United Grand Lodge.

United Grand Lodge .

THE quarterly communication of Grand Lodge was held at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , December 6 th . The Deputy Grand Alaster , the Eight Hon . T . P . Halsey , AI P presided , and the Bight Hon . Lord Barnard , Provincial Grand Alaster for Durham , acted as Deputy Grand Alaster . The minutes of the preceding communication having been

t-iken as read , the Deputy Grand Alaster then announced that the W . AI . Grand Alaster had been pleased to confer on the Tananese Ambassador , Viscount Hayashi , Past Alaster of the Emp ire Lodge , No . 2108 , the rank of Past Grand Warden ( senior ) and on the Eight Hon . the Lord Alayor of London ,

, Mclennan Walter Vaughan AIorga . n , the rank of Past Grand Warden ( junior ) . Viscount Hayashi was unable to he present , but the Lord Alayor was in attendance , and was duly invested . The Grand Secretary read a message from the Grand Alaster , of which notice had been given , relating to the

proposed alteration of the rules relating to the appointment of "rand officers , whereupon the Deputy Grand Alaster moved in the name of his Royal Highness the various amendments and alterations in the rules necessitated by the addition of 22 appointments annually and the creation of new offices , which motion was seconded by the Grand Registrar and carried unanimously .

The nomination of his Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught for re-election as Grand Alaster was made b y Bro . AlcCall , K . C ., P . AI . of Lodges 108 and 1610 , who said that in the presence of so many distinguished Alasons it would ill become him to enlarge upon the services which His Royal Highness had rendered , not only in Masonry , but in every department

of the British Empire . But lie might he permitted to say that he had heard it remarked ( hat all those who had seen the Grand Alaster presiding in a lodge had realised that the great ritual of the Order had an additional dignity when recited by the Grand Alaster . During ( he reign of the present dynasty the Alasonic Order had to thank the successive Princes who

had given it their services and support , and possibl y in this respect the highest compliment that might he paid was that the Grand Alaster had well followed in the footsteps of his Alajesty the King . Alost of the brethren strove as Alasons after those Alasonic virtues—charity , fialernity , and loyalty , and these had been shown by his Royal Highness by his attention , next to the army , that he had given to the Craft .

The Deputy Grand Alaster announced that the W . AI . Grand Alaster had been pleased to re-appoint Bro . James Henry Alattbews as President of the Board of Benevolence , who was thereupon duly invested . Bros . D . D . Alercer , P . G . St . B ., and Henry Garrod , P . G . Purst ., respectively were re-elected as senior and junior Vice-Presidents . The following brethren were declared elected the twelve Past Alasters ( o servo on the

hoard . On the motion of Bro . J . II . Alattbews , President , seconded by Bro . D . D . Alercer , Senior V . P ., the report of the Board of Benevolence for the months of September , October , and November was taken as read , and the recommendations contained therein of grants were confirmed .

The remorfc of the Board of General Ptnposes was taken as read and ordered to be received and entered on the minutes ^ and the recommendation as to the removal from the list of lod ges of Amoy Lodge , No . 1781 Amoy , South China , the Ruapehu Lodge No . 2137 , Alarton , New Zealand , and the Trident Lodge , No . 2465 , Bermuda , were agreed to .

The Board also recommended , in recognition of ( lie eminent services rendered to the Grand Lodge of England by the AI . W . Pro Grand Alaster , Earl Amherst , who for forty-five years filled the office of Provincial Grand Alaster for Kent , and had during the past nine years filled successively the offices of Deput y Grand Alaster and Pro Grand Alasterthat his lordshi

, p he respectfull y invited to permit his full-length portrait to he painted and hung on the walls of the Temple , and that the cost thereof be defrayed by Grand Lodge . Bro . Sir Arthur Gollins moved , and Bro . Cleghorn seconded , the proposition .

