Monthly Masonic Summary.

Monthly Masonic Summary .

THE principal event to record has been the departure of our Eoyal Grand Master for India , The sympathies of the entire Brotherhood accompany the august traveller , and we wish him " ex into corde " a prosperous voyage , and a safe return . We doubt not but that his visit to India will

be productive of great good in a variety of ways , and we understand that our Brethren in India are preparing for a loyal reception of their Grand Master by a special fete and assemblage of all Indian Freemasons . Our hearty good wishes attend them .

Beyond this , there does not seem much to note Masoniealt y , except that the Eoman Catholic " mot d ' ordre" is just now , " persecution , persecution , persecution , " of our innocent and benevolent Fraternity . The advocate Figari , a good man , and much

respected , dies a Roman Catholic and a Freemason . The Eoman Catholic authorities refuse him interment , whereupon the Patriarch Sephronios of the Greek Church at Cairo , buries him with a proper religious ceremony . All honour to the true liberality

and kindly toleration of the good Greek Patriarch . May his name bo honoured among Freemasons everywhere . The " Monde Maconnique" tells us that fourteen Freemasons at Porto Eico have been sent to prison for several years , in

varying sentences , simply because they were Freemasons . Can nothing be done to check and put au end to this " savagery " of intolerance , which is now actuall y invoking , when it can , the secular arm to harass , to punish and to burn . Indeed , it

things go on as they are going , we may expect to hear of a Masonic " auto da fe " before long again . The only other blesslng to humanity , civilization , and true religion which the hot-headed fanatics of the Ultramontan e School could offer just

now , would be to revive the legal proceedings and tender mercies of the Inquisition , for "ch many an ardent Eomanist seems 11 , ° W t ( ? be fondl y sighing , repeating as olcl Ovid once sang , " Adveniant utinam

sic mihi see pe dies , " both of religious liberty , and ecclesiastical charity . Freemasomy , despite everything , is progressing at home and abroad , and our readers will see in the " Freemason" constant accounts of the Consecration of new Lodges ; the

planting of new saplings of our great Order . The only fear is , lest , as Freemasons , we should depart in any measure from our own true laws of care and caution , and hastily admit any who , for obvious reasons , will neither do credit to our

Lodges , nor advance the cause of Freemasons , but rather retard its progress , and tarnish its hi gh character . We are glad to be able to announce'that , as will be seen by a notice of ours elsewhere , the " Masonic Magazine" will be increased

to 48 pages for the December issue , to be considered as a Christmas number . We are also pleased to notice the increased interest which is now evidenced in England , and in the United States in the "Freemason" and "Masonic Magazine ;"

and we thank our good brethren in America for their fraternal sympathy and support . We are inclined to believe that the tide is turning , and that after much of apathy and neglect , the persevering efforts of our publisher , so far carried on , in hopes of better times , will be rewarded by a large accession ot patronage and readers . 1875 has witnessed a considerable increase in the

list of our correspondents and subscribers ; and we trust that increased literary matter will lead to an increase also of intelligent approval and support . We are glad to be permitted to call attention to the able papers from Bros . J . 0 .

Parkinson , D . Lamb , W . Tebbs , G . M . Tweddell , and others ivhich adorn our pages this month , and we trust we are not saying too much , or expecting too much , when we ask many of our most educated and cultivated Brethren to assist us by their

literary contributions . There are many good Brethren of ours who can , if only they will , advance alike the cause of Masonic culture , and raise the intellectual character of our Freemasonry in England to-day . N