Provincial.

the brethren down in th minds of the general public a merely as body meeting for feasting and social pnrposses . There was an endeavour making to disconnect Grand Lodge with the freemasons ' Tavern ; the wish had been strongly expressed that it should not be so connected . Truly , at Freemasons' Hall , under present regulations , there was a curious mixture of purposes— -for there were transacted the business proceedings connected with Masonry , religion , architecture , the drama , and other interests sometimes jostling on the same night . This hacl struck many men ' s minds , and there was a visible growing determination to o-et rid of the tavern connection with the Craft . It was now

four years since a resolution had been agreed to by the Grancl Lodge , directing the Board of General Purposes to take tins subject in hand . Nothing practical had been done for three or four years , and now there was a strong revival of the feeling to got rid of all tavern connection , and do it ont of hand . Bro . JACOB , P . M ., had not the least doubt that a sufficiency of money could be obtained by voluntary contribution if an appeal were madeand good lans brouht ' forward

, p g . Bro . LA CROIX , P . M ., advocated the policy of dissociating , ss far as they conld , Masonry and taverns . " The progress of JMasonry had undoubtedly been cheeked by that unfitting connection , ancl the importance of the Craft lessened in the minds of the general public . Bro . SitEJ . i . r , P . M ., said he had already paid a great deal of attention to this subjectand formed an inion and proposal

, op of his own . He could not lose sight of the important fact that , in connection with any improvement and extension of a public property , it was right to infer that the large ; - the sum laid out the larger was the increase to be expected to follow . Iu his proposal he did not anticipate any very great outlay ; he only wished to go to about £ 30 , 000 instead of the £ 18 , 000 , and with that extent of outlay he considered the Craft could carry out

the plan put forward by Bro . Wilson ; the plan of that brother , however , did not include a large room for them to dine in , ancl so far it ivas deficient . There was no reason for borrowing money from any source whatever ; according to Bro . Wilson's statement , the plan could be perfected in about four years , in . which time £ 12 , 000 ivould be gained to the fund in hand . They Iiad a right to suppose that their revenue ivould increase

, Their charities were going on very well , and a great amount of money had been voluntarily collected last year . They would have the means of paying- for a new and improved building , before it was completed , by means in the holding of the Boarcl of General Purposes . liro . Wilson ' s plan was the most feasible he had seen . He did not know why the Temple ancl all the

existing premises should not he thrown into the improvement proposed ; though they might not pull all down , they might convert it . He agreed with what Bro . Stebbing had said , that what new buildings fchey wanted should be on the West side . The tavern now produced £ 800 a-year , and it required a little more accommodation . Let the Craft enter into this , and then Bro . Shrewsbury or any other tenant ivould gladly pay them seven per centfor their He hoped the

, money . subject would be carefully and calmly considered ; and as it was likely the question would be alluded to at their coining provincial meeting afc Havant , he hoped the brethren ivould show more interest in this important matter than thev appeared to do at present . He most decidedly objected to tiie plan put forward by the committee of the Board ' of Generol Purposes . Bro . HiTLBERT , W . M ., 995 , said the question with him ivas

how far they could trespass on the Funds of General Purposes . He agreed with Bro . Stebbing as lo the appropriation of the £ 18 , 000 in hand , and that it would be wrong to entrench upon the charities . Yet to carry out a suitable improvement they were quite capable of spending another £ 18 , 000 ; and if they did want more money , let them go to tho Craft and see if they could not get it . It was always much better to afc once effect a

thorough good improvement instead of patching up for a time . He was anxious the Craft should stand well with tho outer lvorld , and should therefore like to see a building raised worthy of and consistent with the position of Masonry , and befitting the English Masons as those of the first nation . The Craft , he was sure , ivould only be too glad to come forward ancl show ivhat love they had for their Order . If he was askedreall

, y lie should be ashamed to take a foreigner over their Grand Lodge property . Were it not for the words Avritten up , ho should take the place to be some auction rooms , or something of that kind . He thought they ought not to stop at £ 18 , 000 , and to obtain more he felt convinced that every province in the kingdom would lend a hand .

