Masonic Notes And Queries.

has not revolted against it , and I hope it will never be adopted in England . I confess myself wholly unable to understand what " A New Member " means in writing of the Prince as " shunted out of the way . " The whole Craft welcomed H . R . H . when he joined the Order , and however we may differ as to the particular title which the Prince is to receive , new members ancl old members alike will be glad to know that he is " one of us . "—J . A . II .

H . R . H . THE PBINCE OP WALES— " J . A . II . " AND " NEW MASON . ' ' With all deference to authorities , I cannot for the life of me see how Bro . J . A . II . ( a much respected correspondent of the ' Freemasons' Magazine ancl a sort of international Freemason ) can be considered in

error anent the contemplated distinction of Past Grand Master being conferred on H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . What is there new or strange about the fact ? Have we no precedents for such a course ? Is our learned and revered Grand Master about to commit an innovation ? If notwhsuch a question

, y about his Lordship ' s intended honour to the " Heir of the Crown of England ? " We have only to consult the records of the past to find that H . R . H . the Duke of Gloucester and

H . R . H . the Luke of Cumberland were both complimented by receiving the rank ' of Past Grand Masters and presented with aprons under the Grand Mastership of Lord Blaney , and , what is more to the point , H . R . H . the Duke of York had the same compliment paid him , although he was initiated abroad . Later , in the 18 th when the Duke of Cumber

century , H . R . H . - land was Grand Master , A . D . 1790 , Edward , Duke of Kent , initiated at Geneva , and H . R . H . Duke ot Sussex , initiated at Berlin , were permitted to rank as Past Grand Masters . —W . , T . HUGHAN .

MASONEX BATHEE OLDEE THAN 150 YEAES . In last number the Act of Parliament , 3 , Henry 6 , cap . 1 , Anno Don . 1425 , was quoted , which Act makes it felony to assemble chapters and congregations of Masons . The Act de facto has never been repealedbut in the 2 nd part of Coke ' s Institutes

, , page 99 , it explains in what manner the Act becomes of non-effect . " It is ordained and established that no congregations and confederacies shall be made by Masons in their general chapters and assemblies , whereby the good course and effects of the Statutes of Labourers

are violated and broken , in subversion of law : and if any be , they that cause such chapters and congregations to be assembled and holden shall be adjudged felons .

" The cause wherefore this offence was made felony , is , for that the good course and effect of the Statutes of Labourers were thereby violated and broken . Now all the statutes concerning labourers before this Aet , and whereunto this Act doth refer , are repealed by the Statute of 5 Eliz . cap . 4 , whereby the cause and end of the making of this Act is taken and

away , consequentl y this Act is become of no force or effect : for ^ cessatile 'rational legis , eestas ipsa lex . And the indictment upon this Statute must contain that those chapters and congregations were to the violating and breaking of the good course and effect of those Statutes iof Labourers , which now cannot be alledged ,

because those statutes be repealed . Therefore , this would be put out of the charge of Justices of the Peace . " There is no mention in 3 rd Henry 6 , cap . 1 , of benefit of clergy , and the writer of the Constitutions of Freemasons says that the Act ' ¦' affected only the worlcing masons " —that isthe operativesnot the

, , speculative or higher orders . Whether operative or working masons were entitled to the benefit of clergy is deserving consideration . The learned or theoretical Masons were , of course , all clerical . The writer of the Constitutions says that the Chief Justice Coke was a Freemasonhe died in 163-1 but his 2 nd part

, , of Institutes bears date 1642 , the very year the prayerbook was printed in which K Char the martyr is mentioned , and which 1642 Bro . Melville asserts to be a Masonic point . —SAXELP . T .

JOINING BRETHREN AND INITIATIONS . Tour esteemed correspondent , Bro . H . H ., may rest assured that Bro . ijt B > g < is quite correct in stating "that no person can be initiated , neither can any joining member be admitted on the same day that a new lodge is ; opened and consecrated . " Although it

is not so stated in the "Book of Constitutions , " that is the custom or rule now under the Grand Lodge of England ; but some little time since Bro . H . H . was quite in order by acting otherwise . The fact is , however , that this new arrangement has been made in consequence of the irregularities of unconsecrated

lodges , and the delay often found to occur bstween the time the dispensation for temporary work was granted and the day of the consecration . , In our own experience , we have known more than a year to have passed before the consecration of a lodge , and actually a new Master to have been elected and installed , in

consequence of which when the warrant was read on the formal day of constituting the lodge , and the names of the officers were read over , the W . M . nominate was a P . M ., and the J . W . was actually the W . M . From what I have heard , my experience has been that of many , and therefore the present rule is a most judicious one , and will be found to be in the main very beneficial , in the provinces especially . — W . J . HUGHAN ( PBOV . G . SEC , CORNWALL ) .

MASONIC DISCIPLINE . Crux does good in ventilating some questions and inducing brethren to think about them ; but , as he disregards the history and practices of the Craft at home and abroad , and evolves his conclusions from his own imagination or observationthere are too

, many of his conclusions which cannot be accepted . The answer as to assistant officers , which he impugnes is ancient and correct , according to the basis on which it is framed , aud it is the attempt to set things right which deprives us of many aucient relics without giving us anything really better .

Having got a Pythagorean trinity in the three superiors , another trinity was sought for in the three inferiors , and the more readily fouvJ , f , s the fourth of the inferiors was in the outer regions , without the door of the lodge room , but within the precincts of the outer enclosure . His position and functions are very - well maintained in foreign lodges . The strained attempt to get a number 3 is abundantly illustrated in the lectures . It may be that ,