Masonic Notes.

the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , on his appointment to the office of Deputy Grand Master of England . His lordship has presided over the Province of Cornwall for close on 19 years ,, and during that period has succeeded in winning the esteem and respect of every

brother in the county . It is not surprising , therefore , that the honour which has been conferred upon his lordship should have elicited a warm-hearted expression

of pleasure from those who know him as a Mason most intimately , and have enjoyed for so many years the advantage of his prudent and well-ordered administration .

* * * The report of the Cornwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund for last year , which vvas presented at the same meeting , is well worthy of attention . The fund was established in 1864 , since when the sums

received in its behalf have amounted to ^ 8080 . Of this . £ 1539 has been paid to male annuitants and . £ 373 to female annuitants , while ^ 70 has been granted in relief , ^ 8 30 for the education of children , and only £ 33 Q for expenses of management . The balance in

hand at the present time is ^ 4927 . There are few -Committees of Management that can furnish a better account of their stewardship . At the present time there

are two male and three female annuitants each receiving £ 2 o per annum , and four children being assisted in their education , two of them receiving grants of £ 1 $ a year each , and the remaining two . £ 12 ios . each .

* * * The sixth annual report of the Cornwall Masonic Charity Association , which was presented by Bro . Gilbert B . Pearce on the same occasion , is also pleasant reading . By its means no less than 265 guineas found

its way into the coffers of our central Masonic Institutions , the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution obtaining out of it 125 guineas , the Girls' School 35 guineas , and the Boys' School 105 guineas , Provincial Grand

Lodge and other contributions raising the total for the year to about ^ 375 . These are excellent figures , when we bear in mind that the number of lodges is 30 and the number of subscribing members 1557 .

The Provincial Grand Treasurer ' s account was also very satisfactory , and out of the balance in hand of , £ 189 16 s . Provincial Grand Lodge voted 50 guineas to the Cornwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund ,

50 guineas to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution —the grant in this instance being enlarged in honour of the approaching Jubilee Festival of the Institution —20 guineas to the Girls' School , and 20 guineas tothe Boys' School . Well done , Cornwall !

* * * We gather from a leading article in the Queensland Freemasons' Magazine that , while it is generally admitted that at some future time it will be necessary to found a Queensland Grand Lodge , there are many

distinguished and experienced brethren who consider that to take steps to this end at the present moment would be a mistake . As our contemporary puts it , a man " saw a beautiful apple in a tree and wished to pluck it at once , " but his companion said , " Stay your

hand ; it is a lovely apple , but it is not quite ripe . " It may be that if the promoters of the so-called Grand Lodge of New Zealand had had some discreet adviser like this friend at hand to check their over-zeal , we should not now be lamenting the disunion into which Freemasonry has fallen in the latter colony .

* * * By-the-way , the New Zealand Craftsman is very angry with "A Brother Mason" for having written his long letter on which we commented to the Otago Daily Times . It says "The first paragraph has an

unblushing falsehood , and the last one has another . " What the latter is we are not told , but as regards the first falsehood— " there being no recognised Masonic paper that I know of in New Zealand "—the New Zealand Craftsman remarks , " If the writer did not

thus pen a deliberate untruth he is convicted of such gross ignorance upon matters Masonic as disqualifies him from writing on such subjects . He can select which horn of the dilemma he prefers for impalement . " It is unfortunate our contemporary should have lost

its temper . Otherwise it might have been able to see that there were still other possibilities , to wit , that " A Brother Mason" did not regard the New Zealand Craftsman as a " recognised Masonic paper ; " or that he only knew it , as we have had it described to us , as the organ

of a petty and interested clique , to which he declined to accord the rank of a Masonic paper . Or it may have been " A Brother Mason ' s " polite way of ignoring our contemporary ' s existence , and so he spoke of there being " no recognised Masonic paper" thatheknew of—that is to say none that he thought worthy of being

