At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar.

not quite make out it it was presented to him as a Mason or for his great success as a married man . He noticed on the tray an extinguisher , but that would not be used to extinguish their friendship . They had not yet applied for the " Dunmow Flitch of Bacon , " that would come later on . When they got married he knew his

wife was not a saint , and she knew he was a sinner . When he was taken into the lodge to be made a Mason , the first man his eye fell on was the only man who had ever succeeded in serving him with a county court summons , and from that time they were the best of friends . In

conclusion , he assured them that nothing could give him greater satisfaction than the knowledge that the souvenir was a token of their friendship . O < S > t 3 »

During the evening Signor Mascheroni played Chopin ' s " Polonaise in F sharp minor" in a most artistic manner , which was greatly appreciated . The musical arrangements were in the care of Bro . Carl Steiner . © <©> <& The annual meeting of the Charity Committee of West

Yorkshire was held in the Masonic Hall , Rawson Square , Bradford , on Saturday , April 4 th , Bro . W . Blackburn , Chairman , presiding . Last year the sum of . £ 3255 7 s . had been subscribed to the three London Masonic Charities , exclusive of the amount contributed towards the West Yorkshire

Benevolent and Educational Fund , which was also in a satisfactory position . It having been arranged for Bro . Lord Allerton , the Provincial Grand Master , to preside at the Annual Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls in London on the 13 th May , a special effort has been made by

the brethren of the province to support him with subscriptions towards that Institution . As a result of that effort it was announced that over 6000 guineas had already been contributed . Several candidates were accepted for election for the three Masonic Institutions . Bro . H . S . Chilcle , of Wakefield , was elected Chairman ; and Bro . W . P . Raynor , of Huddersfield , Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year .

A matter of special interest to Staffordshire came before the Quarterly General Court ot the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls on the 18 th April . Bro . Thomas Taylor , P . G . D , P . P . G . W . of Staffordshire , moved : "That this Court accept the sum of 1550 guineas from the Province of Staffordshire for the purchase of a perpetual presentation of one properly

qualified girl to the School , subject , nevertheless , to an agreement between the province and the Institution to be agreed , the right of such presentation to be vested in the Provincial Grand Master for the time being , and if there should happen to be a vacancy in the office of Provincial

Grand Master , that for the time being it be then vested in the President of the Staffordshire Masonic Charitable Association . " He pointed out how much the province for

which he spoke had done for the three Masonic Institutions in the course of the last few years , and how desirous it was to secure , like certain other of the greater provinces , a close and perpetual association with the Girls' School , the requisite money for which had already been subscribed . The motion was seconded by Bro . William Russell , P . G . T . of Kent , who

owned himself to have been tin opponent of the creation of perpetual presentations when they could be secured for , £ 1000 , but who held it to be " good business" when they realised 1550 guineas , especially at the present price of trust securities . The motion was then promptly carried

unanimously ; and when all the other preliminaries have been settled , including the name of the " presentation , " Staffordshire will be entitled for all time to a pupil in the Masonic Girls' School .

An appeal has been made to the public in London and to Masonic lodges by the Lord Mayor of Loudon on behalf of the London Hospital , another wing of which the King and Queen are to open . The Queen has already endowed the

wing , and has taken the greatest interest in this hospital , which is situated in the East of London where the poor mostly live . Bro . Macnab , P . M . of the Merchants' Lodge , No . 241 , Liverpool , writes as follows : — "On page 115 of the March

number of the MASONIC ILLUSTWATICD you publish an interesting account of the recent meeting of the Empire Lodge , No . 2108 , in which it is stated that his Excellency the Viscount Hayashi , who was initiated that evening , was ' the first native of Japan to be introduced into Freemasonry

in England . ' While in no way wishing to deprive the Empire Lodge of what no doubt its members deemed to be their privilege , I must in justice ask you to give equal publicity to the fact that on the 12 th July , 1808 , Mr . Chiyoo Honda , Professor of Navigation , & c , of the Nautical College ,

Tokyo , a pure-bred Japanese gentleman , was duly initiated into Masonry in the Merchants' Lodge , No . 241 , at Liverpool , as the books of Grand Lodge will show . Consequently , unless a prior claim be proved , the distinction of having initiated the first Japanese gentleman into Masonry belongs

to the Merchants' Lodge , No . 241 , Liverpool , the proposer being myself . Bro . Honda expressed his intention of trying to introduce the Craft , which he much admired , to his fellow countrymen , and now that so exalted a brother as the Viscount Hayashi has joined we may hope to soon see the art llourish in the kind of the chrysanthemum . "

« S" 0 <& The occurrence this year of the centenary of the birth of Douglas Jerrold recalls the appearance in the earlier pages of Punch ot those humorous sketches , " Airs . Caudle's Curtain Lectures . " During the half-century and more of the existence of our brilliant contemporary nothing has equalled or

approached the interest with which the weekly instalments were received by the public . All classes of Her Majesty ' s subjects eagerly looked out for them , and when completed , their separate publication attained an enormous sale .

< SS > < 3 > ¦ £ >> Mrs . Caudle is always amusing , whether railing at her husband—that long-suffering , silent man—because of his ( supposed ) neglect of her , or because she has taken cold , or because she has " a great desire to see France . " Perhaps she is most Caudle-like when her husband has been made a

Mason . « « . «« " Now , Mr . Caudle—Mr . Caudle , I say ; oh , you can't he asleep already , I know—now , what I mean to say is this there ' s no use , none at all , in our having any disturbance about the matter ; but at last my mind ' s made up , Mr .

Caudle ; I shall leave you . Either I know all you ' ve been doing to-night , or to-morrow morning I quit the house . No , no , there's an end of the marriage-state , I think—an end of all confidence between man and wife—if a husband ' s to have secrets and keep ' em all to himself . Pretty secrets they must

be , when his own wife can't know 'em ! Not lit for any decent person to know , I'm sure , if that ' s the case . Now , Caudle , don ' t let us quarrel ; there's a good soul , fell me what it ' s all about ? A pack of nonsense , I dare say ; still—not that I care much about it—still , I should like to know .

There ' s a dear . Eh ? Oh , don't tell me there ' s nothing in it ; I know better . I'm not a fool , Mr . Caudle ; I know there ' s a good deal in it . Now , Caudle ; just tell me a little bit of it . I ' m sure I'd tell you anything . You know I would . Wei ! ? Caudle , you're enough to vex a saint ! Now , don ' t you think } "ou're going to sleep ; because you ' re not . Do

you suppose I'd ever suffer you to go and be made a Mason if I didn't suppose I was to know the secret , too ? Not that it's anything to know , 1 daresay ; and that ' s why I'm determined to know it And I suppose they call you Brother Caudle ? A pretty brother , indeed ! Going and dressing

yourself up in an apron like a turnpike man—tor , that ' s what you look like Now , come , Caudle ; don ' t let ' s quarrel . Eh ! You ' re not in pain , dear ? What's it all about ? What are you lying there laughing at ? But I'm a fool to trouble my head about you . "