Women Freemasons.

became ; i niouibjr of tho Society . " Here arc parts of tho record . In tho absence of exact information with respect ti dates promised by relatives of tho Doneraile family , the following is offerod to show , a * near as possible , tlio precise time of the initiation of the Honourable Mrs . Aldivoith .

She wa-i tho youngest child and only daughter of the Right Honourable Arthur St . friger , created lirst Viscount Doneraile , 23 rd June 1703 , and Elizabeth , daughter and heiress of John Hayes , Esq ., of Winohelsea . His lordship died in July 1727 , and was sneceeded by his eldest son , brother of tho subject of onr notice . From all tho ciroutnstauoos that havo couio under observation , we

aro inclined to fix tho period of her initiation so late as 1739 , and to boliere that sho was a lirrio older than nineteen . Tho Honourable Klizabeth St . Leger was married to Richard A Id worth , Esq ., of Nowmarkcfc , county Cork , who was son to Sir Richard Aldworth , Provost Maveschal of Munster . Wo havo it from undoubted authoiity that the occurrouce took place

when hor brothsr WHS Viscount , i . e ., after the death of her father . *• So far facts . Now suppose the occurrence took place place within a year or two ( it may bo more ) after her brother succeeded to the honours <> f the Visccnntcy , say 1730 , and the period of her birth abont 1713 ; bnt from all wo can learn , hor initiation took place much

Inter than ll'M , and until we get from tho authenticated records of tho family tho exact periods of birth , marriage and death of this very celebrated lady , the dates most be a matter of supposition . Tho principal reason we have for doubting , amongst others , that sho was not initiated so early , is a communication received from tho son of a Brother who witnessed the ceremony and all the atteudanfc

circamstancos , in which bo states , " That the Honourable Mrs . Aldworth was initiated at Doneraile House , and in Lodge ' 44 ' of Ireland , the Warrant of which , though dormant , is in the hands of tho writer of the letter . " The writer is Richard Hill of Doneraile , and son of Arundel Hill , Essex ( since dead ) , who witnessed tho initiation , and who livod to a very old age , and was not unknown to onr biographer , who in his younger days was frequently in his

company . The Warrant of Lodgo ' 41 ' was issued in 1735 . It was what might bo called an nristcoratio , or at least a highly respectable , Lodge , incladiug all the elite of that very populous and delightful country around Doneraile , and held generally in the town ; but often , under the presidency of Lord Doneraile , at his residence , as in the instance about to he related .

It happened on this particular occasion that the Lodge was held in a room separated from another , as ia often the case , by stud and brickwork . The young lady , being giddy and thonghtless , determined to gvatify her cariosity , made her arrangements accordingly , and with a pair of scissors ( as sho herself related to the mother of our informant ) , removed a portion of brick from the wall , and placed

herself so as to command a fall view of everything which occurred in tho next room ; so placed , sho witnessed the lirst two degrees in Masonry , which was tho extent of tho proceedings of the Lodge on that night . Becoming awaro , from what she heard , that the Brethren were abont to separate , for the first time she felt tremblingly alive to the awkwardness and clanger of her situation , and began to consider how

sho could retire without observation . She became nervous and agitated , and nearly fainted , but ao far recovered herself as to be fully aware of . the necessity of withdrawing as quickly as possible ; in the act of doing so , being in tho dark , she stumbled against and overthrew something , said to be a chair , or some ornamental piece of fnrniture . The crash was loud , and tho Tyler , who was on the lobby

or landing on which the doors both of the Lodge Room and that where the Hononrnble Miss St . Leger was opened , gave the alarm , burst open the door , and with a light in one hand and a drawn sword in the other , appeared to the now terrified and fainting lady , He was soon joined by the members of the Lodgo present , and fortunately , for it is asserted that but for tho prompt appearance of her brother , Lord

Doneraile , and other steady members , her life would have fallen a sacrifice to what was then esteemed her crime . Tho first care of his lordshi p was to reenscitate the unfortunate lady without alarming the house , and endeavour to learn from ber au explauntion of what had occurred ; having done so , many of the members , being furious at the transaction , she was placed under guard of tho Tyler and a

member , in the room in which sho was found . The members re- ' assembled and deliberated as to what uiidet' the circumstances was to he done ; over two long hours sho could hear tho angry discussion , and her death deliberately proposed and seconded . At length the good sense of the majority succeeded in calming , in some measure , tho angry and irritated feelings of tho rest of tho members , when atter much had been said and many things proposed , ic was resolved

tn give her the option of submitting to the Masonic ordeal , to the extont she witnessed ( F . C . ) , and if she rofnsed tho Brethren were igain to consult . Being waited on to decide , Miss St . Leger , exhausted and terrified by the storminess of tho debate , which she could not avoid partially hearing , and yet , notwithstanding all , with a secre t pleasure , gladly and unhesitatingly accepted the oiler . She w "s accordingly initiated . "

Iliero is some reason to believe Miss St . Leger never advanced beyond tho degree of Entered Apprentice . It is certain tho Grand Lodge of Ireland never took anv steos to cancel tho proceedings , and that Miss St . Leger ' .- ; membersliip was duly recognised . Tho circumstances of Mrs . Beaton ' s initiation are said to have resembled those ot Mrs . Aldworth .

