The Prorogation.

follow the speculations of others as to why this announcement , unforseen in itself , has been made at the end of a laborious session . There is one irood reason patent to all . Mr . Disraeli is no j ° nger young , he is in his 72 nd year , and all have not iced with regret how often the brilliant orator

] 13 s had to absent himself of late through ill-health from those pleasant gatherings where Knt'Iish members speak face to face with ;! friendly audience , and where English citizens contentedly applaud . And surely he has earned his rest and his honours . No more

hardworking man ; no more self-made statesman , ever emerged from the trials , and troubles , and opposition , and difficulties of a gallant career , than the writer of " Vivian Grey , " he who gave us " Sybil , " who offered us "Tancred , " the pleasant author of " Lothair . " And it says a great deal

for the keen discernment and the warm heart , and the sound , practical good sense of our English peop le that he has always found from us all alike so much and so deservedly of public good will and support . It is no duty of ours to go further into detail , we have but properly and Masonically sketched a dim outline , because we cannot

dwell , on a political career , without trespassing on our normal position of political neutrality and political abstention . But this we may fairly say ; we can all admire the eloquence and the genius of the man who has won for himself the entire

living sympathy and hearty ccnfidence of all i . lasses of English people , and who we trust still , in his new sphere of duty and honour , freed from the overpowering labours of the House of Commons , late divisions and early hours , will

yet continue to render signal service to his Queen and to his country , to the peace and progress of the world , and to those interests ever dear to us as Freemasons , the onward march of civilization , and enlightenment , order and law , peace and . humanity , religion ar . d right , toleration and truth

Excursion Trains And Popular Holidays.

EXCURSION TRAINS AND POPULAR HOLIDAYS .

Just now the season of excursion trains is at its height and glory , greatly to the bewilderment of perspiring station masters , and the blessings of weary porters . This is a feature of our times , special and prevailing , of which our forefathers knew nothing , and at which many wiseacres still shake their heads . Charitable and

intelligent beings ! As if poor John Nokes , who has been toiling for long months in heated rooms at his unceasing labour , with no rest , and no relaxation , is not the better for a glimpse of the country side , for fresh air , for a pure atmosphere , for the sea breeze ? Why to many a day ' s

outing is a day of absolute delight , and we will add one of needful hygiene . Can any one grudge it them . Or just as if Mary Walker , with those children of hers , who has been pining in a close alley for long and dusty months , does not derive great good for herself and hers from the scent of

the new made hay , or a stroll on the Sussex downs ? If some affect to wonder why we pent up Londoners will run off in our excursion trains for a day in the country , though we spend ten or twelve of the twenty-fout hours in a railway carriage , let them cease from their

marvelling when we say that the fatigue and the inconvenience put together are worth the fresh air and the rural ride and the vivif ying ozone . But is just possible that this state of affairs may change for the better , and that in time the fact may dawn on the minds of some good friends

° t ours that our poor excursionists are really a little better than " dumb driven cattle , " and deserve better accomodation and greater consideration . The time may yet be , when the duration « ' -the journey may be materially shortened , and ? rown , Tones , and Robinson . Mrs . Brown . Mrs .

Jones , and Mrs . Robinson , and the little downs ' , Jones ' , and Robinson ? , ' may have "lore hours of country scenery or sea breezes r ' pay them for a hot and dusty railway jour-UJjy * for long delays , and over-crowded trains .

nat the excursionists are entirely given to 'goring up , or that it is a question with them 'erel y of liquoring up , we utterly deny . Such n averment is as unfounded as it is unfeeling . v „ i So to ° regards the popular holiday . The u , 'gar theory that the Bank Holiday has in-

Excursion Trains And Popular Holidays.

