A Lecture.

of the true religion , which teaches that the Lord our God is one God , is our God , our Father , our Creator , our King , our Judge ; that he is all powerful , and all merciful , and all wise ; that every son of Adam is to each one of us a brother worthy of our sympathy and entitled to our assistance , and that there is a life beyond the grave . While we hold to these our ancient tenets we need never fear that any true man , whatever creed he may profess , can with any

truth accuse us of heresy , or , when he knows us , refuse us his adhesion ; and at the same time when , as now , we find theologians disputing about the fashion of a garment or the colour of a vestment , " tithing mint , anise , and cummin , and forgetting the weightier matters of the law , " we may rejoice that , accepting . all reverent worshippers of the most High , we now stand as we have ever stood , as the upholders of truth against the attacks of atheism and materialism on the one hand , and the encroachments of Ulti-amoiitanism and intolerance on the other . All Glory to the most High .

Some Notes Concerning A Dormant Lodge On The Scottish Border.

SOME NOTES CONCERNING A DORMANT LODGE ON THE SCOTTISH BORDER .

BY W . FRED . VERNON , R . W . M . NO . 58 , AND P . M . 261 , S . C . ONE sometimes comes across traces of Freemasonry which existed in out of the way places ; and , having seen reference made in the minutes of the old lodge of Kelso , No . 58 , to a lodge at Yetholm , we determined to make enquiry concerning this dormant lodge . For this purpose we made several excursions to the village , but for some time our labour was in vain . We could

find out neither Mason nor anything Masonic , and we were even informed that there never had been a lodge in Yetholm . Knowing , however , that there had been a lodge there , and feeling- sure that traces of it must exist in the district , we , although " baffled oft , " did not despair of ultimate success in our research . We argued that although the brethren might all have been gathered to their fathers , their sons or some other relative might be alive who remembered their talking about Freemasonry ; and even if we did not find out any such , we might find a diploma , or an apron , perhaps , that would lead to

something else—perhaps to the paraphanalia , working tools , minute books , or even the charter of the lodge . Even supposing the whole of the lodge properties dispersed far and wide , we calculated that the charter would scarcely be wilfully destroyed , and , if it were not hanging framed in some cottage , it might be l ying forgotten in some old closet or chest , where it had been deposited for safe keeping many years ago . Our enquiries were accordingly not abated , but were personally resumed as opportunity offeredaud we have no doubt

, that we were often looked upon pityingly by some of the good folks of the village as one who had a want—which we decidedly had , but not in the sense they imagined—or as one who was troubled with " thick-coming fancies , " or had a lost lodge on the brain . As we could not stay beyond a few hours in the village on each occasion of our visit , we got the assistance of a resident , Mr . George Doddswho sometimes accompanied us in our searchandin our

, , , absence , continued the enquiry . In fact , but for his kindly assistance we would have made little speed , for he knew everybody and everyone knew him ; and , although he was at first dubious about the existence of the lodge , as he had never heard it mentioned , yet our anxiety and determination seemed to convince him , and he threw himself into the search with a zeal not onl y as ii' he had been an interested brother like myself , but as if he bad been a bom