Ar00400

® ht Jftas 0 ttk ^ tar . Mlfc

THURSDAY , "IJi ^ gp . JULY 4 , 1889 . Edited by W . BRO . JAMES STEVENS , P . M ., P . Z ., & c , & c .

Ar00403

Published every Thursday Morning , price ONE PENNY , and may be had from all NeAvsagents through the Publishers , 123 to 125 , Fleet Street , E . C . Subscribers to THE MASONIC STAR residing in London and the Suburbs Avill receive their copies by the first post on THURSDAY MORNING . Copies for Country Subscribers Avill be fonvarded by the NIGHT Mail on Wednesday .

TEEMS , including postage , payable in adA ancc : — United Kingdom anil Countries comprised Places not in General comprised in India , Postal Union . Postal Union . ifiBrinilisi . Twelve Months ... 6 s . 6 d . ... 8 s . 8 d . ... 10 s . lOd . Six Months 3 s . 4 d . ... 4 s . 6 d . ... 5 s . 6 d . Three Months ... Is . 9 d . ... 2 s . 4 d . ... 3 s . Od .

Post Office Orders , payable at the General Post Office , London . E . G ., to Messrs . ADAMS BKOS ., 59 , Moor Lane , London , E . G . Postal Orders and Cheques should be crossed & Co . and all communications concerning Subscriptions and Advertisements should be addressed to " Manager . "

All other communications , letters , & c , to be addressed " Editor of THE MASONIC STAR . 59 . Moor Lane , Fore Street , London , E . C . " Publishing Offices : 123 to 125 , FLEET STREET , E . C .

VOLUMEI. In Masonic Cloth Cover—Now Ready —Price 3 s . 6 d .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

Without in any way holding ourselves responsible for , or evou approving of the opinions expressed , we freely throw open our columns for the proper discussion of all matters of a general character relating to Freemasonry . Correspondents must bo as brief as possible , must write plainly , only use one side of the paper , and cannot expect the return of rejected contributions . Every contribution must be accompanied with the . name of the writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

To the Editor of THE MASONIC STAR . DEAR SIK AND BROTHER , My attention has been called to a query and j our reply in youi issue of January 24 th , 1889 , anent this subject .

Although somewhat behind time , perhaps tne following notes may not be considered out of place by those who want to know . At the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge , December 1 st , 1880 , it was resolved , on the recommendation or report of the Board of General Purposes , that Law 307 should read :

" The collars of the Officers and Past Masters of private Lodges to be light blue ribbon , four inches broad ; if silver chain be used it must be placed over the light-blue ribbon . " And that Law 308 should read : " The collars of the Officers and Past Masters of private Lodges are to be worn only in their own Lodges or when attending the Grand Lodge or their Provincial or District Grand Lodges as Masters . Past Masters , or AVardens . "

" PAST MASTERS' COLLARS . "

The above was carried by 211 to 210 against my motion as eventually modified by the late Bro . Portal , viz .: " That the Master , the Past Masters and the AVardens of a Lodge shall be at liberty to wear their collars and jewels upon all masonic occasions ; " and was duly confirmed at the March meeting , unopposed by me uxion the distinct understanding that my motion , of which I had given

notice , would not te ruled out of order in consequence ( otherwise I would , of course , have opposed the confirmation of this part of the minutes ) ; as a result , however , I carried by a very large majority , my series of propositions of which Art . 300 a is the embodiment . But mark how the Board turn back on their own recommendations made and passed in December and confirmed in

March . The Board reports , in addition to Art . 300 a . at September meeting : they delete the words "and Past Masters " from line 1 of 307 as formerly passed , thereby taking the plain , blue collar again from the P . M . ' s , and in Art . 308 they again delete the words ' Past Masters , " as formerly inserted , from line 1 , and also the same words from line 1 , and report : " Rules 307 and 308 will then remain as they

were before December , 1880 , with the omission of the words ' Past Masters ' in the fourth line of 308 . " The sum total of this is , by 307 and 308 , a P . M . has no collar at all , neither in nor out of his Lodge , and in fact has no collar but us per Art . 300 a ( except as per 304 for Grand Stewards ) , and no officer of a Ludtfc can Avear his

collar anywhere except as per Art . 308 . If the ' B . of G . P . had left 307 as they passed it in December , 1886 , the P . M . ' s could have Avorn their plain-blue collar in their o ' . vn Lodge , but new they cannot , and if they had left the Avords ' ¦ ' ¦ . and Past Masters" in first line of 308 , as also carried in-Decsrabsr . l .-f ... thr said P . M . ' s could have taken their plain-blue collaninto

Original Correspondence.

Grand or Provincial or District Grand Lodges , but IIOAV they cannot —they have only 300 a to resort to . I don ' t think the B . of G . P . intended this , and I am informed theyorthcG . lt .. or someone else , has already given a "ruling " that plain blue without cord may be Avorn ; but no one has any such poAver under the Arts , as quoted above . Yours truly , AV . NICHOLL . P . M . 317 .

