The New Arrangements For Meeting Of The Boys' School Council.

THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEETING OF THE BOYS' SCHOOL COUNCIL .

It is only on the supposition that the mists and dampness which prevailed generally in and near London a fortnight since must have had a depressing effect on his spirits , that we can in any way account for the dismal forebodings in which our worthy Bro . Gi . vss permitted himself to indulge over the proposed alteration in the law relating to

the days of meeting of the Council of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys . At the Quarterly Court in October last , Bro . J . S . CI ' ' . RL \ ND ' S motion to alter the Council Meetings from the first Saturday in the month , at 3 p . m ., to the last Friday , at 5—or , as it was finally settled , 4 p . m . —was carried almost , if not quite , unanimously , and in the ordinary course of

things , the new arrangement came forward lor confirmation at the Quarterly Court on the 13 th instant . But as we have suggested , Bro . GT . ASS was depressed or disturbed in his mind , and in moving the nonconfirmation of so much of the minutes as contained the new resolution , expressed his belief that very serious consequences would follow if the

change were persisted in . Friday , but especial !} ' 4 p . m . on Friday , was a most inconvenient time for business men to attend . No one had addressed any arguments in favour of the change . True , some one had urged that it would enable the Secretary and his staff to enjoy their Saturday afternoon ' s rest , but the Council met only 1 r times in the year ,

so that the officials were free on 41 Saturday afternoons . He , however , felt strongly on the subject . He had come to'the Court at serious personal inconvenience , and he feared that if the Council met as the new rule ordained at 4 p . m . on Friday instead of at 3 p . m . on Saturday , there would happen a very grave catastrophe . Members of the Council would not attend ,

there might or might not be quorums , but whether there were or there were not , the business of the . Institution would be neglected , and in such case the Institution itself would not obtain that vigorous and enthusiastic support which was so imperative to its welfare . He reminded his hearers that " The Institution had not such a big estate or large property that it could afford to shut itself up in a back parlour and conduct its business in

a way that this by-law would suggest . " He regarded Friday as a dreadful day , 011 which no business whatever could possibly be done , at all events with advantage to the Institution ; and he concluded a powerful and impassioned appeal to his brother Governors

and Subscribers , if they had the interests of the Charity at heart , on no account whatever to sanction the change . But though Bro . CORJH . I supported in a speech of some length , the brethren present remained deaf to these appeals , and accepted the change with an easy-going good humour , which , to anyone in the depressed condition of Bro . GLASS , must have been

quite terrible to witness . Thus it is now provided that the Council shall meet on the last Friday in the month -September excepted—at 4 p . m ., and as there are some thousands of brethren who constitute this body , we shall not be greatly surprised if the necessary quorum turns up regularly , and , when there is any business of great importance to transact , a good many more than a bare quorum .

Texes And The General Grand Chapter Of The United States.

TEXES AND THE GENERAL GRAND CHAPTER OF THE UNITED STATES .

We learn from an article in ( he current number of the I ' oicc of Masonry that an attempt is being made to bring about a reunion or reconciliation between the Grand Chapter of Texas and the General Grand Chapter of the United States . The establishment of the former appears to have been attended with a certain amount of difficult }' . The earliest chapler

constituted in Texas was located in the first instance at San I ' ehpc de Austin , the warrant for its establishment having been issued by the General Grand Chapter in 1835 . But the chapler did not prosper , and five years later it removed to Galveston , its removal being approved by the parent body at its triennial session in 1 S 44 . In the meantime , however , two other

chapters had been constituted in Texas by companions who derived their authority for setting them up from the Grand Lodge of the Stale , but a proposal by these chapters to organise a Grand Chapter was not agreed to b y the San Felipe de Austin Chapter at Galveston . However , other chapters were formed by Die authority of the Grand Lodge of Texas ,

with the result that a Grand Chapter was established . But the General Grand Chapter declined to recognise this body , and in 1 S 47 it issued its mandate forbidding all Royal Arch Masons under ils jurisdiction from holding any communication whatever with the members of the so-called Grand Chapter of Texas , but at Die same time expressing the most fraternal feelings towards its Texas com-

Texes And The General Grand Chapter Of The United States.

