Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of Cumberland And Westmorland.

in the Mark Degree as iii the Craft to give provincial distinction to those brethren that had filled the " first chair " of lodges only , and he ( Bro . Sewell ) hoped it would prove an incentive to those who had not been W . M . ' s of a lodge lo persevere and advance in the Degree . Bros . Nicholson , Collin , Mandall , and Tyson , were the four members elected to serve on the Committee of General Purposes .

Bro . NICHOLSON , moved , as a recommendation , that next year Provincial Grand Lodge be held at Maryport , under the banner of the Whitwell Lodge , No . 151 . There being no further business , Bro . Dalrymple on behalf of Bro . W . F . Lamonby , late Pro . Grand Sec , tendered " Hearty Good Wishes " from Melbourne .

Pro . Grand Lodge was then duly closed , and the brethren adjourned to the banquet hall , where an excellent spread awaited them . The loyal and Masonic toasts were duly honoured , when the brethren separated , after perhaps one of the most successful Provincial Mark meetings that has ever been held in the province .

Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of Devon.

PROVINCIAL GRAND MARK LODGE OF DEVON .

The annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge took place last week , at the Friendship Masonic Hall , a newly - erected building in Gran by-street , Devonport . The hall , which had been recently built by the Craft Lodge of Friendship , 202 , reflects much credit upon the promoters , designers , and officers who have given their time and attention to the matter . The plans were prepared by Bro . J . F . Burns , and have been faithfully

carried out by the contractor , Bro . Thomas Harley , of Plymouth . The Secretary of the Building Committee has been W . Bro . Allsford , and the lodge is largely indebted to him for his active and intelligent supervision . The building is fifty feet long by twenty-six wide , and seats are provided for 100 members in the hall . There are attached large refreshment room and convenient ante-rooms . All are well lighted and ventilated , and the decorations gave great satisfaction .

The Provincial Grand Lodge was presided over by the R . vV . Prov . Grand Master , Bro . Lieut .-Col . J . Tanner Davy , J . P ., and the following officers and members were present : V . W . Bros . C . Spenct * Bate , F . R . S ., D . P . G . M ., 35 ; J * E * Curteis , P . P . G . W ., P . G . D . England , 35 ; J . Stocker , P . G . Treas ., P . M . 15 ; Kev . T . VV . Lemon , P . P . G . C , P . M . 35 ; Rev . W . Whittley , P . P . G . C , P . M . 50 ; Samuel Jew , P . P . G . Treas ., P . M .

GG ; Vincent Bird , P . G . Sec , P . M . 66 ; E . T . Fulford , P . G . M . O ., G . St . England , P . M . 15 ; VV . F . Quicke , P . G . R . M ., Sec . 15 ; Thos . Bayley , P . P . G . J . W ., P . M . 35 ; John Brewer , P . P . G . J . O ., P . M . y ; C Croyden , P . G . S . O ., P . M . 35 ; . !• B . Gover , P . P . G . M . O ., P . M . 50 ; Lieut .-Col . Fitzgerald , P . P . G . M . O . 35 ; Leonard D . Westcott , P . P . G . T ., P . M . 50 ; VV . Bros . E . Knight , P . P . G . S . D ., P . M ., iG ; E . D . Parnell , P . P . G . S . B ., P . M . iG ; I . D . Sandy , P . G . S . B . 16 ; H . R . Langmead , P . P . G . P ., S . VV .

16 ; F . Littleton , P . P . G . J . D ., P . M . 4 S ; J . Kevern , P . G . D . C , P . M . 66 ; W . Browning , P . P . G . S . D ., P . M . 7 6 ; J . Hifley , P . P . G . J . D ., P . M . 7 6 ; G . R . Barrett , A . P . G . Sec , P . M . 35 ; T . Searle , P . P . G . A . D . C , P . M . 100 ; J . Baxter , P . P . G . S . D ., P . M . 64 ; J . J . Daw , P . G . J . O ., P . M . 23 ; VV . T . Walters , P . G . S . B ., P . M . 9 6 ; Charles Stevens , P . G . J . D ., P . M . 215 ; Thos . S . May , P . G . P . J . W . 9 6 ; E . A . Davies , P . P . G . J . D ., P . M . 9 6 ; J . R . Dugdale , P . G . Stwd ., S . W . 64 ; VV . Densham , P . G . Stwd ., W . M . 15 ; James Gidley , P . G . Tyler , See 169 ; W . Alsford , W . M . 16 ; VV . H . Mackey , W . M . 100 ;

