Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 559 Supreme Grand Chapter 560 . Royal Alasonic Institution for Boys 5 60 The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ( Continue / I ) £ 60 The Revise of the Constitutions 5 61 Music and Freemasonry 562 Records of Extinct Lodges—( Continued ) ... 562 Obituary 563

CORRESPONDENCEThe Status of Past Masters 564 Sir Christopher Wren and Freemasonry ... 565 Alasonic Portraits 565 Objections to Candidates . —A Query 56 $ A Printer ' s Error . " 565 :

Reviews 563 Notes and Queries ¦ „ .. 566 Earl Carnarvon and the Canadian Roial Arcli Masons 566 Grand Alasonic Conversazione in Liverpool 566 Annual Soiree of the AiTabilitv Lodge , No . 317 , Manchester ' . 5 G 7 REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS

Craft Masonry 567 Instruction 570 Royal Arch 570 The Theatres 570 Masonic and General Tidings 571 Lodge Meetings for Next Week tjs

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AT the Quarterly Convocation of Grand Chapter several- new warrants were granted . The Grand Chapter of Portugal was recognised ; and Bro . Lieut .-Col . CREATON ' S motion to grant £ 2000 for rebuilding Freemasons ' Hall was judiciously deferred for consideration until next meeting of Grand Chapter .

THE fact that His Royal Highness the GRAND MASTER was made a " Mark Master Mason " at Golden-square a week ago , suggests alike consideration and reflections not a few to the thoughtful Masonic student . It is not a little remarkable to realize the present distinguished position of the Mark Degree . Its practical existence under Lord LEIGH may be dated only

within a generation , and it has now a very effective organization and numerous adherents . Some of the most distinguished members of our Craft enroll themselves in its ranks , attend its meetings , and claim its honours . And yet who can tell us anything certain about it ? The learning of a GOULD or HUGHAN would fail them , were we to press them for a clear consistent narrative of the

origin , progress , and history of the Mark Degree . As far as the grade itself is concerned it is confessedly a " Crux" about which much mystery exists . " The Mark " seems to have been unknown to or passed over by the Revivalists of 1717 , and though traces of it in the last century exist , they are few and far between , and comparatively late . No early English minute book alludes to

it , and the marked difference as between the English and Scottish Craft in this respect deserves to be carefully noted when we treat on the subject . In Scotland on the contrary the Marks are almost if not entirely synchronous with their earliest authentic minutes , which go back IOA . D . 1600 in round numbers ; and we think Bro . D . M . LYON , the great authority on Scottish Masonic history ,

will agree with us when we say that all known Masters and " Fallows of Craft " seem to have had a Mark . What then is the cause of this great divergence of custom , this absolute difference of procedure ? It is neither easy to be accounted for , nor susceptible of distinct explanation . There is undoubtedly a great difference of normal procedure which confronts the

most credulous , and must strike the most careless . What the relation is of the older Marks to the Mark Masons of to-day is another " Crux , " equally difficult and equally hazy , equally hard to digest and harder to explain . Some connexion there probably was , but what that vvas , is reserved for the labours of a HUGHAN and a GCULD , a MURRAY LYON and n

RYLANDS satisfactorily to explain . Up to date therefore all is mystery in respect to the Mark , and such it must remain . Much stress has been sometime laids on the existence of Immemorial Mark lodges , as a proof of the antiquity of the Degree . But knowinghovv often this word Immemorial is used most improperly , and without any historic warrant , we do not ourselves set

much store by that fact in itself . The Ritual of Mark Masonry is undoubtedly modern , as likewise the division into two grades . Perhaps in one sense its Modernity is its recommendation . At any rate it flourishes and expands , and its now many friends may surely and truly say , " nothing is so successful as suecess . "

# * # IN the Times of the 2 nd inst . there appears a paragraph relative to the Italian Freemasons and International Arbitration . The actual purport of it is as follows : During the recent visit of Mr . HENRY RICHARDS , M . P ., to Italy , a deputation of Freemasons , headed by Count BRANIFORTI , waited upon

h'm at Milan to present him with an address from their brotherhood , congratulating him upon the success of his labours at various times on the Continent of Europe to popularize the movement for international arbitration . Mr . RICHARDS gratefully acknowledged , in his reply to the deputation , his sense of the value of the very important co-operation of such a powerful body

jis the Freemasons , both in Italy and other lands , in the great cause of international arbitration and peace . The active sympathy of such an influential brotherhood was in the highest degree encouraging to himself and ; "s colleagues of the English Peace Society . " Mr . RICHARDS is evidently 'gnorant of the principles of English Freemasonry if he thinks such

