True Charity.

which > by the way , is said to have a very Jesuit flavour , and to be , in fact , an offshoot of that most " secret society . " " Freemasonry which mendaciously terms itself a society of benevolence is a collection (" ramassis'' ) of atheists ,

impious materialists , rationalists , of rascals and debauchees . Freemasonry is the scourge of the Church , of the state of families , and of the world , the scandal of honest people , the perpetual shame , degradation , and dishonour of humanity . According to their Const ' tutions the

Mason , with very few exceptions ( pray note that ) can only be a skilful thief and an assassin . Their society has for its cud to deny God in order to iustify , for its own criminal designs , which are to throw down thrones and altars , and . to destroy all constituted authority . " Lest our readers

should think wc are exaggerating , which we beg to assure them we never do , we give Bro . Griniaux's translation . " La Mno / innerie qui sVntitule mesongerement socieic de bienlaisance , est un ramassis d ' athes , d'impies , de materialistes , de rationalistes , de fripons , et de debauches . La

Maconnerie est le ( lean de l'Eglise , de l'Etat , dt-s families et du monde , le scandale des honnet . s gens , la honte perpetuelle , la degradation , le deshonneur , de I'humanite . D ' apres ses Constitutions , le Maijon , — ; . part tics pen d ' exceptions , ¦ —ne pent ctre qu ' un habile voleur et un assassin . Cette societe a pour but de ni . r Dieti , afin de

justiner ses propres desseins sceler . its . qui sont de renverser les trones et les autels , et cle deti'tiire toute autorite constitute . " Are not these , kind readers , noble , true , and Christian words ? What can be the mental state of such religionists who dare to give utterance to such absolute lies ?

The New Grand Officers.

THE NEW GRAND OFFICERS .

ASSISTANT GRAND CH . U ' LAJX . The Rev . C . W . Spencer Stanhup ., vicar of Crowton , Cheshire , M . A ., Merton College , Oxford , was initiated into Freemasonry in the Apollo Lodge , 1862 , and having served various

offices in that lodge and the Churchill , became W . M . in 186 5 . Jn due course , he took the Royal Arch Degree , and was one of the three first Principals at the formation of the Apollo University Chapter . During his residence at Oxford he was most active in all Masonic

festivities at " Commemoration , " and having taken the Mark Degree in the University Lodge , became W . M . in 1867 , and in the following year appointed Grand Chaplain of the Mark Degree in England . He took the Knights Templar Degree in Cirur de Linn Encampment in 1 S 63 ,

and became K . C . in 1867 , and afterwards Grand Almoner of England . Bro . Stanhope isa member and Past Master of 428 , Sincerity , Northwich , De Tabley , 941 , Knutsford , and Unity , , 521 , Crewe , and has been a member of lodges in Herts and Derbyshire . On the death of George Cornwall Legh , Esq ., M . P ., he was appointed

in 1877 Grand Prior of Cheshire , and during the same year was instrumental iu forming the Stanhope Chapter , of the Rose Croix Degree , at Chester , and since then has been elected a member of the 32 . In 1868 Bro . Stanhope was appointed Prov . Grand Chaplain of Cheshire , and is now P . Grand Mark Master of Cheshire and North Wales .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We ; ilo not liold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in i ; spieit of fair play to all , to permit—wiltiin certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]

ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE IN FHANCE . To thc Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The following extract , translated from a Paris l'lpcr , La France , may prove of interest to your nailers : — The Supreme Council of the Scottish Kite has dissolved fhe Justice Lodge , No . 133 , of which the demcctatic spirit

J * well known . Several memhtrs have further been punched by being suspended from their Masonic privileges , "wing to their having demanded that the general regulations of the Craft should be altered to ass i milate more closel y with modern democratic ideas . This decree of the Supreme Council is one of great importance , as it is signed b y Uro . Cremieux , Grand Master of the Scottish Rite , and counters igned by Bro . Guipbrey , Grand Chancclbr . This decision , affecting a lodge , which , according to Lu France ,

Original Correspondence.

is a most active and meritorious one , has provoked much comment , and there will probably be a necessity for calling together a general assembly of lodges . No doubt , most English Freemasons will consider that Bro . Cremieux acted , under thecircumstances , quite rightly :

for he evielently wishes the Scottish Rite to \ . e kept free from the taint which affects the GrantI Orient , and-which his earned that body to be disowned by Freemasons in Great Britain . I am , Sir , yours fraternally ,

S . H . D'AIRGDER , J . W . Kaisir-i-Kind , No . 1724 , Secretary Bayard , No . 1 ( 113 .

