Masonic Ceremony In Coleraine.

honours . He apolog ised for the absence of the Marquis of Hamilton , Prov . Grand Master of Derry and Donega , and of Major Scott , the Deputy Provincial Grand Master . The DEPUTY-GOVERNOR then , on behalf of his English brethren who were present , expressed his complete satisfaction with the proceedings . Prayer having been offered by the Rev . A . C . STUBBS ,

hymn 39 ( Old Hundredth ) was sung ; after which Rev . | . M'N EICE read part of the 6 th chapter of 1 st Chionicles . The benediction was then pronounced by Rev . J AM ES O' H A R A . and the National Anthem having been sung by the choir , the proceedings at the church terminated . The procession having re-formed , marched to the Town Hall , where Bro . Sir J WHITTAKEK ELLIS thanked

the brethren for the part they had taken in the proceedings . The remainder of the ritual was then gone through . The memorial stone , which is a polished slab of black marble , is of beautiful workmanship , and was supplied by Messrs . D . and J . Gemmell , Belfast . It measures 2 ft . 3 in . by 1 ft . 9 in ., and bears the following inscription . in gold letters :

" This church , dedicated to the glory of God in memory of His servant St . Patrick , was founded in the fifth century after the birth of Christ ; was rebuilt by the Hon . Irish Society of London in the year 1614 , and was again rebuilt in the year 18 S 4 . " HENRY S . O'HARA , M . A ., Rector . "J AMBS H COYLE , ' ( churchwardens . "SAMUEL M'GRATH , ) " This stone was placed here 22 nd of August , iSS 4 , by Sir

John Whittaker Ellis , Bart ., M . P ., Governor of the Hon . Irish Society . " As the people passed out of the churchyard a collection was taken at the gate towards the sum of £ 1500 still required for the completion of the church , and a considerable amount was realised , the collectors being Sir H . H . Bruce , M . P ., and Mr . Thomas Andrews , Chairman of the Town Commissioners , representing the general public , the churchwardens acting in a similar capacity on behalf of the congregation .

Freemasonry And The Church.

FREEMASONRY AND THE CHURCH .

BY THE REV . BRO . GEORGE MC CLELLAN FISKE . An Address delivered at the One Thousandth Communication of Courtlandt Lodge , No . 34 , F . and A . M ., Peekskill , New York : Freemasonry is one of _ the strong under currents of society , and few , save the initiated , and seldom even they ,

pause often to reflect how pronounced a source of influence it is . It is not conspicuously before the world . Withdrawn into the recesses of the chambers wherein the Craft pursues its unobtrusive work , and shielded by the faithful and receptive breasts of those instructed in its imagery and teachings , it goes upon its way , helping to rear the edifice of a substantial , symmetrical , and wholesome human life .

Upward the fabric grows in art ' s perfection , with art so concealed , that as " sight seers come with their curious eyes , " and passers by go up and down , they wist not of the school where so much of that skill was developed which has wrought so admirably . One of the great charms of the Masonic Institution , as one of the world ' s ameliorative forces , is this quietude of

its operation . It does an effective , a real , but a largely unappreciated work . And when we inquire why it is such a force , when we ask the secret of its strength , may I bring before you an answer which involves the highest eulogy ot this venerable Craft ? And that is , Freemasonry is praiseworthy , and merits the esteem and confidence of all good men , because it is capable of being ,

and for the most part is and has been , so near an ally to , and has co-operated so extensively with the Church and the Living God . I stand here as an ecclesiastic , representing the highest views and beliefs as to the nature and authority of the Church . At the same time I stand here as a Freemason , ready to sanction and further its aims , and to applaud its

philanthropy , its benevolence and its beneficence , because of what I discern of its character in the light of , and its position in relation tc the Church . It makes for it . I see no conflict or opposiiion between the two . The respective spheres and benefits of Masonry and the Church ought not to be confounded . There is all the difference between the two that there is between a society which man has framed ,

and a society which God has founded . The Church is a Divine society . Freemasonry is a society of human origin . The Church is the depository and distributor of the supernatural life to unite men supernaturally to God . The Church , therefore , is the medium of religion in its proper sense , that is , of bringing the bodies and the souls of men into contact with God . If there be danger that men will

substitute the Masonic Order for the Church , and be content with Masonry as religion enough for them—while it may not be strange that they should be led to do so where the Church is believed to be a human society—it is yet a danger against which we need to guard and warn men . A man ' s soul stands before God , and its state is determined by the way in which he treats those great facts

