The Press Club.

THE PRESS CLUB .

'The Press Club was opened on Wednesday evening at the premises , 33 , Bouvcrie-street and 63 , Fleet-street . 'The want of a club for the literary staff of the London and Provincial Newspaper Press had long been acknowledged , and a short time back some 06 the members of the Reporters ' Galleries of the Houses of Parliament set themselves to work to see if there was a chance of success if a Press Club

was started . 'The project was so well received , and obtained such strong support , both in the Gallery and in the newspaper offices , that a meeting was called at Anderton's Hotel to test the feasibility of the project . Promises of support were numerous , and by the assistance of some very energetic members of the Press the scheme became widely known both in London and the country . A Limited Liability Company was formed for establishing

and working the club , and every member of the club must also be a member of the company , and holder of one £ 1 share , so that no member of the club will be liable for any of its debts beyond his £ 1 share . However , there is very little chance of debts being contracted , as plenty of money has been subscribed , and the same principle has been adopted in the club as was adopted in the Gallery Lodge , No . 192 S , ( not to go in debt for anything ) . 'There was

considerable difficulty about getting suitable premises , as it was admitted that Fleet-street lieing the centre of the London press , the club must be in Fleet-street . The premises whicii were at length secured , were those stated above , but as they were only obtained last Monday week , great expedition had to be used to furnish and open them before newspaper holiday season had fully set in . With true business spirit , the general committee appointed

various sub-committees , who were deputed to see to the furnishing and providing the club , and an inspection on the opening showed that these gentlemen had not been idle . The first floor front is elegantly furnished as a smoking , reading and card room and lounge , and the back room has been fitted up as a billiard room , with all the modern improvements , by Messrs . Thurston , to whom certainly great credit

is due . The second floor front is furnished as a dining and supper room , and the kitchen arrangements are at the back . All the premises are well lighted and very comfortable , and from the large number of members who have already joined , and the excellent attendance on Wednesday at the opening , there is every reason to believe that the club will be a great success , and , like the lodge , be another link in the chain which binds newspaper men together .

The Outlook.

THE OUTLOOK .

In many jurisdictions Masonry is very prosperous , in some not advancing , and in a few embarrassments exist , which will require patient , persistent , hearty effort for removal before a high degree of efficiency and influence will lie attained , ln none , however , are the discouragements so numerous or great as to dishearten thc tried , and hence

real friendsof the institution . Having in the past overcome greater or more defiant obstacles than are now besetting the line of march , they will be able , without long delay , to put aside all obstructions interposed by combinations outside of the Fraternity , and thus clear and smooth the way for easy and steady progress . But disguise it as we may , what threatens the integrity of

Masonry most , and therefore is the ground of greater apprehension , is found within the ranks ot the Brotherhood itself . Causes now operating and daily gaining strength , whose effects already produce three-fourths of the troubles which Masons arc forced to encounter , unless suppressed by fearless , vigorous hands , can but produce still greater disorders , if thev do not end in irreparable dislocations of the

Fraternity . The fact that over twenty-five thousand members— full one-twentieth of the Fraternity in this _ countryhave been suspended within less than two years , is startling evidence that hasty and inconsiderate action has too long been the rule in the admission of candidates , and in the financial management of Grand Lodges . .... The reports of Grand Officers and committees reveal

the fact that delinquent members are not rare , nor confined to any particular locality . As members increase offenders multiply . For the growth and continuance of this evil lodges are chiefly to be blamed . While men whose mouths are fountains of profanity and obscenity , while drunkards , gamblers , libertines and violators of both civil and moral law are tolerated , and no attempts on the part of the

