Dorset Masonic Charity.

DORSET MASONIC CHARITY .

The tenth annual meeting of the General Committee of this Charity was held at the Masonic Hall , Weymouth , on Thursday , the 31 st ult . In the unavoidable absence of Bro . W . W . Dugdale , the Chairman , the chair was taken by Bro . Zilfwood Milledge , the Vice-Chairman , who was supported by Bros . R . Case , 417 ,

lreas . ; S . R . Baskett , 1367 , Hon . Sec ; R . Smith , W . M ., C . J . Woodford , P . M ., and D . Hitchin , S . W ., of 137 ; W . Smith , W . M . 170 ; A . Graham , P . M . 170 ; B . A . Hogg , P . M . 417 ; M . C . Preston , P . M . 665 ; T . Giles , P . M . 707 ; C . J . Freeman , W . M . 1037 ; E . Mills , P . M . 1037 ; T . Eveleigh , P . M . 1037 ; T . S . Briggs , P . M . 1146 ; T . Farrell , P . M . 1168 ; and J .

M . Luft , P . M . 1266 . Telegrams and letters regretting inability to be present were received from Bros . Montague J . Guest , P . G . M ., W . D . Dugdale , and others . The Hon . Secretary announced that the Right Hon . the Earl of

Eldon , a Vice-President , and one of the original Trustees of the Charity , now wished to be relieved from the Trusteeship , but had kindly sent a further donation of . £ 25 towards the funds . The Committee , in accepting with very great regret his lordship ' s resignation , unanimously passed a hearty vote of

thanks to his lordshi p for the great services he had rendered as Trustee from the formation of the Charity , and also for his exceedingly handsome further donation . Bro . W . E . Brymer , the Deputy Provincial Grand Master , was unanimously elected as Trustee in Lord Eldon ' s place .

The annual report for 1889 , showing very satisfactory progress , was drawn up and ordered to be printed for distribution . On the recommendation of the Relief Sub-Committee grants amounting to ^ 50 were made to three petitioners . It was agreed that the mid-winter meeting should be held at Dorchester .

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the Chairman and to Bro . W . Smith , the Worshipful Master of All Souls Lodge , No . 170 , who had most hospitably provided luncheon for the refreshment of the brethren .

The Grand Master Of Canada On His Visit To England.

THE GRAND MASTER OF CANADA ON HIS VISIT TO ENGLAND .

Grand Master Walkem , in his long and interesting address to the Grand Lodge of Canada on the 16 th ult ., thus refers to his recent visit to England : . "On the 24 th of May last I left New York for London to pay a visit to the Grand Lodge of England and to confer with leading brethren in the Old Land

respecting matters of importance to the Craft . I was received by the English Grand Lodge and its officers with great cordiality and with the distinction due to my position as your Grand Master . Propriet y forbids any attempt to institute a comparison between our own and our mother Grand Lodge . Indeed , so like are the

composition and procedure of the two bodies , that while sitting in the Grand Lodge of England I felt convinced that a comparison between them would be impossible . " An opportunity having been given to me of addressing Grand Lodge , I used it for the purpose of acquainting our English brethren with the ori gin and history of

the Grand Lodge of Canada and the present position and prospects of Masonry in this province . I am thankful that the task was a pleasant one ; and I was informed that the information which I gave , and which was necessarily new to most of the members of the English Grand Lodge , was fully appreciated by them , and had

surprised many brethren who had but an imperfect idea of the strength of our organisation . I found myself perfectly at home amongst my English brethren , not only in the Grand Lodge , but in the private lodges which I had the opportunity of visiting . Accompanied by R . W . Bro . Ray , of Port Arthur , I was present , by

invitation , at the installation of the officers of the Anglo-American Lodge , and the consecration of the Cornish Lodge recently formed in London . The installation was a remarkable event , inasmuch as W . Bro . Theodore H . Tilton , the newly-installed Master , was the first American-made Mason who had been elected

