The Grand Mastership.

THE GRAND MASTERSHIP .

THE death of Her Majesty the Queen will have a marked effect on the English Brotherhood—apart from the regret shared by its members , in company with every section of the community , a . t the demise of the aged monarchinasmuch as it will rob us of our Grand Master . The

esteemed Brother who has ruled over the destinies of the Masonic Craft for upwards of twenty-six years will leave the post amid the heartiest congratulations of the Brotherhood at his well deserved promotion , coupled with regret that his present more exalted position necessitates his virtual

withdrawal from active association with Freemasonry , on behalf of which he has done so much during the more than a quarter of a century in which he has been at the head of the English section . It is true that hopes have been held out in various quarters that King Edward VII . would see his way

to continue in Office as Granu Master of England , but we regarded such a condition of affairs as impossible from the first , and the official notification now issued by Grand Lodge settles the matter beyond douot . There are yet some who incline to the opinion that the King will continue in a

leading position , as Protector or Patron of Freemasonry , but we do not hold out any hope of even special titular association with ' the Order with which he has been so long and intimately associated , as it must be evident that leadership of the Craft , even in name , " would give offence in many

quarters , and probably cause ultimate discontent among a large number of His Majesty ' s subjects . Already we have heard criticism that the first ecclesiastical appointment of His Majesty was in favour of a distinguished Freemason , the nomination of Archdeacon Stevens as Bishop of Barking ,

an appointment which was probably settled long before the late Queen was taken ill , but it may not always be so easy to explain away apparent favouritism to those who see in

the . Brotherhood of Freemasonry a special means of approaching the ruler of the empire ; and with so many sects and creeds to consider it will not surprise us if the King wholly disassociates himself from official position in the Craft .

An especial meeting of Grand Lodge is summoned for Friday next , to be held in the Queen ' s Hall , Langham Place , W ., at two for three o ' clock in the afternoon , to deal with the whole subject , and to vote an address to His Majesty the King , of sympathy on the death of the late Queen , and

congratulation on His Majesty ' s accession to the Throne . At this meeting a communication will be made from the Pro Grand Master respecting the Grand Mastership , and a motion will be made to legalise a fresh nomination for the Office of Most Worshipful Grand Master , that made at the last

Quarterly Communication " having become inoperative , " and this having been arranged , a fresh nomination will be made . There does not appear to be two ideas as to who will be nominated for the highest position it is in the power of the Craft to confer ; there is but one name mentioned

throughout the country , and no other will be thought of if H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught will allow himself to be proposed for the post . It that distinguished Brother does allow the nomination we are covinced the opinion expressed by our reporter elsewhere , that his election will be as unanimous and

hearty as was that of his brother , in 18 / 4 , will prove to be correct . We trust—for the benefit of Freemasonry in general—that the Duke of Connaug ht may be able to accept the Grand Mastership of England , and that he may live to enjoy a long and prosperous reign as our Masonic sovereign

Following the traditions of the House of Brunswick , the King has for many years been a Freemason , holding of course , the office of Past Grand Master ; and this secret

The Grand Mastership.

society owes him a debt of gratitude for the inestimable service he has rendered it , not only by his countenance at a time of passing unpopularity , but for the unfailing interest he has always taken in the administration of its numerous splendid charities . Freemasonry has always clashed with

Roman Catholicism ; and . twice have Popes excommunicated all Masons , first in 1738 , and then in 1865 . The Marquis of Ripon , therefore , although Grand Master of the English Order when he joined the Church of Rome in 1874 , resigned his position ; and at that crisis in the history of the Craft

the Prince of Wales came forward and . was elected in his place at the Albert Hall . Ever since that day Freemasonry has made gigantic strides , and new Lodges have been founded all over the country , and the Colonies . Of course , in Ireland the Brotherhood has never been popular and

never will be , owing to the Pope ' s extraordinary condemnation ; in fact , the Irish local papers use " Freemason " as a term of reproach and opprobrium ! It was , by the way , a thing constantly flung at the late Lord Mayor of Dublin , who organised the festivities in honour of Her late Majesty ' s visit

last spring . Last year the King celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his Grand Mastership , and in commemoration conferred " Past Rank " upon twenty-five Brethren , including Sir Francis Wingate , the Sirdar , and Sir Leslie Rundle . And now to have a Freemason upon the throne will prove an additional fillip to this great Institution . —County Gentleman .

* * The expectation that when the King withdraws from the Grand Mastership of the English Freemasons he will be succeeded by . the Duke of Connaught will , upon realisation , furnish a further example' of how Royal brothers have

followed each other m " the cnair of the Royal Solomon " in the past . The most strikine example was furnished in 1813 , when George , Prince of Wales , resigned the Grand Mastership , which he had held for twenty years before and three years after he became Prince Regent . He was

succeeded by his brother the Duke of Sussex , while in the same year the Grand Mastership of what was known as the Athol Grand Lodge was filled by another brother—and the present King ' s maternal grandfather—the Duke of Kent . Opportunity was speedily taken to amalgamate the Grand Lodge

of England and the Athol Grand Lodge under the name of the United Grand Lodge of England , which title the ruling body in Freemasonry still holds ; and the first Grand Master was the Duke of Sussex who held the position for thirty years , while the Earl of Zetland , who followed him in the

chair , occupied it for twenty-six years , a term which the new King has just exceeded . The fusion under Royal auspices not only allayed rivalries but strengthened the Craft , and the extent to which it has grown under its present Royal Mastership needs no telling . — " Westminster Gazette . "

? * * It seems that Masonry may play an important part in the future of the world , if we may believe one of the seers who make a practice of studying the occult sciences . He argues that the new King can easily stop all wars , as Edward

v II . is the " Masonic chief of the whole earth , " and " Mason cannot proclaim war against Mason without perjuring himself in his secret court , to him of greater authority than the public forum . Thus , if all the Masonic rulers under the leadership of Edward VII . combine for peace there can be no war . " So mote it be !

• * * Our Bros . Sir Henry Irving , Sir Squire Bancroft and Charles Wyndham , together with Mr . Beerbohm Tree , represented the theatrical profession at Queen Victoria ' s funeral service , in St . George ' s Chapel , Windsor ,