Vol. XII. FEBRUARY, 1898. \ N ^ No. 2. CONTENTS The Ancient Trestle Board The High Grades Practical Harmony A Big Enough Family Nathaniel Greene Curtis Where Sick Children are Cared for Arbitration What Masonry Has Accomplished. ...... The First Pocket Does Freemasonry Pay? Success Points in American History . . . “As Ye Would’' Are We Really So Smart ? What Created the Demand ? What Shall the Government do with the Money Received through the Postal Savings Banks? . . Another Masonic Incident Facts about Romanism Wanted— A K cker I Non-Payment of Dues ‘ A Woman Constable ... What Profit ? Enforced Affiliations • ■ Seaside Musings Mrs. Merrydew’s Resignation The Darkest Hour Keeping a Secret “He is Growing Old" Animal Friendship Catholics and Jesuits Masonry in India ■ A Year’s Work of Masonic Relief * Pennsylvania Decisions Idaho Masonry Haw iian Islands Editorials, Etc. Templary and the Church. ....... Clandestine Masonry Mistakes in Masonry The Value of Written Evidence Mission Masonic Hall A Disqualification for Office How Masons Help Each Other Editorial Chips Correspondence Other Jurisdictions - • Chips from Other Quarries Literary Notes • Deaths Published by The Trestle Board Association, C. Moody Plummer, Manager^ 408 California St, $1.00 per year in advance. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. Single copies 10 cents, All Subscriptions discontinued at date of expiration THE TRESTLE BOARD . The Trestle Board Masonic Periodical Clubbing List. Our subscribers are recommended to subscribe to any or all of the following publications. We will be pleased to send this publication with any in this list for the rate given in the last column. American Tyler, Detroit, Mich. M. $ 2.00 2.25 Eastern Star, Indianapolis, Ind. M. I. CO 1.50 Freemason. Los Angeles, Cal. M. 7 x 10 44PP- 1. 00 $i-5° Freemasons’ Repository, Providence, R. I. M. 6x9/2. 66pp. 2.00 2.50 Freemason & Fez, Marion, Iowa. M. 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[In ordering, mention date and name of this paper. | A MONTHLY MASONIC AND FAMILY MAGAZINE. Vol. XII. FEBRUARY, 1898. No. 2. The Ancient Trestle Board. GILBERT PATTEN BROWN. We are loyal Master Masons, yet may have the high degree, And have learned those precious teachings in that lodge room once of three, Where wise Solomon of Israel, and both Hirams we’ve been told, Mapped out work for generations on that Trestle Board of old. We are still at work upon the Temple, and do study well our plan To respect the World’s Grand Architect and love our fellow-man; Yes, we have learned to love each other in that Holy Book of God That our names may be recorded on his spacious Trestle Board. We have worked as fellow-craftsmen, and from the South gate did arise To learn of Ancient Master Masons who are now in the Paradise; For there stands the man of Tyre who still has that holy word That God revealed to Solomon on the Ancient Trestle Board. We all strive to love our fellow-men as the Holy Book has taught; To respect the World’s Grand Master as the God of every flock; For the keystone of the Temple is in that Holy Word Beginning with the letter “G,” and is on the Trestle Board. We leave rank and worldly station outside the lodge room door, For we all meet upon the level on that tessel- ated floor; Then putting on our lambskins to honor that sacred word That wise Solomon gave to Hiram from his An- cient Trestle Board. We have learned a noble lesson from King Hi- ram's holy life, And that shall be a watch-word through the rocky fields of strife, That when our work on earth is ended, and heaven is our abode, We will meet the Supreme Architect with the unerring Trestle Board. We say all hail to Master Masons who have studied well the plan In buildiug the Heavenly Temple in the heart of every man, That when we stand before the Orient to receive our great reward, We’ll there meet the Saint Johns with their Ma- sonic Trestle Board. We all meet upon the level and part upon the square ; We can keep a brother’s secret, and his sorrow thus to share; So I thus will end these lines with reverence to that word That God revealed to Solomon on that Ancient Trestle Board. Boston, Dec. 15, 1S97. O The High Grades. We have frequently heard the expres- sion, “there is no Masonry beyond the third degree.” If such remarks came only from the inexperienced, we might be con- tent to let them pass in silence; sometimes, however, a brother who has been advanced (possibly with undue haste), failing in ap- preciation of that which he has only par- tially seen, and actuated perhaps by in- different or disappointed ambition, may forget his obligation, and treat with light- ness that which to others assumes the shape of a covenant with Time and Eter- nity. It would therefore seem proper that to all Masons, of whatever grade, some