The Craft In Greater Britain.

Colonial Freemason to-day . True , the taxation is not very serious , being little but a registration fee , but still it exists ; and the Colonies are not without representation—of a sort . There used to be a Colonial Board , and there is now in its place a sub-Committee of the General Board , which is supposed to study the

interests of colonists . The Constitutions provide that , if possible , a certain number of the members of that sub-Committee shall be Past Masters of a Colonial lodge , and hitherto that possibility has always existed . Again , though nominally an

appeal against the District Grand Master lies to Grand Lodge , the latter body has always displayed the greatest care in disposing of such . Whatever happens to local appeals , a Colonial appeal always engages the best attention of the best legal talent available in Grand Lodge—and it generally needs it .

Then our cousins say they never get any Grand Lodge honours . Once in a while , say , on the occasion of a Jubilee they get their chance , and Deacons and Assistant Director of Ceremonies increase and multiply , but on the whole we must admit that they very " rarely attain Grand Rank and

very rarely are gratified by the sight of a Grand Lodge Officer . On the other hand , District Grand Rank is far more easily attained . Districts are very small as regards the numbers of lodges comprised in them . Every year the District Grand Master has from 15 to 20 collars to give away and probably only

some half dozen lodges from which to select , and , therefore , it occasionally happens that every Past Master in the District is adorned with the purple , and many instances have come to our knowledge of offices not being filled up from sheer inability to find suitable officers .

From all this it is evident that the grievances of our Colonial brethren are sentimental rather than real . They are no worse off than brethren at home and they have no protection of their mother Grand Lodge and prestige of connection with it . It will not be out of place here to refer to the procedure to

be adopted when autonomy is sought for . The rules recently added to the Book of Constitutions are extremel y well-devised and full of common sense . Before their adoption , the very discussion of the question was a treasonable act . The brethren only met at all as such by virtue of a warrant from the Grand

Lodge of England , and , under the protection of that warrant , they had to discuss ways and means of doing without it . Until the actual moment of its formal recognition , the " body styling itself . . . . " was a rebellious and schismatic body , and the members of it were open to the whole gamut of Masonic penalties . The half-dozen self-willed brethren who resisted the

movement were officially described as "loyal , " and the official opinion of all the rest followed by implication . We need do no more than refer to the case of Lodge Cambrian , N . S . W ., to illustrate how very illogical the whole procedure was from beginning to end . Now all is changed , and under certain

restrictions it is possible for such subjects to be lawfull y discussed in open lodge . The Grand Registrar , V . W . Bro . Philbrick , brought forward a number of proposed additions to the Book of Constitutions in March , 18 97 , and , after considerable discussion , these were ultimately adopted .

In our remarks regarding Indian Freemasonry , we said that appeals to Grand Lodge were rare , and in any case were very seldom upheld . In the Colonies it is different . The titular ruler

is very often only an ornamental one . Possibl y it is desirable that the lord or the baronet who dispenses the hospitalities of government house , should , if a Mason , be selected to preside over the Craft . But skill in diplomacy and statesmanship does

not necessaril y make a man a skilled Masonic jurist , and it is , therefore , all the more desirable in such cases that the Deputy should make up for his chief ' s deficiencies , and that the District Board of General Purposes should be strong .

Experience has shown , however , ( hat when a Deputy goes wrong he does so with great completeness . A story occurs to us of a brother in a far-distant colony whose conduct became a grave scandal , involving a breach of

M '" C J hird 1 > W ™ - T 1 , c Deputy District Grand Master wrote to the erring brother and expelled him . The brother appealed on the ground that he had not been summoned to show cause and the appeal was allowed . Then the provisions ot the Book of Constitutions were duly complied with and the orotner

again expelled on his refusal to attend the summons , "e appealed on the ground that the Deputy District Grand Master was acting extra vires . The appeal was allowed and men all concerned read up their Constitutions thoroughly and a i meeting 01 uistnct brand

j ^ ci Lodge was convened at which fie brother was once more expelled . Once more he appealed ? nd with success , on the ground that he had had no notice of the '" tended proceedings . Altera delay of about iX months , during winch the brother exercised all his Masonic privileges , the orethren managed to get into line with the Constitutions , and

The Craft In Greater Britain.

the offender was expelled a fourth time , and on this occasion

finally . This occurrence is only quoted to illustrate the extraordinary ignorance of Masonic law which prevails in districts remote from headquarters . As regards the actual classification of Colonial Masonry under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England , in Europe there

are separate District Grand Lodges , in Gibraltar ( three lodges ) , and Malta ( six lodges ) . There are two lodges in Cyprus , and a lodge in Tunis is subject to the District Grand Master for Malta . At the East end of the Mediterranean there are five lodges in a state of more or less suspended animation . In the East Indies

Masonry flourishes . The six districts of Bengal , Madras , Bombay , Punjab , Burma , and the Eastern Archipelago comprise 142 working lodges . China and Japan are sub-divided into three District Grand Lodges , comprising 18 lodges in all , and in South Africa there are live District Grand Lodges , with 92

private lodges . In various other parts of Africa there are 14 other lodges . A similar feature characterises the New World . Scattered all over are the relics of English jurisdiction , keeping up their end valiantly , amid alien jurisdictions , and probably wondering if the price they pay for their loyalty is commensurate with the privileges it entails .

