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To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

T . F . —You are quite ricrht in your opinion that " animal being" is correct ; the context shows that "inanimate " would be altogether wrong .

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SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 24 , 1900 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The unexpected announcement of the death early on Thursday morning of Bro . Sir Arthur Sullivan , Past Grand Organist of United Grand Lodge has been received everywhere with the utmost sorrow , as well

among his brother Masons as by his fellow countrymen . It is felt that in him the country has lost one of the greatest composers of the English School of Music ; one who , it may be more than any other of our composers , has delig hted thousands upon thousands

of our men and women with his beautiful compositions . It is , indeed , a great national loss we have just sustained , and all who knew him intimately , or were connected with him professionally or otherwise , have our sincerest sympathy .

There can be very little doubt , in our opinion , as to the meaning and intent of Article 130 of the Book of Constitutions so far as the confirmation of the election of a W . Master—not the mere confirmation of the correctness of the minutes as a record—is

concerned . The article , after prescribing what is necessary to be done as regards the annual election of Master , goes on to say— " At the next regular meeting the first business after the opening of the lodge shall be the reading of the minutes of the

preceding meeting , and if they bc confirmed , so far , at least , as relates to the election of Master , he shall be deemed to bc elected , and shall be duly installed in the chair according to antient usage . " But , says the atticlea little further on , " should thc minutes of the

election of Master not be confirmed , then a summons must be issued for the following regular meeting of the lodge , setting forth that the brethren will again proceed to elect a Master , and on thc confirmation of the minutes of that election at the next regular meeting the installation of the Master shall follow . "

* * In respect of those parts in italics of the passages which we have quoted , it seems impossible that there can be two opinions . It is permitted to every private lodge under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England to determine at which of its

regular meetings the election of a Master for the ensuing year shall be held , and if , at the next regular meeting , his election is confirmed , then , and then only , shall the proposed new Master " be deemed to be elected " ; but if the said minutes be not confirmed , the lodge "will again proceed to elect a Master , " and it is not till after the confirmation of the minutes of the fresh

Masonic Notes.

election at the next regular meeting that" the installation of the Master" is allowed to take place . There is , there can be , nothing obscure about the meaningand intent of the law , which , to use a familiar phrase , is " as plain as a pikestaff . " * s *

With all deference to Bro . E . Prince , P . M . 209 , & c , it is absurd to argue , as he does in the letter we published on the ioth instant , that " a confirmation of minutes on all transactions is required for the sole purpose of showing that the brethren concerned assent to them as a correct record of the

proceedings . " Confirmation of the minutes of proceedings at a regular lodge meeting may or may not be interpreted to mean , in respect of ordinary matters , nothing more or less than the mere verification of the record . But the inference we draw from Article 130 , having regard to the very careful manner in which it is

framed , is , in the first place , that " confirmation" of the minutes of proceedings means approval or endorsement of all the things done at the meeting preceding that at which the minutes are submitted to be dealt withT Where the mi utes are a mere record of the lodge having met at a certain place on a certain day

when certain ollicers and members and visitors—if any—were present , the lodge was opened , certain ceremonies were performed , & c , & c , confirmation is nothing else than verification and all the brethren have to do is to secure that the minutes are a correct record of what took place . But—to confine our attention to

this Article 130—the minutes relating to the election of a Master require something more than the mere verification of the fact that a certain brother was elected . His election at one regular meeting must be confirmed in the sense of approved or endorsed at the next regular meeting , and it is only when that has been

done , that the law says " he shall be deemed to be elected and shall be duly installed in the chair according to antient usage . " If the election is confirmed , the installation of the Master-elect follows ; if it is not confirmed , the lodge must proceed to a fresh election .

* » » What may be done in respect of the other minutes of proceedings is comparatively of no consequence ; they may be confirmed or non-confirmed , or the consideration of the question whether they shall or shall not , may even be postponed till another regular

meeting . But it would be paying a very poor compliment to the framers of our laws to suppose that they would take all this trouble over the election of a Master if they intended that confirmation of the minutes relating to his election

meant nothing else than the mere verification of the fact of his having been elected . From our point of view , Bro . Charles H . Ward , P . M ., & c , is correct in his inference that Article 130 " clearly gives power to the lodge to rescind the election if considered necessary . "

* » * The question whether all minutes of proceedings are to be taken merely as verbal descriptions of what took place is far too large a one to be dealt with in the compass of a few Notes , or even of a leading article or two . Of course , as regards matters of ordinary

occurrence they are , and the terms "confirmation " and " verification" mean one and the same thing . But in more important matters , such as the election of Master , the voting of money , the adoption of new or the amendment of existing rules , we hold that the

minutes are more than a mere statement of what took place in respectof these matters , and their confirmation something more than a declaration on the part of those who were present that the Secretary has accurately recorded them .

