A Brilliant Record.

A BRILLIANT RECORD .

f I lHE announcement of the early retirement of Bro . Henry - * - Smith from the post of Deputy Provincial "Grand Master of West Yorkshire , which is more fully referred to on another page , is an event of more than local interest to the Brethren

with whom he has been more intimately associated—it is , in fact , an occurence of importance to the Craft of the country generally , and will no doubt be so regarded when the time comes round , as his Provincial Grand Master observed , for making some recognition of Bro . Smith ' s long and faithful

. Such an occasion as this also serves to mark the progress of the Craft in our own times , as it is by a consideration of such statements as those made by Bro . Smith as to the extent

of the Craft when he was made a member of it , and its present position , that comparisons are best made , and tbe marvellous expansion of the Order can be appreciated . We

are accustomed , it is true , to mark the growth of Freemasonry year by year , but such figures as are then before us lose much of their importance by the familiarity of the details , or at least do not seem to have the same effect as when we are told

by a Brother still among us , and in the enjoyment of fairly robust health , that during his association with the Order the number of Lodges has grown from 600 to upwards of 2 , 000 , while the number of Brethren in his own Province of West

Yorkshire has risen from 1 , 000 at the time of his initiation , to near upon 4 , 000 when he resigns his appointment as Deputy of the Province . But Bro . Smith has so much of interest to tell the Craft that we refer our readers to the report of his

speech , feeling' assured they will be as interested as we were in reading it . We shall regret the loss of Brother Smith ' s services to the Craft in his prominent capacity , but must join with others in acknowledging his right to a more peaceful

future , although we hope he will be by no means lost to the Craft on account of his relinquishing the high office he has so long filled in one of its most important divisions , where he has taken the greatest interest in every Masonic affair .

The brilliance of the records we are now referring to does not end , however , with the details of Bro . Henry Smith ' s career . True , he has a splendid past to which he can refer , but the same may with equal justice be said of the Province with which his

name is associated , and what is yet more gratifying the prospects for the future are here even more gratifying than the records of the past . The hint of the Provincial Grand Master that the provision of a central home f 6 r the governing

body of the Province might be considered in the future was not made without due consideration , and probable consultation ¦ with the leaders of the district , and we should by no means be surprised to find that something of the kind was attempted

as a living memorial of the Brother who , while doing much for the Province he has long been associated with , has not only Won a brilliant record for himself , but for West Yorkshire freemasonry also .

Amenities Of Masonic Journalism.

AMENITIES OF MASONIC JOURNALISM .

IpOE close on twenty-one years we have worked side by side with our older contemporary in the field of English Masonic Journalism , without , so far as we are aware , any real difference of opinion on even minor matters , much less

an actual disagreement on any item of importance , and we hope the spirit of friendly rivalry it has always been our wish to maintain will be continued , at least on our part , so long as we are associated with the Masonic press . All the same we

cannot pass un-noticed the article in last week ' s issue of our contemporary , which attacks us in so marked a manner as to be really outside the range of criticism that is best passed

over in silence . We will not discuss our qualification to be described as the " carping critic" " betraying absolute ignorance on the subject he has taken upon himself to write about , ' but content ourselves with the observation that last week ' s

outburst in our contemporary is evidently the work of a novice ; perhaps of " an esteemed correspondent , " or else of a new hand . It is well known the late editor resigned the appointment in order to take up a position of honour unde ?

the Grand Lodge of England—happily there is no such blot on that Brother ' s reputation as his successor has already made on his , and if this is an example of the way in which the present editor intends to conduct the paper it can only

be matter of regret he has secured the position . For ourselves we may smile in the knowledge that we have right so far on our side that the most that can be urged against us takes the form of abuse , which , it is recognised , is not argument .

Devonshire.

DEVONSHIRE

rp-lHE Provincial Grand . Mark Lodge will meet on Tuesday I next , Sth inst ., at the Freemasons' Hall , under the presidency of Sir Stafford Northcote , Bart ., C . B ., M . P . The Committee of General Purposes will meet at the Hall at 3 * 30 p . m ., and the annual banquet takes place at the Globe Hotel at the conclusion of the Lodge business .

Sussex.

SUSSEX ,

rpHE annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge will be J _ held at the Queen ' s Hotel , Eastbourne , on Wednesday , 20 th November , and not on Friday , 15 th , as previously arranged . It is expected that H . E . H . the Duke of Connaught Provincial Grand Master will preside on the occasion .

It is claimed for the Devon Educational Fund that its special features should be appreciated locally , the subscriptions being obtained and spent in the same neighbourhood , while the expenses are practically nil , there being neither paid Officers or establishment charges .

The New Concord Lodge of Instruction , No . 813 removed on Wednesday last , from the Jolly Fanners , Southgate Boad , to the Farleigh Hotel , Amhurst Boad , Stoke Newington , where future meetings will be held on Wednesday evenings , at 8 o ' clock ,