Contents.

CONTENTS .

E DITORIAL : " MAY GOD PRESERVE THE CRAFT " .. Front page LODGE OFFICERS : THE INNER GUARD .. .. . . <) 2 THE " ALBERT EDWARD " LIFE BOAT .. .. .. < 12 THE MASONIC POET ' CORNER .. .. .. .. <);? D EDICATION OF A NEW MASONIC HALL AT HULL .. < I 3 N OTIFICATIONS .. ... .. .. .. <) 3

OUR TRESTLE BOARD—NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS .. 94 REPORTS OF LODGE AND CHAPTER MEETINGS .. .. tin R EPORTS OI ? LODGES OF INSTRUCTION MEETINGS .. tin O RIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE AND ANSWERS .. .. « . ) 7 M ASONIC EXCHANGE AND MART .. .. .. its

M ETROPOLITAN LODGE . & C , MEETINGS FOR PRESENT WEEK OS HIGH TWELVE . THEATRICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS .. 100 D RAMATIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS .. .. 100 PROVINCIAL LODGE MEETINGS FORTHCOMING .. 99 & 101 M ETROPOLITAN LODGES OF INSTRUCTION FORTHCOMING 102 A DVERTISEMENTS i .. .. Front cover , 90 , 96 , 103 , 101

" May God Preserve The Craft."

" May God Preserve the Craft . "

AY GOD PRESERVE THE CRAFT ! What a heap of meaning is comprised in this simple sentence ! From the remote ages of antiquity the craft has been preserved ,

and , in spite of persecutions by all sorts and conditions of

enemies , it has ever been triumphant ; ever , as it were , coming to the surface , leaving the worthless dross which lias harassed and annoyed at its proper level—the bottom . Many and great have been the

stumblingblocks which have been placed in its way , a way very often without one ray of that light which we all have sought ; but , in spite of all , it has lived through , and come down to us from the countless ages . We find it

iO-day triumphantly to the fore , occupying the proud position it does . Now , looking backwards , and arguing inferentially—there being no effect without a cause—to what , amongst other things , must we ascribe such

wondrous vitality ? For one , that unity of purpose which ever has been a great characteristic of the members , so far as the craft is concerned ; and for another , the sturdy and

unflinching front which has so often been shown by brethren of position and ability , when repelling any assault which has been made on our Ancient Order .

In this connection we cannot pass over without a few words an incident which occurred on the 21 st ult ., at a meeting of the St . Dunstan ' s Lodge ( No . 1589 ) , when our Brother Lord Mayor de Keyser was present as a guest .

In the course of the remarks made by him on that occasion , we may truthfully say that he did " yeoman ' s service " for the Craft . The loyal and unwavering words

which fell from his lips with regard to the Order are worthy of being written in letters of gold . We cannot do better than reproduce them here : — " The reason why he , when he was called upon some time ago to give vj > Ms Masonic Association , which for so many years he had

" May God Preserve The Craft."

chci'hheil xo dearly , refused , to do it , was . as he then paid , ' As a Mason , I practice nothing which is incompatible with the laws of God or man . and I shall remain a Mason . ' He refused altogether to have anything to do with such an act of intolerance . " '

This is an instance of sturdy resistance to oppression , and should be treasured in the hearts of all our brethren .

Brother de Keyser speaks m no uncertain or wavering tones , never halting between two opinions , but clear and cutting as a trumpet blast says , " I altogether refused to have aniithinti to do with such an act of intolerance . "

One might have thought that in these days the ancient bigotry of a certain section of the religious community would have vanished—but , alas ! this is not the case . In our last issue we published an extract from a work dating

some 150 years back , m which the following words occur : — " And the Pope , in spite of his infallibility , cannot prevent persecution creating an importance for Freemasonry

which it would perhaps never have acquired without it . " Truly , history repeats itself , and " there is nothing new under the sun . "

Whatever else our Masonic tenets inculcate—and there are many great and useful truths therein included—the two , " Fear God ; and honour and obey the law , " ought always to be considered by those who are not of our Order ,

as a sufficient guarantee that the rectitude of the charter by which we are one and all bound is ever maintained ; and , as Brother Philbrick recently stated , embody the great

principles which some day or another will prevail all over the world—true brotherly feeling , and an appreciation of what is good everywhere .

Of course , in a society such as ours , whose branches are spread over the four quarters of the globe , there must necessarily be found , as well as in every profession , trade , or community , members who , by sins not only of omission

but of commission , cause strictures—often in no nattering terms—to be passed upon the whole body by the uninitiated ; but calm reflection should teach that judgment based on unsound premises is not trustworthy , and that

to deduce from one or one thousand men ' s conduct that the system , per se , is bad , is illogical and false . In conclusion , let us remind our readers that there is an old

adage , " Help yourself and God will help you , " which might fairly be supplemented thus , " Help one another , and God will help us all . "

Bearing in mind the great principles on which our Order is founded , may we pass on to our children , pure and unsullied as we received them , the virtue and beauty

with which they are invested , and teach their lips to continue , and in turn pass on to another generation , the prayer in which we all unite to-day , " May God preserve the Craft . "