Grand Lodge.

and he trusted that prior to the next Grand Lodge , Bro . Warren , or some other brother , would mature a scheme under which the law might be more efficiently carried out . Whilst thanking the M . W . Grand Master for the expression of his opinion that the

laAv shoidd be carried out , and that dispensations should be used as sparingly as possible , we must be allowed to express our opinion that the Grand Master has laid down for himself too stringent a rule , and one which has led to the most ridiculous results . Thus , a

few years since his lordshi p refused a dispensation to an Architect to hold the office ot Superintendent of Works in a province adjoining the metropolis , and the brother who now holds the office—a most estimable man and Mason—has no further knoAvledge of the art of

design and measuring buildings than is to be gained from the practice of measuring cloth and building coats . There are three offices which should always he confined to particular brethren ; the chaplain , to clergymen ; the Supt . of Works , to architects ; and the Organist , to

musicians , * and , if qualified brethren cannot be found for these offices within a province , we see no objection to their being drawn from other districts ; indeed , it were better that it should be so than that they should be

made the laughing-stock of the world . —non-Masons , as well as Masons—b y the manner in which the offices are too often filled . As regards Organists , however , some latitude may be allowed ; a good amateur musician if an organist , being as well fitted for the office as a professional ; but amateur clergymen , or amateur

architects , wiU / not do . Again , there are other instances in which dispensations might be granted without impropriety . There are lodges near the metrojiolis and other large towns which could not be supported by the resident brethren ; and it does appear someAvhat unfair to a brother who has perhaps been almost the sole

support of a lodge for many years , to deprive him of a participation in the honours , but then he should be compelled to receive them legally , or not at all ; and if the means of obtaining these honours are wholly 'withdrawn , we can name many lodges which are likely to be

p laced in a position to be expunged from the Calendar within the next three years . We own there is difficulty in drawing the line , but the M . W . Grand Master should not be deterred from meeting the difficulty , and his granting a dispensation in a really good case ought not to be draAvn into a precedent for a dozen applications , the whole of which , on their merits , must be refused .

We have been asked what we would do with the brethren who have already taken office in districts in which they do not live , without a dispensation ; Avould we disrobe them , or bring them before the Board of General Purposes ? And Ave answer , we would do

neither . The law has been violated under an impression that it was virtually a dead letter . We would , therefore , confirm those gentleman in their offices ( on payment of the dispensation fee to the Eund of Benevolence ) and declare that the law in the future must be

Grand Lodge.

enforced . And here we would observe that the law never can be fully carried out without a period o £ residence within a province being fixed . A brother cannot be made a Grand Steward until he has been twelve months a subscribing member of the lodge from whence he serves ; and why should not a Prov . Grand

Officer be subject to a tAvelvemonth ' s residence within the province before receiving office . But we shall return to this subject . We cannot close without observing that on the motion for confirming the minutes , the M . W . Grand Master

stated that though not present at the Grand Lodge meeting of September , he fully concurred in the vote of thanks to Bro . Havers , as President of the Board of General Purposes , ancl gave notice of his intention , in March , to move the presentation of a more substantial

mark of the approval of Grand Lodge to Bro . Havers for those seiwices—a notice of motion which was loudly applauded . Neither should we be doing our duty were we not to notice a letter from the P . D . Grand Master , Earl

Dalhousie , acknowledging the vote of thanks of the brethren for his past services , and expressing his regret that he could not attend Grand Lodge to do so personally , being compelled to go south in search of health . We are sure every brother will deeply sympathise in the

cause which deprived them of the presence of the noble Earl , and none will more sincerely rejoice to hear of his recovery than his brethren in Ereemasonry .

Freemasonry In France.

FREEMASONRY IN FRANCE .

Prince Murat has addressed the following letter to the " Grand Conservators of the Masonic Order im France" : — "Compieigne , " Nov , 6 . " GENTLEMEN , —Permit the man whom the Masonic Order has tAvice chosen for its chief , and AA'ho has had the honour

for more than nine years of directing its labours , to give , on separating from you , some counsels Avhich are inspired by the desire of seeing the French Masons retain the esteem , of their brethren in all parts of the globe . Masonry cannot be entirely compared to the charitable societies , the principal merit of the members of which is for some to open a generous hand , and for the others to be worthy of the

relief granted them . Both these classes of persons are entitled to our esteem and our sympathies . But it is not on such grounds alone that we Masons give each other the designation of brothers . Charitable societies are numerous ; their statutes differ from each other , and it is the Government which has the right to nominate their presidents . Masonry , whilst performing acts of kindness , requires from its

members greater merit , more serious guarantees ; for a Mason is not only a member of his lodge , nor only of French . Masonry taken altogether , bvit belongs to the great famil y which regards as brothers all the Masons of the universe . For that reason , gentlemen , you are bound to maintain intact the Masonic constitution , and to cause it to be respected by all the Masons of the French obedience . If the demon

of destruction should succeed in suppressing Masonry iu France , he will injure the great moralising principles which have outlived all revolutions and all governments up to this day . From the fear of such an eventuality , I exhort yon to display the greatest prudence in your relations with the Government , and whilst respecting the law not to expose yoAirselves in future to the reproach of having adopted . a