At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar

Bro . Charles F . Fordshaw asks if any reader can give him any account of Bro . Ramsay Charles St . Clair , whose tombstone is in the churchyard of St . Giles-in-the-Fields , and his epitaph thereon is as follows : •—The mortal remains of

Ramsay Charles St . Clair , The most proficient Free and Accepted Mason of the present age ; Departed this life , A . 5 815 , A . D . 1811 ; A . 06 93 , A . C . 6 497 ; Aetat 68 .

The destin'd terms at length ' s complete , His ashes rest in peace , eternal fame Sounds wide his praise triumphant over fate , In sacred lodge , for ever live his name !

© © © The question of the indiscriminate admission of candidates to our Order is one that is not confined to Freemasonry in England . It is a burning question also in the colonies , and is not unheard of amongst our brethren of the United

States . The New Zealand Craftsman makes the following remarks on the subject : — Quite recently the Craftsman advocated raising the standard for admission into Freemasonry , and quoted an old Masonic opinion that candidates must be in reputable

circumstances to be properly eligible . At a recent meeting of the board of benevolence of the grand lodge of New Zealand applications for relief were very numerous , and from an analysis of some of the cases the conclusion is forced upon us that there was an utter lack of discrimination

in connection with the admission of some of the deceased members . In three instances the brethren were conspicuous in having large families , very ordinary social positions , and minimum income . Children are no doubt very great blessings , and Scriptural authority expresses the happiness of

those who have their quiver full of them , and we would be the last to suggest a limitation of such blessings . But we again most strenuously urge that it is nothing short of criminal for the man of limited income , with a plethora of children , to purchase his admission into Freemasonry with their shoesand stockings , and perhaps their very bread .

< s > & ¦& And where a man ' s ambition , or curiosity , or whatever may be the motive , is not circumscribed by the bounds of prudence the lodge to which application is made should exercise a restraining influence and refuse admission . Indeed , the lodge

that does not do so is more culpable than the man . He cannot be expected to know the full requirements of the institution , or in what it differs from the average benefit society , but the masters and officers know and should do all in their power to prevent a grevious wrong being clone to

a confiding wife and innocent children . And the evil does not end here , for where the ambitious brother dies prematurely—as occurred in the cases under review—leaving those dependent upon him almost destitute , the craft throughout the colony is called upon to exercise its benevolence , and

though on all occasions it nobly responds to such calls , there is no reason why such a position should be forced upon it , simply because worshipful masters and lodges yield so readily to indiscriminate admissions instead of safeguarding the institution and enforcing an observance of the unwritten law on the question and the conditions that surround it .

We are very much afraid that no very great reform may be looked for , especially in lodges where the custom has become all too prevalent , until grand lodge recognizes the gravity of the position and directs an alteration in the form of questions to candidates , to include a pertinent reference to their condition in life . We have heard of one eminently successful and

admirably worked lodge that requires each candidate for admission to hold a policy of insurance on his life , and if this lodge errs in its exclusiveness , it is certainly on the

right side . The board of general purposes can materially assist its sister board by considering this question , and forcibly bring under the notice of all lodges the evils that accrue under the system , and how they will be accentuated if continued . There is much in the views expressed by our contemporary that should be laid to heart by the English Mason .

© © < s » The City man , be he Mason or no , when desirous of refreshing the inner man , would do well to direct his steps to the Masons' Hall , Masons' Avenue , Basinghall Street , almost under the shadow of the Guildhall , where he can

procure his modest chop or steak or a table d'hote luncheon at a most reasonable charge . Splendid accommodation has been made for lodge meetings , the rooms being about 35 ft . by 21 ft ., with ante-rooms . Smaller rooms are available for lodges of instruction . A special feature is made of lodge suppers .

© © © This is surely the time for the little ones ! For the Midland Railway Company , to encourage the taking of children to the theatres , are making special arrangements for reducing the expenses , which parents so much dread .

The charge for apartments , with meals at Table d'Hote , will be subject to a reduction of 50 per cent , for all children under sixteen years of age ; so that two children will rank as one adult . This applies not only to St . Pancras , which is within a shilling cab-fare of almost all the London theatres ,

but also to the magnficent new hotel at Manchester , and to the already well-known hotels of the Midland Company at Liverpool , Leeds and Bradford . Clearly the fairy god-mother , who puts all things right , must have inspired the Midland with this happy idea .

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