Masonic Notes.

We are glad to be in a position to announce that fair progress has been made since Christmas in enlisting the services of additional brethren as Stewards , and that the Board , as now constituted , musters about 170 brethren . This is very considerably below the average of ordinary yaars , but there are still nearly

eight weeks in which to enrol Stewards , and we may reasonably hope that the spurt which has been made during the last ten days will be continued . We are also pleased to learn that the Surrey brethren are mustering in goodly numbers in support of their Prov .

Grand Master , who will preside as Chairman , so that , though it is hardly likely the Returns will be on the scale on which it has been Bro . Terry's good fortune to announce them , there are grounds for expecting that the total will be a fair one .

While on the subject of the approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , we may mention that the opening meeting of the Board of Stewards was held at Freemasons' Hall , on Thursday afternoon , when the officers were chosen and the

usual preliminary arrangements made . The Festival will take place at Freemasons' Tavern on Wednesday , 28 th February , and the Steward's fee will be as usual , two guineas ( £ 2 2 s . ) » * *

The School Quarterly General Courts will be held at Freemasons' Hall next week , that of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls being fixed for Thursday the nth January , at noon , and that of the Royal

Masomc Institution for Boys ior the following day at 4 p . m . The chief business at both Courts will be the settling of the lists of candidates for the election in April next , and of the number of vacancies then to be competed for .

* In our review of " Freemasonry in 1893 , " the totals of the cases relieved and the amount distributed amongst them by the Board of Benevolence were greatly overstated in consiquence of the returns for

one of the months having been reckoned twice over . 'The totals , as we gave them , were—Cases relieved 393 , Amount distributed . £ 10 , 025 ' the totals , as they should have been given , are—Cases 373 , Amount ^ " 9525 . The error will be found to have been already rectified in our account of " Masonic Benevolence in 1893 . "

* » ? At the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Georgia , which was held at Macon on the ist November last , the subject of establishing a Masonic

Home received a large amount of attention , and , though no definite action was taken in the matter , there is evidently a strong feeling in favour of such an institution , which will , no doubt , bear good fruit at no very distant date .

The Freemasons' Life Boat At Clacton.

THE FREEMASONS' LIFE BOAT AT CLACTON .

The Grand Secretary , Bro . E . Letchworth , has received the following communication from the Secretary of the Royal National Life Boat Institution . We feel sure our readers will be gratified to learn that " our" Life Boat has again rendered such good service to

humanity : " 4 th January , 18 94 . Dear Sir , —I have very much pleasure in informing you that I have to-day received a telegram from our Clacton-on-Sea branch , reporting that the Freemasons ' Life Boat , 'Albert Edward' has saved the crew of

seven men from the wrecked Danish vessel ' St . Alexine . ' Fearful weather was experienced . The shipwrecked men were nearl y frozen to death , and the Life Boat and her crew were covered with ice . —Faithfully your .-, CHARLES DIBDIN , Secretary . The Grand Secretary , Freemasons' Hall . " — ¦ . A

G antham Hospital Ball was held on Thursday , at Guildhall , and , although the weather was most unfavourable , the gath ting wasaslargeas usual . The party from North Lodge inclu led Mrs . Edgar Lubbock ( patroness of the year ) , Mr . Lubb ick , Miss Tempest , Miss L . Welby , and Miss Grant

Thoro . d , and among the distinguished company present w < re Countess Brownlow , the Countess of Galloway , Lady Lilian Yorke , Hon . Mrs . Walter Carpenter and Miss Carpen r , Mrs . Talbot and Miss May Talbot , Sir John Stirling Maxwell , Captain Dickens , Captain Holford , Mr . Lionel KA \^ , Colonel Wilson , Miss Petty , and Mr . Peel .

