Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

. ¦ - .. ' ' . ' . / ' ¦ - ¦" ¦ ' - ! - : o : — We do not hold ourselves responsible for ' the opinions of our Correspondents . All Letters must bear the name and address of the writers , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of f * ood faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .

— . u : — THE GRAND TREASURERSHIP . To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . SIR , —I am delighted to notice your editorial remarks , and to ¦ read your correspondent ' s . letter on this subject . I have spoken to a large number of Masons , and have heard many conversations on the subject , and I think , without exception , everyone denounces the present system of personal voting for this exalted Office .

As is well known , the privilege of voting in Grand Lodge is conferred on Brethren who have passed the chair , or who are closely approaching it , and , surely , Brethren who have ¦ spent years in . Masonry , and contributed largely to the Charity Funds , should not be deprived or disfranchised of their privileges ( and it is about the only privilege they have ) on account of distance and expense . Still ,

such is the case , the consequence of which is , that whatever unwritten agreement may be entered into as to a London Brother one year and a Provincial Brother the following , this agreement can be broken through and carried to a successful issue by a preponderating number in and about London who can make it convenient to attend the Grand Lodge and give their personal vote .

It is not to be expected , and no reasonable man can expect , that Brethren will travel from Northumberland , Cumberland , Yorkshire , Lancashire , the Midlands , North and South Wales , and Cornwall , & c , incurring two or three days loss of time , with all the expenses attached thereto , to give a personal vote for any candidate , and yet ,. forsooth , because he cannot afford this , he is deprived , as -I said before , of about the only privilege he has in connection with

¦ his Office as a member of the Grand Lodge , and yet we are all supposed to be on a level . " Fair play is a jewel , " but there is not much fairness in the present system of the election of Grand Treasurer , and I sincerely hope ( and I believe I am only voicing the sentiment of thousands more ) that you will continue the agitation , and that other Brethren of influential positions will take this matter up , and see if some alteration cannot be made .

I have every confidence myself in the fairness , equity , and justness of the principal Grand Lodge Officers , and I feel sure that if the Grand Secretary and the other Grand Lodge Officers have this matter brought under their personal observation , they will find a satisfactory means of solving the . present—to say the

least—undignified proceedings . ' Apologis'ing ' -fbr troubling you at such length , : ' (! <¦< "' ] '' ram , yours faithfully and fraternally , J . GRAHAM P . M . 6 52 . Edmonton House , Edmonton , N ., 9 th March 1 . 901 .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —The complaint of Bro . Heywoocl in your issue of 9 th inst , respecting the trouble and expense Provincial Brethren are put to in recording their votes in London is perfectly reasonable ; but I could appreciate the perplexity of the Grand Secretary if the work of sending out and receiving proxies from all

• Brethren entitled to vote were to be adopted . At the same time I think a compromise could be effected if Lodges only were to vote . The qualifications of each candidate could be fully considered by the Lodge , and their decision transmitted to the Grand Secretary on or before the date of election . Every Brother would then practically have a vote , and an immense amount of trouble to the Brethren , and expense to the candidates , would be avoided .

Yours fraternally , H . HAWORTH . 12 th March 1901 .

io the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I certainly endorse the sentiments . you express as to the undesirable way in which the position of Grand Treasurer is decided by the Craft , and I also regret the way . in which the Office is " run" at the present time by those high in authority , Brethren who should set an example' ; rather than lay themselves open to the strongest condemnation , which , in my opinion , they fully deserve .,

A new Office appears to have arisen in Freemasonry , that of election agent , and I cannot but think a great mistake has been made in its ' creation ; especially when , as has been the case in connection with the recent contest for the Craft Treasurership Officers in a very high position in the Craft have lowered themselves by touting and actively canvassing for one or other of the candidates . I believe

. there is a law which prevents members of the House of Lords taking any part in parliamentary elections , and I think it would be an ' excellent thing for the Craft to enforce similar restrictions , by making it illegal for Officers of Grand Lodge to take any active part in promoting the candidature of a Brother for an elective position in Grand

