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name you chose, I call it taxation. There would be no more charity in paying the extra two shillings, than there is in paying the poor taxall the difference being that, if I do not pay the poor rate the guardians will sell my furniture for it, and if I did not pay the increased subscription I should be expelled from the Craft for non-payment of dues. I am, respected Sir and Brother, yours faithfully and fraternally, GEORGE WATSON.

MASONRY IN BIRMINGHAM.

Although Freemasonry has during the last few years made rapid advances in Birmingham and its neighbourhood, both in numbers and influence, as the increase of lodges rivalling their elder sisters in zeal and usefulness, the efficiency of the Provincial Grand Lodges, and the rise of benevolent institutions, planned by masonic minds and nurtured by masonic care, appear to us satisfactorily to testify, still there has been a cause of regret to zealous and painstaking brethren in the fact that with the spread of the Craft, there was no corresponding extension of masonic knowledge.

The death or infirmities of old and well-informed brethren had almost left the lodges without instruction in anything beyond the mere ceremonies of the Order, and these, from various causes, were imperfectly, and with many differences, performed. To remedy this evil, the old lodge of St. Paul, No. 51, rather more than a year ago, commenced the establishment of a Lodge of Instruction, in which the other lodges readily joined. In the Lodge of Instruction it soon became evident that, in order to harmonize the various modes of working, resource must be had to some authority to which all parties would submit themselves. The traditions of Masonry, as handed down by the late Bro. P. Gilkes, had long been considered by the Birmingham brethren, as the standard of masonic principles and practice, and of these they desired to obtain a perfect knowledge, that they might work correctly in their own day, and hand down a pure system to their successors.

For some years Bro. Skeet, a pupil of Bro. Gilkes, had, in a most generous and praiseworthy manner, taught the ceremonies of the three degrees, and occasionally the explanations of the tracing boards, to those brethren who chose to apply to him, and the recollection of his kindness will never be erased from the memories of his grateful pupils ; but, as it was supposed the lapse of time, with its usual influence on us all, might have somewhat impaired the correctness of his work, it was resolved to request the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, London, to depute some eminent authority in their body to visit Birmingham, and adjust the differences that existed among the brethren.

The Emulation Lodge most promptly responded to the wishes of their Birmingham brethren, and deputed Bro. W. Honey, P. M. of No. 19, to visit them. It was hoped that by conference with Bro. Skeet, he would be able to revive the recollection of any points on which he might be doubtful, and by confirming the accuracy of his work, secure to the lodge the services of their old instructor. That brother, however, thinking it time that the powers of younger brethren should be exercised, declined the task, to the regret of the majority of the lodge,

and it was ultimately determined that Bro. Lloyd, of the Athol, and Bros. Ryley and Bassett Smith, of St. Paul's, should perfect themselves respectively in the ceremonies and lectures of the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st degrees, and Bro. Dee, of the Lodge of Light, and Bro. Lloyd, in the ceremony of Installation. This arrangement was carried out, and after nearly two months' hard study with Bro. Honey, he pronounced the appointed brethren competent to the work of instruction.

On the 3rd of October, Bro. Honey worked the three lectures, with his pupils, in the lodge room, at Dee's Royal Hotel, and expressed his satisfaction at the manner in which they performed their parts. Cordial votes of thanks were passed to him, and to the Lodge of Emulation, and he left Birmingham with the hearty good wishes of the Craft for his welfare. Since then the vote of thanks of the lodge to Bro. Honey, beautifully engrossed on vellum, has been forwarded to him, accompanied with a testimonial of the sense the brethren entertain of his valuable services, gentlemanly bearing, masonic knowledge, and zeal.

Bro. Roden, of St. Paul's Lodge, was also a diligent pupil of Bro. Honey; and thus, by the application of the pupils, and the ability of the instructor, Birmingham is at length in possession of that masonic learning it had long and severely felt the want of. It is scarcely necessary to add, that Birmingham is anxious to diffuse the information it has obtained, and will cheerfully impart it to any lodge or brethren that may desire it. It must be obvious, however, that private study is absolutely necessary to brethren who desire to master the mysteries of the Craft, as the Lodge of Instruction is little more than a place of rehearsal, where corrections may be made of an officer's blunders, and the artist's touch imparted to his work, so that in the regular lodge he may discharge his duties ably and without embarrassment. For such study ample opportunities are afforded, and we trust that henceforward there will be no complaint of want of instruction, or deficiency of able officers. The countenance of the older brethren will contribute much to this result.

Another gratifying circumstance to which we must allude, is the commencement of a correspondence between the Masons of Bordeaux and those of Birmingham, of which we will give an account in our next number.

The Provincial Benevolent Annuity Fund progresses, and young hearts are already beating high in anticipation of its annual ball, which, with much propriety, will fall on St. Valentine's day.

