Masonic Notes And Queries.

apart from the philosophic desire to profit by a perfect number , as in 5 and 7 ; there was also consciously or unconsciously , an endeavour to work out a system of mnemoteehny or artificial memory . Those who commit these matters to heart know how the memory is assisted by the scheme of having to supply the requisite number of conditions or reasons or answers .

As to violating the order of proceeding in naming the O . G . before his superiors , this is surely a rhetorical or logical straining , for the mentiou of his office in no wise affects his precedency or that of the others . It may just as well be objected to that the O . G . is asked about before the W . M ., and that the scale in this instance is from the junior upwards , or , more strictly , from the outside to the inside . —H . C .

" H . C . " " A MASONIC PHENOMENON . " Bro . H . C . has certainly informed us of a very curious instance of a brother having been initiated , passed ; , and raised in three different quarters of the globe and in three languages . It is but another illustration of the universality and unity of Free ¦ masonry . I remember once visiting a lodge at

Redruth , Cornwall , when there were four initiations at once , consisting of two Lewises and Twins , making a wonderful quartette ancl another Masonic phenomenon . —W . J . HUGHAN .

JOINING BRETHREN AND INITIATIONS . Your esteemed correspondent , Bro . "H . Ii . " is quite correct in stating he does not find in the Bock of Constitutions any authority for my saying that " no person can be initiated on the same clay that a new lodge is opened and consecrated . " Sly authority for saying so , wasnot derived from the Book of Constitutions , but from

a letter -written by the present Grand Secratary to a W . M . designate of a new lodge , and of which letter the W . M . designate allowed me to take a copy . The portion of it referring to the point in question is as follows : — " In consequence of irregularities that have in some cases taken place , I think it well to remind you that no person can be initiated when a new lodge is opened ,

neither can any joining members be admitted at such meeting , and further that no lodge can be held by the petitioners until the lodge has been duly consecrated and the Master Designate installed . " Bro . "H . II . " says " he is quite sure that in point of fact admissions of new members of the Order and the performance of the ceremonies therewithhave in cases taken lace on

, many p the day of tho opening of a new lodge . " This no doubt may be so , and possibly may constitute some of "the irregularities" mentioned in the extract from the Grand Secretary ' s letter . Until the by-laws are adopted in open lodgo , which I believe is never done at the consecration ceremony , I must confess I do not see how it would be prudent to initiate any persons , as there - would be b

no y-laws in existence to point out the duties they owed to the lodge , and which should , strictly speaking , be signed on the evening of initiation , if the brother announces his intention of becoming a subscribing member of the lodge , as is invariably the case . For almost similar reasons I do not see bow it would ever be safe to propose any persons for initiation or brethren for joining at the consecration ceremony , unless there are some by-laws in existence to regulate the same . —> J < B > J <

IK Liverpool the medical men are about to try an experiment ' At a meeting of the members of the piofessimi , held on Tuesday , it was resolved that the local sick benefit societies should he requested to increase the rate of payment to the medical officers from 3 s . to 'Is . yearly for each society member .

Freemasonry About One Hundred And Fifty-Two Tears Old.

FREEMASONRY ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO TEARS OLD .

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for ihe opinions expressed bij Correspondents

TO TUn EDITOR OP TZtH FREEMASON'S' MAGAZINE ANT ) JtASOWIC MrEEOE . Dear Sir and Brother , —I shall take it kind if you will find space in your columns for the enclosed letter ,, which I sent to the North British Dail y Mail here , in answer to some correspondence which had been going on relative to the antiquity of Freemasonry .

By doing so , I think that Bros . R . Sanderson ( page 109 ) and Saxelby ( page 128 ) will find their notes answered ; and as the opinions of Bros . Hughan and D . M . Lyon are included , it will be all the more valuable . Operative Masonry aud an Operative Mason ' s-

Society , it must always be remembered , is quite a different thing from Speculative Masonry with its doctrines and rituals . The Reformation , I consider ,, helped to clear the way for the introduction of thelatter . Tours fraternally , W . P . BUCHAN .

" To the Editor of the Mrth British Dail y Mail .. " Sir , —In your issue of 30 th ult ., I made the assertion that speculative Masonry , or Freemasonry , ' originated and sprang up since the Reformation , ' and , in fact , was only about ' 152 years old . ' " This brought out an opponent hailing from

Greenock , who , under the signature of 'IS , , ' in issue of 2 nd inst ., said that ' speculative and operative-Freemasonry were both practised in Scotland at thetime when our most ancient buildings were erected , ' and this he said was ' easily proved ' ! On 4 th inst . I replied , desiring him to lead some of his proof . On

6 th inst . ' E . ' answered by delining to lead his asserted ' proof on the transparent plea of want of time , telling us , however , that he lias ' sufficient evidence to convince himself of its existence in / Scotland in 1145 . " ' He also , while leaving the field , states that it is my place to dis-prove , not his to prove , the assumed

existence of Freemasonry previous either to the Reformation or the 18 th century A . D . Now . I shall leave the intelligent , unbiassed , and truth-loving portion of your readers to judge the meaning of this . A champion comes forward boldly asserting that hecan ' easily prove ' an affirmative , yet , when asked

todo so , he retreats , manfully leaving the antagonist hefeared to grapple with to ] : > rove a negative . "The action of 'R . ' in this matter is an exact copy of the course pursued by the valiant Harapha , in Milton ' s ' Samson Agonistes , ' only our Greenock herowill not get off quite so scatheless as his Philisfcian

predecessor , simply because that , notwithstanding all his careful reticence , he has made two slips by which , just catching the extreme points of his mantle ,. I manage to drag him to me . Tea , 'E , '—

"' Thou oft shall wish thyself at Guth to boast Again in safety what tt . ou woulilst have done . ' " The slips I refer to are these , viz ..- In his first letter he tells us his ' Mother Lodge ' ¦ is the ' Ancient Stirling , ' and in his second letter he mentions the date ' 1145 . ' Therefore , as by adding two aud two together we get four , so by putting these two statements together , we in all likelihood , discover that the