Masonic Notes And Queries.

may visit , hut if a Scotch brother visits an English lod ^ e he is not allowed to wear the Mark jewel , or any other Order not recognised by the Grand Lodge of England . As the Royal Arch degree is recognised in the Grand Lodge of England , he can wear the jewel of that degree in any English lodge that he

may visit . Although both the Mark and Royal Arch degrees are recognised by tho Grand Lodge of Ireland , that gives an Irish brother no authority whatever to wear the Mark jewel in an English lodge , and any attempt to do so ought to be resisted as contrary to the regulations of the Grand Lodge of England . "

As to the second query , we should hardly have supposed that any Master Mason present at the ceremony of installation would have had any doubt as to the order of proceeding , inasmuch as the lodge is always opened in the second degree , when the " skilled Craftsman" or W . M . electis presented to

, , receive from his predecessor the benefits of installation , and , of course , the O . B . is taken in that degree . As regards another part of the query , we are utterly at a loss to understand on what pretext M . M . ' s should be called upon to retire when the lodge is opened in the third decree . Until thev are Tnsbillfirl

Masters , of course , when the W . M . is installed in the Board of Installed Masters , they are excluded . Our correspondent seems to throw some doubt upon ibis order of proceeding , and says that he has seen different practices . Of course there is no accounting for many irregular and improper things that may

take place in lodges ; hut our only surprise is that those who have been guilty of them have not ere this made their appearance before the Board of General Purposes . In answer to the third query , all we can say is , that if a lodge is in that unfortunate position that

it has neither a Master or Past Master to preside , to see that the business of Ereemasonry is carried on with order and decorum , it is a very lamentable state of things , and is not calculated to advance the dignity of our Order . It is , as we said some weeks ago , most objectionable that any one but the W . M . or

P . M . of the lodge should be called upon to do any of the duties appertaining to the position of him who has been elected to preside over them , or one who has been properly advanced and regularly installed into that office . In new lodges , if the W . M . is taken ill or unavoidably prevented from attending this cannot always be avoided , but , under any other

circumstances , it cannot be too strongly discouraged , however anxious some brethren may be to perform duties to which they have never been regularly appointed , or however plausible may be the reasons they may put forth for doing so . The W . M . is solely responsible _ for the conduct of his lodge , and when he parts with his power , unless under some very special circumstances , he ignores some of those solemn declarations he made at the time of his

appointment . Even if the unhappy event should arise of a S . W . being called upon to rule the lodge , he has no right whatever to take the W . M . ' s chair , and much less to assume the jewel of an office with which he has never even been invested ; and , as -regards a sort of " ringing of changes " of the jewels -of the rest of the officers , that would be simply absurd , and they have no power to occupy positions higher than those ori ginally assigned to them . It is

sincerely to be hoped , however , that when a W . M . is appointed he will do his duty in person , and not by deputy , unless in very extreme and extraordinary circumstances . —ED . P . M . ]

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for ( he opinions expressed by Correspondents , KNIGHTS TEMPLAR AND * IS .

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIEEOE . DEAR SIK AND BEOTIIEE . —I have observed in the Freemasons' Magazine of the 22 nd May , a letter from a brother , A . 0 . Have , who , in strong language , reflects upon " Knight Templar , " and " >|< 1 S ° , " for presuming to defend , as they have endeavoured to do , the higher degreesand Bro . Haye has sought in no

, measured terms to bring discredit upon their efforts . I think it only right to say , that they are both friends of mine , and are in every way qualified to address the Masonic world- I know for many years one has ably contributed to Masonic publications . I trust , in common fairness to these brethren , you will kindly

insert this , and I would suggest to Bro . Haye that it is not by such exhibitions of bad temper and bad taste , that Masjnic discussion should be carried on . Yours fraternally , MAEK MASTEE , A W . M ., a member of the Grand Conclave of

Knights Templar of England , and a member of the KIT . 30 ° . July 1 st , 1 S 67 .

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROE . DEAE SIB A ^ B EOTIIEB . —You will render good service if you can put a stop to spurious Masonic learning , which does great discredit to the Craft in its claims as an intellectual institution , indisposes many of our best membersand prevents many a

, scholar from entering our portals . Generally speaking , in proportion to the absurdity of the legend , so is the tenacity of the illiterate or selfeducated brother in upholding and promulgating it . Nonsense becomes self-creative of nonsense , and the process is simple . A brother who never studied

history gets hold of some legend in an author of small discretion , he then sets to work , and by the help of encyclopaedias and historical works , which have no authority , enlarges upon his original foundation , and thinks he is adding to the structure of Masonry .

Now Masonry has so much truth in it that it is self-supporting , and does not want the cement of lies . It may be observed that there are many statements in Masonry wdiich , in the progress of events , have lost their original application , and some things which are based on ancient legends . These

are very properly kept in our ceremonies as testimonies of antiquity , but not as assertions of gospel truth . A legend of five hundred years old is good evidence of five hundred years' antiquity , but it is no evidence of the truth of what the legend avers took p lace fifteen hundred or five thousand years ago . It may be observed that of late years by the exercisa .

MA . SONIC PSEUD 0-ANTIQUITIES .