Masonic Notes.

taken into account . We are far from suggesting that the A ' cw Zealand Craftsman fulfils any one of these possibilities , but "A Brother Mason" may have been prompted to write as he did by one or other of them . # # #

Some time ago we took the opportunity of pointing out as an all-sufficient reason why , when a new Grand Lodge is being established in one of the British Colonies and sundry and English lodges elect to remain under their old charter , it it is the duty of our Grand Lodge to

safeguard their reasons . We said in effect that so long as such lodges prefer to observe the laws and ordinances of our Grand Lodge , it is not in the Iatter ' s power to compel them to surrender their charter and join the new organisation . The Canadian Craftsman says " this is

absurd . " It may be so , but it happens at the same time to be the law and the law must be obeyed . Our Grand Lodge authorities are ready enough to do what is in their power to promote Masonic peace and prosperity , but

it is too much to expect that they will meanly abandon lodges which claim their legal right to remain as they are , just to curry favour with the authorities of other jurisdictions .

# # # It will be seen from our report last week of the annual meeting of the Great Priory of Canada that that body has had the misfortune to lose its chief twice within the brief space of a year . The late Sir Knight

Col . McLeod Moore , who died in the summer of 1890 , was succeeded in October by Sir Knight James A . Henderson , Q . C , D . C . L ., as Supreme Grand Master . On the 7 th December last the latter also died , after a career in Masonry which extended as far back as 1843 ,

and as regards Templar Masonry to the year 1 S 54 . The present Supreme Grand Master is Sir Knight Henry Robertson , Q . C , LL . B ., who had been Acting Grand Master since December last , and was elected to the office at the annual meeting in June . We trust his period of office will be a successful one .

* * * The New Zealand Craftsman is gleefully looking forward to what it calls a change of front on our part , and is anticipating that at no very distant date we shall , as in the case of New South Wales , be heartily

commending in that of New Zealand what at the present time we are condemning . Weare delighted to find our contemporary is in a humorous vein , but we take upon ourselves to point out that we have made no change of front in the case of New South Wales , and

shall make none in that of New Zealand . When our New Zealand brethren are practically unanimous in their desire to have a Grand Lodge of their own , we shall accept the change with p leasure , as we accepted it when a similar desire was expressed with practical unanimity by those in New South Wales .

* . * When the question of a New Zealan d Grand Lodge was first mooted , we pointed out that there were difficulties in the way of securing unanimity among the brethren in that colony , and recent events have shown that

we were correct in our statement . But we did not declare ourselves hostile to the movement , which might have resulted satisfactorily , had its promoters exercised a greater degree of prudence . If it was undesirable to have three Grand Lodges exercising concurrent

jurisdiction in the colony , ti fortiori must it be undesirable to have four Grand Lodges exercising similar powers . For the sake of our New Zealand brethren , and above all in the interests of Freemasonry itself ,

which are , or ought to be , paramount , we shall gladly welcome any change which brings the present state of conflict in the colony to an end -. provided always the change is brought about b y constitutional means . But there is no change of front here .

Correspondence.

Correspondence .

l _ We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spirit o £ fair play to ail to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]

" FREEMASONRY—WHAT IS ITS FUTURE ?" To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Every right thinking brother must have read with great pleasure the letter in your issue of 29 th ult . from Bro . T . B . Whytehead , who evinces the true

Masonic spirit that is so often lacking in Masons of the present day ; he points out boldly too the dark spot in the conduct of many lodges , viz ., the absolute want of care in the selection of candidates . Bro . Whytehead also remarks upon one Iodge whose

leading members openly tout for candidates , holding out the bait of "Provision for widow and children if necessary . " This reprehensible practice is in my experience very common and biethren have tried to justify their con-

Correspondence.

duct , saying " it is not improper solicitation , and if Masonry is good for some surely it is good for all ; " thus our noble Order is degraded to the lowest level , the initiation fees being all that is looked to . As regards the future one may be sure that if the number of our members is increased by continuing to

draw largely from the improvident classes our Chanties will do more harm than good . There can be no doubt Freemasonry was instituted for mutual advantage and help , and this should always be kept steadily in view , and how can there possibl y be any mutuality where the majority of the members are unable to help but actually are in need of assistance .