panions , and the hope that the latter , having seen the error of their proceedings would lose no time m placing themselves under its authority . In 1850 the General Grand Secretary found himself in a position to report that the difficulty had been settled amicably . General Grand Chapter had warranted eight new chapters which , in

conjunction with the San Felipe de Austin Chapter , had set up the Grand Chapter of Texas , under dispensation from Comp . WILLIS STFAV . \ RT , General Grand King . Thenceforward till the year 1 S 61 the new organisation prospered , the number of its private chapters increasing from nine to 67 , and its membership to about 1500 . Then came the War of Secession ,

and Texas being one of the Confederate States , its Grand Chapler adopted a resolution which declared that " all connection between this Grand Chapter and the General GrandChapterisdissolvedand forever annihilated . " Since then several attempts have been made b y successive Grand High Priests to bring about a reconciliation between the two bodies , but

ineffectually , till quite recently , when it was resolved to appoint the present General Grand High Priest , Comp . J OSEPH P . HOR . VOR , and his Deputy , Comp . MCCATIAN , with Comp . SPRED , as a Committee to make a further attempt to bring about the much-desired consummation . Unfortunately , a most serious illness prevented Comp . HORXOR from taking an active part in the

proceedings of this Committee , but his place was ably filled by Comp . LEMMON , who , with Comp . SPEED , appear to have done their utmost to bring about a reunion . They were received by the Grand Chapter of Texas with the utmost courtesy , while their arguments were listened to with respect , but as yet the reconciliation is not . The question was referred to a Special

Committee , which delivered a majority and a minority report ; the former being in favour of , and the latter opposing , a reconsideration of the resolution adopted in 1861 ; and , on these reports being considered by the Grand Chapter of Texas , that body determined , by 160 lo 145 votes , to hold them over for another year , the reports themselves being in the meantime

circulated for general information among the private chapters . The Texas companions , it seems , maintain , on the one hand , thai the original Grand Chapter of their State , which was denounced by the General Grand Chapter in 1 S 47 was legally established , and , on the other , that the General Grand Chapter itself had ceased to be a legal body by its failure to meet in 1 SG 2 ;

and thus for the present the matter stands . It is evident , however , that the minority in favour of re-union or reconciliation between the two bodies is a very strong one , and . ill we can do is to hope that for the general welfare of Royal Arch Masonry throughout the whole of the United States—which , after all , is the material point to be considered—an issue out of the present differences will be found which will be honourable to both bodies .

Freemasonry In Quebec.

FREEMASONRY IN QUEBEC .

We have pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of a copy of the " History of Freemasonry in Quebec " by M . W . Bro . John H . GRAHAM , I . L . D ., P . G . M ., and consider it both a valuable and interesting work by that zealous Craftsman . The frontispiece is a full length portrait of H . R . H . the Duke of KENT , sent by order of II . M . Queen VICTORIA , for reproduction in the volume , and doubtless such a souvenir of her MAJESTY ' S

interest in the book is much appreciated by Dr . GRAHAM , mid the Province generally . The volume represents " iS months continuous labour , " and hence it is not to be wondered at that it extends to 645 pages royal octavo . It is issued at $ 3 per copy , free by mail , and may be had from Bro . W . H .

WHITE , P . O . Box 1797 ( or No . 12 , Place d'Armes ) , Montreal . It is being rapidly subscribed for , and already a second edition is talked of . Freemasonry may be said to have been established in Quebec from 1759 —1760 , and the particulars from that period are numerous , proving the diligence and patience of the author to unravel the intricacies of the Masonic

past . Dr . GRAHAM dates No . 1 , Montreal , from 1752 , but it had ceased to work nil interim , and dates really as a new lodge from 1 S 47 , as the sole member left in 1846 could not preserve the continuity of the lodge . The same brother also favours the date of origin of the " Albion , " once No . 9 on the " Ancients " roll of England , as of 1752 , but that also is an error , as it should be 1781 . Of this there is not a doubt .

Several curious entries are given of the working of the Mark and Royal Arch , and so as lo the Knights Templars . We do not see , however , why the author should seek to cast any doubt on M . W . Bro . J . Ross ROBERTSON ' S " History of the Knights Templars in Canada " ( 1 S 90 ) , especially as to the

meetings in Kingston from 1800 , for they were just as regular as those held by Bro . THOMAS DUNCKERI . F . Y in 1791 , and as much justified under the circumstances . We congratulate the Grand Lodge of Quebec and its Historian on the production of such a handsome work .