It was with reference to this event that Bro . Hnghan mnarked he could not see what else could be done , ijo . thor can I ; and it is on this I base my theory that on " - " - ' occui'rtnierj of . , similar circutaatauoo tbe uamc proce-

Women Freemasons.

dure would have to bo adopted : it thus becomes possible for any woman to be made a Freemason . It is perfectly fair for any one to object to this argument , but , holding a brief for the female sex , I ask of an objector , " supposing a lady did become acquainted by

actual sight and hearing with the secrets of Masoury ( and this cannot be deemed impossible , as it has already occurred ) , what other course but that of initiating her could you adopt ? " If you did not initiate , you , for the sake of not

committing tho minor offence of initiating a female , would commit tho heavy offence of allowing our secrets to be known to oue of the world in general , and in the particular possession of ono who would in all probability disclose them . * * *

Tho following advertisement appeared in the Newcastle Gourant , of 4 th January ] 770 : — This is to acquaint tho public , that on Monday , the 1 st inifc ., being the Lodgo ( or monthly meeting ) night of the Free and Acoopted Masons of the 22 ud Regiment , held at tho Crown near Newgate

( Newcastle ) , Mrs . Bell , the landlady of the house , broke open a door ( with a poker ) that had not been opened for Botne time past , by which means sho got into an adjacent room , made two holes through tho wall , and , by that stratagem , discovered the secrets of Freemasonry : and she , knowing herself to be the first woman in the

world that ever found out the seoret , is willing to make it known to all her sex . So any lady who is desirous of learning the secrets of Freemasonry , by applying to the well-learned woman ( Mrs . Bell , that lived fifteen years in and about Newgate ) , may be instructed in the secrets of Masonry . "

Gould who quotes tho above also says : — An incident of tho lato American Civil War appears to be on all . fours with the stories of Miss St . Leger and Mrs . Bell . The life of a yonng Irishman , taken red-handed as a guerilla by a party of the

Iowa regiment in 1861 , was spared—so it is related—through his sister making a Masonic aign for relief , it proving on examination that she had passed all the degrees . This case was quoted in tho Weekly Budget , U . S . A ., 28 th March 1883 .

There is another instance of a lady who advertised she knew all tho secrets , and was prepared to make any ono a Mason for half-a-crown . In addition to modern initiations of females into Speculative Masonry , there are records of women becoming Operative Masons .

One was Anna Ulrich , or Ensigner , daughter of a Master builder . Early in the fifteenth century , she was married to John Ounn , and was enrolled in 1417 in the Lodge Register of tho Ulm Minster as a Fellow ; of this more anon . —Madras Masonic Review .

Tho following is the text of the address to tho ucwlyinstalled Grand Master , as given by M .. W . Bro . Way ( Pro Grand Master of South Australia ) at the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Tasmania : — M . W . G . M ., this is an event of pre-eminent importance to yourself ' to members of tho Craft in Tasmania , and to the adherents of Masonic

unity and Masonic independence in these southern lands . A fourth Sovereign Grand Lodge is now added to the Grand Lodges of Australia . Your installation marks a fresh development in the Con - stitution of Tasmanian Masonry . It invests you with fresh dignity and with greater power , and places you at the head of what I doubt not will be long and illustrious succession of Grand Master Masons

of Tasmania . I ' ortunatoly we need not vindicate the work whioh is now completed . Its lawfulness is beyond dispute , and will be admitted by every Masonio authority . It is timely work , for it would bo an anachronism for a colony with responsible government to remain in a state of Masonic dependence . It is a beneficial work , for it nnites the Craft in this country into ooe brotherhood , and

places it in direct communication and on terms of equality with tho Craft all over the world . This is also a successful work . Never beforo in the Australian colonies has a Grand Lodge been established with complete unanimity . Yon , Most Worshipful Sir , aro the first Grand Master in these colonies who , on sealing himself in the chair of King Solomon , lias found all tho Lodges within the territory

submitting to his jurisdiction . This occasion , also , is distinguished by the presence of three visiting Grand Masters , attended by members of their respective Grand Lodges . For tho first time in Australia nnd Tasmania , aro four ruling Grand Masters met together in ou « Lodge to fake part in the same Communication . In tho persons of

Mie visiting Giand Masters , the Grand Lodges of Now South Wales , Victoria , and S . mth Australia welcome tho sister Grand Lodgo of Tasmania into the great hierarchy of the Grand Lodges of the world Bnt these dintinguished visitors bring with them associations which ¦ < w . dear to nn fill . Lord Carriugton is Past Senior Grand Warden of England ; Lord Kintore is 1 ' asfc Siibst . ituto Grand Master Mason of

Scotland ; Sir Wm . Clarke , besides holding similar offices in English and Scottish Masonry , was a District Grand Master under the Irish Constitution . Tho presenco of these moat worshi pful brethren reminds us , therc-foro , of the three venerable Constitutions to which Tasmanian Masonry will always bo proud to trace its origin . Th » family title of tho M . W . G . M " ., to whom my own Masonic allegiance i .-i ih ' . v , ' . ¦ . vrriey us back 150 years to the time wbcu bis reuowusd auueti-