Correspondence.

COERESPONDENCE .

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 communications .

OUTSIDE CLAIMS ON MASONRY ,

To the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Now that the St . Paul's question has been disposed of , it may be worth while glancing backward a moment . Here have we been hesitating for months on the simplest matter , and actually while our funds for benevolent purposes are notoriously quite insufficient for the demands upon them—while all sorts of means have to be resorted to in

order to keep up our Charities—we aro still so senseless and wedded to the love of fossilized " bounce , " as to permit the entertainment of any discussion involving expenditure of such a sum as £ 30 , 000 at present ! We have only to read the oratory (?) on both sides , to seo to what we are drifting . Would any sane man expect to raise that sum for the fearfully pinched Fund of Benevolence by the same means as suggested to complete the Cupola and Transept of St . Paul's Cathedral ?

Truly this " great" assembly might well attain to something beyond a general exchange of compliments , and even then lay claim to be but " passable " as a legislative body . But I will be merciful ; for I sincerely sympathise with any Brother accessible to reason , who is allowed to pose as a burnt sacrifice , no matter whose pomposity derives amusement therefrom . I am informed that tho Keepers of that profoundly worshipped and oft-lauded

" ear " of Grand Lodge , earned it off on this occasion with o . tenant inside , which is however no satisfaction to me . The " ear" referred to is " copyright , " and it simply means a combination or union to prevent anybody using it without a licence , which is probably no great evil unless middle-men " ring the changes " on it . I am not sorry , however , at any time to hear of retributive justice of a harmless nature .

With the object of Bro . Woodward ' s proposition I am entirely in accord by personal and religious sympathies ; but in Grand Lodge I am a Freemason , and strive never to forget it . No doubt people will be led by the nose rather than think ; but unfortunately for the Craft this genus has an inconvenient way of suddenly turning round and attacking the officials , his keepers , so I avoid him . The antiques in Grand Lodge are too precious to come in contact with him . They might be ousted and put away . Yours fraternally , A PAST PROVINCIAL OFFICER . ' 7 th September 1895 .

MASONS' ADVANTAGES .

To the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —With regard to the utterances of the R . W . Prov . G . M . for Cheshire , I quite agree with your correspondent " A Cheshire P . M . " As I read your issue of the 24 th ult ., the phrase " there were distinct advantages in the matter of provision for tho aged and infirm and the education of the young , " did not seem to me , as addressed to Masons , liable

to misconception . Had Lord Egerton been addressing a Friendly Society he probably would not have called their benefits advantages—in one case advantages are held out to Masons of contributing the provision , & c , with a general right to participation in case of need—while in the other it is simply benefits purchased and paid for . I have had experience of both ; we Masons are entitled to our advantages as a right , the Friendly Society makes no fuss about this , but always promptly pays its obligations .

However , the " grit" shown by yonr correspondent on a moie important subject is as new to me ns it is refreshing . Idolatry is nowhere carried out as in the Masonry of to-day . To fall down and worship the image we set up is one of the strange signs of the times ; " to please him , and it docs not hurt us you know , " whispered as we venture to call attention to the

unprophetie look and demeanour of the God , does not improve matters . It seems to me that any wrong can be made right provided it bears the imprimatur of the proper priests ; but he who dares to suggest so simple a matter as " a place for everything , and everything in its place " awakes the sleeping Argus , to be followed by Jupiter ' s thunder .

As " A Cheshire P . M . " says , hypocrisy and Masonry cannot very well thrive together . In effect , what he writes as to the unhappy position of tho distressed Mason is what I know to be true , but I give three instances which havo troubled me some time :

1 . Charity Steward P . M ., owing to losses in trade , reduced to poverty . Fortunately a bachelor , struggled on short rations rather than face Masonic Charity . Helped by my Lodge , but too lato to reclaim him ; took to drink as a solace ; died broken-hearted , after six months of mental and bodily misery .

2 . Charity Steward P . M ., married—wife and daughter have been obliged to do needlework and give lessons in accomplishments of various kinds . In great distress—husband ill , and of course badly nourished . Prefers starvation to facing Masonic Charity . 3 . Charity Steward P . M ., married—husband a distinguished Brother , whose mere acquaintance was sought after high and low everywhere a

fewyears ago . Has titled friends , Masonic and others , and has been more than once acknowledged to have clone more real good for the Craft during the last twenty years than any single member of the Fraternity . Past Provincial Officer , Past 1 st Principal , & c . Wife , son , and daughter at present earning the food they get . This gentleman was well off some years ago , as a Merchant , and had to suffer for the sins of others . Ho has been three

months suffering from illness . He has been out of employment nearly two years , and was known to be starving twelve months ago . Pressed into an appeal to the Fund of Benevolence on account of the sufferings of his famil y , the appeal itself was the subject of contention between Lodges as to which should " father " it , —its tenor entirely altered from his own explanations

and after time enough had elapsed during which he might have been dead and buried , the sum of £ 20 was vouchsafed . I am not advocating any claim , —this was less than the sum I know him to have paid over twent y years to one Lodge , in common with eighteen more members at 21 s each , as a separate annual collection for the Masonic Charities . The Brethren in the three cases given have been Charity Stewards , and

Correspondence.

apropos of the " process " referred to by " A Cheshire P . M ., " it is a significant fact that nobody ever heard of one voluntarily petitioning for relief . Two have the iron heel of actual want upon them this very day . In one instance I am hopeful satisfactory arrangements may be made , in the third case it has been all along a question of finding employment , and not Charity . None of them , however , were cases for individual help , and I have an opinion

regarding the last that had he clone less for the Craft and been of less deserving character as a man , he might possibly have found Freemasonry nearer what he has all his life striven to mako it both by precept and example . I gather this from the fact that after ten and fifteen years correspondence and knowledge , Masons in good positions closed it without a reply , as soon as so small a favour as announcing any likely opening for him was mooted .