Master of an English lodge . The consecration ceremony was very ably and impressively performed by Bro . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , Grand Secretary of England , who is as great a favourite with his brethren in England as our own Grand Secretary is with us . I was obliged to decline many hospitable invitations which I received from various lodges , as my stay in England was

abridged by the necessity for meeting my own Grand Lodge . I shall ever preserve a pleasant recollection of my visit to my brethren in the Mother Land , and of the unbounded hospitality accorded to me ; and I should be ungrateful indeed if I did not pay a tribute to the excellence of the refreshment which in England invariably follows labour in the lodge . "

The Freaks Of Heraldry.

THE FREAKS OF HERALDRY .

Freemasonry is traced b y some of its more imaginative professors far back through the ages to the luckless time when the sons of men set about the erection of the Babel Tower , but even then its antiquity is as nothing to that elaimed for heraldry by the old

rhapsodical writers who dated its inception from before the creation of the world among the " Vordeirs of Aungetis . " Most people had the impression that , in his state of innocence , Adam did not trouble himself about even a coat—being " a stocke unsprayed and unfloreshed "—much less a coat-at-arms ; but Morgan

The Freaks Of Heraldry.

in his enthusiasm to clothe everyone with due distinction , has assigned him a plain red shield , described in the modern parlance of heraldry as " Gules , " while a white shield is given to Eve , " the mistress of feast and favour , " she being a heiress . After this it is not surprising to find Noah set down in the " book of St .

Alban ' s , " as " a gentilman in kyndi , " or "Duk Joshua , Gideon , Samson , and David each credited in Leigh ' s '' Accedent of Armory " with a distinct device . Heraldry has a natural history all its own , and it tells of strange animals and birds , which are not to be found in " the Zoo , " and which only existed in the

" once upon a time" of fairyland . Such are "the cockatrice , " a cock with a dragon ' s tail and wings ; the " dragon , " a mixture of beast , bird , and reptile ; the " griffin , " half bird , half beast ; the " harpy , " half woman , half bird ; " the martlet , " a legless bird ; " the mermaid , " half woman , half fish ; "the centaur , " half man , half horse ; and "the wivern , " a

variety of the dragon . Added to these must be " the nependis , " half ape , half swine ; "the minocane , " or "homocane , " half child , half dog ; " the lamya , " a compound of a woman , a dragon , a lion , a goat , a dog , and a horse ; " the dragon-tyger" and "dragon-wolf , " the "lyon-wyvern , " the " winged satyr fish , " the "assbittern , " the " ram-eagle , " and the " falcon-fish , " with a hound ' s ear .

It would hardl y be thought that a science of such hoary antiquity , and such undoubted dignity , would ever permit the use of puns in its literature , but heraldic name devices are fruitful in such tricks of tongue . Here are a few . The Cavendishes .- Cavendo tutus ( safe by caution ) . Charteris : —with crest , an arm

brandishing a sword—( This is our Charter ); Wake , of Somerset : " Vigila et ora " ( Watch and pray ) ; Purefoy , of Leicestershire : Pure foy ma joy" ( Sincerity my delight ); Rivers , of Kent -. " Secus vivos aiquarum" ( By the rivers of waters ) ; Pole , of Devon : " Pollet virtus " ( Valour holds sway ); Tey , of Essex : " Tais en temps" ( Be silent in time ); Wisemen , of

Essex : Sapit qui Deum sapit" ( He is the wiseman who is wise towards God ); Pagitt , Surrey : " Pagit Deo" ( He covenants with God ) ; Maynard : " Marnxs ] nsta . nardus" ( A just hand is a precious ointment ) ; Mosley , of Northumberland : "Mos legem Regis " ( Agreeable to the King ' s law ); Roche : " Mon Dieu est ma . roche" ( God is my rock ) . —Nottingham Daily Express .

The Theatres.

