Bro. H. B. Marshall, M.A., J.P., &C.

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Ifepisoiilc UUJSTRATED .

Prefatory.

Prefatory .

The purpose and scope of " THE MASONIC ILLUSTRATED " is indicated in its title , and the contents of the first issue must needs be the measure of present achievement . It would be invidious and might prove editorially disconcerting to use this , or any other opportunity , for the purpose of

trumpeting forth what we may believe to be the merits of our undertaking . The utterance of fore-words has been a literary weakness from time immemorial and , in journalism , one has long since learned to expect that the first number of each new periodical shall contain the delicate suggestion that

the proprietors thereof have heroically rushed into the breach in order to supply a " long-felt want " on the part of some section of the community , which is forthwith expected to rise as one man in its gratitude , and evince the genuineness of its

emotion by the sincerity of its support . With the artist or writer it is usually found' most convenient to do one ' s work first and invent a theory to i \ t in with it afterwards . In his " argument " or ether " preface " the author , ancient and modern , has this

estimable advantage over the journalist that his prefatory remarks are invariably written after the rest of the work is completed . The editor of a journal would be on similarly safe ground if his prefatory laudation could be written at a later stage than the mere infancy of the

publication which he controls . Like the author , he might then hope to be luminously—perhaps apologetically—retrospective and critical , instead of issuing a manifesto in the guise of a promissory note .

With our first number , the Magazine is yet in its infancy , and its well-wishers may well refuse to recognise the right of the editor to indulge in idle rhetoric over its cradle . It has necessarily a complex personality , the many in one , of editor , of contributors , as well as of the manipulator of the camera , the

printer , and those other deft craftsmen who are jointly and severally responsible in newspaper enterprise . Its life is bound up in theirs , and , as editor , we will pledge ourselves that their work will be well and truly laid , cemented by the determination to make the Journal as good as it can be . We

feel assured that in process of time it will attain a robust manhood , and that , even in its adolescence , it shall not fail to be interesting . Like all healthy infants , it will not fail to make itself heard , and renewing its strength , step by step , we shall look for its support to no small portion of our great and ever-increasing Fraternity .

It will demand the best of artistic and literary fare for its nutriment , and it may be added that , as an Illustrated Monthly Journal for Freemasons , it is without a competitor . On the other hand , we shall not attempt to rival our weekly contemporaries in their fuller reports of lodge meetings , nor

can we compete with the excellent work done by the " Quatuor Coronati" in the direction of antiquarian and archaeological research . It is but within the last nine or ten years that the popular illustrated monthlies have had theninception and progress , and every Mason will be inclined to

agree that there is no reason why a paper which deals with the Craft should be behind any other in the readability of its letterpress , in the nature of its illustrations or the mode of presenting them .

In the use of type , paper , and blocks , we shall have our full share of that eminently British characteristic , —respect for appearances , and yet , as it is but a small part cf our aim to be regarded as an art paper , we shall hope to avoid the peculiarity of those delicate gift-bcoks of the last generation ,

printed on thick paper and bound very handsomely , but which , when opened , were found to contain nothing worth reading . In our letterpress we shall hope to steer a middle course between dullness and llippancy , to be readable as well as reliable , so that all may be interested and no one offended .

Among our more prominent features we shall have an illustrated series of articles entitled Eminent Masons at Home , and throughout this publication the personal element will enter as large !) ' as possible , more especially in the shape of illustrated biographical sketches . We shall substitute

descriptive for verbatim reports , and a greater part of Masonic news will be dealt with in the form of notes " At the Sign of the Perfect Ashlar . " There will be occasional book reviews , and all correspondence will be carefully dealt with . Illustrated articles concerning the Theatre will appear , but only

when the importance of the representation seems to justify it . Readable notes or comments , and suggestions for special articles are invited and will be promptly considered .

In conclusion , it may not be immodest to hope that it may be our good fortune to play the nimble part of Ephaistus , at that banquet of the deities which closes the first book of The Iliad , and who , although one of the least of the gods , was so timely in the comeliness of his speech and his service

of the great two-handled cup . It may be that we also may hope to acquire some deftness in the honourable cup-service of that " sweet , peace-making draught , " which , in this instance , we will take to mean that nectar of benevolence , fraternity , and spiritual insight which must ever be the true refreshment of the good brotherhood of the Craft . THE EDITOK .