At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar

Rev . Percy Arthur Amherst . His six daughters are renowned for their fidelity to their respective hobbies , which include horticulture , bookbinding , poultry breeding , and embroidery . ' ' < C © © The other Lord Amherst ( he of Hackney ) , who is also a

distinguished Mason , being a Past Grand Warden of England , is also the subject of a sympathetic note : " Lord Amherst of Hackney is certainly assured of the svmpathv of every subject of the King because of the financial calamity that has befallen him . Stricken in old age by the dishonesty of a

defaulting lawyer , he has suddenly found himself poorer by more than £ roo , ooo . Facing the inevitable like the courageous soul he is , he has decided to save the situation , if possible , by parting with his books . What a pang this has been to his lordship only the true bibliophile will ever faintly realise .

For lifty years Lord Amherst has toiled at accumulating a library which is practically the history of the world ' s printing and binding up to 1700 . The library is especially rich in Caxtons to the number of seventeen , of which eleven are absolutely perfect , and are of fabulous value . There are also numerous Royal Bibles and manuscripts . Mr . Bernard Quaritch estimates the total value at ^ 150 , 000 .

© © " There are two important questions constantly cropping up which should be once for all settled , and when settled , if settled in the negative , should be strictly enforced . One is , should Masonic proceedings be published in the secular

press ? At present the matter stands in an unsatisfactory manner . The general belief is that they should not be published , and the bulk of the members loyally adhere to this principle . There are others , however , who adopt a different course , and publish Masonic proceedings in the secular press

on every conceivable occasion . No matter what may be the motive—whether it be the zeal of the newspaper scribe for his paper or the desire of those interested in the proceedings to be well advertised—the same rule should exist for all . If it be right that Masonic proceedings should not be published

in the secular press , they should not be so published , and those effecting the publication should be punished . If , however , there be no wrong in the free publication of Masonic proceedings , their publication should be allowed without either let or hindrance . But the matter should be definitely settled beyond all doubt .

" The other matter is one of greater importance—the use of printed rituals , ciphers , or keys in the conferring of degrees or performance of Masonic rites . Among Grand Lodges different principles and different practices exist . In England , or , rather , the British Isles , and with us , the principle is that there should not be a printed or written

ritual , cipher , or key ; but the practice , we fear , is very different . We know that books are printed , professing to be accurate rituals , with some real or imaginary Grand Lodge sanction . Can all our brethren fearlessly say that they have not recourse to cipher , key , or writing in their performance

of Masonic rites . One of our prominent brethren referred to this at our last annual banquet , and the fact that he had to pull himself up and stop short shows what a ticklish subject this is , and how difficult it is to debate it in print . Either the ban against written or cipher rituals should be removed , or their use should be visited with ostracism . " —Australasian

Keystone . © * © It is with much regret we have to record the death of the Rev . Sir Borradaile Savory , Bart ., which occurred on Wednesday , September 12 th , at Woodlands , his residence near

Stoke Pogis , Bucks ; he had been ill since June . Sir Borradaile Savory , who was in his fifty-first year , was one of the best known of the City clergymen . After holding curacies in the West End of London , he was , in 1887 , presented with the valuable rectory of the Priory Church of St .

Bartholomewthe-Great , West Smithlield , In the nineteen years during which he held the benefice he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the task of restoring the beautiful Norman church to some of its earlier glories . Many of its outlying portions had

passed into strange hands and been devoted to secular purposes . The clang of a smith ' s forge , resounded within walls where , centuries ago , the Masses of the Church were sung . Yet another part had been utilised as a stable . The late rector recovered a deal of the fabric for sacred uses , though

he has not lived to see the full fruition of his desires . Sir Borradaile was the only child of Sir William Scovell Savory , first baronet , who was Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria , and succeeded to the title in 18 95 . In Freemasonry he had held high office , having been Senior Grand Chaplain

of English Freemasons for the past four years , and previously Provincial Grand Chaplain of Bucks . He was also a chaplain of the Order of St . John of Jerusalem in England and to the Royal Army Medical Corps ( Volunteers ) . The late baronet married in 1881 , Florence Julia , daughter of Dr . Frederick

William Pavy , LL . D ., F . R . S ., of Grosvenor Street , W ., who died in 11 ) 02 . His successor is his only son , William Borradaile Savory , who is in his twenty-fifth year .

© © © On the following Saturday afternoon a memorial service was held in the Church of St . Bartholomew-the-Great , West Smithfield , of which he was rector . Among those present were Mr . H . Wingfield Cross , representing Lord Ludlow ,

Treasurer of St . Bartholomew ' s Hospital ; Bro . Sir Edward Letchworth , Grand Secretary ; Bro . P . Colville Smith , Secretary of the Masonic Benevolent Society ; Mr . John Faulkner , Secretary of the Royal General Dispensary , and a large number of clergy , among whom were Canon Duckworth ,

Prebendary Nash , Prebendary Reynolds , the Rev . C . N . Kelly , and the Rev . Stephen Barrass . The Royal Army Medical Corps ( Volunteers ) was represented by Colonel Valentine Matthews , Major J . Harper , and Captain and Adjutant Langford-Lloyd . The service , which was conducted by the

Rev . W . E . Robinson , consisted of the Burial Service , with the omission of the committal prayers , and the " De Profundus , " and the late baronet ' s favourite hymns were sung .

© © © The doctrine of perpetual jurisdiction maintained by some of the American Grand Lodges incidentally involves a species of tyranny that would not be tolerated outside the " land of freedom . " That doctrine asserts that once a candidate's

petitition has been rejected by any lodge , he is for ever debarred from admission to the Order in any other lodge holding under that or any other jurisdiction that recognizes the doctrine . In their zeal to maintain the purity of the Order , it is also held that a candidate must not be allowed to

withdraw his petition in anticipation of an unfavourable ballot . Nothing is more common in this country than for a candidate ' s name to be withdrawn when his proposer and seconder have reason to fear such an untoward result , but across the Atlantic , once the ballot has been appealed to , the result has to be faced .

© © <•> The appointment of the Governor of Queensland to the Grand Mastership of the body styling itself the Grand Lodge of Queensland , may raise some interesting questions of international Masonic jurisprudence . In his official capacity , our

brother is the representative of the King , who is the Protector of English Freemasonry and Past Grand Master of our Grand Lodge . Of course Lord Chelmsford represents the King in a political capacity only , not necessarily in a Masonic capacity , but at the same time we cannot help thinking he has been ill

advised in thus countenancing a body , and in fact putting himself at the head of a body which the Grand Lodge of England , and of course its Past Grand Master and Protector , regard as clandestine . As regards his further connection with English Freemasonry , the case is not very different from that of Sir Robert Stout , who introduced the Grand Orient into New Zealand .

Though Sir Horatio Lloyd , K . C , recently retired from the position of a county court judge , he is still the Deputy Provincial Grand Master for Cheshire . The brethren of the