Contents.

CONTENTS .

LF . ADF . RS 15 Koyal Masonic Institution for Ciirls ID Hoval Masonic Institution fur Ilo \ s iG Roval Masonic licncvoient Institution if ) Prince I . eopoM at Portsmouth Hi j Consecration of thc lirixton l . ndjio , No . 11 ) 49 17 j Masonic Histnrv anil Historians iS 1 Wliv Masons il ' o not read . Masonic Lilcra- i

tn ' re ' * Our " OKI l- ' olks " in K . Tt Lancashire 10 Hro . and Mrs . Kd ^ jar llowycr ' s Annual Dinner and Hall ¦ t'l The l ) r » ke Memorial >¦! Thc Tallow-chandlers' Co . ni'nny IM CiiRREsrONDF . MF . — Whose Pericranium 20 f | i » iuinii Members 20

I CouuF . ei , o \ nT : \ TF . ( continued . — ] 'lhe " John Hervey" Memorial Fund ... 20 A tluery 20 Masjns' Marks 20 Reviews 20 Masonic Notes and Oueric— . 21 REI * nrs OF MASONIC Mr . F . TiNi ; s—

Craft Masonry 21 Instruction 20 Royal Arch 26 The Theatres 27 Music 2 ; Masonic and ( iener . ll Tidings 2 S l . (] . l _; e MeetiuKS for Next \\ eek 21 ) Obituary 30

Ar00100

THE question which is covered hy tlie decision of the lieneral Committee of tlie Girls' School , alluded to la-l week , is a most important one , inasmuch as it branches out into several subsidiary points . One is the grave tendency , too apparent just now , of regarding Freemasonry as a "real benefit society . * ' So much subscription , so much return , "' in fact " a quid pro quo . " Hut yet

any such view is diametrically opposed to the genius , the Constitutions , iho whole scope of Freemasonry proper . We give to poor , and distressed , and decayed brethren , who make a " fair claim " on our benevolence , wlia ! we are able to afford , what , in fact , con tilules a free gift of . Masonic charily . We help the widows and orphans of our brethren , firstly , because they arc

the willows and orphans uf our brethren ; and secondly , because though they have no abstract right whatever to ask for or expect anything at all from us as "de jure , " they have a great moral claim on our fraternal sympathies , efforts , and beneficence . And , therefore , il is thai with hearty goodwill wc endeavour year by year to keep up in thorough efficiency and good working order those

noble Charities of ours which arc lhe " decus culiinieiique ol our common Order . Another point whicli " crops np " is the utter want of provision for ( heir familv , whicli too many of our brethren forget to seek lo compass ot arrange ; even in the days of their prosperity they hardly ever appear to forecast the future , how much less in their hour of adversity"' It is often

lamentable to realize the di . tres-. ing cases which come before us in out Charities and al the Hoard of Henevolence , but still more is it to remember how few ever apparently think of looking out for a rainy day , or while the sun shines , and the skies are blue above their bead ; , endeavour to profit by the fleeting moments of pro-pcrily , and preparing

for the possible eventuality of sickness or trial , decay or destitution . lias not lhe time come when some combined effort should he make to encourage among our . Masonic Fraternity either a modes ) and moderate system of life insurance or deferred annuities , as a needful aid in sickness , leniporary assistance in death ' . ' Otherwise we fear that we shall drift ir . ore and more

into one great benefit system , and kepi up too , though the words seem somewhat hard , for the reckless , the thoughtless . md the improvident . 'Ihc orig inal idea of Masonic relief , the aim and object of . Masonic charity , was to provide for those who , through unforeseen contingencies , or b y some mysterious visitation of T . G . A . O . T . l' ., have been reduced to a state of poverty

or distress . Hut it IICVLT occurred to our benevolent forefathers that the tunc would arrrve , cither lhat Freemasons would make no provision for themselves nnd their families in prosperity , and then claim help from the Order in adversity ; or that the material advantages of Freemasonry would be so great lhat some would ' •press into it , " to give them and theirs a " claim " on its many " good things . "

TUK Monde Maconniijiie alludes to thc wishes of the Italian Freemasons to have an universal M . isonic Congress at Rome , and slates that this view has been combattcd in Kngland and in Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry . And most naturally so . Thc " cui bono ? '' instantly comes up lo thc practical Anglo-Saxon mind . Wc have neither in Great Brilain nor America , nor Canada ,

any " burning questions " to solve , any " moot points " to decide . On thc contrary , all we wish for arc peace and quiet , and the simple liberty of moving en our alloled pathway , fulfilling our mission , and developing before our Brotherhood and the world the utility , thc need , the good of Freemasonry . An Oecumenical Masonic Council would be , lo our minds , a simple

absurdity a " ridiculus mus ; " in that it wculd probably attempt to solve question . ? whic ' i cannot be solved , and to prcposc conclusion : ; by which nothing could be concluded . The Italian Freemasons have two great grievances , as they , think , pressing on them , ( i . ) What they term the Social Question , —whatever that may be ; and , ( 2 ) , the power , persecutions , and

presence of the Roman Catholic Church . But these are questions which we , as Freemasons , are entirely incompetent to deal with , in whicli none else tan help them except their " ainselvcs , " and they arc also subjects which Anglo-Saxon FYecmasons would deliberately refuse to recognize , or even

discuss . Su ; h matters have nothing properly lodo with Freemasonry , and ire altogether outside Freemasonry , and could not properly be entertained for one moment b y any Anglo-Saxon Freemason . So if this Universal Masonic Congress be held il must be held without the Angle-Saxon family .

