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 communications .

IRISH LODGE NUMBERING .

To the FBEEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR S IR AND BROTHER , —YOU did not uso so much of the account I sent you of the Centenary of die St . John ' s Lodge , of Ireland , as I expected , but probably you gavo as much ( in your issue of 2 b * th ulc . ) as was likely to interest English readers . But you left out ; the one point I wished to refer to —the number of tho Lodge , which is 811 .

One reason for sending you the report was to pave the way for an enquiry as to how it is one of the latest numbered Irish Lodges comes to be a hundred years old ? I suppose our friends of the Emerald Isle do not number as we do , right straight on , but fill up blanks as they occur , for there n . rp manv much younger Irish Lodges than the one I am referring to . with

much lower numbers , in fact several of the first twenty on the list are dated less than forty years back . Perhaps some one of your readers better acquainted with the facts than I am will explain the peculiarity . Yours , & e . Os THE ROAD . Hull , 5 th February 1895 .

The Old Masonians.

THE OLD MASONIANS .

THE above association of Old Boys of our Institution at Wood Green met last Friday , to listen to a paper on " Imperial Federation" read by Mr . R . S . Chandler the Treasurer of the Society . The gathering was presided over by Bro . R . H . Williams . ;

Mr . Chandler , in opening , stated that he had based his paper on the opinions of such authorities as Professor Seeley , John Anthony Froud , tho Marquis of Lome , Lord Brassey , Sir John Gorst , and others . He referred to the prophecy of Sir James Harrington , in the time of Cromwell , that England , on account of her insular position would one day become the most powerful of nations , how that the reality had exceeded even the ideal

prospect then pictured , giving a brief account of the gigantic progress in wealth , resources and population made by Great Britain since that timo . He said it was a truism that thu greatness of a nation depends on its sons that they be trained in what our ancestors called the " fear of God , " but that unfortunately we of tho present day wero too apt to place wealth before all other considerations , and to think solely of the Colonies as a market for our

manufactures , losing sight of their great value as a wide and healthy training ground for future generations of the British race . He then showed by a comparison of statistics the important part the Colonies have in tho commerce of the mother country , and that this and the large amount of British capital invested in the Colonies formed a close bond of union . He

next pointed out the marvellous progress mado in steam and electricity , — the circumnavigation of tho globe being now as easy as was the grand tour in the eighteenth century , —that this had brought about an increase of intercourse and a consequent increase of mutual knowledge and respect between tho Colonists and ourselves , and , that the Imperial Institute had given concrete expression to those feelings .

Mr . Chandler then quoted the three distinct lines , given by Sir John Gorst , upon which Imperial Federation might bo worked out , viz : —The admission of representatives of the Colonies to Parliament ; or the creation of a new Imperial Legislature ; or -the admission of the Colonies to a more direct share in or stronger influence upon Imperial matters , the several Legislatures remaining separate ; adopting tho last as the most feasible

means of bringing abdut the desired object . He then entered into the question of defence and foreign policy , stating that at present the sole cost of maintaining and defending the empire rested with Britain , ancl that the burden of taxation fell upon tho British taxpayer , and said that the Colonists if once admitted to their legitimate sharo in the Imperial Councils would then

contribute their portion toward- * the general defence . A joint interest in the fleet alone would be along step towards Imperial Federation and at the same time not interfere with colonial autonomy , thus the union of the empire would bo at once a visible fact , and strong in its unity the continuance of the British race would be assured for many centuries to come .

A discussion followed , in which Messrs . Gleichen , Packer , O'Doherty , Willett , Hewett , Wilson , Berber and Scurr took part . A vote of thanks to Mr . Chandler for his paper , and to Bro . Williams for presiding , brought to a close a very pleasant and instructive evening .

Lady Freemasons Assembly.

LADY FREEMASONS ASSEMBLY .

THE members and friends connected with the Thistle Lodge , No . 1 , oi Lady Freemasons ( Adoption Rite ) , held their annual assembly on luesday night in Mr . Mollison ' s Rooms , Market Street . Tho gathering , on i ^ occasion , proved one of the most successful yet held under the auspices a l t . *^ S * In a 11 there were flfty couples present . The company uu a guiuiucR iab at

- ~ . „ .,,, u ,, u , auu aance was once commenced , and was continued till 1030 . Supper was then served—Mr . John Mitchell , the president ol the Lodge , occupying the chair . In the course of proposing tho patriotic toasts Mr . Mitchell referred to the interest taken by Royalty in tho nursing institutions of Aberdeen . He said that this Lodge had done well in the

th D- Would c ° ntinue to do so in the future . Councillor Brown proposed Me Hiaht Worshipful Mistress of the Rose Lodge Miss Will . He said the •Kose Lodge held a good position , and would continue to do so under tho S Committee of Management . Dancing was resumed at 11 o'clock , wid continued for a few hours . Mr . Alec Milne ' s band supplied excellent ° " . . * Tbo arrangements of the Acting Committee gavo the utmost •acisiaction to all ; and the fourth assembly of the members of this Lodgo all o * , er one continued success . — " Aberdeen Free Press . "

Freemasonry In Japan.

