A Complex Question.

Canadian jurisdiction only , " and our reason for this is clear ; the Grand Lodge of Canada has no authority whatever outside its own jurisdiction . ( 2 ) He then quotes from Article 17 , " Of Private Lodges " : " No Lodge shall , on any pretence , make more

than five new brothers in one day , nor until they have been balloted for and approved ; nor can a rejected applicant for admission be balloted for again in ( he same or any other Lodge within twelve months from the time of suoli rejection . " On this he asks , " Do the italicised words refer to any

other Lodge in another jurisdiction ? ' to which , and for the same reason as before , we reply , " Most decidedly not . " ( 3 ) Article 23 , " Of proposing Members , " he tells us , lays it down that , " No Lodge shall initiate a candidate whose residence is nearer the jurisdiction of another Lodge ,

unless by dispensation of tbe Grand Master , and he explains , " the jurisdiction extends in every direction halfway to the nearest Lodge . " With reference to this he is desirous of knowing if " the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada extends to the jurisdiction of a Lodge

in this country working under a warrant from the Grand Lodge of England ? " to which the only reply it is in our power to give is , " Certainly not . " Grand Lodge of Canada has already formally and officially recognised the jurisdiction of tbe Grand Lodge of England over certain Lodges in Montreal , of which the St . George's , No . 440 , is one .

( 4 ) Passing over the next query , which is virtually the Bame as the one immediately foregoing , only expressed in somewhat different language , we come to Article 4 " Of Proposing Members , " which is to the following effect : " In cases of emergency , the following alteration as to the mode

of proposing a candidate is allowed . Any two members of a Lodge may transmit , in writing , to the Master the usual declaration of any candidate whom they wish to propose , and the circumstances which cause the emergency ; and tbe Master , if the emergency be proper , shall issue a notice

to every member , —appoint a Committee—summons the Lodge to meet at a period of not less than seven clear days from issue of summons for the purpose of balloting for the candidate ; and , if the candidate be then approved , he may be initiated in the first degree of Masonry . " Premising

that we are not responsible for the accurate wording- of this or previous or following excerpts from the Canadian Constitutions , we may state that our correspondent ' s inquiry in this case takes the form of a statement to the

effect that what was required was duly carried out , and our one and only remark in consequence is , that this compliance with a law which appears to be common to both the English and Canadian Constitutions is obviously a matter for sincere congratulation .

( 5 ) The query that follows is substantially the same with No . 2 , and concerns the time that must elapse between the rejection of a candidate and the renewal of his application form . ( 6 ) We are told that Article 7 , " Of Members and their

duties , is to this effect : "All differences between , or complaints of , members that cannot be accommodated privately , or in some regular Lodge , shall be reduced into "writing and delivered to the Grand Secretary , who shall lay them before the Grand Master , District Deputy Grand

Master , or Board of General Purposes . After investigation , adjudication shall be made , as shall be authorised by the Bye-Laws and regulations of Masonry . We are here told that nothing , as laid down by this article 7 , has been done , and , we are asked—if we rightly understand the

wording of the question—whether , in the event of its not not being completed within a given time , anything can be brought up or done to debar the brother , to whose rejection in a Toronto Lodge , Canada Constitution , and initiation in a Montreal Lodge under the English

Constitution , we are indebted for the origin of these difficulties , from tbe exercise of his rights and privileges as a Mason We reply , ( a ) " As far as we can judge from the premises , there is nothing whatever in the shape of an obstacle to tbe Brother ' s exercise of his rights and privileges in his

own Lodge . ( b ) " Canada has formally recognised the English Lodge of which he is a member , and among his rights and privileges is that of visiting other Lodges , if properly vouched for ; " but ( c ) " A Brother who has , even unintentionally , slighted the self-respect of the Grand Lodge

within whose territorial jurisdiction he resides , by offering himself as a candidate for acceptance into a Lodge outside that jurisdiction , cannot , in reason , expect to be made welcome , much less to have degrees conferred upon him , in one of its subordinate Lodges . "

A Complex Question.

Before quitting the subject we will remark that the circumstances as laid before us appear to be most unfortunate , nor can we imagine any thing more calculated to promote the elements of discord between the Lodges in two contiguous , but independent , jurisdictions than for a

candidate who has been rejected in one to apply for admission into another , especially when he resides in the former , and at a distance of over 300 miles from the loeality . of his Lodge in the latter . We will not go so far as to say that , in the circumstances , he has been guilty

of a legal wrong—the answers we have given to our correspondent's questions are sufficient to dispose of any intention on our part to lay down such a proposition Yet we cannot but express our belief that he has been

guilty of a very grave indiscretion , more especially when we take into account the extreme sensitiveness with which the American Grand Lodges regard , this question of jurisdiction .

Municipality And Masonry.

MUNICIPALITY AND MASONRY .

THE walls of the grand old City Guildhall and its precincts have resounded with unusual scenes of festivity and happiness within the past few days ; but we question if any of them have afforded more solid and abiding satisfaction to our worthy Bro . the Lord Mayor , and Grand Junior Warden of England , than that in which

he participated on Monday evening last at the Guildhall Tavern . It is not long since the laudable idea was conceived that , taking into consideration the number of brethren who are , in a variety of ways , connected with the work of the Corporation of the City of London , nothing could be more conducive to their fraternal comfort and

convenience than to establish a Lodgo within hail of the grand historic precincts from which radiate the powers and functions of tho local government of the City . Accordingly , steps in this direction were taken , and we believe we are correct in stating that amongst those who

assisted most zealously in the initiatory stages were the present Grand Secretary , the President of the Board of General Purposes , and other prominent and distinguished members of Grand Lodge . Under such robust auspices , it was no wonder that tbe Alliance Lodge , No . 1827 , should

have made rapid and healthy progress , and have taken its stand so proudly and prominently amongst the Lodges in the metropolis . Nor can we be surprised that , having regard to the aspirants for office , among the pick and cream of the professional and legal elements which hover around

the Guildhall , the working of tbe Lodge should have attained a standard of excellence but very rarely approached elsewhere . It is not our province , however , here to speak , even in general terms , of the perfection attained by a united band of brethren whose "local habitation" may be said

to be yet hardly matured . The immediate occasion for these lines is to congratulate them upon the pre-eminent success which crowned their efforts on Monday evening , when they received within their hospitable circle the eminent Brother who now so ably and so happily fills the post

of the highest dignity in the City of London . Seldom has a Lodge been so profusely honoured by the attendance of Grand Officers as on the occasion to which we refer . Tbe dais of the Lodge-room and the upper tiers at the banquet table were ablaze with a wealth of purple , and resplendent with

jewels , and the whole scene was one of tbe most gratifying nature . But most pleasing of all was it to observe the hearty unity and cordial sentiment which actuated the brethren in their reception of the Chief Magistrate of the City , on whom OHr beloved Sovereign has recently conferred such

proud distinctions . We venture to believe that Sir J . Whittaker Ellis will not soon forget the hearty grip of the hand with which he was received by the brethren of the Alliance , and that he was actuated by no mere after-dinner courteBy when he remarked that " amongst the many

honours I have had poured upon me during the last few months there is not one I value more highly than that of being elected Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of England . " The hearty and spontaneous welcome accorded to his Lordship was a charming feature in a gathering

which was very much more numerous than could reasonably have been expected on a sultry afternoon in June . Even with the more than ordinarily adequate accommodation afforded at the Guildhall Tavern—the home of so many Masonic families—its resources were taxed to the utmost