Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS ^ PAGE The Grand Lodge of Iowa ... ... •¦••••¦••435 Coloured Masonry in the United States ... ... ¦••••¦ 435 Kenning ' s Archrcological Library , Vol . II . ... ... ••¦ •••436 United Grand Lodge ( Agenda Paper ) ... ... •» _ ¦¦•437 Mark Grand Lodge ( Agenda Paper ) ... ¦¦•— 437 Interesting Masonic Paper ... ... •••¦•¦ •¦•437 A Prominent Visitor ... ... ... ¦•••¦•— 437

M ASONIC NOTESAgenda Paper of United Grand Lodge ... ... ••••••439 Agenda Paper of Mark Grand Lodge ... ... •>••••439 Meetingof the General Committee of West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution ... ... •••••••¦¦ 430

Correspondence ... ... ••••••••••••44 ° Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... ... •••... 44 ' Reviews ... ... •••••••••••••••44 Masonic Province of Cornwall ... ... ... ... ... 44 1 Mark Masonry ... ... ••¦ •••••••••44 Obituary ... ... ... — ••••••••44 ' Craft Masonry ... ... ... •••••••••4 l Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... •.. 44

The Grand Lodge Of Iowa.

THE GRAND LODGE OF IOWA .

The Report of the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Iowa at its 56 th annual Communication , in Maine City , on the 6 th June last and following days , makes , as usual , quite a substantial volume , and , though thc contents , for thc most part ,

are interesting only or chiefly to our Iowa brethren , there is much that u ill reward the members of other jurisdictions who may bc at the pains of reading them carefully and conscientiously . The Grand Master ' s address , in which that distinguished Mason

passes in review before him the principal events of the previous year , is invariably found to contain remarks upon matters of fact and opinion which have been brought under his notice , that almost necessarily invite comment , while there is no source

from which can be obtained so much valuable information as to Masonry in other jurisdictions as the Report on Foreign Correspondence , which , in the case of this Grand Lodge , has been compiled for thc seventh year in succession by Bro . J . C . W , COXE .

We have a difficulty in p icturing to ourselves the Grand Master of a Grand Lodge in the United States that would consider his address complete in its important details if it did not contain a reference of some kind or other fo brethren who have demitted

from their lodges , and who , 111 a large number of cases , transfer themselves to thc ranks of the dreadful non-afliliate . Hence , almost at the very outset of his address , Grand Master C . BOWEN , after expressing satisfaction that no

disturbing elements had arisen during his term of office lhat " would endanger or even cripple the Order ; " that "peace and harmony" generally had prevailed ; and that a slight increase in membership was reported , passes

at once to the subject of " demits . " Much work , he said , had been done by many lodges which were able to show a " surprisingly large increase of membership arising from new material , " but , on the olher hand , there were many lodges that had done little or no work and had sustained losses , "

occasioned by a large number of demits . ' I his he considers is a matter requiring serious consideration on the part of Grand Lodge , but he docs not go so far as to think it desirable " to undertake to compel Masons by legislation to retain

membershi p in particular lodges . " He is of opinion that Masonry would not be benefited by the adoption of such a course . Some lodges mi ght gain a few dollars , and show a larger gain in

membershi p , but thc brethren so compelled to remain would not he of the right sort . The more immediate effect of this mental exercise on the Grand Master is that he becomes poetical , and accordingly he quotes a couple of lines descriptive of the

The Grand Lodge Of Iowa.

undesirable Masons thus compelled to retain their membership , and follows this up with two quotations in praise of thc very good Masons which lodges are so anxious to secure as members . He also , in connection with this question ,

refers to the apparent " growing tendency , to some extent , to draw away from the ancient usages and customs of our institution , and to compete with other and more modern societies for membership . " So

deeply impressed does he appear to have been with the grave impropriety of many of the inducements to membership held out by these latter bodies— " such as cheapness , or charms , or pleasures of club life or life insurance "—that when a lodge

applied to him for his approval of its action in sanctioning the establishment among its members of a Masonic Club to be held in the ante room and banquet room of the Masonic hall jointly with thc lodge and to have placed there billiard and card tables

for the amusement of thc members , he seems to have withheld compliance with their request . Though '' not insensible to the advantages of the social side " of Freemasonry , and in favour of greater prominence being given to it by the lodge , the billiard

and the card tables appear to have been viewed by him in the light of " a means of advertising for new members " and also as unlikely to attract as members the " unco' guid , " of whom hc is desirous that the lodges in Iowa should be composed .

Reference is also made to the Grand Lodge of Peru , whose return to the ancient ways of Freemasonry would seem to have given the Grand Master unqualified satisfaction . He also mentions that he had been applied to for a dispensation to hold

a military lodge by some officers and men of the United States Army in the Philippines , who were Master Masons in good standing , but had not acceded to the request in the belief that he had not the requisite legal authority to do so , and , also ,

that he had granted dispensations in three cases for brethren to meet and work as lodges . He also enumerated the other events in which he had either personally taken part or authorised brethren to act for him , but these matters do not

need to bc referred to , and it remains for us to express our pleasure that thc Grand Lodge of Iowa should be enjoying so great a measure of prosperity , and that Grand Master I 30 WEN should have succeeded so well in the discharge of his duties . Thc brother who has succeeded him is Bro . THOMAS LAMBERT , who , we trust , will be as successful as his predecessor .

Coloured Masonry In The United States.

COLOURED MASONRY IN THE UNITED STATES .

lt is satisfactory to know that the Grand Lodge of Washinoton is in a position to resume its former fraternal relations with the other Grand Lodges in the United States . Last year , it will be remembered , it passed certain resolutions which were

tantamount to a recognition of the Coloured or Negro Grand Lodges which from time to time have been formed in certain of the States and which all derive their ori gin from one common source , the African Lodge , Boston , Massachusetts , which was

warranted in 17 S 4 as No . 459 , by the then Grand Master of the Grand Lodge ( regular ) of Fngland , H . R . H . the Duke of CUMBERLAND , and out of which shortly afterwards sprang what is known as the Prince Hall Grand Lodge . Bro . VV , H . UPTON ,

who is held to be one of the foremost brethren in the United Stales , was G . Master of Washington at thc time the resolutions were adopted , and it seems to be the general opinion that it was at his instance principally that they were so adopted ,