A DAILY ADVANCEMENT.

———<>———

o make a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge . . . " This is something we have all undertaken to

do. What, in fact, does it mean? Masonic knowledge is a term which is susceptible of a number of

interpretations. At his initiation, and while he is passing through the degrees, the student acquires a

miscellaneous assortment of knowledge, some of which makes a sensory appeal, some of which appeals to

the intelligence, while certain cardinal truths, presented in a peculiar manner, make an appeal to the spirit.

All of this is Masonic knowledge, some rudimentary, some basic.

Later the student notices on his circular a note about the Ritual—obtainable from Bro. Secretary— 5/-.

Before long he acquires a copy, learns a charge or two, or the I.G.'s work, assimilates various Masonic

lessons through his study as through his attendance at Lodge. The mere reading and hearing over and over

again of certain ritual passages is a useful discipline. We do best what we do by habit.

All this constitutes an advancement in the initiate's knowledge, but it may be that he is still not satisfied.

Perhaps, as a Master Mason, he becomes an associate member of a Lodge of Research, because he feels

impelled to find out something of the why and the wherefore, and to study the history of the great Order of

which he has become a junior member. According to his make-up and his degree of intelligence he will read

volumes of pious but perhaps not altogether useless platitudes—writers on the Craft have written many

such—or the more scholarly works of Knoop, Jones and Hamer and other writers who have applied historical

method to the study of the Craft, and brought to the work a high degree of lay erudition. We have Masonic

scholars and writers of some calibre among our own Brethren in New Zealand.

In this warm atmosphere the student's knowledge cannot fail to increase and flourish, and our Lodges of

Research, where community of interest is so strong, provide an outlet for the more intellectual side of the

Freemason's character, which the panoply of ceremonial and regalia cannot touch.

All this is valuable, although time is necessary before the student can learn to discriminate between the gold

and the dross. Many of the printed explanations of how things began and of why things are clone as they are

done are no more than post factum guesses; hypotheses intended to provide a reasonable and satisfying

explanation for the Freemason of today. In this they are often successful; but such guesswork provides no

basis for the more serious kind of Masonic scholarship, which demands facts, chapter and verse, and weight

of evidence. There is plenty of this real kind of scholarship today, and contact with it is exhilarating and

valuable.

It was St. Thomas Aquinas who debated how many angels could dance on the point of a needle. In Masonic

research, as elsewhere, there is danger of becoming involved with the minutiae of the subject, with study for

study's sake, with seeing so many trees that one loses sight of the essential wood, the peculiar system of

morality which is real as opposed to the veil of allegory and the illustrative symbols, which, though they are

our own and though they constitute so much of the attraction of the Craft, are artificial.

The truth of the matter is that a real advancement in Masonic knowledge consists in a growing appreciation

of the ethical code of the Order; appreciation which in time becomes so valid that it compels the application

of the code to one's personal life.

Ritual is a means, regalia is a means, research is a means. The Craft itself is the end, and the Masonic Craft is

in its essence a way of life. Within the tenets of the Craft are to be found the means of averting war, of living

in harmony with one another, of building and helping and striving to make humankind a more worthy thing.

Freemasonry is a code compounded of those things upon which all good men agree. It leaves the individual

entire freedom of worship; it is inconsistent with no good dogma, but it adopts none and it demands none. Its

T

teachings consist only of the residuum which is left when matters of sectarian difference are ruled out:

surprisingly enough, this residuum contains all the essentials of the great religions. These may be summed up

in the modern way as the duty towards one's God, one's neighbour and oneself; but they recall the search of

the ancients for the perfect way of life.

A daily advancement in the art of full and beneficent living is a daily advancement indeed. It is this which

the Craft asks of us.

In asking, it provides the means, but it is for the individual to recognise allegory and symbol for what they

are, and to grasp hold of the essential truths.

————————

WHAT IS A BOY?

———<>———

He is a person who is going to carry on what you have started.

He is to sit right where you are sitting and attend when you are gone to those things you think are so

important.

You may adopt all the policies you please. but how they will be carried out depends upon him.

Even if you make leagues and treaties, he will have to manage them.

He is going to sit at your desk in the Senate, and occupy your place on the Supreme Bench.

He will assume control of your cities, states and nation.

He is going to move in, take over your prisons, churches, schools, universities and corporations.

All your work is going to be judged and praised or condemned by him.

Your reputation and your future are in his hands. All your work is for him, and the fate of the nation and of

humanity is in his hands.

So it might be well to pay him some attention.

—Author Unknown.

————————

EACH OFFICE IS IMPORTANT.

———<>———

There is no small office in Masonry. The Junior Deacon and stewards are just as important as the Master, for

upon them depends in a large measure the future of the newly-made Mason.

First impressions are lasting, and it is an old saying that as the twig is bent the tree is inclined. It, therefore,

follows that these officers should be well chosen, and should be thoroughly cognisant of the importance of

their places.—"Masonic News."

————————

ST. JOHN'S CHAPEL.

———<>———

HOME OF CANONGATE KILWINNING.

————

OLDEST MASONIC BUILDING IN THE WORLD.

"To her ranks has come such a phalanx of great and good in every field of human activity, as might

well make her the envy of the proudest sister in the land. Her brightest names are not hers alone, but

Scotland's; and among them are many that posterity will not willingly let die."

St. John's Chapel is of great antiquarian interest as the home of Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, and is

probably the oldest Masonic Chapel in the world.

The traditions of Canongate Kilwinning, as an operative body, begin with the building of Holyrood Abbey

and Palace, when, by Royal Warrant, skilled builders and craftsmen were brought from all parts of the

country to assist in the work. The Abbey was founded by King David I in 1128 for the Canons Regular of St.

Augustine, and dedicated to the Holy Rood or Cross brought to Scotland by his mother, the pious Margaret.

The Cross was called the Black Rood of Scotland. The Lodge was practically identified with the religious

foundations of the Abbey, till the growing Burgh of Canongate outside the walls of Edinburgh became of

sufficient importance, amid the religious struggles of the 16th and 17th centuries, to confer rights of freedom

of trade apart from the protection of the Church. The trade societies of the Burgh never owed any allegiance

to Edinburgh, and the somewhat arrogant attempts made by the trades of the latter to exercise control in the

Canongate invariably led to indignant repudiation.

The Canongate Masons, however, while dating their corporate privileges from King David's character to the

Canons of Holyrood and the constitution of the Burgh of Canongate, and being entirely separate from and

independent of Edinburgh, identified themselves with the general body five years after the Parish Church

was transferred from the Abbey, In that year they accepted a warrant from Mother Kilwinning, which—as

the Head, though in influence only the second, Lodge in the Kingdom—was at the time exercising the

functions of Grand Lodge. Mother Kilwinning had a traditional connection similar to that of Canongate, with

the skilled ecclesiastical builders and architects of the time.

Like several other Lodges in England and Scotland, and owing to the incompleteness or absence of

documentary evidence of earlier existence our precedence thus runs conventionally from a much later date,

1677, than the real inception of the Lodge warrants. In respect of its constitution at so early a date as a purely

speculative Lodge, independent of and uncontrolled by any trade organisation or incorporation, it takes rank

as one of the very oldest of existing Lodges. It is one of the few which cannot, and does not, produce to

candidates or anyone else any "charter or warrant of constitution from the Grand Lodge of Scotland." Indeed,

the initiative in forming Grand Lodge was taken by Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, and one of its members,

William St. Clair of Rosslyn, became first Grand Master of Free Masons in Scotland in 1677.

The Lodge holds its Annual Festival on St. John the Baptist's Day corresponding with the Summer Solstice.

and its bright red clothing and apt motto both pointedly refer to the dawn of day in the East and ancient Sun

Worship. As the Sun never sets but to rise again, so, according to the oldest forms at every Communication,

the work is closed, but the Lodge is never closed—only adjourned.

The Lodge preserves the ancient Scottish arrangement of the interior, having the Master's and Warden's

Chairs at the three points of a triangle, the Master's Chair forming the apex. This is the correct and most

ancient arrangement of a Scottish Lodge, corresponding with the so-called Higher Degrees, and also with the

Continental Masonic systems, but differing from the English and American systems.

During recent years the Lodge premises have been greatly enlarged and improved, increasing the size of the

refectory, as well as adding a large museum between the Chapel itself and the new St. John Street frontage,

designed to harmonise with the older part of the building. Subsequent extensions have included the old

theatre on the east side of Old Playhouse Close, and the town house of the Earls of Wemyss in St. John

Street.

The old entrance to the Lodge by St. John's Close can now be used at any time. It gives access to the

Refectory Kitchen and to an arched vault in the basement. On the middle flat, to which access is obtained by

a turretted staircase, is the old Kitchen of the Tenandries. The pillars on either side of the door between the

Old Kitchen and the Secretary's room are from the old Council Chambers in Leith. The fireplace now

disclosed was formerly covered by masonry and partitions.

The Lodge possesses an interesting Museum, containing many unique articles connected with the Craft. The

organ in the chapel is probably the oldest in use in Scotland, and the only existing one on which the songs of

Burns were played in his presence.

The Roll of Members includes the names of men famous in history, literature, law, medicine, and other

spheres—men who have helped to make Scotland and the British Empire.

One of the most interesting features of the Lodge is the office of Poet-Laureate, and more especially the con-

nection of the Lodge with Robert Burns, on whom the title was first conferred.

It was early in 1787 that the Lodge first started the practice of appointing and installing a Poet-Laureate, and

the list of Masons holding this office since that time includes some of the great literary geniuses of the past

one hundred and fifty-eight years. Besides Robert Burns, the office has been held by James Hogg, The

Ettrick Shepherd (1835); William Hay, The Lintie O'Moray (1836); E. W. Lane, M.D. (1842); Anthony

O'Neal Haye, author of "Poemata" and editor of the Scottish Freemason magazine (1860); Andrew

Stevenson, MA., author of "The Laureate Wreath" (1880); Wallace Bruce, author of "The Old Organ"

(1890); Charles Martin Hardie, R.S.A. (1897); Rudyard Kipling (1905).

Burns was entered Apprentice on 4th July, 1781, in Lodge St. David's, Tarbolton. Ayrshire (about a month

after the two Lodges, St. David's and St. James, in that town had been united). He was then in his 23rd year,

and from that date until his death he was a most enthusiastic member of the Craft, paying regular attendance

at, and identifying himself with, the Lodges in every place where he happened to be for the time.