Lodge—THE elective position , I might say , as of course I onlv refer ' to the Grand Treasurership . Freemasonry is not a mere club , and it would certainly be more dignified if the members of the upper ¦ section received into their midst the chosen ; delegate of the Craft each year—in the person of the Grand Treasurer- —without so much

Correspondence.

previous interference and influencing on their part as has been recently witnessed . Certainly something ought to be done to put future elections _ on a better and more dignified basis ; when an evil becomes really glaring it is time to attempt a remedy , and such I venture to think is the case at the present time in connection with the one elective Office in Grand Lodge really in the gift of the Brotherhood . Yours fraternally ,

AN ELECTOR . To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DJ EAR SIR AND BROTHiER , —Now that the elect-ion . of Grand Treasurer has been decided , may I . be allowed to draw attention to a circumstance in this connection that is causing great

dissatisfaction in the minds of many Masons , namely , the action of the Grand Lodge Officers in using the influence of their position-in favour of a candidate . The post of Grand Treasurer is the only Office that lies within the power of the Craft to confer , and should therefore be left entirely free to their suffrages .

I have no desire to enter upon the merits of either of the candidates at the recent election ; but I cannot sufficiently deprecate the action of a distinguished Brother who went out of his way to publicly request the votes of the Craft for the candidate in whom he was interested . There is a widespread opinion that the Officers of Grand Lodge should be debarred from voting at this election , and

there is much to be said in favour of the idea . I . certainly consider they should refrain from showing their partiality to the extent of the Brother referred to . Yours fraternally , P . M . AND P . Z . 8 th March 1901 .

CANDIDATES FOR THE R . M . I . G . To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I have just received my ballot paper for the April election of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , and see there are but twenty-two candidates for fifteen declared vacancies . It strikes me there must be a considerable expense attached to an election for this Institution , the printing and postage of the ballot

papers , and many other matters ; and it seems to me the outlay might well have been spared on this occasion , and at other times when the numbersare so nearly equal , by taking on all the children approved as worthy , and iat once admitting them to the full benefits of " outdoor " scholarships , until there is room for them in the Institution ; or by dividing among them the amount that . would be spent

over the election , which , I think would be a nice little sum for each . Or , the matter might be arranged in another way , by adopting the plan in '' ¦'¦ force in connection with the Benevolent Institution , where " deferred " annuitants are elected , to be taken on as soon as vacancies arise . The fifteen first on the list of Girl candidates might be admitted at the regular period , and the remaining seven as sooii as vacancies occurred . I do not see this would entail material

hardship or suffering on anyone , and would be a distinct gain to the Institution of the cost of the election , against which there would be a small set off for the keep , & c . of the girls admitted a few weeks in advance of the regular course—probably these ' two items might nearly balance each other , but the subscribers would have the satisfaction of knowing that their donations had gone in direct benevolence rather than in adding to the already large surplus of the Post Office , with a small amount of profit for the printer of the Institution .

In considering this subject it will be well to bear in mind that the whole expenses of the election are , in reality , entailed on account of the seven children who cannot be elected—to find out which of the twenty-two are to be left over—rather than over the fifteen to be received . It would therefore be interesting to know exactly what the election costs . Yours fraternally ,

AN OLD SUBSCRIBER . The Craft in Scotland is approaching a crisis ! We have suggestions of increased initiation fees , and its realisation cannot come too soon ; there is the expected report on " essentials , " and there is the subject of music , which is more and more forcibly impressing the minds of those with most

love for the Craft as a necessary element in its ceremonies . All the Lodges in the Glasgow Province have adopted something like uniformity in fees , none being less than three guineas . The minimum fixed by the Grand Lodge is two guineas , and the Lodges by improving on the fee fixed by Grand Lodge find that they have improved their position , and made the Craft more respected . There is argument , and

of a very potent kind , too , in this experience of Lodges , in favour of Grand Lodge increasing the minimum fee exacted from initiates to 'three guineas ; and , after all , such a rule would only bring us nearer the minimum fee in Lodges in the sister Constitution of England , and , except in Dublin and Belfast , up to the standard in Ireland . — " The Mallet , " in " Glasgow Evening News . "

The Grand Lodee of Hungary has sent an address of hpniage to King Edward on the occasion of his Majesty ' s accession , ! : .. .