The New System Of Masonic Relief.

follows from the premisses as laid down . Again , the rjroposal is a violation of "fundamental Masonic principles" in three essentials , by declaring— " i . That a Mason , by maintaining membership in a lodge , purchases the right to relief ; 2 . That a

Mason is entitled to relief , limited only by his necessities , without regard to the ability of those giving the relief ; 3 . That Masons are not members of a great fraternity whose duties and obligations are the same to every other member ; but that Masons in every

Grand Lodge jurisdiction are an association by themselves , whom , and whom only , they are under obligation to relieve when in distress . " After pointing out that the proposal entirely destroys the main characteristic of Masonic Charity , which , like

mercy , blesses him who gives as well as him who receives , and condemning it " as a scheme to encourage and cultivate selfishness , to harden the sensibilities , and to discourage the exercise of Charity and brotherly love , " the report concludes with a resolution to the effect that the Grand Lodee of Maine is unable

to accede to the Wisconsin proposal on the following grounds , which , as they clearly and effectually sum up the case against the scheme , we have taken upon ourselves to quote in full :

" t . That every Mason is under equal obligation to every worthy brother to relieve his distress according to his necessity and his own ability ;

" 2 . That the sole claim of a distressed worthy brother for relief grows out of His being a Mason , and not out of his having contributed to the funds of a particular lodge ; " 3 . That the association of Masons in a lodge in no manner

relieves them from their individual obligations , and that when they act as a lodge , their duty , and , therefore , that of the lodge , is precisely the same as that of the individual Mason ;

" 4 . That Masonic relief is never purchased or sold , and therefore , never creates a debt . " After these outspoken declarations of the Maine Committee

appointed to report upon the Wisconsin idea of Masonic Relief , there is not much chance of its finding any greater degree of encouragement and support than it has received up to the present time , and that is next door to nil .

1 here is one piece of advice we take this opportunity to lender to those American Grand Lodges which are eternall y finding out something to legislate about or make the subject of resolutions . Let them leave Masonry and its fundamental

principles to take care of themselves , and they will speedil y find that the less they concern themselves about legislation , the better will it be for Masonry , both as an organisation and a morality .

Freemasonry In Oregon.

FREEMASONRY IN OREGON .

The Grand Lodge of Oregon is among the younger Masonic organisations in the United States . It was founded in the year 1850 , and held its 46 th annual Communication in the earlier half of June last , under the presidency of Bro . MORTON D .

CLIFFORD , M . W . Grand Master . It would appear to be in a fairly prosperous condition , having 102 lodges on its roll , with an aggregate membership not very far short of 5000 . Its General Fund amounts to clos " e on 12 , 500 dollars , and its

Educational Fund to 5000 dollars , of which 1000 dollars was expended during the past year , while , as regards the interest taken b y the lodges in the work of Masonry , we have evidence in the fact that as many as 93 of its 102 lodges were represented at its

annual meeting . But though it is unquestionably a well-to-do body , and manifestly well-organised , some of the ideas entertained by its leading lights would seem to be exceedingly crude , while in one noteworthy particular one of the essential bases of

true Masonry is openly set at defiance . Naturall y , no objection would ever be raised to the adoption of " the District Deputy Grand Master and Grand Lecturer system , " or in the passing of any law empowering the latter officer " to arrange for and hold

schools of instruction in the work and lectures at convenient places for groups of lodges to assemble . " Nor will exception be taken to the establishment of a "Board on Ajjplicalion for

Relief , " provided that such Board in no way recognises the right" of any ledge or board to a " reimbursement of relief extended . " It does strike us , however , as being absurd that among the decisions rendered b y Grand Master

Freemasonry In Oregon.

CLIFFORD should have been included one to the effect that " a man who has lost the thumb of his right hand is not eligible for the degrees of Masonry , " while in another case hc decided that " an applicant who has lost the si ght of one eye is

eligible . " The Voice of Masonry , to which we are indebted for the review of Oregon Proceedings from which we have derived our information says , in reference to these rulings " Tested by the Levitical law , which is the fountain of the

Masonic physical requirement , neither candidate was eli gible " while in another review of Proceedings—those of the Grand Lodge of Vermont—if dissents entirely from a dictum of Past Grand Master PERKINS of that jurisdiction , who , in his Report

on Correspondence , lays it down emphatically that " true man . hood , not bodily infirmities , shall determine the eligibility of a candidate for initiation , " and that " mental strength and power cannot be weakened by abbreviated fingers and toes or other

physical defects revealed to the scrutinising eye of a Grand Master . " This view of Bro . PERKINS is the one which has our sympathy . It may not be in accordance with the Levitical law but it is grounded on broad and generous principles . It starts by

recognising that Freemasonry is " a system of morality , " which is independent of fingers and toes , and for this reason it seems to us that it appeals strongly , and , in our opinion justly , to our common sense . If , however , we differ in reference to this question

as to the necessity for physical perfection in candidates for initiation , both with G . Master CLIFFORD and Bro . R . CLOW , the Editor of the Oregon Report on Correspondence , we heartily concur with the latter in his protest against " the recognition of the

Gran Dieta of Mexico by the Grand Lodge of Kansas . " On this matter , however , we need not , after the instructive article which appeared in these columns from the pen of Bro . R . F . GOULD , offer any observations of our own . But what does call

for remark is the hearty congratulation extended by Grand Master CLIFFORD to "the Masons of Italy on their noble work for the unification of that country and the destruction of the temporal power of the Papacy , " and the sincere hope he expressed " that

Italian Masonry may continue in its excellent and glorious work and render Italy still more beloved . " In offering those congratulations and expressing those wishes , Grand Master CLIFFORD has evidently lost sight of the absolutely non-sectarian character

of Freemasonry in all questions relating to religion and politics . In the matter of religion the one pre-requisite in order to be a true Mason is that a man shall believe in the existence of a Supreme Being and a future state ; in politics he is called upon

to obey constituted authority . It would be impossible to find any questions more absolutely political than those of the unification of Italy and the destruction of the temporal power of the Papacy , and however much Italian Masons may have laboured , as patriots ,

to bring about these ends , as Masons , they were bound to leave them entirely outside their lodges . We know it is difficult , and perhaps , impossible for some Continental Masons to draw these very fine distinctions between what it is lawful for them to do

as citizens and what as Masons , but the distinctions exist , notwithstanding , in genuine Freemasonry , and we confess to being amazed that the Grand Master of an American Masonic jurisdiction should have been , even temporarily , betrayed into the

commission of so grievous an error as that of confounding the perfectly legitimate aspirations of the politician with the proceedings of the Craft . No wonder the enemies of Freemasonry regard the Masons of all countries as being tarred with the

same brush when they find an American Grand Master app lauding the Masons of another country for their political acts . It ' evident that Bro . CLIFFORD ' ideas about true Freemasonry are lax in the extreme .

Books Of Constitutions, 1723—1896.

BOOKS OF CONSTITUTIONS , 1723—1896 .

Now that tie new edition of the Book of Ctnstituttcns is published , it may be as well to glance back to those previously issued under the G ' " ,, Lodge of England , ai ) d likewise the eight in connection with the " Ath ° " Grand Lodge , or " Ancients . " I , The premier edition was issued in 1723 , in quarto size ( all being 4 * f ' ~~

large or small paper—through that century ) , and has a fine frontispi ' ' II . The second edition was in 173 S , having the same Frontispiece as i 72 jl engraved by John Pine . This volume was also circulated , with a title in 1746 , by another publisher , but otherwise quite the same . Both ««