The Freemasons Magazine And The Craft.

Order can become Avhat it ought to be—the onnobler ancl instructor of mankind . A mere party organ could , as ive have already stated , produce nothing but mischief to the Craft , ancl ivould be such a blot upon our escutcheon as Avould cause many of our best and Avorthiest members to AvithdraAv from a Society which could not discuss those measures which might be propounded for its benefit in temperate

and becoming language , regardless of the quarter from whence they came . Nothing can be so unmasonic , so opposed to our first principles , or so ftdl of mischief , as a recklessly conducted party journal . Such , whilst under our management , ancl while ive continue to enjoy the confidence of the Craft , the Freemasons' Magazine shall never become ; but Ave shall be jn-epared at all times fearlessl

y and independently to maintain our own opinions , ivhilsfc a portion of our pages will always be open for the communications of those who may disagree with us , upon the single condition that those communications are couched in proper ancl Masonic language .

In accepting , therefore , the aid IIOAV SO handsomel y offered us , and in again appealing to our friends throughout the country to assist us in our labours , by increasing the number of our subscribers—for to them alone can we look for maintained and permanent simport we do so unpledged to any given policy , unfettered in our movements —bound only as men of honour to maintain for the Craft , to the

utmost of our ability , a fair , honest , and independent organ " open to all , and influenced hy none . " The proffered assistance of our Brethren is acceptable to us , because ive feel that ive are engaged in the work of the Craft—that ive are endeavouring to confer a benefit upon the whole Order—and that whilst we are so engaged the losses should notto use the words of

, the distinguished Brother who did us the honour to preside at the meeting of Thursday last , be allowed to fall on the shoulders of one or two individuals ( and those individuals the labourers in the vineyard)—but that thoso who think , with them , that they are tendino- to advance tho best interests of the Craft , may fairly ancl honourably assist them in their endeavours .

AVe are grateful to those Brethren who have thus come forward to assist us ; but believing that erelong the Craft will render any extraneous aid unnecessary—ancl , knowing that onl y one additional subscriber in each Lodge is more than sufficient to render our work remunerative—Ave pledge ourselves never to regard the guarantee fund as one through which AVC are to be personall y benefited but that

; so soon as tho Magazine is in a position to warrant it , ivithout regard to the losses of the past , wc shall appeal to the subscribers for their instructions as to the disposal of the fund now being subscribed and in default of such instructions , we shall consider that its proper destination will be the funds ofthe Masonic charities .

During the eighteen months that the Freemasons' Magazine has been under our sole guidance , it has been our endeavour , Avhilst givin « the fullest attention to the IICAVS of the Craft , to elevate its character as a