Wrecked.

Slowly the Captain read the letter , read it with the unflinching heroism of the soldier . Jack saw his face blanch and his lips quiver , and he left him alone in his solicitude and with his sorrow after he had told him all . " And now I will call on Lilian , " Jack said , sadly , " she returns

from her honeymoon to-day . The greeting on Lilian's part was most loving , but Jack looked weary and sad , and did not return her affectionate embrace . " Jack , " she asked , " what has happened ? " " You look ill , " said Sir Richard Marchester .

" To-day I have been to see Harold , the first visitor he has had since he was thrown out of a cab , the day after your visit to the club . I took him up your letter , and 1 told him all . You know now about my forgery , 1 will tell you of your husband's duplicity . " " Sir Richard Marchester , " he began , huskily , " I told you that Harold was playing with me to save me from ruin . I gave my word of honour that it should only be for a week . I had fallen on evil

companions , but Hastings saved me and the forged bill was met . You took Lilian to that club , knowing all this , and laid my ruin at Hastings' door . You scoundrel , " he said , ' ! I deserve imprisonment , you deserve hanging . Better that my life should have 'been ruined than— " In his excitement he was slightly incoherent . ' " Is this true , Richard ? " Lilian gasped , interrupting . " I did it all for love of you , " was the cool reply .

Lady Marchester sank into a chair , the beauty of her cheeks blanched away—the grey eyes were looking down an imaginary vista , far into the future , she saw the happiness of her life fleetin "' away , on and on , leaving a desert waste behind . Remorse was shrivelling up her heartstrings , the great mistake of her life , would find no atonement this side of eternity—love was lost , life was " Wrecked . "

Warrants With Inaccurate Recitals. &C.

Warrants with Inaccurate Recitals . & c .

||||| Ipi | MONGST the varied " curiosities" which Masonic tw /^ M I Students occasionally meet with , may be included ffl , L __ i numerous Warrants , Charters , or Dispensations , which , iwfeS & lS I not infrequently , contain a considerable amount of ^ U ; rj ; jx ^ 5 l error . In the pursuit of that branch of Masonic archaeology to which my studies have been more

especially directed , many of these peculiar documents have required and received the most careful and critical examination , and often enough what they stated as facts proved to be very much at variance with what was known to bo correct , according to unimpeachable sources . It may , perhaps , interest the readers of the Freemason if I advert to a few of these .

I . The first to which I would direct attention is a so-called " Warrant , " held by an old London Lodge ( its number and name for obvious reasons are not disclosed ) , which was constituted duriii" - the first half of the eighteenth century , and probablj 7 never had any other " authority " to meet and work than the then usual " Certificate

of Constitution , " which would have been endorsed upon , or annexed to , the written petition or request for constitution of the Lodge . Somehow , and at some period ( very likely in the early part of the present century ) , a Brother finding that the Lodge had no proper or regular Warrant " obtained " the Warrant of a defunct Lodge , dated or constituted 1 st March , 1760 , which Lodge was erased on 10 th April ,

1782 , and then ' adapted " the text so as to do duty for the present Lodge , by altering some portions of it , notably the name and signature of the Grand Master , and the date at the foot of the Warrant , thus seeking to make it harmonise in some essential particulars with the period when the existing Lodge was constituted , but leaving unaltered the numerous titles of the Grand Master of the year 1769

Warrants With Inaccurate Recitals. &C.

( thus producing an incongruous jumble ) , together with the original place of meeting and other particulars . A scrutiny thereof proved the Document did not relate to the present Lodge at all , but to the old Lodge which was erased more than a century ago . Doubtless , the matter will receive attention from the authorities in due course , but I note it here to indicate the perpetration of a wicked forgery ,

committed apparently by one of the members of the Lodge nearly a century ago , whereby all the subsequent members have unwittingly been working down to the present time by virtue of a Document which , to put it mildly , is not and never was in accordance with the Book of Constitutions . Of course , one must acquit the present

members from any knowledge of , or complicity in , such deceit , but there can be no doubt whatever that the document in question is not a proper and sufficient " authority , " under which any Lodge could legitimately meet and work , inasmuch as the same is erroneous and fraudulent from beginning to end .