THE THEATRES .

Bro . Penley , like Bro . Beerbohm Tree , is not seen at his best on first ni ghts . We are , therefore , glad we did not wend our steps to Terry ' s until this distinguished member of the Asaph Lodge had settled down as " The Judge . " As a plot Mr . Law ' s new piece is very weak , but it has many smart lines in itand Bro .

, Penley in his newest character is quite as droll as in any other play he has ever appeared in . The little theatre resounds with laughter at his comicalities and facial expressions , and we shall not wonder if " The Judge " remains on circuit some considerable time , and gives vent to his jokes to a crowded court . Miss Cissy

Grahamehas contented herself , like a wise woman , with a smallish part , for which she is suited , and left the main part to Miss Emil y Thorne . The rest of the cast include Mr . W . Herbert , Mr . Kinghorne , and Bro . Lestocq , P . M . 1319 , who shines in the opening farce" Nearly Severed . " "

* * * The London Pavilion is overflowing in the matter of its programme . Liberal seems to be the watchword of the directors . All tastes are well catered for . There are M . Trewey , in his clever shadows on the screen ; Miss Jennie Hill , the favourite ot the gallery ; Mr . Dan

Leno , with two new songs full of innocent fun ; Messrs . Brown , Newland , and Le Clerq in a sketch all nonsense , but very droll and quite free from vulgarity ; Miss Minnie Mario sweetly warbles "Cherry Ripe" and " Comin' thro' the Rye "; Little Tich , who is still the

belle of the ballet ; and Miss Bessie Bell wood , who always comes on late , but no one goes away until she has done her " turn . " A very pretty dancer we also saw , who was redemanded , which she quite deserved , but we cannot give her name as we could not get a programme .

Anything coming from the pen of Mr . Davenport Adams is sure to be worth reading and instructive . In the current issue of the " Theatre " he discusses in his able style the subject of dramatic criticisms from a dramatic critic's point of view . Mr . Bindon ( whose

name we know not ) contributes an article at some length on the subject of the amateur stage as a feeder of the professional ranks . He appears to lament that there is no proper training for professionals , which is true , and he therefore urges that more affinity should exist between amateur clubs and managers of theatres .

We are aware that some very famous men and women now on the stage were once members of amateur clubs , and we incline to the belief that if amateurs show talent they will not find great difficulty in getting it recognised amongst the profession . Mr . Cecil Howard

in his able way criticises all the new plays . Some of the more recent portraits have been those of Miss Sylvia Grey , Mr . Jerome K . Jerome , Miss Leyshon , and Miss Olga Brandon , and Bro . Willard in costume in "Judah . " The photographer , Mr . Barraud , has now

The Theatres.

taken to the platino process and produces thereby softer likenesses . The " Theatre " as a monthly review of the drama , music , and the fine arts is unrivalled .

* * * " Baby " would have been an appropriate title for the new Criterion play which Bro . Wyndham has unearthed out of his stock of unacted pieces . Mr . Albery ' s " Welcome , Little Stranger , " is quite of the Criterion order of plays—excruciatingly funny . It is not for the young

lady of 15 , but there is nothing indelicate for adults ' ears . We noticed the ladies laughed much more and louder than the men . Mr . Buck has just married his only child , Cecilia , to Dartle Roe . Having no son , he strongly desires a grandson , and while the couple are on the honeymoon he has designed Roebuck Castle for

his posterity . He tells his son-in-law that he must have a grandson . Old Buck's silver wedding day is being celebrated , and amongst the presents is a box with a legend upon it that the wife who first opens this will have a son within a year . Mrs . Buck accidentally touches the spring , and when next we see her , a year

having elapsed , we find her the mother of a boy , and old Buck deli ghted . The young couple arrive on a visit , and bring also a boy , at whom old Buck will not not now look . As the children were born within a few hours of each other and are much alike , their identity becomes mixed up , and it becomes difficult to " tell

