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member , to the detriment of individuals , and , indeed , of the whole Craft , there is , on the other hand , a very serious danger threatening those Lodges whose members lack the courage to use the ballot justly when occasion requires . A brother is proposed as member or a candidate for admission

whose antecedents are certainly not commendable , but he is elected in spite of his various disqualifications because sundry members of the Lodge in which he is proposed are too tender-hearted , or , be it said rather , too weak-minded . They know well enough that his election must be detri

mental to the true interests of the Lodge . They have it in their power , each , at least , so far as his individual vote is concerned , to secure his rejection . But though they are well aware of the importance of rejecting him , they are silly enough either to vote white , or else take no part in the

ballot . Equally in such case do those who act thus fail in their duty . They are bound to the conscientious fulfilment of every Masonic duty . The law provides a means whereby the fulfilment of this particular duty may be observed without fear of question ; yet are there far too many

brethren who , from excess of good nature , do as we have said , and vote white , when their better judgment tells them they should vote black , or absent themselves from the ballot altogether . If , as very many hold , Dr . Oliver is not the safest

authority in the world on Masonic history , ho is certainly a trustworthy guide in all matters relating to the interior working of the Craft . He had a large and varied experience , extending over upwards of sixty years . His views were certain to be broad and comprehensive , and

being above all things a gentleman , he was certain to exercise an impartial judgment , dealing out justice with an iron hand , yet always avoiding even the semblance of harshness . Let us see what he says anent this important dut y

of voting . In considering whether it is constitutional for any brother to bo present at a ballot and remain neutralthat is , of course , abstain from casting his vote , either for or against the candidate , Dr . Oliver says , at p . 43 of his Masonic Jurisprudence : —

" We should consider such conduct un-Masonio ( although we aro not aware of any law to prevent it ) , for this reason , that where a brother becomes a member of any Lodgo , he is supposed by tho simple act of affiliation to renew his O . B ., by which he undertook when he was made a Mason to be governed by tho ancient usages

and customs of tho Order ; one of tho most important of which undonbtedly is , to keep the Lodge pure and harmonious , by the exclusion of unworthy candidates : this can only be effected by means of the ballot . Every Mason ought to feel the fnll extent of his obligations . Bnt

if a single dissatisfied brother , whose unfavourable opinion of tho candidate would induce him to give an adverse vote if he voted at all , should refrain from the exercise of this privilege , out of courtesy or tenderness for the candidate ' s reputation , ho might , undesignedly , but not the less surely , inflict an incurable wound on the Lodge , and be indirectly accessory to the introduction of an unworthy member . "

And our late Beverend Brother proceeds to argue that if a member " may with impunity evade this paramount duty , the same rule might possibly operate to nullify all his other Masonic obligations ; and should every brother be tempted to pursue the same injudicious course , the Order would soon be reduced to a chaotic state . " And he

argues that as few members would themselves knowingly propose an improper person as candidate , so should they be equally careful , by voting strictly in accordance with their conscience , to guard against the intrusion of similar candidates if proposed by others . Here , then , we have the

deliberate opinion of a sound and worthy Mason , that no sense of courtesy , no tenderness for a candidate ' s reputation , must ever induce us to abstain from recording our vote . It is a duty we owe to the Craft that we acquit

ourselves in the matter of voting justly and conscientiously . We are bound to fulfil our obligations , be their fulfilment never so unpleasant . Where duty and good nature are opposed to each other , it is the former which must be obeyed , and obeyed implicitly .

We have shown in the course of these remarks that on the one hand , the ballot-box must not , as Dr . Oliver expressively puts it , " be converted into an unjust and oppressive engine of mortification and punishment . " It certainly affords " facilities for the exercise of vindictive feelings ,

and the private expression of dislike and ill-will . " But it is obviously impossible that any one who allows these feelings to influence him can be worthy of tho name of Mason . On the other hand , no excess of delicacy must ever stand between us and the conscientious fulfilment of an important duty , for the simple reason that it is impossible to calculate

The Use Of The Ballot.

the amount of harm we may be , indirectly , the means of inflicting on our Order . Two things are , in fact , necessary if we would exclude unworthy persons . Tho first is that

members should exercise tho greatest care whom they propose as candidates ; the second is that they exercise their right of voting in strict accordance with their own conscience and the welfare of Freemasonry .

Coloured Masonry In The United States.

COLOURED MASONRY IN THE UNITED STATES .