The Freemasons of Preston have made an addition to the Memorials of St . James's Church , Preston , by the erection of a handso . ne brass plale to the memory of the late Bro . James Sumner , P . M . Unanimity Lodge , No . 113 , P . P . G . D . C , and P . Z . Unanimity Chapter , No . 113 , P . P . G . s ! The folio ¦ > ing is the inscription : "In Memoriam . James Sumner , died May 7 U 1 , 1893 , aged 57 years . Elected bv

I . Barton . ' pmcer , M . A ., vicar , Past Grand Chaplain of England , ai . d the Koyal Arch Freemasons of Preston , in token of thci' 1 . yard and appreciation of his services to the O . tier , and 111 toiiiunmoration of his connection as Master lor 37 years ni 3 t . James's Boys' School , January , 1855 , ' to December , iSyi . " The work , which a much admiied , was carried out i , _ Mr . William Brown .

Correspondence.

Correspondence .

DR . MORISON'S MASONIC LIBRARY . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In your issue of 18 th November last I find an article on the above subject , which library was presented by the widow of Dr . Morison to the Grand Lodge of Scotland , in 1849 , on condition that the collection

should be preserved intact , & c , and was accepted on that condition . The promise given by the Grand Master has been badly kept , as it appears from your article that the library , which in 1859 numbered 3 , 000 volumes , had dwindled in 1887 , when the catalogue was made , to 900 volumes comprising about 2 , 000 works . The late

Bro . "Woodford says on page 492 of " Kenning ' s Masonic Cyclopaedia , " " Very little , if any , use has been made of this splendid gift , and only recently the books were found to be covered with dust by a student of the Craft , who desired to examine them . I have in my possession , in this remote part of the world , several volumes which have belonged to Dr . Morison ' s Masonic Library , having either his

bookplate inside the cover or his coat of arms , three Moors ' heads on the back ; and in catalogues of second-hand Masonic books , I have frequently seen mentioned that some of the books " contained the name-plate of Dr . C . Morison . " This state of things is certainly no inducement to collectors of Masonic books to bequeath their collections , after their death , to any Masonic Institution . — Believe me to be , yours fraternally , Dr . H . W . DIEPERINK , D . G . M ., D . C . Somerset West , Cape Colony , rath Dec , 1893 .

Reviews.

Reviews .

VARIOUS VERSES . By W . F . HARVEY , M . A ., NELSON PROWER , M . A ., and the Rev . R . C . FILLINGHAM , B . A . We have been favoured b y Messrs . Hayman , Christy , and Libby , ( the publishers ) with a copy of this work . The contributions of the first named consist solely of translations from Horace , Sophocles , Ovid , Catullus , Heine , De Musset and others . Inthe necessarily limited space at our command we are unable to give at leneth anv of the

poems . There is an agreeable flow and grace of diction in many of the verses , but as a whole we venture to think that Mr . Harvey as a translator might from the rich mine of poetry at his disposal , have been happier and more varied in his selections . He revels in amorous ditties , and basks in those sunny places where lovers serenade and talk . These lines are excellent .

" Dead thou art not ; for thy dwelling Is the islands of the blest ; Far from evil , where sweet smelling Flowers unfading soothe thy rest . " Bro . Prower's fine poem in blank verse of " Gethsemene " we had the pleasure of reviewing at length shortly after its first publication . We therefore shall not touch upon it further except to add that a second perusal confirms us in

our opinion that it is a work of more than ordinary merit . The author has had the advantage of visiting the scenes he describes so well , the painter shows us what he sees himself . In the volume there are also several sonnets from his versatile pen . The following stanza may be taken as a fair specimen of his contributions in rhyme : "Sweet is the tinkle of our English bells , Across the meadows on a summer's morn . Sweet is the tinkle that in winter tells ,

Across the snow-clad fields that Christ is born . " Bro Fillingham is at his best in " Requiem " and " Lindis fame . " From the former poem we quote these lines : " Muffled bells that beat the air , White-robed choir the church within , Window light and taper glare , Mass for unremembered sin . "

There is a flavour of the ozone about the latter work . In our * ' mind's eye" we see the waves " as they kiss the sacred shore , " and we gaze on the romantic Northumbrian coast when '' the wild winds rose , and the foam was white . " To a sympathetic audience , it would in the hands of an experienced declaimer , prove very attractive . To those of our readers who delight in the perusal of short

poetical selections , we can confidently recommend the labours of the talented and scholastic trio , who , by the way , all hail from the University in Oxford ' s ancient city . The work contains many gems worthy of being treasured in the store-house of memory . We may add , in conclusion , that the first edition is nearly exhausted , and that the volume has been very favourably received , and deservedly so . by many of our contemporaries . It is published at one shi . ling .

