Ad00703

WASHING WELL DONE AND ACCURATELY RETURNED . Old Established . VICTORIA LAUNDRY WORKS , Child's Hill , Hendon . Prospectus free .

Ad00704

A Feature of the Metropolis . SPIERS k PONDS •CRITERION RESTAURANT , PICCADILLY CIRCUS , LONDON , W . EAST ROOM . Finest Cuisine , unsurpassed by the most renowned Parisian Restaurants , Luncheons , Dinners and . Suppers ¦ i la carte and prix fixe . Viennese Band . GRAND HALL . Musical Dinner 3 s . 6 d . per head . Accompanied by the Imperial Austrian Band . WEST ROOM . Academy Luncheon 2 s . Cd ., Diner Parisien 5 s ., during both of which the renowned Mandolin Quartette performs . BUFFET & GRILL ROOM . Quick service a la carte and moderate prices . Joints in each room fresh from the Spit every half-hour . AMERICAN BAR . Service of special American Dishes , Grills , & c . Splendid Suites of Rooms for Military and other Dinners .

Ar00705

^ 1 P ~ SSSS £ ! £ 33

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

S ATURDAY , J ANUARY 29 , 1898 .

Under any circumstances , wc should have published the letter which appeared in our Correspondence columns last week from Bro . H . W . Peters , District G . Secretary Central South Africa , containing his explanation of the circumstances on which our article of the

27 th November last , entitled " A Fair Subject for Inquiry , " was based . The main point of that article was that a District Grand Lodge Officer Central South Africa , under-the English Constitution , on being applied to b y members of an English lodge for advice

as to the steps they wouid have to take in order to obtain a warrant for a Royal Arch chapter , had recommended them to the Grand Chapter of Scotland , and that , in consequence , the Principals snd P . Zs . of the English Royal Arch chapters at Kimberlev h-, rf

addressed a letter of remonstrance to the District G Master-Bro . R . Al . Roberts-against such conduct . ' we closed our remarks as follows ; "We nass „„

judgment upon the circumstances , because , thoush ¦| uthcnt , catcd , as we have said , our information is still n cessaril y ex parte and a satisfactory explanation may b forthcoming ; but if none such is furnished p Je in Juertion r ° ( JeSCribin £ the a < tof the officer Bro " Pe ; s !! , th 8 e r : „-e SCandaL" . * " « " the letter of we LV 7 , I . 1 C " '" 1 uest , on ~ was the reply we had invited him to offer . V y

Masonic Notes.

As regards the explanation contained in his letter , Bro . Peters states in the first place , " I most emphatically deny ever having received a letter from members of an English lodge in reference to obtaining a warrant for a Royal Arch chapter , consequently I could not have recommended them to apply to the Grand

Chapter of Scotland . " He then proceeds to give his version of the facts , to the effect that " in September , 1895 , and some time before the formation of the District Grand Lodge "—according to our Grand Lodge Calendar Bro . Roberts ' s patent of appointment as District Grand Master bears date the 22 nd October

of that year— " a letter was addressed to the Royal Arch chapter at Kimberley , asking for information how to obtain the Royal Arch Degrees . " To this letter Bro . Peters replied in his Royal Arch capacity of Scribe E . of the chapter , and " the brethren in due course received their Degrees . " Subsequently , other

brethren applied to the Scottish Royal Arch chapter and received their Degrees . Thus of the applicants some are now English Craft and Royal Arch Masons , while others are English Craft and Scotch Royal Arch Masons . * * *

This being the case , there would appear , as Bro . Peters suggests , to have been little , if any , reason for the Principals and P . Zs . of the Kimberley Royal Arch Chapters to address a remonstrance to the Dist . G . Master . One of two things seems tolerably clear—Bro . Peters ' s memory must have been playing him false as

to dates , or , more likely still , the information on which the remonstrance was sent must have been incomplete or inaccurate , or it may be a little mixed as to persons , dates , and places . At all events , " the District Grand Officer in question" denies ever having

recommended an English lodge to apply for a Scotch Royal Arch Warrant . Nothing could well be more explicit than this , and we trust that now this explanation has been given , the slight amount of friction to which these circumstances have given rise will cease and determine .

* * » At intervals for some weeks past there have appeared in our Correspondence columns letters from different brethren on the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , the particular matter referred to being the poor old brethren and widows , whose names have figured in the

lists of candidates for the last eight , 10 , or 12 years and upwards , and who are still soliciting votes from the electors sufficient to secure for them the benefits conferred by the Institution . Some of our correspondents seem inclined to blame the authorities for the unsucccss of these candidates , and others suggest that a special

jaw should be enacted which will enable the Committee to place those applicants on the establishment ; while Bro . Smith , P . G . D ., P . D . P . G . M . West Yorkshire , in his letter of last week , very pertinently remarks that many of the candidates thus circumstanced are never likely to obtain votes enough to secure their election .

