Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERSThe New Board of General Purposes ... ... ... ... 721 Freemasonry in Hertfordshire ... ... ... ... 722 Consecration of the St . Nicholas Lodge , No . 25 S 6 ... ... ... 722 The Proposed Changes in the Constitution ... ... ... ... 722 Bro . Henry Smith , Deputy Prov . G . M . West Yorks . ... ... ... 723

Woman and Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 723 Masonic Service at Manchester Cathedral ... ... ... ... 724 Our Portrait Gallery ... ... ¦ ¦• ... ... ... 724 Provincial Grand Chapter of Cheshire ... ... ... ... 724 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 725 Masonic Notes ... ... ... ... ... ... 729 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 730 Reviews ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 730

Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 734 Mark Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 734 Royal Ark Mariners ... ... ... ... ... ... 735 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 735 Lodges and Chapters of Instruction ... ... ... ... 735 Craft Abroad ... ... _ ... ... ... ... 735 The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... ... 735 Masonic and General 1 idings ... ... ... ... ... 730

The New Board Of General Purposes.

THE NEW BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES .

It is satisfactory to know that Grand Lodge has at length accepted the scheme propounded by the Board of General Purposes for the re-organisation of its working Committees . Grand Lodge itself is too numerous , too unwieldy a body to be able to

deal effectively with those smaller , but still important , questions , of infinite number and variety , which are referred to it for settlement by our Provinces , lodges , and individual brethren . It is the final court of appeal in all cases of doubt and difficulty ,

but when those cases come before it , it almost invariably decides in accordance with the opinion of its legal adviser , the Grand Registrar . But it would be absurd to expect that such a bod y composed of several hundreds of members and varying

continually , as in the nature of things it must do , in its composition , could patiently hear and adjust those minor differences whicli are perpetually arising among members of the same or different lodges , between different lodges , or between the rulers of our

Provinces and Districts and the lodges or their officers or members that are placed under their charge . This kind of duty can only be discharged properly by a Board or Committee composed of brethren wholly selected by the Grand Master or wholly elected

by Grand Lodge ; or of brethren who shall be in part selected by the Grand Master and in part elected by the Grand Lodge . For many years past there have been two such Boards composed partly of nominated and partly of elective members , to which

Grand Lodge has delegated its authority for transacting the general business of the Craft , only reserving to itself the right to act as a court of final appeal in those cases in which either of the parties to a suit considers himself aggrieved by the decision of the Board or Court of first instance . These are the Board of

General Purposes for dealing with home business , and the Colonial Board , to which all business affecting our lodges in the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown is referred . It has " now been determined to abolish the latter entirely , and reconstitute the former in such a manner and to such an extent as

to enable it to deal still more authoritatively with the business that may be brought under its consideration . Much of this , or much to this effect , was explained in our article on the subject of a fortnight since , but it is worth while repeating these details in

order that our readers may appreciate more clearly and more fully the character and importance of the change that will be effected when the new Board of General Purposes has been

organised . The present Board consists of the Grand , Pro Grand , and Deputy Grand Masters , the Grand Wardens , a President , who is nominated by the Grand Master , and 24 other members , of whom ( o are nominated and the remaining 14

The New Board Of General Purposes.

elected , while the Colonial Board consists of 10 members , of whom three are nominated and seven elected . The new Board which will take their place will at its outset consist of 37 members all told , the official element comprising the Grand . Pro

Grand , and Deputy Grand Masters , the Grand Wardens , the Grand Treasurer , the Grand Registrar , the Deputy Grand Registrar , Past Presidents of the Board , the 1 'resident of-the Board of Benevolence , and the Grand Director of Ceremonies

the nominated or appointed section , of the President and six of the other members ; and the elected portion of lc \ of the other members . In the event of the throne oi Grand Lodge not being occupied by a Prince of the Blood , there will , of course ,

be no Pro Grand Master , and the official section of the Board will be diminished by one , while according as the number o ( Past Presidents of the Board is greater or smaller than at present , so will the same official section be augmented or diminished .

But taking the new Board , as in all human probability it will be constituted at the outset , there will be ty of its 37 members included in its official and appointed ornominated sections , while the numberof the elective section will be , as we have said , iS . To

this new Board there will be submitted the whole of the subordinate business of Grand Lodge , hitherto conducted in part by the Board of General Purposes , and as to the remaining part by the Colonial Board . The question naturally arises—will Colonial

business suffer by the change ? We think not . In the lirst place , as we took the trouble of pointing out when the proposed change was before Grand Lodge earlier in the vear , it will not make the

slightest difference , as regards the transaction of that business , whether it is transacted by a separate Board , or by a Committee of the new or General Board . The nature of the business will

be the same , and the evidence pro and con , the same in either case , and unless we are to assume that a mere change from a Board to a Committee of a Board is sufficient ( o upset all the honourable traditions which have been alwavs associated

wilh the administration of our laws , the decision in accordance with the weight of evidence will be the same . But though in this respect it can make no difference whether a difficulty or a difference is adjusted by a Board or the Committee of a Board ,

there can be little , if any , doubt that the decision of the new Body will carry with it greater weight , especially as what relates to our lodges abroad will be dealt with in the first instance by a Committee composed , as far as practicable , oi seven Masters or

Past Masters of lodges in the Colonies and abroad , whose decisions will be then submitted for the approval , or otherwise , of the whole Board , while in those cases in which the decision of the Board is contested , it will always be possible , as now , for an

appeal to be addressed to Grand Lodge . There is then , in the first place , the certainty that Colonial business will be dealt with as impartially , and at least as competently under the new svslem as under that which it is intended to supersede . To this must

be added the prospect that if it is found practicable to enlist the services of Masters or Past Masters of Colonial lodges on the Board , the business will be transacted b y men who are conversant wilh the ins and outs of Colonial feeling . Lastly ,

seeing that the Committee will report to the Board , which will then give its decision , the new arrangement affords to all who have occasion to appear before the Colonial Committee additional security against erroneous decisions , while at the same time the decision will be more authoritative .

There is , however , one further point on which we consider it desirable to offer a few words . In order that the Craft generally may derive full advantage from the change which has been authorised , it will be necessary that the brethren should be