Provincial.

Bro . LA CROIX , P . M ., spoke to similar effect . He saw the impolicy and impropriety of patching- up old buildings , but there was no occasion to hurry to a conclusion ; he hoped the subject ivould be well discussed , and the different points thoroughly brought before tbe Craft . Bro . HASLEIIAJI , P . M ., entirely endorsed Bro . Stebbing ' s opinion , as far as in what they spent nothing should be taker from the charities . If the Masons of the country wished to

see their home property of a more attractive appearance , let them loose their purse strings . Bro . STEBBIXG , in the course of a further address , said lie should make a point of writing to some of the leading brethren of London , and suggest the appointment of a committee , and he thought it would not be made in vain . It would be much better to make a general appeal to the Craft than attempt to spend more money than fchey possessed . Ho was afc issue with

Pro . Sherry as to spending the excess of their income . They were always sure to require all the money they could possibly get in any way for the purpose of benevolence and charity . They occasionally augmented their charitable funds by grants from the income they derived for the Fund of General Purposes . Henceforward lie expected there would be a necessity for a great increase of their benevolent funds . They were called prosperous in that department now , but they did not elect all

the applicants nor relieve all those in want . They did not elect more than one out of two or three applicants either in the Annuity Funds or the Schools . Ancl what ivould be the case thirty years hence ? They were at present supporting the obligations of a past generation ; the wants of persons who went into Masonry from a quarter to half a century ago . They ivould have four times the number of children ancl old men in another thirty years timeand they miht not then find Masonry so

, g nourishing as it was at the present time . It was appalling to think what might be their requirements then . The number of lodges attached to the Craft hacl doubled since 1833 , and there were now coming into them all grades of society . Opinions varied much—all human institutions were unstable—and instead of being doubled again , there might be less in another thirty years . They should therefore take the greatest care of their funds now , and what so glorious was there to apply them to as

to charity ? It might be requisite to distribute funds among many now prospering in their lodges , but who mightbedifferently situated iu years to come , and children ( yet to bo begot by those who were now Masons ) would have to be taken care of . If they did not have the care and forethought ho impressed upon them , they would be like a man ivith £ 500 a-year and a large family to maintain , suddenly losing his position and salary , and becoming helless . He urged upon the Craft to bo content with

p comfort and respectability of appearance in their buildings , and not waste a large amount in seeking to carry out gaudy decoration and palatial views . If there was that liberal feeling to do what was suggested by voluntary subscription , well and goocl ; but he deprecated tho idea of taking a single shilling from their excess of income over expenditure , or their charity funds . Grandeur , he must admit , was a noble thing , but

welleducated children and old men and women in comfortable quarters , was a more stately thing to contemplate than to have even twenty of thoso gaudy edifices put together , if the poor and destitute remained in want ancl uncared for . After some further discussion , the W . M . said lie thought he might assume two positions to have been sufficiently arrived at by the lodge on the subject under discussion : —First that it was not expedient that more than £ 18 , 000 should be spent out of

the funds in hand ; and , secondly , that if any greater sum should bo required to carry out an approved plan on a superior scale , that the additional money should be supplied by voluntary subscriptions from the Craft . They had still left out one important item , that was , the comparative merits of the plans already suggested . There were different suggestions , including that of Bro . AVilson , the Board of General Purposes Committee , and that promulgated by the MAGAZIXE . They could not go further

into the discussion that night , but he hoped it ivould be continued another time . There was no hurry ; perseverance and energy ivere most required , and he believed Hampshire men had no lack of that . He must say he hacl the greatest possible respect for Bro . Stebbing and his opinions , but perhaps he could not exactly follow him in the details of his argument . Bro . Stebbing had laid it down that any alteration of the old premises was unadvisable . He thought they ivere in a better position than if they were going to start with a new erection . They already had property of value , and a respectable income arising from it . He