Outside Calls On Masonry.

OUTSIDE CALLS ON MASONRY .

IT must be most gratif ying to the Craft to notice * that , despite the heavy claims made upon its members in connection with the inner Charities of the Order , outside calls are freel y and liberally responded to whenever they are of a national or exceptional

character . We have evidence of this in the proposal to be submitted to Grand Chapter by Sir John B . Monckton on Wednesday next , when he will move a grant of one hundred guineas to the Fund being raised by the Lord Mayor of London , on behalf of the

Transvaal Refugees , but even though thus early in the field Grand Chapter will be b y no means first in this good cause , as the following list of Masonic subscriptions to the Fund , kindl y furnished to us by the Lord Mayor last night , fully demonstrates :

REFUGEES FUND . Supreme Council , 33 ° - £ 105 0 0 St . Peter Westminster Lodge , No . 1537 - - 52 10 0 Lion and Lamb Chapter , No . 192 - - - 10 10 0

Old Boys Lodge , Montrose College - - - 5 5 0 Weymouth Chapter Rose Croix , No . 4 - - - 4 4 0 Crusaders Lodge , No . 1677 - - - - 3 13 0 Invicta Rose Croix Chapter - - - - 2 2 0 Star Lodge of Instruction , No . 1275 - - - 1 10 0

It is also worth y of record that among the first day ' s subscribers to the Shilling Fund on behalf of our Soldiers' Widows and Orphans , just started b y the " Dail y Telegraph , " was the Polish National Chapter , No . 534 , whose members subscribed 420 shillings , the

amount being collected and forwarded by Comp . H . T . Reed . Hi gher up on the same list we see the name of Brother A . J . Naughton W . M . of the newly consecrated Alfred Newton Lodge—really the Harrod ' s

Stores Lodge—who figures for 100 shillings , as Chief Accountant of the Stores , in a list which totals up to 2 , 672 shillings contributed by the employees of that undertaking . No doubt we shall be able to record many more Masonic contributions in the near future .

Grand Chapter.

GRAND CHAPTER .

HP HE Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand * Chapter is to be held on Wednesday next , the agenda of business presenting little of exceptional interest . Four petitions for new Chapters will be dealt

with , and sundry removals and changes sanctioned , after which the Companions will be asked to remove a number of defunct Chapters from the roll , a proceeding

which becomes necessary from time to time , and should be regularly attended to , so as to keep the register more up to date than it often proves to be .

The Committee of General Purposes recommend a grant of ^ 2 , 000 towards the cost of the new buildings at Freemasons' Hall , and Bro . Sir John Monckton has

given notice of a motion to vote one hundred guineas to the Transvaal Refugees' Fund , both of which payments will no doubt be unanimously agreed to , unless it be deemed desirable to increase the latter .

Sussex.

SUSSEX .

f jHHE Mayor of Hastings reminds the inhabitants that the -I- town will be honoured with a royal visit early next month . His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught will visit Hastings on Thursday , 2 nd November , for the purpose of presiding as Provincial Grand Master at the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of Sussex . Alderman

Tuppenney hopes that the proprietors of shops , hotels and houses on the line of route will decorate for the occasion , and the people of the first Cinque Port may certainly be expected to outvie each other in their efforts to accord the royal visitor a right royal welcome .

Our distinguished Brother is expected to arrive at Hastings Station about one o ' clock , and will be received by the Corporation in municipal state . An address of welcome will be presented on behalf of the inhabitants . According to present arrangements , a carriage procession

will be formed in the station yard , and will take the following route to the Concert Hall , Warrior Gardens ( where the Provincial Grand Lodge meeting is to he held ) , viz . : Havelock Road , Robertson Street , White Rock , Verulam Place , Eversfield Place , Grand Parade , London Road , King ' s Road , Western Road ( upper part ) , Warrior Gardens .

West Yorkshire.

WEST YORKSHIRE .

fllHE half-yearly meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge JL was held on Wednesday , 18 th inst ., under the banner of the Craven Lodge , No . 810 , in the Town Hall , Skipton . Bro . R . Wilson Deputy Provincial Grand Master presided . There was a fairly numerous attendance of Brethren , although fourteen Lodges , a larger number than has been the case for some years , were unrepresented .

The D . P . G . M ., who was cordially received , read a letter from the Provincial Grand Master the Right Hon . W . L . Jackson , M . P ., expressing his deep regret that urgent Parliamentary duties prevented his attendance . Proceeding to address the Brethren , the D . P . G ; M . remarked that

Provincial Grand Lodge was meeting for the third time under the banner of the Craven Lodge , the previous occasions having been in 1867 and in 1885 . Sympathetic allusion was made to the absence through illness of the father of the Craven Lodge , Col . George Robinson , who , besides being a

founder , was W . M . in 1862 and 188 9 , and had filled other responsible offices . After mentioning the debt due to the Skipton Corporation for the use of the Town Hall , the D . P . G . M . remarked that since his appointment , six months ago , he had visited some twenty Lodges in various parts of

the Province , and he referred with satisfaction to the great care and precision which he had found to prevail . Alluding to a subject to come before the meeting at a later stage , the D . P . G . M . touched upon the matter of Masonic impostors , and urged that the time had come to take decided action in a

matter which concerned not only the Province , but the interests of the Craft all over the country . As regarded the scheme for the erection of Masonic buildings in Leeds , eleven plans had been submitted . The cost of the land , already paid , was £ 3 , 500 , and the cost of the buildings vvas estimated

at from £ 8 , 000 to £ 10 , 000 . The Leeds Brethren had subscribed £ 6 , 200 in £ 1 shares , and the Committee invited from the Brethren of the Province applications , through Bro . Charles Scriven , of Leeds , Prov . G . Superintendent Works , for the remainder of the shares . After alluding to the desirability

of the more punctual discharge of their duties by the Secretaries ofthe various Lodges , the D . P . G . M . mentioned that on 3 rd November Lord Stanley would be installed by Lord Lathom as Prov . Grand Master of East Lancashire , in succession to Col . Le Gendre Starkie .