Literature.

if they would build churches worthy of the nineteenth century , must provide suitable accommodation for a large organ . " Mr . Baron must have strangely misunderstood Mr . Hopkins , if he thinks that a church musician of his eminence could for an instant intend to advocate the building of none but large organs ; Mr . Hopkins lays doiA'n general princi ples , as applying to organs generally , to large and small alike , for a small organ may , for

itssize , be made as perfect an instrument as the giants of York , Leeds , and Birmingham . Before we close tins subject , let us once more give some little consideration to the architectural question , and especially to the case ofthe organ . As we have before stated , it is quite possible so to arrange an organ as to make it an architectural ornament . Among the organs , the cases of which w'e may thus commend , the

following occur to us—those of St . "Paul ' s , York , 'Winchester , Gloucester , Peterborough , and Ely Cathedrals ; the Chapels of King ' s College , Cambridge , of Neiv College and Magdalen College , Oxford ; and again , of AVestminster Abbey and the Temple Church in London . AVestminster has , as ' have before said , a divided organ in tivo gothic cases . The organ of St . Paul ' s is what may be called of the square tower form , and

is a beautiful , and indeed noble specimen of' this kind ; and it is with very deep regret that we have heard since we began to write this paper , that a scheme has been set on foot for supplying St . Paul ' s Cathedral ivith a neiv organ , in a divided case . Enough violence has been done to the great architect of St . Paul ' s ( Sir Christopher AVren ) by removing the inscription under the west front p f the organ , to make room for another key board , an inscription which , from the associations connected with it , has become actually a portion ofthe history ofthe Cathedral itself . * Among other organ cases remarkable for their beauty , we must

especiall y mention that at Neiv College , Oxford , built in tivo square towers , with an opening betAi'cen them in the form of a Gothicarch . This arch discloses the central portion of the great west window to a spectator standing in the centre of the cast end ofthe chapel . AVe do not , hoivever , commend it so much on this account as for its intrinsic beauty and elegance , which i \ e should admire just as much for themselves , if the instrument stood before

a brick wall instead of a window b y Sir Joshua Reynolds . The organ at Magdalen , again , is in the square tower form , and also in a form somewhat more approaching to the triptych one which we hope to see again encouraged . A brief allusion to one more kind of organ will for the present conclude our remarks on this interesting subject . AA'e mean a kind , several of which have been lately built by Gray and

Davison , Bcviiigton , and other eminent builders , with scarcely any case , the pipes being arranged externally so as to supply the place of a case , such as the one at the American end ofthe Great Exhibition of 1851 ( noAA ' , we believe , in the church of St . Ann , Limehouse , by Davison ) , and another in the large Roman Catholic church in St . George ' s Fields , Lambeth ( Hill ) - . but little of which is seen , and yet none badl y placed , the pedal pipes lying on the ground of the

organ loft , as at AVestminster Abbey , aiid some of the metal pipes forim ' ng a semicircle dow-nwards in front ofthe west window , the large pipes standing outside , the smaller ones in gradation betiveen them . Thus no musical effect of the organ is marred , no architectural feature ofthe church is hidden , and the appearance of the ivhole arrangement is pleasing to the eye . There arc Icw organs indeed whose arrangement does not admit of some

improvement ; let us hope that the books which have appeared on the subject of organs generally , good , bad , and indifferent , may tend to the promotion and encouragement of the noble art of " organ building . jj

7 ' eeemasmrry Past and Present , in iis relations to Society . A Sermon preached at Allinglon Church , . Dorsetshire , ou Thursdat / . Aui / usl llth , 1859 . By the Rev . ' IIKXBY RAWLINSOX , M . A . ' . of St . John ' s College , Oxford . MASOXIC sermons preached in the temple of God , in the face of a congregation but few of whom belong to the Craft , must of necessity but briefl y allude to our ceremonies and mysteries , but fitted to

are peculiarly display in all their purity the grand principles upon which our Order is founded ; and if unfortunately the shortcomings of some of our brethren have occasionall y given those of the outer world opportunity to cavil and taunt us with professions which we do not carry out in our lives , the reverend brother truly states " there is no association , civil or religious , aye , or even our OAVU church also , which would not suffer from so severe a judgment . " After alluding to the earliest works of architecture with which AVC connect our Order , and those works * See our last week ' s impression , p . 10 S .

in monasteries and cathedrals still extant , as a proof of the skill of the operatii'e Masons of the middle ages , our reverend brother says : — " For many years ( siuce , I believe , the seventeenth century ) , we have ceased to be operative , and have now become speculative Masons ; and giving to Freemasonry a wider range , we keep another and a nobler object in view—the cultivation of the mindand tho most enlarged charity aud

