The Lodge Quatuor Coronati.

THE LODGE QUATUOR CORONATI .

To the Editor of tho Keystone . D EAR SIR AND BROTIIEK , —On the 25 : h D .-comuer 1 SS 6 you pub- ; lished , in the Keyitone , a letter from myself , whorein I annouuced ^ formation of a "Correspondence Circlo" in connection with ; the Quatuor Coronati Lodge . I This Outer Circlo was duly established in January 18 S 7 , and I

propose , with yonr permission , to trace its gradnal development into the powerful organisation whioh it has beoime at this day . I The aspirations of Bro . G . W . Spoth , our indefatigable Secretary , soared no higher in tho first iustauco than to create a machinery > for the publication of our Transictions , nor did the members of , tbe Lodge believe for an instant they had called into existence an ,

International Association , which would find supporters in all parts of the g lobe . I We thought the members might run into three figures—and they did , with a rapidity that astonished us , for on the occasion of my installation as Master , on the 8 th November 1887 , I was able to notice in niy address that the mombers of our Correspondence '

Circle had reached a total of 155 . Twelve months latter ( 1888 ) my successor , Bro . William Sinip . son , announced that the number had increased to 417 , whioh was again capped at the corresponding festival in 1889 , by the present W . M . Bro . Lieut .-Col . Pratt , who proclaimed a grand total of 751 . Sinco then thoro have been three meetings of the Lodge , and at

the last — 2 nd May 1890 — the Secretary stated that the membership of the Outer Circle had risen to an aggregate of 90 S . That we are within reasonable distance of four figures may be reaionably referred , but , without passing into conjecture , I shall content myself with fact , aud will here pause to explain of what itouis our ever-widening Circle is made up .

: The grand total , as already mentioned , is 908 , and consists of 15 Governing Bodies , 102 Lodges and Chapters ( 69 British Isles , 33 Foreign ) , 5 Libraries or Associations ( non-Masonic ) , and 886 Brethren ( 537 B . I ., 349 Foreign ) . I , Among the last named are the following : Grand Masters Clifford P . MacCalla , Pennsylvania ; N . D . Arnold ,

Rhode Island j Gereral J . C . Smith , Illinois 5 Hon . S . G . Way , South Australia j C . F . Buck , Louisiana ; and T . J . Shryook , Maryland . Past Grand Masters W . F . Bunting , New Brunswick ; J . P . Hornor , Louisana ; General S . 0 . Lawrence , Massachusetts ; General Charles Roome , New York ; F . H . Waldron , Connecticut ; ¦ S . Si Williams , Ohio , and Count Goblet D'Alviella , Belgium .

Deputy , and Past Deputy Grand Masters . W . Abrahams , Mary , land ; Professor A . Flohr , Royal York , Berlin ; A . M . Geesteranua , Holland ; T . S . MacNair , Pennsylvania ; J . Ross RobertsoD , Canada ; and G . W . Wakeford , Prince Edward ' s Island . Grand Secretaries , J . C . Batahelor , Louisiana ; R . Dickson , Sweden ; J . J . Mason , Canada ; W . G . Soott , Manitoba ; W . R . Singleton ,

District of Columbia ; J . P . Vaillant , Holland ; J . K . Wheeler , Connecticut ; and E . Baker , Rhode Island . While of emiuent Masons , not falling within any of tho foregoing categories , thore may be named Charles E . Meyer , Past Grand High Priest , and Thos . R . Patton , Grand Treasurer , Pennsylvania ; E . T . Schultz P . G . W ., Maryland ; Enoch T . Carson Paso Grand Commander

K . T ., of Ohio ; aud Professor J . Victor Cams , President of . tbe "Free Uuiou of tho Fivo Independent Lodges of Germany . " The Provincial or District Graud Mastors , holding under European jurisdictions , are seven in number . Of the profession- , the medical one is the most largely represented , no less than 29 of its memberi belonging to the Circle , though the olorgy are only beaten by one , as they furnish a contingent of 28 .

After theso come tho military , 23—among whom are several Generals , but of the sister service there aro only four members , the highest in rank being Commodore A . H . Markham , C . B . Tho Editors of Masonio journals ^ number seven , the professors five , and lastly , of the higher dignitaries of I he Church and law , thero i 3 in eaoh case a solitary representative , in the person of tho Very Rev . Dr . A . P . Purey-Cust , Dean of Yotl ; , and the Hon . S . G . Way , Chief Justice of South Australia .

"ho publications of the Lodge comprise two volumes each of Transactions and Reprints , and part 1 , Volume III ., of tbo former . The chief featuro of the Transactions is the series of papers read before the Lodge , and of theso ( inolnding the Proceedings of the last meeting ) , there are twouty-four . But the brethren by whom they

wero written are only fiftoen iu nnmber , and one of them * is noither a member nor an associate , and the Inner Circle has a membership of thirty , this goe 3 to show that the burden of lecturing rcits on fearer shoulders than is altogether desirable . Indeed , a continuous suppl y of papers of a certain standard , would seem to ba tho only rock a-bead which wo havo occasion to dread , but that the danger i 3 no imaginary one , our statistics plainly indicate , as fourteen out of

<< ne whole tweuty . four papers were the work of five contributors only . J"ill , however , if the Transactions are regarded in their entirety , those who are well wishers of tho Lodge m ly rest fairly content with e . sucoess which its self-appointed mission has attained . w'llV ' ° f sfcuclc " t : 3 of tlle Craft—aa brought up to date—it 1 ba found that several new names have been addod to tho old ones , £ . ros . Sir Charles Warren , Professor T . Hayter Lewis , and William