On the reconstruction of Lodge St. James, about a year after his initiation, he identified himself with that

section, and in 1784 was elected Deputy Master of St. James. The meetings were, at the time, held in a

public-house, which is now in ruins, scarcely anything but the bare walls standing.

Burns often presided over the Lodge, a fact to which he refers in his poems.

He was an affiliated member of Lodge St. Andrews, Dumfries, No. 179. The mallet and an apron of that

Lodge used in his time are in possession of Grand Lodge of Scotland. It is not Burns' own private apron.

He was affiliated in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning on 1st February, 1787, and was elected and installed Poet-

Laureate of that Lodge on March 1st. 1787. The Lodge, containing as it did the elite of the bright and learned

of Edinburgh Society and some of the foremost spirits of Scottish life of the time, welcomed Burns with

whole-hearted enthusiasm, and the enthusiasm found tangible expression, not only at meetings, but also in

supporting and assisting the preparation of first Edinburgh edition of his works.

The fact of the inauguration of Burns as Poet-Laureate was, some time ago, finally and judicially established

after an elaborate and exhaustive inquiry by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, which possesses the well-known

historic painting representing the scene, painted by Bro. Stewart Watson, and presented to Grand Lodge by

Dr. James Burness, the distinguished Indian traveller and administrator, and a distant relative of Burns

through his ancestry in Kincardineshire, from which Burns' father migrated to Ayrshire.

James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, who was the next Poet-Laureate, was installed in office in 1835. A special

meeting of the Lodge was held at the Cleikum Inn, St. Roman's, Innerleithen, when he was initiated into the

Craft, and sang to the assembled brethren his own song. "When the Kye comes hame."

The names of Alexander Anderson (Surfaceman), Wallace Bruce, T. N. Hepburn (Gabriel Setoun), and

Rudyard Kipling appear in later years. —"New England Masonic Craftsman."

————————

THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.

———<>———

(By M.W. Bro. C. C. Hunt, Grand Secretary Emeritus, Iowa.)

————

Brotherly Love is one tenet of a Mason's profession that is now rejected by a large part of the human race,

and unparalleled wretchedness is the result of such rejection. "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for

Brethren to dwell together in unity," said the Psalmist, and he might also have said, Behold how wretched

and how miserable it is for men to forget that they are Brethren.

There are many beautiful Masonic traditions about King Solomon's Temple, which illustrate the Wisdom,

Strength and Beauty of the Great Architect of the Universe and of our relation to Him as our Heavenly

Father. One of these is that the site upon which the Temple of Solomon was built was owned in common by

two brothers, one of whom had a family, the other none. One night, after the harvest, the older brother said to

his wife, ''My younger brother is unable to bear the heat and burden of the day. I will arise, take some of my

shocks and place them, without his knowledge, among his shocks." The younger brother, being actuated by

similar kind motives, said within himself, "My brother has a family and I have none. I will contribute to their

needs. I will take of my shocks and place them with his without his knowledge."

Great was the astonishment of both when, on the following morning, they found their shocks undiminished.

This happened several nights in succession, when each resolved to stand guard and solve the mystery. They

did so, and on the following night the two brothers met half-way between their respective shocks with arms

full of golden grain.

Upon ground hallowed by such associations, "the threshing floor of Ornam and Jebusite," was the temple of

Solomon erected—that temple so spacious, so magnificent, the admiration and wonder of the world. It is

only upon ground hallowed by love that any enduring structure can be built. On no other basis can peace,

goodwill, justice, and righteousness be established among men for all generations, Better foundations for all

the interests of mankind can no one lay than those which are laid in the best affections of the heart.

The temple of Solomon has long since crumbled into ruins, and the place where it once stood can hardly be

pointed out to the pilgrim; but Freemasonry, which exemplifies the beautiful traditions of the location of the

temple and transmits the legend of its building, has defied the ravages of time and the persecutions of

ignorance, bigotry, and intolerance, and survives in all the plentitude of youthful vigour and activity.

Freemasonry, whose foundations are laid deep in the God-given principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth,

whose empire is the world and whose covering is the clouded canopy or star-decked heavens, to be reached

by the theological ladder of faith, hope and charity, will live "as long as the cloud-shadows shall rest on the

mountains and the rivers roll to the sea."

Masons know that by the exercise of Brotherly Love we are taught to regard the whole human species as one

family—the high, the low, the rich, the poor—who, as created by one Almighty Parent and inhabitants of the

same planet, are to aid, support, and protect each other. The opposite doctrine now seems to prevail, and we

now see a world torn by bitter strife and lands drenched in fraternal blood.

The cruelties perpetrated by some of the contestants in the present struggle have led some people to doubt

the truth of our Masonic tenet, for surely, they say, no child of God could be guilty of such barbarous deeds.

They overlook the fact that children of the best of fathers sometimes go astray and become great criminals.

The relationship of father and son is not destroyed thereby, although the son has forfeited all rights to his

father's regard.

The truth of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man is universal and is not confined to Masonry.

We find it taught all through the Bible, and the tracing of its development is an interesting study.

Masonry says we were created by one Almighty Parent. The Bible says, "In the beginning God created the

heaven and the earth." The Creator is not necessarily a parent. The word "create" means to bring into

existence something that previously did not exist at all. When existing material is reformed into something

different, the words "make," "form," etc., are used, not "create."

In the first chapter of Genesis, the word "create" is used three times, and each time it refers to something en-

tirely new, which God then called into existence:

First, matter. "God created the heaven and the earth," which was "without form and void." Then from this

chaotic mass, God made the present orderly universe, which "brought forth grass and herb . . . whose seed

was in itself, after his kind."

Second, living creatures. "God created every living creature that moveth." God then made various kinds of

animal life from the "living creatures" he had created. Man as an animal was thus made, for God formed man

of the dust of the ground.

Third, man. Then He "breathed into his nostrils

the breath of life, and man became a living soul."

"So God created man in His own image, in the

image of God created He him."

Like the beasts of the field man was formed of the

dust of the ground, but in man God created

something more—the living soul. We are told that

God careth for the living creatures He had created,

but he loves man. The dictionary defines love as

"devoted affection for or attachment to: strictly

applicable to persons."

Thus God is the Father of all mankind in a sense other than the creator of their physical bodies. He is also the

creator of every living creature. He is the creator not only of man's physical body but of his living soul. It is

the living soul which He created in His own image, an image which in many men has become so distorted by

sin that the Divine Image cannot be seen in them. The parable of the prodigal son shows that God's love for

His children never falters, although He cannot help them while they keep themselves at a distance from Him.

—"N.S.W. Freemason."

————————

ORDER OF THE SECRET MONITOR.

———<>———

A very happy evening was spent recently at the Masonic Hall, The Terrace, Wellington, when the regular

meeting of Aotearoa Conclave, No. 44, was held. The ceremony of the Induction of two candidates was

performed by the Past Supreme Rulers, W. Bro. E. A. Ballinger occupying the chair. The candidates and the

brethren generally were impressed by the efficient manner in which the degree was worked. Following the

degree work, the Installation of Bro. F. B. Aburn as Supreme Ruler of the Conclave took place. The

Installing Officer was R.W. Bro. F. E. Hall, District Grand Recorder, and the Commissioning of the Supreme

Ruler was carried out by R.W. Bro. George Russell, District Grand Supreme Ruler. Altogether a very

interesting and profitable evening concluded with a pleasant hour in the refectory.

The Installation meeting of Otakou Conclave, No. 53, was held at the Masonic Temple, King Street,

Dunedin, on 24th July, when Bro. A. de Haro was installed into the Supreme Ruler's chair. R.W. Bro. V. R.

Anderson, Past Dist. Grand Guide, accompanied by his District Grand Officers, conducted a very impressive

ceremony. A feature of the evening was the presence of eleven Past Supreme Rulers. V.W. Bro. C. J.

Hayward was given the honour of Commissioning Bro. de Haro. In the course of his remarks R.W. Bro. V.

R. Anderson congratulated the Conclave on the excellent progress it had made during the year. He also

congratulated R.W. Bro. G. Russell on his appointment to the office of District Grand Supreme Ruler.

During the evening four new candidates were proposed. It may not be generally known that the Conclave

admits Brethren of any Constitution.

————————

"THE PELICAN."

———<>———

The pelican is an appropriate symbol in the higher degrees of Freemasonry, or perhaps more correctly those

degrees and orders, based on the Christian concept, whose great object is to teach by symbolism the

resurrection to eternal life. This is especially so in the A. and A. Rite, where the old Temple is destroyed, the

old Word lost and a new Temple and a new Word are revealed. The transition from the old to the new

dispensation is beautifully portrayed in allegorical language, with its culmination in the destruction of death

and the resurrection to eternal life.

The fable of the pelican is a very old one, and in early writings we find: ''The pelican is very fond of his

young ones, and when they are born and begin to grow, they rebel in their nest against their parent, and strike

him with their wings flying about him, and beat him so much till they wound him in the eyes. Then the father

strikes and kills them, and the mother is of such a nature that she comes back to the nest on the third day, and

sits down upon her dead young ones, and opens her side with her bill and pours her blood over them, and so

resuscitates them from death; for the young ones, by their instinct, receive the blood as soon as it comes out

of the mother, and drink it."

This fable underwent many changes until eventually the symbolism came to mean "that the pelican fed her

young with her own blood merely as a means of sustenance," and this was used as a reference to Christ

"shedding his blood for the sins of the world."

The stories concerning the pelican were strongly believed in the early history of the church, and the pelican

was adopted, (a) as a symbol of the Saviour Who shed His blood for mankind, and (b) as a symbol of the

resurrection.

The usual diagramatic representation of this symbol is that of the bird sitting on her nest with her young ones

dipping their beaks into the wounds on the mother's breast, and as such refers to the resurrection.

As an emblem of the Saviour, Pugin has said that the pelican is "an emblem of our blesssed Lord shedding

his blood for mankind, and, therefore, a most appropriate symbol to be introduced on all vessels or

ornaments connected with the Blessed Sacrament." From "The Antiquities of Durham Abbey" we learn that

"over the high altar of Durham Abbey hung a rich and most sumptuous canopy for the Blessed Sacrament, to

hang within it, whereon stood a pelican, all of silver, upon the height of the said canopy, very finely gilt,

giving her blood to her young ones, in token that Christ give His blood for the sins of the world."

"The old symbologists said, after Jerome, that the male pelican who destroyed the young, represented the evil

principle, while the mother, who resuscitates them, is the representative of the Son of Man."

