The Irish Daughter Lodge Of Mother Kilwinning.

in opening this correspondence to request of the Mother Lodge such documents as will establish beyond doubt the authority and regularity of their Warrant as High Knights Templars , which they trnst the justice & honour of the Mother Lodge will not withhold from them . " The arrears due by the Chapter to the Mother Lodge they will request Robt . Montgomery , Esq ., of Irvine , to pay , who is well

acquainted with the Br . thro whose medium I have the honour of transmitting this . " The Brethren have further instructed me to say that want of information of the mode by which their address shou'd reach the Mother Lodge , discover'd by a lucky circumstance within these few days alone , delayed their communication . " I have the honour to be , Most Worshipful Sir & Br ., your obedt .

humble servt ., JOHN RIGBY . Comr . of the Kilwinning Chaptr . of ( Seal ) High Knights Templars of Ireland and S : P : R : C : t

» To Blair of Blair , Esq ., Grand Masr . of the Mother Lodge of Kilwinning . " The seal attached to this document is in the form of a delta , having " B . G . H . K . T . of Ireland " on its base .

" FIRST V OLTJNR . LODGE " is inscribed on the left-hand side of the triangle , while on the opposite line extending from the apex to the base there is what appears to be " INDEPENDT ., DUBLIN . " On each corner is a letter of the Hebrew alphabet

—Cheth being at the left , and Daleth at the right and at the apex . In the centre there is a radiated shield resting upon crossed swords and bearing a skull and bones , and a serpent , above which are the letters " I H S , " surmounted

by a cross . Nearer the apex are three or four letters which are illegible . The motto , " IN HOC STGNO VINCES , " is borne on the shield , on the lower part of which are the figures ( l C 7 QK " + V . »» Ani-a . r . Y . r . l . nVAvr of vwl-ii / iV . tVa T r . A ra V > ar > . > n + r > 5785 —the date probablat which the Lodbegan to

, , , " " y ge work the Templar degrees , ( i 1118 " shown on the delta , is the alleged date of the institution of the Order . The seal was presented to the Volunteer Lodge in 1786 by Brother

Rigby ; but it is not now in its possession , nor had even an impression of it been preserved . It was only on the orig inal of the above communication being sent by us for inspection to Dublin that the Lodge became acquainted

with the design of its old seal , and a photograph was there taken of it for preservation as a relic of its early history . Since the foregoing was penned , we have through the courtesy of a Brother in Dublin , received a K . T . Certificate

granted by the First Volunteer Lodge Encampment in 1837 , the seal of which is a fac-simile of the one above described , with the exception that the date ( 1786 ) is omitted .

The nature of the reply which the preceding appeal would elicit , but of which there is no record at Kilwinning , may be inferred from the fact that on the passing of the Secret

Societies Act of 1 / 99 the Mother Lodge publicly repudiated the observance of any rites save those embraced in conferring the three degrees of Craft Masonry .

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 .

AMERICAN ANATHEMATA . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I was much amused hy seeing , after I had sent my article to yon , au extract from a contemporary of yours , by which it appeared that a Companion Denison , presiding over the Grand Chapter of Louisiaun , thought well to " announce that he had given orders for the issue of an edict of non-intercourse with

the Grand Chapter and Mark Grand Lodge of England on account of the disputes in Quebec . " This act surely is , if correctly reported , not only the " nltima thulc " of crass ignorance , but of impertinent impropriety . It is ronndly a disgrace to American Royal Arch Masonry . In the first place , if Companion Denison has included tho Grand

Chapter cf England in his awful denunciation , it is clear he has neatly " smashed np" that old and distinguished body ; and in the next place ho has shown his entire fitness for his becoming vocation , by beiii " utterly ignorant of the position and teaching of the Grand Chapter of England . The Grand Chapter of Eugland knows nothing of the

Mark Degree or tho Mark Grand Lodgo qua the Mark Degree , or qua the Mark Grand Lodgo . lie assumes , following American and Canadian ritualism , that it has , and therefore he displays , from the great amount of his constitutional and ritual knowled ge , how eminently qualified he is to act as a judge , and issue a decree of exoommonicationt Worthy iinifciaLor of ibea ^ oienilacjaiaiiicjij , whiSn

Correspondence.

burnt Masons by soores , he really is the very best and most fitting personage to revive their ignoble r 61 e . As regards the Mark Grand Lodge , I am one of those who think the Mark Grand Lodge is right in the position it has taken up , ioas . much as its previous occupation of the territory was perfeotly legal ,

and an admitted faot . It probably will care very little about these edicts , but still all such proceedings are culminating , not only in a laughable farce , bnt will do great harm to Freemasonry . I hopB to hear such an aot of intolerance and fatuity disavowed from America . I am , fraternally yours , THE WRITER OP THE ARTICLE "OUR BRETHREN IN MONTREA II . "