POLLING FOR THE HOUSE COMMITTEE GIRLS ' SCI-I )_ L . Tei the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir anti Brother , — As I was present last Thursday when this little event came iff , pleasing sore and displeasing others , f wish to make a suggestion . 0 _ ing to the excitement

arising from the main business of the day , strange to say , that most imp riant nutter the election of female children for the list t f candidates took place in almost dumb show . In vain did the gallaat Chairman call order , anil ask for attention ; one or two brethren , who shall be nameless , wt . uM talk at the very top of their voices , anti completely drowned in the turmoil the accents of Bro . Hedges , and

disregarded the requests of our worthy Grand Treasurer . Of all the children elided , six I believe , we could neither hear the names , much l . ss the claims . It seems that by the present laws it is hel I that the poll commences at the commencement of the meeting , and closes at ( lie . At the election for Children in April anil October a clause { . introduced in the law , declaring that the voting

shall commence al the close of the business . Why should not the same provision be incorporated with thc section relating to election of Hous . Committee ? As several alterations are 1 kely to 02 made in October , why will not some tii ! ri . et ' c brother give notice of such a clause at the next monthly meeting , as it woultl facilit _ tc business , anti rentier the meeting a nali . y and not a sham ? Vours fr . itrrna'ly , A LIFE GOVERNOR .

BOYS' SCHOOL FESTIVAL . To the . Editor of thc " Freemason . " D . ar Sir anil Brother , — Jn yonr remarks on Stewards' List for above festival you do West Yorkshire an injustice . I have b . fore

me our charily subs-nptiem list , issueel 1 st April , 18 79 , which shew then iw . nty-one stewards with a subscription of £ 301 ) 13 " . This number anti the amount I have no doubt is more by this time . Iain , sir , yours fraternally ,

JOHN BARKER , Life Governor , [ We arc very gl id to hear ll . i-. We took our information from the olliciil primed list , which was uot then complete ]

BOYS' FESTIVAL , JUNE 2 , TII . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Allow me space to correct an error , into which vou have fallen , in your issue of the 31 st ult ., page 2 : 0 . You sav West Yorkshire , generally foremost , has but three Stewards lor the coming festival . 1 cannot till from what

source you obtained j our information , it certainly does us an injustice . We have twenty-two Stewards , of whom two have served once previously , one five times , one six times , and one twtlve times before . Yours faithfully , HENRY SMITH , Prov . G . Sec . VV . Y .

THE COST OF THE GIRLS' SCHOOL . To the Editor if the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — As the following appears in an evening paper , professedly based on a Masonic paper , 1 beg to say that nothing is more erroneous : " Institution . No . of Inmates . Expenditure .

London Orphan Asylum ... 340 ... £ 17 , 093 Fatherless Children 282 ... 8 , 070 Royal Albeit As ) lum ... ... 198 ... _ > 5 21 St . Anne's 335 ... 12 , 707 Royal Masonic Institution for

G'rls ... ... 195 .. 15 . 317 Thc comparison is not very favourable to the Freemasons' School . " I hope next week to point out clearly its entire fallacy as a reliable statement . I am , diar Sir and brother , yours , A FRIEND TO THE GIRLS' SCHOOL .

MASONIC GRAMMAR . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I venture to return to this little question , having noticed the remarks of Bro . Dron in your last issue . I objected originally , as you will remember , to the use of the word " exceptionable , " because really conveying an

altogether different meaning from that which the context evidently was intended to supply , and I stated that " exceptional " and " exceptionable" were the same , though exceptional was , I was aware , often used , though I thought erroneously now a days . I do not understand from Bro . Dron ' s communication that he has yet realized what was the purport of my letter .

Original Correspondence.

