At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar

1 hough only a year old , the Golden Square Lodge , which appropriately holds its meetings at 33 , Golden Square , and already numbers over 40 members , now bids fair to occupy a prominent position among London lodges . Its installation meeting was held on the 30 th Afav , when Bro . J . Seaman was installed as W . AI . by the outgoing Alaster , Bro . T . L . Aloar .

The W . AI . appointed his officers as follows : —Bros . A . P . Lowthian , P . AI . 1900 , S . W . ; Woodcock , j . W . ; j . F . Shiers , Treasurer ; Jas . Duffy , Secretary ; R . Baker , S . D . ; T . Kelly , J . D . ; W . J . Parser , I . G . ; V . B . Ah Zanchi , P . AI . 185 , D . C . " ; H . Williams , Organist ; and O . L . Thompson and W . Pearson , Stewards . The brethren , to the number of over 100 , afterwards dined together at the St . James ' s Restaurant .

At the meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge ot Somerset , at Wincanton , on the 6 th June , under the presidency of the R . W . Provincial Grand Alaster , Viscount Dungarvan , Colonel William Long , P . P . S . G . W . ( who has recently returned from South Africa ) , was appointed Deputy Provincial Grand Alaster , in succession to Bro . R . C . Else , resigned , on account

of physical infirmity . A letter was read from the latter brother expressing his thanks for the resolution recognising his past services , which was adopted at the special Provincial Grand Lodge meeting at Weston-super-AIare , and stating that his connection with the Provincial Grand Lodge would not be completely severed , as by the desire of the R . W . Provincial Grand Alaaster he had arranged to continue the charity working of the province .

The 104 th Anniversary Festival of the Royal Alasonic Institution for Boys was held at the Crystal Palace , on Wednesday , June 4 th , under the chairmanship of R . W . Bro . Col . John Davis , A . D . C , Provincial Grand Alaster for Surrey . The Board of Stewards numbered 754 , and as a result of their efforts , the substantial sum of £ 23 , 94 8 was announced by the

Secretary , Bro . J . AI . AIcLeod . Of this amount , London contributed . £ 995 8 , and the Provinces £ 13 , 993 . The Chairman ' s province of Surrey was represented by no less than 120 Stewards , and the total of their subscriptions was the magnificent sum of £ 4 = 500 .

liRO . COI . ONKI , JOHN DAVIS , A . I ) . a .

The Treasurer of the Institution , Bro . Charles E . Keyser , P . G . D ., in responding to the toast of " Success to the Royal Alasonic Institution for Boys , " gave some interesting particulars of the progress of the School , especially in respect to [ the new buildings at Bushey , now nearly completed , to which place he hoped the boys would return after their

Christmas holidays . We heartily congratulate the Board of Alanagement of the . Institution and Bro . AIcLeod on vet another successful Festival , the precursor , we trust , of mainothers of a similar character . We are glad to be able to contradict the announcement

made by a contemporary to the effect that the Countess of Warwick has been lying seriously ill . It is but a short time ago that her ladyship was the victim of an accident in the hunting field , from which , it is believed , a complete recovery has been made .

The munificence of R . W . Bro . Lord Burton , P . G . W ., is proverbial . We understand that members of the firm of Bass and Co ., in which his lordship is interested , have been instrumental in erecting no less than six churches in his native town of Burton-on-Trent , the latest being the new church at Horningblow , which is to be erected by Bro . Lord Burton at a cost of £ 14 , 000 . $ » & &

The subject of negro Alasonrv continues to excite a good deal of attention from those members of the Craft whose imperialistic sympathies are stirred by the aspect of the claims of the great black race to be included in the regular constitution of our Order . An interesting work by Bro . W . H . Upton has , we learn , been deposited in the Grand Lodge Library dealing with the question .

Another publication which has recently seen the light is Bro . E . Garnet Alan ' s book on the Papacy . No member of the Order whose connection with Freemasonry has been interfered with by the claims of the Jesuits should be without this work , a copy of which has , we believe , also been deposited in the Library of Grand Lodge .

< s * ¦«) « s > The autobiography of Bro . Sir Walter Besant , so long the esteemed Treasurer of Lodge Quatuor Coronati , No . 2076 , which has recently been published , will not fail to appeal to the many members of the Craft with whom our late gifted brother came into contact . Reference to his connection with Freemasonry will not be looked for therein in vain .

' fi » * s > * " R . D . R . " writes : — "As an instance of the great possibilities of Masonry , a striking illustration was shown the other day in a great mining centre in Lancashire . The jury in an inquiry relative to the death of ten men in a pit disaster at

Edge Green were principally Alasons . At the conclusion of the sad ordeal they were in friendl y intercourse , when it was suggested by a member of the Craft that they should do something for the bereaved families . Within a few clays they had opened a fund and arranged a concert which realised close upon £ 300 . Such incidents as these do not bear out the reproaches so often cast on the Craft that Alasons are selfish and live for junketing . "

We have been favoured with a copy of a report of the annual communication of the District ( hand Lodge of the Transvaal , which is very interesting reading . It was a very successful function , no brethren being present , among them the Chief Commissioner of Police , two Assistant Commissioners , all three being Past Masters ; Sir Wm . Alarriott ,

P . G . D . ; Dr . Kendall Franks , of the Irish Constitution , and several Past Provincial Grand Officers . Lord Kitchener telegraphed his regret at being unable to be present , and sent his fraternal greetings . <¦!¦ ft ¦«&¦

A correspondent writes : — " Johannesburg is rapidly assuming its old look , and no one would know , but for the armed police and the preponderance of khaki at the clubs , that war was with us . We are all very busy gathering up our tangled threads , for which work the days liaidl y seem to be long enough . " It is needless to say that this was