At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar

On Wednesday , May 4 th , there was a large gathering of members of the Fraternity and their wives and daughters at the Victoria Hall , Alexandra Street , Southend-on-Sea , to witness a presentation to the Mayor of Southend ( W . Bro . James Berry , P . G . P ., P . P . G . D . ) , subscribed for by the Freemasons of the district , as a mark of respect on his appointment

to office in Grand Lodge , and his election as Mayor of the Borough . The presentation was made by the Provincial Grand Master , Col . Mark Lockwood , M . P ., in his usual happy manner , and consisted of a handsome silver tea service and salver ; a diamond ring for the Mayor and bracelet for the Mayoress ; the whole being accompanied by an illuminated address and list of subscribers in album form .

« S > O « 3 > The Mayor , on rising to acknowledge the presentation , received quite an ovation . He said he was unable to ' find words adequate enough to thank his Masonic friends for this handsome token of their good will , the value which had been

so much enhanced by his reception of the presents from the hands of the Prov . G . M . From his first admission into Freemasonry he had been struck by the sublime precepts of the Order , and he attributed much of his success in life to his earnest endeavour to follow out those precepts . A concert afterwards took place ; and the proceedings concluded with a dance .

© © © The refusal of the Grand Lodge of Scotland to grant a warrant to constitute a new lodge in Edinburgh to be worked on temperance principles has caused much adverse comment , but the Glasgow Evening News is of opinion that a wrong

impression exists on the subject as to the reason of the petition being thrown out . Too much prominence has been given to the subject in public circles , and as the lodge was to be wrought on the same lines as the " Progress" in Glasgow and the " Progress " in Dundee , it has got into the minds of

a great many that the charter was refused because of the principles the lodge proposed to follow . There was no question of which lines the promoters sought to go on in its management by those who advocated its refusal . The charter was not granted for the reason that , in the judgment of the Metropolitan District Visiting Committee , there is at present no room for an additional lodge in the district .

© < £ © Freemasons of Torquay are fortunate in having such a distinguished member of the Craft as W . Bro . W . J . Hughan , P . G . D ., resident in their midst . Bro . Hughan has recently concluded a series of lectures on the archaeological aspects of

Masonry by a delightful discourse on his favourite theme of the " Old Charges . " Of the seventy records of these charges that exist , Bro . Hughan has himself read and reproduced forty , a work involving considerable care and trouble , as the length of the scrolls vary from a matter of inches to over

14 ft . In conveying to Bro . Hughan the thanks of the assembled brethren , who came from the neighbouring towns of Newton , Paignton , and Dartmouth , as well as from the three lodges of Torquay , the hope was expressed that next winter the brethren of the district might be favoured with

another series of addresses , tin ' s time on " The Ethics of the Craft , " and much satisfaction was evinced at Bro . Hughan ' s kindly acceptance of the suggestion .

© < s » © Among the reforms recently introduced by the Grand Lodge of Scotland is a rule forbidding the use of any of the emblems of Freemasonry on a sign or in connection with any business advertisement , unless such advertisement be for

strictly Masonic purposes . < s > o o The Japanese Minister , Viscount Hayashi , who is Worshipful Master of the Empire Lodge , No . 2108 , was admitted to the Royal Arch Degree on Thursday evening , May 12 th , in the Empire Chapter .

The East Africa Lodge , No . 3007 , was consecrated at Zanzibar on the 27 th April . W . Bro . Robinson , of Zetland Lodge , 1157 , E . G ., performed the ceremony , and the first W . M . was Bro . J . T . Last , Bro . John H . L . Davis acting as Secretary . An excellent temple has been built about two miles from the town of Zanzibar , and completely fitted up by Bro . R . N . Talati , the furniture and fittings having come from home .

© < s > ¦ <__ > In Nairobi the advent , of South Africans has not only made a Masonic lodge possible , but imperative , and the requisition for a charter is , we understand , in course of signature , and it is hoped that in a very little while to see the Nairobi Lodge will be an fail accompli .

O © © Now and again the question of duality of membership of lodges crops up , but , although there is much to be said in favour of the system obtaining in American Grand Lodges , there does not appear to be any general desire expressed among

English Freemasons to adopt the same regulations . In the report , however , of the District Grand Lodge of South Africa , Eastern Division , held on 22 nd March last , the District Grand Master says : " It should , however , be pointed out that this numerical strength is misleading in one respect , inasmuch as

it does not represent individuals but merely lodge membership . The practice of brethren nominally subscribing to more than one lodge is greatly on the increase in this district , and is not altogether a desirable feature . It has the effect of increasing the percentage of arrears , as brethren

with divided interests are not always as careful in this respect as they might be . The formation of new lodges lends encouragement to the practice , and it will be noticed that the Mowbray Lodge accounts for 45 of the apparent increase this year , of whom 42 are affiliated brethren . Your Board

gladly welcome the Mowbray Lodge as the latest addition to the roll of the district , and it is gratifying to report that the lodge has made such satisfactory progress since its foundation . Your Board would , however , as a general principle , recommend to the consideration of the brethren generally

the wisdom of confining membership to one lodge only and working with a wholehearted zeal for the welfare of that one . "

© © © A controversy has recentty arisen about the baronetcy , and a remarkable letter has appeared in the Times by Mr . Robert Dennis , which tells a story of how so far back as 1888 urged thereto by Sir Robert Peck , he compiled a book

, of some 300 pages , embracing a complete chronicle of the scandals associated with the baronetage , from the foundation of the dignity by James I . clown to 1888 , but the writerexplains that although it had all been put into type and had been advertised to appear in 1900 , its publication was

suppressed . © © © What had happened was this—the roughly-bound sheets had been submitted to the late Sir Albert Woods , Garter King-at-Arms , and he was asked for his opinion . Sir Albert

read the book , and was most complimentary to the " painstaking author , whose facts he did not doubt , " but at the bare idea of publishing he stood aghast ! " We all know these things—although I had no idea the case was so very bad "he said , " but for heaven ' s sake don't print them ; no selfrespecting man would ever accept a baronetcy again . "

<_> © « s > Mr . Dennis concludes , "The only existing copy of my work , so far as I know , lies before me . Some years ago , when Dr . Garnett was still at his post , I promised him that it should find a resting place in the British Museum . The

offer was accepted , but Dr . Garnett added that he should probably have to keep it under lock and key for twenty years . From this you may judge what sort of a thing is the British Baronetage—which , by the way , is not an ' order ' at all ( for a knightage is more properly an ' order' ) , but a ' dignitie , ' and was expressly so created . "