Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cornwall.

P . G . S . B . 1528 , J . M . Thomas P . G . O . 967 , George Barnes P . G . Pnrs 1164 , W . Rookes P . G . Assist . Pars . 331 ; Stewards : —T Hawken 1529 ' J . Crang 330 , P . F . Sincoe 789 , W . Foxwell 1071 , J . C . R . Crews 131 , N . Henwood 1164 , T . Wise Tyler . From the Subscription Rooms the P . G . Lodgo then proceeded in procession to the Dauheved new Masonio Hall , where the P . G . M .

consecrated that building in due form to the purposes of Masonry . Tho Hall is a handsome and substantial building , erected by the Dunheved Lodge , in the environs of Lauuceston , on the Plymonth-road . Bro . Hine , of Plymouth , who is a member of the Lodge , was the architect . Tho new Lodge room was very handsomely fitted up , and is provided with a convenient alcove in tbe south-east angle as an organ chamber . VV . Bro . VV . VV . Dymoncl P . P . G . O ., with the assistance of

W . Bros . J . Rendall , T . Goodall , ancl G . Firks rendered the musical parts of the consecration . At the oloso of the consecration the P . G . Lodgo was closed in the Now Hall . A largo party of the brethren then adjourned to dino at the Central Subscription Rooms , where tho P . G . M . presided . A bazaar was held daring the afternoon and evening iu the grounds of the Castle in aid of the building fund of tho new Masonio Hall , and was continued the next day .

Correspondence

CORRESPONDENCE

We do not liold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessa / rikj for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

THE COMMEMORATIVE LIFEBOATS . To the Editor O / T HE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . SIH , — "Photophilus" may rest perfectly assured that the members of " Dnncombe Lodge " will perform their part properly with respect to the Lifeboat to be launched at Hope . "Photophilus" should never bo ashamed to acknowledge the truth ; if " he doesn ' t know , " why be ashamed to say so ?

" Photophilus , " who has been informed that the Lifeboat Institution is preparing for the occasion , will perhaps enlighten the public and let us know what preparations have been made . " Photophilus , " living in the neighbourhood of Hope Cove as he does , may perhaps inform us if the boat house to hold the boat is ready yet ; or even begun , for if no arrangement is yet made for build .

ing , more than settling on the site , it is , to say the least , ridiculous to suppose the house can be built iu three weeks , by which time the Devonshire Association will be visiting the town . "Photophilus , " should he ever visit Duncombe Lodge , will hear what arrangements are making , but in the meantime he may rest

assured the W . M . of the Lodge aud all the brethren will not be forgetful of their responsibility iu making such an event a noteworthy day amongst the Masons of the district . " Photophilus , " if he loves light , would do well to come to Dun . combe Lodge for enlightenment , and render the Lodge the benefit of his suggestions and assistance . Yonrs truly and fraternally , P . M . 1486 , Duncombe Lodge . 10 th July 1877 .

RITUAL OE THE ROYAL ARCH .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —A letter , under tho above heading , by Bro . Gottheil , appeared in your paper of 19 th May , wherein he states , " There have been , and still are , brethren—my humble self amongst the number—who have earnestly ancl strongly protested against the incongruities which have either inadvertently crept in or were

designedly incorporated into one of our most beautiful rituals . But of what avail are the solemn protests , unless the authorities can be induced to examine these matters , and either , by legislation or otherwise , bring about the desired amendment , " and he wound up with " perhaps some of your learned and very able correspondents may be induced to offer suggestions .

With all due respect to Bro . Gottheil , I think that instead of appealing to the learned for suggestions , he ought long ago to have petitioned the Grand Chapter to remove the incongruities from tho ritual . As to the learned , I have great respect for them , providing , however , they combine a love of truth with sound common sense . England once owned " the most learned fool in Christendom , " and I am sorry

to say that a majority of our Masonic luminaries are evidentl y defective either of common sense , or of the desired lovo of truth . From these , as a class , Bro . Gottheil will get no suggestions that are worth anything , ancl should our brother petition tho Grand Chapter , he would expect to encounter the opposition of these learned pundits , who will endeavour to demonstrate that the R . A . ritual is precisely the same as it was two thousand or more years ago ; that it is perfect , and

always was so , and that any attempt to improve it , by addition or omission , especially the latter , would most assuredly destroy the whole Masonic fabric , & c . Now to overcome these seemingly overwhelming arguments , other learned authorities must be adduced to rebut their assertions . I therefore take the liberty of calling attention to two very learned authorities I found in the Freemasons' Quarterly Magazine , 1853 . The first is ou pages 543 . 4 , & c . An address by the R . W . Bro . William

