The Festival Of The Benevolent Institution.

the best wishes of the executive may he realised , and that thc prosperity which has so long favoured the Institution may continue without interruption for all time .

Secrecy.

SECRECY .

I CONSIDER tbo fundamental principle on which the whole of the virtues and ritual of Freemasonry rests is secrecy or silence , and from before a candidate is allowed to enter the sacred precincts of the Lodge till tho closing of the sacred volume secrecy to our noble institntion is the key-note . Many of us have often been annoyed , grieved

and surprised at hearing of our proceedings , and eveh some of our secrets spoken of by the outer and popular world who aro not Masons , and we cannot too often try and instil into the minds of our brethren the wrong they do each other by indiscriminately using the grips and signs

entrusted to them ; in fact 1 think they ought hardly ever to be given except , perhaps , in travelling , or in cases of difficulty and danger , unless in open Lodge . I shonld also like the brethren to be careful in the use of books now unfortunately so commonly in use amongst us , and be

careful not to leave them within the reach of strangers . It has always been considered that the greatest virtue mankind can display , "is to keep his own secrets and those of others communicated to him as such , " and both profane and sacred history abound in numbers of instances

where nations have been successful , or otherwise according as to whether their leaders kept the secret entrusted to them ; and even God himself , the Great Architect of the Universe , when He created man in the express image of Himself , and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ,

though of his infinite wisdom and goodness He thought fit to reveal some of his secrets , they were infinitesimally small compared with immeasurable depths of knowledge he withheld . With all due reverence I uphold it was impossible to communicate to man all His knowledge , for if

He did , He would make us co-equal to Himself , able to create and destroy . It may be asked , if the morality taught in your ritnal bo so good and virtuous , why need resort to secrecy ? To this it can be answered that every guild , trade or society of men , has its secrets which they only reveal to those

entitled to the same . Every government , statesman , general and naval commander , & c . has secrets which are concealed with prudent care and only entrusted to the most worthy and true . We therefore claim a like indulgence as others to use our own right as to admitting

others into our privileges only upon them taking a solemn oath not to reveal our secret and as "How " says in his Freemasons' Manual : "It is a weakness in human nature that men are generally more charmed with novelty than with the intrinsic value of things . Innumerable

testimonies might be adduced to confirm this truth . Do we not find that the most wonderful operations of the Divine Artificer however beautiful , magnificent and useful , are

overlooked because common and familiar . The sun rises and sets , the sea ebbs and flows , rivers glide along their channels . Men and beasts act , and yet these , being perpetually before our eyes , pass unnoticed . "

Our constitutions are well known , as we have submitted them unreservedly to general observation , and we feel assured tbat we inculcate in our ritual , our symbols , our hieroglyphics , every mortal and social virtue . A true Mason should be one to whom a Brother could

go and tell his joys and sorrows , his troubles , anxieties , and distress , feeling assured that his secrets would bo safe and sacred when entrusted to him as such ; but , unfortunately , Freemasons are only , after all weak , shortsighted men , and we often find our trust misplaced . But ,

brethren , do not let us be discouraged by the failures of others , but let us endeavour to uphold the tenets of our system , by living moro nearly as we are taught . Let us

endeavour to take lessons from others' failures , feeling assured that the man who can keep his own and others ' secrets will live respected and die lamented . In conclusion , let me

say—Guard well onr sacred portals ! dear brothers , one and all , Lest some dark stain , degrading , upon our cause may fall , And fix its foul impression within our temple gate , While we can only sorrow , and repent when far too late .

Secrecy.

Guard well our sacred portals ; with keen and wary eye , Lest anght contaminating should pass nnheeded by ; Aud liko the hideona cancer , witVi its deep rooting sore , Strike deep its rankling roots amidst tho ohecquered floor .

Guard well our sacred portals ; it is our special trust , To watch that none pass through them bat upright men and jast ; Leave not the work to others , bnt eaoh his duty make To keep the Temple sanctified for tho Master Builder's sake .