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resolutions and addresses are likely to find favour or imitation among them . The great secret of the success of English Freemasonry is its absolute ignoring of all sectional , social , political questions . On the Continent , unfortunately , more or less , Freemasons too often forget the great aim and aid of Freemasonry , and allow themselves to be mixed up frequently with

open political or quasi political discussions . In addition to this they interfere with social questions which provoke controversy , so that they are compelled practically to ignore the fundamental and all important duty of Freemasonry , Charity . Hence it comes to pass , and the fact is much to be

regretted , that loyal English Freemasons find it often utterly impossible to attend foreign lodges or agree with their patent or latent prepossessions , to approve of their theoretical principles , or sympathize with their practical proceedings .

# # MANY of our readers have doubtless perused in the daily ' papers a notunamusing controversy between Sir EDMUND BECKETT and Mr . SEDDON , in which the former elaborates and expresses fully his normal opinion of architects and their works . These are Sir E . BF . CKETT ' S opinions , and are well

known and often put forward . But in the discussion an allusion occurs to a " Reredos " at St . Alban's , originally proposed to be erected by the Masonic Committee , but which design , for reasons which the " Faculty Committee " submitted to the Masonic Committee in perfect friendliness , was not persevered in . The alternative proposal for a pulpit was substituted , and has been

happily and successfully completed . Our esteemed and energetic Bro . C . E . KEYSER , the Secretary of the Masonic Committee , feeling himself aggrieved by certain expressions of Sir E . BECKETT anent the Reredos , has written some letters on the subject . They have come before us in the Hertfordshire Standard of the 27 th October , and we think it right to call attention to them

here , the more so as we gladly call to mind Bro . C . E . KEYSER ' S laudable energy and persevering patience , his courtesy and consideration , in what turned out to be a very trying little matter both of work and responsibility . It seems that Sir EDMUND BECKETT talks of that " paltry gimcrack of a Reredos . " Now , as is well known , Sir EDMUND uses normally very forcible

language , both as to his likes and dislikes , and we do not think that Bro . C . E . KEYSER need be hurt at such expressions . Sir EDMUND may not like Reredoses in general , or that Reredos in particular . Reredos is a hard and apparently a foreign word . , and there are good many worthy people up and down the country who , as some one said amusingly years ago , " seem to shiver

at the very name . " As regards the design in question , it certainly was neither paltry nor gimcrack in any sense . It vvas , we feel bound to say , a most graceful and effective sketch ; but , if we remember rightly , was not originally unanimously approved , of even by the Masonic Committee . As regards the window , it was , we think , clearly understood that the Reredos > vas to suit the

window , and not the window the Reredos ; and Sir E . BECKETT is completely wrong in imputing such bad taste on the part of the Masonic Committee , whose only wish was to help ' on a great and goodly

movement , and not in any way to injure the architectural beauties of St Albans . We can quite sympathize with Bro . C . E . KEYSER ' S feelings at such an unfortunate mistake in words , and are glad to assure him of our p leasant remembrance of his genial labours and his unfailing energy .

* * # WE have been considering the past history and present position of the Mark Degree from an antiquarian point of view solely , but think it only reasonable and right , amid so many new claims and conflicting rites , to say a few words also on the superior antiquity of Craft Masonry . Whatever may be

the real origin of the Ancient and Accepted Rite , whether it be the product of an Hermetic or Rosicrucian Fraternity , whose true annals are lost in the ignorance of early patrons and " adaptations , " there can be no doubt that no grade in the world can claim superior antiquity to our humbler Craft Masonry . It may be that Hermeticism ran along the stream of time " pari passu " with

Masonic initiation , at times dominating it , at times diverging from it , but we seem to gather the fact from countless evidences that a secret Masonic Sodality existed everywhere in very early times , probably in some way linked on to Egyptian and Primaeval mysteries , which seems to have surmounted the dividing influences of countries and oceans , to have outlived the fall of

mighty empires , and defied the encroaching hand of time . Curiously enough the marks of the earliest builders are found also everywhere , alphabetical , numeralistic , Hermetic , symbolical , and we believe we are correct in saying on all ancient buildings . Were these all merely for convenience , to check

payment , continual family marks ? We cannot believe it . We must therefore assume the existence of a world-wide fraternity , with something in common , and if the modern use of the " mark '' was identical with that of early times , an argument to some extent irresistible might be derived for the