At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar

The Ollicers of Grand Lodge who were appointed in April , 1900 , can boast of having served in their one year of office under two Grand Masters ( one the King ) and during a part of two centuries . Surely tin unique experience , and one that is not likely to be repeated .

Bro . Alfred James Thomas was initiated in the Ionic Lodge , No . 227 , in 1871 , and was elected Worshipful Master in 1875 , and again in 1885 . He wtis also a founder and second Master of the Cornhill Lodge , No . 1803 . Besides

these he is an active member of St . Albans Lodge , No . 29 ; the Lodge of Regularity ,. No . 9 , of which he is Worshipful Master elect ; Thames Valley , No . 1460 ; the Excentric No . 2488 ; Jubilee Masters , No . 2712 ; the Cutlers , No . 2730 ; and the Richard Eve , No . 2772 , of which latter he is the Treasurer . He is also a member of the Correspondence Circle of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 2076 .

DUO . ALFIiKD . 7 , 1 MKS THOMAS .

In the Royal Arch Degree , Bro . Thomas is a member of Grand Masters' Chapter , No . 1 ; the Bedford , No . 157 ; and the Eccentric , No . 2488 . But this formidable list does not exhaust his energies in Masonry . The Mark , Knights Templar , and several other Orders claim him not only tis a

member but as a worker . Those who know Bro . Thomas need not be reminded that he is a munificent benefactor of the Masonic Charities , being a Patron of all three of the Institutions , and litis served several Stewardships in each . The Jubilee Masters' Lodge , No . 2712 , which , as

outreaders are aware , is composed of Grand Officers , Masters , and Ptist Masters of London lodges , held its installation meeting on Friday , 15 II 1 March , tit the Hotel Cecil , when Bro . E . R . Bart ley Denniss was installed into the chair of King Solomon by the outgoing Master , Bro . Imre Kiralfy ,

P . A . G . D . C , in the presence of a distinguished company , including V . W . Bro . Alderman and Sheriff Vaughtin Morgan , P . G . Treas . ; V . W . Bro . McConnell , P . Dep . G . Reg . ; W . Bro . J . D . Langton , P . Dep . G . D . C , P . M . ttnd Secretary ; Bros . Sudlow , P . G . Std . Br . ; Boulton , P . G . Purst . ; Richard

Lee Franks , Senior Warden ; J . A . Shelton , Junior Warden ; and W . S . Hooper , Treasurer . Fifteen Masters of London lodges were elected joining members , and several more were proposed for election tit the next meeting . The desire to become possessed of the secrets of Freemasonry in an irregular , not to say surreptitious and

dishonest manner , appears still to possess the minds of certain persons , and the supply of these weak but curious folk continues to be inexhaustable , else they would not be catered for by such enterprising rascals tts now and then lay themselves out to supply the demand . A contemporary prints an

amusing communication from a correspondent who had confidingly entrusted to " Masonic , care of— " his shilling postal order , in exchange for which he had been promised a " little work , " which would " enable him to participate in the usages of this ancient and honourable society . " But the

remainder of the story is best told in the language of the seeker after knowledge , who naively says : — " Some days later a little ten-page pamphlet , 35-in . wide by 5 jin . in depth , reached me . Two of those ten pages were blank , and a third—the title page—contained two words : ' Masonic

Secrets . ' I searched for the hitter through the remaining seven pages of letterpress , but without success . I think I can safely characterise the above advertisement tis one of the

most shameless pieces of effrontery published . Not only is no attempt made to give the reader any of the Masonic secrets , but the ' author , ' in his opening paragraph , gives the lie direct to the title which he has selected for ' his little work . ' As coolly as possible , after having accepted a fee of one shilling for a specific object , he says : — ' As this is not an

exposure of Freemasonry , but simply some of the facts and truths which Masonry fetiches , I at once disclaim any idea of being antagonistic to this ancient and most honourable order ;' . and then proceeds to moralise on the building of Solomon ' s Temple . If this is not obtaining money under false pretences ,

then what is ? The advertisement is sufficient to induce the credulous to send one shilling for ti pamphlet , the reading matter in which is valueless as regards information on the subject advertised , and I should be glad of information from any Bradford correspondent who will enlighten me as to the address of the printer who was responsible for producing such a wretched concoction . "

© < S > © We agree with the conclusion come to by the victim , but seeing how small the Masonic offence of the advertiser really was , and how little he supplied for the money , our sympathies are entirely with the latter in the transaction .

«» < s > <© The vacant offices of Grand Superintendent for the Province of Norfolk and of the District of Jamaica respectively have now been filled by the appointment of Comp . Harry Sparks to the first-named and Comp . Surgeon-General Mosse ,

C . B .. C . M . G ., to the latter , and we feel sure no better choice could have been made . Comp . Harry Sparks is already Deputy Grand Master of the Province of Norfolk , and was in 1890 installed as first M . E . Z . in the Harry Sparks Chapter , No . 99 6 , so named in his honour . Comp . Surgeon-General

Mosse is well known in Jamaica , having early in the year been chosen to occupy the exalted office of District Grand Master of that island .

Bro . the Right Hon . W . W . B . Beach wtis probably the first Freemason who had the honour of proposing the health of the new Grand Master , H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught . At the Grand Officers mess following the Quarterly

Convocation of Grand Lodge , after-dinner speeches are conspicuous by their absence , but the toasts of the King and of the Grand Master tire always given , and the Father of the House of Commons , who wtis in the chair on the hist occasion , was very felicitous in brielly proposing both within

a few minutes of the closing of Grand Lodge , at which the Duke ' s election had taken place . The urn containing the ashes of the kite Bro . Professor Shuttleworth litis been placed in the chancel of the parish

church of Egloshayle , Cornwall , where his father wtis vicar for thirty-four years . A memorial tablet of alabaster has likewise been placed in the chancel and dedicated by the Rev . G . S . Shuttleworth , brother of the deceased .