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SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 16 , 1901 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

For once in a way a report of the General Committee of Grand Chapter has evoked a slight amount of discussion . At the recent Quarterly Convocation objection was taken to the granting of a charter for the formation of a chapter to be attached to the

Staines Lodge , No . 2536 , on the ground that other chapters already existing in the Province of Middlesex were numerically weak as regards membership and that some of these weak chapters were only a few miles distant irom Staines . The weakness of certain

chapters at Twickenham and Teddington proves no more than that the hopes formed of their future at their dates of constitution have not been fully realised . But this partial failure at Twickenham and Tedding , ton is not a sufficient reason for withholding from the

Staines brethren the necessary facilities for cultivating the Royal Arch , There may be only a few miles ' distance between the former places and the latter , and * he brethren at the former may not appreciate to their fullest extent the opportunities at their disposal for

chapter work . But what have the Staines brethren done that they should be denied the facilities they ask for J A dozen R . A . 's have signed the petition , and there is , therefore , a fair reason for hoping that the chapter will fulfil i ' s purpose

* » * Again , if the Prov , Grand Chapter of Middlesex haa not met for some time , and certain of its principal officers have only been recently appointed , it only

seems to show that Royal Arch Masonry in this I rovince needs strengthening , and that any opporiuni - Des that may occur for strengthening it should be made the most of . This does not appear to be the opinion of the companion who moved that the charter

Masonic Notes.

for the new chapter at Staines should not be granted . We suppose he has been studying the Middlesex Calendar , and finding there are five weak chapters in the Province , but meeting some miles away from Staines , he thinks it better that the companions in

the latter place should be put to the inconvenience of a railway journey rather than have a chapter of their own . We are not surprised at the rejection of the

amendment . It may or may not be wise to grant charters for new chapters in places where chapters already exist ; but there can be no question as to the wisdom of granting them where they are needed .

* a * The Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution held their meeting for the month at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , the chair being occupied by Bro . J . A . Farnfield ,

P . A . G . D . C , Treasurer . The news that we announced last week that his Majesty King Elward VII . had graciously consented to become Patron of the Institution-was received with the greatest possible pleasure .

In the course of the proceedings the Secretary reported the deaths of two Annuitants ( one Male and two Widows ) , and two Widow Candidates , and the Committee accepted 10 petitions ( five men and five widows ) .

* * * We sincerely congratulate the retiring Lord Mayor ( Bro . Alderman Frank Green , P . G . W . ) , on the baronetcy which his Majesty has been pleased to confer upon him in recognition of his services as Chief

Magistrate of London during the past year . During his tenure of that important office Sir Frank Green , Bart ., showed himself in every way worthy ol the honour done him by his fellow citizens in electing him to be their chief . All the best traditions

attaching to the Mayoralty of London were most scrupulously respected by him , and he now has the satisfaction of knowing that the manner in which he discharged the duties of his office has given satisfaction not only to the citizens but to his Sovereign likewise .

? » » The Prov . G . Secretary of West Yorkshire ( Bro . Major Herbert Green , P . G . S . B . ) , has very courteously written to inform us that the number of lodges on the roll of that Province , including the newly-consecrated

Regent Lodge , No . 2 S 56 , Barnsley , is 82 , not S _ as stated in one of our Notes last week . As in making our statement we took the Grand Lodge Calendar for our guide , we hardly consider ourselves responsible for the error . We thank Bro . Green for copy of West Yorkshire Calendar , 1901 .

Masonry is responsible for nuny strange things , not the least strange losing that fathers and sons , uncles and nephews , are also all placed in one and the sam category as " brother . " But , we imagine , there are not many lodges that can point in their minutes to the

installation of a brother as its W . Master whose predecessor in the chair was his own son . Yet this very circumstance was reported in our columns last week in connection with the Acanthus Lodge , No . 2715 , at the annual me tting of which , on the 5 th instant , Bro .

John-Fcnton Jones , J . P ., was installed as \ V . . Master in succession to his own son , Bro . W . F . Fenton-Jones , who is now , of course , the I . P . M . In this case , therefore , not only are father and son brothers , but , in course of . time , the son will take precedence of his father on the roll of Past Masters of this lodge .

ln the long list of those on whom the King has been pleased to confer honour in commemoration of his Majesty's birthday will be found the name of Bro . Lieut .-General Sir A . Powell Palmer , K . C . 13 ., Commander-in-Chief in India , District Grand Master of

the Punjab , who has been made a Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire ; Bro . J . J . Digges La Touche , C . S . I ., P . M . of thc Kumaon Lodge , No . 1870 , Naini Tal , now Knight

Commander of the Mjst Exalted Order of the Star of India ; and Bro . W . Leatham Harvey , member of the Zoroaster Lodge , No . 800 ( S . C ) , Bombay , who has received the Companionship of the Indian Empire .