— N.S.W. Freemason."

————————

LODGE TEVIOT, No. 148, HONOURS W. BRO. DR. J. R. GILMOUR, P.G.SWD.B.

———<>———

A fitting tribute was paid to W. Bro. Dr. J. R. Gilmour, P.G.Swd.B., by Lodge Teviot on 10th August at

Roxburgh, when a special meeting was held to suitably recognise the valuable service rendered as Secretary

over a period of 35 years. The brethren of the Lodge fully demonstrated their appreciation by attending in

force to do him honour.

After the W.M., W. Bro. Wingfield, had extended a welcome to M.W. Bro. E. C. Smith, G.M., R.W. Bro. H.

Archbold, Prov.G.M., and other G.L. officers, he announced the reason for the meeting and requested the

G.M. to make a presentation to W. Bro. Gilmour in recognition of his long service as Secretary of the Lodge.

In making the presentation the G.M. spoke of the very exceptional service rendered by our W. Brother to

Teviot Lodge and to the Craft in general—executed in characteristically capable manner and always with the

view of promoting happiness, contentment and goodwill among the brethren. In gratitude and appreciation of

this long and valuable service the Lodge resolved to make W. Bro. Gilmour an Honorary Member. His

services were also recognised in 1924, when he was elevated to Grand Lodge rank.

In pinning a handsome Secretary's Jewel on the recipient's breast, M.W. Bro. Smith emphasised that the

jewel was not so much a reward for services well and faithfully rendered but as an expression of the esteem

and respect in which he is held by all the brethren, and concluded by expressing the hope that opportunities

would be afforded to enable W. Bro. Gilmour to continue to serve the Lodge and further the interests of

Freemasonry in the District.

R.W. Bro. H. Archbold fully endorsed the sentiments expressed by the Grand Master, and stressed the value

of the efficient service rendered so willingly and capably, and the many benefits received by the Lodge

members through the sound advice and guidance extended to them by W. Bro. Gilmour. These remarks were

also endorsed by R.W. Bro. H. A. Lamb, Grand Secretary, who stressed the value of the cordial relationship

that existed between Lodge Secretaries and Grand Lodge.

W. Bro. Gilmour, in reply, feelingly expressed his deep gratitude to the brethren of Lodge Teviot for

conferring Honorary Membership on him, and also for the handsome Jewel that had been presented to him at

the hands of the G.M., and which he greatly appreciated. He assured all present that while he had

relinquished the duties of Secretary, he still hoped to be of assistance to the Master and brethren in other

activities, stressing the necessity for instruction and guidance to new members, and urged young Masons to

support the Master and the Lodge to their utmost and so further the cause of Freemasonry.

At the conclusion of the foregoing proceedings in the Temple, the brethren joined the ladies in the Town

Hall, where a banquet was held, the arrangements being of a high standard and provided excellent

entertainment for all present, who listened to many fine speeches eulogising W. Bro. and Mrs. Gilmour for

their work in the district, which has earned the praise and appreciation of everybody. It was a memorable

night and a fitting conclusion in recognition of valuable service and reward well merited.

————————

LODGE RONGOMAU, No. 280.

———<>———

TWENTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY.

———

(An Address delivered by the Provincial Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Wilfred W. Wright, to the brethren of

Lodge Rongomau, No. 280, on the occasion of their 21st Anniversary on Wednesday, 17th July, 1946.)

Please accept my thanks, W.M., for your courtesy in asking me to address a few words to the brethren on this

occasion.

I wish first naturally to pay a tribute to the Founders of this Lodge, who are to be given great credit for their

foresight and energy. Many of them have maintained their interest in the Lodge right up to the present day.

Much of the work they accomplished has already been narrated to you by W. Bro. Main in the History of the

Lodge, and a repetition would be superfluous. Suffice it to say, the enthusiasm they displayed was the

keynote to their success, for enthusiasm is the greatest of all pacemakers. They have had the joy of erecting a

very fine superstructure upon the foundation laid 21 years ago.

Lodge Rongomau is in a flourishing and prosperous condition, and I must congratulate the members upon

their interest in the work of Freemasonry. They have shown a zeal for the Institution, and a diligence in

attention to the welfare of the Lodge, which deserves hearty commendation.

The main difference between success or mediocrity in any Lodge is the difference between zeal and

indifference. All Lodges have indifferent members—those who pay dues (perhaps with a little urging from

the Secretary) but are otherwise inactive. There are many men, some of them holding high and responsible

positions in the community, who are proud to be Freemasons, but who are not prepared to take any part in

the affairs of the Craft—they understand and practice very few of its teachings. They are not real Masons at

all, although they proudly bear the name.

What is the cause of this indifference? Why have we been unable to hold these members? It is to a great

extent our own fault. How often have we seen a person introduced into Freemasonry, who after taking the

M.M. degree, gradually fades away. In many cases it is the fault of the proposer and seconder, who, often

enough, are themselves indifferent Masons. The officers are looking for new candidates, and the newly-made

Mason is on his own. He is very much like a child—he has to be nursed and gradually moulded. He should

not be left to his own devices until he has found his feet. He should be invited along to L. of I., and

encouraged to take an interest in the work of the Lodge. He should be taken on visits to other Lodges, when

he will meet numbers of friends, many of whom he did not even know to be Freemasons. Once started in

office he will, in 99 cases out of 100 persevere until he reaches the Master's chair. He will thus cultivate a

genuine desire to participate in the activities of the Lodge and become a keen Mason.

Each member of the Lodge should feel it to be his individual duty to endeavour to transform the indifferent

brother within the circle of his acquaintance into a zealous Freemason. If a brother does not attend his Lodge,

his default gives rise to a state of mind on his part towards the Lodge, and on the part of the brethren towards

him, which chills the fraternal spirit and weakens the Lodge.

There are many inactive Freemasons who attempt to justify their own failings by criticising Masonry. They

tell us that Masonry is only a Ceremony of Ritualistic Degrees, which emphasisd the dramatic and not the

moral. A system of symbolism and allegory surrounded by mysticism. Designed to impress the new member,

but leaving him entirely uninformed on the more important subject of good citizenship.

But Freemasonry is not simply an historic institution devoted to exemplifying a venerable and sublime ritual.

It if something more than a beautiful language of symbols. It is a way of life —a Philosophy not to be just

recited occasionally in the Lodge. He is a poor Mason who is not changed to some extent by the experience.

He is never quite the same man after joining the Craft. There are at least some realities besides secrets lodged

in the repository of his breast.

During the past few years we have seen how much of the world can be affected by the economic, industrial

and social changes which have been taking place all about us. The world is changing. Nothing has escaped—

nothing seems to be left untouched.

A schoolboy knows more today than did Sir Isaac Newton. You put yesterday's newspaper in the fire—it is

out of date. The stage coach was superseded by the steam engine. Electricity superseded steam. And now

atomic energy. Can you say anything is going to last? It brings to mind the well-known hymn: "Change and

decay in all around I see . . "

But Masonry goes on—unchanged and unimpaired—still preserving those ancient landmarks we all love and

revere. But if Masonry is to have as much influence in the changing world conditions of today as it has had

in the past, you and I must give ourselves wholeheartedly to the task of promoting the usefulness and

increasing the influence of our time-honoured Fraternity. Let us step forward as members of the Craft to

assist build the world with the purpose of easing the tensions of that which tends to keep men apart.

As we are constituted, organised Masonry cannot participate in the civic, political, economic or social

problems of the community in which it lives and moves and has its being. But it can inspire its adherents to

carry the principles of Masonry with them into their daily lives. Masons should become leaders in all spheres

of life. Kings of England, Presidents of the United States and great world leaders have been Masons,

although the real strength of Freemasonry lies not in the palace, but in the cottage. Masonry is recognised in

the outside world by the deeds of Masons. Our motto should be: "With malice towards none, with charity for

all." Let us weave the silken cords of Masonic friendship into an unbreakable bond of Brotherhood that will

endure through the ages.

We cannot advertise ourselves, but if the activities and principles for which we stand were more generally

known we would have more waiting to join our ranks, and these a type of men who only desire to be good

citizens—men of integrity and character—and character is the corner stone and the keystone of society.

Our traditions inform us that three ruffians were responsible for the death of our ancient: G.M., and in recent

years three other ruffians—Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito —did their best to kill Freemasonry throughout

the world. They endeavoured to wipe out of existence every trace of individual thinking and united brotherly

endeavour. When a country loses its democratic liberties, Masons are the first to be suppressed. Tyranny and

oppression thrive only in darkness, but Masonry desires light—and more light.

If these three villains had succeeded in their nefarious designs, we of the English-speaking nations would

have had to close our Lodges.

But they did not succeed, although for a year the British Empire stood alone—bloody but unbowed—under

the magnificent leadership of our two Masonic brethren—H.M. the King and Prime Minister Churchill. And

thus was Freemasonry preserved to us. Let us thank the G.A. of the U. for the privileges we enjoy and let us

each do our part to uphold and maintain them,

The future peace and tranquility of the world depends entirely upon the unity existing between the great

English-speaking Democracies—those countries where Masonry still lives and flourishes—Great Britain.

U.S. of America, Canada, Australia, N.Z., South Africa and Northern Ireland.

Kindred ties of tongue, of faith, and of culture hold the citizens of these lands together, and is it too much to

say that here it is that Masonry has the opportunity to fulfil its greatest task—to help cement the tics of

Brotherhood—to create an understanding and toleration of each other's virtues and limitations—to give and

to take—to be charitable one to the other—thus

uniting all into one great body to put into

practice the ideals of our Craft throughout the

world—so that we may eventually have:

"PEACE ON EARTH, AND GOODWILL

TOWARDS MEN!"

————————

PRESENTATION TO W. BRO. JOHN PATTERSON, P.G.S.,

FROM THE MEMBERS OF LODGE FRANKLIN, No. 58.