* * # We congratulate the Province of Cumberland and Westmoreland on the addition which has been made to its roll of lodges . The Province is not , numerically , a very strong one , but latterly it has been making considerable progress , the Ambleside Lodge , No . 2745

having been consecrated , after an interval of six years , in 1899 , while the present month has seen the inauguration of the Alston Lodge , No . 2794 , Carlisle . The ceremony was recently performed by the Prov . G . M . — Lord H . Cavendish-Bentinck , M . P ., assisted by his Deputy and other Prov . Officers , but to the regret of

all who attended the function Bro . G . Dalrymple , Prov . G . Std . Br ., who has just resigned the office of Prov . G . Secretary , and who had planned the necessary arrangements , was prevented by ill-health from taking part in the proceedings . However , everything passed off well , and we wish the Alston Lodge a long and prosperous career .

Masonic Notes.

The presentation of lodge banners appears to be a far more common occurrence in the North than in the South of England , and is almost invariably attended with a considerable amount of ceremony . Cases of this kind have been reported in our columns from time to time as having occurred in the Province of Durham ,

and a fortnigh 4- since we had the pleasure of reporting the presentation of a banner to the Savile Lodge , No . 12 3 , Elland , by Bro . A . W . Law , P . M ., and the distinguished brother who was invited to perform the ceremony of unveiling it was none other than Bro . W . C . Lupton , J . G . Deacon of England , and one of

the ablest and most respected members of the Craft in West Yorkshire . The banner , which was manufactured by the well-known firm of Bros . George Kenning and Son , was a marvellous specimen of embroidery , and Bro . Lupton , in unfurling it , did his duty very gracefully .

» * » Berlin has just been , the scene of a grand Masonic function . On Sunday , the new Hall of one of the three Grand Lodges located in Berlin , was inaugurated with appropriate ceremonial , among the distinguished brethren present on the occasion

being the Earl of Warwick , Deputy Grand Master of England ; Bros , the Hon . -. Alan de Tatton Egerton , M . P ., Past G . W ., Prov . G . Masternominate of Cheshire ; Col . John Davis , A . D . C , Prov . G . M .-nominate of Surrey ; Col . Sir Terence O'Brien , K . C . M . G ., P . G . D . ; and Col . W . Campbell , A . D . C , P . G . D ., who attended as a deputation from the Grand

Lodge of England . Prince Frederick Leopold of Prussia is the Protector of the three Grand Lodges in Berlin , and H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught the representative of the three at our Grand Lodge . The reception of the English brethren was most cordial , and the proceedings passed off in a manner worthy of so important an event .

* * * We have always held , and often stated , that Bro . Crowe has done good and useful work of its kind as a Masonic writer , and we trust we shall not be supposed

to have spoken in disparaging terms of his book on Aprons because we described it unintentionally as an " Illustrated Catalogue , " instead of a " Series of Illustrated Articles . " The mistake is due , to the book not being at hand when we wrote the Note .

* * * The news of Bro . George Reynolds ' s death on Wednesday , the 14 th instant , will be received with regret among his many friends . He was an ardent Mason , and had done good service as Master , and subsequently as Secretary , of the Covent Garden

Lodge , No . 1614 , and as M . E . Z ., and afterwards S . E . ot its Chapter . He also took the leading part in founding the Anglo-American Lodge , No . 2191 , was appointed its first Secretary , and was one of a Deputation which visited Baltimore for the purpose of presenting a decoration which had been voted by the

lodge to Bro . General Shryock , M . W . G . Master of Maryland , as a memorial of his visit to this country , and to the Anglo-American Lodge . A few years since Bro . Reynolds had the misfortune to lose his only son , Bro . Herbert G . Reynolds , P . M ., and never quite recovered from the blow .

# * # The Province of Hertfordshire has recently sustained a great loss by the death of Bro . John Brittain , who for the last 20 years or so had done good suit and service to the Craft in " Little Herts . " He was a P . M . of the Gladsmuir Lodge , No . 1385 , and served

as Prov . J . G . Wardtto in 1885 ; was P . Z . and Treasurer of the Gladsmuir Chapter and present G . J . of the Province ; and a P . M . of the Watford and Gladsmuir Mark Lodges , Nos . 241 and 366 respectively , and Past Prov . G . Warden , and was the principal founder and first W . C . N , of the Gladsmuir Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners .

The Report on Correspondence which was presented this year to the Grand Commandery of Kni ghts Templar in Illinois , and for the compilation of which Sir Knight General J . Corson Smith is responsible , is not only valuable for the information it contains relating to the other Grand Commanderies in the United

States , but is also made additionally interesting by the record of General Smith ' s latest travels , and , as our readers know full well , he is a great traveller as well as a most able and enthusiastic Mason . The itinerary has the further merit of being numerousl y and well illustrated ,, as , indeed , have been all the others

itineraries which have emanated from the pen of our distinguished brother . Reports on Correspondence are valuable for purposes of reference ; but , as a rule not attractive reading , but this Templar Report of General Smith ' s is both valuable and pleasant to read , and we hope it may be our privilege to receive many ' more of a similar character .