The Purple.

representatives the power to appoint deserving brethren to Past rank . Past rank is an expression and an institution peculiar to Freemasonry , and its correlative does not seem to exist in any other organization . For instance , the President of the United States ranks but as a private citizen after the expiration of his term of office , and enjoys no other

consideration than that which his public and private virtues may have earned for him in the unofficial regard of his fellows . But the President of the Board of General Purposes has a special precedence allotted to him for the remainder ¦ of his career . The cabinet minister retires after his party

loses office and straightway resumes his practice at the bar , ¦ or applies himself once more to those occupations of the walk of life which he adorned before his accession to office . But the Grand Officer ' s enjoyment of his dignity by no means ceases when his period of active usefulness has come to an end . In fact it is often only then that his real enjoyment of

it begins , in reaping the respect and the consideration which he was previously too busy to think about . But whether the distinction be past or present it should never be forgotten that it creates almost a new relation between the brother honoured and the other members of his lodge . They should look up to him to afford them a pattern ¦ of Masonic excellence . The purple is not the end , but it is . a mere incident , and it should be the means to an end .

At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar.

At the Sign of the Perfect Ashlar .

The record of Freemasonry during the year 1904 has again been one of steady progress throughout the Empire . In England aid Wales forty-three new lodges have been added to the roll ( of which sixteen are London lodges ) , and in India and the Colonies the increase is twenty-three , making a total additon of sixty-lour to the 2499 lodges existing at the end of 1903 .

English Freemasons have also reason to congratulate themselves on the result of their efforts in 1904 to maintain their chaiacter for supporting the cause of benevolence . Although there was a falling off amounting to £ 8 , 704 as compared with 1903 , the total of that year of £ 111 , 852 was an exceptional sum , which had been eclipsed only once in the long history of the Masonic

Girls' and Boys' Schools and of the Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows . The total income of the three institutions for 1904 was £ 103 , 147 17 s . 8 d ., and the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys headed the list with £ 35 , 40114 s . 8 d . ; the Royal Alasonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons came next with £ 35 , 293 10 s . ( id . ; and the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls was third with . £ 32 , 442 12 s ' . ( 3 d . While the total for 1904 was lower than that

of 1903 , it was in advance of the total of 1902 by more than £ 3 , 700 . The aggregate result is that provision is made for the maintenance of each of the three institutions which includes the housing , boarding , clothing and educating , of nearly 300 girls , 350 hoys , and providing annuities ( £ 40 for men and £ 32 for widows ) , over 600 in all , to which must bj added the grants

by the Board of Benevolence whicli amounted in 1904 to £ 12 , 555 , and the benefactions of the many local Masonic Organisations which extend additional relief in the same direction .

© © c The annuitants resident at the Royal Alasonic Benevolent Institution at Croydon , were again provided with an excellent New Year ' s entertainment on the 4 th January , and an unusually large company of visitors and donors of the feast went there to

assist in making their old friends happy . Dr . II . J . Strong presided on the occasion , and among his supporters were Bros . C . E . Keyser , P . G . D . ; P . Colville Smith , P . G . D . ; James Terry , P . G . Swd . B ., and E . W . Nightingale , P . G . P . At the conclusion of the repast the toasts were those of "The King , " "The Founders of the Feast" ( the entertainment being

provided by voluntary contributions and not coming out of funds ) , and " Success to the Institution . " The second toast was responded to by Bro . David Hills , P . M . and Secretary of the Lodge of Tranquility , No . 185 , which is always a largo contributor , and the third by Bro . P . Colville Smith , the Secretary . An ' sits were afterwards paid to the residents at

their homes , and in the evening the Playgoers' Lodge , No . 2705 , and Lodge of Tranquility furnished an interesting programme of music , whicli was performed by Miss Essie Andrews , Miss Bessie Freeman , Miss Florence Ogilvy , and Messrs . Harrison Latimer , F . T . Daniels , James Godden , Philip Ritte , and Arthur Helmore . Bro . C . E . Johnson was

acconqianist . Bro . Louis Harfeld , the Worship ful Master of the Playgoers' Lodge , who was present , and who stands as Steward for bis lodge at the next festival of the Institution , obtained at bis installation on Tuesday evening support for bis list to the extent of 300 guineas .

« C > »_> < 2 > Bro . Rigg , M . P ., is well known to be an ardent and enthusiastic Mason , and , according to a story which an old schoolfellow tells in The YOIIIKJ Mini , he was not without distinction in his earl y life . His father had to complain of a

certain amount of bullying against his son , and interviewed the master upon the point . The latter pooh-poohed it , and in the presence of father and son remarked to the hoy : "Now , Rigg , I don ' t think you can have been treated very badly . Your father is here , and I am quite prepared to let you do the worst to me that the boys have ever done to you . You need

not be afraid—I shall not punish you afterwards . " The master who related the tale to my informant—a Midland Quaker—said that he was not prepared for the effect of the challenge . Young Rigg came up to him and deliberately gave him a kick on the leg which almost took bis breath away . "Well , Rigg , " the master remarked , when he had recovered from his unpleasant siuprise , " they certainly served you badly if they treated vou anything like that . "

O C" 'Br The Roman Catholic organ , The Tablet , inserts in its issue of December 31 st an account of the consecration of the Deanery Lodge , at which that excellent Craftsman , the Bishop of Barking , was present as one of the consecrating officers . It is no new role for an Anglican Bishop to take , and

English speaking Masons are proud of the close association of the clergy of all denominations with the Order . Our contemporary , however , is much concerned to find a Bishop in such company .

O 'O <_> "Here is an Anglican Bishop , " it remarks , " a Past Grand Chaplain of ' The Craft , ' zealously officiating at ' a Masonic ritual . " Masonry" is open to all who own to a belief in the "One Great Architect , " but is closed to Catholics who cannot

worship at the same altar with Protestants , Mohammedans , Hindus , Jews , Confucians , and others representing various forms of belief . Theoretically all religious are regarded by Freemasonry as on an equality . How does a Protestant Bishop reconcile his Freemasonry with his Anglican Christianity , either in lodge or at the Alasonic banquet ' . ' 1

own I was astonished to find that there is a Alasonic lodge composed entirely of Jews . Surely they cannot be true sons of Israel , veritable descendants of those to whom the Law was given on Mount Sinai . As the Masonic tradition is derived

from the history of the building of the Temple by King Solomon , it would be quite in keeping with such tradition were only Jews admitted to be Freemasons . That would be intelligible ; but then this "Masonry" would be no longer "free , " as only the worshippers of "The God of Abraham , of Isaac , and of Jacob , " to the exclusion of all other gods hut

Him , could be members of such a "Craft . " Now , were this so , which it is not , even then a Christian Protestant Bishop could not surely find a place for himself as " Grand Chaplain , " or as anything else in such a community . I should like lo hear the opinion of the Anglican Ritualist , or even of the very High Church Anglican , on this subject . A wish , 1 fear , which

will not be gratified . " Could anything better illustrate the exclusiveness and intolerance of Roman Catholicism .