Masonic Demonstration In Glasgow And The Glasgow St. John's Lodge.

the columns ofthe Herald ; and as the space of that neAVspaper is so much taken up otherwise , I have no reasou to complain . Yet although its interest forthe general public may have been very well exhausted , there are several points which , as Masons , toe would desire a little more light upon , e . g ., keeping in view

certain statements at page 85 , first column , of this Magazine , also at page 122 ante , and further at page 404 ; November 20 th , 1869 , we would desire to see "Delta " proving—if he cau—that , as as we see stated at page 505 , the original members who formed " the St . Andrew ' s Lobge at Glasgow , afterwards called the

Glasgow Journeymen Free Operatives , broke off from St . John ' s . " Although asked , "Delta , " as yet , has not given this proof . '' Delta" refers to "the Edinburgh . Journeymen ' s recent violation of the laAV of ' Precedency . '" I fail to see what " precedency" has to do in this dispute . It is not because of its " precedency" in tho Edinhurgh province that the Journevmen has the privilege

of carrying the tools , hut because it was the Journeymen Lodge , and still hears the title . As to the Journeymen Lodge considering they had a right to carry the tools in Glasgow , although notiu Edinburgh and its neighbourhood , they can point to their doing so quite recently in the neighbourhood of Glasgowviz ., at Mossbankalso at Paisley *; and

, , although the St . John ' s brethren were at both places , they made no objections ; hence the Journeymen could say they had these precedents to point to in support of their claim ; and until the Grand Lodge appointed some one else to do so , they were quite as qualified to carry the tools at Glasgow as they were

at Paisley . The fact is , it is not the Journeymen Lodge that is to blame in this matter , but the brethren of the Lodge of Glasgow St . John have themselves to blame for this matter not being settled in a formal manner long ago . Had the Glasgow Journeymen Lodge been still in existence , I have no doubt that the members of it would have stood out for the

privilege of carrying the tools , so that St . John ' s might have had two to fight instead of one ; however , I trust the thing will now be settled for all the provinces of Scotland—no use making fish of the one and flesh of the other . It mi ght be very well settled by making it the laAv that the lodge bearing the title of the " Journeymen Lodge" in each province carries the

tools in its OAVU province , or if there be no " Journeymen Lodge ' ' in some province , then let the youngest lodge have the privilege of a few of their number being set apart for that purpose . I do not consider it fair to give every privilege to the senior lodge ; as senior lodge it has several privileges alread y above the junior , hence it '

may well follow the good example setby the Lodge of Edinburgh , Mary ' s Chapel , No . 1 , and not claim everything for itself . One point more . As to the " testimonial" referred to in such glowing terms by Bros . Thomas McGuffie , " I . A ., " and" Delta" I can find no evidence of such

, a thing existing anywhere except in their own brains . I haA e seen a number of members and officebearers of No . 3 bit , and they know nothing about it . One explanation of the idea was this . The E . W . M . having given his office bearers two suppers , they , after the last , made up their minds to give them one in return ;

and it so happens that the day it was held on was Friday , 17 th June ; and although this was so shortly after the Demonstration on June 3 rd , it had nothing particular to do with it , and there was no testimonial presented upon that occasion . So we see that both Bros . McGuffie and "Delta" are rather mistaken , the thing being quite privateas only a few of the

mem-, bers were either at it or kneAV anything about it . In conclusion , allow me to tell Bro . McGuffie , who , I perceive by page 43 , was Senior Warden of St . John's for the year 1849-50 , that he is as much at sea regarding the true history of the lodge as was the Senior Warden for the years 1866 and 1867 . However ,

as we perceive hy the Magazine , for the last two years the latter eventually got ' ¦ more light . " I would therefore respectfully recommend our " I . A . " ( Blember of the Institute of Architects ) to peruse this Magazine for that period before he again rushes into print ( thereby giving a practical example of a sutor

ultra erepidam ) anent a Masonic Incorporation existing in Glasgow in the elevsnth century , the members of Avhich also worked at a cathedral about a century before the said cathedral was even founded . * Yours fraternally , MASONICUS .

"June 17 , 1870 . " Sir , —The announcement by Bro . Thos . M'Guffie that ' so highly do the oSice bearers and members of the St . John ' s Lodge appreciate the spirited conduct of their worthy E . W . M ., Mr . John Baird , that they are to give him a testimonial in'the Eoyal Hotel this week , " is an ample refutation ofthe libel upon the intelligence of the brethren of 3 bis which is conveyed in ' Masonicus ' s' statement that ' a number of those

who left simply followed the eroAvd . ' ' Masonieus ' would do well to make himself acquainted with the early history ofthe older of our Scotch Masonic lodges . He will then find that prior to the institution of the Grand Lodge it was the custom for lodges to admit jiersons as ' Masons , but not members of the lodge . ' Such entrants had 'the word' communicated to them

, but though tlie lodge in Avhich they Avere made was undoubtedly their Masonic alma mater , they were denied the full privileges of membership . It was from a too strict observance of this custom that the Journeymen Masons of Edinburgh were lost to Mary ' s Chapel . The erection of the Glasgow Journeymen

Free Operatives may have proceeded from a similar cause ; for in retaliation , as it were , for the illiberal and monopolising policy of the Freemen Operative St . John ' s Lodge , ' the Journeymen Free Operative , in its articles of constitution , debarred 'theoretical and incorporate Masons from bearing office' — ' the

executive power and representative body of the lodge being reposed entirely in Journeymen Masons . ' The proper designation ofthe Glasgow Journeymen Lodge is as I have given it . If ' Masonieus' be a member of the Grand Lodge , I may at the first Grand QuarterlCommunication have a further opportunitof

y y meeting his arguments in support of the Edinburgh Journeymen ' s recent violation of tbe law of ' precedency '—a point which , in his last letter , he has entirely lost sight of . —Yours , DELTA .. "