Guard well onr sacred portals ; and keep the entrance sure , Oar symbols , rites , and mysteries will then be quite secure ; Peace , love , and harmony , relief and radiant truth , Will shine in greater brilliancy than in their pristine yonth . —Victorian Freemason .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .

GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE .

To the Editor of the Masonic Review . DEAE SIR AND BROTHER , —The information on page 371 , of tho January number , signed J . N ., I obtained either from one of my English brethren , with whom I correspond , or from an English brother dnring ono of my visits to London ; the said paragraph was

designed for yonr private information only , bnt as yon have published it , I deemed it my duty to ascertain all I conld about it , and to correct errors , shonld I find any . Briefly , then , —In the fall of 1877 , the Grand Orient of France wiped out from its Constitution and Ritnal the question about belief in God . The Grand Lod ge of

Ireland at once passed a resolution prohibiting all the Grand Orient French Masons from visiting Irish Lodges . The Grand Lodge of Scotland referred the subject to a committee . On the 5 th December 1877 the Earl of Carnarvon , Pro Grand Master of the Grand Lodgo of England , introduced the Grand Orient question to the said

Grand Lodge , and recommended the appointment of a committee npon the question at issue . As his Lordship ' s objection to the change made by the Grand Orient of France was based npon an assumption of violating " ancient fundamental landmarks , " I took the liberty of showing up some of the fallacies advanced by his Lordshi p and his class of reasoners , whioh led to a discussion , in whioh some

French and English writers participated , and if memory does not deceive me , a French Protestant clergyman also defended the Grand Orient of France , all which appeared in the London FREEMASON ' S CHRONICIE . On the 6 th of March 1878 the committee appointed by the Grand Lodge of England , at its previous meeting , presented the following resolutions : —

" 1 st Resolution—That the Grand Lodge views with profound regret tho step taken by the Grand Orient of France , in thus removing from its Constitution those paragraphs which assert a belief in the existence of T . G . A . O . T . U ., because snch an alteration is opposed to the traditions , practice , and feeling of all' true and genuine' Masons from the earliest to the present time .

" 2 nd Resolution—That this Grand Lodge , whilst always anxious to receive in the most fraternal spirit the brethren of any foreign Graud Lodge , whose proceedings are conducted according to tho Ancient Landmarks of the Order , of which a belief in T . G . A . O . T . U . is the first and most important , cannot recognise as ' true and genuine' brethren those who have been initiated in Lodges which either deny or ignore that belief .

" 3 rd Resolntion—That in view of the foregoing resolutions the W . Masters of nl ! Lodges holding nnder the Grand Lodge of England be directed not to admit any foreign brother as a visitor ,

unless" 1 st . He is fully vouched for , or unless his certificate shows that he has been initiated according to the ancient rites and ceremonies , in a Lodge professing belief in T . G . A . O . T . U ., and " 2 nd . Not unless he himself shall acknowledge that this belief is an essential landmark of the Order .

" 4 th Resolution—That a copy of the foregoing resolutions be transmitted to the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland , to each Grand Lodge with which this Grand Lodge is in communication , and to the W . Masters of all Lodges holding under the Grand Lodgo of England . "

After the resolutions were read , the Pro Grand Master made another speech , in which he defined each of the above resolutions . In one respect he seems to have modified one of the resolutions , viz .: instead of confining the liberty of the French Masons to visit English

Lodges to those only who were initiated before the change waa made by the Grand Orient , he extended the privilege even to those who were initiated in the older French Lodges , even after tho change was made . His Lordship said : —

" That inasmuch as the majority of the ( French ) Lodges have been in existence before the alteration was made , and it may be that the visitor who comes may either be one who was initiated previous to that change , or subsequent to that change , they felt that there was no way out of the difficulty , after long discussion , except to require him to pledge his word that the belief in the existence of T . G . A . O . T . U . was a fundamental principal of the Order . "