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Wi)tJltastfttk^iar* THURSDAY , llj | ggjg § JUNE 27 , 1889 .

Edited by W . BRO . JAMES STEVENS , P . M . , P . Z ., & c , & c .

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

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

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

Without m any way holding ourselves responsible for , or even approving of tho opinions expressed , we freely throw open our columns for the proper discussion of all matters of a general character relating to Freemasonry . Correspondents must ho 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 tho writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

lo the Editor if THE MASONIC STAR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , Would you or any of your correspondents kindly throw some light upon the following important subject , viz ., the powers of a W M . to exclude all visitors from a Lodge ? In company with several Masters and Past Masters of this

Province ( Bristol ) , I recently attended the installation meeting of a Lodge , but on presenting ourselves at the Freemasons' Hall , where the ceremony was to take place , we were informed by the Tyler that he had orders from the W . M . to allow none but members of the Lodge to sign the signature book or enter the Lodge , and that all

visitors were to be rigidly excluded . I have searched the Book of Constitutions , but can find no such power given to a W . M . Rule 151 certainly does not apply to the wholesale exclusion to which I refer , where all applicants for admission were well-known brethren .

EXCLUSION OF VISITORS .

The Bye-laws of the Lodge in . question provide as follows : — " That no visitor shall be admitted to the' Lodge until after the minutes are read ( without permission of the W . M ) , and not then unless he be known to or well vouched for by one of the brethren present ; " but even in the Lodge Bye-laws there appears nothing to justify the Master in excluding all visitors after the minutes are

read . The Constitutions are singularly silent upon this subject . It is manifest if a W . M . possesses such power , to what an alarming extent it might be carried to the furtherance of cliqueism and the detriment of the Craft . Yours fraternally , W . M .

* .. * We consider that this is a . matter mum . irhii > L fin 7 ?„« ,. / 7 ,. / * Wti consider that , this is a . matter iipon , which the Board of General Purposes should , decide . If not in their province to do so it ought to be ! What says the Provincial Grand Master ? In our view , the W . M . has assumed a prerogative which no Master of a Lodge can possess ; and , bij his action attacks one . of those landmarks

in Freemasonry which , the Craft generally should , be most careful , lo preserve . "Every Mason who is a , WORKING BROTHER , that is to say , who is a subscribing member of a Lodge , lias a , right to visit an 1 / othiir Lodge as often a . \ it may suit his convenience or his jileasuve . " Brethren , bereave of attempts to remove our Landmarks !—ED . M . S .

LODGE OF UNITY , 183 .

To the Editor of THE MASONIC STAR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER . In your number of 20 th June , you state " We must go abroad for home news ! The South African Freemason says . " At a recent meeting of the Unity Lodge ( No . 183 ) , London , the secretary reported that although the lodge had been at work uninterruptedly

Original Correspondence.

for 120 years , it had never had a Grand Lodge collar bestowed upon any of its members ! " You need scarcely go so far afield , for if you will look back to your number of 4 th April , p . 90 , you will find the item in your reporter ' s account of the i : Unity " meeting of the 25 th May , whence your South African contemporary probably

extracted it . Some brethren—they must have their little jokemay possibly attribute this strange fact to a conspicuous want of merit on the part of our members ; I prefer the reason suggested by a visitor at the time , that it was due to our great modesty . Fraternally yours , G . W . SPETH , P . M . and Sec . 183 .

To the . Editor < / T HE MASONIC STAR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , " Whilst controversy is conducted with prudence and temperance . " Thus you conclude your second Trestle Board par . in your last issue , alluding to the expressions of opinion , through your mediumin relation to recent events anent the R . M . I . B .