of sin and atonement . Masonry simpl y deals with some practical aspects of man ' s duty , which lie in the foreground of momentous facts . It does not go back to adjust those relations which are included in the terms Salvation and Redemption . In short , Masonry does not attempt toprovidea religion formen . Itsupposesthattheyhaveone . Thefunction of religion is to convey and communicate the life of God to

men . This the Masonic Order has never presumed or claimed to be , viz .: The administrator of the grace of God . That is , the high office and prerogative of the Church . In saying this it is not that 1 love the Masonic Fraternity less , but that I love the Church more . And did I think Masonry to be antagonistic to the Church , that it tended to obscure men from sense of their need of those

remedies to be found only in the Church s sacramental treasures , that it made them indifferent to religion , that it impeached thesupremacy of the Church , I would withdraw myself from such an organisation . I would not acknowled ge myself as connected with it , for I should be untrue to that function which has consecrated me as a messenger , watchmanand steward of

, Jesus Christ , did I allow that any society of man ' s making could be equal to , supersede , or dispense with the necessity of His own . The Church is divine—it is indestructible . The gates of hell shall not prevail against it . In it I feel the hand and hear the voice of God Himself . And it is because 1 see that Masonry has drawn its best inspiration from , and is in

Freemasonry And The Church.

accord with the general tendency of , and , as one of the moral activities and forces of the world , is in line with the Church , that I approve of it , and am glad to call myself a member of the Fraternity . Because 1 see in it something akin to the Divine society . Because it has been nurtured and shaped by that society . I pass the portal where the Tyler keeps due watch and ward , and I find within that regard for the East , the mystic quarter of the world , which

is so significant a feature in the arrangement of Christian Churches . By that custom of orientation altars are placed in the East—thitherwards we turn to confess the faith—and facing eastward the dead are committed to the ground , looking for the coming of Him whom Holy Scripture hails under the designation of the Orient . I hear the name of Christian saints . I see the burning tapers—and I recall the lights with which the Church

illuminates her altars , to remind us of the golden candlesticks in the new Jerusalem . I behold the Holy Bible enthroned in a place of honour . I hear Christian virtues of Faith , Hope and Charity enjoined , and in those rites familiar to us all I listen to allusions to the Christian faith , and in the pomp , the order , the exact ceremonial of the duly constituted lodge I perceive that which is cognate to the stately , decorous ritual of the Church of God . I see

the principle recognized of teaching spiritual truths and lessons by means of outward things and actions . Plainly , I say , the spirit of the Church has dictated the tone of what 1 see and hear . And when we come to those later additions comprised in the higher degrees , and which are undisputably Christian , it is evident that they could not have been applied so easily , and so readily adapted to the more ancient three degrees , had it not been that Masonry had all along been in the line of revealed truth .

As we investigate Masomchistory—whatever its age may be deemed to be—we find that it comes to us coloured with the radiance , hallowed by the associations , gleaming with the golden threads of the teachings of the Church of God . It may be that in is beginnings it was man's endeavour to retain those fragments of primeval truth which he had rescued from overspreading sin and moral darkness . If it dates from the reign of Solomon , such an account connects

it at once with the covenant people of God , with His Church and special presence on the earth . According to that account , it has come down to us interwoven with the tradition of the Church , and it is hardly too much to say that Masonry owes its present strength to the countenance which it has received from the Church Divine . This was notably the case in the middle ages , and were it not so Masonry could scarcely show the robustness or the good

fame which it enjoys in the most Christian lands . This is so , notwithstanding that in modern times some portions of the Church have frowned upon the Masonic Fraternity , but it may be that in those instances the Church and the Masonic Fraternity have mutually forgotten to be true to some of the essential principles of their existence , and so have furnished room for exciting suspicion of each other . The Church , in her purity ! and spiritual freedom , when she has

kept most strictly to her legitimate province , has been naturally the matron of the Masonic Fraternity , and Masonry when truest to itself has been the dutiful and loving handmaid of the Church . So mote it be , my brothers . Have we at heart the utmost prosperity of Freemasonry—let us not forget that there is one , and only one society , to which we give precedence ; and that Masonry has kept its hold on one generation alter another because it had earned and

won the approbation of that faith which has overcome the world . This is the glory of Freemasonry , my brothers , that it goes hand in hand with the Immortal Church ; this I dare say has been the record of its career in this community , and if it is to remain as a power here , it must still maintain itself as its present promise is—as the auxiliary of God's authorised pillar and ground of the truth . The vitality , the efficiency , the renown of Freemasonry will be

