Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible / or flie opinions of our Covrespnndents . All Letters must bear the name ani address of the IFriter , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of aood W . Ji . f . .. ¦ " *) . o />< > . ; . r < . ' - ' -rql : < - Yi . ' -. / ,, !¦ ¦ , ; . '>?^ tV- ' ' ' Vo .. ; > » >' ,... ;' n l " f \ -: .

~ ' . r . l—MASONIC BLUNDERERS . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CITROKICT . E . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —There is a fable about an unfortunate ostrich which tried to cross a treacherous swamp ; tho poor bird sank into it and conld not extricate itsolf . As its pnny wings were

of no use , it tried to get its legs out by sticking its head into the mud . But when , for obvious reasons , it endeavoured to pull its bend out of tho mire , it was forced to sink its leers again into tho mnd . Our Masonio writers seem to be in a similar predicament—they got into a swamp and cannot , or will not , wholly get ont of it . As soon as one Masonic fallacy is exploded , they somehow manage to hatch

another , or revive the old one . It has been demonstrated again and again that so-called Speculative Masonry originated after 1717 . It is certain that neither the pre-1717 Alnwick , nor Scotch Lodsre records , or the "Old Charges" give any imitation of Speculative Masonry in those clays . True , the Masons ' coat of arms was decorated with a square and compass . But coats

of arms of all other old guilds were also decorated with some kind of p ictures to symbolise their respective trades . No one , however , protends that , for instance , wheelwrights , coppersmiths , weavers , & c , amused themselves at their gatherings with puzzling out the symbolic moral teachings of the pictures on their banners . What reason , then , have we to suppose that Masons , and Masons alone , indulged in

snch speculations ? Tbe recent numbers of the Freemason contain letters tilled with new discoveries about the antiquity of Speculative Masonry . The writers do not pretend to trace Speculative Masonry to the days of Adam , or even those of King Solomon . Oh , no ! They are out of the swamp as far as that kind of antiquity is concerned . But still , they

are not satisfied with the antiquity of 1717 , and mnst therefore try to make it even ever so little older ; and therefore they reason after the following fashion : Elias Asbmolo was initiated in Warrington in a Masons' Lodge in 1646 . Therefore , says Bro . Keuning ' s Cyclopaedia , Ashmole , " is so far the iirst Speculative English Mason of whom we have distinct evidence . " But recently a writer discovered that in

1603 a non-operative was admitted into the Masonic Brotherhood ; the worthy editor of the Freemason , therefore , shifted the beginning of Speculative Masonry to 1603 . But another writer calls attention that in 1600 some gentleman was received into Lodge membership in Scotland , which discovery caused additional rejoicing to tho antiquity yearners . The beginning of Speculative Masonry is now traced to the

year 1600 . Bat , with all dne respect to the respectability and learning of the said writers , I would like them to inform mo what reason or authority they have for nicknaming Ashmole aud other pre-1717 non-operative members of the Masonic Brotherhood as Speculatives or " Speculative Masons . " Surely tbe Masonic Fraternity in those clays

was not the only guild or Operative Fraternity which admitted nonoperatives into its ranks ; but , on the contrary , it was a common practice in the seventeenth century , at least , for guilds to admit gentlemen , noblemen , or even a King into their societies . Each guild , indeed , claims the patronage of snch non-operative members . One illustration will however suffice at present .

In the fourth volume of the Freemason , page 332 , I furnished in . formation , drawn from a work called " Progresses , Processions , " & o . of James I ., by J . B . Nicols ; that in the year 1607 , King James I . and his son Henry , and a host of courtiers , feasted with the " tailors and drapers , " when Prince Henry and the courtiers were admitted to membership of the Tailors' and Drapers' Guild .

King James was also invited to become a tailor , which invitation he declined , becanse he was already a cordwainer . Now , surely , no one ever presumed to call Prince Henry and the courtiers speculative tailors , nor did any one ever style King James a speculative cordwa , iner . The mere fact of non-operatives being admitted to membershi p of an operative guild did nowhere turn them into speculatives ;

wh y , then , do our Masonic 'writers insist on applying the phrase " speculative " to Masons , and Masons only ? The fact , is " Speculative Mason , " when applied to Ashmole and other gentlemen who joined the Masonic Brotherhood in tho 16 th or Lth century , is simply a misnomer ; the very phrase "Speculative Mason" was unknown in the days of Ashmole , and the application

of that phrase to those old non-operotive Masons is but a very recent invention , probably not eighteen years old . Bnt having succeeded in fastening the name ( speculative ) upon Bro . Ashmolo , they most absurdl y come to tho conclusion that Ashmole speculated , and hence tney made him the founder of Speculative Masonry . But since it ™ been found that gentlemen , or non-operatives , wore members of Masons' Lodges before Ashmole ' s time , they are now ready to swear that

S peculative Masonry dates back even to an older period , —the Lord alone knows when . Briefl y then , if our hankerers for " speculative" antiquity cannot lurnish reasonable proof that Speculative Masonry , as explained in our Ritual , was practised in Masonic Lodges in the 17 th century , it ^ hi ghtimeto cease misapplying the word "speculative" to Elias Ashmole and other non-operative Masonic worthies of the 17 th century .

Fraternally yours , JACOB NORTON " , BOSTON , U . S ., 22 nd April 1883 .

Correspondence.

