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^ K ^ masonB SATURDAY , APRIL 21 , 1900 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

On Wednesday next , being the Wednesday follow , ing St . George ' s Djy ( 23 rd April ) , Grand Lodge will , as usual , hold high Festival ; his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales will be proclaimed for the 26 h time

M-: W . Grand Master ; and the Grand Officers for the ensuing year will be appointed and invested . In addition , brevet rank as Past Grand Oflicers will be conferred upon a number of distinguished brethren , in commemoration of the completion of a quarter of

Masonic Notes.

a century of the Prince's Grand Mastership . Only two of his Royal Higbness's predecessors—H . R . H . the Duke of Sussex , G . M . 1813-43 ; and the Earl of Zetland , G . M . 1844 . 70—have presided over Grand Lodge for a longer period , and having regard to the

amazing progress , both in numbers and popularity , which the Craft has made during the years the heir to the British throne has been at its head , there is , we imagine , no more fitting way of marking so auspicious an event than by increasing the number of Past Grand Officers .

» * * We understand that , at the outset of the proceedings there will be proposed from the chair a vote of congratulation to his Royal Highness the M . W . Grand

Master on his recent providential escape from assassination . The resolution thus passed will express the heartfelt thanks of the whole English Craft , and hence there will be no need for Provincial Grand and private lodges to adopt a similar motion .

» * * By the way , much has been said of late about the apathy of Englishmen in reference to their patron saint . Every loyal Scotsman looks upon it as a sacred duty to celebrate , in accordance with ancient custom , the

30 th November , the day set apart to commemorate the virtues of St . Andiew , the patron saint of Scotland , and similarly all good Welshmen observe St . David ' s Day ( ist March ) , and Irishmen all over the world St . Patrick's Day ( the 17 th March ) ; but Englishmen appear to treat the claims of St . George with

indifference , and the 23 rd April , which is dedicated to his memory , and has the further merit of being the anniversary of Shakespeare ' s birth and death , is allowed to pass for the most part unheeded . It is the more honourable to the English brethren that the day appointed for our annual Grand Festival , if not St . George's Day itself , is made dependent on its occurrence .

» » * But how is it that amidst all this talk about our national apathy with regard to St . George we hear nothing of the " Society of St . George , " which was started three or four years since , with its headquarters

in Shaftesbury Avenue . We have before us a pamphlet in which are set forth the Society ' s objects , and in which occurs the following passage : " We seek to rehabilitate him ( St . George ) in the affectionate regard of our countrymen , and to revive his festival only so far

as it may stimulate the patriotism of Englishmen , and cause them ever to remember the glorious past and the responsibilities devolving upon them as the fortunate citizens of the greatest ot all countries , celebrating the grand fast of their nationality as in times gone by , upon each recurring 23 rd of April . "

? # # On the next page of the same pamphlet is a quotation from an article which appeared in the Daily Telegraph on the 23 rd April , 1896 , and reads as follows : " So , if it be feasible , let this day be more and more

every year cultivated and celebrated as the name-day and festival of England . Let Britons by all means —as far as they can—stick English roses , red and white , in their button-holes , and hold in mind to-day not the Empire , not the United Kingdom , not this or that outlying corner or fringe of the Realm , but

England herself—the ' predominant partner '—the immensely powerful , important , and patient part of these islands , which really makes the rest of them rich , safe , and respected , and from her vast capital the City of London rules the World of Commerce , the Ocean , and the Dominions of the Queen . "

* « » After mentioning that the Society is already in accord with " the St . George ' s Societies of Canada and America , " the pamphlet goes on to say " May we not hope , judging from recent events , that at no distant

day our brethren in the united States , descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers—the names of whose very Counties and Towns must ever remind New Engenders of that Old England beyond the Seas , whose language they speak—kindred of our blood—and sharers with us in the deeds and glories of the past ,

may we not hope in the near future to see the universal observance throughout the world of St , George ' s Day—sacred to the unity and fraternity ol the great Anglo-Saxon race , and notable , as the birthday and death-day of that greatest of men , Shakes ^ peare . "

We came by the merest chance upon the pamphlet from which the foregoing passages are taken , nor have we the slightest idea if anything ever came of the scheme it outlined . But the events of the last few

Masonic Notes.

months have brought the subject to the fore still mere prominently , and it there is still a Society of St . George , now is the . time for it to make its influence felt .