Bro . Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson is not , we all know , a believer in overwork being so extremely injurious as some suppose it to be . Although no longer young , he himself , as he has informed a representative of " Cassell ' s Saturday Journal , " works 80 hours a week . Some one wrote to him recently to ask whether a man ought to work so long , and he had reply that perhaps he would not be a fair judge , as that was precisely his own dose . Alter 55 he thinks

perhaps a man might work less than before that age , although he has not found the necessity for this in his own case . In fact , most long-lived men he has met have remained active far beyond that period , and he has definitely come to the conclusion that it is a very bad practice for people nearing 60 to retire . Competitive athletic work of all kinds , according to the same authority , should not be

engaged in at too early an age . Sixteen or even 18 is early enough to begin . On ihe subject of longevity among politicians , he observed that the cares of the nation are qiite different from the cares of individuals , such as doctors have to reckon with , and moreover he is of opinion that public speaking is such a healthy exercise , that he has often rec < immetiiled consumptive people to read aloud , and he is sure they have benefited by thc advice .

Craft Masonry.

Craft Masonry .

iMtateJ ^ SKflflim ^ i

METROPOLITAN MEETINGS . Albion Lodge ( No . 9 ) . —This old established lodge held its annual installation meeting at Freemasons ' Hall , Great Queen-street , W . C , on Tuesday , the 2 nd inst . Owing to illness , Bro . Win . Drew , the W . M ., wis unfortunately unable to attend , and the same cause occasioned the absence of Bro . S . Valentine , P . G . P ., who has n > t

previously been absent from our installation meeting ot the lodge for about 45 years . Much sympathy was expressed for these brethren , as well as earnest hopes for their speedy recovery . The chair was taken by Bco . Geo . Pritchard , I . P . M ., supported by Bros . G . Russell Beardmore , S . W ., W . M . elect ; H . S . Friend , P . M ., Treas . ; L . W . Harvey , P . M ., Sec ; E . S . Gerrish , S . D . ; S . H . Meyers , J . D . ;

W . Dennis , I . G . ; W . H . Holroyd , P . M . ; E . H . Bradley , P . M . ; W . Poupart , P . M . ; F . C . Evans , and many others . Visitors : Bros . J . S . Tichener , Harmony Lodge , No . 17 , Washington , U . S . A . ; C . Meiter , P . M . 1671 ; F . J . Eedle , P . M . 21 S 4 ; C . Levy , 1 S 8 ; D . Annan , S . D . 1 S 04 ; C Laceby , 1963 ; W . Cambden , 2395 ; O . Newman , 901 : C . Dearing , P . P . G . S . of W . Berks ; H . J .

Tallentine , 1320 ; C J . Dale , P . P . G . O . Essex ; C . I . Page , 190 ; E . W . Levy , P . M . 73 ; F . Hurdle , 15 ; T . Hurdle , 15 ; Egbert Roberts , P . P . G . O . Essex ,- Ben . Johnson , P . M . 805 ; J . W . Madell , 1563 ; J . J . Lough , 91 ; G . T . Miles , 1929 ; and W . W . Lee , I . P . M . 23 S 1 . The lodgejwas opened early in the afternoon , there being a large amount of business on the agenda . The minutes

were confirmed and a satisfactory Auditors' report received and adopted . Bro . H . Dow White , 1601 , was unanimously elected a joining member . Bro . William Hayward , was raised to the Degree of M . M ., and Bro . Cohen was passed to the Second Degree . Bro . W . Poupart , P . M ., then kindly undertook the duties of Installing Master at literally a moment's notice , and having assumed the chair installed

