Masonic Notes And Queries.

TOULMIN SMITH ON " ENGLISH GUILDS . Will Bro . H yde Clarke kindly inform me who are the publishers of the above work , that I may order it ? My bookseller has failed to procure it for me so far , and Bro . Hyde Clarke ' s welcome notes on the workin the Freemasons' Magazine for October 6 th

, , have made me anxious to see the volume aud study it carefully . —W . J . HUGHAN . QUERY . Will you kindly answer me the following question in your next number ? The out-going Master has a

right to instal his successor ; but , if he declines to do so , either from inability or other reasons , who should then be asked to perform the ceremony ? the next P . M ., or the senior P . M . of the lodge ?—T . P . The retiring W . M . may request the I . P . M ., or any other P . M . present who is able and willing , to perform the ceremony of installation . —ED . F . M .

Corespondence.

CORESPONDENCE .

. The " Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondent

ENGLISH MARK LODGES AND THE MARK DEGREE .

TO THE IDITOB OP TDE PEEEJIASOSS' MAGAZINE AHD MASONIC HIBKOH . Dear Sir and Brother , —I have read the remarks of " Crescent , " at page 284 , upon the above subject , and beg to dissent from many of his statements . As to the G . L . of Mark Masters being " that lawful aud constitutional body , " I cannot see it . Suppose we

get up a Grand Lodge of M . M . ' s , another of F . C . ' s , and so on ? Then to he told that the "Masonic Knights Templar " are "a purely Christian Order , dating only from the time of the Crusades ! " When , mirabile dicta , they " only " date from last century at the

furthest . Again , says " Crescent , " " all degrees , Craft and others , were once worked thus independently before the Grand Lod ges in Great Britain and other countries were formed ! " That is to sav , before 1717 ! J To further criticise an "article" which contains such essential mistakes as those alluded to is

unnecessary . The real cure for this matter would be that alluded to , at page 311 , by "Beitam , " viz ., that the G . L . of England should follow the example of the G . L . of Scotland , and _ make " the Mark " a portion of its ritual , for , as is well known , 2 ong before auy Grand

Lodge was formed , the operative Masons used their marks . A motion to this effect carried in Grand Lodge would soon settle the whole matter , so far as blue Masonry is concerned . It was really most "" unfortunate " that the G . L . of England recognised the Eoyal Arch . Craft

Masonry being entirely complete in itself ; that is to say , that any" degree > ' above that of Master Mason is simply superfluous , " the Mark " being uuderstood as a portion of the Fellow Craft degree . Whenever we ep beyond blue Masonry and take up with " Eoyal

Corespondence.

Arch" productions , we at once open the door to these so-called " high ' ' degrees ad infinitum ; degrees which , those who have been induced to take them assert , are simply " humbug . " Yours fraternally , BE-MARE . P . S . —I find that it is not necessary to go far to

find proof of my last statement ; for , page 356 , at a meeting of " Masonic Knights Templar " it was stated that " The Knights of the Temple would recollect that they met , not on the level , but on the cross . ' ' If such were the case , they should have gone to the church or chapelnot to a Masonic hallfor such an idea is

, , entirely opposed to Freemasonry . And , if " the illustrious Templar believed that he was the pioneer of a grand united chain of Masonrv throughout the world , ' he has rather queer ideas as to what "Masonry '' really is . The life and beauty of speculative Masonry is its unsectarianistn and universality , cross

and cresceut being alike to it . So long as such is the idea , the " grand chain " exists ; but it would seem to he the forte of pseudo-Masonic Kni ghts Templar to pull down what it is the glory of Masonic Master Masons to build up . —EE-MARK .

1717 . TO THE EDITOR OP THE PEEElTASONs' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC HIBEOB . Dear Sir and Brother , —I have met with an incident which it may be interesting to mention ; viz .: Upon 25 th October I received a letter bearing the Glasgow post-markand upon corner of envelope

, " 1717 . " On opening it there was no signature , being therein directed to me as a " Correspondent of the Freemasons' Magazine , " and it said : — " There is a fount about to stream , There is a light about to beam , There is a warmth about to flow ,

There is a flower about to blow , There is a midnight darkness changing Into grey . Men of thought and men of action , Clear the way . " Aid the dawning tongue and pen , Aid it , hopes of honest men ;

Aid it , paper , aid it , type ; Aid it for the hour is ripe . And our earnest must uot slacken Into play . Men of thought and men of action , Clear the way . " « f ;> I have not the slightest idea who it is fromnor is

, any explanation given in it ; only , from " 1717 " being mentioned , I suppose that the date A . D . 1717 is referred to ; the writer being a ' reader of the Magazine , and possibly a supporter of the 1717 theory . Yours fraternally , W . P . BUCHAN .

DNIEOEMITY OF BITUAL . TO TEE EDITOll OP THE PKEE 2 IASONS' JIAGAZIlfE AND MASONIC MIHEOB . Dear Sir and Brother , —Since the appearance of the letter of G . W . Wv page 309 , the attention of at any rate two Glasgow lodges has been specially drawn to the subject of uniformity , and the suggestions em-