Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS •37 ' Supreme Grand Chapter 372 Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales 372 Provincial Grand Chapter of Dorset 373 Moveable Grand Mark Lodge at Liverpool 372 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Gloucestershire •: •373 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 373

C ORRESPONDENCE —• The Recent Boys'School Festival 37 $ Which shall it he—" Charity" or "Dinners ? " 374 Mark Benevolent Fund 37 $ An Acting Master ' s Rights and Privileges 376 Bro . Woodford ' s Library 376 Reviews 376 R EPORTS or MASONIC M EETINGSCraft Masonry 37 6 Instruction 377 Royal Arch 377

Presentation to Bro . F . \ V . Brodie , Secretary of Semper Fidelis Lodge , No . 1254 377 Annual Statement of Account , Supreme Council , Thirtv-third Degree 378 The " Levander " Memorial " 378 Presentation to Bro . VV . A . Scurrah 378 Presentation of a Testimonial to Ilro . Henry Muggeridge 378 Annual Picnic of the Lodge of Affability ,

No . 317 , Manchester 378 Annual Outing of the Corinthian Lodge , No . 1383 378 Summer Banquet of the Henley Lodge , No . 1471 37 * Complimentary Dinner and Presentation to Bro . Geo " . Parker Brockbank , G . Std . Br . Eng 379 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 379 Obituary 379 Masonic and General Tidings 380 Lodge Meetings for Next Week Coiw

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In the " Chaine d'Union" for July we have a correspondence , which Bro . HUBERT treats with his usual good sense . A correspondent signed "P . " complains of the amount of payments for initiation and especially as regards the annual subscriptions . He seems to wish to reduce all entry payments to a merely nominal sum , and to do away with annual subscriptions altogether .

Bro . HUBERT points out truly that Masonic lodges and Grand Lodges must have means and income , neither of which durable commodities comes of itself , or by itself . Hence he is neither in favour of too large entrance fees or the doing away of annual subscriptions . He takes a " via media , " and so do we . Each jurisdiction or each lodge must judge what will comport

with its needs and interests ; but any proposal to do away with such payments , or to reduce them to an absurdity , can only be propounded by those who have no practical experience with Freemasonry , or are fit , as the French sav , to be " inhabitants of the moon . " A fair entry payment and annual subscriotions arc the best and only proof , in our opinion , of a living and

realistic Freemasonry , and wherever these are wanting , wherever common sense has given way to sentiment , or experience to inexperience , there we find Freemasonry weak , impotent , and flaccid , doing nothing for Masonic Charity except what constitutes a burlesque on its professions , and degenerating into either an openly genial social gathering , a true debating club , or an

assembly of irresponsible talkers and noisy wind-bags . Bro . HUBF . RT seems to treat the matter with his wonted fairness and ability , and we feel sure that in England any such proposition would be simply laughed " out of

court . " We can quite understand how some might find such an arrangement a very convenient one ; but if it were generally to prevail , Freemasonry must go down , and Masonic Charity become a myth and legend of the past . * * *

TUB more we consider the last address of Grand Master MURRAY , in re the Ouebec difficulty , the more we seem to see how history repeats itself , the more we are amused by it . Grand Master MURRAY " goes in " for mere repudiation of an honourable Concordat as nearly as he possibly or safely can . The wish is father emp hatically to the thought . We must bear in mind two facts

when dealing with this subject ; the one is that the Concordat was a purely spontaneous and honourable one on the part of our Canadian brethren , loyally tendered and fraternally received , and secondly , that this very Quebec Grand Lodge was at one time excommunicated by the Grand Lodge of Canada itself , and its members characterised in terms , we do not think it

now needful to recall nor repeat . Thus Time changes , thus it always moves on in things personal and mundane , until the declarations of yesterday are forgotten to-day , and the leaders , the principles , the realities of years gone bye , rapidly in a moment seem to be forgotten and ignored by men . One thing and only one thing comes out clear from this disturbance , and marked

also by the engaging features of duty , honour , and loyalty . It is the position of the Canadian Lodges themselves . That position is , as we have often taken occasion to point out , legal and unassailable . The facts are clear land irrefragable . They have never sacrificed Masonic

faith and service , at the service of expediency or time serving ; they have never yielded to noisy menace or vulgar intimidation . They have stood b y their colours , and all honest Masons everywhere must admire and respect them for it . As we understand the matter from various communications , they have grounds partly national and patriotic , partly Masonic and juris-

