Tylers And Tyling.

The minuies of the same lodge of February 2 ' ith , lS 2 ii , record llie longest suspension of n Mason thai has hilherlo come under my notice . ' I ' or some unbecoming business Din . A . was suspended from the lodge for ' . lilil years . " They might .-is well have made it . , us our old brei hren some ! imes did in such cases , " for the remainder of natural life , " bill I suppose they wished to give him another chance . A few words on some of Ihe more celebrated Tylers of the past may not be unwelcome nor out of p lace . Willi regard lo Ihe Ty lers of the prese . it day ,

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I 73 H many of whom are more or less celebrated , T shall say nothing about them , as I wish to spare their blushes , ami they are probably as well known to llio reader as they are lo the writer . During my somewhat lengthy Masonic career I hare , as may readily be imagined , been personally acquainted wilh a considerable number of Tylers , some of them chniaolcrs ill their way . quite original . I remember one old fellow ill purl icular who wus colcbralid for the quantity and variety of the liquids he

could comfortably dispose of wil hold losing his balance . Some people used lo say he was always drunk , but for my own pari , I must , confess that I could never see much difference in him , morning , noon , or night . One nf the lodges he tiled was une of those nlil-fasliio I lodges that always had a hoi lie or Iwo of sherry in Ihe aiile-nmiii , and sonic of the younger members somehow acquired the idea thai , while I hey were at labour the wine disappeared from view rather quicker I ban it ought lo leave done with fair treatment . I suppose I hey thought , the Tyloi

neglecled his duty and allowed it lo evaporate or something . At any rate ( hoy ciinelnded In try a less cclebrateil Tyler , so on the elect ion nighl someone proposed a comparatively unknown , but highly rcspeclable young man as Tyler I ' or the ensuing year , lie was spoken very highly of by several of the brelhn n and seemed in a . fair way of getting Ihe desired post , v hen one of the old Past Masters gol up and said if I here wan one III ing mon * tha u a not her which he admired in a man il was consistency . lie had known ihis old bruther for a good many

years as Tyler nf their lodge , and lie was always the same—he was always consistently drunk—they had got used to il , they expected if , and they were ii'ivr disappointed still they tad managed to jog along fairly well together and without , very serious trouble . If he did help himself I o a glass or two of wine why lei him have it , if didn ' t do him any harm . lie had nothing to say against the brother who had been proposed , he was quite willing fo b ;; lieve that be was il

very good young man , but he . did not know mm , and as likely as not he would lit sometimes drunk and at other limes sober , and I hey would never know ivlieie I hoy were nor what l <> expect . For his purl he should vole I ' or keeping the old man on . So he did . ,-nid so also did a majori / y of the members . I am mil quite sure that poor old Lewis , who lost I be " 'A I dishes of meat " in I 7 il 2 , was llie Tyler of Ihe ( irand Lodge hui I think if highly pi-oluble

The hrst ( irand I ' yler of the regular ( ii-. ind Lodge of whom we have any positive knowledge , is the In-other whose porlr .-iii is heie rep MI I need , lie is not . mentioned in ( he (( rand Lodge minutes during his lil ' e-liin ' . but on I he I Ith February , 17 oN , il . is recorded that " Iii-. Selby handed sixteen shillings to 'the ( irand Treasurer , being cash he had not paid to lir . Montgomery before he died . "

Judging from his picture one would imagine him lo have lieen a p M-SOII of 101-siderable tniporluuce in his days . llis portrait , is to be seen in all pal-Is of I he eounlry and is sometimes described as a Porlrail of tin- Marquess of t ' ainin yon . who was ( irand Alaster at ( he time it was engraved ( 17 'IS' whereas it . was only dedicated to that iioblenian . Monlgoincrie describes himself as " (( aider ol y" ( irand Lodge , " and omits liis Christian name , which 1 learn from llie register

T 1 IO . M . 1 S JOII . NSOX , r . 'HAXl ) TVLFII . of petitioners for Charily , was Andrew , he having been relieved in 17 . * i 7 , with . ( - . "> , I regret my inahility to say what particular ( nullification Ihis old brothel was celebraled I ' or , but as 1 believe he was u unlive of Ihe Knieiiild Isle , il iniij have been I ' or his humility .

The following verso firm a doggicl ihyine , dcfcn '| i ! ivo of » procession of mock masons gol up in Loudon about 17-10 , would seem to indicate lhat inodeply or something else was his distinguishing characteristic : — " Who ' s he wilh cap and sword so stern— a ? Modest Montgomery of llibern—a Who guard de Lodge and de kev who turn—a . ' '

The next mention of a ( irand Tyler is in the minutes of a Committee of Charily , 201 li October . I 7 ( i ' . l . This Committee peifoiined fuiielioiiR similar to those now discharged hy tho Hoard of lienevolence , mid the Ihinrd of iirnorul Purposes . " llr . Heseltine , Grand Foci-clary , presented lo Ihe Coininitlce , lir . Kdwanl Caton , ( ho ( irand Tyler ' s bill upon Pr . French for attendance upon Ihe ( Irand Lodge and other particulars , amount ing tn the sum of Hi Hi ., which had never been paid . " The llr . French menlioncd was llescltine ' s predecessor , and had recently become a bankrupt .

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SAMARITANFREEHOSPITAL FORWOMEN&CHILDREN, MARYLEBONEROAD,N.W. PATRON-H . R . H . THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT , K . G . PRESIDENT-RIGHT HON . THE LORD LEIGH . TREASURER-SIR JOHN H . JOHNSON , This Hospital is for flic recepl ion of poor women iiflliefcd wifh diseases peculiar fo their sew 'llii' Oiif-P .-ilienls * J ) ep . 'ii ( men / is for Die Ilealmonf of poor women fuilforing from sn'll disouses . and all diseases of fltildton . Admission KI ! KI' ! , willioiil loiters of i < - < - < mi IIK-IMIIH ion . I ' ovcrly nml Sickness flic onl y passport l-cipiircil . All ii | p lications for admission lo lie addressed lo flic Secretary ; and wlicn a , Pulicnl is unable liy illness or distance lo apply personally , 11 j rinli'il form will Le liiiiiislied lo llie applicant , which innsl . lie refiirned to llie Secretary duly filled up . Out-Patients' Entrance—171 , MARYLEBONE ROAD . 'Atlciidiiiice Daily ( "Sunday excepted ) from 12 lo 2 p . m . Governors : Subscribers of £ 2 2 s . annually . life Governors : Donors of £ 21 . GEORGE SCUDAMORE , Secretary .