Junior Wardens and their brethren are made to bring them to trial on charges duly preferred , so long will they increase , and the censure bestowed upon the Fraterrity will be in good measure deserved . No Mason has any more right to claim exemption from reproach while he tacitly

consents to fraternise with men whose lives are in contradiction to every moral precept , than he would have to complain of the charge of irrehgion were his intimate friends composed of atheists and demon-worshipers . To permit such men to enter lodges and to retain such as are in is equivalent to offering a licence to inveracity , a premium to moral

perjury . While Masonry has some reformatory powers , it does not often succeed in unrooting vices planted before its weighty obligations are assumed . If it is to substantiate its pretensions and in future maintain them , there is but one way to begin its accomplishment , and that is to expel every incorrigible offender , whether high or low , and thus convince the world lhat it is fit to be regarded and treated

as the friend of law , the exemplar of morals , and the steady conservator of harmony and peace . It will not do to talk of consistency while a brother , too poor to pay his dues and assessments , which it would overwhelm him with confusion to admit , is thrust out of lodge fellowship , but the rich devotee is retained , because he can and does promptly pay , many times giving more than his quota , in

order to divert attention from his depravities . I hough generosity is not the child of niggard parsimony , neither is it the Iegitimateof'fspring of vicious indulgences ; and with all his payments and gifts , one rotten-hearted Mason can pile more odium on a lodge in a week than it can unload in a year , granting it does not sink under the burden from sheer exhaustion . Verily , Masons , like poets , are born

not made . What , then , should be done With applications of candidates tor Masonic honours ? Every applicant whose natural abilities and acquired habits are not in accord with thc precepts of Masonry , should be rejected without

The Outlook.

hesitation or apology . It is not enough for committees to find that a candidate has a fair standing in the community ; besides irreproachable character , there should be special endowments for beginning Masonic life , among which may be named a clear understanding , a calm temper , a desire to gain knowledge for use , not show ; unflinching honesty , and , above all , a disposition generous , forgiving , and incapable of malice or revenge . Bring such a man into thc

lodge , and , when the doctrines of Masonry are once comprehended , he will not only exemplify them by the everyday tenour of his life , but arouse a spirit of honourable emulation that will give the lodge a standing which will commend it to every man who seeks a wide field for usefulness to himself and his fellow-men . Such are the brethren

who have faced every storm in the past , and triumphantly saved the institution from wreck . Just such men are to-day needed to push it up to a more commanding level than now occupied , and it is time our lodges became aware of the fact , and began to exercise the discretion enjoined by our rituals , everbearing in mind that " discretion is the perfection nf rpnsnn . "

"Piece Masonry , though advocated or favoured 1 n certain sections of the country , is in general repudiated as in conflict with a landmark too well known to need repetition . It is doubted whether the advocates themselves would give it the endorsement of their names , but for the fact that so much worthless material is received and retained in lodges in spite of the cautions in our charges , the warnings of the past , and the censure of observing , intelligent men . But

it is suggested that to cure one evil by breaking down a barrier long established and generally recognised , is not sound policy , since without abating the evil per se , it would establish a precedent liable to abuse whenever a more violent change is to be justified . Better than such a step would it be to weed out , with judicious hand , every offending , every worthless element now existing in lodges , and then bv statute bar all ingress thereafter to such material .

Rid lodges of everything which impedes progress and degrades character , set the standard of qualifications high , and there will be no dearth of desirable candidates , while the efficiency of lodges will be limited only when the boundary of human capacity is reached . If by the foregoing , even one brother is benefited , a single brother put on his guard against injudicious legislation and unmasonic practices , our object will have been

attained . The day has arrived when brethren should dare to oppose every unwarranted change in our usages , every step taken to the right or left from the old Masonic highway , and stand by those who insist on a rigid adherence to our rituals and a thorough maintenance of our disciplinary regulations . To falter now , to overlook or extenuate

acknowledged evils , will not build the Institution higher nor strengthen its broad foundations . The truth maintained , now and henceforth , will silence opposition , encourage membership , and in the centuries to come , as in those which are past , keep Masonry in advance of all other societies and associations of human origin . —Bro . John H . Brown , in the " Voice of Masonrv . "

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . VV . W . WOODROW . On the 16 th inst ., in Woking . Cemetery , there were consigned to their last resting place , the remains of Bro . VV . VV . Woodrow , one of the founders ofthe Royal Arthur Lodge , 13 60 . He was ore of the hard-working members in the Lodge , and also in the cause of Freemasonry . His last visit to a lodge was on the 15 th ult ., when he had been invited to the Sphinx , 1329 . His chief object was to

en-. deavour to resuscitate a Lodge of Instruction at East Hill , Wandsworth . On leaving the Sphinx , he took cold , and in three days became much worse , and died in the 44 th year of his age . Bro . Woodrow had been assistant cashier to the Southwestern Railway Company , nearly 24 years at the Nine Elms department ; and 20 years a member of the Fifth Surrey Volunteers ; also a founder of a Court of Foresters . SouthWestern kindl

