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( Eotttettts . PAGE . Notes on American Freemasonry—No . 1 321 " Clannishness" of Masonry 324 Masoni . Jottings—No . 17 326 Masonic Notes and Queries 327 Correspondence 328 Masonic Sayings and Doings Abroad 330

Masonic Mems 332 CRAFT LODGE MEETINGS : — Metropolitan , 332 Provincial 333 India 33 G Royal Arch 338 History of Freemasonry 338 St . Kitts , AVest Indies 338

Poetry - 339 Scientific Meetings 340 List of Lodge , & c , Meetings for ensuing week 340 To Correspondents 340

Notes On American Freemasonry.

NOTES ON AMERICAN FREEMASONRY .

LONDON , SATURDAY , APRIL 23 , 1870 .

No . 1 . —GBAND LODGE OE MASSACHUSETTS . The " proceedings of the Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth , ol Massachusetts '" is at hand . It is a respectable ancl

elegantly printed volume of 256 p . p . compiled with considerable literary ability , and must have entailed a great amount of labour upon the Grand Secretary and his assistants . It gives a most complete view of the state of Masonry under that

jurisdiction , setting an example Avhich might well be folIoAved by our own Grand Lodge , the course pursued by the officers of which seems to be more to throw obstacles in the way of the dissemination of light , than to assist others in doingso , evenwhentbat

object could be attained without iu any way interfering with the ample funds at the command of Grand Lodge , so that the excuse of economy cannot even be urc-ed .

This ponderous tome , is " ordered to be read in all the lodges .- " If this instruction be followed out , the Master , or Secretary , or whatever officer the duty falls upon , would certainly find his office no sinoure .

The report commences with the quarterly communication of Grand Lodge on Wednesday , March 10 , 1869 , held in the Masonic Temple , Boston , when theM . W . G . Master , W . S . Gardner , occupied the chair , supported by his officers , and the

Deputy District Grand Masters , of whom fifteen out of sixteen were present . These sixteen districts each represent from 10 to 14 lodges , making a total of 175 lodges , with 19 , 581 members , having made during the year ,

Notes On American Freemasonry.

1804 initiates . The representatives of sixty-seven lodges answered to the roll call , and the proceedings commence ( lodge having been opened with solemn prayer by the Chaplain ) , with an address by the Grand Master . He stated that the records

of the Grand Lodge , extending from 1733 to the present time , contain the history of the establishment of Masonry upon the American Continent , and are of inestimable value , and he recommended that a committee be appointed to examine them

and report upon the condition of the transcripts , and where the originals are kept , together with the number of volumes of each .

The Grand Charity Fund consists of 50 , 000 dols . the interest of which is to be appropriated , as Grand Lodge shall direct , for the relief of such - poor and distressed brethren , their widows and orphans , as may be deemed worthy of assistance .

The Grand Master was unable to state in what condition the fund was , no report having been made to Grand Lodge for many years , and he could not even say who * -vere the trustees , or even if such a body existed . There is evidently a

screw loose here ; the Grand Master recommends a committee to investigate the matter . The temple had been completed and occupied for some time , but in this matter also no report seems to have

been made to Grand Lodge by the board of directors of the details of the vast expenditure stated to have been incurred . The next business at the quarterly communication , consisted of charges brought by private

lodges against sundry of their members . They seem to be more attentive to these matters than Ave are , the charges ranging from " intemperance / ' ''lying / ' "desertion of families / ' "the commission of gross acts of immorality and fraud , " *¦ open aud gross intoxication / ' ** wronging and defraudinsr brother Master Masons . "

The sentences of the lodges are , with one exception , confirmed by Grand Lodge , and consist of suspension from Masonic privileges and expulsion from the Order . At the quarterly communication on June 9 fch ,

66 lodges ai * e represented . The subject of the Grand Master ' s address was the practice which had been customary of establishing subordinate lodges outside of the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts in those countries and

states where Grand Lodges of the York Rite did not exist . In 1853 , G . M . Randal , Grand Master , iu his address , considered this custom not inappro-