An Address

which pious men of all ages , JBAV , heathen , and Christian alike have reverenced , and which I , who am BOAV striving to do my duty in that state of life to Avhich I have been called , will endeavour to act up to in ray OAVU conduct and hand down for

imitation to my successors , that concord and unity may so flourish among us as to be the stability of our time aud make our Craft a praise upon earth . In conclusion , let us pray that the presence

of the Lord may ever CIAVOII amongst us to direct us aright in the paths of virtue and to sanctify our fellowship here below . For what after all is a Mason Avithout Masonic principle ? He is but a crumbling stone in the building , an

element of discord in the midst of harmony ' and love , and thus he brings disgrace upon our Craft . Why is it that Masonry is often scoffed at by the uninitiated and coAvans ? No doubt you will say : — " They are ignorant of its Avays , and suspicious of

its secret dealings . " That maybe so ; but let me tell you that it is often also OAving to the lukewarmness and levity of its OAVU members , Avho do not act up to the principles so admirablyinculcated in lodge , who look upon it as a mere convivial club , and

talk of it as such to the uninitiated . Can you then Avonder at the latter making light of that which ought to gain their respect and admiration ? Masonry has been called the daughter of Heaven . Let us then , who are her members ,

never disgrace her . Let us Avalk in the light , and not in the darkness , doing the Avork allotted to us Avith clean hands and right spirits . Having compassion for our Aveaker brethren , Avith an eye ready to pity the afflicted , an ear ready to listen to

the cry of the needy , and a hand ready to hold out to the helpless orphan and the widoAV , so shall we be doing our best to show to the outer AA'orld the inherent nobleness of our Order , and to silence the clamour of the envious , credulous , and ill-natured against our ancient ancl honourable society .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

IiIIiEBAj . TTY AT GRAND LODGE . It has been often complained that our Grand Lodge authorities have , for many years since the union , ignored and snubbed the Templars and other Masonic bodies . I am glad to see evidence of an alteration of this policy , and the establishment of one of Masonic amalgamation and union , under the auspices of one of our chief administrators and

Masonic Notes And Queries.

officials , Bro . E . W . Little . Suggestions have often been thrown out of the desirability of this union , which would be a union no less effective for the combination of Masonic bodies than the old union of the two Grand Lodges . It is not unnatural that in a free institution like Freemasonry Bro . Little should encounter some

resistance and some jealousy ; but perseverance in carrying out the true policy of Grand Lodge will he crowned Avith success , and Bro . Little may succeed where Bro . W . Preston failed . Bro . Preston at first met with obloquy ancl censure ; he lived to overcome this , and to be enrolled as a benefactor of Grand Lodge and the founder of the lecture referred to in your pages . —M . M . & K . T .

BHO . MAMIE GHAH . I have heen waiting anxiously for some solution of the doubts raised as to Bro . Manningham ' s letter .. This is the more desirable to be effected , as otherwise we shall have this letter quoted as an authentic piece of evidence , whereas it is at present disputed . — TAVTEED .

PICTUS DEPICTUS ( p . 2 GS , 291 . ) Pictus must not get out of it in that way . Therewere no more three Greek orders in the time of King , Solomon than there were five . Pictus ia as Avrong on this head as on each antiquarian point . I should be sorry to look at any communication of Pictus for

historical data , for he does not understand the criteria of historical datain this case the question is not as to historical data , but Avhether a mediawal legend about architecture , geometry , & c , shall be accepted in a medieval form or doctored up to an antiquitywhich is in itself

, a sham , or doctored down to the taste of this day .. We have had so much of this work already clone by ill-taught hands that very few of the characteristic points of our ritual remain . —C . M . D .

BED CROSS 03 ? EOSIE AKD COKSTAiS'TIK'E . In reply to an esteemed favour from Bro . Charters ( Oct . 17 th ) , relative to when the " Red Gross of Romeand Constantine" first appears as a Masonic Order , I beg to state that my opinion is expressed at p . 284 i of the Freemasons' Magazine for Oct . 10 th in the

following words : — " The Masonic Knights Templars ' degree cannot be traced until several years subsequent to A . D . 17-10 , and the same may be said of the Masonic-Knights of Malta , Eed Cross of Eome and Constantine , and most of the chivalric degrees , no minutes of which exist of an earlier dale than A . D . 1770 . "

According to Bro . Little , the historian of the latter degree , the Premier Conclave of England was in working order before 1770 ( vide p . 502 , vol . xv .. Freemasons' Magazine ) , but we confess our inability to believe the " Eed Cross of Eome and Constantine " ' was known many years before that date ; and , in the

absence of sufficient evidence to the contrary , we still consider the degree , under the wing of Masonry , to possess no earlier minutes than the other chivalric degrees do under the protection of the Knights Templars . HoAvever , we cannot speak very positively on the matter , and would prefer Bro . Charters taking the distinguished Grand Recorder , Bro . R . W . Little , for his guide . —W- J . HAIGHAN .