Masonry On The High Seas.

MASONRY ON THE HIGH SEAS .

S EVERAL Brethren who travelled from Australia to England by the " Persic " White Star Line , on her last voyage home formed the idea of holding a bi-weekly Lodge of Instruction , and so beguile the wearisomeness of the journey , and instruct themselves in the practice of the rites

and ceremonies of Freemasonry . The master of the ship , Captain Sealby , who belongs to the Craft , kindly placed his room at the disposal of the Brethren though his constant attention to the duties of his responsible office as Captain interfered with his presence at the Lodge meetings . The

Brethren who met in this Lodge of Instruction on the high seas represented a wide range of Freemasonry . Every quarter of the globe seems to have been in evidence at the Persic Lodge of Instruction . There was a P . M ,. Bro . H . W . Meggitt , of the E . G . Lincoln , No . 1 447 ; Bro . T . G . Wilson ,

P . M . of No . 98 , New South Wales ; Bro . J . H . L . Zellmann , P . M . of No . 35 , Kiama Lodge , Kiama , N . S . W ., and a number of Master Masons from Lodges in Queensland , New Zealand , Victoria , West Australia and Tasmania , not to mention Bro . David J . Davis of Lodge Aconcagua , Valparaiso , Chili , and a

Brother from No . 37 , Farmington , Washington , U . S . A . Bro . J . Telfer of Lodge Scotia , No . 861 , Coolgardie , acted as Secretary , Bro . Wilson P . M . acted as W . M ., and Bro . Zellman P . M . as Chaplain , the Offices of Senior and Junior Wardens were fulfilled by Bro . Frank Hart of 203 , E . C .,

Liverpool , and Bro . Oscar Kalbfell of No . 5 , Pacific , Tas ., and the Senior and Junior Deaconships by Brethren as was convenient . Much praise is due to Bro . Telfer for the artistic manner in which he prepared the notices and summonses . The last summons issued is in itself a work of art .

heading ( with Masonic symbols ) , Persic Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons , then follows names of the three principal Officers . Notice : Dear Sir and Bro ., " You are hereby invited to attend a Lodge of Instruction , to be held in the Lodge Room ( Officers' dining saloon ) this , Saturday

evening , at 8 . 15 p . m . By command of the W . M ., John F . Telfer Secretary . Business : 1 st Degree , Regalia to be worn . " On the back of this paper the owner has secured the signatures of all the Brethren who attended the Lodge meetings . Others he informs us did the same thing . At the

close of the voyage , while the vessel was lying outside the mouth of the Thames , waiting for daylisrht to proceed up the river , the Brethren all waited on the Captain and presented an address of Fraternal farewell , and thanking him for the opportunity which had been placed within their reach of

associating Masonically with one another . The captain seemed highly pleased , and expressed the opinion that the good example of the Brethren in holding Lodge meetings of instruction was deserving of being more generally imitated . Fie said that when he had taken his Third Degree a

suggestion was made to mm that the opportunity of a lenghtened voyage might often help Brethren to cultivate a more correct acquaintance with the usages of Freemasonry , though he did not suppose that so early in his career as commander of a vessel he would have been able to help in giving practical effect to the idea . — " Masonry . "

Lodge Of Sorrow.

LODGE OF SORROW .

A SPECIAL Communication of the Grand Lodge of all Scottish Freemasonry in India was held on the death ot Bro . James W . Smith Past Grand Master of that jurisdiction , when Bro . K . R . Cama P . G . Master Depute delivered the following Oration : Brethren , —The G . M . Depute in charge asked me a few days ago to deliver an Oration on

the occasion of the holding of the Lodge of Sorrow in memory of the late lamented Past Grand Master of All Scottish Freemasonry in India , Rt . Wor . Bro . James William Smith . I hesitated a little at first because 1 believed that it would be well to find out another Brother who would be

better qualified to do justice to the theme . But when I remembered that I had been connected with Bro . Smith for years together in Freemasonry , I thought that I would be failing in my duty as an old Mason were I to shirk the duty