THE ROYAL MASONIO BENEVOLENT INSTITU TION ELECTION FOR WIDOWS .

To the Fditnr of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR StR AND BROTHER , —In reference to tho case of Mrs . Jane Tribe , No . 57 on the List . Tho Into Bro . O . JT . Tribe I know intio"t "'~ fbr TT > . " , 37 " T" ? ot- ? " : rs . r . r ~ v 7 ~ " r ^ X-j— ~ , i >?' . r . 2 a . Ho , like > n ? x \ y nrhoi : of thr pio ' iv / vr . mfrvsu ivo ; ii r-l ;¦ •w ^ r-va i . X ? . c ! revso fcrcuiu ? , v-i o / sll "•. ? . cnjo '>" . '\ " rii , 'i . Iyrirttf ¦ •¦ - ?¦ .- ¦! ^ xre-r-c . Tic j ? cr

•!• . ' . v ¦ ' ; -. : vn ouPi'geriu . Uai ^ n , u > ; ei ; ir .. '•!! ¦; .. ¦ i <; ¦ , cl \ i- aiui his v . 'ifs , e ' ea lady ao ~ : ir . akia ^ vollnf at om- hr . n . 'ij , t 7 r-o . hiRhiy r * : r wcied . After losing her breadwinner , sho followed tho example sot by her lato husband , and energetically went to work to maintain herself b y keeping a school . Deafness , however , set in , and sho w > vs obliged to relinquish that occupation , aud tried tho letting of lodgings ; but her

hearing getting worse and worse , that source of subsistence Ruled hor also . Gradually all hor valuables were parted with , until sho was compelled to seek relief from the Board of Benevolence . What sho obtained from that source gavo her temporary relief , and she now seeks at the hands of Freemasons under the English Constitution , — Brethren , yet strangers , —a place of rest for her declining years . The

late Bro . Tribe having spent nearly tho whole of his life in the Colonies , it comes particularly hard for Mrs . Tribe to solicit interest on her own behalf , as her lato husband was quite unknown to the English Brotherhood . She has , therefore , only his reputation and the merits of hor own case to depend npon ; and what are his merits ? Ho was initiated in the Lodge of Unanimity 604 , Lyttelton , New Zealand , 1858 ; ho was member of the St . Angnstine Lodge 609

Christchurch , N . Z . in 1862 ; W . M . of the Totara Lodge 1241 , Ross , Westland , N . Z ., 1870 ; Dist . G . C ., Westland , 1871 ; District Grand Treasnrer , North Island , N . Z ., 1876 , and died the following year , having been an exemplary Mason for nineteen years . I now con . fidently appeal to the Craft in general , and the Colonials in particular , to come forward and help the candidature of Mrs . Tribe np to , and tbrough , her election . Yours fraternally ,

C . J . PERCEVAL ( V . P . ) P . M . 1607 , formerly of No . 609 . 8 Thurloe-place , S . W .

A BEGGING MASON . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CEIRONICI . E . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — -Almoners and others in the southern counties shonld keep a sharp look out for an individual styling himself James Donovan , St . Patrick's Lodge , No . 4 , Johnstown , New York State , whose statements to me I have proved to be totally

untrue . He was at Chichester on Thursday , the 3 rd instant , and the brethren of the Lodge impounded his documents , waiting information from Johnstown . He is about 5 feet 10 inches in height , with a thick brown moustache , and looks as if he had not suffered much for want of food and shelter ; has a slight impediment in his speech when talking fast . Yours fraternally , THO . MAS FRANCIS

Tho General Commitfctee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys met on Saturday , the 5 th inst ., at Freemasons' Eall , when there Avere present Bros . Roebuck ( in the chair ) , Mather , Webb , Cubitt , Raynham W . SteAvart , Edgar Bowyer , Dr . Ramsay , Don . M . Dewar , W . Maple ,

Rev . Richard Morris , D . D . ( Head Master ) , J . Joyce Murray , H . Massey , E . Johnson , C . E . Soppet , Joseph Cleaver , John J . Berry , L . Ruff , A . H . Tattershall , Alfred Williams , Berridge , Baxter , Gillard , Festa , Adlard , Paas , Venn , Herbert Dicketts , Moon , Goodall , Stedwell , Motion ,

Skeggs , Godson , Saunders , and F . Binckes ( Secretary ) . The Secretary reported the investment of £ 2 , 067 10 s . Eight candidates Avere placed on the list for the October election , and four grants Avere made to former late pupils of the Iustitution . Bros . R . W . Stewart , J . L .

Mather , Edgar Bowyer , Dr . Ramsay , Saunders , Joyce Murray , Roebuck , Hunt , Paas , Moore , Dudley Rolls , and Godson were nominated for the House Committee ; and Bros . Matier , Cubitt , Goodall , Hogard , Soppet , Venn , Maple , and Berridge for the Audit and Finance Committee , after which the meeting adjourned .

The installation mooting of the Lily Lodge of Richmond , No . 820 , took place on Wednesday . Full report in out next .

Ihe Installation Meeting of the Panmure Royal Arch Chapter , No . 720 , will be held at the Horns Tavern , Kennington , on Monday next , when Comps . Bryant , Levy , and Watts will be severally installed as Z ., H ., and J ., by Ex . Comp . James Stevens P . Z . aud Scribe E . of the Chapter .