Masonic Notes And Queries.

honour . If he have not served the office he cannot wear a red apron , though he may have been a member of a " red apron Lodge" for twenty years . ] 1 XFLUEXCE OF MASOXl . V . In an old periodical , I read that " an instance of the influence of Masonic brotherhoodwas last night to be seen in the Grand

, Master's Lodge , where four brothers had met together , and represented the Times , the Morning Chronicle , the Globe , and the Dispatch , all of which were heartily abusing each other politically . " This it appears was in 183 ( 1 . Who were the four Masons alluded to , and what was the connection of each with the several newspapers mentioned?—A PUESS-MAX .

THE IVOl' . ICIXG OF THE Gil AND STEWARDS' LODGE . Having seen letters pro and con in the Magazine , in which the right of the Grand Stewards , as the custodians of tho Craft working has been discussed , permit me to supply a note bearing on this question from the Freemasons' Quarterly Jterieir , vol . hi ., p . 322 , where , respecting the " Emulation Lodge of Improvement , " the folloiving remarks occur - . — -

"It may not be uninteresting to our readers to give some short outline of the origin of this Lodge of Instruction . About the year 1 S 23 , several brethren ooiisidei-ecl-th . it the Masonic lectures were not worked in the Lodges upon a sufficiently regulated system , and that if those whose attainments as working Masons placed them as a prominent authority were to meet together and to work efficiently , they might be the means of effecting much improvement . They accordingly met . we 1 wlievein AVardour-streetpursuant to a general notice in the public

, , papers , which advertisement created a considerable sensation iu the Craft . Some members of the Grand Stewards' Lodge , hitherto the only authority for a recognized system , felt it was necessary to watch the proceedings , & e . " Without entering into the question , I merely send the above note as bearing upon a disputed point , and am—A Looi'icu-ox .

FREEMASONS' SICK AXD r . rnuAr , CLUBS . Many of our Lodges in Lancashire have benefit societies attached to them , to grant sick relief ancl funeral gifts to their members . Although such societies , however good in themselves , are no part of Masonry , they are confined to members of the Craft ; but their funds are kept strictly separate from those of the Lodges to which they arc attached , nor is thc business of the benefit society entered into in Lodge . Are those societies common throughout England ? and to what date can they be traced?—GEOUGE MAISKUAM TWF . DDELL .

THE LATE nno . l'l-TER Grr . KES . All young Masons hear more or less of the working of Peter Gilkes , but we are not so fortunate in gaining information as to his Alasonic life . Can't you oblige us youngsters by publishing a life of him?—T . A . T . —[ A biographical sketch appeared in the Freemason ' s Quarterly at the time of Bro . Gilkes ' s decease , and as it 111113 * not be easily met with by the recentl y initiated , wc will

just quote the chief incidents in his career . Peter AVilliam Gilkes , born 1 st Afay , 17 ( 15 . Initiated in the British Lodge ( No . S ) in I 78 ( i . AV . M . of the Lodge of Unity , No . 82 , and successivel y occupied the chair of the Globe , No . 23 ; the Cadogan , No . 1 SS ; Old Concord , No . 201 ; St . James ' s Union , No . 211 ; Loclge of Unions , No . 318 ; Lodge of Hope and Unity , No . 259 ; Royal York , No . 7 ; each of which he was Master of on more than one

occasion , and died AY . M . of the St . Michael ' s , No . 255 . lie was always willing to instruct young Masons , and so high was his reputation that the Craft subscribed for a very handsome gold medal for him , which he bequeathed to our Bro . W . It . G . Key , a most estimable and worthy pupil of his . He was also a Royal Arch Mason , having been exalted in the Caledonian Chapter , but from our present Calendar wc arc unable to state to what Lod

ge it was attached . Bro . Gilkes died December 11 th , 1833 , and a tablet was erected to his memory , designed by Ilro . Stephen Barton AVilson , iu the church of St . James's , AVcstminster , where he was buried . ]

11110 . LOWE OF STOOKl'OliT . A \ ho was Bro . Loire of Stockport , and what was his Afasonic standing ? In most of the old Craft song books there is a Boyal Arch song attributed to him , beginning : — "Father Adam , created , beheld the light shine . " Wrr . LrAir IIKXHY STEPUKXS , Gomickporc , East Indies . GUANO LODGES . How many Grand Lodges are there at present existing , and where ?—A LEIVIK . - '

Literature.