Samuel Panter , VV . M . 9 6 ; VV . R . Northway , VV . M . 23 ; H . Martin , W . M . 215 ; W . C . Oliver , P . M . 9 ; Bros . J . F . Burns , J . W . 16 ; R . Grills , 16 ; W . H . Cawse , Sec . 16 ; G . T . Gratwicke , 15 ; W . Ollis , M . O . 35 ; T . Leonard , 16 ; James Griffin , S . VV . 50 ; John Neno , J . VV . 76 ; VV . Bro . James Gourley , P . M . 169 ; Bros . R . H . Carter , J . O . 48 ; J . Masters , J . D . 48 ; Stephen Chubb , J . VV . 48 ; VV . H . Williams , 4 S ; J . Sampson , J . O . ; VV . H . Hunt , S . VV . 169 ; W . N . Foreman , M . O . 169 ; J . Leonard , S . O . 202 ; James Williams , 4 S ; James Holland , 7 6 ; and A . Trout , J . VV . 7 G .

The Secretary ' s report was as follows : ' * I beg to report to this Grand Lodge that the brethren appointed to office at the annual assembly at Exeter have resumed their respective offices , and paid the fees of honour accordingly . That the returns from the various lodges have been duly received ,

and it is a pleasing duty to report that sixty advancements have been made , and that there is a large increase notwithstanding lamentable deaths and retirements . It is gratifying to notice that the annual increase is continuous . " The report was unanimously adopted .

The Treasurer ' s report showed that all the lodges had made their returns , and all the fees of honour had been paid . There was a balance in

hand of about £ 24 . This was received and adopted . The Board of General Purposes reported that they had audited the accounts , which were satisfactory , and there being no petitions for relief , they recommended the P . G . Lodge to vote a donation of twenty guineas to the Devon Masonic Educational Fund . This report was received and adopted , and the money ordered to be

paid . Bro . George R . Barrett , of Lodge No . 35 , was unanimously elected the Treasurer ; W . Bros . J . E . Curteis , E . T . Fulford , VV . Whittley , and E . J . Knight , were elected the Board of General Purposes ; and the following were then appointed and invested as the officers : Bro . C . Spence-Bate , 35 ... ... ... Prov . D . P . G . M .

„ Col . 1-1 . C Fitzgerald , 34 ... Prov . G . S . W . „ Vincent Bird , 66 ... Prov . G . J . W . ,, W . C . Oliver , 9 ... ... Prov . G . M . O . „ W . Densham , 15 ... ... ... Prov . G . S . O . . . W . Allsford , 16 ... ... ... Prov . G . J . O .

„ Rev . R . J . Crosse , 9 ... ... ... Prov . G . Chap . „ G . R . Barrett , 35 ... ... - ¦¦ Prov . G . Treas . „ , Henry Martin , 215 ... ¦••••¦ Prov . G . Reg . „ V . Bird , 66 ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec .

Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of Devon.

Bro . G . Gratwicke , 14 ... ... ... Prov . G . A . S . „ R . Ellis , 91 ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . D . „ J . W . Trevan , 48 ... ... ... Prov . G . J . D . „ J . Neno , 7 6 ... ... ... ... Prov . G . D . of C . „ S . Panter , 9 6 ... ... ... ... Prov . G . A . D . C . „ E . Tout , 50 ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Swd . Br .

„ J . R . Dugdale , 64 ... ... ... Prov . G . Std . Br . „ T . Gibbons , 169 ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ S . Sandover , 100 ... ... ... Prov . G . P . ,, J . Griffen , 50 ; W . Northway , 23 ; C . A . \ MI . L . I . 0 i Prov . G . Stwds . Nicholson 48 i | i-iu » . u , oiwub .

, ... ... „ James Gidley , 16 9 ... ... ... Prov . G . T yler . A vote of thanks was given to Lodge 16 , under whose banner the meeting was held , and the brethren adjourned to the Royal Hotel for thc banquet . Bro . Lieut .-Col . J . Tanner Davy presided , andinagenial manner proposed the usual toasts .

Bro. Bower's Library.

BRO . BOWER'S LIBRARY .