The - Railway Company y provided a special train for the mourners and company attending the funeral , which left Waterloo Station at 11 . 45 , consisting of a firing party of thirty of the Fifth Surrey , and several of the company ' s officers . Freemasonry was represented by Bros . H . Forbes , A . VV . Hall , Sphinx 1329 ; Bro . Fletcher , Royal Savoy 1744 . The sprigs of acacia , emblems of mortality , & c , were placed in the grave by Bros . H . Forbes and A . W . Hall . Bro . Woodrow leaves a widow and large family to mourn their loss .

Masonic Funeral.

MASONIC FUNERAL .

A very interesting , although solemn , ceremony occurred at Marple on Friday , the 4 th inst ., when the remains of that highly-respected Bro . Robert Bowden were interred in their last resting place . The deceased brother had been a member of the Lodge of Benevolence , 336 , Marple , for many years , and previous to his death had expressed a

wish to be buried by those with whom he had shared his labours in carrying out the true ethics upon which Freemasonry is founded . Permission for a Masonicceremonial having been granted by the Provincial Grand Master of Cheshire , the Right Hon . Lord de Tabley , the brethren connected with the Lodge of Benevolence walked in procession from the Jolly

Sailor Inn ( where the lodge is held ) to the residence of the deceased ( Spring Bank ) in order as follows : The Tyler , with drawn sword , junior members and visiting brethren , junior Stewards and Deacons and Senior Wardens , thc the Past Masters and Provincial Grand Officers , the Inner Guard , with drawn sword , the Chaplain , and tbe W . M . The Secretary placed upon the grave a wreath made of

liliums , stephanotis , abutilum , and other choice flowers , with a Masonic emblem , and the number of the lodge composed of scarlet geraniums . The processionists having met the hearse , then wheeled to the right , and preceded it . The widow and mourners followed the mortal

remains . At the entrance to the churchyard , the body borne by four members of the Craft , was met by the vicar , the Rev . Reginald Samuel Adams , M . A ., who , going before it , read the opening part of the beautiful burial service of the Church of England , " I am the resurrection and the life . " The remaining portion of the service in the church was conducted by thc acting Chaplain , Bro . the

Masonic Funeral.

Rev . VV . Purchase Daws , of Hollingworth . The coffin was reversed , and the mourners passed out of the church . The service being finished at the church , the family , relatives , and friends of the deceased made way for the brethren to assemble round the grave , and whilst a gentle breeze wafted an aroma from the sweet-scented' wild flowers growing in the Cheshire valley , the Masonic ritual , rich with metaphor , was read .

Bro . Henry Howard , P . M ., P . P . G . J . D ., in opening the service , said that from time immemorial it had been the custom among the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons , at the request of a brother , on his death-bed , to accompany his corpse to the place of interment , and there deposit his remains with the usual formalities of the Order . In conformity with this special request of the deceased brother , they were there assembled as

Freemasons to consign the body of the deceased to the grave , and there , before the world , to offer up to the memory of the departed , a tribute of fraternal affection , thereby demonstrating the sincerity of their esteem for the deceased , and their inviolable attachment to the principles of the Masonic Order . Bro . Howard continued , that notwithstanding the numerous mementos of mortality by which the human race are continually surrounded , the

removal from their midst of a brother , a friend , or a neighbour , is a too frequent and sad occurrence ; yet each one is prone to forget that the common lot of mankind must one day fall to him . Absorbed in our daily avocations of business or pleasuie , we are apt to give little heed that our designs may be frustrated and our dearest hopes cut off by that fell destroyer , death , and that his dread summons may surprise us in the spring tide of our success ,

and in the very meridian of our lives ; and that the ceremonial obsequies which they were assembled there to perform , in honour of the departed , were intended to remind all of their inevitable destiny . He implored the brethren to lay all these to heart , to strive to act up to their Masonic teachings , to live in accordance with the high moral precepts inculcated in their ceremonies , which had been handed down from generation to generation ; to embody in their

lives and in tlieir actions the ancient trusts and established customs of the Order , and thus , in humble dependence upon the mercy of the Most High ,-they might hope , when this transitory life shall have passed away , to rejoin their departed friend and brother in the Grand Lodge above , where the world ' s Great Architect lives and reign supreme . A Masonic apron , a scroll , a gavel , and sprigs of acacia worn by the brethren , havinjr been thrown into the crave .

