Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

[ BRITISH AND IRISH MASONIC CALENDAR .. _ We understand that tin ' s extremely useful publication is now all but ready for sale , and , that being the -case , we must congratulate the editors on ' their . promptitude . Undoubtedlywhen a calendar is for the Masonic

, world—which the above really is—Christmas is quite late enough for it to appear , and hence we shall hail its ndvent with much pleasure and satisfaction . The labours of my esteemed friends , Bros . J . D . Porteous and James Stevenson have been most unremitting and arduousand riht heartildo they

, g y deserve the warm support of the Craft universal for their Masonic zeal and attention to the wants of the Fraternity . We believe tlie above hand y publication is superior to all others iu point of the quantity and quality of its information , as it is literally crammed with lists of

lodges , chapters , encampments , and other bodies meeting anywhere and everywhere over the four quarters of the globe . The editors have spared neither pains or expense to obtain correct reports from the various lodges aud other assemblies of Freemasons , to attain which

desirable end , forms have been sent to every such body or branch of the Fraternity in England , Scotland , and Ireland , and wo are gratified to bear that there has been a A'ery general response to the applications made . All are alike interested in its success and accuracy , and have a stake in the matter , as there

is no other work from which we can obtain such vast , extensive , and reliable Masonic intelligence as in the above calendar . It is , in fact , a marvel aud a thorough witlturn in parvo . Wo make no aplogy for this lengthy notice , as we think its merits cannot be too widely known , aud certainly its sale should be commensurate with its importance . —W . J . HUGHAN .

BE A CHRISTIAN AND BE A FREEMASON . Brother , you are mistaken . The words with which the English Freemason , iu the case you suppose , addresses the half-civilised man are to the following effect : — "Be a Christian and be a [ Freemason" Such is counselI regret that

, my . you decline to follow it . But , unwilling as you are to " be -a Christian , you nevertheless desire to be a Freemason . Know , however , that to be a Freemason you must first be what conscience and reason tell you that you ought to be . Do all the good you can . Do uo evil . Believe that there is another life when death

has brought the present life to an end . Believe that there is a God who made the world , who in that •¦ other life will reward or punish you—reward you , if your actions shall have been good ; punish you , if your actions shall have been able . Striving to do all the good you canaud to do no evilaud believing in

, , another life and in God , you will become what conscieu ? e and reason tell you that you ought to be , and you will be receivable into Freemasonry . —C . P . 'COOPER .

TWO SUITORS—A THEIST AND AN ATHEIST . Brother , some years ago , in a town in Burgundy , a young lady , whose father was a zealous . disciple of Diderot , and an Atheist , had two suitors

for her hand , equally eligible as regards fortune , family , position , and mental and personal qualities and accomplishments , hut the one was a Theist aud the other was an Atheist . Everybody anticipated that the father would choose the Atheist for his sonin-law ; he , howeverchose the Theist . The only

, reason that he ever gave for this unexpected preference was that he thought it more probable that a Theist would make his daughter happier than an Atheist . —C . P . COOPER .

A MOTTO FOR JIODERN ENGLISH FREE 7 . IASDNRY . " Christianity aud Toleration " is not , dear Brother B ., a fitting motto for modern English Freemasonry . Toleration is sometimes the toleration of Pantheism , sometimes of Atheism . A more fitting motto , in my judgment is " Christianity aud Natural Religion . "—C . P . COOPER .

SEVEN PROOFS OP THE EXISTENCE OF THE GREAT ARCHITECT OF HIE UNIVERSE . Brother P ., tlie proofs a priori and a posteriori of tho existence of the Great Architect of the Universe are seven . I subjoin a summary of them , as entered in my Common Place Book several years

ago , after the perusal of the late Professor Emile Sayset ' s excellent work " La Philosophic Eeligeuse . " The summary is , I believe , in his owu words : — 1 . "Preuve Socratique ; argument des Causes Fiiniles . " [ My communications to the Freemasons' Magazine show that the Sueratfe proof is that upon which

Freemasons chiefly rely . ] 2 . "Preuve Platonieienne ; argument tire des verities micessaires et uuiverselles . " 3 . "Preuve Peripaticiemie ; tiro de la necessite d'un premier inoteur . " 4 . "Argument de Saint Anselm ; preuve oritologique f jndee sur ce que l'idee do l ' ofcre , pai'f ' ait en implique immeliatenieut l ' existence . "

5 . " Preuve Cartesienne ; tire de la notion cle 1 'etre parfait . " G . " Preuve Newtonieuue , fondue sur les idees d'iminensito et d'eternitc . ' 7 . " Preuve Leibnitzienne ; fondc-e sur le priucipe de raison suflisante . "—C . P . COOPER .

AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY . Under this heading the indefatigable Mason , Bro . J . G . Findel , editor of Die fiauhulle , in J \ . 49 of that well-conducted Masonic Magazine ( December 7 ) announces the discovery of a very rare work of 1744 believed to be a uni

, que copy . j \ o authority that we know of ever quotes first hand from the work , excepting Laurence Dermott , in the " Ahiman Eezon , " 1 st edition , 1750 , page 48 . All the other writers base their remarks on the passages referred to by Bro . Dermott . Dr . George Kloss , in his " Bibliographie der T

Freimatircri , " 18-44 , says ( JNo . 1 , 859 ) , " Fifield d'Assignv felirieb 1744 ein Buch , welches Dermott ein Ahiman Eezon , iS vo . 154 , angiebt , als enthalte es Beryiig lichcs auf den [ Royal-Arch Gfrad . " The learned divine and Bro . Dr . George Oliver gives Dr . D'Assigney ' s opinion of the Eoyal Arch

degree , as quoted by Bro . Djrmott in the new edition of " Orig in of the English Eoyal Arch , " page 107 ( Spencer , London ) . We believe it is the earliest work that alludes to the English Eoyal Arch , and its importance and value cannot well be overestimated .