"My Stars And Garters." — Past Masters And The Past Masters Degree.

"MY STARS AND GARTERS . " — PAST MASTERS AND THE PAST MASTERS DEGREE .

LONDON , SATURDAY , OCTOBER IS , 1 S 63 .

Under the somewhat ridiculous title ¦ which heads this article , a correspondence has heen going on in 0 ur M AGAZINE , which ive had hoped our comments o f last week would finally have put and end to—hut r . r 3 were mistaken , ancl we have received a letter froiu"Bro . J . P . S . Carrington Nicholson , Prov . J . G-. D . of

Herts , First Grand Herald to the Grand Conclave of Masonic Knights Templar , " to ivhich ive give a more prominent position than usual , as he informs ns that ive have made " very improper comments " upon the letters of his friends , and because ive intend to shoiv

Bro . Nicholson that he is not what he professes to he a " legally installed Master of a Scotch Lodge , " ancl that he is not entitled to " wear the levels of that

decree "¦—whilst some of his other honours , of which he accuses us of "being jealous , are of doubtful legality , if not altogether void . The following is Bro . Nicholson ' s letter , which we shall take as our test for what follows : — In impression of the -ith inst . there appeared

your , a letter Avith the above title , signed N . W ., which I believe can only have reference to me . I did not intend to notice it at all , as the writer appeared to be ashamed of signing his name , and I considered the communication beneath my notice ; but as some of my friends have taken up the matter , aijd you have thought fit to indulge in improper comments upon their lettersI think

very , , iu justice to them , and to myself , that I ought to take some notice of the correspondence that has passed on the subject : ancl first I will reply to "N . W . ' s " epistle . Assuming that I am the individual alluded to , in no single statement , with the exception of the enumeration of the degrees I hold , has " N . W . " confined himself to the truth . "N . W . " did not see me initiated seven

months ago ; I did not mount twelve Masonic curiosities ; and I did not return thanks for the Deputy Grand Master and the Grand Officers , for , not being a Grand Officer , I had not the right . I wear the jewels of the

various degrees I hold , m miniature , attached to one long bar , but I am always very particular on entering a Craft lodge , to appear with none but Graft jewels ( although I have seen the Master and members of several lod ges that I have visited wearing jeivels not acknowledged by Grand Lodge , ) ancl on the evening in question , too only of these were visible , viz : The Eoyal Arch , and

the Jewel of Provincial Grand Deacon , the others , ¦ in number , being concealed by a cloth covering , but , in the course of the evening , at banquet , some of the brethren , amongst whom , I suppose , was your anonymous correspondent , asked me to shoAV them these jeAvels , and they took the trouble to examine them , but I cannot 'Mount for " N . W . 's " statement that there were tAvelve unless

, indeed , being after dinner he saw double . The toast I replied to , I understood to be , "The JJepufc y Grand Master , the Grand Officer , and Provincial wand Officers , " with which , my name was coupled , and * was called upon by the Master of tbe Lodge to reply , -toe words I used having reference to Grand Officers were .- — "As it appears- that I am the only Provincial wand Officer

present , in their name , I thank yon for the ery kind manner in which you have received and responded to that part of the toast . ' My rank as a Past

Master of a Scotch lodgo entitles me to wear the levels of that degree . Respecting himself , "N . W . " says , that for seven years ho has been a hard-working Mason , aud is a Past Master . "N . W . " may have worked hard , hut it is to be regretted that " N . W . " has not yet understood the work at which he has been labouring : he does not even

appear to remember that part of the charge given to him at his initiation , and which , doubtless , in his quality of Master , he has delivered to other initiates , wherein a Mason is told that he should do his duty to his neighbour " by acting ivith him on tho square , ar . d by doing unto him as in similar cases he could wish that he

should do unto him . " Neither does "N . W . " appear to remember that part of the lectures , ivheroin we are told : " Happy is the man who has sown in his breast the seeds of benevolence , he envieth not his neighbour , he believeth not a tale AA'hen told by __ slanderer , malice or revenge having no place in his breast . Again , Ave aro taught " not to bend towards avarice , injustice , malice , or the

envy , or contempt of our fellow-creatures , but to give up eA'ery selfish propensity Avhich might tend to injure others . " Had " N . W . " thought of these points , and also called to mind the sacred obligation of a Master Mason , I cannot think that he would have composed the curious document Avhich you have allowed to appear : but had his object really been to know who and what I Avashe

, would have asked me the question to my face . Nor do I think that you , Sir , have acted as a Mason in permitting your journal , which should be the channel of peace and goodwill amongst Masons , to be the medium of so contemptible an attack ; to say the least , you should have rejected the communication till tho writer had appended his proper signature .

Before quitting this part of the subject , I beg to suggest as a heading to your " Correspondence , " and as a hint to your correspondents and yourself , the following : " An anonymous letter is a species of moral murder , which , using the pen as a poignai-d , and the inkstand as a bowl , stabs character and poisons reputation , AAnthout fear of detection . "

I am extremely sorry any of my friends should have taken the trouble to reply to this envious attack . I can assure yon that I do not in the least understand the allu- . sion of Bro . Jones , as to pulling noses , & c . I have never yet had occasion to pull that organ , and I trust I never shall , "for those who play with mud , often dirty their fingers . " Bnt I will not allow you Sir , or any one else ,

to give me a lesson in courtesy , nor do I consider you at all competent to be the judge of what should be the conduct of a gentleman , a knowledge of which , has not , I regret to say , been shown in more than one effusion which has lately appeared in your paper . As you head your Correspondence with a statement that you " are not responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents "

, I cannot see the necessity , or the good taste of your comments , you should at any rate wait till you have heard both sides of a question . As to your comment on Bro . Thearle's letter , I have been a legally installed Master of a Scotch Lodge , and am therefore entitled to wear the levels of a Past Master .

The letter of " E . B . X . " is too absurd to need any comment , the more perusal of such nonsense is sufficient , lam not surprised that "E . B . X . " has not signed his name to his document , for I am sure , on reflection , any man would be ashamed to own himself the author of such nonsense . A gentleman would never have so far forgotten himself , therefore I will at once dismiss that part

of the correspondence . My ancestors , for more than two hundred years , have been Masons , and from that and other circumstances I had preconceiA'ed a good opinion of the institution : and as soon , therefore , as I had attained my majority , I entered the Order . The honours that I uow hold , and of which " N . W . " and others , including yotu-self , appear to be so jealous , neither directly nor indirectly did I seek .