Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 649 United Grand Lodge of England 6-jo Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire 6 ^ 0 Provincial Grand Lodgeof Northumberland 651 Consecration of the Anfield Lodge , No . 221 *; 651 Provincial Grand Chapter of Devonshire 652

Provincial Grand Mark Lodgeof North and East Yorkshire 6 ^ 2 Sale of Old Bibles 6 J 2 Freemasonry in Relation to Social Ethics and Modern Science 6 e $ Superintendents of English Buildings in the Middle Ages—II 653

The History of the Royal Masonic Institntion for Girls from its Origin , 1788 , 10 its Centenary , i 8 S $ —( Continued ) 6 * . 4 Bro . G . L . Shackles , P . M ., P . P . S . G . D ., on Masonic Medals—( Conlimieil ) 6 $$ CORRESPONDENCEMasonic Charities 65 ^ The Great Pyramid and Freemasonry ... 657

CORRESPONDENCE ( Continued)—Girls'School Centenary Hall 655 Was Darwin a Freemason ? 6 ; j Reviews 657 REPORTS 01 ** MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 6 < S Instruction 661

Royal Arch 665 Instruction 662 Mark Masonry 662 Cryptic Masonry 66 3 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 66 3 Presentation to Bro . George Augustus Sala 663 Presentation to Bro . W . S . Gower , Past

Grand Steward 663 Presentation to Bro . H . Brooks Marshall , [ . P ., P . G . Treasurer 66 3 Obitnarv 663 The Late Bro . Col . Machen 663 Theatres 663 Masonic and General Tidings 66 ^ Lodge Meetings for Next Week iv ,

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THE record of business to be transacted at the Quarterly Corn-United Grand munication of United Grand Lodge , on Wednesday next , is of the us ' ual character , except as regards certain propositions which will be submitted and no doubt receive that amount of consideration

they unquestionably deserve . The Prince of WALES will be again nominated as Grand Master for the ensuing year , and there vvill also be one or more nominations for the office of Grand Treasurer , vvhich falls vacant in March next . Bros . J AMES BRETT , P . G . P ., and C . A . COTTEBRUNE , P . G . P ., are the only brethren proposed for the offices of Senior and Junior

Vice-President of the Board of Benevolence , and only the full complement of 12 Past Masters will be nominated to serve on the same Board . The Reports of the Boards of Benevolence and General Purposes contain no exceptional feature , and in the matter of the two Appeals which will be submitted , Grand Lodge will be guided in the course it may see fit tojidopt by the advice of

our learned brother the GRAND REGISTRAR . But in addition there will be submitted a proposal by the GRAND MASTER that the sum of £ 500 shall be voted from the Fund of General Purposes " towards the relief of the present distress amongst the deserving poor of the Metropolis , " and as it is unhappily an acknowledged fact that at the present time a vast amount of

genuine distress exists in the Metropolis , we anticipate that tne motion will commend itself at once to the kindly feeling of the brethren , and that the sum will be voted with complete unanimity . Two other motions , but referring to the same matter , vvill also be submitted . The first , which will be offered by Bro . the Earl of LATHOM , D . G . M ., is to the effect that

in view of the near approach of the 25 th anniversary of the marriage , or , as it is more commonly known , the "Silver Wedding-day" of their Royal Highnesses our M . W . G . Master the Prince of WALES and the Princess of WALES , Grand Lodge should vote the sum of / 500 towards the purchase of a suitable gift to the Princess to commemorate

the auspicious occasion , and that the gift should be accompanied by an Address of Congratulation to their Royal Highnesses . The second proposal —by Bro . MAURICE SPIEGEL , P . M ., No . 188—is that an Address of Congratulation be presented to the Prince and Princess of WALES on the same occasion , and that such address be enclosed in a suitable artistic casket .

For ourselves , we see no reason why the two motions should not be blended together , and a proposal for the suitable gift tothe Princess , together with the Address , enclosed in the customary artistic casket , to our Grand Master and his illustrious consort , submitted as a single resolution . It will need no more than that the concluding words , "enclosed in a suitable artistic casket , " of Bro .

SPIEGEL ' S motion should be incorporated in the last clause of the Dep . G . Master ' s , and in order to effect this , we venture to think that the former brother will gracefully give place to his lordship , whose motion is more in consonance with the position , wealth , and loyalty of Grand Lodge . It matters , however , very little how the proposition may be formulated , the

great desire of the English Craft has always been to evince on appropriate occasions , and in a manner consistent with its own dignity , the affectionate loyalty it entertains towards his Royal Highness , the Grand Master , and the illustrious lady with whom he has been united in marriage for close upon a quarter of a century , and the approaching anniversary is one of them .

