Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 137 Consecration of the Abbey I-odye , No . 2030 , Westminster 138 Consecration of the Crook Lodge , No . 2019 140 The Recent Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 140

The Rexision of the Constitutions 141 The Masonic Exhibition at York 141 Opening of the Nexv Cross Lodge of Instruction , No . 1559 141 The Cambridge Local Examinations 141 CORRESPONDENCERoyal Masonic Institution for Otrls—96 th Annivcrsarv Festival .... 143

CoRRERi-oxnEXCE ( continued)—Prox-incial ( "Irand Secretaries 143 The Oldest Freemason in Kngland 143 Reviexx-s 143 Notes and Queries 144 Royal Masonic Hencvolent Institution ... 144

KF . I'ORTS ( IF M . XSO . VIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry , 144 Instruction 147 Royal Arch 147 Masonic Balls 148 The Theatres 148 Obituary 148 Masonic and General Tidings 119 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 150

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THE anniversary festival for the Girls' School is fixed for May 21 st . Lord BROOKE , M . P ., Prov . G . M . for Essex , a very popular and rising Mason , xvill preside . We havc no doubt but that his oxvn province xvill support him , and Warwickshire may lend a helping hand . We anticipate a goodly gathering under his Chairmanship , and trust that Bro . HF . noKS may have a gratifying

announcement to make xvhen he reports the total of the Stexvards' List . We regret , hoxvever , to add that up to the present the Stexvards number under 200 . There is no doubt plenty of time before thc Festival to increase that number , and wc would urge on all our readers and all the friends of the School the need there is that they should come forxvard to assist in

maintaining the School in its fullest efficiency , Up to the present time many provinces are not represented at all , and though as xve knoxv some provinces only send Stexvards every third year for this or that particular Charity , yet surely there is a very large margin left of duty unperformed and support 1111-given . We have heard it said the Girls' School has a considerable funded

capital . So it has , and most xvisely so , both as provision for unavoidable contingencies and a " rainy day "; but not too large , and in itself going but . 1 little way , by the use of the " interest , " in thc support and developcment of the School . The amount derived from capital invested is , —to use a familar expression , —a " mere flea bite " in regard of the claims for the

maintenance and education of the children , xvhich are normal and needful . Thc Girls' School is an institution of xvhich our Order may well be proud . It is " second to none " in existence , and may be said fairly to be " unique " in its admirably conceived and administered system of judicious , useful , and valuable instruction . Let us seek to make the Festival of 1884 a thorough success .

# * # A MOST gratifying fact has been announced to us officially , that of 15 girls sent up to the Cambridge Local Examination all have passed—nine in honours , and six have " satisfied thc examiners . " Of the nine—one in thc second class and eight in the third—there is no reason that a first class

should not have been obtained by our girls ; but Greek and one or txvo other subjects are not studied nt Wandsworth . Wc beg to say , xvith some knowledge both cf the examination and the subject itself , that such a result is a proof of most careful training and of much scholarly aptitude . We congratulate the authorities of the School on such a very satisfactory state

of affairs , which xvill be both a subject of rejoicing to all thc friends of the Institution , and reflects the very highest possible credit on Miss DAVIS , the very able head , Miss REDGRAVE , and the rest of the carefully-selected

and painstaking teachers . All who are versed in the minutirc of the Local Examinations and the realities of school xvork , xvill agree , as with us , in thinking that such a successful result of the Cambridge Examination for thc School deserves very hearty commendation and special record .

M # * WE are also happy to announce that 24 of Our Boys have also passed the Cambridge Examination—15 in honours and nine " satisfied the examiners . " Of those xvho passed in honours , six xvere in the first class , txvo in the second , and seven in the third . We refer our readers to the detailed report elsewhere , congratulating all concerned on so satisfactory a result .

«* # OUR readers xvill have seen xvith gladness the announcement last xveek that the correspondence in re the election of Grand Treasurer has closed ,

Such a determination xvill be a source of relief to many . Let us hope that twelve months hence , if the subject is to be again discussed , it will be treated xvith less vehemence , and handled xvith greater calmness , forbearance , and fraternal consideration .