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dictional , partly personal and private , for wishing still to remain under the tolerant and legal and respectable banner of the Grand Lodge of England . And so long as they continue in that mind , it is not for the Grand Lodge of England , on any ground or pretence whatever , to sever a connection which has lasted so lonp with mutual

feelings of interest and attachment . The Montreal lodges are emphatically the best judges of their own needs and prestige , their own position and their own feelings , and so long as they doubt the expediency or deny the necessity of transferring their allegiance , it is not for the Grand Lodge of England to dictate to them , or regulate the matter for them . "A priori" we

might be inclined to think a nearer and closer rule in Canada might conduce to the energy and activity of Masonic life and jurisdictional influences ; but it is just possible , that in all that is past , in all that is going on now , the Montreal brethren may think they discern in their own country traces of weakness and want of principle , personal considerations in the Masonic squable ,

which deduct from the utility , affect the outcome , and detract from the honour of Freemasonry . But they know best , and as long as they continue in their present mind , the Grand Lodge of England would forfeit any claim to its high prestige and position in the Masonic world , if it ever abandoned those whose only fault is loyalty to itself . Nothing in the world can be clearer ,

and the sooner our good brethren in Quebec realise this fact , the sooner we shall hear the last of an embroglio which does despite to the truest principles of Freemasonry proper , and is an example , if example be needed in these unquiet days , how easily principle is forgotten , when our personal feelings or private interests are brought into play .

* « EVERYONE is now off for a holiday , except those whom duty or necessity keep in this hot town . There are often many wistful looks directed towards shady lanes and flowery meads , and vain longings for breezy downs and seaside ozone , on the part of those whom the Little Village still holds

perforce amid the glorious days of summer . But so it is , so it has always been , so it must always be here . Just as the Spanish proverb says , " It is not always May , " so holidays , very good and needful as they are , cannot always come to us . And the true secret of life is to bo " philosophical very " amid all its contentions and cases , its ups and downs , its successes

and its failures . The " cry " over " spilt milk " is always a mistaken one } and unless , like children , we sit down and weep because our toys are broken , and the playthings of an hour come to grief , our " castles in the air" tumbled down with a crash , we should always , like Capt . MARRYAT ' S J ACKET , "take things coolly , " " eat our melting pears , "

and " ask no names , " and " yet do pretty well , " like Mr . SAMUEL WKLI . ER , junior , of unfading memory . We all of us want sometimes to be what we cannot be , and have something we cannot possess , and find ourselves

where we cannot be . It is the way of the world and of men , and the world has not grown any wiser the older it grows . But men , as Freemasons , are , or are meant to be philosophers , in all things at all times , in matters small and great alike , in troubles and

difficulties , however trying or serious . It is natural for us to wish to exchange the closeness , the smells , the noise , the "lights o' London "for the country side , for hill and vale , for woods and heath , for the smell of the brine , and the outstretching and cool and tempting sands , for scenes of beauty and delight ; but if it is not to be , if it cannot be , through any of the unavoidable

circumstances of life , let us "lay this flattering unction to our soul , " that we are not , however disappointed , worse off than many others whom duty or imperative claims retain weary and jaded enough in our "deserted village "

to-day ; and , that as what " cannot be cured must be endured , " so like Freemasons and philosophers , we simply wish all others health , enjoyment , and happiness , and think them very fortunate indeed in enjoying some hours in some happy retreat of enforced idleness and needed holiday .

* * * As we are going to press , Bro . FORT ' S " Historical Treatise on Early Builders' Marks" has reached us , and we acknowledge its receipt with pleasure and gratitude . It is impossible to do justice to it in the short time

at our disposal . A full review of it will appear in our columns next week . From a cursory glance it seems to be marked vividly by all the force and research and eloquence of its well-known writer , and will , we feel persuaded , prove to be a great boon and help to all Masonic students .