, goodwill to all . And while professing to be tbe servants of the Great Architect of the universe , we lay tho foundation of our society on the basis of religion . Having no further use for our working tools , we carry the emblems of them into real life , and from the square learn morality , from the level equality , and from the plumblino justice and uprightness of life . Thus squaring our actions by Masonic rule , and endeavouring to harmonize our conduct by the precepts of thafc Divine Being all

from Avhoni all goodness emanates—and remembering that we are sprung from the same stock , are participators in the same frail and fallen nature , and sharers of the same blessed hopes , aud that no eminence of station , should cause us to forget that we are all brethren—we keep in sight tho criterion of moral rectitude ( ivhich , like Jacob ' s ladder , forms a line of union betAveen Heaven and earth ) , and look forward hopefully to that time when AA-C shall be summoned from this sublunary sphere to arise from the tomb of transgression to Heaven itself , where the Great Architect of the luuVerso lives and reigns supreme , and where , through the all-sufficient merits of a crucified Saviour , we shall ' shine as the stars for ever and ever . ' And thus it is that this speculative Masonry that Ave

profess , not only harmonizes so completely with the description given by Solomon of wisdom and her house with- her seven heivn pillars , but exhibits also a general coincidence of principle and design ivith the Christian scheme . "Such , brethren , is the faith—such tho hopes of a Freemason . AVhile , then , you have seen our predecessors in the Craft fulfilling their mission by erecting , as operative Masons , those noble structures of mediaeval times , whose very [ ruins and moss-grey stones bespeak their pristine nobleminded

grandeur and bear witness to the skill and zeal of their - builders , we , w-ho have succeeded them , having no longer any call for illustrating the genius of their art . and fully recognizing the truth of the words of the text , that ' the Most High divelleth not in temples made with hands , ' endeavour to be built up a habitation of God through the spirit . And oh , ' what an incentive to holiness , to purity of ^ life aud conduct lies in the fact that the body of a saint is the temple of the living God—a truer , nobler temple than that which Solomon dedicated

by his prayers—and a greater even than Solomon consecrated by his presence ! This poor , pale , sickly , shattered form is the casket of a precious jewel . This moan and crumbling tabernacle lodges a guest nobler than palaces may boast of . Angels hover round its walls , and the Spirit of God dwells within . ' " Throughout the sermon there is a vein of true relig ion and charity which shows our reverend brother to be a true minister ofthe gospel—but who has deeply studied , and understands the foundation upon which our Order is based—and the important truths AA'hich its ceremonies are designed to inculcate .

NOTES ON LITERATURE , SCIENCE , AND AUT . AVITH reference to the rumoured engagement , ivith Mr . Dickens to lecture in America , wo find it stated , on tho authority of the New- A ' ork ficening -Post , that ho is under engagement to give sixty readings at sundry places in the United States , in the course of the autumn ; and that the honorarium is to be $ 25 , 000 , paid at starting , besides onefourth of the not profits of the entertainments . The Leader says :--AVe incline to the opinion that tho projected engagement will not he carried out .

A Paris correspondent , dating Jlonday last , states that the annual exhibitions at the Beaux Arts commence on A \ ednesday next , when the models sent iu for the prize in sculpture will be open to the public , and continue on viciv for three days . Tho exhibition of paintings , engravings , and gem-cutting will take place on succeeding 'Wednesdays , Thurs , days , and Fridays , and the prizes will be exhibited , together ivith the w'orks sent homo from the French school in Rome , from the 25 th of

• September to the 2 nd of October . Prince Liieicn Bonaparte has printed a catalogue of the works edited by him in the various dialects of Europe—also a list of works IIOAV in the press . The more recent works are the Cauticles in Basque , the Gospel of St . Mattlieiv in the vulgar dialects of A enetia , Milan , Naples , and Bergamo . Among other labours , the Prince has printed tho Song of Solomon in four English dialects—Low-land Scotch , aud the

dialects of Cumberland , Newcastle , and AVestmoreland , preserving , for the use of linguists aud historians , tho exact state of language in those districts , as spoken by the native population iu the reign of A'ictoria . AVe hear of au Eloctvo Printing Block Company , formed to bring into practical operation certain patents known as Collins ' s Patents , " for the cheap reproduction , on an enlarged or reduced scale , of original drawings and existing engravings , maps , and prints , aud for making therefrom