Diary For The Week.

151-1—Thornhill , Masonic Room , Beam Houso , Lindloy 1580—G-anbourno , Red Lion Hotel , Hatfield , Herts , at 8 . ( Instruction ) 1626—Hotspur , Masonic Hall , Maple-stroet , Newcastle 1817—St . Andrew's , Cambridge Hotol , Shooburyiio . s 1892—Wallingto i , King's Arms Hotel , Carshalton . I Instruction ) R . A . 57—Humber , Freemasons' Hall , Hull R . A . 116—Cana , Swan Hotel , Colne , Lancashire R . A . 129—Kendal Castle , 12 Stramoudgato , Kendal

R . A . 266—Napthali , Masonic Hall , Markct-placo , lloywood R . A . 292—Liverpool , Masonic Hall , Liverpool R . A . 307—Good Intent , White Horse Hotol , Hobden Bridge R . A . 424—Do Burghi , 34 Denmark-street , Gateshead . R . A . 1098—Prinr e of Wales , Private Rooms , Temple Hall , Tredegar R . A . 1395—Weysido , Masonic Hall , Woking M . M . 32—Union . Freemasons' Hall , Cooper-street , Manchester K . T . 8—Plains of Mamre , Bull Hotel , Burnley

FBIDAY , 27 th JULY .

Quarterly General Court Boys' School , Freemasons' Hall , at __ Emulation Lodge of Improvement , Freemasons' HaU , at 6 25—Robert Burns , Portland Arms I o , el , Great Portland Street , W ., at 8 . ( In ) 167—St . John ' s , York and Albr ly Ho . el , Regent ' s Park , N . W ., at 8 . ( Inst . ) 507—United Pilgrims , Surrey Masonic Hall , Camberwell , at 7 . 30 , ( Jnsfc . ; 765—St . James , Princess Victoria Tavern , Rotherbitho , at 8 . ( Instruction ) 766- William Preston , St . Andrew ' s Tavern , Georgo St ., Baker St ., at 8 . ( In )

78 C —Royal Alfred , Star ancl Garter , Kow Bridge 834—lanelagh , Six Bells , Hammersmith . ( Instruction ) 975—Rose of Denmark , Greyhound , Richmond 1056—Metropolitan , Portugal Hotol , Fleet Stroot , E . G ., at 7 . ( Instruction ) 1185—Lewis , Fishmongers' Arms Hotel , Wood Greon , at 7 . 30 . ( Instruction ) 1228—Beacontree , Green Man , Loytonstone . ( Instruction ) 1298—Royal S andard , Alwyne Castle , St . Paul's Road , Canonbury , at 8 . ( In )

1305—Clapton , White Hart , Lower Clapton , at 7 . 30 , ( Instruction ) 1381—Kennington , Tho Horns , Kennington . ( Instruction ) 1602—Sir Hugh Myddelton , Agricultural Hall , N . 1612—E . Carnarvon , Ladbroke HaU , Notting Hill , at 8 . ( Instruction . 203 C— The Abbey Westminster , King ' s Arms , Buckingham Palace Road , S . W . at 7 . 30 . ( Instruction ) ' ' R . A . —Panmure O . of Improvement , Stirling Castle , Church Street , Camberwell

R . A . 79—Pythagorean , Port ' and Hotel , London Street , Greonw _ ch . ( Inst ) . R . A . 95—Eastern Star C . of Improvement , Hercules Tav ., Leadenhall Street R . A . 134—Caledonian , Ship and Turtle , Leadenhall-stroet R . A . 820—Lily of Richmond , Greyhound , Richmond , at 8 . ( Improvement ) R . A . 890—Hornsey , Porchester Hotel , Leinster Placo , Cleveland Square , Paddington , W . ( Improvement ) M . M . —Old Kent , Crown and Cushion , London Wall , E . C . ( Instruction ) K . T . 74—Harcourt , Greyhound Hotel , Richmond

453—Chigwell , Public Hall , Station Road , Loughton , at 7 . 30 . ( Instruction ) 3810— Craven , Devonshire Hotel , Skipton 1102—Mirfleld , Assom ^ y Rooms , Eastthorpo , Mirfleld 1393—Hamer , Masonic Hall , Liverpool 1712—St . John , Free ""> sons Hall , Grainger Street , Newcastle upon Tyne 2039—Londonderry , Y . M . C . A ., John Street , Sunderland

General Lodgo of 1 -. struction , Masonic Hall , New Streo , Birmingham , at 8 R . A . 152—Virtue , Freemasons' Hall , Cooper-street , Manchester R . A . 242—Magdalen , Guildhall , Doncaster R . A . 712—St . James's , Masonic Hall , Rosemary Lane , Louth R . A . 1086—Walton , Skelmersdale Masonic Hall , Kirkdale , Liverpool M . M . 164— Southdown , Station Hotel , Hay wards Heath , Sussex K . T . 20—Royal Kent , Masonic Hall , Maple-street , Newcastle

SATURDAY , 28 th JULY .

