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- . CONTENTS . PAGE The Grand Lodge of New Zealand ... ... ... — 4 ^ 3 Glasgow International Exhibition ... _ ... ... ••¦ 4 ^ 3 United Grand Lodge ( Quarterly Communication ) ... ... 4 * 54 Mark Grand Lodge ( Quarterly Communication ) ... ... - 4 ^ 5 A Popular Freemason ... ... ... ... •« - — 4 ^ 6 Craft Masonry ... ... ... - - 4 ™

Science , Art , and the Drama ... ... ... ... — 4 7 M ASONIC NOTESQuarterly Commurication of United Grand Lodge ... ... ... 4 " 9 Quarterly Communication of Mark Grand Lodge ... ... ... 46 9 District Grand Lodge of Northern China ... ... ... ... 4 ^ 9 Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire ... ... ... ... 46 9

Correspondence ... ... ••¦ ¦•• ••• 4 / ° Reviews ... ••• ••• — ••• 47 ° Instruction ... ... ••• ••• ••• ••• 47 ° The September Magazines ... ... ... ... ... 47 ' New Masonic Hall at Okehampton ... ... ... ... 471 The Craft Abroad ... ... ... ... - ... 472 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Cornwall ... ... ... ... 473

SCOTLANDAirlie Memorial ... ... ... ... ... ... 473 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 473 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 474 POETRYSonnet for the Month of September ... ... ... ... 474

The Grand Lodge Of New Zealand.

THE GRAND LODGE OF NEW ZEALAND .

There can be no doubt that Freemasonry in the Colony of New Zealand is in a very flourishing condition , and that as the position of the Grand Lodge , which was formed some 10 years since or more , and was subsequently recognised by our Grand

Lodge as the supreme Masonic authority , becomes more stable , it will go on acquiring further strength , and will in time , in fact as well as in name , become the supreme governing body of the whole Craft in the Colony . Tlie establishment of this Grand

Lodge was the cause of a good deal of bitterness , but that feeling is fast disappearing , if , indeed , it has not entirely disappeared already , and the members of the lodges holding under the different Constitutions work most harmoniously together .

lhe result is that each year sees the local Grand Lodge becoming , as we have previously said , more and more prosperous . The roll of lodges grows more and more formidable , the work of administration runs more smoothly , and the

financial state of things is more encouraging . All this , 'indeed , is evident from the printed report of the proceedings which took place at the annual meeting at Christchurch on the 25 th April last , under the presidency of Hro . ALEX . S . RUSSELL . M . W . G . M .,

who was supported by sundry Past Grand Masters , thc Grand Officers Present and Past , and thc representatives of the private lodges . The balances to the credit of the several Grand Lodge Funds amount in the aggregate to

upwards of £ 4000 , the General Fund showing a balance of dose on £ 8 oo , that of Benevolence over ^ 2000 , the Widows' and Orphans' Fund not quite £ 7 80 , and the Aged and Indigent Masons' Fund upwards of £ 240 . Thc Table of

the Returns gives a total of 53 85 subscribing Masons on the 3 'st December last , as compared with 5181 on the corresponding date in 18 99 , the number of lodges among which these members arc distributed being 117 , while the highest on the roll ranks as

Ao . 121 . There is , indeed , but one cloud in thc horizon hen ; , and that has to do with—almost as usual—a question of jurisdiction , the Grand Master of one of the Districts under the Grand Lod ge of Scotland ' having sanc-. ioned the formation of a new

odge , notwithstanding that the Grand Lodge of Scotland haslike those of Fngland and Ireland—accorded full recognition to tlie Grand Lod ge of New Zealand . No doubt in time the

difference between the two bodies will be amicably settled , , lout what the District Grand Master under the Scottish Constitution can have been about to allow a new lodge to be started under the circumstances we have some difficulty in imagining . Scottish

The Grand Lodge Of New Zealand.

brethren , and especially those holding important offices , mist by this time bc perfectly aware that when a local Grand Lodge is formed it becomes , if recognised by our ( Jrand Lodges , the sovereign independent Masonic authority in the locality ; the

latter , retaining on their register all such lodges as may have elected to remain in their old allegiance , but surrendering the right which the )* , or their Grand Master , may have exercised of granting warrants for the constitution of new lodges within the

jurisdiction of the local Grand Lodge . The terms on which the independence ol a new Masonic supreme authority is recognised are , as a rule , these—that the new Grand Lodge will respect the rights and privileges of all such lodges as may desir

to remain in allegiance to the Grand Lodge that created them , while the old Grand Lodge undertakes to issue no furtherwarrants . These conditions have been found to work well , as a rule , nor , as far as wc are aware , is there any of our Colonial

Grand Lodges that has declined recognition on these terms except that of Quebec , which in 1 S 75 , or a few years after its secession from Canada , the Grand Lodge of England offered to recognise , and would th » n and there have recognised , if Quebec

hadagreedto the conditions . 1 he great point , after all , is to se : ure the prosperity of the Craft in any colony or district in which it may haye been established , and if that object can be better attained by forming a local Grand Lodge , then let the latter be

formed as soon as possible and accorded recognition by the Grand Lodges which previously exercised concurrent jurisdiction in the Colony . The mistake which what is now the recognised Grand Lodge of New Zealand mad 2 was in starting on its

career with only a small minority of the private lodges supporting it , but the minority has since become the majority ; the Masonic independence of Ne . v Zealand is an accomplished fact ; and before many years are over , there is little doubt that it

will have the whole body of lodges on its register . However , it is satisfactory to know that , with the exception of this difference with Scotland , the progress of this Colonial Grand Ledge has been saasfactory during the past year , lhat it has grown so

strong in numbers , and that it has accumulated so substantial a sum for its Benevolent Funds . Next year we hope the progress will be more marked and that the difference with the Grand Lodg ; of Scotland will have been amicably adjusted .

Glasgow International Exhibition.

GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION .

Thc unrivalled Exhibition at Glasgow contains much of interest to the Masonic student , both generally and specifically , for Scotland is rich in old records of guilds , companies , and

lodges . The Patron is Mis Most Excellent Majesty the King ( Prjtector of the Craft ) , and the President is the Right Hon . the Lord Blythswood ot B vthswood ( Grand Master of Scotland , 1885-1891 ) .

The " Book of Scottish History and Archaeology , " being the official Catalogue of that Section of the Exhibition , affords many particulars , directly or indirectly , affecting the Fraternity ; the Catalogue containing many thousands of items domiciled in this important Division , those numbered alone running to fully 300 > exhibits .

It would not be easy to write a short notice of this catalogue , if the curious , va luable , and most important exhibits were generally described , so of necessity I must rigidly keep to what

more immediately concerns the " rrctemason . " No . 14 , is a miniature portrait on ivory of the Duke of Sussex ( Grand Master of England 1813-43 ) , and 709 is devoted to " a pair ot gloves worn on the scaffold by the Earl of Kilmarnock , " win