Masonic Mems.

act upon the principles of Masonry without wearing its outward symbols . Bro . Fisk , in responding , said he felt like a Mason buried a great many years ago and dug up again . When he was just of age he was initiated in a lodge over which the celebrated Dr . Jenner , of Vaccine notoriety , was Master , and that not very reputable person , Col . Berkely , was S . W . He was raised to the degree of Master Mason , and when to-day he heard the

mysteries of Installed Masters talked about he began to think what would be the next step he might attain to . That had been to him an exceedingly gratifying day . As a free and accepted Master Mason , and as Vicar of that parish , he was proud to have been nominated by the W . M . to be their Chaplain . He felt that it involved responsibilities which would be heard of in another day , but God grant that he might fulfil them . He was not -a man to flinch from or to overlook duty

, and he hoped they would always find him what he professed to be . He felt that Masonry was a great reality , and hoped it would ever be regarded as such , and if his principles as a Christian mau and a Mason were worth one straw , they involved the sacred respect of all those who were members of the Craft , and he who forgot his responsibilities deserved the pity , if not the contempt of every one . All that he had said had been said with that singleness of purpose which should characterise a

Christian man , a minister , and a true Mason . To be a true Mason was to be the highest order of man . He had spoken frankly and freely and was thankful for their response As he was at the beginning they would find him at the ending , and he trusted that if he laid his bones among them , the brethren would be able to say of him " He was an earnest Vicar , a true Mason , and a faithful Brother . " Among the toasts were , " the W . M . and brethren of Lodge

Semper Fidelis , No . 529 ; the Visitors ; the Wardens and Officers of the Royds Lodge , etc . The vocal abilities of the W . M ., Bros . William Archer , J . M . Evans , Cox , and others , accompanied By Bro . Broad , added very much to the enjoyment of the evening ; and the vocal and instrumental arrangements of the consecration ceremony carried out by the P . G . Organist , Bro . Bruton , assisted by Bro . Broad , increased largely the beauty and solemnity of the service

Scotland.

SCOTLAND .

AYRSHIRE . MOIHEE KILWINNING . —The annual commuuication of the members of this most ancient lodge of Freemasons was held in their hall on the 23 rd December , for the election and installation of office-bearers , when the following were unanimously elected—Bro . Wylie having , at a previously-convened meeting , nominated his successor : Bros . Colonel Mure of Caldwell , R . W . M ., and as such Provincial Grand Master of Ayrshire ;

Hugh Conn , to rank as immediate P . M ., in consequence of the Past Master ' s acceptance of another office ; Neil Robson , Bourtree Hill , D . M . ; Patrick Burns , S . M . ; L . Mackersy , W . S ., Edinburgh Proxy Master ; Dr . H . Andrew , S . W . ; John ' Robertson , J . W . j John Whinton , Treasure *; Robert Wylie , Secretary ; the Revs . Dr . Campbell , W . Lee Ker , John Sime , " and Alexander Inglis , Chaplains ; W- Watson , S . D . ; J . Crawford , J . D . ; J . Wylie , S . S . ; R . Kerr , J . S . ; James Salter , I . G . Robert Allison , T . The

following brethren are associated with Bro . Mackersy in the representation of Mother Kilwinning- in the Grand Lodge of Scotland ; D . Murray Lyon , P . S . W ., and the Earl of Rosslyn , P . J . W . —Bro . Wylie having installed the new Master , the Lodge added to its roll of members Bros . Captain Spiers , of Slderslie , P . G . M . of Glasgow ; Captain W . S . Xeili , of Swinridgemuir ; Captain J . Eglinton Montgomerie , of Annick Lodge ; W . R . Patrick , of Trearne ; W . R . Cochrane Patrick , of Woodside

; and W . D . Chambers , R . W . M ., of Ayr St . Paul . In the evening the lodsre was opened in ample form in the Hall of the Eglinton Arms Hotel , for the celebration of the festival of St . Thomas , and was presided over by the P . G . M ., the Rt . Wor . Bro . Colonel Mure . In the course of the evening large and respectable deputations were received from the following lodges in the province , headed by their respective Masters;—St . John Kilwinning , Kilmarnock , No . 22 ; Navigation , Troon , SO ; St . JdarnockKilmarnock

, , 103 ; St . Andrew , Kilmarnock , 126 ; St . Andrew , Irvine , 149 ; St . John , Beith , 167 ; Thistle and Rose , Stevenston , 1 G 9 ; St . Mungo , Mauchlku 179 Blair , Dairy , 290 ;

Scotland.