Quarterly General Court Girls' Schoo " , Freemasons' Hall , at 12 179—Manchester , Yorkshire Grey , London St ., Tottenham Court Rd „ _ u 8 . ( It ) | 198—Percy , Jolly Farmers' , Southgate Road , N ., 8 . ( Instruction ) 1275—Star , Five Boll . , 155 Now Cross Road , S . E ., at 7 , ( Instruction ) 1288—Finsbury Park , Cock Tavern , Highbury , at 8 . ( Instruction ) 1297—West Kent , Crystal Palace , Sydenham

1361—Earl of Zetland , Royal Edward , Triangle , Hackney , at 7 . ( Instruction ) 1541—Alexandra Palace , Imperial Hotel , Holborn Viaduct 1624—Eccleston . Crown and Anchor . 79 Ebury Street , 8 . W ., at 7 . ( Inst ) 1679—Henry Muggeridge , Masons' Hall Tavorn , E . G . 1871—Gostling-Murray , Town Hall , Hounslow 2012—Chiswick , Windsor Castle Hotol , King Street , Hammersmith , at 7 . 30 . ( In ) | Sinai Chapter of Improvement , Union , Air Street , Regent Street , W ., at 8 I

1293—Bnrdett , Mitre Hotel , Hampton Court I 1462—Wharncliffe , Rose and Crown Hotel , Penistono ' 1464—Erasmus Wilson , Pier Hotel , Greenhifcho 1531—Chiselhurst , Bull ' s Head Hotel , Chiselhurst 1777—Royal Hanover , Albany Hotel , Twickenham

1965—Eastes , Parish Rooms , Bromley , Kent 1982—Greenwood , Public Hall , Epsom 2048—Henry Levander , Station Hotel , Harrow R . A . 1777—Royal Hanover , Town HaU , Twickenham M . M . 14—Prince Edward ' s . Station Hotel . Stansfield . Todmorden

Brother W. J. Hughan's Lecture On " The Rise Of Masonic Degrees."

BROTHER W . J . HUGHAN'S LECTURE ON " THE RISE OF MASONIC DEGREES . "

We copy the following interesting letter from the Qlasgoiu Evening Neivs : —

SIR , —the intimation of the important lectnre on the above sub ject in yesterday ' s "Evening News" calls for more than a passing notice . It dealt with a very interesting subject , from an historic point of view , and tho gentleman who handled it is one whose

name is known throughout the world as standing iu the first rank ot Masonic historians . Freemasonry has existed for hundreds of years , operative Masonry for thousands of years . There were Apprentices , Fellow-Crafts , and Master Masons hundreds of years ago , yet Bro . Hughan asserted in St . Mark ' s Masonic Hall , before a

-arge number of brethren , on the 10 th inst ., that there were no Masonic aegrees in existence until the beginning of last century—namely about _ A . D . 1717 or thereb y . What existed before then were Juasomo grades , the Apprentices , Fellows and Masters being all on a level as regards secrets , for in a number of the old Lodges it was a Jaw that so many Apprentices had to be present at the due admission nni ll and Fellows - Hence thore w ere three grades of members , ot three degrees , with special ceremonies aud secrets for each gree . What the old Masonic secret word was amongst t . h « fnrl _«_ - _

, wh »! lu We d ° nofc now know ' ' as Bra Hnghan observed , "L ™ aecrefca or ceremonies exactly wore . The old Freemasons ere inmtarians before 1717 , as their charges abundantly testified , but « m the new system of speculative Freemasonry was instituted

Brother W. J. Hughan's Lecture On " The Rise Of Masonic Degrees."