The Board of Stewards for the approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls recently held their first meeting at Freemasons' Hall , when the following were elected officers , namely , Bro . Sir J . B . Monckton , P . G . W ., Chairman ; Bros . H . E . Idris Ragheb Bey , M . W . G . M . Egypt , P . G . W . Eng ., J . B . Ashworth , P . Prov . G . W . Staffs , and . Thos .

Taylor , P . Prov . G . W . Staffs , Honorary Presidents ; Bro . Col . G . W . Walker , P . G . S . B ., D . Prov . G . M . Staffs , Hon . Treasurer ; Bro . Daniel Mayer , Chairman of Ladies' Stewards ; and Bro . F . R . W . Hedges , P . G . S . B ., Secretary of the Institution , Hon . Secretary . We have bee . n requested , to state that the services oi brethren who are willing to act as Ladies' Stewards are earnestly invited .

* * * As this number will be in the hands ot . most of our readers in good time , we gladly avail ourselves of the opportunity of reminding them thit at the Girls ' School Election , which takes place at the Freemasons ' Tavern , to-morrow ( Saturday ) , there are six children placed at Nos . 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 12 , and 16 on the list of

approved candidates who have this - one and only chance left them of securing admission into the Institution ; and to appeal to those of them who may still have their votes and influence unpledg-d . to give all the support they are able to these girls .

We know nothing whatever , ot the merits , . of their claims , whether they are greater , equal to , or less than the claims of the rest of the candidates . But they have been declared entitled to the benefits of the School , and as they are last cases , we make this earnest appeal on their behalf .

# # ¦ * It is evident from the report we published last wee'i of the recent annual meeting of the Devon Masonic Educational Fund that the past year has been a prosperous one . Including a balance of £ 584 brought forward from the previous account , the total receipts amounted to ^ 1059 of which ^ 441 was in the form of

, Donations and Subscriptions . The sum expended- on the children's education was ^ 370 , the only other item of expenditure being one of about ^ 30 for Printing and Postages , so that the balance to be carried forward to the next year ' s account is close on £ 660 .

The number of children now on the Fund is 25 , for the education of each , of whom tye sum . of ' £ 15 is spent annually . ¦¦ Great credit is djle to the brethren of the Province for maintaining so ' useful a Fund , but more-especially to the Committee ! in charge" for the admirable manner in which they administer it .

* * In the Dominion of Canada , as in the United Kingdom and other parts of the British Empire , the members of our Society unite with their fellow citizens in the support they are giving to the funds that are being raised in connection with the war in South Africa . Thus among the bodies that have contributed

to the National Relief Fund are the Grand Lodge of Canada ( Province of Ontario ) , which has voted 1000 dollars , and the Grand Chapter of Canada 300 dollars , while the Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter of Quebec have voted 300 and 100 dollars respectively . . St . Andrew ' s Lodge of Toronto , No . 16 on the ' Canadian

Register , has also voted 100 dollars , and other private lodges have also made grants according to th ^ ir means . The Canadian Craftsman thinks the Grarfd Chapter of Canada should have given 50 b dollars ; but we imagine the latter must be the better judge of what it can afford to do .

» * » Summer and winter appear to'be the ' favourite seasons for the meetings of the Masonic Grand Bodies in the Dominion , ar . d while the Grand Lodges of Canada , Manitoba , British Columbia , & c , hold their annual , communications in summer-time , the Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter of Quebec and the

Grand Chapter of Canada favour the winter . All these latter bodies met in January last , and among the subjects to which the Gnnd Master of , Quebec give the greatest prominence was that of the three lodges in Montreal , which still decline to place themselves under the Quebec banner . The remarks of the Most Worshipful G . Master , Bro . B . Tooke—who , before the . pro

ceedings were brought to a close , was re-elected to the chair—were couched in the politest and most temperate language , and it is evident that he , at all events , recognises that the Grand Lodge of England , so far from interposing any obstacle to the union of all lodges under the Grand Lodge of Quebec , hats of lite years done many things which indicate a desire on its part that such a union should be effected .

• * It is a pity that Bro . Tooke did not go a step further , and make it clear to the members of his Grand Lodge that our United Grand Lodge has no voice in the matter , and that while the members of the three English lodges in Montreal remain of the same mind , it is not in the power either of the Grand

Lodge of England or that of Quebec to force them into a union with the latter . We think Bro . Tooke will be well . advisad if he lets things remain as they are ; at all events , it will be far better that he should do so than that he should adopt measures that may have the effect of renewing the strife which for some time past has been chiefly "conspicuous by its absence . "