Ar00101

J HE position of F ' recmasonry , as regards the Roman Catholic Church and community , is often misrepresented and seldom understood . F ' recmasonry , as a system , respects all religious bodies , and antagonizes none . Hut the Roman Catholic Church , since 1738 , Ins placed Freemasons under a " ban and interdict , " and all Freemasons , Roman Calholicsard others , are , ' •ipso

facto , ' " excommunicate ; - ' and , without abjuration of Freemasonrv and submission to the Church ' s edicts , Roman Catholic Freemasons cannot receive the rites of the Roman Catholic Church . Why is this ' . ' There arc too many educated and high-minded men among the Roman Catholic Priesthood lo heed the ilanders of vulgar m .-ndacilv ,

otto believe in the absurd siories and the violent incriminalions > -n recklessly propagated as now by the ' •Chanoine Segur " in Franco , or A 1 . 11 \\ STOI . / in Vienna . But still the fact is so , that the Roman Catholic Church evervwhere antagonizes and anathematize .- . Freemasonrv . We , on ihe contrary , though we never attack-, feel bound to defend our profe , -im's and onr

princi p les , our efforts and our labous . We should be ••cravens " if w , . did not . Butv . e hepe in lhe controversy thus for , v . / upon us , thai we never I . > - ¦ _ .- ehher our sense of dignity , or our feelings of charily , and that we never -hall do -o , under any provocations , or any epithets . \\\ . 11111 — . 1 hope for calmer time- ' , less unreasoning prejudices , and more true c h . irii v . To convince our readers

how far malevolence will carry a wriler against Freemasons , and in a country where the same intolerance since the Fmperor Josuni ' s d : vs has succeeded in suppressing lhe lodges , we propose in our next number , for the amusement , and astonishment , and sorrow combined of our readers , to give lliem one- or two extracts fiom a new work bv Ar . isw Smi T / , entitled " 'l he Natural I li-torv ol " Freemasons . "

Wi : hear that among the most successful " F . ttenne ' s " at Paris New Year ; Day , IS 8 J , was a small doll , styled ••The little silent Deputy , the protection of Ministers , the peace of the Chamber , and the delight of tlie I ' re-ideni . " In these days of much talk and small rc-ulls , " much t rv and liule wool , " it is just po-sible , is il not , that such a New Yeai ' s gift 11 ti- -1 it be a ireful and

valuable reminder lo some distingue bed " coiv timers of tin : < " among our . selves ? We see in some papers the term ' •noisy ob-trm tioiii-l' , " .-md without pausing - to ask to whom such words may be fairly applied , or what they reallv refer lo , we venture In ihink that the lessons of the " silent member "

are ones not lightly to be disregarded or ha _ lily ignored b y us in Fngland . The French , who derive their ••Ftrcnnes " New Years gift , from the Roman " slreuno-, " are said in Parish ) spend yearly a million ol francs or _/ . , , in " Bonbons" and sweetmeats alone . Ilappv Frenchman '

SOME writers er . mplam , wc think unreasonably , that Fngli-h literature during lhe la-t two years ha ; not been so productive as nf yore , inasmuch as lhe new book- ; of 18 S 1 were less in number than thn .-e of iSSn , and I hose of 1 SS 0 than those of 1870 . But vol , surelv , we have enough , and more than enough , to-ati-fy the greatest" gourmand "

in books , considering especially the large number of hooks which are not worth reading , and which ought not to have been published at all , and are neither likely to improve our minds or our morals , to benefit our imagination or our humanities . 5406 books wen-, however , published in 1 SS 1 , and of these 4110 were new works , and 1 /><)(> were reprints . In theology there

appeared 045 : educational and classical works numbered OS . ?; fiction summed up 674 , and juvenile literature was represented b y 5 ' > ii ; arti-lic , scientific , and illustrated works were 45- ; history and biography . 137 ; year books and serials 330 ; voyages , travel and geographical works amounted to : ; i ) i

F . ssays were 247 ; medical works 16 4 ; works on political economv and commerce were 162 ; poetry and the drama claimed 1 . ( 8 ; law i . i . ' ,. . Miscellaneous works , pamphlets , \ c , conclude the list , and yet people complain that literature is falling oil '

Wi : are pleased lo note that thc popular attendance at museums in Fairyland is largely increasing ; 1 , 017 , 204 . persons visited the South Kensington Mu seuin last year , and thc Bethnal Green collection had 451 , 18 7 visitors .

In the provinces 770 , 426 persons , exclusive of F'dinburgh and Dublin , visited the permanent museums , while 253 , 26 9 persons at York came together lo look al the PRINCE OK WALES ' presents ; and 391 , 881 persons paid visits lo forty-one local art exhibitions .

IT is not a little remarkable to observe that the position of the general charities of the metropolis very much resembles that of our Masonic metropolitan Charities in respect of provincial Charities . There are 1000 metropolitan

charities , and their income to the close of 18 S 1 was £ " . ( ., 121 , 546 . But we have no account of provincial charities and provincial receipts . The " tottle " of general charity , like as of Masonic charity , must be very large indeed . Wc should like lo obtain , if possible , a general summary .