Masonic Notes And Queries.

"WHENCE THE TEEM " EEEEMASON " 13 DERIVED . Dear Bro . "E . G . H ., " the ensuing is the passage of Mr . Wyatt Papworth ' s paper showing whence the term " Freemason" is derived . The paper is entitled " On the Superintendents of English Buildings in the Middle Ages . —Collections for an Historical Account

of Masons , their Customs , Institutions , & c . " It was read at the Royal Institute of British Architects , 2 nd Dec , 1861 . " From these details three facts are obtained ; the first , that the earliest use of the English term Freemason was iu 1396 , without any previous Latin word . Tbe second isthat the word freestone ,

, or its equivalent Latin term , had been employed from the beginning of the previous century , i . e .. 1212 ; and the third fact , if the word be permitted me , is that the term Freemason itself is clearl y derived from a Mason who worked freestone , in contradistinction to the Mason who was employed in rough work . This

may appear to many a trivial point , but those who know the many fanciful origins of the term Freemason , so often quoted , will perhaps accept this solution ; one which has been suggested before , without any proof brought forward in support of it . " — —From BEO . PUETON COOPEE ' Letter and Me morandum Books , July , 1 S 65 . [ See the Freemasons ' Maga ~ ine , vol . 7 , page 186 . ]

DEISTIC MASONRY . A Deistic Masonry , the expression " Deistic " being understood in its philophical sense , is unknown . — C . P . COOPEE . NO CAUSE EOB . ANGER . My answer to a correspondent at .... is that

"there is not even the " quantulacunque occasio " of which Juvenal speaks , for there is no cause whatever for anger . A brother has done well in writing , and the editor has done well in publishing . —C . PUBTON COOPEE .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondent CAUTION TO MASONS .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Dear Sir and Brother , —I write this letter as a -caution to brethren in the Craft in various parts , and to prevent their being imposed upon . A Mrs . Butler , who represents herself as the widow of a deceased Masonhas been to various laces to sell

, p tickets for an entertainment she intends to give . She was in this town some weeks since , and must have . received large sums of money , but has not since been heard of , leaving the unpleasant remembrance on the minds of the members of the Craft that , in consequence of their charitable feelings towards one in

distress , they have had their pockets considerably lightened , and nothing like a quid pro quo except a piece of coloured pasteboard admitting to Mrs . Butler ' s entertainment when it may take place ( if ever ) . Mrs . B . is accompanied by her daughter , and produces signatures of many Masons high in the Craft in this and the neighbouring provinces . Tours fraternally , * K . T .

High Degrees And Sham Degrees.

HIGH DEGREES AND SHAM DEGREES .

TO TEE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Dear Sir and Brother , —Nothing shows so much there is a screw loose iu our constitution and administration as these late proceedings of W . Bro . William Harris and others . It is all very well holding aloof from other than Craft degrees , bat they must be provided for . In Ireland and Scotland the

Most Worshipful Grand Master has for many years past been at the head of all degrees and the centre of all jurisdiction , aud , were this the case here , the pranks of Bro . Harris aud his rivals and imitators would soon be put a stop to because they could not go on . It is most undesirable to persecute

quacks and mountebanks , and I disclaim all personal reflections on Bro . Harris , who appears to be a wellmeaning but ignorant simpleton , but quiet contempt largely administered will go a great way in stopping this foolery , which is otherwise calculated to bring Masonry into disrepute among the weaker brethren , who ought to be protected . Tours fraternally , A . & A .

Grand Lodge Library.

GRAND LODGE LIBRARY .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Dear Sir and Brother , —A remark in Notes and Queries forcibly struck me , and that was a reference to the library and librarian of the Grand Orient of France . It has grieved many that our Grand Lodge should be without a library . It was a cherished hope

of our lamented G . Sec . Bro . Gray Clarke , that he should succeed in getting our records and few books into such order as to found a library ; and he was hoping the completion of the building would give him this chance . Bro . Gray Clarke had made it his business to acquire from books and records as much

information as he could with regard to our constitutional history to assist him in the difficult questions arising in his correspondence . We now have an active and energetic Secretary , Bro . Hervey , and I heartily commend to him this necessary work of the library . A literary society

without a library makes but a poor figure . There are difficulties in the way of finding a librarian , but the name of a Bro . occurs to me to whom the beginning of such a work might be usefully confided , if he would take charge of it . I mean our Bro . Jeremiah Howa Masonic authoran active

, , Mason , and a mau of zeal and intelligence . I hope this hint may be of use . Tours fraternally , P . M .

Masonic Appeal.

MASONIC APPEAL .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AUD MASONIC MIRROR . Sir , — - "Will you bear with me while I inform you of au effort set on foot through reading the MASONIC MIEEOK of last month . The thought struck me ( and I put it at once into practice ) on reading the speech of Bro . Bentley Shaw , chairman

at the annual fete of the Boys' School , that the wives of Masons might make themselves very useful just now in helping to reduce the debt of £ 10 , 000 on the Boys' School . I copied such parts of the speech as