United Grand Lodge Of England.

but we take no part in it as a Grand Lodge where wc recognise the white man , the black man , the red man , and the yellow man . ( Cries of " Vote , vote . " ) Bro . C . E . KEYSER , P . G . D .: Most Worship ful Grand Master in the chair and Brethren , —I do not intend to detain you for

more than a minute , but as I was formerly Secretary to a movement similar to this some 20 years ago I think I may say a word . I think most of us have come to the decision that no initiative should be taken by Grand Lodge in a matter of this kind , because suppose our Bro . Woodward were to get together

a number of the influential friends on a Committee and apply as we did in the case of St . Albans—say get the Grand Master and other influential Masons to support the movement , and also get individual brethren to come forward and help , of course the Masons of England should , without the assistance of Grand Lodge ,

carry out a part of the scheme which Bro . Woodward has so well put before us . It is a thing which would do us as Masons a dea ) of good if it was seen we took an interest in the work of decorating one of the cathedrals in London . I shall be pleased to give Bro . Woodward any information as to the working of the St . Alban ' s

Committee which was not so productive of results as we hoped , but vve gave a beautiful pulpit , which has a label on it— " Given by the Freemasons of England . " He might take one transept or one bay and a transept : it will be a work which will redound to the honour of the metropolis in general , and our Craft in

particular . If we agreed that Grand Lodge shall not take the initiative—and I fancy Grand Secretary and his officers have got quite enough to do without sending out circulars of this kind—I

think if properly conducted , Bro . Woodward would get enough support in the Craft in their individual capacity to carry out part of the scheme of decoration that is now going on . ( Hear , hear . )

Bro . Alderman DIMSDALE , P . G . Treas .: Most Worshipful Grand Master in the chair , —No one feels more deeply and more sympathetically in this matter than myself , and yet I am unable to support this resolution in the terms in which it comes before Grand Lodge . We are asked to issue a circular and under the

auspices of Grand Lodge to enlist the sympathy of the Freemasons generally for the decoration of St . Paul ' s Cathedral . Now , Most Worshipful Grand Master , I cannot support the resolution in those terms ; but I should hope and trust that the moral weight of Freemasonry will be given to this great national

undertaking ; and feeling strongly upon this point , I trust that Grand Lodge will permit this matter to be deferred with the hope that our brother will re-adjust his resolution , and bring it before Grand Lodge in a manner in which we could receive it . I should deprecate as much as any brothet in this Grand Lodge the

hypothecating funds which should go legitimately to our Masonic Charities ; but I fail to see why the great moral strength of Freemasonry should not be utilised , and legitimately utilised , to furthering this great national undertaking . It does not , I think , speak much for the great merchant princes and bankers of the

City of London for two centuries that the metropolitan cathedral should remain in the scandalous position it is in at the present day ; but vve have to deal with facts as we find them . It is certainly true that vve are non-denominational in our religion , and glory in it , and I hope we shall long be so ; but we

cannot ignore this fact—although our Grand Registrar may not have said so—we are established upon religion , and the continuance and continuity of Freemasonry depend entirel y upon it—that is , a belief in the Great Architect of the Universe , and I hope that no notion will ever suggest

itself to any Mason , whether it is St . Paul ' s or whether it is any other great national religious undertaking , that we should withhold ourselves with pleasure and with honour from supporting any religious undertaking : in our midst . Most Worshipful Grand

Master in the chair , —I trust that our brother who brought forward this resolution will see that although I cannot —and I believe the great bulk of the brethren present cannot—support this resolution in the terms in which it is brought before us , our sympathy > s with him , and that the best course I would with all humility

suggest to him is that we defer this question for further consideration and leave the broad resolution . I think consequently he will have that support in Grand Lodge , and also by the fraternity in general in his proposal . As I began , so I end . I

J-nnnot support this resolution in the terms in which it is put before us . I cannot suggest that we should coerce the f raternit y , but our moral support and our moral strength which " y be given to advancing the great Masonic objects may draw | "c British public , and when Masons take up matters they will ° a success and redound to the honour of the Fraternity .

Bro . the Rev . R . J . SIMPSON , P . G . C . ' : Most Worshipful Jiand Master m the chair , I ask leave to amend my motion , d-rics of " No , no , " and " Vote , vote . " ) Bro . BEACH : I think it vvould bc much more convenient if 110 amendment is moved but that a decision be taken one way

United Grand Lodge Of England.

or the other . I was about to endorse thc views which have been put forward so well by Bro . Dimsdale , and suggest to Bro . Woodward that after he has put his views ' so admirably forward and the question having been debated so very excellently both one way and the other , whether he will not rest satisfied with

the discussion that has ensued and consent to withdraw his amendment with a view to seeing whether any steps can be taken with the object of eliciting thc support of the Craft without having an authoritative decision on the part of Grand Lodge at its meeting .

