Freemasonry And Life Assurance.

many 3 'cars' past admissions of vciy unqualified persons into our Lodges , fast becoming , if it has not already become , a big benefit society ? Otherwise , IIOAV comes it that AVC have to listen to applicants Avho , in some instances , are not even M . M . ' s , and in very many not members of even one or

tAVO years' standing ? But , benefit society or not , big 01 little , we ought in " justice , "—another of the cardinal A-irtucs Ave expatiate upon—to do something to check the floAV of the

improvidence which swamps the masonic soil , and destroys the seed of that brotherly love and relief Avhich should groAv to the advantage of those most deserving amongst us . We

say , that of the amount any man is prepared to pay lor initiation and subscription a portion should be applied to provision against the inevitable ; and rather than it should not be so applied he should select less expensive and

extravagant Lodges . As to state of health precluding assurance , as Ave have heard some say , Ave know better . Here is a packet of prospectuses of Life Assurance Associations beside us . Let us take one at random , —here it is , —and in it Ave find

that second-class lives , as those " whose state of health or family history prevents the acceptance of their proposals at the ordinary premium" ( we quote the SCEPTRE LIFE

ASSOCIATION OF LONDON ) are denominated , can be assured by an arrangement Avhich appears to us to be equitable and , in fact , more to the interest of the assurer than the company .

In that , hoAvevcr , Ave have no concern . Our own policies are issued from other offices , Avhose conditions may be of the same nature and equally equitable as those of the SCEPTRE . We mention that association only in order that Avhat Aye

have said maj' be verified by reference , should any doubt . Well , then , as every man can be assured , and as every candidate for Freemasonry ought to be assured , as well in justice to his family as to the Order to Avhich he is about to

attach himself , that he may not , in the first place , leave those he should protect and cherish dependent on his friends , and , in the second , not hinder the relief of those whose misfortunes have not deceased , Avhat should prevent the

application of a remedy to the prevalent evil' ? Probably , this question may be deemed of sufficient importance to interest many , as well Freemasons as others , AVIIO are concerned in fostering provident habits in early life amongst the population

'generally . To all such Ave are prepared , as far as our limited space will permit , to make public their views on the subject , and , so far as our humlle influence can be made serviceable , to support such proposals as may seem

best adapted for the purpose of enforcing on candidates for Freemasonry a preliminary provision against the sad results which often folloAV upon that " awful moment " to which our attention is so forcibly directed in the most solemn of all our ceremonials .

Mark Masonry.

MARK MASONRY .

The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales will be held at the Holborn Restaurant , London , W . C , on Tuesday next , the 4 th inst ., at 4 for 5 p . m ., A \ -hen , after the confirmation of the minutes of the half-yearly communication of the 5 th June last , and of the moveable Grand Lodge held at Cheltenham on the 10 th July , the report of the General Board Avill be taken . Among the of the

recommendations arising out report , the following will be considered : — " That the annuity payable to male annuitants bo increased to £ 20 . and that to female annuitants to £ 21 , and that a sum of £ 5 be annually presented at Christmas to each annuitant for the purpose of procuring clothing or fuel , or other necessaries ; and that the Book of Constitutions , page 76 , clause viii ., and page 7 ' . ) ,

clause iv ., be altered accordingly . The M . W . Grand Master and the Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year will be respectiA r cly nominated , and subsequently the charity jewels to the stewards at the last Benevolent Fund Festival Avill be presented . The next festival of that fund will be held in July , and brethren willing to act as stewards on that occasion should forward their names as early as possible to Bro . C . F . Matier . the secretary to that fund , at 8 a . Red Lion Square , W . C .

United Grand Lodge Of England.

UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND .

^ T ^ HE Quarterly Communication of be holden y ^ ic \ 2 at freemasons' Hall , London , on Wednesday . 5 th December gj ^ s next , at six for seven o ' clock preciselj r . A Communication from the Most Worshipful Grand Master , submitting and recommending an application from the Body styled " The United Grand Lodge of New South Wales , " for recognition , Avill be read : The

Grand Master and Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year Avill be nominated ; The President of the Board of Benevolence will be appointed and invested ; A Senior and Junior Vice-President of the Board of Benevolence Avill be elected ; as also twelve Past Masters to serve on the Board of BeneA'olence for the year ensuing . The report of the Board of Benevolence for the last quarter

recommends grants to twelve applicants amounting to £ 750 . The Board of General purposes will submit a Statement of the Grand Lodge Accounts , at the meeting of the Finance Committee , held on Friday , the Kith day of November instant , showing a balance in the Bank of England of £ 4 , 021 ! 0 s . 8 d ., and in the hands of the Grand Secretary for Petty Cash £ 100 , and for servants' Avages £ 100 , and

