Modern Writers Upon Freemasonry.—Iii.

MODERN WRITERS UPON FREEMASONRY . —III .

DH . OLIVER ' S MASONIC JUEISPRUDEKCE ( COKTINUED ) . AT page 184 , Dr . Oliver revives the question of the occupancy of the chair in case of the absence , death , & c , of the AVorshipful Master . We can only refer our readers to our last paper , and to page 72 , section 6 , of the Book of Constitutions ( Ed . 1855 ) . The regulation with regard to non-subscribing members in the Grand Lodge of

Arkansas , United States ( p . 195 ) , is worthy of attention , as also the remedy proposed ( p . 196 ) for the continual want of punctuality of a Worshipful Master , au evil wc will hope , for the credit of the Craft , of but rare occurrence ; viz ., to allow a Worshipful Master , who is habitually unpunctual , a quarter of an hour , and then , that the Past Master , who , according to the Book of Constitutions , should take his

place , or the Senior Warden , -fee ., should open the Lodge without him . We shall now , for brevity ' s sake , make a few extracts here and there , and comment on them , without further preamble . Page 196 , section 6 . t ! The Signature Books . " " For this book is intended to be not only a correct register of the attendance of the brethren , but also of the names of distinguished visitors who may have honoured the Lodge by their presence . " Why distinguished 1-Is every visitor distinguished ? We think not ; a newly entered apprentice can scarcely be called so , and yet his signature , as well as

that of others , should be placed m the book , which is of course intended as a register of all brethren who arc present in the Lodge , whether distinguished by Masonic or social rank , or otherwise . Page 199 . — " The Lodge being properly tyled , and the avenues strictly guarded by an officer -who never sleeps on his post . " We should think not ; he would not be likely to be an officer long if he

did ; and as for a Master ever committing such a solecism as to open iu the third or second degree without the first , or first and second , as the case may be—who ever heard of a Worshipful Master so ignorant as to do so , to say nothing of his not being reminded by some one in the Lodge of his mistake ? Page 201 . — " Judges xxii" is clearly a misprint for "Jud xii . "

ges But at the foot of the same page is a statement which we can only consider with the most unqualified disapprobation , viz .: — " And it may be added , that proper Masonic lessons for any particular service in the Church may be selected from Psalms xv . and cv ., " ( and other passages which are named ) , " and many other places in that storehouse of truth , which every clerical brother will be able to

select without any further prompting . " "May be selected "—by what authority , we should be glad to be informed ? It is indeed news to ns that a clergyman , because he is a Freemason , may take upon him-