———<>———

At its regular meeting on 10th June, the brethren of Lodge Franklin, No. 58, took the opportunity of paying

their tribute to W. Bro. John Patterson, P.G.S., Secretary of the Lodge. The W.M., W. Bro. F. H. Hewitt, in

addressing W. Bro. Patterson, said: It is my privilege tonight to draw attention to your record as a F.M. It is

not generally known that you have attained your Golden Jubilee as a member of the Craft and of Lodge

Franklin. According to the records, you were initiated on 27th March, 1896. Not only have you been a F.M.

for 50 years, but you have been a loyal and active member for most of that time. It is not given to many

Lodges to honour a brother who has served his Lodge for half a century. In this instance we have before us a

fine example of a F.M. who lives as he preaches, and this trait is worthy of emulation by the brethren

generally. It is my privilege and an honour, W. Bro. Patterson, to convey the congratulations of the Lodge to

you and to express the hope that you will enjoy such good health as will enable you to continue to manifest

your usual interest in the affairs of the Lodge, and F.M. generally. Let me on behalf of the Lodge also thank

you for the services you have rendered at all times, and more particularly during the past 14 years as its

Secretary. You have been a good F.M., which means that you have been a good citizen. Your character is

beyond reproach. Character, according to one authority, is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the

class of things a man chooses or avoids, the force of one's being, if it has any force, must come from within.

Real character is not outward conduct, but quality of thinking. This is deservedly high poise, but praise, like

gold and diamonds, owes its value to its scarcity. Real joy comes not from ease of riches or from the praise

of men, but by doing something worth while for your fellow-beings. Most of us feel that you have done

something worth while, not only for the Lodge, but also by your example of good living and noble thinking,

thereby spreading the genuine tenets of our system. You are a man of courage, and where true fortitude

dwells loyalty, bounty, friendship and fidelity may be found, and I feel these virtues are within your frame.

You have done your duty as a F.M., a duty which is plain and simple, for a man's duty consists mainly of two

parts, his duty to God the G.A.O.T.U. which every man must feel, and his duty to his neighbour, which is to

do unto him as you would wish that he should do unto you. We congratulate you, W. Bro. Patterson, and

wish you good health, future happiness and continued active service as a member of Lodge Franklin. I will

now ask W. Bro. H. Deli, P.G.S., a Past Master of the Lodge and one of the few remaining foundation

members of the Grand Lodge of N.Z., who is approaching his diamond Jubilee, 60 years' service as a F.M.,

to address you."

W. Bro. H. Dell, P.G.S., then presented a handsome Secretary's Jewel, suitably inscribed, to W. Bro.

Patterson and expressed the hope that he would wear it for many years to come.

————————

GROWTH AND DECAY.

———<>———

(By M.W. Bro. Ernest R. Moore, P.G.M.)

———

"Ill fares the land to hastening ills a prey,

Where wealth accumulates and men decay."

In a summary Gibbon gives the reasons for the fall of Rome. After a thousand years of rule or dominance

that nation fell apart because of internal decay. Here are his tersely stated reasons. Through admixture with

alien and inferior peoples the quality of the citizen deteriorated. The honour of being a Roman Catholic

faded, No longer the proudly brave Roman made up the army, for mercenaries displaced them. Gradually the

rights of the people had been taken from them. They had little voice in government. Power and authority

were in a centralised rule. Wealth was massed with the great. The people were poverty-stricken and often

were fed by charity doled out by the State. The land once owned by the sturdy individual was now held by

the great lords and was cultivated under a tenancy with extortionate rentals. Public and private morals had

fallen to a low stage. Religion was but a form, a show, and was despised as a hypocrisy, while the priests

were hated for their greed and ostentatious show of luxury. In all society there was neither intellectual nor

spiritual leadership. The pride and privilege of Roman citizenship was gone. Little wonder then that scarcely

without a defence Rome fell to the brave and warlike Goths.

A few years ago an eminent English churchman, Archdeacon Farrar„ made an extended visit to New

England. His observation was wide and critical. Before sailing for home in a public address he said:

"If America maintains the ideals of the Fathers and the awful virtues of the Puritans she shall still be the

powerful pioneer in the vanguard of the progress of the world. But if she spreads a table to fortune, if she

enshrines Mammon above her altars, if her politics become corrupt, her press debased, her society frivolous

and her religion but a twilight of wilful and self-induced delusion, she shall fall like Lucifer, the Son of the

Morning, and the double oceans that wash her illimitable shores shall only sound to future ages a more

desolate and a more unending dirge."

Read again these two paragraphs and give thought to the future of our country. Will the story of Gibbon and

the prophecy of Farrar apply here? Such a fate can be and must be avoided in but one way—there must be a

rebirth and a rebaptism in the idealism and faith of the Fathers. With full faith that God will be with us, the

Church and the associations pledged to truth, honesty, democracy, justice, and all that makes for moral

advance, must devotedly co-operate to the end that the good sought will be accomplished and our inheritance

of religion and idealism shall be preserved.

Because it applies so closely to this condition that faces Masonry in the United States, I am constrained to

repeat what was recently said by the Grand Master of an Australian Jurisdiction:

“I contend that the basic principles of Masonry are much needed in public life today, and if they are properly

applied the beneficial effect upon our civil, social and even commercial activities would be wonderful. It is

the duty of every Mason to make his individual contribution to the welfare of the community, and by playing

his part as a good citizen and exemplifying the spirit of Freemasonry in his everyday life, an advancement

would undoubtedly be made towards the realisation of better world conditions and understanding amongst

men. This, too. would enhance the standard of the recruiting field from which our candidates are obtained„

Our reputation as Masons is something we take pride in, for it embraces all those lofty ideals which give us

faith in the course we take fortified by the knowledge unfolded to us and the inspiration received from our

Masonic associations."

—"New England Masonic Craftsman."

————————

REVIEW OF PROCEEDINGS OF FOREIGN GRAND LODGES.

———<>———

(Published by the authority of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand.)

———

WISCONSIN-1945.

306 Lodges, 52,714 members, a gain of 1456.

101st Annual Communication held at Milwaukee, 11th and 12th October, M.W. Bro. Herbert L. Mount,

Grand Master, presiding.

The Annual Communication was opened on 12th June, and adjourned for lack of a quorum.

"The gavel used by the Grand Master was made from oak recovered from the ruins of the Masonic Temple at

Bristol, England, which was destroyed by German bombs in the devastating 1940 attacks. . . . Because of the

fact that the regular communication of the Grand Lodge on the constitutional date was prevented by the war,

the Grand Master stated that the gavel he was using was symbolic of the triumph of the forces of Democracy

and Masonry over the tyranny of dictatorship and oppression. It demonstrated that while the temples of

Masonry may be temporarily destroyed, its tremendous power and influence over the hearts of men can

never be vanquished, and Masonry, like truth, will always rise again to take its rightful place in the world."

128 membership certificates were issued to brethren who had been Master Masons for 50 or more years.

In the course of his address, the Grand Master, in referring to the Masonic Home, said: "As a result of my

many visits to the Home and my attendance at Board meetings where applications for admission were

considered and either accepted or rejected, I came to the conclusion that the time has come for a re-

examination of the entire project, a reappraisal of its usefulness and, in the light of modern conditions and

trends, a redetermination of general policies. Many Grand Lodges in recent years have been obliged to take

the same course. . . My chief objection to our present policy is that while we take splendid care of our able-

bodied brethren and their families, we wholly neglect and ignore those disabled and invalided, elderly people

who have no one to look after them and are finally thrown upon public institutions. Under our rules an

applicant to the Home must be able to take care of himself while those who are confined to bed or in wheel-

chair are rejected. In my opinion, the latter group are entitled to our consideration and our help even more

than the former.

"It is my mature conviction, after careful analysis of all circumstances involved and thorough investigation

of similar problems in other Grand Jurisdictions, that we should now seriously consider converting the

present Masonic Home property into a convalescent hospital for disabled, aged brethren, their wives and

widows, and take care of our able-bodied, elderly brethren by maintaining them in their local communities."

A Committee was appointed to report upon this recommendation at the next Annual Communication.

The following proposed amendments were lost:—"An applicant for the degrees must be a man, free born,

hale, sound and not so mutilated as to impair or prevent conformity to the requirements of the ritual."

"Except that where an applicant shall have lost a portion of his body while in the service of his country, that

said loss shall not disqualify him, if he has an artificial member replacing that portion which was lost."

There were 102 guests in the Masonic Home, with vacancies available for any qualified applicants who

might come forward.

The Foreword of M.W. Bro. Robert O. Jasperson, Foreign Correspondent, demonstrates the value of

Reviews, and shows his critical ability exercised in a brotherly fashion. The Grand Lodge of New Zealand

has never attempted to define the Landmarks, and is one of those which has for a long time permitted the

admission of candidates able by artificial limbs to demonstrate the degrees.

Grand Master: M.W. Bro. Alfred L. Devos, Neillsville. Grand Secretary: M.W. Bro. Wm, F. Weeler, P.G.M.,

Milwaukee.

Grand Representative of N.Z.: W. Bro. Emil C. Rust, Eau Claire.

Grand Representative at N.Z.: R.W. Bro. Alfred W. Parkinson. P.Prov.G.M., Hastings.

————

KENTUCKY—l945.

488 Lodges, 57,693 members, a gain of 5,157.

145th Annual Communication held at Louisville, 16th, 17th and 18th October, M.W. Bro. Joe L. Tigue,

Grand Master, presiding.

In concluding his address the Grand Master quoted the following:—

An Ancient Prayer.

Give us, Lord, a bit o' Sun,

A bit o' work and a bit o' fun;

Give us all in th' struggle and splutter

Our daily bread and a bit o' butter;

Give us health, our keep to make,

An' a bit to spare for poor folks' sake;

Give us sense, for we're some of us duffers,

An' a heart to feel for all that suffers.

Give us, too, a bit of a song,

An' a tale and a book to help us along,

An' give us our share o' sorrow's lesson.

That we may prove how grief's a blessin',

Give us, Lord, a chance to be

Our goodly best, brave, wise and free;

Our goodly best for ourselves and others,

Till all men learn to live as brothers.

(This ancient prayer was found on the wall of an old inn in Lancashire, England.)

5107 were initiated, 703 admitted, 1362 reinstated, 685 demitted, 365 suspended, 10 expelled and 944 died.

The Grand Secretary reported that he had verified the Masonic record and awarded Fifty-year Veterans'

buttons for the Grand Lodge to 62 brethren in recognition of their long and faithful Masonic service, making

a total of 822 to date.

An appeal by the Grand Master on behalf of distressed brethren in the Philippine Islands brought in $7142.

A Memorial Service to the memory of those brethren who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their

country during World War No. 2 was held on the second day of the Communication, M.W. Bro. Chas. A.

Keith, P.G.M., making a speech paying tribute to them.

President Harry S. Truman, Past Grand Master of Missouri, was elected an Honorary Member of the Grand

Lodge, and a suitable certificate of membership was authorised for presentation.