Now , sir , for months past the masonic press of this country has offered a pretty good specimen of the sort of temper imported into controversy between masons who have opposite views on certain questions , and the vituperation indulged in has often caused me to think that after all done and said Freemasons are by no means better than , if as good as . the generality of mankind at large . The

example sot is anything but good , and , to paraphrase , one may fairly exclaim " See how these masons love one another . " But leaving aside" all question of masonic obligation . I hold that an impartial critic would be just in saying that the whole performance is more in keeping with the manners of a low class of society , than of men who describe themselves as " Gentlemen . "

Now , sir , I am I daresay extremely presumptuous in offering advice to you as regards the conduct of your journal ; be that as it may , I cannot refrain from pointing out to you that by giving publicity to such letters as appear in your columns this week you are not acting in accordance with your own charter of ' Temperance . " If you had left out the last syllable of this word

I could have understood your action , lake for instance an effusion signed" A Vice-President . " Here ' s a pretty sample of Temper ( ance ) : "Notwithstanding the unfraternal howling of the infuriated , mob who cried ' Crucify him ! Crucify him ! ' " This language , in allusion to the proceedings at the Special Court on the 0 th inst . is vulgar , and is not a statement of fact . You were at that meeting yourself .

and I ask you how you can reproduce such stuff ? There was 110 "howling . " To describe as " an infuriated mob" the body of gentlemen who attended that meeting is a gross and insulting perversion of the truth ; but to say that any cried " Crucify him ! Crucify him ! " is , as you know , so absolutely false as to be contemptible . Then Dr . Morris is " a rusty hinge that perpetually

creaks , " and so on . This might seem clever writing 111 cheap society journalism ; but surely , sir , at a crisis in the affairs of our Boys' charity it is out of place . Pray , sir , let us have a penny ' s worth of matter that is instructive . I am sure if you think it over you will own that this is not . I have not time to go into " Disgusted Lancastrian ' s style , " but

"PRUDENTLY AND AVITH TEMPERANCE . "

don't you think such words as " cooked , hatched , concocted , or fabricated " would read better in some paper other than your own ? It is a curious thing that some people can only express their feelings coarsely . I have been a subscriber to the MASONIC STAR from the first , and gave you credit , after much of the able matter you have placed before your readers , for being a careful sifter of

wheat from chaff , but if your " original correspondence is not to lie conducted truthfully , on courteous lines and in decorous language , your readers would be better without it altogether , original matter from your own pen " crowding it out . " Yours fraternally , IGNOTUS .

* , * For the sake of consistency ice insert , the abort .: letter , althoughit , someivliat condemns ourselves . We certainly agree with- our ciirrespondi'nt , whom we know personally as an able critic , that freedom from vituperation , should be the especial characteristic of all Masonic controversy . And we liojie that seeing the rebuke which has

been , administered , to ns by Ignotus , our good friends , our controversialists , will in future avoid invective . " Calling a spade a spade " may probably be truth denuded , and evidence of manly outspokenness , but a little drapery does not spoil the figure , and , after at ! ,, a , spade way be called a . shovel without departure from correct description ,. — Verb . sat . sap . —ED . M . S .

THE " TRAFALGAR" AT GREENWICH .

To the Editor (/ THE MASONIC STAR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER . Under the heading " Bitter-Sweet" in your issue of the 20 th inst . appears a very hostile and unfounded criticism relative to a masonic dinner held at the " Trafalgar , " at which your correspondent states he was present . So reckless and incorrect a statement merits immediate contradiction , and I trust you will allow this

denial to appear m your next issue . To deal seriatim with the charges brought against this old and justly famed hostelry : — " Diner Out" says " the whitebait had lost its flavor . " This season , more than many previous ones , has been distinguished for the excellence of the whitebait the " Trafalgar " has been able to place before its patrons , and which has earned the highest enconiums from many of the leading members of London

society who have dined at the " Trafalgar " this year . Many names might lie mentioned , high in the roll of our aristocracy , and of our ancient and honourable craft , who have specially complimented the "Trafalgar" on the excellence of its cuisine this season . Again , "the given peas had had their local habitation in a tin , "one Is really inclined to give way to sarcasm on reading so foolish a statement , but it will serve to say , as a fact , that tinned peas are not used at the " Trafalgar . "