Literature .

SEVIEWS . Die JHcnseh , die . Fami ' die , -mid die Gesellsehafl in ihrcn Ycrhiiltnissa znr sittliclieu Enlwic / dnng der Marisclieit . A on KIIGEX BUTSSEX , Basel . TUTS work has been reviewed favourabl 011 thc continent , iu

y consequence of its moral tendency , and the vast social interests it embraces , and it would appear fairl y so . It is written in a spirit of piety , and the author has attained to that point , of religious perfection as to be unassailable by any of those gloomy mists and disquietudes which perplex the heretical ; and where he beholds thc flashes of truth , which shine in the valley beneath , unite in a streamreflected by the liht of that sun of the Great Father of

, g light , ivhich shines upon the just and unjust , of mankind . It is a maxim amongst Freemasons that the happiness of an individual depends upon his progress in perfection . ; and that the striving after the right mode of thinking is the way to arrive at prosperity and social improvement , but that the true method is only to let the spirit prevail over the flesh—the thinking over the material part of ourselves . This admits of no delay or

spiritual death , but inculcates life and activity , which leads man on to the happy result contemplated by Freemasonry—the permanent rest of his soul in heaven . In the development of his ideas , the author dwells much upon Christianity as the means of freeing us from sin , a restoration of the kingdom of God within us , which by the power of truth we are led to the holy privilege of becoming children of God but in this he continually refers to

; original Christianity , shorn of those irritating dogmas , which the polemical discussions of relig ionists have brought into existence . Having noticed thc spirit and character of this work , we will just refer to its contents . There are three sections—the subject of man ; secondly , that of family ; and thirdly , the subject of society ;

each of which treaties are further subdivided . If this book be studied , something may be learned from it , for it really hinges ou the principles of Freemasonry , aud the author has by it been enabled to promote still further a knowledge of the brotherly bond of Masonry—the true art of life . In allusion to this , he says ( p . 489 ) : — " You forget that our experience is still imperfect , - our battle with

sin as sharp as ever ; our death always as painful to the survivors as the dying themselves ; ye forgot that mankind , that your souls' everlasting comfort require a firm and remaining city . You who have attained to this happy experience , hold fast by it , and be not led away to fear that the mixture with society will tenet to wrest it from you , for the hope of a better life will never be obliterated from your hearts . The voice of God will ahvays be reechoed by the soul , and it has spoken out already these words , " we now see through a glass darkly , but then face to face .

Now I know in part , but then I shall know even as I am known . Happy are those who mourn , for they shall be comforted ; happy are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness , for they shall be satisfied . " He assures us that those contradictions which trouble our minds will disappear , ancl our earthly darkness , which leaves us only a mere glimpse of the heavenly path , will be dispelled by the glory of the True Light of the world . Tears , which flow so abundantly on this earth , will not be experienced there ; mothers will not bewail their childrennor children

, their mother's ; the hearts rent asunder by the world will be united again ; broken pledges once more renewed , and all the holy inspirations of our soul will lie refreshed . The injustice of the world will there be forgotten ; the daily warfare of our souls will be ended by the destruction of sin ; the scene now presented being a new earth ancl a new heaven , where is that firm and abiding city wc are so anxiously looking for—and this is , everlasting life !"

NOTES ON LITERATURE , SOTENCI . AND ATiT . Lor . n MACAULAY , who held in the highest veneration the famous Admiral Robert Blake , expressed , some months before his death , a hope tint the gentlemen of Somerset would set up some memorial of that great man . The suggestion was taken up , a subscription has been commenced , Mr . K . H . Bailey has contributed the design , Mr . Hepworth Dixon has written the inscription ; tlio work is being executed

in the studio of Mr . Papworth , where it will soon be ready for public inspection . Mr . It . Arthur ICinglal . e , of AVeston-super-Mare , Somerset , a gentleman who took an active part in the restoration of tlio AVellingtou Monument , has consented to receive subscriptions . It is not very ereditable to the first naval country in the ivorld that the man who first rendered her supremo at sea should have no stone or statue to mark his place amongst us here iu London . Justice is blind . AVe are glad however , that Somersetahhe has made a move in so good a' work .