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CONTENTS . PAGE LEADERThe Provinces ... ... ... •¦•... •••5 S 7 Piotir . cial Grand Lodge of West Yorkshire ... ... ... •¦•58 S S COTLAND— »• Grand Lodge ( Quarterly Meeting ) ... ... ... •••5 § 9

Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... •„ 59 ° MASONIC NOTESQuarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter ... ... 593 Monthly Meeting of the Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... ... ... 593 His Majesty ' s Birthday Honours ... ... ... ,., 593

Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 59 + Reviews ... ... ... . ... ... ... ... 594 Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... ... ... ... 594 The November Magazines ... ... ... ,.. ... 594 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 594 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 59 6

Bro . George Potter Kirby ... ... ... ... ... 59 6 Instruction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5- 6 Ancient and Accepted Rite ... ... ... ... ... 59 S The Craft Abroad ... ... ... ... ... ... 598 New Metropolitan Mayor ... ... ... ... ... 59 S Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 600 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 600 POETRYSonnet for the Month of November ... ... ... ... 600

The Provinces.

THE PROVINCES .

There has latterly been a considerable amount of activity in the several branches of Masonry in thc Provinces . Wc do not say that -this activity has been greater than usual , because , as a rule , Provincial meetings are held annually , and , as nearly as

possible , about thc same time of the year . But our later issues have shown that , in the discharge of our duty , it has devolved upon us to report many of these meetings in Craft , Roval Arch , and Mark Masonry , and in no case has the record of events

during the past year been otherwise than satisfactory . As regards Craft Masonry , there have been meetings held at Wigan and Oswestry for special purposes , and , in addition , one of thc Provincial Grand Lodge of Berkshire , at Windsor , on Tuesday ,

the 29 th ult . Berkshire , as our readers are aware , is not an old Province , having bcen formed as such in tSgo , after fhe lamented death , in 1889 , of Bro . Sir DANIEL GOOCH , Bart ., who had presided over Berks and Bucks as Provincial Grand Master- from

1868 . But if not an old Province , it started on its career under thc most brilliant auspices with no less illustrious a personage for its ruler than the late Duke of CLARENCE AND AVONDAI . **** , who was installed in ollice by his father , then M . W . Grand

Master , and died , unexpectedly , after a very brief illness , in January , 1892 . On his Royal Higbness ' s death , the Province remained in charge of the Deputy until 18 9 8 , when Lord WANTAGE , Past G . W ., and Lord Lieutenant of the County , was

appointed P . G . M . ; but in the spring of the presmt year his lordshi p died , and the Province is once again in charge of the Deputy , Bro . J T . MORLAND , P . G . D ., who , however , is in every way qualified to discharge the duties , and to whose

ability and experience the brethren are g * eatly indebted for the success they have achieved as a Provincial organisation , while , from the reports that were submitted at the meeting , Ihe year that has just closed will bear very favourable comparison with the years that preceded it .

As regrads Royal Arch Masonry , several Prov . Grand Chapters have met during the past few weeks , the earliest , if We remember ri ghtly , being that of Hertfordshire , at which , in the absence through illness of Comp . the Right Hon . T . F .

HALSEY , M . P ., G . Superintendent , the Prov . Second G . Principal , Comp . F . H . KNYVETT , presided , and had the satisfaction of hearing that the past year had been on the whole a successful 0 l " ic , The Province is numerically weak , there being only nine

The Provinces.

chapters to 24 Craft lodges ; while , as regards membership , the chapters , individually , are in still worse plight , and it would be as well if some energy were infused into the proceedings . The chapters meet three or four times a year , but the year ' s record is not a heavy one , and as there is an abundance of Craft material

to work upon , let us hope that the chapters and their members will in thc future exhibit just a trifle more interest in this branch of Masonry . In Northumberland , Lord RIDLEY , the Grand Superintendent , presided in person at the annual meeting , and " expressed his satisfaction with the work done during the

past year , and with the progress Royal Arch Masonry was making in the Province . " Here there are ir chapters to 33 lodges , and we take it , therefore , that the former are strong as regards membership ; while in Berkshire , whose annual meeting was reported last week , there are five chapters

to 17 lodges . In the case of Warwickshire , where ri out of the 34 lodges have chapters attached to them , Comp . GEORGE BEECH , who presided in the absence of the venerable Lord LEIGH , Grand Superintendent , is reported to have " congratulated the Province upon its improved position ,

the success which had attended the new chapter of instruction , and the satisfactory condition of the finances . " Here , then , though the proportion of chapters to lodges discloses nothing unusual , there are distinct evidences of that energy which is necessary to place the Royal Arch on a sound footing . In

Staffordshire , where , as far as we know , the proportion of chapters to lodges is about thc same as in Warwickshire , the past year appears lo have been similarly successful . The Grand Superintendent was prevented by illness from attending , but a letter was read from him in which he expressed his "

gratification in knowing that Royal Arch Masonry was flourishing in the Province . " Thus , wc have evidence from several Provinces that the Royal Arch has fared prosperously during

the past year , and yet the apathy in reference to this branch of our Masonic system is inconceivably great . Supreme Grand Chapter meets at stated intervals , but it rarely happens that the business transacted is of other than the most formal character .

To crown all , during the present year there have been fewer warrants for new chapters issued than for a long time past . We have many times pointed out that a mere increase in numbers is not necessarily an indication of progress , nor , on the o ; her hand , does it by any me ins follow

that a falling off in numbers is a sign of increased weakness or greater apathy on thc part of members . But taking all things into consideration , we are inclined to regard the steady

diminution in the formation of new chapters which has been going on for some years as testifying to an indifference on the part of Craft Masons lo the Koj-al Arch , which , to say the least , is greatly to be regretted .

If we turn our attention to the Mark Degree , we find gratifying evidences in nearly all directions as to its stead y increase in popular favour . Last week we had occasion to point out how in the single Province of \ Ve : t Yorkshire the Mark had grown under the auspices of the present Prov . G . Master

from a small to a numerous and thoroughly well organised body ; and though neither Somersetshire nor North Wales is comparable in strength with the Province of which Bro . C . L . MASO . N is the ruler , our reports of the proceedings at their recent annual gatherings bear conclusive testimony to the success of the

Degree in those Provinces . The conclusion we draw is that the Mark goes on prospering because there is an immense amount of energy thrown into the work , while the Royal Arch remains stationary , because of the apathy with whica its proceedings are surrounded .