Bro . WOODWARD : Most Worshipful Grand Master in the chair , —I have listened most attentively to thc sympathetic speeches that have been made with reference to this motion , and I bow , sir , at once to your suggestion . After listening to the excellent speech of Bro . Dimsdale , I bow most respectfully ,

Most Worshipful Grand Master in the chair , to your suggestion that I withdraw thc motion of which I have given notice . ( Hear , hear . ) I ask Grand Lodge , Most Worshipful Grand Master in the chair , to do all it can for the furtherance of this magnificent object . ( Applause . )

Bro . BEACH : The question is that leave be given to withdraw the motion . The motion was by leave withdrawn , and Grand Lodge was closed in form .

Uniformity Of Working.

UNIFORMITY OF WORKING .

The following is the letter to which we referred in our " Notes " of the 24 th ultimo : — To the Editor of " The Australasian Keystone . " Dear Sir and Brother , Referring to an article on the above subject in the Keystone oi April last , I note your remark towards the close , as follows : "A similar attempt to

improve' on our working was made some years ago , under the English Constitution , and the matter was referred to the then Grand Secretary of England , Col . Shadwell Clerke , who replied that the practices referred to were not used in wellworked lodges in England . This view was notified by the late Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria , and the practice discontinued , so Installing Masters cannot claim ignorance as an excuse for ignoring the wiys and customs of the Order . "

Now , as the individual—I was then retiring from the chair of the Combermere Lodge , No . 752 ( E . C . )—who introduced the so-called innovation into an installation ceremony , which I have never been ashamed of , as it has been practised without official interference for very many years in " well-worked lodges " in the North of England , I could have wished that you had directly mentioned my name in its connection . The fault at the time appeared to be based on the wellworn assumption that because certain brethren had never before seen or heard of a certain ceremony , perforce it could not possibly be correct .

I may here , however , beg leave to put forward the exact contention of the late Col . Shadwell Clerke , in reply to the then District Grand Secretary of Vic * toria ( E . C . ) . In effect he said he was aware that such a ceiemony was worked in some country lodges , but it was not the custom in the London lodges . Not a word of condemnation or charge of unconstitutional working was mentioned . The lat-Grand Secretary was too much of a diplomatist to commit himself in that direction , for the good and sufficient reason that the ceremony in question had never been officially interfered with .

As to the general subject of uniformity of working , it may interest yourself and the readers of the Keystone to know that the Grand Lodge of England has more than once deliberated thereon . This is the situation— in the country lodges the ritual is much diversified , the working of the last century being in many instances adhered to in its entirety ; but in London , the two standards , known as the Emulation and " Stability " workings , are the rite . In all cases , however , the

" essentials" are identical . The advocates of uniform working have now and again tabled motions in Grand Lodge , and on one occasion they carried their point , but the triumph was only temporary and came to nothing , inasmuch as the country lodges mustered their forces , when three months later the minutes came up for confirmation , and rescinded the uniformity resolution . Thus the vexed

question has been at a standstill ever since , and will remain so . As a matter of fact , uniformity of working would be looked upon in England , from one point of view , as an attempt to interfere with time-honoured rights and usages , and so I apprehend it is considered in the older lodges of Victoria , but generally it would be considered as Utopian unless the hitherto unheard of resource of the rit ual was resorted to .

But really the latter alternative , pernicious though it sounds , would ] be quite on a par with Victorian and New South Wales Masonry alike , seeing that both bodies have deemed it fitting to authorise the printing , publishing , and even advertising of rituals , a course of action which it may unhesitatingly be affirmed has never been promulgated in any other country of importance where Englishspoken Masonry exists . I have not a copy of the New South Wales Constitutions at hand , but the L ' nited Grand Lodge of Victoria , beyond a shadow of a doubt ,

infringed an Article ot its Constitutions when it presumed to scatter broadcast that which , by the laws and regulations of Masonry , is improper to bc published . And that by so doing a bad example was set the young Masons of Victoria , goes without saying . —Yours fraternally , W . F . LAMONBY , P . M . 99 , Past Senior Grand Warden ( V . C ) . London , May Sth , 18 95 .

IN THE . " UIVATE CHAPEL at Douglas Castle , Lanarkshire , on Thursday , the marriage took place of Lord Gillford , Lieutenant Royal Navy , eldest son of Admiral of the Fleet the Earl of Clanwilliam , K . C . B ., and Lady Mary Elizabeth Margaret Douglas-Home , eldest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Home . The ceremony was conducted by the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway , assisted by the Hon . the Rev . Canon Meade and the Rev . J . Maconochie , private chaplain to the Earl of Home .