Eighteen Fifty-Six.

And wdion he pens another song /<' // - ' They shall be honoured there . /" ''¦/ G . ";/ . ' But now the Muse must save the mail , l ^ i Her postage stamp she licks , LO C To bid far off the tidings fly , v'i \ , in ,, Of the true Masons' victory , \ ( - \ ' " "" In eighteen fifty-six . V Q v Suffice to we heard h NL ~ OjM

say enoug To wish to hear again , Carnarvon ' s classic eloquence , And light chaff mingled with the sense Of Warren ' s bearded grain . Tried men we'll muster in our van To break the bonds of cliques , And shew , as years new meetings bring , Each year one well-spent evening

Like eighteen fifty-six . P . S . We did with some surprise , ( I half forgot to say , ) In vain for our Grand Master wait , When such great motions for debate , Upon the paper lay . And we would humbly beg Grand Lodge Such meeting times to fix , As may not with Newmarket vie . Since Marson cuts out Masonry In eighteen fifty-six ,

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mms M . W . the G-. M . has issued a circular declaring the J . G . L . held on the 1 st of October , and presided over by his deputy , to have been invalid , and summoning a G . L . of Emergency for the 19 th inst . It is certainly unfortunate that the notable discovery that G . L . had not the power to adjourn , was not made between the 3 rd of September and the 1 st of October , and before the G . L . that met on the latter clay had

expressed their opinion pretty strongly as to the way hi which the government had been carried on by the Executive . Possibly , if matters had gone differently , this grand discovery might never have been made at all ; or , possibly , again the post to the north may have had its little mishaps , like the post to the faf west ; or there may have been some trifling irregularity in the Grand Secretary ' s office ( we think we have

occasionally heard that accidents have happened even in that well regulated department ) , so that the G . M . knew nothing about the : ifldjourned G . L . till after it was over . All these mysteries are beyond our ken . Wo cannot do the talented oligarcy who do us the honour to mismanage our affairs , the injustice of snpposing-that they are for once waggishly inclincdj . br we should almost be tempted to think that they had actually roused themselves to perpetrate a joke . If , however ,

it is . not a joke , wo can only say , m sober earnest , that this attempt on the part of the Executive to overrule the deliberate decision of two Grand Lodges , and two acting Grand Masters , as to the power of that body to adjourn , is so flagrant an invasion of the rights of G . L ., that it must he met with promptitute and decision , or the liberties and power of G . L . are at an end . It is unfortunate enough that we have a G . M . who is scarcely over in his place ; but the evil is

increased a hundred-fold , if , in defiance of the express provision of the Book of Constitutions , the G . M . is to be allowed to nullify all the proceedings of G . L . at which he may not happen to have been present , and of which he does not happen to approve . We have indeed received a lesson as to the folly of leaving things alone . First , the Canadas are neglected , insulted , and

driven into rebellion ; next , every conceivable and inconceivable dodge is made use of to prevent the question from being brought before G . L . ; petitions are burked , motions quashed , I uv and decency equally sot at defiance;—at last , in spite of the attraction of partridges , pheasants , and races , a considerable muster of London Masons , and more from the provinces than have appeared for years , at considerable inconvenience to themselves , assembled in Grand Lodge , determined to

consider the Canada question . They do consider and decide upon a certain course , when , lo and behold , down comes the rEio ' hutivo , and claims the right to nullify the whole proceeding , ) and restore things to the delightful hodge-podge into . . which our able administrators had before reduced them . ; - / We wonder if the authors of this step really imagine that the '" SuPKEMii GRAND LOIJGU" is for one instant going to submit

to this attack upon their prerogative , by an inferior authority which , as compared to themselves , is but of yesterday ? We would remind the Executive , that Masonry is an old institution , but that they themselves are very modern . And we must again remark , that the M . W . the G . M . as chief executive officer of the Craft , has no power whatever to decide a legislative- questionstill less in opposition to the decision of

, the supreme G . L . This is no question of order , but of privilege—of the liberty and authority of G . L . —and we are much mistaken if either London or Provincial Brethren will submit to such an unconstitutional subversion of ancient landmarks , as is involved in this attempted eoup cVetat . Of all fatal blunders , that of trying to ride rough shod over a democracy—with no bayonets in the back ground—is the

greatest . Twice , since the middle ages , has a despotism been attempted in England . But , somehow , we don't seem to fancy it ; it cost one man his head , and the other his throne . We doubt , however , if the most servile courtier of King James could have been a worse adviser , than are those who have recommended this fatal step . We allow that abject servility has for some time made G . L . a bye word in the Craft . But that day is past . Masons have roused themselves

at length to a sense of their duty and their responsibility . They will be true to themselves and to those whose interests are confided to their care . We make no doubt whatever , but that G . L . will meet this emergency as becomes a body of -Free-Masons ; and that it will refuse to allow its decision to be reversed , by any authority but its own . A grave question remains : are those worthy to he entrusted

with the supreme power , who first ruin our affairs , and then conspire against our liberties ? Cannot an Executive be found who will be true to Grand Lodge ? who will do the work of the Craft—or let them do it for themselves , —and respect their supreme authority ?

Notes And Queries.

NOTES AND QUERIES .

Can any Brother inform me , what form of prayer was used at opening and closing G . L ., before the Union , in either district?—Q . The Grand Orient of Belgium has decided that a Mason may be called to account in Lodge , for his political conduct , if it has been contrary to the principles of Masonry . A vehement contest is being waged by the Romish Church , through "

the Belgian Bishops , against the cause offree education in that country At the opening of the University of Brussels , an able address was given by M . Verhaegen , who is the M . W . the G . M . of Belgium , in which he stated the principles at issue , and gave a resume of the policy of the Romish Church on the subject of education . His address was received with the strongest expressions of approbation by the meeting , which was presided over by the Mayor of Brussels . It is gratifying to find so distinguished a Mason identifying himself with the cause of education and mental development . We may commend his example to our Brethren in Ireland , where the same contest is going on .

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NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS . The MASONIC ODSERVKK will be published Quarterly : and maybe obtained of the London Publishers , through any local bookseller , or direct from Bath .

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