"PRUDENTLY AND AVITH TEMPERANCE . "

To the Editor of THE MASONIC STAR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER . The above is the heading of a letter by " Ignotus " in your issue of 27 th inst ., in Avhich he minutely , and Avith Avhat seems to me asperity , criticises certain forms of expression I made use of in a former letter anent ( Avhat I considered ) the unseemly manner in

which the Special Court of the R . M . I . B . received the report of the Investigation Committee , their conclusions or recommendations , and also the very unfraternal and inconsiderate language used by some of the members of that Court . In your footnote you express your agreement Avith " Ignotus " that "' freedom from vituperation should be the characteristic of all

masonic controversy . " I also notice he uses the word " vituperation " in reference to the style of the masonic press for months past on certain questions which appears to have led him to doubt Avhether masons are even i ; as good as the generality of mankind at large , " and you say you " knoAV him as an able critic , " and as I knoAV you not only as an able critic , but as a lover of fair play and equal

measures , I take your Avord for his ability : but , possibly , you Avill permit me to say I see no reason Avhatever for you to accept any chastisement at his hands . On my head bo all the blame—if any . " Vituperation " looks a long harsh Avord in type , but upon referring to the best dictionary I possess I find it simply means blame or censure : but later on in your foot note you use another Avord Avhich

you seem to consider interchangeable—A-iz ., " infective "—but Avhich I find has a very much stronger interpretation , such as -i something intended to cast opprobrium , or it may be used contemptuously , or to convey infamy , and sundry other very disagreeable insinuations . " Well . Sir and Brother , IIOAV many of these epithets may lie applied to the stylo and matter of my last letter , or hoAvsoever

many more of a like or Avorse character , it still remains as a fact that I Avas referring to your report in your issue of 13 th inst ., Avhich I state , is not very pleasant reading . If you Avill refer to the third paragraph , on page 210 , of your report of the Special Court , line 17 —I admit you will not find the Avords "Crucify him , " but—you Avill find '' cries of sweep them all away . " I don't knoAV of any country ,

Christian or Jewish , Avhere crucifixion is literally and corporeally practised , consequently my use of this formula ; had only reference to its counterpart at this meeting , and the Avell known record of the trial of Christ before Pilate , if the language Avas different , judging from your report , it could not be much less bitter . There is another counterpart in your report as to the secretary , in linos

8-13 of the same paragraph , Avhere you speak in reference to some of the reports from Provinces . You say " In some cases they were so personal to the secretary , who up to now has not had the opportunity for making Avhat may be termed a masonically public defence , that it seemed a , cruel and unkind thing that he should have been required to read his OAA n indictment . " I don't knoAV that

it is not even Avorse than its counterpart in the matter of the mock trial of Christ , and yet "Ignotus" objects to me styling those present an infuriated mob . AVell , seeing that you AA'ere there , and he Avas there , and Bro . Brackstone Baker Avas there , Avho made a very sensible , prudent and just suggestion ; and that Bro . Geo . Britten Avas there , Avho also made a conciliatory suggestion , though

possibly at the moment a mistimed one ; and the chairman , R . AV . Bro . AV . AV . Beach , M . P ., Avas there , Avho conveniently , and I think , prudcntlj ' , though unavoidably , did not catch the motion for a vote of thanks to the Investigation Committee ; and that Bro . Controller Bake Avas there , Avho also made a very sensible observation ; and that Bro . Harry Be \ ir , of Warwickshire . Avas there . Avhose name I

trust Avill be handed doAvn to posterity Avith honourable mention ; and no doubt several other very Avell intentioned brethren , as Bro . Bevir ' s motion Avas carried , I Avill most unreservedly AvithdraAV my expression of " infuriated mob . " and apologize for my rash use of so unmasonic a term , and yet as you find it necessary to suppress some of Bro . HaAvkins' remarks A \ 'hich AOU characterise as " severe

language ' expressed "in terms of great indignation , " and refer to " the cm fusion that ensued" the passing of the motion for adoption of the report , it is difficult to select a suitable phrase to substitute . I Avill , therefore , describe them as ' Ignotus " says they describe themselves— " Gentlemen "—Avith my apologies to you and thanks to " Ignotus . " Yours very fraternally , A ICE-PRESll ) EXT .

To the Editor of THE MASONIC STAR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER . I must confess I am surprised at the tone of " Master Mason " ' in your issue of the 20 th inst . Surely ' to obtain peace by gentle means " should be the earnest effort of all good and true Masons , and much more so Avhen the trouble is in connection Avith one of

our much valued Benevolent Institutions . I can hardly see Avhy such course " must surely fail . " I rather think such course Avould bo more likely successful than that he propounds . Of course the " Court is divided into sides ; " has it ever on all points been quite unanimous except in the desire to attain the best

R . M . I . B .

ends by the best means / But these are in themselves points upon Avhich if is possible to differ , though I hope in a fraternal Avay . Then '" M . M . " dogmatiseti . He says , ' If public confidence is to bo regained the PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE must do" so-and-so . Well , fur flic rake of the Institution and Freemasonry generally . ( . ' '»;«(»« c ; i , pnOi 2 Jl )