Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.

" after a few years practice in extempore preaching , he acquired a faculty for addressing the prisoners in a manner which secured their absorbed attention . The spectacle of those two or three hundred upturned faces—blotched , sin-stricken , ugly faces , generally- —staring- with half-stolid animal-like fixedness at the preacher was one not easily forgotten . Few men , probably , could have east such a spell as he did over an audience so dull-brained , so incapable

of following the simplest argument . But the chief thing to be noticed was the honest means by which he gained their ears . 'I never heard anything so logical from a pulpit before , ' was the remark of a very competent judge after hearing him preach . Probably what the critic meant was that he had never heard such a single topic sermon ; for this epithet , in default of a better , may be coined to describe his style . 'It is my plan , ' was his own account of his sermons'to he content with one idea ; that is quite

, as much as my poor people can take in at once ; hut I try to enunciate my one idea as distinctly and as completely as possible . My endeavour is to keep out all other subjects , wnieh would only embarass them , and to make all my reasons aud illustrations fit together , so as to build up one single compact notion for them to carry away . ' To an educated hearer the impression left hy his sermons was , that he had brought some old familiar truth hitherto hut dimly seen ( as through an iil-focussed telescope ) into sharp

clear distinctness ; and the influence was , that the most stupid in the chapel , however irreceptive , would understand the meaning in some vague way at all events . The sermons were so' fluent , so nearly eloquent , that one peculiarity would probably escape an uncritical listener—the scanty use of any words but monosyllables . The number of words , too , that were employed , was extremely small , yet the language never seemed bald and meagre . In fact , his greatest difficulty was to find words that the prisoners could

comprehend . It was his often-expressed opinion , that the vocabularies of many prisoners did not contain a hundred words , beyond those expressive of their animal wants , aud those belonging to their trades , "

AVe are sorry to have to record tho death of one of the benefactor . - of his kind . —Dr . Southwood Smith , the well-known English sanitary reformer , author of Illustrations of the Divine Government of the World , and other works . The doctor died at Florence , and was in the seventy-fourth year of his age . The fourth and last volume of the History of TEugland , by Mr . Massey , Jlf . P ., is announced for publication early in the Spring .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The T 7 ditor 1 . not- responsible for the opinions __ . - »/•____ , by Correspondents . TO mi : r . siroi ; or THE rREE _ t _ . so :, -s' JIAGAZIXI : A _ . I . __ . _ so _ . ic -rinnou . DEAR Snt A >" D BEOTHEE . —Your remarks on the Grand Registrar , and that he should in the Provinces be , as in Grand

Lodge , a lawyer , and not as too often , anything else but a lawyer , has brought to my recollection a question raised by our Dep . Prov . G . Master , on the status of Tylers . Our Deputy is a lawyer , and Prov . Grand Registrar is not one ; but he is , notwithstanding , a good working Mason , and perhaps in Masonic law quite equal to any of our brethren learned in the law . But though these worthbrethren are

y not well up in Masonic law , I still would rather see a lawyer Prov . Grand Registrar , than an architect or a shi pbrokev ; for the first can soon master Masonic law , and can better apply it ; while the latter will have greater difficulty in doing so . Well , from the report in your paper of the 16 th " Nov ., The Deputy Prov . Grand Master cf this province is reported

to have said : — " He ( the D . Prov . Grand Master ) , was asked whether the Tylers of lodges were to be returned to Grand Lodge ancl Provincial Grand Lodge , as any other member , and if so returned , ivhether that constituted them members of the lodge in which they acted as Tylers ? His reply was that the constitutions were not clear on that pointand being serving

, brethren , they had no right to be returned . " " Bro . Davis , _ P . Prov . S . G . W ., stated that Tylers were not considered serving brethren , though receiving a salary for their services . But he agreed that thc Constitutions were not clear upon the point whether Tylers were members or

not , and if they enjoyed all the privileges of members . He was glad the subject was mentioned , for perhaps the higher authorities might take some means of explaining the point . " Seeing , Sir , two such high authorities differing , the one a lawyer , the othera P . Prov . Registrar , and justly considered one of themost learned Masonic brethren in this province , and whose opinion on our laws and practices is seldom at fault ,

it behoved your correspondent , and others like him , to think well before they threw any light on such a contradictory statement as the above . I therefore , made a note of the point , and decided to look into it , and to see ivhether the opinion I always understood , that the Constitutions and our practices refering to the status of Tylers was not correct , and should there be any

further doubt- on the subject , to put the question at once to head quarters . Other matters prevented me committing to paper my thoughts on this subject till your observations on Grand Registrars , in your impression of the 21 sfe inst ., called my attention again to this point . I think , Sir , if j-ou will allow me to quote Er . Oliver ' s

Masonic jurisprudence , under the heading " The Assistant Officers , " at page 111—a complete answer to this question will be found . Dr . Olliver , says : — " The Tyler . —The Tyler , or outer guard , whose business it is to keep off all listeners and cowans to Masonry , ancl see that no brother approach the exterior avenues of the lodge without being duly prepared , is , in reality , a serving brother

— although an essential assistant officer—who receives a stated salary for performing the duties of his office . His jewel , or cognisance , is a sword . The laws relating to this officer are peculiarly stringent . He is chosen annually by the members , who may remove him at pleasure , if he conducts himself improperly , or violates the laws of Masonrv ,

by a majority of votes at any regular lodge , due notice having been given in the summonses , that every brother may be cognisant of the proceedings against him ; and , being so dismissed , he is for ever excluded from the benefit of the charities . ' - ' This officer is not a member of the lodge , and consequently does not subscribe to the funds . He is without

the camp , and his services are remunerated by a pecuniaryrecompense ; but so long as he retains his office , and preserves an unsullied reputation , he is not only entitled to casual Masonic relief , but also to be elected as an annuitant on the Royal Benevolent Institution . " The Constitutions say , under the head of Tylers : — " The Tylers are to be chosen by the members of the lodge , and .

may at any time be removed for causes deemed sufficient by a majority of the brethren present . " Therefore , if he was considered a member , or like one of the other officers , he could not be removed in this summary manner . Neither is he considered like the Secretary , who also , in some lodges , is a paid officer . For under thc Chapter of Grand Fund of Benevolence , it is stated : — " Secretaries , who arc by their lodges exempt from the payment of subscriptions , shall not thereby be disaitalified

from obtaining assistance from , the Fund of Benevolence , but shall be considered as subscribing members of their lodges , their services being equivalent to subscriptions . " Consequently , the rules applicable to Tylers in being returned to the Grand Lodge and Prov . Grand Lodge will necessarily be that applicable to serving brethren , ivhich distinctly states that they cannot be members of the lodge

in ivhich they serve ; but " are eligible as a subscribing member of any other lodge , aud upon being registered , as a joining member of such other lodge , and paying his contributions in like manner with other members , he is entitled to all the ' privileges and benefits of the Craft . "—( Vide Constitutions Proposing , Members , Sec . 9 ) . Again , speaking of the Inner Guard , Dr . Oliver says , in

the same work , page 143 , " If he be a salaried and serving brother , he is entirely destitute of cither rights or privileges" ( of a subscribing member ) . It follows from the above that if my quotations and arguments are correct , according to the constitutions of the general Masonic practice , Tylers of lodges are in reality serving brethren , being paid for their services , and as such , the lodges iu which they serve are not bound to make returns of them to Grand Lod ge and Provincial Grand