"Taught To Be Cautious."

" near to it ( laughter ) , and he had no doubt that any person , by a little " study of ' s book on the subject , and by frequenting those places where " Freemasons were in the habit of congregating , he would very soon ho " sufficiently versed 'in the matter to pass muster at any of the ordinary " lodges . " We have quoted the above not for the purpose of raising any

controversy thereon , but purely as a caution . Though the lecturer undertook to tell all the man in Dorchester Gaol printed , we will not do the reverend gentlemen the injustice to suppose he fabricated a single statement . We shall not stop to inquire how the lecturer reconciles the Papal Allocution with the law of the Church , nor is it our intention to comment on the peculiarly graceful

method he adopted to ascertain whether "if he had not quite got " it , he was veiy near to it . " Many persons of courteous habits would blush at perusing a letter , not intended for them , which had

accidentally fallen in their way . Others of less delicacy would not hesitate a moment in such a case . What the lecturer's code of honour would be , under circumstances of that kind , it is needless to conjecture . From the mere fact the brother experimented on , by the priest , was known to be a Freemason it may , reasonably , be assumed

that he was of some standing . Assuming this it evidences how cautious we all ought to be in answering , or admitting even partially , anything verging on a sign to one we casually encounter . Our brother no doubt knew the lecturer—his surprise almost indicates it—and completely thrown off his guard by the respectability of the priest he incautiously made a remark—either bona fide or

in joke—which has been seized upon as an admission of the sign itself or something very near it . We do not blame our brother , nor can we altogether exonerate him , but , judging from daily experience , How few of us would have acted otherwise .

We know it is usual for young members to try their " prentice hands" on all kinds of people and see if they are noticed , but older brethren are , in general , much more circumspect . A cowan used to vex and most horribly annoy a very irritable departed brother by making all sorts of pantomimic signs to him whenever they met in the street , and , it must be confessed , some

of them were " very near to it . " So when a very large musical company of foreigners were engaged at one of our principal theatres , some few years ago , after the performance they regularly visited a certain noted place of refreshment , and some of them , being brethren , always entered that room displaying a masonic sign . The company in question were lions of the day , and this

peculiarity soon attracted the attention of the general frequenters of the place , and at last it became the fashion for all present to salute the foreigners in their own peculiar style , many , no doubt , being perfectly ignorant of its being a something not included in a foreign introductory salutation .