Can A P.M, Be A Simpleton?

for pursuing this traffic , as given hy him in No . 479 of the Magazine , are contemptible ; and if he has no better to offer he should be treated as men usually expect to be treated who obtain money under false pretences . Bro . Harris , P . M ., has not even the poor pretence of Cagliostro to support him in his

deceptions ; viz ., that he is working in the interests of " the Church . " Populce deci p i bene p lacental ; I will admit ; but it is the duty of Masons who are aware of the deception not to laugh at it , but to Avarn their ' more ignorant brethren of its nature , and then , if they prefer to be deceivedlet them . It is such men as

, Bro . Harris , P . M ., ivko render high degrees contemptible . Even iu this country ( United States ) , where the brethren greedily seek fictitious titles of honour , his style Avould not be tolerated . HOAV much less then should it be in a country where the title of Knight is believed to mean something ?

Tours fraternally , AN AMERICAN FREEMASON . [ Does our correspondent seriously believe in Bro . Harris ? or does he imagine Bro . Harris is serious ? —ED . F . M . ]

York Rite In America And Bro. J. L. W.

YORK RITE IN AMERICA AND BRO . J . L . W .

10 IHE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIO MIRROR . Dear Sir aud Brother ,- —Allow me to occupy a little more space in this week ' s issue to respond to Bro . J . L . W . ' s desire to know the name of the nine degrees practised in United States under the " Tork Rite , " so called . They are as follows ,

according to authorized Constitutions of the several degrees : 1 . Entered Apprentice . 2 . Fellow Craft . 3 . Master Mason . 4 . Mark Master . 5 . Past Master . 6 . Most Excellent Master . 7 . Royal Arch . 8 . Royal Master . 9 . Select Master . The first three are , of course , Avorked under the

Craft authorities ; the following four under the Grand Chapters ; and the last two under the " Most Puissant Grand Councils of Rojal and Select Masters . " As Bro . J . L . W . was "Marked and Arched" in Americaaud there the Mark MasterPast Master

, , , and Excellent Master , arc given to aspirants for Moyal Arch Masonry the same as in Scotland , aud used to be at least in Ireland , he Avill readily see how I may probably be in error sometimes by making statements on a supposed analogy between similarly constituted authorities , when their constitutions are

not always " at my elboiv " like those of England . He will also see that I never have stated the Royal Arch to be the ninth under any authority , but the fifth virtually under England , and ' the seventh under Scotland , United States , ancl I thought also Ireland . Such interesting communications as the one from

Bro . J . L . W . will always be esteemed by all Masons , who are as anxious to know the truth as—Tours fraternally , WILLIAM JAMES HUGHAN .

Derivation Of Freemason.

DERIVATION OF FREEMASON .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Dear Sir and Brother , —I have read with interest the various letters on the derivation of the term " Freemason , " but cannot say I am satisfied with any .

Derivation Of Freemason.

If you Avill permit me , I will UOAV give my ideas on the subject , and leave you to judge if they are worth anything . '' Free-mason " is a compound word ; and , if one part is derived from the French , so also should the other . "Free , " then , I derive from the Erench worcl " frere , " a brother ( Italian is " fra " or " fray " ) ,

derived from the Latin , "frater ; " and "Mason" I derive from the French words " mal , " " connu " ( from the Latin , " male , " " eognitus " ) , which signify "not easily recognised "—that is , a brother only to be knoivn by signs , & e . The onl y difficulty I can see in my solution is the cedilla , or softening the

letter " c" in Macon , but which may he accounted for by the Langue d'Oil , or old language of north France , being generally softer than the Languedoe , or tongue of the ^ south . Iu conclusion , long flourish , say I " Les Freres Maconnus , '' the brethren of the mystic tie . Tours fraternally , RICHARD DAWSON .

The Rules Of Voting At Provincial Grand Lodges.

THE RULES OF VOTING AT PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGES .

TO THE EDITOR OF Till : FRHEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . Dear Sir and Brother , —I shall esteem it a favour if yourself , or auy of the readers of your valuable Magazine , will give me opinion as to the legality ( Masonically speaking ) of the decision arrived at in the following case , viz .: — At the quarterly communication of Prov . Grand

Lodge of the Middle Ward of Lanarkshire , held at Motherwell in August last , the Acting Prov . G . M ., Bro . Major Barbor , intimated that the Prov . Grand Secretaryship having become vacant by the death of Bro . Bruce , the Prov . G . Lodge ought to recommend a Bro . to the R . W . Prov . G . M . for the vacant office ;

whereupon a Bro . —the interim Prov . G . Sec . —was proposed by one of the members of Prov . G . Lodge , and another member proposed another candidate for the office , both propositions being seconded . A show of hands Avas demanded , and the result was a majority of two in favour of the second candidate , Bro . Nisbet , against which result no protest ivas made , and the lodge was closed . At the Quarterly Communication held at Wishaw

on the 13 th October , the interim Secretary read the minutes , Avkich were hurriedly passed ; but , as there was no reference in them as to the result of the vote at the preceding meeting in favour of Bro . Nisbet , the brother who had proposed him requested au explanation . The Secretary said , iu reference to this , thatas—at the meeting referred to—he had been

, requested to go outside while the vote was taken , he could not be expected to knoiv what was going on . Bro . Nisbet ' s proposer said this Avas a very unsatisfactory explanation , seeing that the Secretary was in the lodge Avhen the proposition was made , and was only absent a few minutesaudbeing himself a

, , candidate , must have known the result . The Acting Prov . G . M . then intimated that since the precedin g meeting it had come to his knowledge that the brother Avho seconded the proposition for the appointment of Bro . Nisbet was not a member of the Prov . G . Lodge , and ruled that this vitiated the proceedings in regard

to Bro . Nisbet ' s candidature , and that he Avould again proceed to take another vote of the Prov . G . Lodge upon the subject . Bro . Nisbet ' s proposer took objection to this , explaining that , as he did not personally