St . John Royal Arch , Saltcoats and Ardrossan , 320 ; Roya ? Blues , Kilbirnie , 399 ; Xeptune Kilwinning , Ardrossan , 442-Among the brethren present from a distance were—J . Burr , Provost of Ardrossan ; Captain Forrester , of Ardeer ; William M' Jaunet and Alexander Hepburn , Ardrossan ; R . H . Smith , Ayr , & c .

In his address to the brethren , Bro . Colonel Mure began byexpressing his personal gratification on his installation , ashaving assumed the office of R . W . M . of the mother lodge of Scotland , and in that capacity Prov . G . M " . of Ayrshire . It wasat all times a serious matter for any man to be elevated to a seat so honourable and so onerous , but his sense of responsibility was enhanced in having to succeed so able a Prov . G . M . as Bro . Wylie , whose tact and judgment had been conspicuously

displayed during his occupancy of the chair . At the initiation of the brethren who had been admitted to the mysteries of the Craft that afternoon , he had seldom been impressed with greater feelings of solemnity ; and Ills view of the duties now devolving upon him was such as to awaken apprehensions of his inability to discharge them properly ; but , although he was conscious of many shortcomings , he had at least the determination , if possible , to carry them out in such a manner as he hoped wouldmade

in some measure justify the selection they had that day - in conferring upon him such an enviable Masonic distinction . The gallant colonel then proceeded to refer to the antiquity of Kilwwinning , describing how the name " mother" had been given her from the fact of foreign Masons having found an asylum in the old village from the persecution of the Pope in the twelfth century ; and complimenting her upon the prudence of accepting the lace onlsecond to the Grand Lodge of

p y Scotland , because she believed and acted upon the necessity of that harmony which should ever characterise the brotherhood , and without which the Fraternity could never prosper . By taking this step , so far from losing her position and influence , she had raised herself in the estimation of all true Masons . The Order to which they belonged had often been taunted with the . onium of being a secret society . Unhappily , even in these days , they had to mourn the existence of a most unprincipled and

pernicious combination , marked equally by disloyalty to the Crown and by bloodshed in endeavouring to accomplish its nefarious purposes ; but he was glad to say that Freemasons in this country had . never been sullied by even the breath of

suspicion . Passing on to treat of material Masonry , the Prov . G . M . alluded to the circumstance that operative Masons , and no other trade , could be found among themselves a society in ancient , times . The reasons for this were not very far to seek beyondthe importance of their vocation , the sanctity of the great buildings they erected , and the lasting nature of their work . As instances of the latter , he gave a graphic description of the vast platform at Baalbec , in Syria , which he had visited personally ,

and the foundation stones of which he bad measured , each extending from 50 ft . to 69 ft . in length , and 13 cube . Considering that the wedge was the only machinery then known , this effort , without the advantage of steam power , must have . bee , n really stupendous , and could only have been accomplished by sheer manual labour . Referring to Solomon's Temple , the speaker said that , throughout his travels in the four qnarters of the lobehe had never witnessed more touching scenes than

g , , at Jerusalem on Fridays , when a wretched remnant of God's ancient people came to weep over the foundation stones of that great edifice—grand even in its ruins—and imploring therestoration to divine favour of the despised race . In a highlyinteresting sketch of mystic Masonry , the Prov . G . M . drew a fine parallel , in which he showed , in its various stages , the . - construction of a glorious edifice of civilisation , well-being , and eventual salvation—man being the materialand God the

archi-, tect . As the stone must be quarried and dressed , though beautiful when in stratum ; as the cedar must be felled and its branches lopped off before being adapted to practical purposes , though lovely but comparatively useless when growing ; as themetal must be roughly torn from the earth , calcined , smelted , refinea , and polished before being fit for the builder , so man , though in a natural state , both physically and mentally a marvellous and beautiful creation , must be civilised , humbled , and

tried in the fire of sorrow and temptation before being ready for the great Architect above . All men , whether high or low in influence and position , may be through grace the true metal , for , as our great national poet says -. — The rank is but the guinea stamp , The man ' s the gowd for a' that .