Stewards' Visit To The Boy's School.

for such a purpose . The Marquis of Londonderry replied , expressing the great satisfaction ho and Lady Londonderry had experienced at being present that day . Her Ladyship took a great interest iu the Craft . He then addressed a few words to the lads , who had contributed to the amusement of the company , aud again expressing tho pleasure : * wl afforded the Marchioness to distribute tho prizes , urged on them

to " 0 on in the hope that they tnight obtain a prize hereafter . The noble Chairman then referred to tho satisfactory state of the School , from an edncational point of view , for which he thought they wore indebted to the Head Master Bro . Dr . Morris , to whom with his

assistants ho proposed a hearty vote of thanks . Bro . Morris briefly rep lied , after which a cold collation was partaken of by those assembled . In the evening seme races and athletic sports took place in tho fields , and , later on , dancing was enjoyel by a very large number of those present .

COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE GIRLS' SCHOOL

THE General Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls met on Thursday afternoon , at Freemasons' Hall , Bro . John M . Clabon P . G . D . in the chair . There were also present Bros . Peters , Dubois , Massa , Tattershall , Woodford , Cox , Richardson , P . De L . Long , Nunn , Ruckor , Massey , Letchworth , Dewar ,

and F , R . W . Hedges ( Secretary ) . Bro . Frank Richardson proposed ( for Colonel Creaton ) that the rank of honorary Vice President be conferred on Dr . Hood , in recognition of his services as honorary surgeon to the Institution , and that the honorarium to the Chaplain be increased from £ 25 to £ 35 per annum . Nine children were placed on the list for election in October . There will now bo 24 candidates for that election .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

All Letters must hear the name an I address of the Write )' , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our ( lor . respondents . We cannot undertake to retiwn rejected communications .

SERMONISING IN FREEMASONRY .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I fully agree with much that Bro . Whytehead said in his letter which appeared in your last week ' s iisue . I believe with him " that one powerful reason why we so often and so sadly find a dearth of intelligent , Craftsmen at our meetings is , that the bare husks of Masonry are served up so perpetually

that men of intelligence and education cannot snbmit to the infliction of being fed on them time after time , to tho exclusion of other matters . " I am , also , invariably pleased " to read or hear of Lodge lectures , fresh explanations of symbols , or anything which may tend , not only to throw light on Masonry itself , but to convey parallel instruction . " For this reason it is I now so seldom attend Lodges of

Instruction , where yon rarely hear anything else from one year ' s end to another than the rehearsal of ceremonies and the working of sections , the painful monotony being occasionally varied by a consecration or a supper . But I certainly did not understand you in your article on the subject as exclaiming against the lectures and explanation which rightly find such favour with Bro . Whytehead , but against

the practice , which widely prevails on both sides of the Atlantic , of preaching sermons at Masonic gatherings . There are , of course , occasions on which references to religion iu the abstract—as contradistinguished from this or that concrete form of religion—are very appropriate . When a Prov . G . Lodge attends divine service , there is ample scope for the Reverend Brother who may be charged

with the duty of preaching the sermon to fulfil that fnnction . without touching on thosa subjects which , while meeting with the approval of some Craftsmen , may be a cause of offence to others . For instance , Brotherl y Love and Charity are subjects which admit of an almost endless variety of treatment , yet with these and a host of other

good points in Freemasonry to dwell upon and enforce by argument , it too often happens the preacher makes his sermon a medium for exalting Freemasonry into a kind of religion . Similarly , in addresses delivered iu Lodges , this confusion of our system of morality with some kind of religious belief is tho reverse of uncommon . It was

against this practice that , it strnck me , your article was directed , and if my construction is right , I hold you deserve much praise for haying'had the courage to condemn what cannot fail ultimately to drive many worthy men from our midst and deter others equally worth y from joining us . It must be borne in mind that onr Constitutions forbid the discussion of reliions and political topicsand I

g , hold that this " Sermonising" yon have decried is an indirect , if not direct , violation of outlaw—a violation of the spirit , if not of the letter . Why , then , when there is so mnch that is beautiful to speak or write about in connection with Freemasonry , should there be permitted in our Lodges or at other gathering's any reference to religion

beyond what is of the most general character , and calculated in no |* egree whatever to wound the susceptibilities of the most sensitive Brother ? It is the great boast of onr Craft that it affords a common & rr \ nt \ A _ . Lf _ r . ,. .. . - ... .. .. « uu oi

o .. uu wmen men au religious taiths may meet together in amit y , but if sermonising of the kind I refer to is to be permitted this ooast must disappear . Fraternally yours , M . M .

Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

To the Mitor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . DB . VI : SIK VNI > BROTHER , — " W . Ii . II . ' s" suggestion that " the five highest unsuccessful candidates at tho last poll—nmlo or female as may be necessary " —should bo placed as soon as possible on the roll of annuitants , is open to one great objection , though I am quite willing to admit that " it is cruel to koep tivo aunuities in abeyance ,

where thero are so many deserving Old People in a state of great poverty and distress . " I believe it is a common enough practice , when it is found that a candidate has no chance of success , for his supporters to lend their votes to one who is likely to get in , the loan to be repaid at the next election , whon tho former ' s chances of sue . cess will bo great , if not absolutely certain . In such a case , of course ,

the caudidato who stood twelfth on tho list of unsuccessful candidates might have stood , say fourth or fifth , had he polled his full strength . Therefore to place tho highest non-successful on the roll of annuitants might involve a certain amount of injustice to some of the other candidates . Depend npon it , tho best plan to over , come the hardship caused by keeping vacancies open for close on

twelve months is to have two olections in the year , a 3 in the case of the Schools . That will not entirely remove the hardship , which of necessity is irremovable , but it will reduco it to a minimum . As another correspondent of yours has suggested , there is very little reason to doubt tho Committee would not pass unrecognised the additional labour which two olections instead of one would entail on

the Secretariat of tho R . M . B . I . Yours fraternally , BLUE PETER .

The Montague Guest Lodge , No . 1900 , will be consecration on Wednesday next , 6 th July , at 4 p . m ., at the Inns of Court Hotel , Lincoln's-inn-fields , by the V . W . Bro . Col . Shadwell Clerke , Grand Secretary , assisted by Grand Officers .

Mount Edgcumbe Lodge of Instruction , No . 1446 . — The weekly meeting of this Lodge was held at tho Harp Tavern , Jermyn-street , Piccadilly , on Tuesday , the 28 th ultimo , Bros . Kircaldy W . M ., Frederick Green S . W ., Richardson J . W ., Skinner , Shand , Prondfoot , F . V . Green , and other brethren being present . The Lodge was opened with solemn prayer , and the minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed . The first and second sections

were worked by Bro . Richardson . The ceremony of initiation was rehearsed , Bro . Prondfoot candidate . Lodge was opened in the second degree , and Bro . W . C . Smith worked the first section of the lecture , after which the Lodge was closed in due form . The W . M , informed the brethren that on Tuesday next , the 5 th July , Bro . J . B . Docker W . M . of the Rothesay Lodge , No . 1687 , would rehearse the ceremony of installation at this Lodge of Instruction .

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