Contents.

CONTENTS .

L EADERS— PAGE . United Grand Lodge # ... ... ... ... ... 4 P 5 Freemasonry versus Christianity ... ... ... ¦•• 405 United Grand Lodge ( Aeenda Paper ) ... ... ... 4 ° < 5 Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons ( Agenda Paper ) ... ... ... 406 Masonic Ceremony at Harrisburg , Pa ... ... ... ,. ... 4 5 Opening of a New Masonic Hall at Blyth ... ... ... ... 407

A Distinction with a Difference ... ... ... ... ... 407 MASONIC NOTESAgenda Paper of United Grand Lodge ... ... ... ... 409 Agenda Paper of Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons ... .. 4 cg VVest Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution ... ... ... 409 Correspondence ... ... ... ... . . ... 410 Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... ... ... ... 410 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 410

Knights Templar ... ... ... ... ... ... 410 Instruction 1 ... ... ... '" ... ... ... ... 411 Importance of Secrecy in the Ballot ... ... ... ... 411 Presentation and Unveiling of a Portrait of the late R . W . Bro . Dr . R . Hamilton , D . G . M . Jamaica ... ... ... ... 411 A Newly-Installed Worshipful Master ' s Power ... ... ... 411 Pain is an Element of Strength for the Masons ... ... ... 412 Obituary .., ... ... ... ... 412 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 414

United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

The proceedings of the Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge , which will take place on Wednesday , the 7 th instant , are likely to cause more than the usual amount of interest . In the first place , the Grand Master in the chair will

propose a resolution of sympathy with his Royal Highness , the M . W .. Grand Master , "in the suffering occasioned by his late unfortunate and serious accident , " and will express the . " earnest hope that it may please the Great Architect of the Universe

speedily to restore his Royal Highness to thc full enjoyment ol perfect health . " Similar resolutions have been passed at well nigh every Masonic meeting , and it is in the natural order of things that Grand Lodge , which is supreme over the whole

Knglish Craft , should take thc earliest available opportunity of expressing the same feeling . The duty will then devolve upon the Grand RegLtrar to report the steps which his Royal Highness , the Grand Master , in

nccordance with thc request of Grand Lodge , at its special Communication on the 29 th July , I . S 96 , has taken " for the recognition of the Grand Lodge oi New Zealand , and for the establishment of fraternal good feeling with our New Zealand hrethren . " It will be in the recollection of our readers that at

the special meeting referred to , a communication was read from the Grand Master to the effect that his Royal Highness , having satisfied himself that it was the general feeling of the Masons in New Zealand that the time had arrived when the body styling

itself the Grand Lodge of New Zealand might properly be recognised as an independent Grand Lodge , requested that United tirand Lodge would invest him with full powers to take ? uch steps to that end as he might consider

ncres-S ; vr y and expedient , consistently with the rights and privileges of the Knglish lodges in the Colony . Crand Lodge at once acceded to the request , and a resolution was adopted conferring the powers asked for upon his Royal

Highness . That a considerable time should have elapsed in exchanging the necessary communications is not to be wondered at , having regard to the distance of the Colony from the Mother "Gui-try ; but some time ago it was announced in these columns

'hat the terms and conditions on which our Grand Lodge was Prepared to recognise thc Grand Lodge of New Zealand had been accepted by the latter body . Subsequently , we published

Particulars of the proceedings at the annual meeting of the urand Lod ge of New Zealand , at which not only was it publicly announced that the . terms of such recognition had been sub' - ¦ itted and accepted , but one of our English District Grand

United Grand Lodge.

Masters—Bro . R . DUNN THOMAS , of the Canterbury Districtwas present as a visitor at the said meeting , and at the banquet which followed responded to the toast of "The Sister Grand Lodges . " Thus the final stage in this important business will be reached on Wednesday next , when the Grand Registrar will

move a resolution—the adoption of which may be looked upon as a foregone conclusion—expressive of the gratification felt by Grand Lodge at the successful termination of the Grand Master ' s labours , and tendering its " dutiful and respectful thanks" to him "for the able and judicious manner in which he has fulfilled his task . "

It is not necessary for us to enter into particulars as regards the terms and conditions on which recognition has been accorded to thc Grand Lodge of New Zealand . It will suffice if we state that they are of thc usual character and that under those terms and conditions the rights and privileges of such lodges as may

elect to remain under the English banner will be scrupulously respected . It only now remains for the members of the several Masonic communities in the Colony to set about restoring as speedily and completely as possible the fraternal relations

formerly existing amongst them , and we have no doubt the act of Bro . THOMAS , Dist . G . Master of Canterbury , in visiting the Grand Lodge as soon as he learned it had been recognised by us will materially conduce towards that most desirable consummation .

"Freemasonry Versus Christianity. "

"FREEMASONRY VERSUS CHRISTIANITY . "

The second and third of the series of articles which appeared under this head in the Baptist some weeks since from the pen of a Mr . WILLIAM FOSTER , F . S . S . A ., author of "Thc Subject Testament " have been kindly forwarded to us b y some unknown

friend who appears to be of the opinion that a description of their contents may profitably find a place in our columns . We do not think we can go further than we did in our article of the 30 th July in condemnation of Mr . FOSTER ' attack upon our

S jciety , nor is there a passage in the two articles we have just received to modify in the slightest degree the judgment we passed upon the first . Mr . FOSTER furnishes another illustration of those who write upon subjects of which they have little

or no knowledge , with the usual result that what is true in his svritings is not new , and what is new is not true . Thus it is matter of common knowledge that women and men who are

under age are not eligible for admission to our Society , the exclusion of the former being absolute , while as regards the latter the law is relaxed in the case of those who are the sons of

Masons . I he reasons for their exclusion have been held to be good and sufficient by successive generations of men of intelligence and common sense , but those reasons include none that are derogatory either to women or men under age . This is

clearly shown by the respect in which our Society is held by all who are not so bigoted to their own opinions that they cannot discover even a solitary grain of sense in the opinions of others . These are the men who exemplify in

their daily conduct the full force of the old saying as to " Orthodoxy being my ' doxy / and heterodoxy the ' doxy' of others , " and it is to this class of people that the author of this series of articles appears to belong . There is not a scrap of evidence in

any part of the series that he is willing to exhibit towards his neighbours any of that love and respect for others , and the opinions of others , which are the common basis of Christianity

and Freemasonry . Mr . FOSTER conveniently ignores the fact that our Society numbers amongst its members men of the highest intellectual calibre — dignitaries of the Established