Masonic Hospitality.

MASONIC HOSPITALITY .

( To the Editor of Ihe Freemason . ) DEAR Sin AND BROTHER . —AVith reference to the letter from "A . Member of the London Literary Union , " in your last impression , permit me to state that I have had the advantage of a personal conference with Bi o . Goodall , who informs me that the duration

of his stay in London is now so uncertain as to preclude the possibility of his arranging to attend the proposed banquet . Bro . Goodall will , however , return to Kngland before taking his departure for the United States , and it is therefore intended to defer the fraternal meutinfr until he arrives from the Continent .

The Committee will continue to receive the names of brethren desirous of promoting by their presence or influence , the object contemplated , and there is little doubt that with the time now before them , the result will be such a success as cannot fail to be gratifyina : to

Bro . Goodall , and creditable to the English Craft . Yours fraternally , R . AA'ENTWOliTH LITTLE , P . M . & P . Z ., 975 .

Papers On Masonry.

PAPERS ON MASONRY .

BY A LEWIS . XXV . —MASONRY AND NATIONAL EDUCA TION

AVisdom is the principal thing ; therefore get wisdom : and with all thy getting , get understanding . Exalt her , and she shall promote thee : she shall bring thee to honour , when thou dost embrace her . She shall give to thy head au ornament of grace , a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee . PROVERBS , iv . 7 , 8 , 9 .

Among the chief glories of the Masonic body has been its strenuous exertions to diffuse sterling , honest , genuine , and unsectarian education . While the hands of Masons are open to the needs of the indigent , and administer to the physical wants of the suffering , they have ever in honesty

and nobility of heart promoted the great cause of knowledge , by which the stability of nations is ensured , aud the private life of individuals solaced and adorned . Although the education provided in the Masonic schools has beeu limited tochildren

of members of the Order , it may be very truly said , that this form of aiding the great cause •which decides the good or evil future of so many , has not been , by Freemasons , for mere purposes ol glorifying the Fraternity , confined to Masonic bounds .

Real Masons , while contributing with alacrit y to the schools established by the Fraternity , have not been niggard in their contributions to the many other national establishments of an educational character existent in these islands . I need

only cite the instance of the Licensed Victuallers ' School , to which individualsbelougingto the trade of publican , and who are , almost to a man , members ofthe Masonic body , have nobly and freely contributed with the greatest generosity . Some of these , however , have not as yet added their

mite to tho funds of the Masonic Schools , and , in extenuation of this , it is only fair to say that , although the trade may be a lucrative one , it has its difficulties and naturally cannot stand au undue strain upon its resources more than other

trades . Hence it is that publicans and others , while supporting their own educational and other charities , though Masons , are somewhat to be excused from any apparent remissness towards the Masonic Boys' and Girls' Schools .

The time when the elections into these establishments takes place is now approaching , and I have therefore ventured on referring to this important subject , iu order that as much may bo brought about as may be before those elections take place . Of courso , Masons all have an

interest iu seeing these establishments flourishing , and going forward towards a payment of the arrears outstanding on their several foundations ; most Masons , too , have some child to recommend for election , upon grounds of more or less painful interest . It has , however , been noticed that , in some ,

though not all , cases , the names of those recoi * timending the candidates do not appear in the subscription books of tho Masonic Institutions , which although it seems au anomaly at first , is explicable by the circumstances that , of late years , the influx of young members into the Older not of great , though of respjctablo , means , has been very consideialde .

Some have entered through curiosity ; somo from an honest intellectual and moral motive ; some—I deeply grieve to say—because it would

Papers On Masonry.

extend their business connections , and get them on in the world . To these last , I can only indignantly give a look of contempt •those men are unworthy , not only of Freemasonry , but of any institution based on principles analogous to it , omitting any reference to their preliminary

declaration . The class which joins from an intellectual point of view is seldom a rich class ; this class has to labour for its daily bread , and seeks relaxation and mutual comfort in the cheerful seclusion of the Masonic lodge-rooms . But , when able to afford it , the literary section of the Fraternity

is far from being ungenerous , or sparing of its efforts towards the general end of promoting the welfare of the Charities . I need only refer to Bros . Carpenter , Buckland , and a host of others , who have gratuitously , and almost unasked , given

their exertions , time , and best thoughts to helping on these undertakings . The musical , theatrical , and literary bodies individually and collectively have been ever ready to do " with a will " what could be done .

A word as to those who join from curiosity . Curiosity , if restrained within due bounds , is by no means a quality of human nature to be despised or considered ignoble . All great discoveries have been made by men who have been " curious •" our useful arts owe their existence to

this desire , but it hence does not follow that some men should not be Paul Prys . I have been not un frequently brought into contact with Masons , who , prompted by an impulse of inquisitiveness , have entered into Masonry , and then , finding it not to their taste , or discovering that Masonry

has its duties as well as its pleasures and privileges , have withdrawn themselves and become Masonic " waifs and strays " upon the ocean of society . These men would not be likely to contribute to the Charities , but , taken up with their own notions , they turn away , and butterfly-like ,

chase the next new novelty which chances to attract their attention , to be as idly relinquished when the novelty is past . Some may exclaim on reading the above : "Why , this is very stale ! we knew all this before , O ! Cryptonymus . give ussomethingnow ! " To which I reply

with the Egyptian priest in Plato : " Aye , aye , ye Greeks are all children , and would ever be fain to hear aud to tell something new . " The Egyp tians , however , built the pyramids and did a few things more , on the principle of sticking to what

was old , and if you wish to make these schools pyramids of fame for yourselves and of utility for the future , you must submit to hear some of the old statements reiterated , without considering the iteration / in the Shakesperiaii phrase , to be "damnable , " or in the Latin , to be ad nauseam .

