United Geand Lodge.

Bro . Binckes , Secretary to the Boys' School , said the Jordan Lodge , no more than any other , ought to administer the obligation to more than one candidate at a time , and he trusted that the Board of General Purposes would see that there Avas some written law upon the subject , so that not more than one brother should under any circumstances be obligated afc the same

time . The G . Master said before putting the question , he wished to make a few observations upon it . He hacl been applied to to give his opinion as to the unwritten law , but without going into that he did think that it was highly inexpedient thafc more than one candidate should be obligated at the same time . As

to the unwritten law , he should not take up the time of Grand Lodge by reading it , as it said that not more than five brethren should be initiated afc the same time , which Avas perfectly intelligible , - and yet the Jordan Lodge had violated ifc . He wished it to be understood by lodges , and he hoped ifc would go forth , that ignorance of the law was no excuse for the

Master of a lodge committing a breach of ifc . He thought the recommendation of the Board of General Purposes was a very lenient one , but at the same time he did not find fault Avith it , but he should then put the resolution— " That under the circumstances the penalty of erasure , as regards tbe Jordan Lodge ( No . 201 ) , be remitted , but that the suspension of the said

lodge be continued , Avith power to the Board of General Purposes to remove the same on due submission being made , and on such conditions as the Board may see fit to impose . The resolution was carried unanimously .

THE DE GEEZ AND EIBON LODGE ( No . 905 ) . Bro . Lleivellyn Evans , the President of the Board , said he hacl then come to paragraph 3 , and he thought it would not be the wish of the Grand Lodge for him to enter into the circumstances , as they were fully stated in the report . They hacl given the matter considerable attention , and the Board

therefore thought it advisable to make tho recommendation to the Grand Lodge which concluded the paragraph . He moved" That , under the circumstances , Grand Lodge clo condone the error Avhich has been committed in the case of the De Grey and Eipon Lodgo ( No . 905 ) , in electing a Master at a lodge of emergency , and do sanction Bro . Matthew Cooke , and the

succeeding Masters of the said loclge , taking their seats as Members of this Grand Lodge . " There ivas no doubt that a grave error hacl been committed against the Avritten law , bufc from the explanation that hacl been given , the Board of General Purposes believed that in mercy they might make this recommendation .

Bro . Savage seconded tho motion , which Avas put and agreed to . Bro . L . Evans said he had then to move that the remainder of the report be adopted as follows : — " The Board have investigated a complaint against the Loclge of Peace and Harmony ( No . 4-96 ) , St . Austell , for neglecting to

pay quarterages for a deceased brother during the time he was a subscribing member of the loclge . The warrant ancl books were produced , and the Master ancl Wardens stated that they and a large majority of the present members had joined since the said brother had left the lodge , and tbey were unable to assign any reason for the non-payment of Grand Lodge dues

on his behalf , but they admitted that the brother had duly paid his subscription during the four years he Avas a member , ancl the Master ancl Wardens expressed regret at the irregularity of the former members . It Avas resolved— " That the explanation be accepted , but that the lodge be required to pay forthwith the four years' quarterages due on behalf of the deceased

brother . " The money having been paid , the warrant and books Avere returned . " It has been brought to the notice of Board that in some lodges an arrangement is allowed of compounding with their members to return their names during life to Grand Lodge as Annual Subscribers to the Fund of Benevolence on the payment

of a fixed sum to the lodge in lieu of a yearly subscription . The Board , upon full consideration of the matter , are of opinion , ancl submit to Grand Lodge , that such arrangement is illegal , as being contrary to the law as Avell as the policy of Grand Lodge , AA'hich , in the judgment of the Board , require a continuous contribution on the part of members of lodges to

tbe Fund of Benevolence , as well as a subscription to a regular lodge . "The very large impression of the 32 mo edition of tho " Book of Constitutions ( 5 , 000 copies ) printed in March , 1867 , by order of the Grand Lodge , being exhausted , the Board have given directions for a reprint of the same , to meet the

demandsof the Craft . " Bro . Victor Williamson said he thought it would only be right in refraining from voting for these proposals that he should state his reasons for so doing . Paragraph 5 most emphatically condemned thepractice of compounding with members as life members to the Grand Lodge . That was a very

exceptional case , but he thought it right to mention that it would strike a very serious blow to tbe Oxford and Cambridge lodges , ancl it ivas bound up with the well-being of Freemasonry . In these lodges men ivere trained up to the active duties of Freemasonry just as , under their Alma Mater , meuAvere trained for the duties of after life , whether they were social or political ; and , therefore , anything that struck afc the efficiency of those lodges Avas greatly to be deprecated . A generation at the

University lasted only three or four years , and without a system such as was now condemned by the Board of General Purposes those lodges could not be efficiently kept together . He could not then , consistently with order , propose auy motion , but he would then give notice that on a future occasion he would propose a motion specially excepting the Universities of Oxford

and Cambridge from the practice which Avas then specially condemned . Bro . Spiers , D . Prov . G . Master for Oxfordshire , regretted thafc such strong observations should have been made by the Board of General Purposes without any communication being made to those ivho were saicl to have infringed the law . When

their by-laws for the Oxford lodge Avere drawn up , fourteen years ago , they were submitted to Bro . Henry White , then the Grand Secretary , and they received the approbation of the Grand Master . They had been acted upon for fourteen years , ancl he did not think there hacl been any carelessness on the part of the Universities of Oxford ancl Cambridge , or were

they at all aware that all this time they had been committing an illegal act . He believed that they hacl kept strictly within the laiv , and that it Avas good policy in what they had done . In Oxford there were 170 compounding members who paid £ 18 a-year to the Grand Lodge , and £ 18 to the Provincial Grand Lodge . As to Oxford , the generation ivas short , and

Avns generally aboufc ^ two years , and after that they were dispersed all over the world , to Avhorn Avere sent all circulars , notices of meetings , ancl other documents , for ifc was to the interest of the lodge to keep tbem within the pale of Freemasonry . This lodge had produced seventeen Provincial Grand Masters , a number of Grand Officers , and many others ivho hacl

been good members of the Craft ; and , as in their Masonic Charities they introduced the principle of life payments , paying a guinea for a vote , or by paying £ 20 they would have a vote for