ex- planation, substantial in form, should be made whereby those who are honest seek- 50 THE TRESTLE BOARD . ers after “Light” may be informed, and those who are not, may be confounded. In this connection a distinguished writer has said that the extension of the Ancient Accepted Rite, and its favorable accept- ance by the most distinguished members of the Fraternity, are circumstances that have awakened in the minds of some over- zealous brethren a fear that it may en- croach upon the prosperity of the York Rite. But all such fears are utterly ground- less. They arise altogether from a mis- conception of the nature and design of the Ancient Accepted Rite, and are to be best combatted by a candid explanation of its history and character. It is admitted (at least by all English and American Masons, and probably would be by all impartial writers of every other country) that the York Rite is the most ancient, the most authentic and the most simple as well as consistent of all the Ma- sonic Rites. But, as it originally existed, it presented to us only the three degrees of what are emphatically called ‘‘Ancient Craft Masonry”; namely, the Entered Ap- prentice, the Fellow Craft and the Master. The more modern definition is, that these include the Order of the Holy Royal Arch, at one time constituting a part of the Mas- ter’s degree, and that about the middle of the last century, it was torn from its ap- propriate place as an historical illustration of and emendation to that degree, and made distinct and separate. Be this as it may, it cannot be denied that the Ancient York Rite consisted only of three degrees, with the Royal Arch as in some way sup- plementary. The intermediate degrees of Mark, Past and Most Excellent Master, and the additional Royal and Select Mas- ter and Orders of the Red Cross Knight and Knight Templar, have nothing what- ever to do with the York Rite, properly so called. The Mark, Royal and Select Mas- ter were originally honorary degrees of the Ancient Accepted Rite, were introduced by the possessors of that Rite into this country, and were under the jurisdiction of that Rite. What are now called the “Council degrees,” or those of Royal and Select Master, emanated from the Supreme Council of the Thirty-third. It is prob- ably to Webb that the York Rite is in- debted for the adoption of the Mark de- gree as well as that of Most Excellent Mas- ter into its series of degrees. The Past Master’s degree, as it is called, is not so much a degree as a ceremony of installa- tion, and constitutes no part of the dis- tinctive Rite. The Order of the Red Cross, every Prince of Jerusalem knows, has been bor- rowed from the Ancient Accepted Rite, and the Knight Templar and Knight of Malta are orders of chivalry.* We thus, by divesting the York Rite of these meretricious ornaments with which we think it has been very wisely laden, re- duce it to the three primitive degrees of the Ancient Temple, to which we are permit- ted to add the illustrative history of the Royal Arch. It is, then, at this point that the Ancient Accepted Rite comes forward to continue the series of instruction which every stu- dent of Masonry is obliged to listen to, if he desires a thorough knowledge of the science to which he is devoting his in- vestigations. The Ancient Accepted Rite, it is true, has also its three primitive de- grees; still, even these degrees are more consonant with the same degrees of the York Rite than those of any of the other Rites. A York Mason, then, having arrived at the Master’s degree, finds a something missing and yet greatly to be desired — a synopsis, rather than a full history of im- portant circumstances in which he has by this time become most interested — he seeks farther light by receiving the degrees of the Ancient Accepted Rite. He is already a Master Mason, under the York Rite, and he proceeds by taking the fourth, fifth sixth, and so on to the fourteenth grade in the Lodge of Pefection, to obtain an abundant mass of traditionary knowledge, all of which illustrates the unfinished and imperfect legend which he had already re- ceived. He does not by this lose his rev- erence or respect for the York Rite. On the contrary, by this augmentation of knowledge he finds his admiration in- creased. Many things which he had pre- viously looked upon as trifles are now shown to be matters of importance, and many things which were formerly wholly inexplicable he now fully comprehends, and many things which once seemed to be discrepancies, militating against each other, and destroying the harmony of the system, are now found to be reconcilable as con- sistent parts of “one stupendous whole.” With the brief expositions of the York Rite he was as a spectator passing through a gallery of paintings without a guide. *Not entirely independent of the Rites. THE TRESTLE BOARD. 