proportioned to its fidelity to the interests and work of corporate religion . Among societies , therefore , of human organization , there is none which , in length of days , loftiness of purpose , or beauty ofjsymbolical rite , can rival the Masonic Fraternity . Of human society , Masonry is the oldest , the most useful , and the best . That is the sentiment which I propose . And would we keep that true , let us not be unmindful of what has made it

true , and what must sustain it as a truth . That is , Masonry must be the sturdy and stedfast defender and follower of the fullness of God ' s truthand the fullest truth of God to which we have access is that body of truth within the custody of the Imperishable Church . Let Masonry move on as the satellite of the Church , by whose light and benign influence it has so attracted men , and it will continue to be—as it is—and as

it has been —one of the conservative forces of the world . Conservative , for it teaches respect for authority—and anything which does that nowadays is an anchor to be prized in these surging , tempestuous times . Conservative , for it teaches honesty , veracity , and justice , and everything which teaches these ancient things , which yet never grow old , is a teacher to be sought for and encouraged . It teaches brotherly kindness , it bids man to fix the dimensions

of life s actions and its conduct by the scale of the golden rule ; and whatever dispels selfishness and iniquity is something which is always yearned for . It teaches good manners—and courtesy is a grace that embellishes life — " manners maketh man " was the motto of the great founder of Winchester School . It teaches purity and honour . There is a certain atmosphere of chivalry that pervades both the regulated lodge , and the hearts of all

true Masons . Highminded and generous are they not apt to be , when amid the solemnities of the Fraternity they are told of work , of responsibility to God ? Is not devotion taught as the preparation of labour ? And to the science of the day , this hoary science says that the oratory is the antechamber of the laboratory . These are great teachings , a magnificent constellation of earnest lessons for life's most earnest and enthusiastic workers . Men attached to a

society which inculcuates these things are in the way of being thrifty , peaceable , virtuous ; they will confer lustre , sparkle , and sweetness on the world which they so elaborate and adorn with truth . Homes and states , families and governments , will be stable , secure and happy , which are composed of men who are workmen of this description ;

who perform life ' s toil animated by those ennobing motives . Masonry is a conservative force because to a certain degree it looks back . The march of the world ' s thoughtless progress tramples on the past—Masonry reveres the past , and orders the pilgrimage of life by another direction than that of the heartless , superficial world that only lives for to-day . Our Craftsmen travel east .

Obituary.

Obituary .

THE LATE BRO . J . VV . M'WEAN , P . M . 1035 . Bro . John William M'Wean , of the firm of M'Wean and Co ., timber merchants , Liverpool , died at his residence , Mettou-road , Bootle , on Thursday , the 2 Sth ult ., at the early age of 42 . The funeral took place at Anfield Cemetery , near Liverpool , last Monday forenoon . The deceased was formerly a member of the City Council , and was P . M . f

ot the nnce of Wales Lodge , No . 1035 . A large number of gentlemen who had been associated with him in business and other capacities attended at the grave side . The cortege left the late residence of the deceased at 11 o'clock , and the service at the church and the cemetery was conducted by Bro . the Rev . E . F . Neep , 13 S 0 . The coffin was of polished oak , withbrass mountings , andashield bore the

following inscription : "John William M'Wean , died aSth August , 1 SS 4 ; aged 42 years . " Several friends brought wreaths of flowers and placed them on the coffin . Five carriages conveyed the chief mourners to the cemetery , and the cortege was followed by a number of Freemasons and a large body of the workmen who were in the employ of the deceased . In the first carriage were Mr . Wm . M'Wean , Miss Dixon

, Mrs . Evans , and Bro . VV . J . M'Wean ; in the second , Mr . Thomas M'Wean , Mr . D . M'Wean , Mr . j . M'Wean , and Mr . Thomas M'Wean , sen . ; in the third , Mr . Henry Day , Mr . Henry Broom , and Mr . Geo . Bray ; in the fourth , Bro . the Rev . K . F . Neep , Mr . J . F . Peacock , Mr . J . Johnson , and Mr . Arthur Lees ; in the fifth , Bro . Alf . Willis and Mr . Sydney Style . Among the

brethren who represented the Prince of Wales Lodge , 1035 , were the following officers : Bros . ] . ) . Smith . W . M . ; L . Peake , l . P . M . ; Alf . Willis , P . M ., Treas . ; Tempest Fozzard , P . M . ; J . P . Bryan , P . M ., P . G . O . ; John Tunstall , S . W . ; George Mitchell , J . W . ; C . Burchall , S . D . ; W .