I owed to my late friend . I accordingly complied with the desire expressed by Rt . Wor . Bro . Pollen ,, and I feel a sort of melancholy pleasure in raising my feeble voice in the opmmemoration ceremony to-night . Brethren , from the manner in which Grand Lodge has been draped in crape , it

Lodge Of Sorrow.

shows that we have not mat for any ordinary business tonight , but that we have assembled to mourn the loss of a dear and beloved Brother , who held a hig h rank in Freemasonry , and who had served in both Constitutions in the highest offices appertaining to the two Grand Lodges working

in Bombay . And I am pleased to see that such a large number has gathered together this evening to do honour to the memory of our late Brother . Brethren , as a password and passport to the portals qf Freemasonry we are required to affirm the belief that there is only one true and living

God . The immortality of the soul is our next belief . Every man is a composite made up of body , soul , and spirit , and when one dies , that is to say when his soul takes wing and

flies to the next world to render his last account to the Most High , though he may be dead to those who are living in this world , he is to all intents and purposes leading a better and a faultless and pious life in another world ,

The ceremony that we have gone through to-night and similar ceremonies performed in places other than the Lodges of Freemasons , are not calculated to do any good to the dead , but they are meant for the instruction and improvement of the living . There is a tenet in Freemasonry which states that

every man receives his reward or punishment after death according to his deeds in this world . Every one works out his salvation during life by his own acts and deeds , and hence no ceremony is performed after his death since it does not avail his soul in any way . But we as frail human creatures

require to be reminded every now and then that we are mortals and that our fate will be similar to that of the Brother whose death we mourn , and such ceremonies are performed by way of affording a useful lesson to those left behind by him .

The ceremonial that we have passed through to-night will show that death takes hold of at one time or another every man that is born in this world , and that we should be prepared to meet it when it comes . We have , therefore , to avail ourselves of this opportunity to draw a moral for our own benefit from the life and career of our late lamented

Brother . Nobo . dy can venture to say about another that all his deeds and actions are worthy of imitation , because no man is perfect . There is always a mixture of good and evil among men , and it often happens that at times the evil may obtain victory over righteousness , and may lead one to

transgress the Divine Will and be sinful ; but m such cases it is always deemed best to throw a veil of impenetrable thickness over the failings and foibles of the departed Brother , and only fery to benefit ourselves by remembering and recounting only his good acts and deeds worthy of

admiration and imitation . The best service one can render to the dead is to follow in his foot-steps and imitate his good example . The Masonic carepr of our late lamented Brother is indeed worthy of our imitation . I will not go into every

detail of his very useful and brilliant Masonic career , because they are too numerous to be enumerated during the short time at my command , but if any Brother is desirous of doing so he might look for them in the " Indian Freemason " of May 1894 .

I will , therefore , only confine myself to some of the most important points in his career of which , I may say without the least hesitation , I have personal experience and knowledge . It will be found from that magazine that the late Bro . Smith was initiated in the mysteries of the Craft

so far back as the year 1871 , so that at the time of his death he was a Mason of twenty-nine years standing . He came to Bombay in 1877 and soon joined the English Constitution . He was affiliated in Lodge " St . George , " the premier Lodge under the English Constitution . He there rose so fast that

within the space of two years he was elected to- the chair of the Lodge . I had the honour to be present that night , and I am sure there are a few here who were present on the occasion , many of them having gone to that home whence no one can return . There happened something special that

night which has not yet been effaced from my memory . Brethren , it may be quite within your experience that when a Brother is raised to the Master ' s chair , he is expected to be a little nervous in the presence of a large assembly , and becomes diffident as to how he will be able to go through

the beautiful ritual . To my great surprise the late Brother Smith without being in the least diffident or nervous appeared to be self-composed . Without betraying the least hesitation he went through the ceremonial with'such skill ' and practical knowledge and coolness and correctness that he won the admiration of all present on the occasion . They all went away