God preserves us lest in the unmaking of ourselves Masons we " go the whole hog " and cast aside every spark of our common humanity . Yours , & c . CREDENDA .

Freemasonry In Great Britain.

FREEMASONRY IN GREAT BRITAIN .

THE following letter appeared in the " Catholic Times " of the 30 th ult .: SIR , —I am glad to seo that you have admitted into your columns a communication on the subject of Freemasonry . Even Catholics say , " Oh , Masonry in England is quite harmless .

Having studied the subject for some years , I can see that your correspondent knows what he is writing about , and I hope you will invite him to give some account of the election of the renegade and circumcised Lernmi , who was voted to the post of chief Pontiff of Masonry throughout the world on 20 th September 1893 ; also the names of the English delegates who took part in his election .

I may mention that the chief of the Province which includes England is Giovanni Bovis , the author of the sacrilegious drama , " Christ at the Feast of Purim . " Yet English Masons say that they have nothing to do with continental Masonry . Yours , & c , C . J .

The Attack On Freemasonry.

THE ATTACK ON FREEMASONRY .

THE following was published in the " Weston Mercury " of the Gth inst ., in answer to the letter of the previous Saturday , reproduced in our issue of 7 th inst . SIR , —The attack on Freemasonry made by your correspondent , Mr . T . H . Shaw , would , perhaps , from the ignorance displayed , been as well left unnoticed , but as his letter is evidently intended to poison the minds of the public against the Order , it is only right that they should also have the

antidote . Mr . Shaw writes : " Knowing so much of the secret designs of the Freemasons , and the uninitiated members of the Brotherhood knowing so little . " Will Mr . Shaw please state what and how much ho knows of theso secret designs ? And also , what is an uninitiated Brother , and where to find such a curiosity ? Mr . Shaw invites us to read Mons . Dillon's " Anti-Christ " and Greville's " Memoirs . " Now , if the authors of these works were

not Masons they could have no truthful knowledge of the subject ; on tbe other hand , if they were renegade Freemasons , their statement would be as reliable as the confessions of Maria Monk . Mr . Shaw hails with joy the formation of an Anti-Masonic League to caunteract our Satanic designs , and hopes it may be speedily established in the metropolis , with innumerable branches in every provincial town . In Mr . Shaw's imagination what awful

mischief we must have in contemplation ! One branch in every provincial town ho evidently deems insufficient to counteract our Satanic designs , so they must be innumerable . A rather large order . How many does he think it would require to destroy the devil ' s work in Weston ? Mr . Shaw continues " All tho most estimable and conscientious men—men of position and influence in the land—who are Freemasons aro so in total ignorance of the

fact that they are furthering the cause of Anti-Christ . " What rampant nonsense ! Are all these estimable and conscientious men suoh ignorant fools that they are unable to form an opinion of their own ? They can tell Mr . Shaw that of which he is in total ignorance , viz ., that Masonry is not founded on the narrow basis of religious sect , but on the broad and noble principles of Brotherly love , relief and truth . This Anti-Masonic League is

as likely to do us as much harm as the bulls , edicts , fulminations , and other harmless vapourings directed against us by the old gentleman at the Vatican —the head of a religion which , like the upas tree , blasts and withers everything that takes shelter under its branches , and that would ruthlessly destroy any good work not in accordance with its own superstitions . In spite of PopesCardinalsPriestsLeagues , and Shaws , we shall continue to flourish

, , , and earn by our generous deeds the gratitude and blessings of the aged , tho widow and the orphan . It is well known that in the Jesuits' working tho ends justify the means , no matter how subtle the manner or mendacious the action . Throw so much mud and some will stick , hence this infamous attack . After forty years' intimate connection with Freemasonry , I can

only state that if anyone asserts that tbe proceedings of the Order , as governed by the Constitutions of thc United Kingdom , tend to the subversion of the good order of society , or is in any way antagonistic to the religion of Christ , I say such a person is guilty of gross and deliberate lying . There is a spurious Freemasonry in France , composed mostly of Boman Catholics , which snaps its fingers at the Pope ; but with this we have no connection . Yours truly , P . S S AUNDERS .

That cats , though fastidious about wetting their feet , will dive like otters after fish , was attested by several members of the Piscatorial Socl ^ ' assembled at their reunion at the Holborn Restaurant this week . One member had possessed a cat which , taken out in a punt , would dive wit unerring aim after a frsh , bring it on board , and then proceed to dive _ atte others , being apparently more interested in the sport than in the eating her prey .