Here And There.

HERE AND THERE .

I HAVE recently come across a summons dated Stalybridge , 4 th April 1847 , which is as follows : — " W . M ., I beg to remind you that the next M . M . meeting will be held at the Norfolk Arms Inn , Hyde , on Sunday , the 18 th instant , at two o ' clock in the afternoon .

You will be required to pay for two funerals at that time . C . Goddard Sec . In the left margin are the names of the deceased persons referred to , viz ., John Broadbent's wife , Newton ; and William

Clayton , Ashton . A prominent member of the Mark degree seems to be under the impression that the summons was in connection with the Fidelity Mark Lodge , No . 31 , Ashton , but Bro . C . F . Matier

Grand Secretary is not of the same opinion , believing it to be issued by the old Ashton or Travelling Mark , which was merely a Burial Club under another name . I wonder if any of the members are now in the land of the living ?

The question has often been asked of me : — " Is there any truth in the statement that Pope Pius the Ninth was a Freemason ? After a very diligent search I have come upon the following , which appeared in the Siecle ( 1868 ) . " Who would have suspected it ?

The Pope is a Freemason ! Impossible ! it will be said ; but he really is . In the register of a Sicilian Lodge , the minute of his initiation has been discovered , and behold the fraternity , in order to revenge itself for the excommunication pronounced against it ,

publishes the document , accompanied by a photograph representing the successor of the Apostles wearing the Masonic emblems . His Holiness Pius IX . is no other than Bro . Jean

Mastai Ferretti . As Pope , he has his eternal safety ; but as a Mason , he is condemned to the infernal regions . Poor Pio Nono , what a vexatious disaster ! "

Perhaps this will answer my many correspondents , and likewise prove entertaining to others .

o o o A short time ago a Brother , who is a member of a Scottish Lodge , asked me if I could tell him anything about a banner called " The Blue Blanket , " which has sometimes been used in

Masonic processions ? I believe that I have somewhere seen a statement regarding the banner in question , which I think is connected with some guild or other , but at present cannot say which . Is any reader of this journal acquainted with the history of this banner , which I am sure must be an interesting one ?

One of the accessories of genius seems to be a reverse of fortune , and though one ought not to be surprised at the fact , still the information comes like a thunderbolt that one of the most illustrious American writers of the present day has been

ruined by the failure of a publishing firm in which he had invested all his money , bringing him to that condition which is described as " practically penniless . " I always connected the name of Mark Twain ( Chas L . Clemens ) with " Innocents Abroad , " but

never in a sense which indicated personal and pecuniary loss , and feeling sure that this has not been caused by any reckless venture or extravagance , deeply sympathise with him in what must of necessity be a very heavy misfortune .

This is what Benjamin Franklin thought of Freemasonry : — " It has secrets peculiar to itself ; but of what do these principally consist ? They consist of signs and tokens , which serve as testimonials of character and qualification , which are only conferred after a due course of instruction and examination .

These are of no small value ; they speak a universal language , and act as a passport to the attention and support of the initiated in all parts of the world . They cannot be lost so long as memory retains its power . Let the possessor of them be expatriated

smpwrecked , or imprisoned ; let him be stripped of everything he has got in the world ; still these credentials remain , and are available for use as circumstances require . The good effects which they have produced are established bv the most

incontestable facts of history . They have stayed the uplifted hand of the destroyer ; they have softened the asperities of the tyrant ; they have mitigated the horrors of captivity ; they have subdued the rancour of malevolence ; and broken down the barrier of political animosity and sectarian alienation .

On the field of battle , in the solitudes of the uncultivated torest , or in the busy haunts of the crowded city , they have made men of the most hostile feelings , the most distant regions , and the most diversified conditions , rush to to the aid of each other , and teel special joy and satisfaction that they have been able to afford relief to a Brother Mason . " STREBO .

Pretferment.

PRETFERMENT .

IN most secret societies there are many offices which are held by appointment . It was no doubt intended that these places should be distributed among the regular attendants and workers as should be for the greatest benefit of the Lodge . But it does hot always happen so . Civil service reform does not rule

in fraternal matters , and when the elective Officers have been installed it is often the case that those who have attended most of the Lodge meetings , who have shown willingness to help and aptitude for the work , are entirely overlooked and coveted places in the line of promotion given to members who , up to that time ,

came so rarely that but few knew them as Brothers of the Order . The whole affair turns out to be a matter of favouritism . Instead of working to the benefit of a fraternity , the procedure militates against it . What inducement is there to a member to be punctual in attendance , to learn the ritual , to serve pro tem . for

absent incumbents , if these services count for nothing ? It would seem as if a man ' s chances for preferment was made greater the less he was posted and the more he stayed away . We remember a Brother of our own Lodge who showed much interest after initiation and memorised the entire degree work .

At nearly every meeting for a year he was a substitute in some position , and was highly complimented for his ability . But when the " annual " came around his claims for recognition in the appointments were entirely ignored , and the place which many of his Brethren thought he had fairly earned was given to an

almost unknown outsider . It was a cruel disappointment . There was no fault to be found with either character , ability or social standing . The presiding officer had promised the office to a friend , and felt obliged to keep the engagement , although the

welfare of his society plainly pointed to the other man . After that the first-named Brother showed no more interest , and now seldom comes . His short career sadly reminds us of the inscription on the week-old baby ' s tombstone :

If so soon I was done for , What was I begun for ? In this case the appointment , as a matter of favour , was clearly against the interest of the fraternity , and the principle

evidently wrong . That merit should be rewarded should be a law quite as much as that wrong-doing should be punished . Let us recognise it as a part of the unwritten code , and see if it does not work well in our secret Orders . — " Fraternal News . "

Ad00502

GAIETYRESTAURANT, STIR ^ IETX ) . LUNCHEONS ( HOT and COLD)—At Popular Prices , in BUFFET and RESTAURANT ( on 1 st floor ) . Also Chops , Steaks , Joints , Entrees , & c , in the GRILL ROOM . AFTERNOON TEAConsisting of Tea or Coffee , Cut Bread and Butter , Jam , Cake , Pastry , ad lib , at 1 / - per head ; served from 4 till 6 in RESTAURANT ( 1 st floor ) . DINNERS IN RESTAURANTFrom 5-30 till 9 at Fixed Prices ( 3 / 6 and 6 / - ) and a la Carte . Smoking after 7-45 . AMERICANBAR. THE GRILL ROOM is open till Midnight . PRIVATE DIMIBG ROOMS POR LARGE ABD SMALL PARTES .