Correspondence

Tucker , Prov . Grand Master of Dorsetshire , and Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the 33 rd degree , who said : — " The Royal Arch degree , as used by the Grand Chapter , has been so often altered and amended ( the last time in 1835 , when it was rearranged by the Rev . Adam Brown , Chaplain to H . R . H . the late Dnke of Sussex , in the elegant language we now find it in ) that it is

almost impossible to recognise the degree first adopted by Bro . Dnnckerley and others in 1872 , when it was first taken up by the moderns . " On page 677 of the same volume , may be seen a letter to the editor signed - } - 18 ° , or possessor of tho 18 th degree . This , of course , will enhance his authority in the estimation of some , and what is

better still , I have not the least doubt that the Rev . Bro . George Oliver was the writer of that letter ; aud now here is his statement : — " The Royal Arch , as now practised , was the compilation of several Christian degrees under the rite of the thirty-third , by the Chaplain of the Dnke of Sussex in the year 1835 , who , being possessed of a smattering of Hebrew ( which by tbe way he does not always employ

correctly ) , got np this scenic degree , containing covertly the doctrine of the Trinity , and which in the present day is freely taken by those who object to Christianity in Masonry . " I confess , however , that I entertain no very exalted opinion of the veracity or judgment of the late Dr . Oliver , and I will add ( though it may tend to bring clown npon me the wrath of the learned ) that

I have very little faith in statements made by high degree advocates , and high degree recruiting sergeants ; for , in that capacity , my two learned authorities above quoted appeared in the Magazine . I cannot oven understand how a degree in which Zernbbabel , Ezra , and Nehemiah figure as principal personages , could have been compiled out of Christian degrees . However , all things are possible with

Masonio degree mongers ; it is certainly highly probable that Christianity was lugged somehow into the R . A . even in tho last century . But one thing is certain , viz ., the intervening time between 1835 and 1853 was only twenty-three years , and it is very improbable that Dr . Oliver would have made such a glaring misstatement , while so many brethren were living who could have contradicted him ; we may , therefore , take for granted that the Royal Arch Degree

underwent some very important tinkering in 1835 . Armed , therefore , with the above authorities , I hope and trust that Bro . Gottheil and his friends will now muster sufficient courage to petition the Grand Chapter , that it should , either by special legislation , exclude disbelievers in the Trinity from the Chapter j or , to order a revision of the ritual , and conform it to the true spirit of Masonic universality . Respectfully and fraternally yours , JACOB NORTON . Boston , U . S ., 29 th June 1877 .

MASONIC BOYS' ORPHAN SCHOOLIRELAND .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I beg to lay before you au analysis of tho list of subscribers to the above excellent Charity , and I hope we may all be stimulated to give it a more hearty support than we have heretofore done , for certainly there ought to be a larger number of subscribers than an average of 3 - 7 for each Lodge . Faithfully and fraternally yours ,

P . G . C . YZNEREDI P . M . No . of Official Vice Patt-ona Lifo Annual Total No . Average Lodges Gover- ancl Vice Gover- Gover- ot Gover . to each in each , nors . Presidents , nors . nors . nors . Lodge . Antrim 78 20 5 28 46 99 1-27 Armagh 22 14 1 3 24 42 1-9 Connaught N . ... 5 7 — — 12 19 3-8 Ditto S . ... 5 10 — " 1 2 13 2-6 Derry 22 9 1 " 4 4 18 -81 Down 46 10 1 1 1 13 -28

Dublin 34 76 29 121 275 501 14-7 Meath . 10 7 . — 3 3 13 1-3 Midland 10 5 — 1 7 13 1-3 Munster 15 28 3 13 74 118 7 ' 86 Ditto N . ... 9 22 2 6 29 59 6-59 S . Eastern ... 7 15 1 4 59 79 11-28 Tyrone 18 16 — 5 8 29 1-61 Wicklow ... 7 9 1 4 35 49 -7

Total ... 288 248 44 194 579 1065 3-69

POWERS AND PRIVILEGES OF A MASTER . To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . SIR , —I am sorry that I should have run foul of your Correspondent " Comns , " and have excited his alarm lest I should " pummel him to a jelly" when he may , by your courtesy , want to ask another question , for I assume I may consider him and W . M . Regispons as

one and the same . Bat he has completely ignored in his reply the evils to which I referred , which would be tho natural result of the W . M . relegating his duties to other brethren . Do we not maintain that the W . M . should be ( of course , irrespective of tho P . M . ' s , or even of all the P . M . 's " rolled into one" ) the best man in the Lodge , the brother most fitted for the task of

ruling the Lodge , —for preferment we profess is , according to merit and ability . Hence I assume the VV . M . having been chosen for his ability , is the fittest man to work the ceremomes , and if fitted , and he seeks to be relieved therefrom , am I wrong in saying " he is shirking his work ? " Does it add to the beauty of our ceremonies for the Master to cut his work up into fragments , that the way to the Chair may be made more easy ? I contend , for the integrity of