There is one way in which you can obtain immunity from the repetition of these cries of " Give , give , " and that is by giving enough to free these institutions from their accumulated debts , and not always looking for others to mount into

the breach . " AVho would be free himself must strike the the blow . " A real policy of Masonic education , of general national education , can only . be carried out by tho enthusiastic efforts of an aggregation of individuals .

The words of the Proverb-maker are ever true " Exalt wisdom and she shall promote thee : she shall bring thee to honour , when thou dost embrace her . idlie shall g ive to thine head an ornament of grace , a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee . "

When all the world is endeavouring to remedy the fatal indobnee of the last century and a hall by promoting National Education , the brethren ofthe Mystic Tic should not be found malingering , and smelling the battle-field from afar off .

Only this very morning I received by the post a communication from a body now forming under tho name of the " National Education League , " the object of which is defined in this brief sentence to be , " the establishment of a system which shall secure the education of every child in

England and AVales . " Tho means proposed are . - . —1 . "Local author ! ties shall bo compelled by law , to see that sufficient school accommodation is provided for every child in their district . " 2 . " Ihe cost of founding and uia . nt lining such schools as may bo roqu'i-ed , shall bo piovided out of Local Hates , supplemented by Government Grants . " 3 . "All

Papers On Masonry.

schools aided by Local Rates shall be under the management of Local Authorities , and subject to Government Inspection . " 4 . - ••All schools aided by Local Rates shall be Unsectarian . " 5 . "To all schools aided by Local Rates , admission shall be free . " 6 . " School accommodation being

provided , the State or the Local Authorities shall have power to compel attendance of children ol suitable age , not otherwise receiving education . " This is plain and straightforward enough , and is supplemented and supported by a powerful

list of several hundred names of standing all over the country . I no sooner saw the prospectus than I enrolled myself under their banner , and I take this opportunity of naming it here that others may do the same .

Freemasons of England , Ireland and Scotland , m ? n and common fellow-countrymen , while you continue your noble Masonic efforts , listen also to the call made upon you in the above programme . Intellect and the privileges of using it for the benefit of mankind comes from T . G . A . O . T . U ., arid is it for man to rob the growing immortal of his natural God-given right 1 CRYPTONYMUS .

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

—?—THE HIC 5 H DEGREES . I find the the term "Most Excellent Master ' as the Gth degree of the Ancient York Rite as amended in America . They stand as follows : — 1 , E . A . P . : 2 , F . C . : 3 , M . M . : 4 , Mwk

Master ; 5 , Past Master •6 , Most Excellent Master ; 7 , Holy Royal Arch . I also find " Super Excellent Master " * was a degree formerly conferred in the Councils of Select Masters . Mackey gives the following classification of the Masons who wrought in the

quarries of Tyre and in the forest of Lebanon : — In Quarries In Forest of of Tyre . Lebanon . Super-Excellent Masons . 6 3 Excellent Masons 48 24

Grand Architects . . 8 4 Architects ... 16 8 Mnster Masons . . 2 , 376 1 , 188 Mark Masters . . . 700 300 Mark Men . . . 1 , 400 600 F . C 53 , 900 23 , 100 E . A . P . . . . — 10 , 000

Total . 58 , 454 35 , 227 He goes on to say that tho " Excellent Masons " were divided into three lodges of nine in each , including one of the Super-Excellent Masons as Master .

Has the K . H . S . any relation to the 2 nd degree ofthe Council of the Trinity , whose degrees are : I . Knight of the Mark and Guard of the Conclave ; II . Knight of the Holy Sepulchre ;

III . Tho Holy aud Thrice Illustrious Order of the Holy Cross 1 The I . degree is said to have been instituted by Pope Alexander IV . for thc defence of his

person , selecting for this purpose a body of the Knig hts of St . John . IT . instituted by Saint Helena , mother of Constantino , A . D . 326 , after having discovered the true Cross . J . D . M .

{ To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Could you inform mo if a triangle with the five points in centre , can bo worn as a Master Mason ' s Jewel . Some

assert , that although tho latter is all right , tho Triangle pertains to a higher degree , and others are puzzled on thc subject . Fraternally , MASTER MASON .

[ In England we do not recognise M . M . jewels , but the five-pointed star is generally accepted as an emblem of the third degree , although it is of modern orig in Most unquestionably the triangle appertains only to the R . A . and some of the

Christian degrees , and cannot be worn by a Master Mason who lias not obtained those grades . It would be as much out of p lace as to see a cavalry captain carrying a crosier instead of a sword . ]—ED . F .