At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar.

soldiers . This year so far twenty-six candidates have been proposed and approved , and nearly all initiated , four emergency meetings having been necessary to cope with the amount of work entailed . At the last regular meeting on Wednesday , nth March , fourteen more candidates were nominated and two joining members , so that the Worshipful

Master and his officers have yet to face some heavy work . The extraordinary popularity of the Craft in the Army at the present time is due to a large extent to tlie undoubted benefits Masons received in South Africa . Military Masons who fell into the hands of the Boers in man } - cases received

far better treatment than the other prisoners , much to the astonishment of the unenlightened , whilst more than one owed his liberty to his membership of the Order .

coup . i :. o . FINCH . On Monday , 9 th March , the annual installation of principals of the Aldershot Camp Chapter of Royal Arch Masons , No . 1331 , took place at the Masonic Hall , Alc ' er ^ hot .

There were a very large number of visiting companions present , besides a big muster of companions of the chapter . The First Principal ' s chair was filled by M . E . Comp . F . Hazzard , P . Z . 903 , P . P . G . D . of C , by invitation , in the unavoidable absence of Comp . Atkinson , M . E . Z . The

ceremony of installation was performed by Comp . J . Yond , Comp . E . G . Finch being exalted to the chair of M . E . Z . ; Comp . J . B . Harrison , H . ; and Comp . W . Cockburn , J . The newly installed M . E . Z . then appointed and invested his officers as follows : —Comps . G . H . Lawrence ,

Scribe E . ; H . A . Roberts , Scribe N . ; E . J . Sercombe , Treasurer ; J . H . West , P . S . ; C . E . Atkins , 1 st A . S . ; C . Webster , 2 nd A . S . ; / . R . Boxall , D . C . ; A . Foulkes and H . Reilly , Stewards ; and G . Richardson , Janitor . At the banquet , which followed the closing of the chapter , the usual Masonic toasts were honoured , that of " The Visitors " being responded to by Comps . Yond , Hazzard , and Wynne .

© © © Bro . W . F . Lamonby writes : —" Referring to Bro . J . Spiers' note in the March number of the MASONIC IM . CSTKATICI ) , on the incident of the Past Grand Warden ' s jewel , presented to the King of Oude ' s envoy by the Duke

of Sussex in 18 3 6 , this same matter was brought under my notice some years ago . The inference , I think , is a very safe one , as to how the jewel in question found its way to Queensland . The King of Oude played a very prominent part in the Indian Mutiny in 1857 , and was captured at the fall of Delhi . No doubt , therefore , the jewel was a part of

the loot which fell into the hands of the British Army , and subsequently was taken to Queensland by a soldier , on the removal of his regiment from India to Brisbane . It would , perhaps , be worth the while of Bro . Spiers , the first time he is in Brisbane , to take the jewel round to the various pawnshops of the city and inquire whether such an article was ever taken in pledge or was ever on sale ? "

< g » ! $ « $ > The Standard during the past few weeks has been publishing some correspondence in reference to the correct spelling of the word By-laws or Bye-laws . Bro . Case , Provincial Grand Secretary for Dorset , is responsible for raising the

question in the following letter : — "By-laws ? 'crsus Bye-Jaws . To the Editor of TlieSlnml / ml . Sir , —There seems to be a growing tendency to alter the old spelling of this word from By to Bye . Until recently , in Acts of Parliament and other important official documents

it was spelt By-laws . Johnson's Dictionary , Todd ' s edition , 1818 , gives the following : — " By-law , n . s . [ Sax , bilaze ] . ' By-laws are orders made in court leets , or court barons by common assent , for the good of those that make them . '—Cowel .

"' There was also a law to restrain the by-laws and ordinance of corporation . '—Bacon . '" In the beginning of this record is inserted the law or institution to which are added two by-laws as a comment upon the general law . '—Addison .

" I think that Johnson , with the additional authorities of Cowel , Bacon , and Addison , should be sufficient to preserve By-laws from any variation of spelling which onlv serves to perplex but not to enlighten one . " I am , Sir , your obedient servant , "Dorchester , March 1 r . "ROBERT CASE . "

<© . © < s » This was followed by a letter from Mr . J . Foster Palmer , who maintained that Bro . Case was perfectly right , and stated that he had recently had occasion to trace its meaning and derivation for the purpose of framing rules for a society .

It was derived , he said , from the Danish word " by , " a townso frequently met with in this country as a termination to place-names—from Rugby in the South to Duncansby Head in the North , and always as a certain proof of Scandinavian occupation . It originally referred to the laws of a " town "

as distinct from the laws of the state , and naturally came to be applied to all laws , whether of a town , or corporation , or society , or of any body of men requiring special laws of their own in order to cany out the particular functions for which thev had incorporated themselves .

© © $ > Another writer takes the view that the word is formed in the same way as " Bypath , " " Byname , " " Byblow , " " Bystreet , " " Bylane , " " Bywork . " In all , the prefix by implies something accessory or additional , and in high

German is generally translated by the word " neben , " meaning " near , " i . e ., by . "Byname" is in German "Beiname "; " Bywork , " is " Nebenwerk , " and so on . After all , English is a Teutonic tongue at bottom ; and questions of this kind can often be decided by reference to the other Teutonic languages . " By-law " in German is " Nebengesetz , " i . e ., a " near or bylaw . " < s < < 3 > ©

Bro . Case sums up the correspondence as follows : — " This correspondence ended without producing one letter from the advocates of the ' perverted' spelling , so that it may be presumed the above quoted authorities could not be upset . Probably the new spelling originated from simple carelessness and has continued from indifference , but ill weeds grow apace

even in official circles . May we venture to express a hope that the authorities who should be foremost in preserving the etymology of our English language , will restore the original spelling of by-laws in our official documents . ' Trifles make perfection , but perfection is no trifle . 'Michael Angelo . "