Bro . G . Russell Beardmore as W . M . in an impressive and highly creditable manner . The following officers were invested : Bros . E . S . Gerrish , S . VV . ; S . H . Meyers , J . W . ; H . S . Friend , P . M ., Treas . ; L . W . Harvey , P . M ., Sec ; W . Dennis , S . D . ; H . F . Cain , J . D . ; W . H . Holroyd , P . M ., D . C . ; A . G . Pritchard , P . M ., Org . ; F . C . Evans , I . G . ; E . H . Bradley , P . M ., Stwd . ;

and J . Rawles , Tyler . Mr . Wm . Meyers ( brother of the J . W . ) was then initiated into Freemasonry by the W . M . who proved himself an able exponent of the ritual . Communications were announced from several brethren , " Hearty good wishes " were expressed , and the lodge was closed . The brethren adjourned to Freemasons' Tavern , where a recherche' repast was enjoyed under the genial presidency

of the W . M . After the removal of the cloth , the customary toasts were honoured . In proposing "The Grand Officers" the W . M . alluded to the illness of Bro . Vallentine , P . G . P ., who had not been absent from an installation meeting of the Albion Lodge for between 40 and 50 years . Bro . Vallentine always taught them something and raised Masonry in their ideas ,

and if the other Grand Oflicers were equally good the brethren should drink the toast in a bumper . Bro . H . S . Friend , P . M ., acting as the Immediate Past Master , proposed "The Health of the W . M ., " and said he was sure it was a toast which would be welcomed and received with cordiality and heartiness . Those who witnessed the initiation ceremony must have Deen well pleased with the

manner Bro . Beardmore , W . M ., performed it , for few Masters could excel him . He congratulated the W . M . on the position he now held and trusted he would go through the office with all possible pleasure . Their W . M . had always worked hard in the lodge , had risen from the ranks and deserved his high position . Bro . G . Russell Beardmore , VV . M ., returned thanks , and

said it was a very proud position to hold—that of W . M . of the old Albion Lodge . It seemed but a very short time ago since he was sitting in the position of the initiate . He looked on the Masters then almost with awe , and wondered if he should ever occupy the chair . Years had sped by , and he was now occupying that post . He was initiated by Bro . Thompson , P . M ., and in response he renumbered

that he said he was one of the fretus of the lodge . Brj . Vallentine , P . M ., shortly after kindly said that he hoped at some future time to place him in the chair . Honourable position as it was , and happy as he felt , there still wis a tinge of melancholy about it , for Bro . Thompson . P . M ., was lying cn his death-bed , and Bro . Vallentine , P . M ., was also absent through illness . He should have liked the

latter brother to have installed him , although it might appear a mere matter of sentiment . He ( the W . M . ) was the first to break the link in the chain of Masters installed by Bro . Valentine , and that fact was apt to make one teel melancholy . They should not , however , indulge in that feeling , but say " The King is dead . Long live the King . " He thanked them for the hearty way they had drunk his

health , and hoped that during his year to keep up the traditions of the old Albion Lodge for good working and hospitality-The W . M . then gave " The Installing Master , " and said that a more thorough Mason than Bro . Poupart , P . M ., he nevtr knew . The remarks he had made regretting the absence of Bro . Vallentine would not be taken as a slight

by Bro . Poupart , P . M ., who had performed the ceremony in a manner to be admired . He thanked Bro . Poupart very heartily for the manner in which he had carried out the work . Bro . W . Poupart , P . M ., thanked the W . M . for his kind expres .-bns . It was an honour he little expected when he went into Ihe lodge room . To say he did not prepare for

the work would be nonsense , but he had never entered the lodjje as a Past Master without being ready to perform any ceremony in the programme . It was through the kindness of Bro . Harvey , P . M ., S <* c ., that he was permitted to perform the ceremony . Whilst performing the ceremony he could not refrain from thmkingof Bro . Vallentine , and that did not make matters casi r , for his tongue kept getting into . 1 knot , but it was a true lover ' s knot , and he did the best he could .