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 .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHBONICLB . DEAR SIB AND BROTHEB , —As a member of the Lodge of ( name omitted —Ed . E . G . ) I wish to ask why your last reports of the proceedings of this Lodge contained no account of the black-balling of candidates proposed for Initiation ? There was certainly no occasion to publish the names of these

BLACK-BALLING .

persons , but I think the facts should be stated , as a warning to other Lodges , and also to intending Candidates . You have done so much for the cause of Freemasonry that I think it is a pity the facts were not reported . Yours fraternally , MEMBER .

15 th June 1896 . [ The matter of the black-balling of Candidates at your Lodge was omitted intentionally , as we did not consider any good purpose would have been served by publishing it . The black-balling of a Candidate must always be a painful subject ,

especially for the proposer and seconder ; and we think that where the tongue of good report cannot be heard in any person ' s favour it were better to exercise the most excellent gift of silence . At the same time we would recommend to your notice the article on " The Ballot , " in last week ' s issue . —ED . F . C . ]

A NEEDED EEFOEM

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHBONICLB . DEAB SIR , —Much has been said in reference to the continually increasing salary of the Provincial Grand Secretary of West Lancashire . It appears to me that , seeing he has so much work that , at times he is unable to grapple with it , it would be a good idea were he ( the Secretary ) to pay an

assistant . There are many poor Brothers who would be glad of the berth , at , say £ 100 . per annum , leaving the Provincial Grand Secretary then a handsome income ; or perhaps it would be better to divide the Province into three or four parts , thus reducing the working expenses and increasing the charity fund . Yours truly , P . M .

THE USE OF OUTSIDE TITLES

To the Editor of " Masonry . " DEAR- SIR AND BROTHER , —I should be glad to have your opinion as to the Masonic etiquette of applying outside titles to Brethren when in the Lodge . Take , for instance , the medical faculty . The practice now-a-days in announcing or denominating these Brethren is always by prefixing "Dr . " It was taught on my entrance to Freemasonry that all Brethren were upon

the level when within the Lodge , outside rank and differences of station in life being eschewed , no honour or title being conferred or applied but that earned through progress in the art . Why then should the differences be observed in the Lodge now-a-days ? The only object I can assign is to impress the Brethren of the outside rank of the Brother . His worth as a Freemason

is a very secondary consideration . If this kind of thing is to go on we shall have in the near future such announcements as these ; " Bro . Civil Engineer X ., M . I . C . E ., " or " Bro . Q ., Barrister and Solicitor , " thus a cheap means of advertising will be provided for professional Brethren , tolerated by the Masonic body .

I am , fraternally , ANTI-HUMBUG . 30 th April 1896 . [ NOTE . —Our correspondent is forgetting the explanation given of the level "That distinction amongst men are necessary for the subordination of Society . " At any rate actual and

courtesy titles are universally recognised . ' Would our correspondent have the titles of our Grand Masters , the Hon . George Goppin , Sir Wm . J . Clarke and Lord Brassey ignored ? if so Bro . Sir Albert Woods , Garter King at Arms , Grand D . C . of the Grand Lodge of England , is in error when proclaiming H . E . H . the Prince of Wales as Grand Master , or Bro . the Earl of Lathom as / Pro Grand Master , & c . — "Masonry . " ]

ENGLISH FEEEMASONEY

From the "Tablet . " SIB , —Let me add a few lines as to the substantial identity of Freemasonry in England and abroad ; and in support of the suggestion of a " Scotch Catholic" in favour of the establishment of an Anti-Masonic Association in England .

I . Albert Pike , the " Sovereign Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry , " having died in April 1891 , an election was held in Rome , 20 th September 1893 , to appoint a successor . The choice fell upon Adriano Lemmi . Thereupon twent y-six Sovereign Delegates drew up a lengthy protest ( of which the original was deposited in London ) addressed to the "Most Serene College of Ernerited Masons , & c , & c , " and setting , forth reasons against the election of Adriano Lemmi . One of the charges was that , whereas English and

Correspondence.

American Lodges had contributed large sums of money towards the propagation of Masonic work in Italy , these monies had not been rightly invested . "In England and the United States , " say the protestors , "the adepts of the perfect initiation have always wished for the prosperity of the Italian Masonry ; besides , the poverty of this family is a well-known fact in the Order : therefore , the English and American Masons have delivered to

the Italian Grand Master large subsidies , often reiterated , in order to multiply the Lodges in a country where the Pope of the Superstition is proudly enthroned . Now the accusers of the Elect maintain , & c , & c . "' ( section Zain ) . I presume that , if the " perfect initiated " aeni the subsidies , the humbler Masons helped to pay them , and thus participated ( blindfold ' perhaps ) in the work of their Italian Brothers .

