Contents.

CONTENTS .

LIADSRS 485 United Grand I . odge of England 4 86 "Ars Quatuor Coronarorum , " 1886-7—III . 4 S 7 ¦ t Old Charges" of 13 ritish Freemasons ... 4 S 7

The History of the Royal Masonic Insti . tution for Girls from its Origin , 1 J 8 S , to its Centenary , 1 SH 8 —( Continued ) 4 88 Templary in Pennsylvania 48 9 Notes and Queries 491

; REPORTS OP MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 491 Instruction 491 York College of Rosicrucians 491 The Chancery Lane Safe Deposit 493

The Craft Abroad 492 Theatres 493 Obituary 493 Masonic and General Tidings 493 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 494

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WE do not anticipate that much time will be occupied in United transacting the business set down for the Ouarterly Corn-Grand Lodge . < " » " * ¦; munication of Grand Lodge on Wednesday next . The vote of thanks , which will be proposed by the GRAND MASTER to R . W . Bro * Sir A LBERT WOODS , C . B . ( Garter ) , P . G . W ., Grand Director of

Ceremonies , for his admirable arrangements for the Jubilee Masonic Meeting in the Royal Albert Hall on the 13 th June last , and to Bro . T . FENN , President Board of General Purposes , for his valuable assistance on the occasion , will certainly be passed , not only unquestioned , but amid the warm acclamations of all present . Bro . Sir A . WOODS ' S skill in conducting , and

Bro . FENN ' S ability in assisting in , the arrangements for large ceremonial gatherings are too well known to need praise from any one . But to arrange for the reception of 6000 people , even in so vast a hall as that at South Kensington , in so perfect a manner that every one was able to reach and leave the place assigned to him without difficulty

as regards himself and without incommoding- others ; to place the various groups of brethren composing the Assembly , so that the colours of the clothing they wore should harmonise artistically ; and to conduct the ceremony so that from the beginning to the close of the proceedings there was neither the semblance of a hitch nor the slightest suspicion of a grumble

is a success which even such expert Directors as Bros . Sir A . WOODS and T . FENN are rarely able to achieve ; and though the vote of thanks which will be submitted and passed is in some measure a formal proposition on the part of the GRAND MASTER who offers it , and the Grand Lodge which accepts it , we are convinced it will be no mere cold formality when it comes

before Grand Lodge on Wednesday . On the contrary , the brethren , like the GRAND MASTER , will be only too pleased at having the opportunity of expressing by their acclamations their hearty thanks for the zeal and ability exhibited by the Grand Officers in question . As regards the

communication from the M . W . G M . for the suspension of Article 8 7 of the Constitutions , so that Prov . and District Grand Masters may be able to confer Past Prov . and Past District Grand Rank on deserving brethren in their respective Provinces and Districts in the same manner as the GRAND MASTER

has conferred Past Grand Rank and for the same purpose—namely , that of commemorating the QUEEN ' Jubilee—we dare say Grand'Lodge will , without hesitation , acquiesce in the suggestion and likewise in the relative proportions to be observed in the distribution of such Provincial and District honours . The Report of the Board of General Purposes contains two

propositions of general interest . Of these one determines the character of the collar to be worn by a Past Master , while the other , if accepted , will place the duty of counting the votes on a division in Grand Lodge in charge of the GRAND DIRECTOR OF CEREMONIES , who will have no difficulty in formulating some arrangement by which the votes may be counted speedily ,

accuratel y , and without trouble . Both these propositions we imagine will be deemed acceptable and will be approved by the general sense of Grand Lod ge . As to the rest of the agenda paper , it needs no comment , unless , indeed , it may be considered worthy of notice that of the 10 warrants for new lodges which have been granted by the M . W . GRAND MASTER since

the June Communication , five are for lodges in Victoria , and one for a lodge 1 , 1 Queensland , three are for Provincial lodges—in Kent , Hampshire , and Staffordshire respectively—and only one for a lodge in the London area , --he Hendon , No . 2206 . * * *

A triumph ° ^ devolved on us to offer our congratulations to the Gi i - " c ; " Governors and Educational Staff of the Royal Masonic Insti-00 " tution for Girls , at the successes achieved by its pupils at the various public Examinations for Middle Class Schools conducted by the

Universities and the Science and Art Department , South Kensington . But we cannot call to mind any instance in which the Girls have distinguished emselves ant - * conferred honour on their Alma Mater—if for once we may e permitted to apply the expression to a School—to such an extent as at e recent examination in Science at South Kensington . There were 38

c 'ldren ^ who entered for Geology , of whom 24 were assigned ? . ln t ' F ' rst Class , and the remaining 14 in the Second ; ue of 6 3 who submitted themselves to the examination in typograph y—a subject of which R . VV . Bro . Sir OFFLEY WAKEMAN at e Anniversary Festival of the School in May spoke in terms of unqualirespect—42 , or exactly two-thirds , succeeded in passing . This is ,

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indeed , a triumph for this admirable Institution , a triumph in which all who have part in its administration , and especially Miss DAVIS , the Head Governess , and her able coadjutors , must rejoice . So glorious a result

redounds vastly to the credit of all concerned , and we lose no time in tendering to the Committees vvhich administer the School , to the ladies who instruct , and to the children who show such aptitude for the acquirement of useful knowledge , our congratulations on this latest instance of their success .