Respecting the purchase of Bro . Bower's library by the Grand Lodge of Iowa , for the sum of 4000 dollars , the A ^ - York Dispatch says : " To those who have never caught the book fever this may seem a very large sum to be thus laid away , but it is doubtful whether this amount is equal to one half the cost to the original proprietor , while on the other hand the Grand Lodge of Iowa now possesses beyond doubt the largest collection

of Masonic books in the world , and can hardly need to add another volume except the current transactions of the various Grand Bodies . On the other hand , in so large an aggregation of books it must be evident that there is very much that is hardly worth the room it takes up on the shelves or the cost of caring for its preservation ; but your genuine bibliomaniac is like the daughters of the horse-leech , ever crying for more , and so it may be taken

for granted that when this great collection is properly housed and arranged , under the supervision of our old friend Theodore S . Parvin , the Grand Librarian , he will look upon it with unspeakable satisfaction , and pronounce the work thus far good . But will he be satisfied then to rest from his labours ? When a new publication is announced , will he be less eager to possess it than when he first began the collection , which may now be

regarded as one of the wonders of the Masonic world ? Not if we know him , nor if we understand not only his desire to collect books , but thc evidence he gives of having done something more than examined the binding and the title-pages of the volumes in his custody . ' * So far , then , this library is in excellent hands—the hands of one who

will give it the care of a loving disciple , and of whom it might be said , if he only had the gift of perennial youth , in the words of an old hymn : " ' When you ' ve been there ten thousand years , Bright shining as the sun , You ' ve longer days to sing His praise Than when you first began . '

" But in this case , as in most others where a vast number of volumes are gathered together , the question , * How to make the collection useful , ' ever presents itself . In all the great libraries in this Metropolis there are thousands of volumes stored away in darkness for want of shelf-room for their exhibition , and they are as if they had not been printed . Then , again , is the expense of oversight , lest now and again a book—generally of the most

valuable—should disappear , and the place that knew it once should know it no more for ever . This matter of expense has rendered the handsome collection belonging to our Grand Lodge simply a matter of ornament , to be looked at through a glass case , as we used to examine models . in the . Patent Office , an endless , bewildering , collection , but of no earthly use ,

because no one could tell what it was all about . So far as the New York library is concerned , the pressure of debt must , for some years at least , keep it as a sealed book ; but we may look forward with great confidence to the the time when the tithes of mint , anise and cumin having been satisfied , the weightier matters of the law can be placed at the disposal of Craftsmen desiring to learn of the past for the better guidance of the future .

" And this suggests the thought that while ' there is no end to the making of books , ' and it is a most excellent thing to make reasonable collections of work not ephemeral in character , there is also the need of creating a taste for their examination .

" 1 hat such a taste does not exist to any dangerous extent among the members of the fraternity is patent to all who will take the trouble to observe , and therefore that everyone who can be educated up to the desire for information is an element of strength , who will in turn communicate his good intention to others , and thus , when the time comes when our stores of

literature can be utilized , there will be readers and thinkers to spread abroad thc rays of light now perforce kept under lock and key . When that comes , as let us all hope it soon may , there will be a closer observance of the old ways , a diminished tendency to run off on modern tangents , and a greater glory for the ancient brotherhood of Freemasons . " —New York Dispatch .

PERSECUTIONS . —Freemasonry , though why we know not , has been the subject of persecution , especially in Roman Catholic countries . It is not quite right to say that only Roman states have persecuted our harmless confraternity , as , strange to say , the first official persecution seems to have come from Protestant Holland , in 1735 . The Bull of Clement , in 1738 , was the original of all Roman Catholic persecution which , though ceaseless

ever since , even up to the hour we write , and very violent at times , as by Ultramontane writers and authorities just now , is , as it has always proved to be powerless ancl idle . As we have said before , it is not only Roman Catholic countries and officials who have persecuted Freemasonry , for it has been equally condemned in Switzerland at one time , and by Presbyterian

synods in Scotland . Latterly even wc have witnessed a curious spectacle of Roman Catholics , Presbyterians , Baptists , and Ritualists , all assailing the constitution and character of Freemasonry , —but yet , as we have before remarked , all in vain ; and Freemasonry moves on its peaceful and tolerant path to-day stronger than ever , fearing none , anathematising none . — Kenning ' s Cyclopwdia of Freemasonry .