A resolution was adopted authorising a suitable silver design for a 25-year button commemorating the

initiation of a brother, to be supplied by Grand Lodge at the cost of the Lodge concerned in each case.

$4400 was expended on account of "wards," covering school expenses, sustenance, etc.

Recognition was extended to another eight of the Mexican State Grand Lodges (in addition to three already

recognised), and another State of Brazil (Parana), making 11 Brazilian Grand Lodges recognised.

The name "District Key Man" was changed to "District Deputy."

In the course of his address the newly-installed Grand Master said: "It would be a dereliction of a sacred trust

should I not direct my thoughts to my childhood. It is unfortunate for a child to lose his father. Such was my

lot in 1914 when my father was taken from his family, leaving my mother and seven children. To this day

my greatest thanks to God is that my father was a good man and Mason. Through his membership in the

fraternity four of his children were reared and educated in the Masonic Widows and Orphans' Home of

Kentucky; but then, my brethren, I am only one of four thousand such former residents who hold in sublime

adoration the Masonic Widows and Orphans' Home and the Brotherhood that support it. For them I praise

you for maintaining that glorious symbol of Masonic Relief."

The Committee on Proceedings of other Grand Lodges reported that "The conditions existing in every Grand

Jurisdiction are the best they have been in several years." It was decided to print the Reviews of 53 Grand

Lodges in the Masonic Home Journal instead of the Proceedings. Grand Master: M.W. Bro. Charles S.

Johnson, Louisville. Grand Secretary: M.W. Bro. Alpheus E. Orton, P.G.M., Louisville.

Grand Representative of N.Z.: W. Bro. Lacey H. Byron, Owingsville.

Grand Representative at N.Z.: R.W. Bro. John N. Du Feu, P.D.G.M., Christchurch.

————

IRELAND-1945.

The Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Raymond F. Brooke, who presided at the St. John's Day Meeting (27th

December), mentioned that for the first time in its history a meeting of Grand Lodge had been held in

October in the Province of Armagh at which the Grand Master was able to be present and preside in person.

One Lodge, No. 311, whose warrant was handed in some years back owing to paucity of members, was

revived. Warrants were issued for 10 new Lodges.

In the course of the Deputy Grand Master's address he said: "In the Metropolitan District there has been a

very large increase in the number of candidates coming forward for the honours of Masonry, and the same is

reported from the Provinces everywhere. While expressing satisfaction at this, I must strike a note of

warning. I know the Committees of Inspection do take a serious view of their responsibilities, and I ask them

to continue to take the greatest care in their scrutiny of candidates. We want quality rather than quantity, and

our initiates must be above reproach."

In his report the Provincial Grand Master of Tyrone and Fermanagh, R.W. Bro. Colonel R. Clifford,

wrote:—"Those of our brethren who have been serving their King and Country in the various theatres of war

are now returning to their Lodges. They are receiving a cordial welcome and many Lodges propose to give

them such advancement in office as would have been theirs but for their absence overseas. This will involve

a certain amount of dislocation, and some brethren who have been serving in junior offices may have to

remain in the same office for some time before securing further advancement. We feel confident that

brethren whose promotion is thus affected will bear the delay with fortitude and goodwill."

The Provincial Grand Master of Wicklow and Wexford, R.W. Bro. the Earl of Wicklow, wrote in his report:

"Although this part of the country was, officially, neutral in the war, I do not think there is a brother in this

Province who was not concerned either directly or indirectly through his near relatives or close personal

friends in the great conflict. We heartily welcome those brethren who are returning to their Lodges, and

assure them that their absence shall not in any way affect their seniority. Those whom, alas, we shall never

see again in this life will be long remembered in our hearts, and we tender sympathy to their bereaved

relatives."

There were 105 pupils in the Masonic Girls' School, and 103 in the Masonic Boys' School. £1837 was

expended in grants for the further education of past pupils.

Annuities amounting to £6601 were paid to 234 annuitants from the Victoria Jubilee Masonic Annuity Fund.

Christmas and other special grants amounted to £505. The Committee of Charity disbursed £601.

Grand Master: M.W. Bro. The Earl of Donoughmore, P.C., K.P

Grand Secretary: R.W. Bro. Henry C. Shellard, Dublin. Grand Representative of N.Z.: R.W. Bro. T. J. C.

Hamilton.

Grand Representative at N.Z.: M.W. Bro. Herbert G. Teagle, P.G.M.

————

WEST VIRGINIA-1945.

165 Lodges, 32,760 members, a gain of 1566.

81st Annual Communication held at Wheeling, October 10th and 11th, M.W. Bro. Nelson E. Cook, Grand

Master, presiding.

"M.W. Brother Showalter, as Deputy Grand Master, welcomed the representatives of other Grand Lodges in

an inspiring address, to which M.W. Bro. Charles E. Carrigan, P.G.M., representative of the Grand Lodge of

New Zealand, responded with thoughtful and eloquent words."

1731 brethren were raised, 232 admitted on demit, 446 reinstated, 118 suspended N.P.D., 208 demitted, 1

suspended, U.M.C., and 509 died.

There were 23 men, 18 women, 6 boys and 5 girls in the Masonic Home.

Fifty-year Service Awards were made to 50 brethren. Recognition was extended to the Grand Lodge of

Tamaulipas, Mexico.

M.W. Bro. Henry Aherne, in a Foreword to his Foreign Correspondence Report, said: "On the question of

Physical Qualifications there was a wide divergence of opinion, with the trend favouring liberalising or

removing them. Some Grand Jurisdictions now permit the Lodges to be the sole judges of physical

requirements, in some that power is vested in the Grand Master, and a small number still adhere fairly close

to the doctrine of the Perfect Youth. In one Grand Lodge a blind man was declared eligible, while in another

an applicant whose index finger on the right hand had been amputated beyond the first joint was not. Two

extremes, we admit. However, without arguing the subject, it seems a pity there is not more uniformity as to

physical requirements, for, in the final analysis, such confusion cannot possibly work to the best interests of

the Craft."

In a few pithy paragraphs he covered New Zealand, 1943.

Grand Master:—M.W. Bro. John D. Garrison, Parkersburg.

Grand Secretary:—M.W. Bro. I. Wade Coffman, P,G.M., Clarkburg.

Grand Representative of N.Z.: M.W. Bro. Charles E. Carrigan, P.G.M., Moundsville.

Grand Representative at N.Z.: R.W. Bro. James Manson. P.Prov.G.M., Invercargill.

————————

THE RITUAL.

———<>———

The ritual in any degree in Freemasonry is Worthy of careful study, not only to become conversant with the

scope of the degree, but to become acquainted with the continuity of the ceremony. The imparting of the

knowledge and meaning of the degree must be rightly observed to bring clearly before the candidate the

implications of the degree. Any departure from the ritual spoils it and leaves the candidate hazy.

The ritual is a continuous ceremony, and any departure from the solemn ceremonial leads to distraction, and

the full meaning is lost.

In many jurisdictions the work of the degree is carried out by the officers named in the ritual, and there is no

deviation from the custom. An exact conformity to the ceremony is always to be desired, and, while it may

be permitted and perhaps be desirable to "farm out" portions of the ritual to keep the interest of Past Masters

and to create a confidence in the junior officers, there is no necessity for the all-too-frequent interpolations

requesting a brother to perform a duty allotted to him by the Master. Such requests break the continuity; they

leave a gap in the mind of the candidate.

The Lodge is under the control of the Master, and on the completion of a charge, the frequent "Thank you,

brother," is completely out of place. Recently in a Lodge visited this expression was used eight times, giving

the candidate the impression that the brethren were under an obligation to him who delivered the charge.

The continuous flow of the ceremony keeps the candidate's interest in the degree, the frequent breaks destroy

the thought processes. Let us give the candidate a clear picture of the degree without any breaks.

—"N.S.W. Freemason."

———————————————————————————————————————————

OBITUARY.

———<>———

W. BRO. JAMES BUCKMAN ELMS HIRD, P.G.D.

———

(Eulogy delivered by W. Bro. S. I. Jones, P.A.G.D.C.)

———

Today I have the honour to pronounce the Eulogy on a departed Brother, a custom of such long standing

among Masonic brethren that it may almost be considered a landmark of the Order. The feeling that prompts

it is not merely the wish to praise. It is, I think, the desire to express our thankfulness for a life that enriched

all those who were privileged to share it.

No mortal, and certainly no Freemason, would attempt to judge the life of another. That judgment is reserved

for the G.A. of the Universe, and to Him the soul of W. Bro. Hird has now departed. But in an endeavour to

express the gratitude of his brethren, it is fitting that some words should be spoken.

I feel that the keynote of the late W. Bro. Hird's long and useful life was Service. When I first knew him he

was a mature man, giving much of his leisure time to community effort. We naturally think of his service to

the Craft, which will ever remain an inspiration to those who are left.

W. Bro. Hird was initiated in Heretaunga Lodge on 17th July, 1889, passed 8th January, 1890, and raised 5th

February, 1890. He advanced through all the offices of the Lodge. and on 10th June, 1905, he was installed

W.M. In 1914 he was invested as Grand Pursuivant and on the occasion of the Jubilee of Grand Lodge in

1940 he was awarded the Honoris Causa rank of P.G.D.

That is only an outline of his activities in the Craft. His service endured from the day of his Initiation to the

day of his death.

Because of his great age, we perhaps think of our late brother as an old man, but his contemporaries knew

him as a constant and vigorous fighter for the Right, one ever prepared to strike hard in a just cause. and

because of his fearlessness 'and uprightness his opponents admired him.

Those who knew him in his later years will ever remember his kindliness, his genuine pleasure in meeting

his brethren, young and old, his wise counsel, his high standard of ritual work, his abiding love of the Craft.

We mourn his passing and acknowledge our thankfulness that so full a measure of his youthful vigour was

preserved to him to the last, that his passing was mercifully swift, and that glow of health, that keen eye, that

upright frame, that springing step were not impaired by long and painful illness.

What has been said mostly concerns the activities of our deceased brother in Craft Masonry, but it can be

truthfully stated that he gave of himself equally as liberally to Capitular Freemasonry. He was well known

and certainly beloved by all who came in contact with him in the Royal Arch. Many of us here today think of

him as we last saw him less than a week ago in this Temple carrying out his duties in the Chapter as Scribe

E, and even to the last his greatest concern was for his fellowman. Royal Arch Masons would do well to

emulate his high ideals.

Heretaunga R.A. Chapter deeply mourns the loss of a good friend and Companion.

————————

THE MASONIC ORDER.