t ' other from which , so that the rival fathers are obliged to shake hands after quarrelling on the qualities of the two infants , and agree lest they should be condemning their own child . All ends happily by the intervention of the respective mothers , who do know their own offspring . Bro . Blakeley has decidedly a fat part , and is highly comic in it . Miss M . A . Victor

successfully glosses over what might be made the reverse of delicate as old Mrs . Buck . The rest of the cast—Bros . G . Giddens and E . Maurice , and Misses Helen Forsyth and V . Featherstone—are all good in their characters . " Welcome , Little Stranger , " may run for a few months . Many a much worse play has done so , but this latest of London farces is well worth going to see to have a hearty laugh .

* When two such eminent dramatic authors as Messrs . Buchanan and Sims work together , the public may expect something good , and will not be disappointed in that expectation . " The English Rose " is a regular Adelphi piece , and the Messrs . Gatti have

reason to be proud of their latest melodrama . In a way it is very similar to those which have gone before , but it has been brought up to date by allusion to the wrongs of the Emerald Isle . Nearly all the good characters are Irish , and nearly all the bad ones Saxons . But besides we have another element

introduced . In the Village Priest Mr . Grund y has touched upon the subject of the priest in the confessional . "In Judah" Mr . H . A . Jones goes into another direction , and makes his minister of religion swear an untruth for the sake of love . Messrs . Sims and Buchanan have also a priest in " The English Rose , "

who takes Orders because the lady he loves loves his brother . Mr . Philip Kingston is an English Baronet , and has become the owner of the estates in Ireland of the Knight of Ballyveeney , and by endeavouring to rack-rent his tenants has made himself unpopular . Captain Macdonell , his agent , aids him in this , for he

would wed Sir Philip ' s niece and ward , Ethel , who is in love with Harry O'Mailley , the Knight ' s son . Macdonell plans the murder of Sir Philip by a gang of moonlighters . Harry O'Mailley hears of this evil deed whilst he is on the racecourse . Fie gallops off to save Sir Philip ' s life , but is too late , and is accused of the

murder . Ethel attends the trial of her lover , whom she believes to be innocent . He is condemned , and rescued by his friends from the Irish Constabulary at the instigation of Ethel . The dying confession of the real murderer , makes him a free man , and re-unites him to his sweetheart . Mr . Leonard Boyne , who is an

Irishman himself , splendidly plays the hero , and is well supported by Miss Olga Brandon . These two maintain the prestige they made a few months since when acting together in " Caste , " at the Criterion . Miss Mary Rorke is almost thrown away on her small

part , but plays with much sympathy . Bro . Beveridge makes a genial Knight of Ballyveeney . Mr . Thalbergacts all right , but his dress is all wrong for an Irish country priest . He makes himself look like a London society curate . If he would come with the writer next week

to county Waterford he would see how to dress the part he is playing . Bro . Shine , Bro . Lionel Rignold , and Miss Clara Jecks have about equally divided amongst them the low comedy parts . But at the Adelphi it is not all dialogue and acting that tell . The

scenery is beautiful , and includes lovely stage pictures of the chapel by the sea , the ruins of Ballyveeney Castle , and the Devil ' s Bridge and waterfall . For months to come , when roses has ceased to bloom in England , " The English Rose" will be in full vigour at the Adelphi .

The annual meeting of the National Artillery As : ociation began on Saturday last , when the first of the detachments that will take part in the various contests for the Queen ' s and other prizes , moved into camp and soon settled themselves down in their quarters . A severe thunderstorm broke over the camp on Sunday , lasting the whole of the

morning , but when the sun came out later , the moisture soon evaporated . On Monday , the work of the meeting begun with shell firing from 64-pounder rilled muzzle-loader , and on Tuesday the competitions were with the 16-pounder and 40-pounder . To-morrow ( Saturday ) the remaining detachments will reach the camp .