Reminiscences Of A Secretary.

invited me to go with him to one of their meetings . They were then all the rage ; they held seances at a dollar a seance , and I agreed to go with him on the following Sunday . The place of meeting was afc Hope Chapel , on Broadway , somewhere near Eighth Street , which was afc that time tho headquarters

for every crank in the city ; every ism in religion , commerce , or politics was aired there . Every itinerant with a - " theory" would find a lodging here and air his vapourings in Hope Chapel . The following Sunday I accompanied Brother Houdnaugh to t ' . b " church , " with the faint hope thafc possibly I conld- be of use to

him in his ardent search after truth , but tho audience I met in the place did not encourage me much . A motley crew indeed . Men with their hair parted in the middle . Women who parted their hair on the sides . Men with cloaks and capes and shawls , and women with coats , high hats and bloomer pants . Men with long hair

down their shoulders , and women with hair cut as short as a Fourth Ward heeler at a primary . Women with high standing collars , and men with long rolling collars . And while they all spoke English , so-called , you could hear the broad H ' englisb , " you know , " of the Queen's subjects , intermingled

with the nasal twang of the Yankee , and he with the sweet brogno of the Green Isle would discourse with his neighbour , von der Vaterland , midst the very lively gesticulating of a little Frenchman , who seemed to be just in his element . And cranks of all sorts were here ; each one had a " theory " of

his own—social theories , religious theories , patent ways to reform all mankind , improve the climate by decree , fasten fche moon so as to have it full all the time , hence increase vegetation , crops plentiful , living cheap . Result—no poverty , no crime ; in shorb , millennium .

The odour of these people was as eccentric as their theories , and as varied as their apparel . The garlic of the Frenchman intermingled sweetly with the sauerkraut of Hans , and the fumes of tobacco were as strong as both combined .

After considerable buzzing and desultory talking , the little bandy-legged Frenchman clambered upon the platform , and , as was meet and proper for such an assemblage to do , he nominated a woman as chairman of the meeting . This lady , I found out afterwards , was his wife . She weighed about two hundred and fifty lbs .

avoirdupois , and her hands and feet were twice the size of those of her little man . She had a deep , guttural voice , which sounded very funny when she was talking to her husband , who squeaked in a sharp falsetto voice . Her subject was , " The Protection of Infants . " The small baby now was at the mercy of its mother . It was only

last week she read of a dead infant being found in an ash-barrel ; hence , all babies should be taken away from their ignorant and erne mothers , and the State should take care of them all , & c , and muohl ; more of similar twaddle . The audience , however , were very list . less ; they were waiting for the " medium , " who was behind a

little curtain drawn across one corner of the platform , and was supposed to try very hard to go to sloop , which I thought was indeed a very hard thing to do , hearing this big woman and her sonorous voice , and occasionally , to emphasize her words , she wonld stamp

her big feet . When at last tho medium was thought to be asleep , or , as it was termed , in a trance , tho two hundred aud fifty pounds of petticoat subsided , ancl her little Frenchman drew aside the red cotton curtain , and exposed to view the most beautiful woman I had

ever seen . Upon a large easy-chair sat , or partially reclined , an angel , attired in earthly female attire . Her eyes wero half-closed , and her shapely waxen hand and tapering fingers hung listlessly by her side . The inevitable little Frenchman rolled the chair forward and towards the

front of the stage , and then politely stood aside . Solemnly and slowly the ethereal apparition arose , and as she stood up before that vulgar asemblage , the contrast was most striking . Clad in light and becoming dress , showing a beantifnl symmetry of shape and figure , Bhe looked the very picture of Raphael ' s Madonna , and when she

opened her eyes , ofthe purest dark blue hue , full of sad and melancholy expression , I did not wonder that the people before her believed in her , and it seemed to me they would have endorsed anything , any doctrine , however absurd , that came from the lips of this angelic creature .

After looking over the heads of her audience awhile , she sank down again on her chair , and closed those beautiful eyes , her long silken eyelashes showing upon her face , which was partly hidden by long , fair golden cnrls , banging down below her waist . She sat awhile , breathing heavily , and finally a woman from the audience

stepped toward her and began to question her about the spirits , known and unknown ones ; American , English , German , French , Greek and Roman spirits passed in quick review before the closed eyes ofthe angel on the stage ; every one asked questions about the departed—about their welfare , their doings , their occupations , & c .

My Bro . Houdnaugh was very much interested , and seemingly believed thoroughly in the manifestations , and during a lnll in the proceedings he asked me what I thought of ib . I told him I thought the girl was very beautiful , and was boing used by some one to impose upon a credulous lot of fools , and if he was searching for

truth in Hope Chapel he got on the wrong track . The " medium" finally sank down exhausted in her big chair , and the little red enrtain was drawn to hide her from the audience , wheu other speakers arraigned the present system of about

everything in existence . The whole was interspersed by occasional music , hammered out of an old organ by an elderly gentleman , wifch very longhair , but with very little musical talent . Before tho audience was dismissed , a collection was taken np by the general factotum , the little Frenchman .

