Freemasonry And The Fair Sex.

FREEMASONRY AND THE FAIR SEX .

IT is customary , and only natural , that with the thermometer at broiling point , the languid mind should revert to those scenes of quiet aud leisure which experience has taught us do exist , even in our own country : and the spirit

yearns to fly away to old-remembered sports where tiny ripples lave the sands upon the beach , where , under the spreading shelter of trees in forest glade , or of awning ou the Spa , iced " drinks " form a fitting counterpart to the

lightest of costumes and the most lazy of attitudes . Anywhere , out of this huge bakehouse of a City aud the " dem'd horrid grind , " as Mr . Mantalini would say , of business worry ; to "fresh woods and pastures new , " where

the overtaxed mental and physical powers may be recruited and re-invigorated , and that rest secured which is so essential with the building up of the stamina which will be called into requisition when the holiday is over .

Now that the Jubilee celebrations are nearly ended , and royal pageants have evoked all the loyal and patriotic enthusiasm which were to be expected of them , society seems to turn its eyes with free will

and accord to " Leisureland , " the wild dissipation of the coasts , the boating , yachting , and fishing , which are ever fresh and always stimulating , the seclusion of inland nooks , with their lakes and falls , and all their

accompanying delights ; rambles at eve on the breezy downs , and the thousand and Jhe pleasures that are included in the category of "holiday . " Happy is the man who , with quiver full of olive branches , can thus find time and means

to take his month in life-giving recrcntion of the kind ; for , with nerves re-strung and the mind relieved of the perpetual hum and bustle of business life , he returns to his ordinary vocations with redoubled zest nnd energies equal

to any emergency that may arise . From a Masonic point of view , the tale may be told with equal appropriateness , for our Festivals and fetes have all taken place , and in a vast majority of Lodges the Junior Warden ' s column stands

erect . There can be no labour done in this sultry weather , and festivities , except tbey be of an al fresco nature , are simply out of the question . Thus the working tools are laid aside , together with the

other paraphernalia of our speculative art , until the lengthened evenings bring the brethren once more together for the prosecution of those lofty studies which form the curriculum of our winter sessions . We

congratulate those of our brethren who are so happily placed as to be able to hie away on the wings of relaxation for ever so short a period ; though it cannot be concealed that amongst the numbers ranged

under our banner there are not a few who must , perforce , be content with merel y an occasional day in the country . These little breaks in the monotony of existence , particularly at this sultry season of the year , come none the less

acceptable because of their infrequency . The schoolboy who gets his unexpected half-holiday once a month , extracts far more jollity out of it thau he ever finds it possible on ordinary occasions of a respite from the desk and

books ; and so it is with children of larger growth who , finding themselves unrestrained aud uufettered , throw their whole heart and soul into the enjoyment ; and derive much more pleasure in the aggregate than if life were but one long holiday . Those who have gone away , out of the torrid heat of the " stuffy " City , or are awaiting

Freemasonry And The Fair Sex.

the approach of the cooler mornings and evenings of August and September , will alike find opportunities of renewing old , and making new , acquaintanceships , of

grasping the hands of brethren whose hearts grow fonder by a twelvemonth ' s absence , and of forming other circles of friends amidst the amenities which are so

characteristic of people when " on pleasure bent . " There is a " free-and-easiness " about the whole affair which is its chief and most piquant recommendation . To fling yourself upon the sandy beach without fear of soiling your loose

lounge jacket ; to lie at length under the shadow of an old boat , while the breezes steal gently through your unbuttoned vest , dreamily watching the white-winged craft that pass silently along the panoramic scene ; what

could be more conducive to peace of mind or health of body ? The early matutinal " dip in the briny , " the meals which you are able to attack with a voracious appetite unknown in the conventional home circle ; the band upon

the promenade , and the cruising about in boats in the cool of the evening , are visions conjured up at this time of year by all of us who have experienced such a change of

air and scene in days gone by . Sorely as rain is needed just now in all parts of the country , let it be hoped that it will be vouchsafed to us at such times and seasons as will

least interfere with the pleasure of our friends who are " on the wing , " so that on their retnrn , with countenances bronzed by the sun , and nerves braced up by the ozone of the sea , they may be better able to " buckle " to the work ,

both commercially and Masonically , they will be called upon to perform when the signal is given for a general

return to labour . There is one feature of this glad summer time always looked forward to with pleasurable anticipations , not only by the brethren themselves , but even more so by their

spouses and sweethearts , and all their acquaintances of either sex . Within the next couple of months there will be witnessed a series of out-door entertainments , in which the ladies will take the most prominent , and of course the

most charming , part ; when the ripple of conversation and laughter will vie with the cadences of sweet music from between the shrubberies , iu breaks amongst which the votaries of Terpsichore aro plying their nimble feet , under

the friendly shelter of umbrageous foliage . The banquet in cool and perfectly ventilated pavilion , the musical accompaniment , aud—best of all , the briefest of after dinner speeches—combine to make up the staple bill of fare until

the shadows lengthen on the greensward , and the gyrations of the waltz or quadrille can be indulged in with impunity up to the time when the glow-worm deems it proper to " light its tiny lamp "—aye and long after , even by the

pale effulgence of the " parish lantern . " It will be universally admitted by all classes of our readers that these summer meetings are most en joyable of their kind , and many fair friends are smacking their lips over the gauziest

of dresses they are making up for the approaching reunions . The Lodge of Prosperity , No . 65 , leads off next with their annual trip to Brighton , where , as wo have already mentioned , a most attractive programme will be presented

by Bro . W . Walker , the popular Worshipful Master , and his coadjutors . According to present prospects nothing can prevent this gathering being a great

success—surpassing , let us hope , the brilliant and happy day spent at the same place last year . There is no lack of means of enjoyment at this " Queen " of southern watering places , and no doubt the endless variety of pleasures included in