in London , in 1717 , Freemasonry became cosmopolitan . Its watchword was the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man . Tho firsfc Masonic Grand Lodge iu the world waa the Grand Lodge of England , formed in 1717 , and no Masonic " Grand Master" existed before then . The pseudo-Masoric historians of last century ,

to fill up their books , were not particular as fco facts , but dealt largely in fictions , interpolations , and alterations . This is now abundantly proved by the labours of the Masonic historians and critics of the last twenty-five years . Previous to 1860 Freemasons , generally speaking , that believed the ceremonies and secrets of the then Craft

degrees , had existed for hundreds or thousands of years , the majority dating from the building of Solomon ' s Temple . Ib was difficult to provo this on documentary evidence , but the excuse was ever ready that the old documents were lost ! Ifc so happens , however , thafc modern research has d iscovered many of these old records , and the

old Masonio charges , and the old Lodge minutes , written long before and up to A . D . 1717 , prove that up to that date modern Freemasons and our system of degrees did not then exist . The oldest Masonic minute of the 3 rd degree in the world , yefc discovered , is dated 1725 , and it is in connection with a musical society to whioh

only Masonic Master Masons were eligible . The Kilwinning Lodge , styled by some the " Mother " Lodge of Scotland , seems to havehad no Master degree until 1737 , and then it got impregnated with the new Freemasonry from England . There was no Grand Lodge or Grand Master in Scotland until 1736 , when the former was

formed—after a visit from some London brethren—and the latter was elected then . In Kelso fche Lodge there firsfc heard of the Master degree in 1754—as this was 18 years after the formation of the Scottish Grand Lodge there does nofc seem fco have been much Masonic communication between Edinburgh and Kelso , or else

news travelled slowly . There were no daily newspapers , telegraphs , or telephones in those days . The Lodge of Edinburgh , Mary ' s Chapel , JSo . 1 , has minutes going back to 1598 , and the Aberdeen Lodge minntes back to 1670 , but these go to prove Bro . Hughau ' s assertion thab there were no Masonic degrees before 1717 .

The three degrees of Craffc Masonry are therefore now about 171 years old—possibly three years or so younger , especially the third degree . What are called the higher degrees rose some time after 1717 , the first of them probably about 1740 , about whioh time Royal Arch Masonry was started . Then there was the degree known

as the Eoyal Order of Scotland , and in the latter half of last century the Masonic Knights Templar degree was concocted , and so on with many others . While the Freemasonry of fche three Craft degrees gloried in being cosmopolitan , the highest degrees were sectarian . The Grand Lodge of Scotland does not recognise the latter . Bro .

Hughan received a hearty vote of thanks for his very interesting and instructive lecture . Several of the brethren present expressed themselves as being in entire accordance with the lecturer , while one or two had a difficulty in realising how all this could be . The

latter , however , must recognise the duty of getting " more light upon the subject , and so be able to distinguish between fche true and the false , the real and the fanciful , and be able to show to the world that Freemasonry has something better now-a-days to recommend ifc than an imaginary antiquity . "

I am , & c . VERITAS VINCIT . Glasgow , 12 th July 1888 .

EXTRAORDINARY CATERING . —The purveyors of the dinner given on Saturday , the 14 th instant , to the French Mayors in the firsfc story of the Eiffel Tower in Paris had to provide for 3 , 000 guests , and there has been a good deal of " tall talk " in bhe French papers concerning the magnitude of the banquet . But ifc sinks into

insignificance before the luncheon provided by Messrs . Spiers and Pond in June 1880 , when the Royal Albert Dock was opened , in the presence of the Duke and Dachess of Connaught , and other royal and illustrious personages . Afc this meal 4 , 000 persons were provided for , which is 1 , 000 in excess of the French gathering : 500

I waiters and 100 cooks and carvers were engaged in servin » the j guests , the tables put end to end would have extended to over a mile | and a half ; more than 4 , 000 dishes were on the board ; while 24 , 000 ! forks and spoons , 12 , 000 knives , 12 , 000 glasses , and 15 , 000 plates

I were used on the occasion . When we add thafc the desserfc consisted of 5 cwt . of grapes , and 2 , 000 baskets of strawberries , to say nothing 1 of other fruifc , ifc will be seen thafc catering for a vast num . I ber of people is not one of those things they manage better in ! France .

j The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Mark | Lodge of Devon will be held at Rose Ash , on Monday , the 23 rd inst ., at 2 ' 30 p . m . The business to be transacted is of a peculiarly interesting nature , as besides the ordinary

; adoption of reports , election of Treasurer , appointment of . Officers , and so forth , the Deputy P . G . M . ( Bro . 0 . Spence j Bate , P . R . S . ) will lay the corner atone and fix the key stone of the arch of the new church which is being built j ou the domain of the late P . G . M . ( Lieutenant-Colonel J . i Tanner-Davey , J . P . )

A CARD . —AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY is announced in the " Paris Figaro , " of a valuable remedy for nervous debility , physical exhaustion , and kindred complaints . This discovery was made by a missionary in Old Mexico ; it saved him from a miserable existence

and premature decay . The Rev . Joseph Holmes , Bloomsbury Mansions , Bloomsbury Square , London , W . C , will send the prescription , free of charge , on receipt of a self-addressed stamped envelope . Mention this paper .