BY BRO . JACOB NORTON . ( Continued from page 228 . ) IN 1795 , Judge Tucker , of Virginia , ' requested the Eev . Dr . Belknap , of Boston , to give him information about the origin and abolition of slavery in Massachusetts ; the then status of the coloured population , & o . Among others , Dr . Belknap consulted Prince Hall , whom he described " as a very intelligent black man , fifty-seven years of age . " Bro . Hall replied in writing to Dr . Belknap ' s inquiry thus : —

" There is a great number of worthy men and good citizens that are not ashamed to take an African by the hand ; but there are also to be seen tho weeds of tyranny , pride , envy , and scorn in this garden of peace , liberty , and equality . " Dr . Belknap followed up the narrative with Prince Hall's initiation into Masonry in an army Lodge , and his ultimate reception of a

charter from England . " The Lodge , " said Dr . B ., " at present con . sists of thirty persons , and care is taken that none but those of good moral character are admitted . " Dr . Belknap then gave the following note , " from a white gentleman of the craft , of good information and candour . " "The African Lodge , " wrote the white brother , " though possess .

ing a charter from England , meet by themselves , and white Masons , not more skilled in geometry , will not acknowledge them . The reason given is that the blacks were made clandestinely in the first place , which if known , would have prevented them from receiving a charter . But this inquiry would not have been made about white Lodges , many of which have not conformed to the rales of Masonry . The

truth is , they aro ashamed of being on equality with tho blacks . Even the fraternal kiss of France , given to merit , without distinction of colour , doth not influence Massachusetts Masons to givo an embrace less emphatical to their white brethren . These , on the other hand , valuing themselves on thoir knowledge of the Craft , think themselves better Masons in other respects than the whites , because Masonry

considers all mon equal , who are free , and our laws admit of no kind of slavery . It is evident from this that neither avowedly nor tacitly do the blacks admit the pre-eminence of the whites ; but it is as evident that pre-eminence is claimed by the whites . "—Massachusetts Historical Collection , Vol . IV ., 1795 . " Pride , envy , scorn ! " " Ashamed of being on equality with the

blacks ! " " This enquiry would not have been made about white Lodges ' . " Such was the conduct of Massachausetts white Masons towards tho African Lodge , in tho last century ! Within the last quarter of a century , two new stories about the African Lodge have been circulated in the press . Story No . 1 was , that when tho African brethren petitioned the Grand Lodge of Massa .

chn setts , and produced the charter as evidence of their Masonio rights , the said Grand Lodge grabbed the charter , and the African Lodgo never recovered it . Story No . 2 is a modification of the above . It was the Grand Lodgo of England who requested tho return of the charter , for the purpose of making some alteration , but when it got hold of it , it would not return it , and the African Lodge retained a

copy only of its charter . The story No . 2 was sent by the late P . G . M ., Dr . Winslow Lewis , of Boston , to tho G . M . of Vermont , in 1855 , I believe . The story is , of course , false ; bnt Dr . Lewis was too honourable a man to havo invented it : of that there is no doubt , I have long since suspected that tho late Charles W . Moore , of Bos . ton , was the actual inventor , and I have more than once questioned

Dr . Lewis abont the original authorship of the said story , but always received an evasive answer . Recently , however , Bro . Lewis Hayden , P . G . M . of Prince Hall Grand Lodge , assured me , that in 1868 Dr . Lewis admitted to him , that " Charles did it , " meaning C . W . Moore , and I have no doubt it was so . The " No . 2 story , " coming from so high a source , was eagerly

seized by the press , and was echoed and re-echoed in almost all of our Masonic proceedings . Dr . R . Barthelmess , of New York , now residing in Germany , did not , however , believe in that cock-and-bull story . He seems , therefore , to have visited Boston , where he saw the original African Lodge charter and likewise its records and MSS ., took copies therefrom , and sent them to Bro . Findel , who printed

these in 1861 , in the Bauhiitte , and subsequently made the facts known in his history of Freemasonry . The reading of the said history induced me , in 1868 , to examine the said charter myself . Early in 1869 , 1 made known , through the American Freemason , the genuineness of the said charter , which fact was confirmed tho same year by a Grand Lodge committee ; but so tenacious are our Masonic

editors in clinging to fables , that for about two years after the oxplosion of the story it was here and there repeated in our papers . I once sent a contradiction of it to the New York Dispatch , wherein it was so repeated , which , of course , was not printed ; since then the story has ceased to be repeated here . Bnt , wonderful to relate , the

very same paragraph from the Dispatch recently appeared , as a matter of fact , in the columns of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE ! I stated , in my last communication , that a committee was appointed by the G . L . of Massachusetts , in 1868 , to make inquiry into the claims of the African Lodge Masonic status , that Bro . Moore thereupon