The Deputy Grand A Taster said in putting this resolution he should like to add bis tribute of satisfaction that this proposal had been made . Ho was sure it was one which would meet with the unanimous wish of the brethren when they remembered how ably and in so satisfactory a manner Earl Amherst had presided over their deliberations . It was

hardly necessary he said to put the motion and he declared it carried nciiiinc conlritdiccnle . Bro . Alfred F . Robhins , P . AL , li ) 2 S , called attention to the resolution defining the method of taking divisions in Grand Lodge , unanimously adopted at the Quarterly Communication

holden on June 7 ( h , 1882 , and moved : — That the method of taking divisions in Grand Lodge , laid down in tlio resolution of . lime Till , I 8 S 2 , providing that luilk the supporters and llii' opponents of tile question ; il issue are represented in till ! counting , lie followed in all eases whenever a division is allowed by the ( irand Master .

He proposed to move the method of counting in the following words : — Thai ( he counting of voles ou a division in Grand Lodge he eondueled , in future , on 11 n ; following system : 1 st . That , there shall lie eight , tellers from the body of the hall , namely , the four ( irand Deacons ^ acting J ' or ( irand Lodge , and the proposer and seconder of the

mot ion . with two brethren nominated by them , for the resolution I ' nd . That there shall be two tellers for the ( irand Ollieors on the dais , namely , ill ' . ' Assistant Director of Ceremonies for ( irand Lodge and a brother nominated liylhe proposer lor the resolution , iird . That oil a division being railed liir , : i \< : ur of tellers s ) i ; i . U he placed opposite each of the four divisions of Grand Lodge and the dais , who shall recpiest the brethren of their division to hold up their hands- -first for

"Ayes , " and then for " Xo : s "• the tellers audibly counting the numbers each time , which shall be at once noted on paper , initialled by both tellers , and handed up l <> the ( irand Secretary , who shall announce tin result , after receiving and adding up all the scores . The motion was seconded by Bro . Alanuel , and , after some discussion and amendments suggested by the Grand Registrar ,

carried unanimously . Bro . P . Robhins then moved " That Rule 53 , Book of Constitutions , he amended to read as follows , " the additions here being given in italics : — Tlie ( ienernl Committee shall direct that any notice of Motion which , in its judgment , awl after henriiiij iijion the paint nf order , if he xo

dexire . lhe Meiitlier trim ijitre xitelt Holier , is scandalous , irregular , or not within the cognisance of ( Irand Lodge , shall lie omitted from the list of business to be brought before the ( irand Lodge , and in such case the Chairman is specially to report the same with a copy of ihe

notice to the ( irand Master . The Member who gave notice of motion llttix dealt trllli shall also be informed thereof before the meeting of the Crand Lodg . ' , if lie ivere not jiirxenl at thai of lite Ceiteral < ' oniiitillee . There might he brethren present who were not aware of the great power vested in the General Committee of Grand Lodge .

It met on the second Wednesday before each Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge . Any brother could take part in its proceedings who were qualified to attend , and they might have no desire to take part in , and had no particular concern in the work before the Committee . Among the portions of business of the Committee notices of motion for Grand Lodge

were given in by individual brethren , and read by the Grand Secretary , and then the Grand Registrar might give his opinion that a motion was out of order as being scandalous , etc ., and , therefore , ought not to go on the agenda paper . The brother who gave the notice , if he ventured to contend that it was not scandalous , was temporarily silenced by being told it was out

of order . Now that course was directly against the spirit and the letter of the Constitutions , which laid down that the General Committee should act of itself . They could not decide without looking into it . If Grand Lodge was capable of deciding it , surely the General Committee before which the notice came were equally entitled whether it he right or

wrong . How could they know whether it was regular or irregular without hearing the brother ? Why not submit it to Grand Lodge ? It would have only a fortni g ht to wait . If it went to the next Grand Lodge it would have to wait nearly four months , when all the mischief would have been done . It was a matter of great moment . He knew the reply hud hem