Thanking Bro . Whytehead for his letter and hoping it will be the means of doing great good in the direc - tion he intends , —I am , yours faithfully and fraternally ,

ROB . WYLIE . ARTICLE 213 . " Whenever a member of any lodge shall resign , or shall bc excluded , or whenever at a subsequent time he

may require it , he shall be furnished with a certificate stating the circumstances under which he left thelodge , and such certificate is to be required by , and to be produced to , any other lodge of which he is proposed to be admitted a member previously io the ballot being taken . "

To the Editor of the "Freemason , " Dear Sir and Brother , For acting in what many Past Masters consider to be strict conformity with the proper interpretation of the above rule in the Book of Constitutions , which all Freemasons under the jurisdiction of the

Grand Lodge of England are pledged to obey , Lodge Cajsaree , No . 259 , Jersey , has been suspended from its functions , in the first place , by the Provincial Grand Master of Jersey , and in the second , by the Grand Lodge of England itself . The circumstances which gave rise to this

lamentable result are such as to justify the earnest consideration of the Masters , officers , and members of all lodges under the English Constitution , and give them pause before they act upon their own impressions as to the intent and meaning of the numerous rules and regulations laid down for their guidance in the manual ,

of which it is so frequently reiterated that " scarcely a case can occur in the lodge but this book will set you right . " Let us see what it has done , or not done , in this instance . Bro . A having been a member of the lodge in question for three years leaves it of his own free will

and accord , and has no direct communication with the Iodge for the space of ten years . During this lapse of time , he being abroad , his former connection with the lodge , except that he was known as the son of Bro . B , a Past Master and continuing member thereof , is not remembered , and , it would seem , no record

relating to him appears in the minutes of proceedings during that period . It is said that " his name was printed in the list of members , " but it is not stated up to what year subsequent to his departure . Anyway that does not affect the present question , which is , in fact , the propriety of any lodge assuming that

an application for a certificate made by a third party , no matter in what connection that party may stand to the presumed applicant , is a sufficient requisition in compliance with the terms of Article 213 . Bro . B , the father of the long absent ex-member , considers that the expression of a desire on A's part ,

contained in a private letter to himself which he declines to produce to the W . M . of the Iodge , even after an arrangement with the Prov . Grand Master that such production should be made by him , is a sufficient requirement , without , what might easily have been made by A in a direct . manner , if only by the enclosure

of a written memorandum addressed to the proper lodge official . Here is the crux . Was it ever contemplated by the framers of Article 213—the Grand Lodge itself—that any other than a direct application for a certificate should suffice for the obtainance thereof by the person

chiefly interested as entitled thereto ? If so it is " not nominated in the bond , " and it is more than questionable that if such certificates , even though they could do no harm , are of no money value , and could not be used as bills of exchange , were given by our lodges to third parties , except for transmission after direct app lication ,

the want of caution exhibited would involve the grantors in penalties for breach of a constitutional edict . Divested of all side issues , technicalities , personalities , and what were stated in Grand Lodge to be " quibbles , " the logical interpretation of Article 213

demands direct application for the particular document referred to . If that is not intended the sooner the law is amended the better , and the more certain that Masters , who have sworn to uphold our regulations , will avoid the pitfall into which Lodge La Ca ; saree , despite its best intentions , has fallen . —Yours fraternally , JAMES STEVENS , P . M ., P- 2 . September 8 th .

THRIFT . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , As a member of the Craft specially interested in the questions of thrift and unthrift , I venture to asK you to find space for a few observations upon the important matters in connection with Freemasonry .