creased drinking is a simple fallacy , ana most unjust to the laborious classes of our great community . All who saw the crowds of working men last Bank Holiday walking happily about with their wives and children , will we feel sure , agree with us in repudiating any such unamiable

view of matters , any such absolutely ignorant appreciation of how the day was spent by the thousands who gladly availed themselves of the fine weather and the grateful rest . We are very sorry to perceive that such superficial views on a most important question and such

unacquaintance alike with the facts of the case and of the real feelings and habits of our toiling multitudes still prevail in any portion of the public press . Each holiday as it passes will be better spent and more judiciously made use of than the preceding one , and we fancy that if a just

balance was struck that there are a good many of the so called higher classes who spent their Bank Holiday a great deal worse than did the working and industrial thousands of our metropolis , who certainly did not look on the Bank Holiday as merely an opportunity of drinking to excess . Such a statement is as unfair as it is positively absurd and untrue .

The War In Servia, And The Cruelties In Bulgaria.

THE WAR IN SERVIA , AND THE CRUELTIES IN BULGARIA .

The struggle continues , and U 12 cruelties have not yet ceased , —this seem to be the burden of all reports from the East . The Tuikish government have declined to carry out their own assent to the Geneva Convention , which refusal necessarily places all the " Red Cross

Champions of humanity and kindly aid , in a very delicate and difficult position . Indeed , according to Dr . Sandwith ' s account in another place ( the Turks have hung Dr . Leah , a benevolent medical man , with the ' Red Cross on his arm . The English press , with but few exceptions , fully

recognises the seriousness of the situation , and the horrors of this internecine strife . We do not envy the feelings , nor do we admire the taste of any confrere who allows his pages to be occupied by low wit and vulgar chaff' on so very distressing a subject . As it has been well said , if one tithe

of the actual barbarities hourly committed could be realized by our English people , there would be a universal demand that our Ambassador should be withdrawn from Constantinople . The Red Cross of England , and her goodly banner cannot be stained by the outrages of

Bashi Bazouks and Circassians , and we feel that we represent the feelings of our entire fraternity when we reprobate sternly the turning into indecent jests and offensive scurrility the sufferings even of Bulgarian " peasants , " and the honour and chastity of Bulgarian women .

The Installation Engraving.

THE INSTALLATION ENGRAVING .

We have seen the first portion of this engraving , containing nearly 480 portraits , and greatly approve of it . Three-fourths of the plate , Bro . Harty tells us , will be ready in a month , and he is making strenuous exertions to have the engraving ready for Christmas . Among the

likenesses which are very conspicuous in the portion now completed are Bros , the Marquis of Hamilton , the late Lord Mayor , Albert , Wright , Morrell , the late Richard Spencer , Dr . Meadows , Lieut .-Col . Birchall , Lieut .-Col . Randolph , H . Day , A . S . Tomkins , Sir James Ramsden , I .

M . P . Montague , Magnus Ohren , H . A . Dubois , J . J . Gossett , J . Robins , cum multis aliis . Bro . Harty informs us that there is still room for about 80 or 100 portraits , and we will add that it seems a great pity not to fill up the still vacant

space in an engraving which promises both to be an historical picture in itself , and remarkable as a work of art , and of the greatest interest to Freemasonry , as a lasting and most effective souvenir of an everto be remembered day .

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES ACT , 1875 . —Mr . William Sutton , of the London and Provincial Law Assurance Society and Fellow ( by examination ) of the Institute of Actuaries , has been appointed by the Treasury to the post of Actuary to the Friendly Societies' Itegist ry . Mr . Sutton was formerly a Foundation Scholar of St . Joh n ' s College , Cambridge , and graduated as a Wrangler in the Mathematical Tripos of 1865 .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even as approving cf the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 3

MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE . To the Editor of tht Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — I would feel greatly obliged if you or any of your well informed correspondents could give me a satisfactory answer to the following enquiries : — 1 . Has the I . P . M ., of a lodge when acting in the chair

in the absence of the R . W . M . the same power and prerogative as if the R . W . M . were himself presiding . 2 . Has the I . P . M . when acting as R . W . M . the right to call upon any well qualified officer or brother to work any of the degrees when he feels indisposed to perform the duty himself . My reason for making the latter query is in consequence

of an occurrence which took place a few weeks ago at an emergency meeting of our lodge , convened for initiation and raising . Our R . W . M . was absent , and the I . P . M . took the chair . He performed the ceremony of initiation , and afterwards requested the J . W . to work the Third Degree . On his making this request the S . W . rose , and protested against

the I . P . M . asking the J . W . to work the degree when he ( the S . W . ) was present and able to perform the ceremony . He objected to have his feelings so wounded , and shortly thereafter refused to act in his office , and left the lodge during the working of the degree . I have carefully perused the laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland ( to which constitution our lodge belongs ) and

our own bye-laws , and can find no rule which warrants our S . W . in behaving as he did . I have all along been under the impression ( so far as the working of Scotch lodges is concerned ) that the R . W . M ., or his substitute in his absence , has the prerogative of asking whom he pleases to work the degree , and of its being entirely a matter of courtesy « hether he asks a P . M ., S . W ., J . W ., or , in fact , any officer or brother , to oblige him bv performine

the ceremony . Our S . W ., however , questions the R . W . M . ' s right to do so , laying the question of courtesy aside altogether . It is more than likely that the occurrence which 1 have just related will form a subject of discussion at our next regular meeting , which takes place on 4 th September , and as I am somewhat interested in the matter I would esteem it a favour to have an opinion on the subject before that

time . Soliciting an insertion of this in your first issue , 1 remainyours fraternally , PISCATOII . iSth , August , 1876 .

A GREATER BLUNDER . To the Editor of the Fieemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — " Aristarchus " writes to the " Guardian " with reference to an advertisement which he found in that paper last week , containing the word chaperone instead of chaperon . This is . he savs . " a modern vulgarism .

which arose from pretentious ignorance . It is bad grammar . _ Chaperon ( which originally meant a hood ) is never feminine in French . And it is bad spelling . The correct pronunciation of the last syllable is oon , not one . And if chaperon had a feminine , the correct of such a term would have been chaperonne , " But " Aristarchus" has made a greater blunder . "Chaperon " is undoubtedly masculine , and orieinallv meant

a monarch's hood , a hood in falconry , the top of a wall , and several other things ( see Boyer ) , and chaperonner meant to cap another heron . But to say that it ought to be pronounced " chaperoon " is too monstrous . It is quite clear , tnat however well up " Aristarchus " may be in the " French of Stratford-atte-Bowe , " the " French of Paris " is to him " unknown . " Yours obediently and fraternally , INTERNATIONAL .

MASONIC PROFESSION AND PRACTICE . To the Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — " An Indian P . M ., " while applauding " Zaphon , " seems to me to shew a great amount of ignorance as to visiting brethren : that term is more frequently than otherwise misunderstood and misappropriated , and I think

most Masons of any experience will agree with me that lodge hospitality is greatly abused . Now , to explain my meaning clearly I must express an opinion , from which possibly many may dissent , and that is that the refreshments following the proceedings of lodge meetings are for members only , except when a visiting brother ( or brethren ) , that is to say , one who has availed himself of the

privileges to which he is entitled , is invited to the banquet or supper , as the case may be . Nothing is to my mind so beneath the dignity of a Mason as to see him sit down to the feast uninvited . For instance , a certain number is guaranteed the caterer for supper , say 20 or 25 . In a small lodge the probable number is generally known , and also who may be expected to visit , and it would be unfair

for eight or ten men to come from a neighbouring lodge and expect to be invited to the banquet when there is generally neither room nor food sufficient for more than the members and those invited by circular ; but I am sorry to say I know of plenty of brethren who think that because they can claim admission to the lodge and hear our

sublime ritual that they must of course be invited to the banquet , and who wait about until the W . M ., if he happen to be of a goodnatured turn , possibly says he will be happy to see all the brethren present at refreshment . But should he not feel disposed to accord to all this invitation , surely he should not be called inhospitable . Thus I think the