By thc lamented dea ' . h of Bro . R . B . Hungerford , M . W . Grand Master of Canada ( Province of Ontario ) , the government of Grand Lodge devolves on Bro . John

E . Harding , K . C , Deputy Grand Master , who served in th- ' t office last year and was re-elected at the same time that the late Bro . Hungerford was re-elect ; d Grar . d Master .

Masonic Notes.

A most unusual circumstance is recorded in the New Zealand Craftsman for last month as having occurred at the installation meeting of the Palmerston Lodge , No . 26 , Palmerston , Otago . The W . M . elect was a member of the medical profession , and early in

the proceedings was called away to attend a woman who had met with a serious accident by falling from a a hay-rick upon the handle of a hay-fork . Bro . the Rev . W . Ronaldson , Prov . G . Master , at once placed

tbe W . M . in question—Bro . Dr , Hislop—in the chair with the absolutely necessary formalities , and the Dr . then left to attend his patient , returning . in the evening just before the banquet was over .

* * * According to the same journal the Board of General Purposes of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand had submitted to it the case of a brother who , unknown to the lodge which accepted him , had at the time of his

initiation a charge of sheep stealing hanging over'him , but who , when the trial came on , was acquitted ; but the members of the lodge were strongly opposed to confer upon him the further Degrees , and inquired of the Boaid if they were compelled to do so and to accept

him as a member . The decision of the Board was to the effect that the brother in question was a member of thelodge , and , as an Entered Apprentice amenable to the laws of Grand Lodge and the lodge bye-laws , " that be could not claim the Degrees as of right , but

that , on the other hand , they should not be withheld from him without sufficient cause . " As the brother was acquitted it appears to us that the lodge should have allowed the matter to drop , especially as it was their duty to have inquired into the candidate ' s character and antecedents before they accepted him .

* # * The agreeable duty often devolves upon us of describing the work that is done by the Masonic Educational and other Associations which have been at different limes established by the different District

Grand Lodges in India , not the least successful of these being the Association that has existed in Bombay for several years past . In the appendices to the Report of the Half-yearly Communication of the District Grand Lodge , which was held in Bombay

on the 13 th April last , will be found the balance-sheet of the Association for the year 1900 , from which it appears that the total amount received between the years 18 S 0 and 1900 , both inclusive , was 92 , 582

rupees , of which 60 , 913 rupees are entered as " Donations ; " 25 , 66 9 rupees interest on investments , less charges ; and 6000 rupees , being the amount raised for the Tyrrell Leith Scholarship .

» * Per contra , we find that the capital account amounted to 58 , 421 Rupees ; the sum expended for the education of 24 children , 23 , 412 Rupees ; and the loss on sale of Government Paper , 498 Rupees ; the

balance remaining in the Bank of Bombay being 10 , 249 Rupees . These figures show that our Bombay brethren do what lies in their power towards helping

the children of their less fortunate members , and wc trust that as the years go on they will be able not onl y to maintain , but even to extend , the sphere of usefulness of their Educational Institute .

The Australasian Keystone lor September contai .-. s a report of the proceedings at the Quarterly Communication of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria , which was held at Freemasons' Hall , Melbourne , on the 1 Sth of that month . In the unavoidable absence

of the Hon . A . J . Peacock , M . L . A ., M . W . Grand Master , the chair was occupied by Bro . A . B . Templeman , D . G . M . The Grand Treasurer ' s Statements of Account showed that there were balances on the Benevolent Fund amounting to upwards of . £ 8194 ,

ar . d on the General Fund of over £ 663 . In the course of the proceedings it was mentioned incidentally that Bro . Sir Joseph Abbott , Past Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales , was dead .

# * # A quarterly meeting of the United Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Victoria , which was held on the 29 th August , under the presidency of Bro . E , Coulson , M . W . G . M . M ., is also repotted in the same

issue . A number of ollices in Grand Lodge , for the most part held by members of country lodges , being still vacant , candidates were nominated and elected .

and subsequently invested by the Grand Master . The Grand Treasurer ' s Account showed a balance to the good of upwards of £ 100 . The brethren were after wards entertained by the Grand Master .