Bro . Howard continued : " Unto the earth we have consigned our deceased and respected brother , there to remain until the general resurrection . " He besought the brethren to pray to Almighty God that he would , in His infinite goodness , at the great tribunal of unbiassed justice , extend His mercy towards him and to all of themand crown their

, hope with everlasting bliss in the realms of a boundless eternity . The order of procession was then reversed , the family , relatives , and friends of the deceased preceding the brethren , who returned to the place from which the procession started .

Amongst the brethren of the Lodge of Benevo . ence present were Bros . James Ridgway , W . M . ; Ralph Andrew , S . VV . ; H . Hardy , P . M ., acting J . VV . ; J . Boardman , Sec ; VV . Caldwell , acting S . D . ; T . Mather , acting J . D . ; H . Jackson , P . M ., P . P . G . P ., Treas . ; J . H . Hartley , P . M . P . G . P ., Org . ; J . Bowden , P . M . ; j . Tymm , P . M . ; G . Bradbury , P . M . ; J . Boardman , I . G . ; J . Sherwin , S . Arden , J . Osbaldeston , Tyler ; and visitors , Bros . Henry Howard , P . M . 1126 , P . P . G . J . D . ; Rev . W . P . Dawe , 625 , acting Chap .,- J . G . Willin , 320 ; T . Barlow , W . M . 361 ; R . Wilkinson , P . M . 1123 ; and W . R . Sowten , VV . M . 815 .

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . 6 d . for announcements not exceeding Four Lines under this heading . ]

BIRTHS . DAY . —On the 19 th inst ., at Whithed VVood Park , Shirley , Southampton , the wife of C . F . S . Day , prematurely , of a daughter . FINCH . —On the 19 th inst ., at High-street , Notting-hill * gate , the wife of J . Finch , jun ., of a son . GILBERT . —On the iSth inst ., at the Oaks , Cantley ,

Norfolk , the wife of 'I . D . Gilbert , of a daughter . HOLT . —On the i & th inst ., at Summerhill , Kingswinford , the wife of J . O . Holt , of a son . JELI * . —On the 19 th inst ., at Saffron Waldon , thc wife of Canon Jelf , of a daughter . MILES . —On the 21 st inst ., at Park-road , Haverstock-hiIl > N . W ., the wife of G . R . Miles , of a son .

MARRIAGES . BLUNT—GORDON . —On the 22 nd inst ., at St- Luke ' s , Chelsea , Gerald Henry Blunt , of St . Andrew ' s , Fife , son of the Rev . G . Blunt , to Augusta Louisa , daughter of Sir H . W . Gordon , K . C . B . DAVIIISON—BOLS . —On the 19 th inst ., at St . Peter ' s , Eaton-square , Frederick Gerald Davidson , Esq ., of

Singapore , to Mary Wilhelmina Louisa , daughter of L Bols , Belgian Consul-General in Italy . PLENTZ—WALTON . —On the 19 th inst ., at St . James ' s , Tunbridge-wells , Ferdinand Plentz , of Hamm , to Louisa Freer , of Tunbridge-wells , daughter of the late Rev . D . N . Walton , M . A ., of Heathfield , Handsworth .

DEATHS . ATKINSON . —On the 17 th inst ., at South-grove , Hampstead , Elizabeth , widow of E . Atkinson , Esq ., in her 8 Gth year . BRACEY . —On the iSth inst ., John Bracey , of Queen ' sroad , Great Yarmouth , aged 53 . ""

MALLARS . —On the 21 st ., at Wood-green , Emily , eldest daughter of Edward Mallars , deeply mourned . American papers please copy . OAKLEY . —On the iGth inst ., at Thomas-road , Finsbury Park , William Valentine Oakley , aged 54 . ROLFE . —On the 21 st inst ., at Highbury-quadrant , N' > William George Rolfe , Esq ., late of South Africaaged 34 .