Addison , J . D . ; E . Gregory , J . S . ; and a number of private members . Included in the visitors from other lodges were Bros . S . E . Ibbs , P . P . G . S . B . ; C . Birch , P . M . 203 ; and Dr . T . F . Young , P . M . 1473 . The Mayor of Bootle , Bro . J . Webster , was also present , and the funeral procession was followed by the carriage of Mr . F . Dresser .

THE LATE BRO . H . S . ALPASS , J . P ., Past G . Std . Br ., P . G . Sec , West Lancashire . No event within recent years has created more widespread regret in Liverpool and surrounding districts than the sudden and entirely unexpected death of Bro . Horace Seymour Alpass , Past Grand Standard Bearer of England and Prov . Grand Secretary of West Lancashirewhich

, took place early on Sunday morning last at his late residence , 27 , Park field-road , Toxteth-park , Liverpool . The announcement of the occurrence was received with the . most profound amazement , as up till within two days of his death Bro . Alpass had been able to perform his public duties , and was in the midst of his preliminary arrangements for the meeting of the Prov . Grand " Lodge at

Ulverstone , on the 24 th inst ., which is expected to be of considerable importance . Our deceased brother , who was a native of Birkdale , in Gloucestershire , and in the seventieth year of his age at the time of death , settled in Liverpool at an early period of his life , and entered into business in Toxteth Park as a chemist and druggist . Eminently successful , he retired

from the pursuit of these trades about 10 years ago . Throughout his long connection with Liverpool he actively interested himself in public affairs , and occupied a seat in the City Council for several years , performing his municipal duties with much efficiency and self-sacrilice . He was also a prominent and very valuable member of the Toxteth Local Board and the Toxteth Board of Guardians , as well

as the Toxteth Burial Board , and West Derby Board of Guardians many years ago . He was likewise a magistrate , having been appointed to the city bench in 1 SS 2 . It is , however , amongst the Masonic Brotherhood Bro . Alpass will be most missed . His thorough acquaintance with the laws and regulations of the Order ; his zeal and careful anxiety for everything which would tend to the elevation

and consolidation of the Order ; and his willingness at all times to render ready help and counsel to brethren who might be in doubt as to the bearings of the Constitutions , made him a father in the Province of West Lancashire . Speaking of his Masonic excellences and career , a Past Master of the Liverpool Dramatic Lodge thus recently wrote in a contemporary : — " Holding the highly important office of P . G . Secretary in the most numerous

and lnlluential Masonic division of West Lancashire , Bro . H . S . Alpass has long been well known and much respected by the large section of the fraternity throughout the length and breadth of the dominion over which he held Secretarial charge . In the midst of multifarious public duties , carried out with remarkable efficiency and invariable courtesy , he has devoted much time and careful attention to the

discreet development of Freemasonry in the division of West Lancashire , and the good result of his work cannot for a moment be doubted In recognition of his public services , he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for the City of Liverpool in the early part of 1 SS 2 . Turning to his Masonic career , we find that Bro . Alpass was initiated in the Lodge of Sincerity , No . 36 S ( now No . 202 ) , on the

Sth of March , 1 S 47 , and was at the time of his death a member of the Lodge of Perseverance , No . 155 ; the Sefton Lodge , No . GSo ; and the Prince Arthur Lodge , No . 1570 . In due course he served the office of Master in his Mother Lodge , and after being exalted in the Chapter of Liverpool , No . 292 , was eventually appointed the First Principal of that Chapter . He joined the Lodge of

Perseverance in the year 1851 , served the office of W . M . and has held the Treasurership of it for upwards of a quarter of a century . In 1 S 64 he attached himself to the Sefton Lodge , No . CSo , and since that time he has been annually and unanimously elected to the important post of Treasurer . It may also be stated that he was one of the founders of the Sefton Chapter , No . 680 , in which he has served the office of First Principal ; and was likewise one of the founders

and first W . M . of the Prince Arthur Lodge , No . 1570 . He was made a Knight Templar in the Jacques de Molay Encampment in 1 S 51 , and served the offices of First Grand Standard Bearer and Prov . G . First Captain , Lancashire . He was one of the founders of the Alpass Encampment and the first E . C . Bro . Alpass was admitted into the Palatine Rose Croix Chapter at Manchester in the year 1 S 56 , and was largely instrumental in founding the Liverpool Rose Croix Chapter , in which he served the important office of M . W . S . He was made a Mark Mason in the year 1 S 70 , and was a member of the 32 nd Degree and of the