Seeing what South American Freemasonry is , we cannot blame them , but the case of New Zealand is different . The English brethren probably think they know best , but the provision of five District Grand Lodges , together with six lodges

under direct jurisdiction , seems more than adequate to supply the desire for Masonic light , especially when the colony is governed by an enthusiastic and universally recognised Grand Lodge of its own .

Military lodges might be classified as Colonial , and they used to flourish . The Calendar , however , only shows three at the present moment . As a rule a military lodge is short-lived . Probably the reason is that a soldier ' s connection with his regiment is shorter than it used to be ; and it is conceivable

that half a dozen brethren—transferred about the same timemight be succeeded by the same number of the Profane . At all events , the most recently formed military lodge now working is that in connection with the 1 st Battalion East Surrey Regiment , No . 743 , which was warranted 41 years ago .

Royal Arch.

Royal Arch .

Pythagoras Chapter , No . 88 . The half-yearly convocation of the above chapter—attached to the Scientific Lodge , No . SS—was held at the Lion Hotel , Cambridge , on the 23 rd ultimo . Present : Comps . J . Gordon Chennell , P . P . G . Std . Br ., M . E . Z . ; A . E . Chaplin , P . P . G . Treas ., H . j and W . P . Spalding , P . Z ., P . P . G . J . Comp . Col . R . lownley Caldwell , G . Supt ., attended , and the company also included visiting companions from London and elsewhere .

Two joining companions having been elected , five brethren from various lodges were balloted for , elected , and exalted . The work of the P . S . was done by Comp . F . Piggott , P . Z ., P . G . H ., in the absence of Comp . W . Sindall . The lectures from the chairs followed , and Comp . B . Chennell , P . Z ., P . P . G . H ., assisted with the signs and the description of the pedestal . The following are the appointed officers for the ensuing year : Comps . A . E . Chaplin , P . P . G . Treas ., M . E . Z . ; C . H . Banham , H . ; W . Sindall , J . j J . Gordon Chennell , P . P . G . Std . Br ., I . P . Z . j O . Papworth , P . Z ., P . P .

G . H ., S . E . ; A . H . Langridge , S . N . ; T . Hunnybun , P . P . G . Sd . Br ., Treas . ; J . H . Moyes , P . S . ; J . West Knights , 1 st A . S . ; T . Leader , 2 nd A . S . ; B . Chennell , P . Z ., P . P . G . H ., D . C . ; C . F . Moody , Org . ; J . V . Pryor , P . Z ., P . P . G . S . N ., Stwd ; and G . A . Allen , Janitor . The Auditors will be Comps . J . H . Moyes and J . Bester . The chapter was then closed . At the banquet which followed , the Grand Superintendent spoke of the recent progress in Royal Arch Masonry , and congratulated the members of the old Pythagoras Chapter upon their work .

The ritual , as has been previously pointed out , is an extension of what is mostly seen elsewhere , and is probably unique . But visitors from town and other chapters praise rather than criticise it . One of the London visitors last week—a Mason of 30 years' standing , declared that the work was quite a revelation , and Comp . Or . J . K . Green highly commended the smooth and even working of all . It may be mentioned that Pythagoras Chapter was consecrated in 1 S 2 S .

Royal Alfred Chapter , No . 777 . The installation meeting of this chapter was held at the Angel Hotel , Guildford , on Wednesday , the 21 st ult ., and the following are the officers for the year : Comps . E . Miles , M . E . Z . j Alfred Gibbs , H . ; T . P . Whateley , J . ; F . Dowse , LP Z . ; J . B . S . Lancaster , S . E . ; G . H . Herbert , S . N . ; E . H . Gale Crowdy , P . Z ., Treas . ; the Key .

J . Atnau Tait , P . S . ; W . MacUlin , A . S . ; and G . Hoare , janitor . The Third Principal elect , Comp Whateley , was unavoidably absent , but the other two Principals were installed in the most impressive manner by the Prov . G . Scribe E ., Comp . C . T . Tyler , A . G . D . C ., after which the remaining officers were duly invested . Comp . Alfred Gibbs was re-elected Charity Representative , there being no further business the chapter was then closed .

The companions afterwards dined together , and the usual loyal and Royal Arch toasts were duly honoured . Comps . R . F . Gould and C . T . Tyler responded for the Grand , and Comps . J . B . S Lancaster and F . Prorose for the Prov . Grand Officers .

ORDER OF ST . J OHN OF J ERUSALEM IN ENGLAND . —The members and associates of the Grand Piiory of the Order of the Hospital of St . John of Jerusalem in England held their annual general assembly , under the presidency of Earl Egerton of Tatton , Chancellor of the Order , on the 24 th ult ., it being the Festival of St . John the Baptist . In the morning the commemora'ion services were held in St . John ' s Parish Church , Clerkenwell , and in the afternoon a meeting was htld at the Charterhouse , when reports on the woik of the Order were communicated . After the meeting , a demonstration on ambulance work was given by the members of the Metropolitan Corps of the St . John ' s Ambulance Brigade , in the grounds of the Charterhouse .