Its tone and temper arc , as too commonly , I regret to note , in the simplest Masonic discussions , bolh " bad form" and purely personal , but with tlu-se things I hxve nothing to do , and for them I care nothing , and simply proceed to point out what are the real facts of the case . There is a modern use , undoubtedly , of " exceptional , "

which is , however , not watrmted by any " - landard authority . " The word is unknown to Johnson , cannot be fou « I in Bailey , Richardson , Webster , and is even " non est" in Walker's well-known pronouncing dictionary . Boyt-. r ( French ) , Fliigel ( German ) , Velasquez ( Spanish ) , contain it not ; and only after some ilifrbulty have I found it in

Spi-rs's French and English dictionary , and with buch a peculiar use of it as to support entirely my own humble view of its " status " in our English language . Under the French word " exc . p-. ionnel " we find " exceptional , a 1 exception , " but , curiously enough , in the English portion of the dictionaty , S k iers ignores the word , and only mentions " exceptionable . "

Br-. Dron says - ' exceptional " is applied to such things as form or make an exception , " but where does hc , except on his own " ipsie dixit , ' find this laid down ? It is thus , as I contend , of foieign orig in and use . " Exceptionable , " Johnson says , cones from exccplio , which Faciolati informs us means " an exception , a clause , a restriction , a proviso , " anil also was a law term

—practically an exception or o -ection . In all probability our word comes from the French " exception , " which , as Buyer shows , has also two similar meanings . And thus , no doubt , we get to " exceptional " of or belonging to an exception . But still though this is so , cuiiously enough we can find no recognition of it in our standard authorities , though its use is not uncommon ,

and hatl exceptlonal becn printed instead of " exctptionable , " I should have saitl perhaps nothing , though there is no actual authorit for i : s use— -xc .-pt what is to be found in slipshod writing and conimoa conversation . But I suspect that ihe writer of the clause look it , as 1 did , as equivalent to " exceptionable , " but use . ! it in the Fr . nch sense of " cxceplionnel , " nor , _ . s I have pointed out , iu

thc English sense " exceptionable " properly . Bro . Dron seems to doubt what is Ihe proper word to use . I say again ci-. her " special" or " exceptional" if you can validate the claim to any usage at all , which so far r . sts on tin- " authorit-, " of Bro . Dron , though not uncommon I allow in writings of the day , but like a gond many other words of foreign or other derivation having unauthorizedly

crept into our " patois " and " vernacular of the hour . I prefer still " special " or " peculiar "—as exceptional is of doubtful use and authority—though it would read correctly if untie rstootl as " exctptionnel . " As regards' * stickler , " Bro . Dron does not seem to be aware that it is an old English wor . l , . and rtferreel originally to "fencers , " not to " pugilists " at al' . Stickler lias been applied to a " second " in a duel , as well as to an obstinate , pigheaded , contentious

fellow . Wi 1 Bro . Dron permit me to doubt his right , and certainly his capacity , t . set up as either an " arbiter cligantiurum " or a " Ducta dibutantium " much less a " mastir of the school , " and that having read his verbal criticisms , their pioper destination appears to me , in all deference to him be it fait ' , the waste paper basket . Yours f . aternallv , LINDLEY MURRAY .

To the Editor ofthe " Frcimason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In lassing down Great Queen Street the other day I noticed on the door of the tavern kept by that excellent Brother , Alfred Best , best of good fellows and

unsurpassed caterer , the lille— " Freemason ' s Tavern , " in thc possessive case singular , you will obsirvr , instead of the possessive case plural . Snangers might imagine that the Tavirn in question , instead of being as announced , the Tavern of the Freemason , it was that of an ODD FELLOW .

A WORD OF WARNING . To Ihe Editor of thc " F ' rcemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — The brethren of every new lodge ought to thank you Sir , for your timely words of warning on the pernicious habit of soliciting candidates , which , 1 fear , is much too prevalent . Every thinking Mason ought to do his utmost by practice

and example , to put downs .- reprehensible a practice . Many a lodge las had to lamtnt the introduction , through well meant , hut ill judged anxiety to increase ils numbers by this means , ofthe seeds of disruption . I trust Lhat the kindly words to which you have given utterance will also induce more reflection before candidates are piuposed . I am fraternally yours , E . M .

The annual installation meeting ofthe Neptune Lodge , No . 1 264 , was held on Monday last , thc 2 nd inst ., at the Masonic Hall , Hopc-streit , Liverpool , whrre Bro . W . Colter wa- installed W . M . for the second lime . A report of the proceedings will appear in due course . Bro . Farwig , P . M ., 180 , was . on Thursday

evening , unanimously elected Preceptor of the Great Northern Lodge of Instruction , 1287 . Bro . P . M . Adams , P . G . P ., having resigned in consequence of his great age . Bro . W . Smithell was on Thursday installed W . M . of the Felicity Lodge .

Bro . Theodore Distin has just carried off the first prize of £ 10 offered by the HudiWsfield Glee and Madrigal Society , for a comic glee . Bro . Distin intends giving the glee " Jack Horner " at his concert at the Horns in the ensuing month .