———<>———

Masonry today is an Order embracing a world-wide brotherhood of high fraternal significance and idealism,

in which national and racial differences find no place: and under the rulership or guidance of the United

Grand Lodge of England—the Mother Grand Lodge of the world—it is free from any alliance with either

political or religious creeds, and is consecrated in spirit and activity to the building up of a Brotherhood

having ideals based upon spiritual truth and virtue (states the "Masonic Record," London, Eng.). To further

this, Lodges are very widespread, and it is significant to bear in mind that excepting the Sabbath, every night

in some city, town or hamlet, in many languages, and under many climes, the same Masonic ceremonies are

rendered, the same obligations taken, and the same responsibilities accepted. Freemasonry is a philosophy, a

system of morality veiled in allegory, and. a fraternity of men bound together by the ties of united love,

forbearance and interest. Its basic principles are Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, the Fatherhood of God,

and the Brotherhood of Man, and the Immortality of the Soul. As an investment of human thought, affection

and character, it is stable and sound, and confidence placed in it never goes without due reward. A

Freemason is pledged to act with his neighbour upon the square, to do unto others as he would be done to,

and adherence to that pledge builds character, and increases the happiness of the world by relieving the

distressed. —"S.A. Freemason."

————————

MASONIC BRETHREN IN WELLINGTON HOSPITAL.

———<>———

COMMITTEE REPORT, No. 25.

Public Hospital.—Ward 24: Bro. George Jones, Lodge Hinemoa; had serious operation and is making slow,

but fairly satisfactory, recovery. Ward 28: Bro. A. Harris, Lodge Karori; has undergone another operation

and is making good progress and keeping very bright. Ward 10a: W. Bro, Frank Taylor, Lodge Hataitai;

contracted pleurisy after his operation in Bowen Street Hospital, but has made such good progress that he

hopes to be home next week.

Lewisham Hospital.—Ward 11: Bro. Geo. Clark, Empire Lodge (since deceased).

Home of Compassion.—Bro. W. Pink, Lodge Island Bay; making good progress after his operation.

COMMITTEE REPORT No. 26.

Public Hospital.—Ward 10: W. Bro. W. H. Hargreaves, Lodge Waterloo; Bro. I. Matthews, Lodge Otari.

Ward 24: Bro. G. Jones, Lodge Hinemoa; Bro. F. W. Collins, Lodge Waitangi. Ward 28: Bro. A. Harris,

Lodge Karori. Ward 29: W. Bro. A. E. Dew, Lodge Manchester (FeiMing).

Hill Street Hospital.—Bro. Geo. Glover, Lodge Hinemoa.

All the above brethren are making excellent progress towards recovery with the exception of Bro. Collins,

whose progress is rather slow, but we hope this condition will be only temporary.

————————

MODESTY.

———<>———

The word "modesty" is one that we hear little about these days. It was a word that was much in use in the

Victorian era, and those persons who did not altogether like the customs of that era were wont to call it

hypocritical, because, they contended, persons gave lip assent to what in their inmost selves they did not

really believe.

There are several definitions of this word, or rather shades of meaning. The word implies self-control,

moderation, freedom from exaggeration, a lack of self-assertion or arrogance, and a proper and decent

hesitancy or reserve regarding one's own abilities or merit. The word also carries with it a sense of delicacy

in regard to relations between the sexes, clean thinking and manners, with due regard to generally accepted

propriety in both speech and action.

The application of these definitions extends to such things as modesty in dress, modesty in society and social

affairs, shying away from the impoliteness that monopolises conversation. It includes a nonagressiveness in

one's general behaviour.

The Apostle Paul in the familiar thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, writing on "charity," has a few sen-

tences which also apply to the subject of modesty. If the word modesty be substituted for charity, a portion of

verses four and five would read: Modesty "vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself

unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoiceth

in the truth."

In the current scene, we have been so fed up on what is commonly known as Hollywood ballyhoo, with its

nation-wide advertising campaigns that exhaust all the superlative adjectives in the dictionary with several

inventions of their own added to it, that persons who have a due regard for accuracy of speech, have

generally one of two reactions. One is to look upon it all as something hugely amusing, even to guffaw at it;

or, if the individual's sense of humour happens to be somewhat dulled when first he reads it, his response is

quite likely to be one of disgust.

What is true in the advertising field also applies to personal manners and behaviour. One who has given

painstaking, quiet study to a subject realises its many difficulties and naturally resents one who is boastful

and who treats the whole matter with flippancy and as though it were mere child's play, when, as a matter of

fact, mastery has meant months, perhaps years, of drudgery and study. If the long, hard pathway has finally

led to definite achievement, while it is indeed a cause of satisfaction, it does not present an occasion for

boasting. Others may have struggled equally hard and not have reached a goal or, if they were about to reach

it, arrived too late to be able to claim the rewards that go with being first in a given competition. Modesty,

therefore, becomes those who achieve, just as courage not to become downhearted should be the aim of those

who, though less lucky, may not be less deserving. Hence, modesty is desirable as it furnishes a balance

wheel to human thought and conduct.

—John H. Cowles, 33', in "The New Age."

————————

WAIKATO NOTES.

———<>———

The Installation meeting of Lodge Rotorua, No. 153, was held on 8th August, when Bro. Henry Kenneth

Heaton was installed as Worshipful Master by R.W. Bro. A. Bullock, Prov.G.M., P.G.W. There was a large

attendance of members and visitors, During the ceremony W. Bro. H. J. Ryde, P.A.G.D.C., occupied the

S.W.'s chair, W. Bro. J. Baillie, P.G.S., the J.W.'s chair, W. Bro. J. M. Griffiths, A.G.D.C., as G.D.C.; W.

Bro. A. Begbie, G.S., as I.G. The Working Tools of an I.M. were presented to the newly-installed W.M. by

W. Bra A. A. Shaw, P.G.D.; W. Bro. S. W. Brownlie, W.M. of Lodge Tirau, No 193, and W. Bro. C. A.

Head, W.M. of Lodge Whakatane, No. 198, acted as Presenting Officers. The Working Tools of the three

Degrees were presented by W. Bro. L. W. Osborne, W.M. of Lodge Piako, No. 160, W. Bro. J. R. Bongard,

W.M. of Lodge Tauranga, No. 125, and W. Bro. J. D. I. Sherwin, W.M. of Lodge Matamata, No. 265. The

Address to the Master was given by W. Bro. T. Parker, P.G.D., to the Wardens by W. Bro. F. Prideaux,

P.G.D., and to the brethren by M.W. Bro. Sir S. Allen, P. Pro G.M. On behalf of the Lodge W. Bro. W. T.

Powell was presented with a PastMaster's jewel by R.W. Bro. A. Bullock, Prov.G.M. After the ceremony the

visitors were entertained in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall, where a pleasant evening was enjoyed

by all.

————————

HAWKES BAY NOTES.

———<>———

R.W. Bro. Edgar C. Hurdsfield, Prov.G.M. of H.B., accompanied by a large following of Grand Officers,

conducted the ceremony of installing W. Bro. E. C. Price, P.A.G.D.C., as W.M. of Hawkes Bay Research

Lodge, No. 305, at the Scinde Masonic Temple on 5th August. The Temple was used for the ceremony by

kind permission of Scinde Lodge and at the invitation of the W.M.. of Lodge Napier, No. 268. It was

pleasing to see such a fine gathering of visitors, but it is regretted that the attendance of both members and

associate members was so meagre owing to sickness and other unforeseen causes. Refectory proceedings,

where the usual toasts were honoured, brought to a conclusion a very pleasant evening.

The regular meeting of The Services Lodge of H.B., No. 313, held on 8th August, was well attended. W.

Bro. A. H. Sivewright, W.M. Lodge Te Mata, No. 298, accompanied by his officers and brethren, paid an

official visit, and on the invitation of W. Bro. George, W.M., conducted the ceremony of Passing. As the

Lodge was in mourning, only the customary formal toasts were honoured.

Lodge Napier, No. 268, held their ball on 30th July, when W. Bro. F. W. Fox, W.M., and Mrs. Fox received

the guests at the Foresters' Hall, Napier. There was a very good attendance in spite of the inclement weather,

and a splendid evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all present.

Lodge Te Mata, No. 298, held their Ladies' Night on 7th August at the Town Board Hall, Havelock North,

which was taxed to capacity. The evening's entertainment consisted of a most enjoyable concert, after which

supper was provided, followed by dancing.

At both the above functions our Prov.G.M., R.W. Bro. Edgar C. Hurdsfield, accompanied by Mrs.

Hurdsfield, honoured us with their presence. Our Prov G M. can certainly "trip the light fantastic."

Lodge Heretaunga proposes holding a ball on 20th August, at the Assembly Hall, Hastings„ and from reports

to hand it promises to be a very popular event.

Lodge Omarunui will hold their Ladies' Night at Taradale Town Hall on 29th August, and this attraction will

as usual be supported by members throughout the area.

The regular meeting of Lodge Heretaunga, No. 73, was held on 13th August, when W. Bro. C. A. Powell,

W.M., presided and conducted the ceremony of "Raising" two candidates.

At the July convocation of Heretaunga R.A. Chapter W. Bro. H. de Denne, W.E.M., assisted by his officers,

conducted the Ceremony of Acknowledgment of five candidates. The work was particularly well done and

the officers are to be congratulated on the efficient working of the Degree.

It is with sincere regret we report that W. Bro. C. S. Palmer, P.A.G.D.C., has been confined to a private

hospital for some weeks and his condition is considered serious. Latest report, however, indicates a slight

improvement, and all join in expressing sincere good wishes and a fervent hope for the speedy recovery of

our esteemed brother.

Bro. S. Sheppard is now out of hospital and making steady progress. We all sincerely hope he will soon be

restored to normal health.

————————

TARANAKI NOTES.

———<>———

The 29th July was a great day for Lodge Te Henui, when the Grand Master consecrated the Masonic Temple

at Fizroy, New Plymouth. The beautiful ceremony was very impressive, and the majority of those present

witnessed it for the first time. The M.W. the G.M. was assisted by 14 G.L. Officers, V.W. Bro. Rev. P.

Millar acting as Grand Chaplain, W. Bro. R. J. Watt, A.G.D.C., as D.C., and V.W. Bro. Rev. A. Niblock,

P.G.L., delivered an eloquent oration. The officers presenting the elements were: R.W. Bro. Dr. W. T.

Simmons. Prov.G.M., R.W. Bro. J. McAllister, P.D.G.M., R.W. Bro. J. C. Barclay, P.Prov.G.M., and R.W.