We have then cause of congratulation in the state of masonry in these parts, and in its present strength, learning, charity, and good-fellowship find reason for believing it will be handed down to posterity with undiminished lustre and usefulness.

[It is due to Brother Stephen Barton Wilson, now the only surviving pupil of the late Bro. Peter Gilkes, to acknowledge, that it is by his continuous exertions and great practical masonic knowledge, that the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, that bulwark of English Freemasonry, has been sustained and protected, and that among his numerous pupils Bro. Honey has proved himself " true and trusty."-En.]

ON FREEMASONRY,

AS REGARDS ITS UNBOUNDED INFLUENCE ON THE MORAL AND SOCIAL CONDITION OF MAN.

BY THE REV. GEORGE OLIVER, D. D.

EDITORIAL PRECOGNITION.

Draw. Sir, ancient Pistol's below, and would speak with you.

Doll. Hang him, swaggering rascal! Let him not come hither; it is the foul mouthedst rogue in England.

Host. If he swagger, let him not come hither. No, by my faith; must live amongst my neighbours; I'll no swaggerers. I am in good name and fame with the very best. Shut the door;-there comes no swaggerers here! I have not lived all this while, to have swaggering now, Shut the door, I pray you. - KING HENRY IV.

"Ye sylphs and sylphids, to your chief give ear;

Fays, fairies, genii, elves, and demons, hear!

Ye know the spheres, and various tasks assign'd

By laws eternal to the aërial kind."-RAPE OF THE LOCK.

"As I am an honest man, I thought you had received some bodily wound; there is more offence in that than in reputation. Reputation is an idle and a false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving. You have lost no reputation at all, unless you repute yourself such a loser."--OTHELLO.

"Hard by, a furious knight there dwelt,

Of whom all towns did ring,

For he could wrestle, play at quarter staff, kick, cuff, and huff,

Call son of a whore, do any kind of thing;

By the tail and the mane, with his hands twain,

He swang a horse till he was dead;

And that which is stranger, he for very anger

Eat him all up but his head."-DRAGON OF WANTLEY.

When men become candidates for literary fame they should prepare for the campaign, by laying in a stock of ideas on those particular subjects which they propose to elucidate. The primer of knowledge should, at the least, be committed to memory. We are willing to admit that some bold adventurers, like the knight in our motto, have achieved a transitory success without it, but this is not the lot of many; and it is liable to be overthrown by the slightest accident, where the basis is unsound. But in the case of

Freemasonry, we never knew an adversary who was not profoundly ignorant of its first principles; and we accordingly find them all blundering on in the dark, till they tumble, one after another, into the pitfal of error, and flounder in miserable plight amidst the defilements of the slough of despond. To extricate these wretched drivellers from the mire of disappointment, we will address a few words of advice,

TO ALL COWANS AND OPPONENTS OF FREEMASONRY, BOTH
CLERICAL AND LAY.

Dear Friends,-We greet you thrice heartily; hoping your appetite is good and your digestive organs sound and healthy; that, after you have perused our friendly and affectionate communication, you may proceed to dinner with all the solemnity and decorum which so momentous a business requires. Eating, dear friends, is a necessary enjoyment, against which few are fastidious enough to enter a disclaimer; but there is this difference between us and you, that we eat to live, while you appear to live for the sublime purpose of eating. And perhaps you may be right; as a full stomach is no

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despisable matter. To this, however, may be attributed your denunciations of Freemasonry. Enormous feeding produces repletion; repletion generates bile; and bile must be thrown off, if the system be worth preserving; and what is so perfectly natural and safe, as to discharge it against an adversary who is bound hand and foot by the restrictions of a secret institution, and, consequently, incapable of making any effectual defence, or of retaliating by an attack on the enemy's camp?

We are lost in admiration at your judgment, and the astute policy of your tactics, although we cannot admire your courage. The chivalrous adventurers of old always considered that course to be most honourable which selected as an opponent in the lists, like Ivanhoe at Ashby, a champion armed to the teeth; and esteemed themselves less disgraced by defeat against such an adversary, than by conquest over a feeble or unarmed foe. But, alas, times are changed with us; we now attack the weak and trample on the defenceless. The bold and stalwart knight, who defied all the world in a fair and open field, is degenerated into the cunning savage, who shoots his enemy from behind a tree, or surprises him when asleep in his peaceful cabin.

After all, there is much personal security in the plan, and we recommend you to persevere. Who knows but you may, in the end, batter down the outworks of Masonry and surprise the citadel! Who can tell what effect a series of insidious aspersions, judiciously selected and cunningly applied, may have upon a system of secrecy, whose strongest and most unanswerable points cannot be publicly adduced in reply to your plausible, and oft-repeated allusions, how pernicious soever their real tendency may be? You may venture, therefore, to proceed with impunity, for we are not cannibals; we may, in our secret conclaves, devour young children, as some of your ancient anti-masonic confreres would have the world believe, but we shall not eat you; we have too much interest in your pursuits to wish you any evil.