Tson , are well-known writers of long standing , but their oarliest contributions to the literature of the Craft , all of which aro of ster-D S merit , will ba found in tho first volume of tho Ars Quatuor ^ ° ronatoriun . _ Brother Walter Besanfc is an older Masonic student , he i . nono of ms previous services in such capacity can vie with thoso h » . \ ^ pdered sinco tho institution of No . 2076 , by serving nniutwru ptodI y a 3 j , TreMnr _ .

borr m . JU 3 tico t 0 "thoso rising brethren in our midst , " if I may I OD ° -7 f i ° rnatu P nraaeol ° f , 'y o « r lamented Bro . Woodford , should Kunf 0 , " araoten " so the seveml papers of Bros . Westcntt , Macbean , ermM 83 ¦ xdt antl Williams , as being iu each case productions of et l » al merit and originality . ¦

The Lodge Quatuor Coronati.

Of the older students in the Lodge—Hughan , Bywater , Riley , Whytehead , Ryhnds , Lane , Speth , Whymper , Goldney—it will be sufficient to siy , that all in some ways , and many in various ways , have contiibuted to tho success which has been attained . Thero a-o also among ns a group of brethren—Br . ) ' . Crawley , BUI , CIB . IO , Finlayson , Clarke , Klein , and Richardson—from whom

much is expected . Nor would it become me to forget the Outer Circle , t > wlioni we owe so much of our prosperity . But as spaos is nit illimitable I must content myself with remarking that , in the opiuion of its full membon " , no greater compliment has been paid tho Lodge than the growiug practice by contributors—of weight and raputation — to our English Masonio journals , of

attaching the words "Associate Quatuor Coronati" to their signatures . Tbe Reprints of the Lodgo will have extended ( ere this reaches its destination ) to three volumes . The first comprising the " Regius " or "Ualliwell" MS . —the oldest document of the Craft ( and other matter ) , with a commentary thereupon by myself ; the sec Mid , the

Constitutions of AD . 1733 , with an introduction by Hughan ; and third , a lithographed fac simile iu three colours of the Cooke MS . — Addl . MS . 23 , 19 S , Biit . Mus . —with a commentary thereon by Spetb , and ( in each cas 9 ) a fac simile and transcript of tho LanBdowne ( 98 ) , and Harleian ( 1942 ) MSS . The four volumes which next follow , will contain the remainder of

tbe old manusoript contributions . The foregoing is to some extent a summary of : Ars' Quatuor Coronalor , um—or , in other words , of the work achieved daring tho four and a half years which have elapsed since the consecration of our Student ' s Lodge . In the Punjab and in South Australia , afc Lahore and at Adelaide ,

the example wo havo set is being followed by the formation / of Lodges , as expressed in the one instance , "for the purposes of Masonio literature , culture , and instruction , " and in the other , "to promote literary effort and the diffusion of Masonio light and know , ledge . "

May the number of suoh associations be inoreased until there is one at least in every convenient centre throughout the Universe . The larger the aggregate of Masonio Students , the more widely diffused will be tho publications of the Quatuor Coronati , and the greater of course will be tbe stimulus to their production .

Yours fraternally , R . F . GOULD . i ^ anWr Army and Navy Club . London , 29 th May 1890 .

Bro . W . H . Saunders has just been confirmed in hia appointment as Deputation Secretary of the Royal Alfred Institution , for another twelve months . Bro . Saunders has

left London for the North of England , where we trnst his efforts on behalf of the Institution for which he pleads will meet with support .

The annual meeting of the Province of Hampshire and Isle of Wight will be held under the presidency of Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . Grand Master , afc Ryde , Isle of Wight , on Monday , the 28 th inst .

A special Provincial Grand Lodge of Somerset was held on the 15 th inst ., in the Town Hall , Highbridge , under the banner of the Rural Philanthropic Lodge , No . 291 , under the presidency of Bro . R . C . Else , D . P . G . M . A

vote expressing * the profound regret felt by the Freemasons of Somerset at the lamented death of the Pro G . M ., the Right Hon . the Earl of Carnarvon , and their sincere

sympathy with the Countess of Carnarvon and family , was passed . The sum of £ 2 13 s lOd was collected in the Lodge , and it was resolved that this amount be forwarded to the Treasurer of the Bridgwater Infirmary .

The installation meeting of the Viator Lodge , No . 2308 , will take place at Anderton ' s Hotel , this ( Saturday ) afternoon . The retiring W . M . Bro . Harry Nelson Price will instal as his successor Bro . Ernest A . G . Smith . The brethren will assemble at three o ' clock .

The installation of St . Nicholas Lodge , No . 2259 , took place at Thorne , on the 18 th instant . Biother J . H . Bletcher was installed as W . M . The brethren afterwards

partook of an excellent banquet in the Town Hall , where the usual Masonic toasts were given , interspersed with songs by Bros . Rickard , Hanson , Barber , Pawson , & c .

. The proprietors of Work have arranged to hold an exhibition of articles mado by tho roaders of that journal , for which medals and other prizes are offered . The exhibition will be divided into sixteen groups , aud will include upwards of 200 subdivisions . There will

bo three classes of exhibitors , viz ., workmen , apprentices , and amateurs . The Committee of the Polytechnic Institute , Regent Street , W ., have placed that Institution at disposal for the

Exhibition , which will bo held at tho end of the present year . Full part'cnlirs of the Exhibition , with rules and regulations , and a list o < prizes , medals , & c , offered to competitors , are given in No . 70 of Work , published this week .