We all recognise that the Prince , though it is impossible for him to visit Grand Lodge frequently , is ever mindful of the interests of the Fraternity , and always ready and willing to do all in his power to promote its welfare . ¦ There is no doubt that during the 13 years he has presided over Grand Lodge , Freemasonry has made astounding progress , not only

numericall y , but substantially , and not in one direction or offshoot on ' y , but in all . Over 700 lodges have been added to the- roll of Grand Lodge since the beginning of the year in which he was

'" stalled Grand Master at the Royal Albert Hall , and a proportionate number of Royal Arch chapters ha > been added to that of Supreme Grand Chapter . Templar Masonry has shown less inclination to keep pace with "ie other branches and off-shoots of the Society , but the Mark Degree has

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almost rivalled Constitutional Masonry in the rate of its progress , while the Ancient and Accepted Rite is in ever-increasing favour with the brethren . As regards our Institutions , the advance is even more astounding . The Girls' School has been augmented by about 100 children , and the Boys ' School by as many , while in the case of the Benevolent Institution there are ,

taking the Male and Widows' Funds together , nearly twice as many annuitants novv as there were at the beginning of 1 S 75 . Indeed , whether we turn our attention to the Metropolis , to the Provinces , or to the Colonies

and foreign parts , we find visible everywhere alike the evidences of a real and substantial progress , and not , as we have said already , in one section dnly of the Masonic body , but in all . And to these evidences of prosperity which are visible within the Craft itself must be added the increased

respect which is entertained for it by the general public , which , since it has had more frequent opportunities of knowing vvhat our aims and objects are , has exhibited towards us a deeper and truer sense of esteem . To this internal prosperity and the increasing regard with which we are looked upon by the country generally we are principally indebted to the quiet and

unobtrusive , yet firm and sagacious , rule of his Royal Highness , and it would ill become us if , at his approaching "Silver Wedding , " we did not join with the rest of our fellow subjects of the Q UEEN in offering to him and the Princess of WALES , Grand Patroness of our Girls' School , some fitting tribute of our love and respect .. #

* THE list of lodges that have been warranted by the GRAND New MASTER since the last Quarterly Communication in September , mustering 21 and carrying the roll as far as 2235 , is rather more numerous than usual during the last year or two . It is , however

composed chiefly of lodges in the Provinces or the Colonies and foreign parts , the Metropolis obtaining only one addition to its roll—No . 2233 , for Old Westminsters to meet in Regent-street . 1 he majority of the other 20 will figure in the provincial lists , West Lancashire having three out of the 12 , and Surrey two , while Berks and Bucks , Cumberland and

Westmorland , Derbyshire , Herts , Lancashire East , Monmouthshire , and Wiltshire have one each . Of the eight Colonial new lodges , New South Wales has two , South Africa two , and Queensland , New Zealand , Upper Burma , and the Malay Peninsula each one . But the most remarkable evidence afforded by this list of the rapidity with which Freemasonry establishes for itself new

homes is furnished by Lodge No . 2219 , which is designated the Mandalay , and meets in the city which bears the same name and of which the ex-King THEEBAW , of Burma , was till quite recently the supreme Lord and Master .

A lodge of Masons in what was lately the dread THEEBAW ' capital seems an anomaly , but the Grand Lodge agenda paper for Wednesday next shows it to be a fact . * # *

ENGLISH Freemasonry has in its ranks few more indefatigable Lod ^ fn-ities wor ' iers than Bro * RAMSDEN RILEY , historian of the Airedale Lodge , and author of "The Yorkshire Lodges . " By these important contributions to our literature , he has rendered valuable services ,

not only to the lodge and provinces they severally concern , but likewise to the Craft generally , and were he disposed to rest content with the reputation thus earned , the fraternity would still be his debtor . Bat it is a habit among people who do a great deal of work always to be a-hungering for more , and Bro . RILEY having nothing laborious on hand to occupy his

attention , has been giving a lecture in the Masonic Hall , at Shipley , before the officers and members of the Airedale and other lodges . The subject chosen was " Modern Freemasonry , " and seeing how sound is the advice it contains on lodge duties , both those which receive their due share of attention and those which are partially or entirely overlooked , it would be a

pity if an outline of his views were not laid before our readers . Let no one imagine that Bro . RILEY is actuated by any other motive than that of the true reformer , who , while attaching little or no importance to the strict letter , is at all times anxious that the spirit of whatever is good and useful should be observed . He does not undervalue the strict performance of lodge duties ,

but he suggests that the due fulfilment of those duties necessitates a occasional departure from the usual routine of work , and that the brethren would be all the better if they now and again went out of their way in order to study and understand the reasons why those duties have been prescribed . In the course of his researches into our history , Bro . RILEY has

discovered , as everyone else has discovered who has looked into our records , that lodges formerly did more and a better class of work than finds favour with them now-a-days . Thus , amongst the By-laws , compiled in 17 S 8 , of the Duke of York ' s Lodge , the predecessor of the

Airedale , he tells us was one to the effect " That a lecture on the Science of Masonry shall precede all manner of business except making of Masons , and choosing of Officers , " and this , as he explains , did not refer "to lectures on Masonic History , Government , or Customs , but to the several sections or old lectures now rarely heard outsidethe Instruction Lodgesof the Metropolis , "