and Provincial

brethren . Judging from the enthusiastic spirit of the officers and the propositions which were made on that evening , we should say that the lodge is again on the high road to prosperity .

© © © A presentation , unique in the annals of Folkestone Freemasonry , took place at the Masonic Hall , on Wednesday , February 10 th . Bro . G . Butcher , who has for many years past acted as Tyler to all the Masonic lodges held in

Folkestone , Hythe , and Sandgate , attained his 70 th birthday , and the Masons of the three towns united in subscribing to present to him a handsome testimonial . Bro . C . J . Saunders acted as treasurer of the fund , and Bro . W . Francis as secretary , and it was due to their efforts that a very

substantial sum was raised . Brethren ( numbering nearly 100 ) from Folkestone , Dover , Hythe , and Sandgate , were present to witness the presentation , which took the form of a portrait of the recipient and a purse of money , and was made by his Worship the Mayor ( Bro . G . Peden ) , who , in doing so ,

alluded to the high esteem in which Bro . Butcher was held by all the Masons in the district . In expressing his thanks , Bro . Butcher pointed out that with very few exceptions he had prepared all the brethren present for initiation into Masonry . In addition to the high praise bestowed on Bro . Butcher , many others of those present also spoke in a similar strain .

© © © It appears that the question of the multiplication of lodges is now exercising the minds of our Scotch brethren as it has for some time past that of the English Craft , especially in the metropolis . At present there are eight

Masonic lodges in Dundee , but the difference between the existing organisations and the proposed new one is that the latter was to be a " temperance" lodge , and it is apparently

on this score that a cleavage has occurred . The Hon . Charles M . Ramsay , the Grand Master , was approached , and it is understood that he had expressed willingness to issue a charter . © © © By a considerable section of the Craft in Dundee ,

however , the movement has not been received favourably , a belief existing that such a new organisation would be detrimental to existing lodges , inasmuch as many candidates who would join one or other of these lodges would be attracted to the new lodge . Masters of quite a number of

the lodges in Dundee had a conclave , when the feeling was clearly against the new movement , and preliminary steps were taken for opposing it at the Grand Lodge meeting . In one lodge a . vote was taken , and representatives were appointed to attend Grand Lodge and resist the granting of the charter .

© © © There can necessarily be no strictly defined limit drawn as to what number of lodges should exist in proportion to the population of a city or district . Masonry is either a good thing or it is not , and if it be , as we all believe , a good

thing , let us welcome not only the duly qualified candidate , but the creation of fresh centres of Masonic interests wherever and whenever it can be shown that a new lodge is likely to be of service to the cause of Masonry .

© © © A correspondent of the Johannesburg " Masonic Review , " in writing to that paper in support of the proposal to establish a Sovereign Grand Lodge for the Transvaal , goes on to deliver himself of the following amazing statement : —

" Recently the Provincial Grand Lodges , especially of Lancashire and Yorkshire , prevented the Grand Lodge in London from committing a grave blunder . It was proposed to farm out the liquor traffic at the Masonic Temple for fifty years to Messrs . Spiers and Pond , but thanks to the astule justness of the Duke of Newcastle , who presided , it was not carried . "

© © © The writer had not even then exhausted his tale of woe , for he goes on to say— " Then , again , in connection with the Masonic Institutions for Girls and Boys , it was found on enquiry that it was costing us double per head for the

education of our boys and girls as compared with other similar institutions . Immediate steps were taken in the provinces to supply the education locally , and the 22 nd Annual Report for Leeds will show , that after meeting all just claims , ^ 0 , 000 . " Comment on such a farrago of nonsense

would be thrown away , but seriously it is inconceivable that the conductors of a Masonic journal should give it publicity .

© © © We are gratified to find in the address of Bro . E . T . D . Chambers , Past Grand Master of Canada , the following pertinent remarks on questions of the indiscriminate admission of candidates : —A misapprehension of the true principles

upon which Masonry is founded , and a misunderstanding of what really constitutes Masonic strength and progress is often responsible for much grievous injury to the Craft . Inexperienced Masons , accustomed to the methods of the different fraternal benefit associations , seem to regard

numbers as one of the essentials of Masonic existence , and to consider it a matter of loyalty to the Craft to act more or less directly as missionary experts for increasing the membership of their respective lodges . This result is that deplorable cheapening of Masonry of which we hear so much in these

days . It cannot be too strongly condemned . The financial abilities of our members , if they have been properly selected , ought to be such that their annual clues should be amply sufficient to insure the maintenance of our lodges , even without the admission of new members . "