York Lodge, No. 236.

f 0 « William Tell , " which he played on the organ in a most vigorous and effective manner . The newly-initiated Brother , in appropriate terms responded to the toast ; ho trusted he shonld fully carry out the W . M . ' s kind anticipations . The W . M . then proposed tho toast of tho Visitors ; thev were all pleased to seo them ; he wonld call on Ero . Williams P . M . 1509 and Bro . J . E . Shand W . M . 1563 to respond . Shades

After a very excellent tenor song from Bro . Stedman— " The of Evening "—Bros . Williams and Shand responded , expressing their appreciation of the groat Masonio treat they had participated in , and thanking tho Lodge for its excellent hospitality and musical entertainment . The P . M . 's wero next honoured , and after a pianoforte solo by Bro . A . W . S . Hoare , Bro . Professor E . Lott I . P . M . responded in a very appropriate speech . After a splendid basso song by Bro .

Stanley Smith , the W . M . proposed the toast of tho Officers and Wardens . He regretted the absence of tho Junior Warden , through illness . Tho S . W . of the Lodgo however was present , and with his name he would couple the toast . Bro . Hoare sang " Simon the Cellarer . " After a response from the S . W ., who remarked that the excellent working of the W . M . would be an incentive to those whom he had appointed , the Tyler's toast was given , and the brethren geparated .

King ' s Cross Lodge of Instruction , No . 1732 . —A regular meeting was held on 30 th nit ., at Bro . Devino ' s , Blue Posts , Charlotte-street , Fitzroy Square . There wero present Bros . Burgess W . M ., B . Kanffmann S . W ., Birrell J . W ., Devine Treaa ., L . Jacobs as Sec , L . Solomon S . D ., Biarvoy J . D ., Proctor I . G ., Hemmings Preceptor ; also Bros . Guyer , J . Edwards , H . L . Phillips ,

H . M . Levy , N . Vallentine , Smith , Lambourne , & o . After preliminaries , the second and third sections of the first lecture were worked , and the ceremony of initiation was rehearsed , Bro . H . L . Phillips acting as candidate . Bro . Kauffman was elected W . M . for the ensuing week .

Royal Arch.

ROYAL ARCH .

— : o : — Prudent Brethren Chapter , No . 145 . —The regular con . vocation of thia Chapter was held on the 8 th inst ., at Freemasons ' Tavern , Great Queen-street . Comps . Venn M . E . Z ., Haslett H ., Braine J ., E . Moody P . Z . S . E ., N . Headon S . N ., Leggott P . S ., T . Bull P . Z . Treas ., Moon 2 nd Assist . Soj ., Warrington , Cox , and E . H . Thiellay . The Chapter was opened and the minutes of the former convocation were read and confirmed . A ballot was taken for the

admission of Bro . Defriez 45 , who was duly exalted into R . A . Masonry . The ceremony was perfectly and impressively worked by the M . E . Z ., the H ., J . and other officers likewise being perfect in knowledge of their duties . After the Chapter was closed , the

Companions sat down to a very excellent banquet , supplied by Bro . A . Best , and superintended by Comp . Dawkins . The M . E . Z . ably presided , and proposed the usual Loyal and R . A . toasts . Complimentary speeches were in the ascendant , and a very agreeable time was passed . Comp . Greeu Z . 795 was present as a Visitor .

Metropolitan Chapter of Improvement . —A weekly convocation of this eminent Chapter of Improvement was held on Tuesday evening , 8 th February , at the Jamaica Tavern , St . Michael ' s-alley , Cornhill , and was very numerously attended . The respective offices were filled as follows : — Companions

Edmonds Z ., Higgins H ., Lardner J ., F . Brown S . E . and Preceptor , M'Donall Sec , J . S . Fraser P . S ., and the following Companions : — Lovegrove , Kirke , W . Fraser , Rowe , Sayer , Coden , Greenwood , Webb , H . Thompson , W . Green , Clement , Walker , F . T . Pocock and S . H . Parkhouse . After the confirmation of the minutes of last Con

vocation , it was announced that the ceremony of exaltation was about to be rehearsed , upon which Comp . Walker expressed his willingness to act as candidate . The ceremony was most ably performed , and elicited the warmest marks of approval , all the Officers being most efficient in the performance of their duties . This being election night the following Officers wore appointed for the next fortnight : —

Lardner Z ., Edmonds H ., H . J . Payne J ., M'Donall S . N ., Pocock P . S . Comp . F . Brown S . E . proposed that Comps . F . E . Pocock of the Ezra Chapter 1489 and S . H . Parkhouse of the Earl of Carnarvon Chapter 1642 become members of thia Chapter of Improvement , and they were unanimously elected . Afterwards they severally returned thanks for the unanimity with which they had been received as members , and expressed the gratification they experienced at the

very admirable manner in which the ceremony of exaltation had heen performed that evening , and their anxious desire to be present as often as possible , and receive the instruction the Chapter was so well able to afford . It was announced that Comp . Stephens would rehearse the ceremony of installation of Principals on the third Tuesday in March , and as these ceremonies are seldom rehearsed in a Chapter of Instrnction , a great attendance of advanced Arch Masons is anticipated .