THE Calendar of the Great Priory of England and vvales for of England and 1887-8 contains full particulars of the proceedings of the Waiees . Order of the Temple during the past year , and from the state of things which those proceedings disclose there can be no question but that

Masonic Templary is bent on reviving its energies and is seriously anxious to strengthen its position among the various Orders which have a more or less direct connection with the Society ol Freemasons . It is impossible for any body to remain in a condition of somnolence for any length of time without finding its strength and ability very seriously impaired , and it is

difficult to imagine a more mistaken policy on the part ot the rulers of any such body when , through fear of creating any unpleasantness , they permit the body whose interests they are charged to promote , to remain , as it were in a state of suspended animation without making an tffort to restore it to its former activity and energy . Great Priory appears to have recognised

this wholesome truth , and at its annual meeting on the 13 th May last , two resolutions were adopted which cannot fail to exercise a beneficial effect on the future fortunes of the Order . By the first of these the minimum tee for installation is reduced from five to three guineas—notcompulsorily , but at the option of such preceptories as may consider such reduction advisable—the

Great Sub-Prior remarking very sensibly " that he did not altogether believe in the efficacy of a money test for candidates , " and he was of opinion " it was possible to receive good men without high fees . " " It was also resolved that preceptories which were seven years in arrear in making their annual returns and payments be struck off the roll , " the resolution ,

however , at the instance of the Great Sub-Prior , not to take effect till the ist January , 1888 . Both these resolutions are to be commended , and when Great Priory holds ils annual meeting next year , we trust they will be found to have had the desired effect of strengthening and extending the Masonic Order of the Temple . ¦ z .. *

Caution as THE holidays will soon be over—in some parts they areso already Reg d 'tes ?" ' —anc ' ' oc-ges generally will be resuming their wonted activity , initiation . accepting and initiating candidates into our mysteries and fulfilling their various other duties with that degree of peace and harmony !

which is ordinarily so conspicuous a feature in our lodge procedure . Unfortunately , there arise from time to time cases both of old and new lodges in which the peace and harmony are wanting , and the members find themselves continually at loggerheads . Sometimes , too , a paroxysm of blackballing candidates wholesale , whether for joining or initiation , sets in , and

the result is always serious , and not infrequently disastrous , to the lodge which is thus smitten , or smitten by other , and it may be equally objectionable , disorders . Seeing that the lodges are about to re-enter on their duties , it may be as well perhaps that we should bring more prominently than usual under their notice the advice of our wisest and most experienced brethren

as to the necessity for exercising the extremest caution in balloting lor candidates for lodge membership . Advice ot this kind is constantly being offered , and we wish we could say with equal truth that it was as constantly being accepted . This , however , is not the case . Advice which is acted upon does not need to be repeated at frequent intervals . Yet there is

hardly a Provincial Grand Lodge held , or a new lodge in town or country consecrated , but the presiding officer does not conceive it to be his duty to warn lodges and brethren against the indiscriminate acceptance of those who seek admission into our Society . One of the most recent instances in which a Provincial ruler deemed it well to inculcate

caution in this matter is furnished by the meeting of the Prov . G . Lodge of Essex , on the 26 th July last , when R . W . Bro . Lord BROOKE , P . G . M ., cautioned the brethren present " against admitting into their lodges any but of unblemished lives and characters , for the sacredness of a lodge should only be equalled by the sacredness of their homes , and those vvho were not fit to

be admitted to the latter were unworthy of a place in the former . " If these and similar remarks by other responsible leaders of the Craft were caretully borne in mind and acted upon , we should hear less of those angry disputes and exhibitions of violent partisanship by which , as we have said , some of our lodges are occasionally afflicted , and which , when they do break out ,

succeed in bringing them to the verge of ruin , if , indeed , they do not destroy them altogether . If members were more carelul in certifying themselves as to a candidate ' s antecedents , there would be fewer black sheep among us , and the work of our lodges would be more satisfactorily performed . It mostly happens , however , that inquiries as to character are either not made at a \\