We left together—Bro . Houdnaugh and I ; and whan we reached the street I asked the question , how it was possible thab sensible men and women could be carried away by such unsubstantial humbugs ? Tho angol of Hope Chapel figured afterwards prominently before the people in a celebrated divorce suit , she tried to win from her

Reminiscences Of A Secretary.

husband , a Professor H , and truth was very sparingly handled by both sides . And Bro . Houdnaugh dropped from the roll for non-payment of dues . He gradually lost interest in Lodge affairs and ran behind in his

dues , and I tried to collect theso from him but could nofc . I tried fco show him that truth and honesty usually go hand in hand , and thafc his dues were an honest debt , but it was no use . In his earnest and ardent search after truth he lost sight of ns and his Lodge , and whou tinallv his name was called out aud the Master asked for any reason

why this Brother should not be suspended ( the term then used ) , no one answered , but as usual all eyes turned towards tho Secretary and I answered the silent queries by moving the " usual course , " and out he went , out in the dark , oufc from among us , oufc wifch fche great army of non-affiliates .

It was only another case of straw-fire enthusiasm ; another instance where men expect too much . Whenever a perfect man can be found who will bring perfection to his Lodge , he will surely find perfection within the Lodge , and among his Brethren , but thafc perfect man has nofc yefc been found , and those who honestly and

earnestly search for truth will find it , if they are only capable of seeing it ; and our system is all right . Masonry teaches Divine truths , which can never , never be controverted , and is as near perfect as poor weak human nature will allow it to be . If any improvement is wanted or needed , let us commence wifch ourselves . —N . Y . Dispatch ,

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 commtinicafrio * ris .

WHAT MANNER OF MEN ARE THESE ?

To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . "Are things what fchey seem ; Or is visions about ? Is our civilisation a failure ? " — BRET HARTE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I read in your pages last week , with sad

regret , fche two letters signed respectively "E . J . G . aud "A LOYAL MASON , " and am afc a loss to reconcile oar boasted Freemasonry with the particulars your correspondents set forth . In the one case we havo an example of the commission of one of those sins " for which we affirm with our months tho curse of God to

be clue , " that of removing a neighbour's landmark ; in the other a sp-cimen , unique in every respect , of that hitherto understood anomaly , " a disloyal Mason . " We read that iu the olden days , and in the Primitive Church , there was a godly discipline , and such persons as he of the one case were

" put to opyn penance and punishment ; whilst ho of the other found in the pillory the fitting reward of his disobedience to the command , " Honour the King . " Your correspondent , " E . J . G . " tells us of a memorial stone " tampered with aud desecrated " by the presumed unwarrantable removal

of a Brother's name originally inscribed thereon . Can such a thing be clone without remedy p In common fairness I ask for the fall corroboration of the statement in such a manner as to enable honest members ' of the Craft to " spot" the transgressor , and show him , by their open contempt , their strong opinion of his dastard deed . And if

the chivalry of Freemasonry bo not a thing of the past ; if there really be a meaning to the promise to support and defend an injured brother ; then I maintain that the Brotherhood should not rest until restitution is made to him whose " landmark " has been so " ruthlessly removed , " whoaver thafc Brother may be .

As to the " Un-Masonic cad referred toby your correspondent , " A LOYAL MASON , " his associates will doubtless let his name be known wherever he is likely to be met with , and " Coventry " will assuredly

be his reward for his unseemly conduct . For such is the strength of Masonic loyalty , as well to fche Crown as to our Grand Master , thafc all Freemasons but the one mentioned would unhesitatingly echo Emilia ' s wish : —

" 0 , Heaven , thafc such companions fchou'dsfc unfold ; And pufc in every honest hand a whip , To lash the rascal naked through the world . " I am , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , JUSTITIA .

Surrey Masonic Hall.

SURREY MASONIC HALL .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON S CURONICLB . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —So ifc is more dreadful than I thought in regard to the Memorial Stone afc the Surrey Masouic Hall . Your correspondent E . J . G . says it has been tampered with and '' desecrated . " I imagined that by somo mysterious process the atone had

HK-. 'oIy rct- 'iimerl its primitive inscription . Stonea when " carved , marked , indented on , " especially with names , become historical and should not bd tampoivd with . What , if tho historic sfconiM of a city , which aro preserving from

Lethe somo of its magnates , were to be visited iu du id of night by Brown , Jones or Robinson , and the name obliterated for that possessed by the B ., J . or R . in question . Thu future archccologisfc would liko myself be P . Z . L . D .