New Masonic Hall For Northumberland.

The possession of this ample and convenient building will have the effect , it is confidently believed , of still further stimulating the advance of Masonry in Northumberland , and extending the principles of thc Craft in no little degree . More lodges are urgently required , many of those now existing having become large to unwieldliness ; new " outer" Degrees are being

added yearly , and no one can foretell the extent to which b reemasonry will grow in Northumberland in the near future . There arc few , if any , provinces which excel Northumberland for harmony of " work " and

intercommunication of " lodges , " and the goodfcllowship which the new hall will , it is trusted , do much to extend , should bear fruit in increased numbers and in increased subscriptions to the g reat Masonic Charities , thus materially benefiting * the whole of the Craft .

Should any brother desire to know more about this new Masonic Hall Company , Limited , the Secretary , Bro . W . C . Foster , P . M ., P . P . G . Reg ., will be glad to afford full information . His address is g , Grainger-street West , Newcastle-on-Tyne .

It may be added that the styles of the various rooms in the new temple will be pure Doric , Ionic , and Corinthian respectively ; but that under a sc well-known Masonic architect as Bro . J . Johnstone , beauty of design and also of finish is of course fully assured .

In the course of a very short time the " corner stone " will be laid by , it is . hoped , some highly distinguished brother of the Craft , and this event should be a function long to be remembered by the whole northern Fraternity . Although full particulars of this ceremony cannot at present be given , they will be fully announced in due time .

" Nor Suffer The Same To Be Bone By Others If In My Power To Prevent."

" NOR SUFFER THE SAME TO BE BONE BY OTHERS IF IN MY POWER TO PREVENT . "

Shirking responsibility is one of the weak features in humanity evidencing a lack of moral courage . We are all more or less inclined to entrench ourselves behind the bulwark of " none of my business , " and permit the sin of omission to triumph . The first great criminal on record asked tbe question from the standpoint of irresponsibility : Am I my brother ' s keeper ? And

ever since the adage of " mind your own affairs " has sought for and gained a strong grasp upon the duty we owe our neighbour . I ' " reemasonry has as one of its great dominants this duty clearly defined . We are all obligated not only not to wrong a brother , but when we can we are to prevent a wrong being done to him . In fact , that portion of our O . B . makes us our brother ' s

keeper . Now , it is to be regretted that while the sin of commission in doing a personal wrong to one who has kneeled at the same altar with ourselves may be avoided ; still the sin of omission is so frequently lost sight of . How many there are who in the various walks of life , the avenues of trade , llic battle for existence by hand , brain , or tongue , have to reflect with sorrow

upon tbe absence of brotherly guardianship when most needed in tbe warning voice or the kind fraternal words of advice which were lacking in thc crucial moment . Do wc think sufficiently about tbis annex to our moral responsibility ? Do we fully realise the imperative necessity resting upon us to do as we would be done by ? Do we think that by a cowardly neglect of some negative duly

we owe to a brother we have done him a positive injustice or injury fully as bad as though we had conspired with his enemy to cheat , wrong , or defraud bim ? We have often thought that a " warning sign " in Masonry should be more clearly defined . It may be in the superior Degrees , but where the masses of the Craftsmen ' are found it is conspicuous by its absence . All other secret

societies have this method of giving warning of immediate or approaching danger , and it should be found in a society that is the progenitor of all others without the necessity of proving you or hc belong to the Sens of Light . When Mrs . Lease starts her " reformed Masonry " we trust she will establish some sign by which her confederates will know the presence of a cowan or

eavesdropper . Thc lady has the bint at lirst cost and can add it . to betesoteric knowledge . But seriously , there should be more attention paid lo the language of the O . B . All , or nearly sc , can repeat this solemn promise from first to last . Would it not be a good mental exercise some night when your eyes are not inclined to close in sleep to go over it sentence by sentence

and with the close of each see bow closely you have kept the spirit and leller of what you invited God and men to witness ? Ah ! how much will be found to be worn and weatherbeaten by the " sin of omission" stealing away the duty pledged to a brother , but in many instances neglected . —American Tyler .

Whence And What.

WHENCE AND WHAT .

Bro . W . R . Cunningham , writing m the I *» iei ; of Masonry , thus concludes an article on Masonic research and the reproduction of old manuscripts and records of Scottish and English lodges : In conclusion , tbe writer may be permitted to say that , although thus far but comparatively little attention has been given by Masonic writers to ether

than generalities in ielation to the dual features of Freemasonry in considering it under its two denominations of Operative and Speculative ; whilst there may be in their separate consideration and a careful analysis and stud y of all features pertaining thereto , whether historical , practical , or speculative , a possibility of throwing much lig ' -t upon lhat which is as yet obscure or

contradictory : and the dilficullic-s mcl with in the endeavour to harmonise ils history with ils traditions and ritual may be overcome by a correct understanding of its symb'jlogy . It is a matter of congratulation that the " One

Degree " theory , and the theory of a common origin and connection with ancient "Trade Guilds" have now bec : ii very generally abandoned b y Masonic writers , and when it is considered that as late as 16 75 a regulation was enacted by tbe Loelge of Melrose restoring the term of service of th

Whence And What.