* » * The case stands thus . A petition from an old brother or brother's widow is laid before the Committee . It is found to be in order , and the statements it contains as to age , circumstances , years of membership , & c , are verified in every particular . Thus the

Committee , which knows nothing more of the case than is disclosed in the petition , have no alternative but to accept it , and ordei the petitioner ' s name to be p laced on the list of candidates for the next election . But it has no power to influence votes in favour of any one or more candidates : the Governors and

Subscribers being the electors , and having the sole right to decide whom their votes shall be given to . Under Law 37 , the Committee have the power of placing on the list of annuitants any candidate who is 80 years of age , and has been unsuccessful at two successive elec

lions , " if , in their opinion , efforts have been made to secure his or her election . " . With this exception , all candidates before they become annuitants must pass the ordeal of the ballot , and hence it is the votes ot the electors—not the authority or influence of the Committtc—which ultimately secure their election .

Again , the mere fact that the name of an old brother or brother ' s widow is entered in the list of candidates implies nothing more than that he or she is elig ible to the benefits of the Institution , the facts disclosed in his or her petition having been proved to the satisfaction of the Committee and being in strict

accordance with the laws which define the Qualifications of Candidates . It does not imply that the candidate has influence enough to insure his or her election after one or two ballots , or that the case is so worthy of recommendation to the general body of voters that it should be preferred over other cases .

Masonic Notes.

On the contrary , it is within everybody s experience that the degrees of comparison are illustrated in every list of candidates , all of them being worthy and having some influence , while some are more worthy and have greater influence , and others most worthy and possessing the greatest influence of all .

» * * But whatever comments we and others may feel justified in making respecting cases which are certainly to be deplored , it is manifestly not the fault of the Institution that the electors give their votes to the candidates of their choice in preference to others in which they feel no interest , or , as in the case quoted by

Bro . Smith , in which those who know most about the circumstances , deliberately abstain from giving it their support . We have again and again expressed our sympathy with those who have remained on the lists for so many years , but , like Bro . Smith , we see no way out of the dilemma' unless the funds are greatly increased . » * *

As forthe suggestion that the Committee should have power to place on the Funds those who have failed as candidates a certain number of times , we think the electors would be justified in opposing the enactment of a law conferring such a power . The Committee stated in their last annual report , after a most

successful festival , that they did not feel justified in recommending the creation of any fresh annuities on either of the Funds . If such a power were conferred , the Committee could only exercise it to the diminution of the vacancies available to be filled by the ballot at successive annual elections , and every one knows that

these vacancies are few enough already without being still further diminished . Those who think that every one , whether old or young , who becomes a candidate for one of our Institutions must necessarily be provided for , appear to forget that our three Central Institutions together cost . 645 , 000 a year , of which £ 35 , 000 has to be raised by the voluntary contributions

of the Craft . After all , it is the Institutions which were founded for thebenefit of Freemasonry , not Freemasonry for the benefit of the Institutions . The annual expenditure of these Charities has been about doubled during the last 25 years , and we see no reason for complaint against any one of the three , because , notwithstanding this increase , it is unable to provide for all who need its benefits .

# * * We publish elsewhere a letter from Bro . the Duke of Bedford , in which his Grace appeals most earnestly for additional support for University College—or , as it is now more commonly designated—North London , Hospital , the expenditure of which is largely in excess

of its income . The Duke very properly points out that , while Bro . Sir J . Blundcll Maple , M . P ., has most generously undertaken to provide the funds for the erection of a new and enlarged hospital , the severity of the strain upon the resources of the institution will be still greater when the new premises are

comp lete . It must be obvious that if it cannot pay its way now , it will be still less able to do so when it has been enlarged , and , as the neighbourhood in which it is situated is a densely-populated one , we earnestly hope that his Grace's appeal will have the desired effect of augmenting the resources of the hospital .

« » * The brethren will be pleased to hear that the accident which befel Bro . Lord Brassey , P . G . W . England , M . W . Grand Master Victoria , when stepping from his launch to his yacht , the Sunbeam , at the Melbourne Regatta on Wednesday , has not been attended by any serious consequences . The gangway leading from the launch

to the yacht became unshipped and his Excellency fell into the sea—which at the time was very rough—and was in serious danger of being jammed between the two vessels . However , he was rescued , having received a severe blow on the head while in the water . We congratulate his lordship on his escape from such a peril- . . „

A solemn service was held at All Saints' Church , Aldershot , under the auspices of the Aldershot Army and Navy Lodge , No . 1971 , on Thursday , the 27 th inst ., in memory of the late Bro . Major-Gen . Yeatman-Biggs , R . A ., Dist . G . Master and G . Superintendent Bengal , who recently succumbed to an attack of dysentery contracted while in command of one of the

columns under Sir W . Lockhart engaged in the war against the Afridis on our North-west Indian frontier . Our deceased brother was a Past Master of No . I 97 l , and it is appropriate that such a service should have been held under its banner of a brother , as distinguished in Masonry as in arms , who had been one of their members .