Contents.

CONTENTS .

EDITORIAL : THE XEW KAISER cfc THE FREEMASONS Front pmji LODGE O FFICERS : THE TREASURER .. .. .. Hi THE G RAND TREASURERSHIP , 1 SS !) .. .. .. 4 <> RITUALISTIC NUTS TO CRACK .. .. .. .. 4 <> THE MASONIC POET ' S CORNER .. .. .. .. 47 ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE AND ANSWERS .. .. 47 OUR TRESTLE BOARD .. .. .. .. .. 48

R EPORTS OF LODGE AND CHAPTER MEETINGS .. 4 S . 4 ! i . 50 LODGES OF INSTRUCTION .. .. .. .. 51 OBITUARY .. ... .. .. .. .. . ">! METROPOLITAN REGULAR LODGE AND CHAPTER MEETINGS 52 PROVINCIAL LODGE MEETINGS FORTHCOMING .. 5 _ . 53 . 54 METROPOLITAN LODGES OF INSTRUCTION .. .. 54 ADVERTISEMENTS .. .. .. .. .. 55 . 5 < i

The New Raiser And The Freemasons.

The New Raiser and the Freemasons .

OT the least extraordinary consequence of the accession of Emperor William to the throne of his fathers is the interdict pronounced by the court and military authorities on the

Masonic Order . Both the father and grandfather of the present Kaiser belonged to it and , in fact , ever since the

days of the Great Frederick , it has , as an institution , been regarded favourably in the Prussian capital . The example of the monarch was folloAved by the leading members ol

the nobility , by the chief statesmen of the realm , and by the officers of the army . In society the order enjoyed considerable influence , and proved a bond of union between

different political sections . Even during the heat of the anti-Semitic agitation , Masonry had the effect of mitigating antipathies and of diminishing the rancour of the

persecution . During the struggle for German unity , the Masonic Lodges played an important part in securing the co-operation of the different nationalities , creeds , and

classes . It was , doubtless , a sense of the benefits which it has conferred on their dynasty that won to the order the good wishes and active sympathies of the Hohenzollern

princes . It is , therefore , looked upon as most significant of the reactionary tendencies of the present reign that it

should now be put under the ban . Various reasons are assigned for the movement . Accord ing to one account , the change in the sentiments of the

The New Raiser And The Freemasons.

Imperial family had taken place some years ago , while the late Emperor Frederick was still Crown Prince . It is said to have originated in a misunderstanding between the

latter and the Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge , Bignor Von Dachroden , who was also a court functionary . That , however , would seem to have been simply a

personal controversj " , arising out of the prince ' s disapproval of Dachroden ' s appointment to a certain office . It was only one of several unpleasant incidents that owed their

origin to court intrigues and jealousies , lhat the late Emperor , who was a man of extreme conscientiousness , and would never allow any considerations of a private

nature to interfere with the discharge of his public duties , may have come to the conclusion that , in his position , it was wise to sever his connection with the organization , is a course not inconsistent with what we know of his

character and conduct . But had his doing so been intended as a condemnation of the order , the fact would have been made known long ago . On the contrary , the

antagonism on the part of the court is a new tiling , which has only taken form quite recently . Formerly , young men were initiated in order to gain favour with their

superiors . Now , to be a freemason is a drawback to a young man ' s success . The true source of the reaction is by one German paper assigned to a revival of

antibemitism . Masonry , it says , has been recognized as the bulwark of international Judaism , the furtherance of whose interests is its real mission . By the Catholic

Church , we know , it has always been condemned as the enemy of Christianity , and in Catholic Bavaria a royal decree has been issued forbidding any officer of the army to belong to a lodge .

The high place occupied by the Prince of Wales in the Masonic order shows that in England Freemasonry is not considered to be the foe of social order . But some writers

insist that the principles of British and Continental Masonry widely differ . Against that notion , however , may be alleged the long association with the order of the

House of Hohenzollern . Whatever be the cause of the hostility of William II . and his court , his attitude towards an order to which so many of the princes of his famil y

were pleased to lend the sanction of their names is regarded as additional evidence of the reactionary spirit of the present rr ' qime .