balance of annual alloAvance lor library £ 24 8 s . 7 d . W . Bro . John F . H . Woodward , P . G . Sword Bearer , will move— " That in Rule 210 , Book of Constitutions , the five Avoids , ' receive due notice in writing ' in line 4 , be taken out , and the following inserted in their place : 1 had due notice sent to him in Avriting by the secretary of his lodge in a registered letter to his last known address . ' " " Also , in line 10 ,

to add the words ' who A'ote after the Avord ' present . '" This motion Avill , we learn , be seconded by Bro . Wm . Beavis , P . M ., W . M . Harrow Lodge No . 1310 , and Prov . G . Pst . Middx ., and it being a most practical and important amendment to Rule 210 as it now stands , Ave call special attention to it and strongly adA'ise its general support . An appeal , by the Star in the EastLodge , No . 918 ,

Queenstown , South Africa , against a ruling of the District Grand Master of South Africa ( E . D . ) cancelling a sentence of exclusion passed by the lodge on Bro . William Bands for alleged masonic offences Avill bo heard . The papers relating to this appeal Avill be in the Grand Secretary ' s office till the meeting of Grand Lodge , and open for the inspection of the brethren during office hours .

The following brethren have been nominated for election to the offices of Senior and Junior Vice-President of the Board of Bene-A'olence : —Bro . James Brett , P . G . P ., as Senior Vice-President ; Bro . Charles Alexander Cottebrune , P . G . P ., as Junior Vice-President , and none others have been nominated . The following Past Masters have been nominated to serve on the

Board of Benevolence , viz ., Bros . George Pole Britten , 183 ; William Peter Brown , JI 0 ; Thomas Cull , 1 , 440 ; George A . Cundy , i ) 01 ; Charles Dairy , 141 ; James Burgess Grieve , 1 , 351 ; LBAVIS Christopher Haslip , 813 ; David D . Mercer , 1 , 041 ; George Read , 511 ; FrancisR , Spaull , 1 , 708 ; Robert J . Taylor , 144 ; Alfred Cooper Woodward , 1 . 538 , and there being none others nominated will be declared

elected . Warrants have been granted by the M . W . Grand Master since the last quarterly communication of Grand Lodge , for the folloAving lodges : — No . 2278—The KingsAvocd Lodge , Elstree , Hertfordshire . 227 !)—The Thornham Lodge , Thornham , Lancashire ( E . D . )

2280—The St . John's Lodge , Saugor , Bombay . 2281—The Lodge of Emulation , Perth , Western Australia . 2282—The Lodge of Harmony . Fremantle , Western Australia . 2283—The Euston Lodge , St . Neots , Huntingdonshire . 2284—The Smyth Lodge . Great Grimsby , Lincolnshire . 2285—The Eden Lodge , Workington , Cumberland . 2280—The Albion Lodge , Albion , near Brisbane , Queensland .

2287—The Lodge Mokereta , Wyndham . District of Otago and Southland , N . Z . 2288—The Sitapur Lodge , Sitapur , Oude , Bengal . 2289—The Blundellsands Lodge . Great Crosby , Lancashire ( AV . D . ) 2290—The Fairfield Lodge . Fairfield , Liverpool , Lancashire ( W . D . )

The Board Of Masters And Board Of Benevolence.

THE BOARD OF MASTERS AND BOARD OF BENEVOLENCE .

The quarterly meeting of the Board of Masters and the monthly meeting of the Board of Benevolence Avere held on the 21 st inst ., at Freemasons' Hall , London . Bro . Robert Grey , P . G . D ., President of the Board , presided ; and Bro . J . Brett , P . G . P ., Senior Vice-President , and Bro . C . A . Cottebrune , P . G . P ., Junior Vice-President , Avere present and about eighty other brethren attended .

At the Board of Masters , Avhich Avas first held , the agenda paper for the next meeting of Grand Lodge in December Avas submitted to the brethren . At the Board of Benevolence yvhich followed , the brethren confirmed the recommendations to the Grand Master to the extent of £ 510 . On the neAV list of applicants for assistance Avere 41 names ,

Avhose qualifications for relief Avere through lodges in the London district 28 cases , Upper Mill 2 , Sidcup , Devonport , Doncaster , Melbourne , Weymouth , Newport ( Isle of Wight ) , Bruton , Illinois , Halesworth , Gainsborough , and Harwich . Three cases were deferred , being incomplete . The remainder

Avere relieved Avith a total of £ 984 , Avhich yvas composed as follows One recommendation to Grand Lodge of £ 100 , and two recommendations to Grand Lodge of £ 50 each ; four 1 ecommendations to the M . W . G . M . of £ 40 each , and eight of £ 30 each ; thirteen grants of £ 20 each , two of £ 15 each , three of £ 10 each , and two of £ 5 each .