Bro. W. R. Rusden, P.G.W. In the refectory the G.M. gave a particularly interesting and impressive address

when responding to his toast, proposed by R.W. Bro. McAllister. The Lodge orchestra was good, and the

musical programme arranged by W. Bro. J. R. Sutherland, P.A.G.D.C., was much appreciated.

On the day following the Consecration of Te Henui Temple, the Grand Master paid a visit to Central

Taranaki Lodges, who foregathered in St. Mary's Hall, Hawera. A combined Lodge was formed, the sitting

Masters of the various Lodges occupying the respective chairs, with W. Bro. L. Haberfield, Hawera, No. 34,

as W.M. There was an excellent attendance of members from the respective Lodges in the district. R.W. Bro.

W. T. Simmons gave the Grand Master a very cordial welcome to this part of the territory. The G.M., after

thanking the Prov.G.M., delivered an instructive and inspiring address, much appreciated by all present. At

the close of these proceedings supper was served in the Carlton Dining Rooms and an enjoyable time was

spent, the musical items being much above the ordinary.

Lodge Moa, No. 110, was favoured at its July meeting with an official visit from Lodges Te Henui and

Whangamomona, both in considerable force. There was also a large attendance of local members, which

made the evening appear more like an Installation. The Third Degree was worked in an impressive manner.

The Installation of Bro. C. H. Ross, S.W., as W.M. of Kaponga Lodge, No. 208, was well attended. The

ceremony was conducted by the Prov.G.M., assisted by a goodly number of G.L. officers. It was rather

unfortunate that the W.M. had to leave the district half way through his year of office, but he was able to

return from the Thames district in order to be present at the Installation meeting and hand over to his

successor. W. Bro. Marr has "held the fort" in the absence of the W,M. After the close of the ceremony

supper, which was prepared by the ladies, was served in the Town Hall.

A well-known figure in Masonic circles in Taranaki, in the person of W. Bro. Major A. Leech, P.A.G.D.C.,

eased to the G.L. above on July 25th. The funeral, at Inglewood, was well attended, but not nearly so well as

it would have been had the weather been fine. W. Bro. Leech had been in poor health for some considerable

time prior to his death. He was predeceased by his wife eight months ago.

At the July meeting of Egmont R.A. Chapter, Rev. Comp. Niblock gave a very instructive lecture on the

teachings of the R.A. Degree.

A Lodge of Research has recently been formed in Taranaki, further details of which will be furnished later.

Whilst in New Plymouth the Grand Master found time to visit W. Bro. Pickering, who has been very ill for

six years and who was greatly cheered by this thoughtful and kindly act, as was Mrs. Pickering. At Hawera

another sick brother—W. Bro. H. D. Caplen, who has undergone a serious operation—also received a visit

from the Grand Master.

The Installation Meeting of Mount Egmont Lodge, No. 670, E.C., New Plymouth, was held on 10th August

and largely attended. In the absence of the I.P.M., W. Bro. R. L. Parkin, P.M., P.D.G.W., presided and

installed Bro. Gerald Ernest Putt, S.W., into the Chair in an exemplary manner. The newly-installed Master

invested his officers with credit to himself. The Dist. G. Master, R.W. Bro. J. W. Jack, P.G.D., was present

and had the pleasure of receiving V.W. Bro. A. Niblock, P.G.Lec., N.Z.C., representing the Grand Lodge of

N.Z., R.W. Bro. J. F. Andrew, the Prov. G.Supt,, I.C., also R.W. Bro. John F. Hutchinson. Dist.G.M. of

Canterbury. During the evening the Dist. G.M. (Wellington District) took the opportunity of investing W.

Bro. H. J. Chittenden as Dist.G.Chap, and W. Bro. G. C. Bell-ringer as Dist.G.D.C. In the refectory, in

addition to the usual toasts, the Dist.G.M. of Canterbury was toasted and made a most impressive reply.

V.W. Bro. Niblock also gave one of his outstanding Masonic addresses. W. Bro. W. M. Smale, P.M.,

P.D.G.S., was an efficient D.C.

The Opunake R.A. Chapter, No. 278, worked the Ark Mariners' Degree at the July meeting, when several

members took the degree. V.E. Comp. L. A. Young, 1st Principal, conducted the ceremony. At the August

meeting the Mark Degree was conferred on a W. Brother from Lodge Ikaroa, No. 115. There was quite a

good attendance and members are well pleased at the progress the Chapter is making.

An emergency meeting, which took the form of a "Kiwi" night, at Lodge Ikaroa, No. 115, was arranged for

15th June as a welcome home to the seven members of the Lodge who had served overseas and had all

returned safely. The Prov.G.M., R.W. Bro. W. T. Simmons, and 10 G.L. officers attended and made the

occasion a memorable one. A Roll of Honour had been prepared and contained the names of the brethren

who had served overseas, and this was unveiled by the Prov.G.M. The ceremonial work was to initiate a

candidate, who was also a "Kiwi," and was carried out by the Kiwi members with W. Bro. S. Watson in the

chair.

————————

RUAPEHU NOTES.

———<>———

LODGE PAKAMA, No. 319.

The Constitution, Consecration and Dedication of Lodge Pakama, No. 319, was held in the Masonic Temple,

Palmerston North, on 25th July. There was a particularly large attendance of Grand Lodge officers, Past

Masters and brethren present to witness the ceremony conducted by M.W. Bro. E. C. Smith, Grand Master.

The elements were presented by R.W. Bros. J. A. Nash, S. M. Stone, E. C. Hurdsfield and W. T. Simmons,

all of whom are Provincial Grand Masters. V.W. Bro. S. H. Snell was Grand Chaplain and V.W. Bro. H. I.

Austad Grand D.C. After the ceremony R.W. Bro. J. A. Nash, Prov.G.M., installed W Bro. J. A. Colquhoun

as Worshipful Master, the Director of Ceremonies on this occasion being W. Bro. Len, Wood, A,G.D.C.

The M.W. the Grand Master was accompanied by M.W. Bros. Geo, Russell and H. G. Teagle. P.G.Ms.,

R.W. Bro. E. J. Guiness, D.G.M., V. W. Bros. W. H. Sandford, G.Lect., C. H. Taylor, Asst.Prov.G.M.. H.

Hatch, P.Pres. B.Ben., and many other Grand Lodge officers.

———

The following evening the M.W. the G.M. attended a reception organised by Lodge Ruapehu at Marton,

where he was officially welcomed by W. Bro. J. I. Morgan, W.M. Next day the G.M. was entertained at

afternoon tea by the W.M. of Lodge Rangitikei, W. Bro. L. R. Vile, his officers and brethren, after which he

proceeded to the combined meeting in Wanganui conducted by Lodges St. Andrew, Moutoa, and

Whanganui. The brethren of the district were delighted with the G.M.'s visit and the great benefit derived

from his inspiring address.

Lodge Rongotea held its Installation on 17th July, when W. Bro. J. H. Barrell was installed as W.M. by R.W.

Bro. J. A. Nash, Prov.G.M. The lodgeroom was packed to capacity, and after the ceremony the brethren

proceeded to the Town Hall, where the refectory proceedings were held.

W. Bro. J. Mennie, W.M. of Feilding Lodge, conducted an initiation at his first meeting; there was a splendid

attendance and the W.M. received many congratulations on the way the work was carried out. As a model of

efficiency, W. Bro. M. Hausmann, the Secretary of this Lodge, has few equals, his annual report and balance

sheet this year being most creditable.

Awatea Lodge is being kept very busy at present with regular and emergency meetings. It is also pleasing to

note the energetic secretary, W. Bro. Percy W. Morris, P.A.G.D.C., is still finding material to make his

regular monthly notices interesting.

The Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge also held, an emergency meeting during the month.

————————

SOUTHLAND NOTES.

———<>———

The Installation of Bro. H. J. Hoskin as Master of Lodge Victoria, No. 147, was held on 13th August in the

presence of an excellent attendance of members and visitors. Grand Lodge was represented by R. W. Bro. J.

D. Campbell, Prov.G.M., R.W. Bro. H. Archbold, Prov. G.M. Otago, R.W. Bro. H. A. Lamb, G.Sec., V.W.

Bro. C. Hedge, Pres.B. of G.P., V.W. Bro. Gillions, G.D.C. Otago Dist., and many other Grand Officers. The

ceremony of Installation was in the hands of W. Bro. Wm. Kelman, P.A.G.D.C., and was carried out with the

highest degree of excellence and dignity. The investitures and Address to the Wardens were in the hands of

several Past Masters of the Lodge. R.W. Bro. A. Derbie, P.Prov.G.M., addressed the brethren.

W. Bro. C. J. McEachran, P.G.S., has retired from the office of Secretary of Lodge Victoria, No. 147, after

eight years faithful and efficient service.

V.Ex. Comp. R. A. Lilley and Past Principals of Southern Cross R.A. Chapter, No. 3, conducted the

ceremony of Exaltation in a most impressive manner at the regular convocation held last month.

The degree of Knight Malta was conferred on six candidates at the August meeting of the Southland

Preceptory. The work was carried out by Ven. Prior A. C. Ford and his officers in a most efficient manner.

Frater Hector Rankin was nominated as Preceptor for the coming year.

A well-attended meeting of brethren of the Western Southland District was held in the Otautau Masonic Hall

under the Charter of Lodge Wallace, No. 129, to receive M.W. Bro. E. C. Smith, Grand Master. R.W. Bro. J.

D. Campbell, Prov.G.M., and a good number of Grand Officers and visitors from Invercargill were present.

W. Bro. F. J. Murray will be installed Master of The Gordon Lodge in the Masonic Hall, Gore, on 7th

September. The constitution of the Lodge, which will be conducted by M.W. Bro. E. C. Smith, G.M., will be

held prior to the ceremony of Installation.

A meeting of Southern Cross, Cryptic Council, No. 3, was held on 22nd August, when the ceremonies

peculiar to this branch of the Craft were conducted by Ill. Comp. E. McK. Lyon, T.I.M., and officers.

Bro. Wm. Lewis McKenzie was installed Master of Lodge Edendale, No. 289, on 27th July in the Wyndham

Masonic Hall at the hands of R.W. Bro. Jas. Manson, P.Prov.G.M.. in the absence of the Prov.G.M. The

ceremony was witnessed by an excellent attendance of members and representatives from sister Lodges. The

action of Lodge Mokoreta, No. 63, in placing their Temple and refectory at the disposal of Lodge Edendale

was greatly appreciated by all present.