FREEMASONRY IN JAPAN .

AT last week's meeting of the Grand Lodge of Scotland a letter was submitted which had been addressed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Grand Master , with reference to Freemasonry in Japan . It was in the following terms : — " Tha Earl of Kimberley has had under his consideration your letter , in

which you forward a memorial from the Freemasons of Yokohama explaining that as a law of Japan forbids secret societies the Masonic body in that country apprehend interference with their work , when under the provisions of the treaty recently concluded British subjects become amenable to Japanese jurisdiction . I am

directed by his Lordship to state that the new treaty will not come into force for at least live years , by which time the Japanese law quoted in the memorial may be so modified as not to affect meetings of Freemasons . When the question becomes a practical one it may possibly be desirable to make friendly

representations to the Japanese Government as to the philanthropic objects of Freemasonry ; but in Lord Kimberley ' s opinion it is not advisable for Her Majesty ' s Government to take any

steps at present for endeavouring to obtain a modification of the Japanese law . In any case it is not a matter which could in his Lordship ' s view be properly made the subject of a treaty stipulation . "

Masonry And Freemasonry.

MASONRY AND FREEMASONRY .

THE first great event in the art of Masonry was the building of the Tower of Babel ; this expressed figuratively the attempt of some unknown Mason to build up the temple of the Holy Ghost in anticipation of Christianity , whioh attempt however had been confounded by the vanity of the builders . The building of Solomon ' s Temple , the second great incident

in the art , had an obvious meaning as a prefiguration of Christianity . Hiram , simply the architect of this temple to the real professors of the art of building , was to the English Rosicrucians a type of Christ ; and the legend of Masons , which represented this Hiram as having been murdered by his fellow-workmen , made the type still more striking . The two pillars also ,

Jachin and Boaz ( strength and power ) , which are amongst the memorable singularities in Solomon ' s Temple , have also an occult meaning to the Freemasons which cannot be publicly explained . This symbolic interest to the English Rosicrucians in the attributes , incidents and legends of the art exercised by the literal Masons of real life naturally brought the two orders

into some connection with each other . They were thus enabled to realise to their eyes the symbols of their own allegories ; and the same building which accommodated the guild of builders in their professional meetings offered a desirable means of secret assemblies to the early Freemasons . An apparatus of implements and utensils , such as were presented in the

fabulous sepulchre of Father Rosycross , were here actually brought together . And accordingly it is upon record that the first formal and solemn Lodge of Freemasons on occasion of which the very name of Freemasons was first publicly made known , was held in Masons' Hall , Masons ' Alley , Basinghall Street , London , in the year 1646 . Into this Lodge it was that

Ashmole the antiquary was admitted . Private meetings there may doubtless have been before ; and one at Warrington ( half-way between Liverpool and Manchester ) is expressly mentioned in the life of Ashmole ; but the name of a Freemasons' Lodge , with all the insignia , attributes and circumstances of a Lodge , first came forward in the page of history on the occasion just

mentioned . It is perhaps in requital of the services at that time rendered in the loan of their hall , & c , that the guild of Masons as a body , and where they are not individually objectionable , enjoy a precedency of all orders of men in the right to admission , and pay only half fees , Ashmole , as one of tho earliest Freemasons , appears from his writings to have been a zealous

Rosicrucian . Other members of the Lodge were Thomas Wharton , a physician , Georgo Wharton , Oughtred , the mathematician , Dr . Hewitt , Dr , Pearson , the divine , and William Lily , tbe principal astrologer of the day .

All the members , it must be observed , had annually assembled to hold a festival of astrologers before they were connected into a Lodge bearing the title of Freemasons . This previous connection had no doubt paved the way for the latter . — " The Architect . "

Glasgow Masonic Hall.

GLASGOW MASONIC HALL .

AT the Quarterly Communication of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Glasgow , on 5 th inst ., Bro . R . A . M'Gilvray said that the P . G . M . and the directors had resolved to proceed with the building of the Masonic Temple , in West Regent Street . They might have begun earlier ; but to save money , they preferred to allow the leases to expire . Shares had not been taken up as was expected , the cause probably being that Brethren thought there was no hurry . But there was hurry now , as the Prov . Grand Master and the

directors were determined when the leases expired on the 28 th May to take down the old buildings with a view to build . There were 6 , 000 Brethren in Glasgow , If each took four or five £ 1 shares , the funds would be ample for a grand Masonic Temple . It was a standing disgrace to their Order in Glasgow that they had no Masonic Temple . In small places in Scotland , England ,

and Ireland , there was such an Institution , and on the Continent and in America there wero palatial temples which made them proud of Masonry . Brethren were not asked to give a donation ; thoy were asked to invest in a certain number of shares which would give a return . At least each Mason could take one share .