J . FLETCHER BRENNAN TO PHILADELPHOS . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER . —Tour iournal of the 3 rd Sent , contains

a very severe course of strictures upon me , by a Brother who signs himself " Philadelphos , " in his notice of a letter of mine written for and published on 23 rd June last in the Louisville ( Ky . ) Masonic Home Journal , and " by request" of some person unknown to me reprinted in your journal of a later date . Allow me space in which to answer

that Brother , who I apprehend is one with " A Student of Bro . Gould ' s History , " and , if I am correct , he should be au fait with the subject matter and manner of Bro . MacCalla ' s treatment of the Philadelphia Mother City of Masonry question whioh is now " settled . "

Bro . "Philadelphos " recognises in Bro . MacCalla a " keen Masonio Student , " to whose studies , & c , the universal Anglo-Saxon Craft owe a debt of gratitude , and broadly censures me for not treating him with that degree of oourtesy his great knowledge and high conduot of that discussion , in whioh he has at length broken down , demands .

If it is evidence of keenness in dispute and high ability in disouesion to put oneself on record ,, as it were , this year in a public magazine ( that published by Bro . Kenning of London , in 1873 ) , that Boston , Mass ., waB the Mother City of Legitimate Freemasonry in Amerioa , by reason of the facts of history so stating , and next year ( 1874 )

publishing in his own journal that Philadelphia , Penn ., was suoh city , and standing out for that change of base during the subsequent thirteen years , with no reliable statement of history to found suoh change of base npon , be evidence of keenness in discussion and high ability in argument , I grant our Bro . MacCalla possesses those

attributes . But is it ? Bro . " Philadelphos" says that I impute " mala fides" and utter " recklessness of opinion to advance a specific view , alike to him ( Bro . MacCalla ) and our eminent Bro . Charles E . Meyer . " To this I answer those Brethren have made it impossible for me to do

otherwise , and refer for my specinations to my " History of a Crime , ' in the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE of the 10 th September . If this is not sufficient , I call upon Bro . " Philadelphos" to publish the story of

the Henry Bell letter , which he will find told by Eminent C . E . Meyer over his own name in the Keystone of Philadelphia of 12 th March last , and add Bro . Gould ' s remarks concerning it , to bo found in his 6 th volnme .

The great desire of Bro . " Philadelphos " to let Bro . MacCalla down easy now after his thirteen years contention and assertion , that Masonry was legitimately established in 1731 , by Daniel Coxe in Philadelphia , and his now total repudiation of that assertion , ou sight of Bro . Gould ' s theory , while he ( Bro . " Philadelphos" ) has nothing

but censure for those on this side of the water who have taken the other side of the discussion , is very noticeable in these his strictures . Bro . MacCalla may be gifted in an extraordinary manner with the attributes most valuable to a fine and masterly writer , but I must confess that I know not anything which he has done within the term

of his editorial life to impress Bro . " Philadelphos " with such exalted ideas of his literary talents , his keenness in discussion , and high ability in argument , so that any person who does not bow down before him , on account of these attributes , may be regarded as wanting in proper courtesy and even common civility toward him .

Bro . Editor , I will occupy your space no further than necessary to say that where , as a boy , I went to school , we had Dominie Dilworth ' s spelling book , and in it a tale with a moral—to conquer a perverse

person , first try pelting him with grass ( chaff Bro . " Philadelphos " calls it ) , and , if that is not effective , next by stones . I had not got to the stones when Bro . MacCalla came down ; of course nothing said by my side influenced him , but as he is down , I am di . ne .

Fraternally yours , J . FLETCHER BRENNAN . CINCINNATI , Onio , U . S . A ., September 1887 .

" A SILVER WEDDING . " To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Next year our beloved and revered Grand Master and hi 3 gracious Consort will celebrate their Silver

Wedding . The Prince and Princess of Wales have endeared themselves to all within these realms , and we Masons have peculiar interest in the forthcoming auspicious event . How cau we best celebrate it ? Fraternally yours , H . N .. No . 211 .

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MASONIC LEUTUEE . SNOBS AND EXCEESCENCES . BRO . JAMES STEVENS P . M . P . Z . is open to accept invitations for the delivery of his LECTURE in METBOPOLITAIT or PKOTIKCUT , L ODGES , OI'LOIKKFS or TwsiBociiojf . AcldrsasK--8 Queea Bwrtwii Place , London , E . 0 .