E. Comp. A. F. R. Crawford will be installed 1st Principal of Southern Cross Royal Arch Chapter, No. 3, at

the regular convocation this month.

W. Bro. C. H. Hargest and P.Ms. of Lodge Mataura, No. 174, conducted the ceremony of Raising at the

August meeting of the Lodge.

R.W. Bro. J. D. Campbell. Prov.G.M.. and Grand Officers conducted the Installation of Bro. Martin as

Master of Lodge Aparima. No. 77. in the Riverton Temple on 27th August.

The installation of Principals and the investiture of officers of Huiroa R.A. Chapter, No. 47, was held in the

Gore Temple on 3rd August, in the presence of one of the largest meetings in the history of the Chapter. The

installation of E. Comp. R. W. Jones as 1st Principal was conducted by R.E. Comp. G. H. Brown. Grand

Supt.; E. Comp. F. J. Murray as 2nd Prin. by R.E. Comp. A. Scott, P.G.J.; E. Comp. R. E. Sutherland as 3rd

Prin. by R.E. Comp. Sydney C. K. Smith, P.G.J.; Address to the officers by V.E. Comp. A. Sefton. P.Z. No.

3; and the Address to the Chapter by V.E. Comp. R. P. Boyne. P.G.D.C. The duties of D.C. were ably carried

out by V.E. Comp. J. T. Mosley, G.D.C.

After a lapse of several years it was indeed a pleasure to see the Masonic Orchestra once again officiating at

our annual meetings. Their work at the recent Victoria Installation was an excellent effort, greatly

appreciated by members and visiting brethren.

The ceremony of Perfection as conducted by Ex. and Perf. Bro. A. F. R. Crawford, M.W.S. and officers of

Murihikau Rose Croix Chapter. No. 36, on 31st July was a delightful function. The splendid furnishings

possessed by this unit of the Craft always contribute much to the dignity and efficiency of the ceremonies.

The Master and officers of The Lodge of Remembrance, No. 318, conducted the ceremony of initiation at the

August meeting.

The recent annual meeting of the Southland Board of Inquiry disclosed another successful year's working. A

record number of candidates was dealt with.

————————

OTAGO NOTES.

———<>———

A large and enthusiastic assemblage of brethren and visitors saw Bro. J. H. Dryden installed as Worshipful

Master of Lodge Ionic, No. 191, in the Masonic Temple at Green Island on 8th July, the ceremony being

conducted by the Prov.G.M. (R.W. Bro. H. Archbold), who was ably assisted by the officers of Grand

Lodge, of whom there was a particularly good muster.

The regular monthly meeting of Lodge Oamaru Kilwinning, No. 82, was a memorable one. The large

attendance was reminiscent of an Installation rather than an ordinary night. Lodge Ngapara, No. 68, was

paying an official visit, likewise the Lodge of Waitaki, No. 11. The R.W.M., W. Bro. Galbraith, suitably

received and welcomed his visitors, expressing his pleasure at the good muster accompanying their

respective Masters after which he invited W. Bro. Hamilton, W.M. Lodge Ngapara, to occupy the Chair to

conduct the ceremony of "Passing" two candidates. The Degree work was performed in a masterly fashion

by the officers of Lodge Ngapara and met with the approval of all present. On returning the gavel, W. Bro.

Hamilton expressed the great pleasure it gave himself and his brethren at having the privilege of working the

Degree, and appreciated the cordial relationship which has so long existed between the two Lodges.

On 20th July W. Bro. Galbraith and twenty-five officers and brethren of Lodge Oamaru Kil. journeyed by

bus to Ashburton to pay a fraternal visit to Lodge Thistle, No 113. The cordial welcome and entertainment

provided by the Ashburton brethren left nothing to be desired, and the Oamaru brethren are deeply grateful

for all that was done to bring their first visit to a successful conclusion.

The regular meeting of Lodge St. Clair, No 246, was held on 7th August, when two candidates were

initiated. It was a unique occasion because one of the candidates is an executive member of the Institute of

Electricians, and consequently all the charges and addresses were delivered by fellow-members of the

Institute representing a good number of Lodges. It was a memorable occasion and thoroughly enjoyed by the

large number present. A buffet supper concluded a most successful evening.

The third Installation meeting of Achilles Lodge No. 310, was held on 9th August in the presence of a record

attendance of brethren and visitors. The W.M., W. Bro. S. G. Scoular, duly received R.W. Bro. H. Archbold,

Prov.G.M., who in turn had the pleasure of welcoming M.W. Bro. E. C. Smith. G.M., The ceremony of

installing Bro. A. S. Bruce Smith was impressively carried out by the Prov.G.M., assisted by several officers

of G.L., M.W. Bro. E. C. Smith addressing the brethren. Arrangements in the refectory were excellent and all

present must have been impressed by the tasteful lay-out of the tables. Special mention must be made of the

decorations. The G.M. was in good form and his speech in reply to his toast was well received and

appreciated; the sound Masonic advice and instruction, with an occasional flash of humour, was thoroughly

enjoyed by all. During the evening the G.M. drew attention to the set of gavels and sounding boards

exhibited in the Lodge, and V.W. Bro. C. G. Hedge explained that they were being used for the first time in

many years and had been presented to Grand Lodge at Dunedin in May, 1905, by Bro. F. J. Brown, of Lodge

Otaki, No. 72, who had some time previously migrated to Canada and the Klondyke. where he evidently

made good. The gavels and boards were fashioned from the tusks of the Mastodon that roamed the ancient

forests in North America many thousands of years ago and no doubt preserved in the ice of the Frozen North.

These tools are further adorned and lavishly decorated with matched nuggets of gold taken from Bro.

Brown's claim near Dawson City. They are indeed a beautiful piece of work and attracted a good deal of

interest and admiration.

————————

NORTH CANTERBURY NOTES.

———<>———

Southern Cross, Lodge, No. 6, had a visit from United Forces No. 245, and passed a candidate for them. W.

Bro. Bryden thanked the United Forces brethren for their kindness and attendance.

Ashley Lodge, No. 28, has a very heavy agenda paper, which will keep W. Bro. Hawkins and his officers

busy for the rest of the year.

Mairaki Lodge, No. 131, has now some work on its own candidates, and the Master, W. Bro. Clements, has

his team in good shape.

Tawera Lodge, No. 188, has three "Raisings" waiting, so the officers will be kept busy for some time. W.

Bro. Fairweather and his brethren are always delighted to welcome visitors.

Lodge Kaikoura, No. 60, also has plenty of work pending, and it will be an education for visitors to see their

officers in action.

Amuri Lodge, No. 184, is arranging a special last night celebration to their Master, W. Bro. Len. Jordan, in

September as a fitting finish to a record year. The Installation meeting is in October and all sister Lodges are

cordially invited.

Acacia Lodge, No. 209, will hold a special meeting in September to celebrate the wonderful year of W. Bro.

Harris as Master, Their Installation is in October, and all Lodges, both town and country, are invited to

attend this special occasion and see the wonderful scenery in the Weka Pass.

Cheviot Lodge, No. 124, is making excellent progress and W. Bro. R. Williamson, the busy Master, has been

on tour and visited a number of Lodges.

Ashley B.A. Chapter is continuing to increase its membership rapidly. Many sister Chapters have paid visits

to Ashley recently, and these visits have been much appreciated.

————————

NELSON-MARLBOROUGH NOTES.

———<>———

The annual P.M.'s night of Lodge Nelson, No. 288, was held on 17th July. when W. Bro. H. V. Searle

presided for the working of the Second Degree, assisted by the P.M.'s, who carried out the ceremony with

complete satisfaction.

Lodge Havelock, No. 104, met on 20th July, when the Secretary's son, Bro. R. D. Wratt, was "Raised"

During the subsequent proceedings many congratulatory messages upon the notable ,event were delivered,

including one from the "1942" Masters' Association.

The first meeting of the new Masonic year for Wairau Lodge, No. 42, was held on 23rd July, when W. Bro.

Faulding and his officers conducted an excellent Initiation ceremony in the presence of a large attendance of

members and visitors.

Southern Star Lodge, No. 735, E.C.. held two excellent meetings recently-their regular meeting on 23rd July,

when two F.Cs. were "Raised," and an emergency on 30th July, when two E.As. were "Passed." This latter

meeting took the form of a P.Ms'. night, when W. Bro. R. V. Lorenzen, recently returned from overseas,

presided, and was assisted by the Past Masters.

Lodge Motueka, No. 117, received a return official visit from Lodge Forest on the occasion of their regular

meeting on 24th July, when on behalf of Lodge Forest they "Raised" Bro. G. Max, whose grandfather, W.

Bro. A. E. Max, delivered the Final Charge in a most impressive manner. The interchange of visits between

these Lodges has proved most beneficial and greatly appreciated.

Lodge Waitohi, No. 111, is having quite a busy time with candidates coming forward; one being initiated at

their regular meeting held 25th July.

There was an official visit by V.W. Bro. Craighead, Asst. Prov.G.M., and also by Lodge Motueka, to the

regular meeting of Victory Lodge. No. 40, held on 8th August. There was a large attendance of members and

visitors, and a double Third Degree was worked by W. Bro. E. Stilwill and the officers of Lodge Motueka in

a most satisfactory manner. A notable absentee was the Secretary, R.W. Bro. Stiles, who has been

indisposed, but who now appears to be making a good recovery, which we all hope will be fully maintained,

so that he may resume his usual place in Lodge, from which he has been greatly missed.

The annual P.Ms'. night of Golden Bay Lodge, No. 2194, E.C., was held on 10th August, when an E.A. was

"passed." The P.Ms. gave an excellent rendering of the Ritual of the Degree.

————————

WELLINGTON NOTES.

———<>———

The annual combined meeting of Wellington Provincial R.A. Chapters was held under the Charter of Whetu-

Kairangi Royal Arch Chapter, No. 60, Seatoun, Wellington, on Saturday, 27th July, 1946. A truly

representative gathering of all Chapters in the Wellington district was present. M.E. Comp. R. W. McVilly,

P.G.Z., Grand Supt. of the District, accompanied by M.E. Comp. S. T. S. Martin, P.Pro G.Z., and Grand

Chapter Officers, were in attendance. The Exaltation Ceremony was carried out with dignity and

impressiveness by the Principals of the respective Chapters. Refectory proceedings brought to a conclusion a

very happy and delightful evening.