II . What now is the nature of this work ? It may be gathered . from acircular letter addressed by Grand Master Adriano Lemmi , in 1886 , to the " Venerable Brothers of the Lodges of Upper Italy . " The principal points ' are as follow :

i . The Education question is to be one of the daily preoccupations of Freemasons . ( a ) Catholics , or persons who have Catholic instincts , are not to be admitted as teachers ; and theories and habits hostile to religion are to be instilled ; lb ) Schools are to be withdrawn from Communal or Municipal

control , and subjected to the direct control of the State ; ( c ) Teachers are to be allured by the prospect of higher salaries and those who are favourably disposed towards religion are to be rendered unpopular and forced to resign , ii . Encouragement is to be given to ( a ) Cremation of the dead , ( i ) Civil Marriages , ( c ) Civil Burials , iii . The Baptism of children , so far as possible , is not to be permitted , iv . Everything that has a religious character is to be brought into discredit .

v . Assistance is to be given to those only who belong in spirit to Freemasonry , or who give hopes of becoming Masons . Ill , What now are the religious ( or otherwise ) opinions of Adriano Lemmi , " Sovereign Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry ? " The protest of the twenty-six Sovereign Delegates objected that he was

not orthodox , in that he caused to be sung "the hymn where the Excelsior is termed with the name repugnant to orthodoxy " ( section Ur ) . In other , words , it was laid to his charge that he is a Satanist , worshipping the Devil ( " the Excelsior " ) under the name of Satan ; and that he is not an orthodox Luciferian , who , as such , should worship the Devil under the title of Lucifer .

To conclude : It is asserted that there are Satanists and Luciferians who are not Masons , and that there are many Masons who are not Luciferians . There are doubtless Masons who look upon Freemasonry as a sociable Benevolent Society , and have no idea of its being anything beyond that . But as there are " The True Elect and Perfect Initiated , " it follows necessarily that there are also those who are not " Initiated . " Catholics ,

and indeed all honest people , will guard themselves against becommgeven of the number of the " uninitiated ; " but they should go further than this , and should endeavour to counteract the' hidden machinations of this alluring yet baneful Society . EBANCIB M . WXNDHAM , St . Mary of the Angels , Bayswater , W ., 9 th June 1896 i

A Freemason's Annuity.

A FREEMASON'S ANNUITY .

WILLIAM SEAMAN made a claim in the Westminster County Court on Thursday in last week , for the recovery of £ 10 from- Mr . James Terry , the Secretary to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons . The plaintiff , who conducted his own case , said that his father-in-law , Edward Woolridge , was elected an annuitant , and he was to receive four

quarterly payments of £ 10 on 1 st June , September , December ; and March . These payments were due immediately after midnight of the last day of the previous month , and were payable in advance upon the declaration of a clergyman or magistrate being sent that on the 1 st of the month the annuitant was alive . Woolridge died at half-past eight p . m . on 1 st September , and the defendant refused to pay the money .

Mr . Carver , for the defendant , argued that this was a bounty , and there 1 - was no promise to pay . Even if an action would lie , which , he submitted ; - could not , the defendant was not the proper person to sue , and the plaintiff was not the executor . James Terry , called for the plaintiff , said his- Institution was merely a charity , and the annuitants paid nothing . Mr . Seaman : How much does it cost an annuitant to be elected ?

Witness : I do not know , nothing , as far as I know , Plaintiff : Well , I can tell you . It cost him over £ 30 . His Honour ( with surprise ) : Where did it all go to ? Plaintiff : It went for postage , printing , and other things . In answer to His Honour , Mr . Terry said no doubt if the matter had been put in proper form it would have been paid .

His Honour : I have very great doubt if the case will lie at all . If it is put in proper form , I suppose it will be paid . Mr . Terry : I have no doubt the Committee will consider it . . Judgment was entered for the defendant without costs . Replying to His Honour , Mr . Terry said the Institution paid out £ 16 , 500 in annuities . — " Star . "

We regret to hear Sir Hugh Owen , after whom one of the \ more recently consecrated Lodges was named , is seriously ill . o o o Bro . Lord Amherst of Hackney has given £ 100 towards the completion of the purse of £ 1 , 000 started by the Duke of

Westminster with a similar donation , in aid of the North-Eastern Hospital for Children , to be presented to the Duchess of Connaught at the Eose Fete , at Queen ' s Hall on the first day , the ' 23 rd inst .