" Prentisses from three or four years to seven years , without mention of any difference between the Operative or Speculative , and as it is well known that the Regius and other old manuscrips and copies of the Ancient Constitutions nnd regulations not only show that many of the requisites to be possessed by the apprentice could only refer to those who were candididates for its Speculative mysteries , but also show that its two characteristics

of Operative and Speculative were then as now pertinent to the Institution . Hence it may be reasonabl y inferred that it was not at all improbable that a difference existed in the initiatory methods or ceremonies of each—and whilst the " Masson Word , " & rc , may have been , in the Scottish lodges , communicated in a very " simpel manner , " yet it is not shown that there were no other Masonic ceremonies , either

in initiatory or other connections , but on the contrary the Ancient Constitutions , history , charges , songs , kc , in their possession were evident !}; for a Masonic purpose , and how or when in what connection used , that use was in itself a ceremonial . And in this connection the very existence of these ancient time-worn manuscripts and tbe consequent regulations and charges , are a sufficient proof of tbe existence of Masonic ceremonials , whilst the manner and mode of their use is a matter of much less consequence than their symbolic signification .

The speculative character of Freemasonry must have been , to some extent at least , understood by the general public even as early as 1721 , as Dr . Stukely says that " His curiosity led him to be initiated into the mysteries of Masonry , suspecting it to be the remains of the mysteries of the Antients . "

As the spirit of Freemasonry is its Speculative or Symbolic character , as built upon the Operative , a careful and patient analysis of the two denominations under which it is considered , viz ., " the Operative and Speculative , " must first be made before we can hope to arrive at even approximatel y correct conclusions concerning its Ancient Records and Ceremonies , or in obtaining satisfactory results in harmonising its history with its traditions

and ritual ; and whilst its remote history , outside of these ancient manuscri pt regulations and fragmentary records , is but the opinion , in their deductions , of its writers , yet we know that its grand principles embodied in the two great Commandments , that " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart , and with all thy soul and with all thy mind , " and " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself , " are now , as they were in

its inception , " its sure foundation , " and from which has been evolved its inculcations of " Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth , " contained in the practical lessons symbolised by the " Operative , " which is also , in its practical character , Ihe Symbol of Patience and Endurance , the Operative , therefore , signifies or represents that "good foundation upon which is to be

built a life in accordance with Divine Truth , " and is the rational and natural foundation of the " Speculative , " which symbolises the Wisdom , Strength , and Beauty of the Superstructure , and thereby illustrates the erection of that " Moral and Masonic Edifice , " or temple , represented by thc perfect man .

The Numerical Growth Of Masonry.

THE NUMERICAL GROWTH OF MASONRY .

There are nearl y 700 , 000 affiliated Master Masons in the United Stales , t' e exact number at the time the statistics were prepared being 689 , 587 . This was an increase of 23 . 005 oyer ihe previous year . The Craft is growing in . ilmo'l every country where it is established , and especially rapid is the growth in Great Britain , where the Fraternity , as it is organised

to-day , bad cs start . While we are glad to see our ancient and honourable sorii Iy gaining in membership , we cannot but think that its rapid growth is going 0 : 1 at tbe expense of ihe quality of the personnel . We are glad to sec our lodges adding to their rolls and to their funds . But il were belter to grow slowly and to be poor in point of treasury balance than

to confer degrees on men who are unworthy of them . In England , where the numerical increase is exceptionally great , the wiser and more thoughtful brethren are deploring the fact that so many ignorant and indifferent men are found among the candidates , and are calling upon the lodges to " go slow . " And many of our prominent brethren in the United States are sounding a warning to the Craft in this country .

Thc importance ol scrutinising * the character and the calibre of candidates cannot be too strongly impressed upon thc lodge members . Too many members of lodges are so amiable that they will not blackball a candidate , even if they suspect that the candidate is a person who would not make a good Mason . Masonry regards not the worldly wealth or honours of a

man , but it claims to regard the internal qualifications of a candidate . A man wbo crosses the threshold of our society should be a man of honour and virtue . He should also be a man with something of a Masonic mind and heart—that is to say , a mind to appreciate the beauties of our ritual and our symbols , and a heart full of kindness , ready to respond to the appeals of those

in need . We would be deli ghted to see the membershi p in the United Stales larger than it is , provided all the members were good and true Masons . But a small band of earnest , appreciative , loyal Masons would reflect far greater credit upon our institution than a roll of a million , half of whom would be immoral or sordid wen or drones . —Kouirh Ashlar .

OKIIKI' OK CAKI'ONAKI . —Properly the charcoal burners . The " Handbuch says , and we agree with it , that it sprung up in Italy , in the early part of tin * century , though il may have had something to do with other such societies , whi '' were prolific at the i-iul of the last century . Some have affirmed that there was a society in France of " Chatbonniers" and " Fendeurs , " and " lBons Cousins .

from whom tin : Carbonari also took the appellation of '' lions Cousins . " 11 "'*' claim for themselves a high antirjiiity , and their patron saint is St . Theobald-They appear to have borrowed many of their forms from Masonry , but as a ser . re political order we entirely agree with Mackey that they are " entitled to no lib ";* in a Masonic cyclopa-dia , except , perhaps-, to give us an opportunity of repudiatu'B the notion that they are in any way , however slightly , really connected with l ' * mason ry . —Ken n ing ' s Cyctopcedia ,