HOLLOWAY ' S PILLS—Nervous Debility . —No part of the human machine requires more watching than the nervous system—upon it hangs health and a Vfv . * ' ^ ixeao pilIs are tbo t ) e 3 t regulators and strengthened of tho nerves , ~" ™ w safest general purifiers . Nausea , headache , giddiness , numbness , and mental apathy yield to them . They despatch in a summary manner those ^ stressing dyspeptic symptomsstomachic painsfulness at the pit of the

, , m " aC ^ ' ttMomina ' distension , and overcome both capricious appetites and connnert bowels—the commonly accompanying signs of defective or deranged nervous power . Holloway's Pills are particularly recommended to persons of j 34 j ? and sedentary habits , who gradually sink into a nervous and "" JDUitated 8 tate > unless some such restorative be occasionally taken .

Royal Arch.

We are not prepared to say that Bro . Gladwell has resolved himself into a Committee of Safety for the purpose of protecting the members of the General Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys from tlie assaults of the world at large , and tho FREEMASON '

CHRONICLE in particular . He did , however , assume some snch role , at tho Committee Meeting of Saturday last . No sooner had a chairman been elected , than Bro . Glad , well—who wonld seem to havo been almost on the point of boiling over with ill-restrained impetuosity—rose and drew attention to certain remarks of ours as to certain

statements made at tho last Quarterly Court of tho Institution . Tho Chairman , Bro . Roebuck , very kindly allowed our worthy brother to rid himself in greater part of the burden under which he has been labouring for the past two or three weeks , and then suggested , with a propriety

-which none will question , that Bro . Gladwell ' s grievance formed no part of the business proceedings of the day . Most of those present concurred in this opinion , and Bro . Gladwell was so considerate as to permit himself to subside into absolute silence as to the course he was anxious

should be adopted against this journal . It is clear to us that Bro . Gladwell is ill at ease in the novel character he has assumed , or else he must have been unfortunate enough to enact it for the first time in the presence of a sadly inappreciative audience . We had indulged in the hope

that , after visiting and personally consulting us on the matter , and after we had shown him every consideration in our power , he would have seen the advisability of saying nothing . However , the only sufferer appears to have been the agenda paper , and possibly there may have been

a slight delay in the discussion of that refreshment which customarily follows the transaction of important business . We shall always be pleased to meet Bro . Gladwell and offer him advice in any matter on which he may

desire to consult us . Meanwhile , we commend to his notice a certain proverb , in which the relative merits of speech and silence are very clearly defined , the former as being " silvern , " while the latter is " golden . "

ABOUT THE PHILADEI / PHIA QUESTION . —Bro . J . Norton writes : — " Had the Philadelphia Masons been legitimatised in 1732 or 1734 , Philadelphia would not have played second fiddle to Boston as late as 1749 . "

GOETHE AS A FREEMASON . —Herr Piotsch , of Leipzig , has just published a full and annotated edition of his interesting essay on Goethe as a Freemason ( " Johann Wolfgang von Goethe als Freimauer" ) , which he delivered as a festival oration at the Goethe Centenary , on 23 rd June 1880 . Very few persons , even amongst Goethe ' s biographers , knew that the great poet belonged to the

Order ; and even the few who were aware of the fact will learn many details that are new to them from Herr Piotsch ' s diligent researches into Goethe ' s relations with the Brotherhood and his Masonic activity . It was on the 13 th January 1780 , at the close of his tour in Switzerland with the Duke Karl August , of Weimar , that the poet first applied for reception , and his application was made to

the Master of the Amalia Lodge , Baron von Fritsch , Goethe ' s special adversary at the Court of Weimar . Herr Pietsch prints the letter of application . In it the poet says he has been moved to apply for admission into the Fraternity in order that by acquiring tbe title ancl privileges of a Freemason he may come into closer contact with a number of eminent persons whom he has learned to esteem .

"This social feeling alone , " he adds , "has moved me to ask for reception . " As an Apprentice , the great poet was most zealous and painstaking in the fulfilment of his dnties , and co-operated actively in assisting the needy and distressed , as , for instance , at the conflagration at Gross-Brembach . "Masonic echoes , " says Herr Pietsch , " are to be detected in all the works written by Goethe after the year

1780 , and particularly in his letters to Charlotte von Stein . On the 5 th of February 1782 Goethe and his Sovereign , the Duke Karl August , were admitted at the same time to the degree of Master Mason . Strife afterwards arose , and tho Amalia Lodge was suspended from 1783 to 1808 . In 1810 Goethe was nominated Master of the

Lodge , but ho declined the hononr with so much decision that the offer was not repeated . He frequently officiated , however , as Orator ( Redner ) . On the 23 rd of June 1830 he celebrated his fift y years ' jubilee as a Mason . The address delivered to him by the Amalia Lodge on this occasion is printed in its entirety by Herr Pietsch Globe .

G . T . T . —The law is absolute on the subject . A brother must have served the office of Warden in a regular Lodge for one entire vear in order to become eligible for the chair of W . Master . It does not , however , matter whether he was Senior or Junior Warden or he may have been J . W . for one part of the year and S . W . for the rest of it .

W . B . —We will act up to your suggestion , which has our unqualified approval .