II . The following are cited as samples of other errors , The first is a recital from a Warrant of Confirmation of the present Globe Lodge , No . 23 , issued ( without date of day or month ) , in 1828 . " Whereas it appears by the " Records of our Grand Lodge that a

Warrant bearing date tiie 18 tli September , 1723 , was issued under the Seal of Masonry enabling certain Brethren therein named to open and hold a Lodge of Tree Masons at the then Anchor , Duchy Lane , Strand , London , to be called the Globe Lodge , which was then No . 23 , "

This recital contains no less than five inaccuracies , namely , ( a ) The Lodge never had a Warrant at the period named . It was doubtless personally constituted by the Grand Master ( or his Deputy ) on the written petition of certain brethren , and the Constituting Officer would simply give his " Certificate of

Constitution , " in accordance with the then usual practice , that the necessary work had been regularly done . ( b ) There would be no Seal upon this Certificate of Constitution . ( c ) The place of Constitution was the "Half Moon , Cheapside , " and not the " Anchor , Dutchy Lane , in the Strand , " and the Lodge never met at the latter place .

( d ) The Lodge had no name in 1723 . Forty-five years afterwards , i . e ., in the year 1768 , it took the name " Globe Lodge , " having been meeting at the " Globe " in Fleet Street , from 1766 to 1768 , when it removed to the Crown and Rolls in Chancery Lane .

( c ) The Lodge had no number in 1723 . In fact , Lodges had no distinctive numbers until the first enumeration of 1729 , when this Lodge was numbered 23 . By a series of coincidences it happened to be the twenty-third Lodge on the Engraved Lists of 1723-4 , and it bears the same No . 23 , at the present time .

In a somewhat similar manner the Warrant of Confirmation , dated 16 th September , 1787 , of the Royal Kent Lodge of Antiquity , now No . 20 , states that a Warrant bearing date the 23 th March , 1723 , was issued under the Seal of Masonry enabling certain Brethren therein named to open and jhold a Lodge at the Crown , Cripplegate , London , under called or known by the Number 13 . Now , the Lodge never met at that place but was constituted at the " Anchor , Dutchy

Lane , m the Strand , ' and the only possible explanation of the error I can offer is tho fact that the thirteenth Lodge in the unnumbered List of 1723 , met , at the " Crown , near Cripplegate , fourth Thursday in every month . " But that List was not arranged in order of Seniority . Precedence , according to position or place in the Engraved Lists , dates from 1729 only . The reference to a Warrant and Seal is , for the same reasons , as incorrect as that of the Globe Lodge above mentioned .

A further form of error is also found in the recitals of old Warrants . Thus , in the Warrant of Confirmation of the Royal York Lodge of Perseverance , now No . 7 , constituted at the Sun Tavern ' , Ludgate Hill , in 1769 , as No . 4 , reference is made to the Lodge having been constituted at that place on 17 th July , 1751 . This was not so . An older Lodge , bearing the same number 4 ( Ancients ) , was warranted on 17 th July , 1751 , but it then met at the Cannon , Water Lane , Fleet Street , and never got so far eastward as Ludeate Hill . fa

Ad03903

CITY OF LONDON TRUSS SOCIETY 35 , FI 1 VSBURY SQUARE , B . C . INSTITUTED 1807 . Patron—H . R . H . THE PRINCE OF WALES , K . G . TREASURER—JOHN NORBURY , ESQ . BANKERS—LLOYDS' BANK , LIMITED , 72 , Lombard' Street . The OBJECT OF THIS CIIAUITV is to gratuitously relieve Poor Ruptured Persons , recommended by Governors , by furnishing Trusses for every kind of Rupture , and Bandages and necessary Instruments for all cases of Prolapsus , and by performing every necessary operation . About 10 , 000 Sufferers arc annually supplied with the Instruments required for their relief . SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SOCIETY OVER HALF A MILLION PATIENTS HAVE BEEN BENEFITED Additional Funds are greatly needed to meet the increasing demands on the Charitij . Premises , recently enlarged , now provide a long-needed separate entrance and waiting-room for female patients , and there is a female attendant for them . AN AXJTUAI , SUUSCRII-TION OF ONE GUINEA entitles to Four Letters of Recommendation . A LIKE SUUSCIUPTIOX OF FIVE GUINEAS entitles to Two Letters annually ; and TEN GUINEAS , Four Letters . Donations , Subscriptions and Bequests are earnestly solicited , and will be gratefully received by the Bankers , LLOYDS' BANK , Limited , 72 , Lombard Street ; or by the Secretary , at the Offices of the Society . JOHN WHITTINGTON , Secretary . FORM OF BEQUEST . — 'I give to TIIE CITY OF LONDON TRUSS SOCIETY , Finsbury Square , London , the sum of , free ot Legacy Duty , to be paid out of such part of my Estate as I may bequeath to charitable uses , as soon as may be possible after my decease . '