" L'An Est Mort; Vive L'An."

" L'AN EST MORT ; VIVE L'AN . "

THE last clay of a year which will be ever memorable in English history as the Jubilee Year of the reign of our Most Gracious Sovereign is upon us

as we issue our present number of the CHRONICLE to our readers , and 1887 is " in articulo mortis . " The glad national event which has been so joyously celebrated throughout the Empire naturally dwarfs many

other great , though less important , occurrences ; but there are amongst these , especially in connection with the Masonic Order , many which deserve reflection

and consideration by our readers . That the past twelve months have not been , with a great majority of our Brethren engaged in commercial

pursuits , altogether of a " Jubilee" character , cannot , we believe , be gainsaid . In our experience ,

we do not rember a year in which so much complaining , and with so much cause , has been heard in trading circles . Nevertheless , as we may proceed to

show , the fount of Charity has not been stayed , and it speaks well for the members of our glorious Craft that the exercise of benevolence , rendered without

material detriment to individuals and their connections , has been such as to maintain the efficiency of our grand Institutions , even in the sad time of

depression and scarcity of pecuniary means through which we have been , and still are , passing . The increase in the number of our Lodges , though such

rapid growth as that which has marked the rule of our Most Worshipful Grand Master is not considered bv all an unmixed blessing , has been as

proportionately great in the expiring year as in its predecessors , and if it could be assured to us that the new Lodges have strictly attended to the

recommendations of their respective Consecrating Officers in respect of " Quality v . Quantity , " there could be no cause to regret the continued expansion of our Order .

But the frequent warnings of our Grand Secretary and other prominent Brethren , when launching a new Craft , as to the character of the crew to be chosen

for a successful voyage , requires continued iteration if the " true morality " which our Institution professes is to maintain the standard we have set up .

Amongst the legacies winch the dying year will leave us will be that of carrying into effect the unanimous vote of Grand Lodge for the presentation to

—~ * - > x our M . W . Grand Master of an address , and to his beloved wife H . B . H . the Princess of Wales of a suitable present of the value of £ 500 in token of the

affectionate regard with which the Craft hails the approaching Silver Wedding Day of the Boyal pair . Not a

word against such a presentation , or the manner of it , can be said by any member of our Order , unless indeed it mav be to enhance the value of the o / ift to

the receivers , and gratify the desire of individuals "who do not think the vote of Grand Lodge , as a bodv .

a sufficiently personal expression of Masonic loyalty . In other words , there are those who think the Grand

" L'An Est Mort; Vive L'An."

Lodge vote excludes them from any personal share in the gift ; and there are yet others who , reflecting on tha present needs of our Charitable Institutions , more particularly the "Benevolent , " with its hundred or

more applicants at the gates who must be turned away at the ensuing Election ; and the Boys' School , with the additional drain on its relatively small income caused by the recent epidemic ( now , we fervently

trust , happily at an end , and without a single fatality ) consider that the sum involved might have been made better use of elsewhere . But not at the

sacrifice of the pretty and sincere compliment which the Grand Lodge vote expresses ! On the contrary , the desire appears to be to increase its force , and .

therefore there is much that is worthy of consideration , if there be yet sufficient time for the purpose , in the suggestion of an esteemed correspondent in a recent

number of the CHRONICLE , who submits that a silver sixpence from each member in each of our upwards of two thousand Lodges conld be easily collected , would

produce more than £ 1 , 000 , and consequently make the proposed gift of greater value as well in coin as in sentiment , whilst leaving the Grand Lodge funds for the purposes to which they are more appropriately

devoted . Another legacy of our departing friend is that of seeing to the disposition of the Grand Lodge vote on

behalf of the unemployed . This has been so left in the hands of our M . W . G . M . that we may be assured the very utmost good which the amount voted can

secure will result to those in whose interests it was granted .

In many respects m connection with Masonic work the old year has seen improvement . The ceremonies of consecrating and constituting new Lodges have

been witnessed by many m our Lodges of Instruction under favourable circumstances , and to their edification . A departure from the hitherto almost universal

custom of rehearsing ceremonial and sections in Lodges of Instruction has afforded opportunity for interesting addresses abounding in explanations of forms and symbols , which have greatlv added to the

Masonic acquirements of many earnest Freemasons . In the field of Masonic literature there has been much industry , and the names of our foremost authors and

essayists , have frequently had honourable mention . As a new recruit in that industrious army may be mentioned Bro . Sadler , Grand Tyler , whose " Masonic

Facts and Fictions " recently published are worthy the perusal of every Masonic student . Want of space

will prevent our here dilating on the excessively bad treatment which our Bro . Gould has received at the hands of Masonic publishers in America . We have

already placed some pages of the CHRONICLE at the disposal of the controversialists on this subject , and may probably yet make our comments on the matter when fully informed thereon .

The inevitable loss of old and well-known enthusiasts in the practice and teaching of Freemasonry has during the year deprived us of Brethren who