At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar.

The record of the Educational Fund of the Provincial Grand Lodge of North and East Yorkshire , whose seventh Festival was held in York recently , is a record of which any charitable institution may be proud . This fund was established in 18 77 for the benefit of deceased or necessitous

Freemasons in the Province of North and East Yorkshire . Since that time , according to the report of Bro . M . C . Peck , Provincial Grand Secretary , the sum of ^ 2 , 749 has been paid in grants . Grants had been made to seventy children , fortyfour of whom had ceased by age , eleven had been elected to

the schools in London , and fifteen remained on the books . The grants to the children are £ 10 , £ 12 , and £ 14 , according to age . The cost of the work last year was , £ 260 , and the income from investments . £ 126 . This is a record of something more than mere social gatherings , and a like picture could be drawn of nearly every other province in Great Britain .

000 The report presented by Bro . Fox Thomas was a very gratifying one , and in moving its adoption , the Chairman alluded to the encouraging fact , and congratulated Bro . Fox Thomas on the success which had attended his efforts . The

report was adopted , and Bro . Fox 1 nomas warmly thanked for the valuable service he has rendered to the cause of Charity . Bro . Lord Bolton was re-elected President , Bro . Colonel Pudsey , Vice-President , and Bro . M . C . Peck , Secretary . A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed this part of the day ' s proceedings .

In reporting the above proceedings the Yorkshire Herald remarks that " the vulgar idea is that Freemasons do nothing but meet periodically at their lodges and partake of aldermanic repasts and indulge in copious draughts of wine

and potent spirits . Remarks to this effect are heard on all hands from the individual known as ' the Man in the Street , ' and who expresses his opinions with the air of Sir Oracle . Freemasons , however , can afford to laugh at such assertions , for their inner consciousness tells them that though they do

at times meet around the social board , that is not the be-all and end-all of their existence . They can point to the noble Charities which they have instituted , and to the hundreds of children who , bereft of their fathers and left in penury , must have gone to swell the ranks of the submerged if it had not

been for the helping hands which their fathers' Masonic brethren held out to them . " Bis dat qui cito dat "—He who gives quickly gives twice—is one of the mottoes of Masonry , for whenever a case of distress is brought before the brethren whose particular province it is to distribute alms , it is at once attended to . "

000 Following the example of many other Provincial Grand Lodges , Kent has established a benevolent fund , the main object of which is to provide for grants to candidates waiting election at the Central Masonic Institutions . It is not

, however , to be strictly limited to that object , but to be available in cases of sudden distress in the province . As a nucleus for the fund the sum of ^ 500 was voted at the recent Provincial Grand Lodge held at Bromley .

000 In view of the fact that in almost every instance , success , both Masonically and commercially , attends the erection of Masonic halls in towns even where the members of the Craft are few , it is somewhat surprising that any locality in which

a lodge exists should be without such a building . One of the latest , which was opened so recently as October last at Colchester , has just held the first annua ! meeting of the company , and the report stated that the results of the working for that short period had been highly satisfactory .

The time is not far distant , we hope , when the housing of a Masonic lodge in a building of its own will be considered a necessity . 0 0 © A new Masonic Temple , which is to cost over ^ 7 , , is about to be erected at Hamilton , in the province of Glasgow .

The contracts for the building , which will be of ample dimensions and of imposing design , have been settled , and when complete , will be amongst the handsomest structures in Scotland devoted to the uses of the Craft .

¦ 0 0 0 The controversy with regard to Freemasonry , which is never long absent from the Roman Catholic press , appears to have broken out afresh recently in the Tablet and other papers , the immediate cause for the present outbreak being

apparently the expulsion of the religious orders by the French Government . With this subject for the text , the writers have naturally dwelt on the comparison between English and French and Continental Freemasonry . While one correspondent asserts that " French and English

Freemasonry have practically nothing in common , " another rejoins that " English Freemasonry is inextricably mixed up with foreign Freemasonry , and must bear some share of the responsibility for its actions , even in regard to Satanism " (!) Another goes on hysterically to suggest that the silence of

the English press on the action of the French Government in relation to the expulsion of the congregations is the work of English Freemasonry . After this astounding exhibition of ignorance on the part of our Catholic critics we cannot be expected to attach much importance to the assertion of Mgr .

Croke Robinson in his sermon at Kensington that "they might depend on it Rome knew everything there was to be known on the subject . "

Many of our readers who have been brought into contact with American brethren must have noticed with some surprise the use in public as well as in the lodge of a buttonhole emblem , the wearing of which is apparently sanctioned

by the lodges of which they are members . Such a practice is to our minds most reprehensible , and has naturally lead to the adoption of it by the Masonic impostor , so much so that the State of Kansas has found it necessary to enact a law in that State that any person who shall wilfully wear the badge ,

insignia , uniform , or other emblems of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons , unless entitled to use and wear the same , shall be guilty of a misdemeanour and liable to line or imprisonment . A much better remedy for the abuse would have been the prohibition by the Masonic authorities of the

wearing of such emblems in public , which would have the effect of branding all the " buttonhole" Masons as impostors .

000 Bro . Edward Terry , P . G . T ., received a most hearty welcome on his return from South Africa at the meeting of the Edward Terry Lodge at Barnes on June 18 th . A dispensation had been obtained to postpone the regular

meeting for a week to enable Bro . Terry to be present . The reception was indeed an ovation which must have been highly gratifying to the returned traveller . A function of a somewhat similar character took place at Grahamstown shortly before Bro . Terry sailed for home , when a number of Past Masters

of St . John ' s and Albany Lodges entertained our distinguished brother at lunch . Dr . Saunders , in a warm fraternal speech , expressed a hope that their visitor would carry away with him many reminiscences of the city and of South Africa generally . He referred to the good Masonic work performed

by Bro . Terry , and hoped he would long be spared to be of use to the Craft . Bro . Terry , in' responding , referred to the good work done by Masons in the homeland , and incidentally touched on his experiences when travelling in India and other parts of the Empire . One and all bade the famous

comedian good-bye , evidently well pleased at having had the opportunity of meeting such a distinguished member of the Craft .

0 0 © The Order of the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine appears to be making steady progress in the Colonies , the latest addition to the roll of conclaves being the constitution