There is another recommendation which we would strongly urge upon you, as it is a ruse which appears to have escaped your attention; but it is intended for your own private ear alone, and of course you will consider it strictly confidential. On all future occasions, when you may vouchsafe to honour us with your notice, we think it would be prudent to write anonymously. It is an awful thing to scribble nonsense, and authenticate it by your proper name and address. Therefore, dear friends, let us conjure you to avoid this fatal error in future; for you cannot believe how much your character, as right-minded men, is compromised by persisting in a course which is known to be at variance with the common dictates of humanity and truth.

Freemasonry is a system of Charity. It relieves the distressed, cherishes the orphan, and makes the widow's heart to sing for joy. And every time you raise the slogan of "down with it, down with it, even to the ground!" you have the credit of trying to drive the orphan children away from the retreat where Freemasonry clothes, and feeds, and educates them, to encounter all the evils of poverty, despair, and crime. To you this result would probably be milk and honey; but to us it would be gall and wormwood. Write anonymously then in future, or your character may suffer, which would be a great pity and matter of regret to your dearest friends. But have you really such an aversion to benevolent institutions? Are you such bitter enemies to the orphan, the destitute, and the widow, as to be desirous of stopping up the sources of those charities by which the latter are supported, and the former trained to act their part creditably on the great theatre of the world? Gracious heaven! if this be the case, you will care little what the end may be, providing you can but gain celebrity by the means. The heavy responsibility must be risked; to be consistent you must recklessly proceed, though the course be rather crooked; for there is no knowing what wonderful things you may effect in time. Who can tell

but you may be invested with a crown of olive (corona oleagina) as a recompense for having attempted the destruction of a benevolent society.

"Tuque dum procedis, Io triumphe,
Non semel dicemus, lo triumphe,
Civitas omnis; dabimusque Divis
Thura benignis."-HORACE.

And if any one should impertinently ask, in the language of an offended khan to his slave, “What dirt are you eating?" tell him it is the earth-born giant Freemasonry which you are raging to devour. Howl away then! anathematize the Order as much as you can! unburden your distended budget of conjectures, as Epimetheus did the box of Pandora, no matter how unfounded or absurd! Let your first and last breath be vituperation; and see if Freemasonry will not eventually succumb.

But you would do well to consider, that nothing can produce peace of mind, or lasting reputation, but the triumph of principle. And if you doubt your ability to accomplish the total subversion of Freemasonry, we think you entertain a reasonable conjecture. We have heard of clever artists who projected the extinction of the sun by pelting it with snowballs, because its light was too powerful for their organs of vision. It was a sublime idea. They have immortalized themselves by the vastness of the project. Only consider then, dearest friends, what notoriety you may acquire by a similar attempt to demolish our noble Order. What do you say you have already failed more than once? Perhaps so; but if you are desirous of the honour of being classed with the venerable philosophers of Laputa, try again; a new attack may be more successful.

And we

Look at the renown you would acquire by its destruction. would again advise you not to be particular about the means you adopt, because your reward will be certain and immediate. Down with the rascally Freemasons at any rate! and you will enjoy the credit of having prostrated an ancient superstition, which had been extensively applied to the purposes of ameliorating the condition of society. And your triumphal car will be surrounded with destitute widows, dissolved in tears, lamenting the loss of the sustenance which you have torn from their grasp;—with male and female orphans wailing for the bread of which you have robbed them, and clamouring for the comforts of a home;-with aged men smiting their breasts in despair, and sinking into the grave for want of the support which you have taken away;—and with unfortunates calling upon you to restore the periodical benevolences by which their sorrows were lightened and their distresses relieved!

This will be your reward. And surely it must be highly gratifying, or you would not take such pains in its pursuit.

Now we will suppose, in another point of view, that Freemasonry contains abundant references to the historical and typical portions of the Old Testament, and to the morality of the Gospel. What of that! Are you to be governed by a string of ancient prejudices and worn-out traditions? What are the old law and Gospel to you, imbued, as you are, with a wholesome tincture of the new light? Indeed, one of your number expressly affirms that "the Gospel was not intended to reform the world ;" and that “God is forming a new creation out of the ruins of the old!" Whence he sagely deduces that Freemasonry can never purge the conscience from guilt." (See Mr. E. C. Pryer's Substance of a Letter, p. 8, et. passim.) And, therefore, away with Freemasonry, and the Gospel, and the Jewish law, "to the moles and to the bats, and to the dark caverns whence they sprang," (Ibid. p. 11,) as a series of antiquated notions which are by no means adapted to the march of mind displayed in the present enlightened

era.

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Shall we catalogue your worthy accomplices ?—No, beloved friends, we are determined not to expose you, if you have sense enough not to expose

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