* * * OUR worthy contemporary the Canadian Craftsman seems sadly exercized with some remarks of the Freemason . We take his complaints seriatim . One is as follows : "The London Freemason has the meanness to insinuate , by copying a lying paragrap h from the Montreal Post , that Quebec Masonic lodges are connected xvith Orangeism . —Shame I shame ! shame ! " We

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really do not understand what our contemporary means or complains of . We quoted a paragraph from the Montreal Post for the information of our readers , but by no means thereby , by a common use of quotations , implying

our acceptance of or adhesion to thc facts alleged . 1 he only authoritative expression of the Freemason is to be found in its editorial first page , and no information of any kind to the effect complained of has ever found place there . * * ±

THF . next cause of offence is given as folloxvs : "The London Freemason calls the invasion of the jurisdiction of the Grand Chapter of Quebec ' a two-penny halfpenny affair at the most , ' and the action of that Grand Chapter in defending herself a ' stupid development of perverse fatuity , ' and adds , ' it is doubtful xvhether the Grand Lodge of Quebec or

the Grand Chapter of Quebec are anything more in the eyes of the laxv than illegal secret associations . ' Fie ! fie ! fie !'" The whole question turns on a point of laxv . Either the Quebec Grand Lodge is legal by the laxvs of the land , or it is not . If it is not , all thc fine writing in the xvorld , all the vehemence possible will not make it so , and all that we have to

concern ourselves with is , Docs the statute laxv of the land render illegal by in provisions thc Grand Lodge of Quebec ' i It is a rule of Masonry that xvhen the law docs not recognise or sanction the meeting of lodges , they cannot meet , and when they are prohibited by specific enactments , they clearly cannot lawfully assemble , nor can they claim to be regular bodies of Masons .

They become clandestine associations . There are many cases in thc last century xvhere the lodges held legal warrants , but the law of the land forbidding thc meeting of the lodge , the warrant xvas surrendered anti the meetings ceased . There is nothing in thc point whether it be a Roman Catholic country or a Protestant country . It is simply a question of law .

Wc apprehend this point of legality is held as strongly by the American Masons as by ourselves , and though we always live and learn , it is certainly nexv to us to hear it suggested that Masonry is in any shape superior la the laxv , be that law xvhere and what it may be . Wo think our good confrere has got a little " mixed up . "

• • • A MOVEMF . NT is going on in Canada , xvhich is curious and interesting in itself , as showing forcibly thc outcome of those hasty mox-es for " separation , " xvhich have been such a characteristic of Canadian Freemasonry . If our readers xvish to realize the reality of the original case , they had better peruse

the official correspondence , or study the then authentic intelligence of the Masonic Observer . Just now in thc Masonic dominions they are in a " fix . " Quebec " sxvarmed " from Canada , Ontario is doing the same . I ( Quebec xvas lawful in its emergence from connection into independency , wc cannot sec " a priori " or " primA facie " xvhy Ontario is not . It seems to us that

the " engineer is hoist by his oxvn petard , " and that what is " sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander . " According to the Quebec viexv , each prox-incc , like the United States in America , can haxc a conterminous Grand Lodge , and , if so , unless it can be clearly shown that the movement in Ontario has no geographical or Masonic features , properly or legally , in its

favour , wc cannot sec why what Quebec did Ontario cannot do . But wc pronounce no opinion and express no partiality , favour , or affection . All xve xvant is the truth ; the facts of the case . Will any brother in Canada kindly post us up , since , as regards details and actualities , wc arc xvithout information and without knowledge ?

Mt « THE following genuine and startling and amusing "tottle" of Masonic Statistics is taken from El Taler , a Spanish Masonic paper , of date February 15 th , printed at Seville . No wonder the Jesuit and Ultramontane party are full of fears and complaints . There are stated to be in the

United States of America 5 , 650 , 000 members of thc Order ; in Brazil and South America , 3 , 791 , 000 ; in Asia and Oceania ( this last touch is sublime ) , 402 , 000 ; inAfrica , including Egypt , 78 , 500 ( this particularity is notexvorthy ); and in all the countriesjof Europe 4 , 853 , 000 ; in all the magnificent number of 14 , 865 , 000 . We feel inclined to echo Mr . MANTALINI ' S emphatic ejaculations .

The financial portion of these Statistics is still more astounding and deserving of note . The total income , and that is the curious contrast of this great army , according to this accurate statist amounts to . £ 223 , 20 3 . £ 68 , 746 are spent in printing , & c , . £ 8 9 , 215 in relief to distressed Masons , £ 29 , 875 in pensions to xvidows and orphans , £ 21 , 448 in asylums and

schools , £ 6946 in help to the profane , and £ 5288 in the adoption of Lewtons and Lexvises ; in all £ " 223 , 303 . Of course these figures are simply absurd , and the proportion of funds to members still more so . From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step . The Liberal Freemason , on the faith of some old figures in the Freemason , assigns the members at 1 , 500 , 000 Freemasons , and though our excellent confrere Bro . HUBERT ,