5i The pictures, emanating from the pencils of the first masters, delight his taste and warm his imagination; but, ignorant of the subjects thus delineated, his judgment is unsatisfied, and the impressions made up- on his heart and mind are transitory. But the Ancient Accepted Rite comes to the assistance of the unsatisfied Mason, as a catalogue explanatory does to the wan- derer among the pictures, and by its copi- ous legends, its more minute traditions and its new detail of circumstances leads him thoroughly to understand, to appreciate, and, of course, admire what has been be- fore incomprehensible, or, at least, unsatis- factory. Proceeding still further, the fifteenth and sixteenth degrees make him acquaint- ed with many circumstances of Masonic history which were not preserved in the York Rite, and which are yet of so much importance as to be essential to a full ex- position of Masonic history. In the seven- teenth and eighteenth degrees still more light darts its rays into his mind. Ma- sonry begins to present him with a holier and purer symbolism, and he returns again to the York Rite to wonder that in its simplicity he did not see its admirable adaptation to the solemn explanation of the Rose Croix. From this degree to the thirty-second — Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret — he finds in the philosophical degrees an abun- dance of material for wholesome reflection and sublime teachings of truth and moral- ity all founded on the early lessons he had received during his initiation into the first principles of Masonry in the York Rite. In all this we can see no antagonism to the York Rite, not even a generous rivalry, but rather a coincident proof of the same great object — the investigation of Masonic truth. The Ancient Accepted Rite, as now practiced, begins from the third degree. None but Master Masons of the York Rite can become members of the Ancient Ac- cepted Rite, and therefore the two Rites mutually aid and illustrate each other. The York Rite furnishes the solid founda- tion; the Ancient Accepted Rite supplies the beautiful superstructure. Hence, an illustrious brother of the Supreme Council of England, at a meeting of that body, very truthfully said that the ‘‘system of sublime and ineffable Masonry does not encroach upon or interfere with Craft or Symbolic Masonry.’ ’ We repeat that the Ancient Accepted Rite is not antagonistic to the York Rite, but is subsidiary to it. We have made these remarks because, as already said, we have understood that some well meaning but mistaken brethren have been opposed to the extension of the Ancient Accepted Rite, from the fear that it would interfere with the success of the York Rite. We desire to see these objec- tions removed, because we sincerely be- lieve that it is only by a united study of both Rites that a Mason can expect to become thoroughly learned in his profes- sion. A true Masonic scholar must listen to the instructions of both; he must inves- tigate the legends and traditions of both; and he must collate and compare the his- tory and philosophy of each with the other. Without the diligent union of both Rites in his researches, he must always remain a disciple rather than a master in Israel; his learning will, after all, be rather foolish- ness than wisdom, and his draughts at the fountain of Masonry may wet his lips, but will never satiate his thirst. “ A little learning is a dangerous thing, Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.” — Royal Ct aftsynan. o Practical Harmony. How many instances have arisen between brethren that might have been prevented from ending in a life-long alienation if some brother had offered his good services as mediator, and poured oil on the trou- bled waters. One instance occurred while I was at the head of my Lodge where two brethren had fallen out, and would not notice each other when meeting in the street or in the lodge room. It came to my knowledge accidentally, and I set my- self to work to find out the cause of this un-Masonic feeling. It seems that the two brothers were politically opposed, and at a caucus one of them went among the crowd slurring the opposite candidate (who was his brother Mason), by alluding to his ig- norance, he not having had the advan- tages which had fallen to the lot of his brother, and by this means endeavored to defeat his election. This, I found, was the cause of the feeling between them. I called the offending brother to me before the Lodge was organized, and he acknowl- edged that he had used this argument against his brother, which I told him was very wrong to thus injure a brother’s feel- ings, and expose him before his fellow- 52 THE TRESTLE BOARD. citizens; that he was not obliged to vote for him because he was a brother Mason, but he had no right to injure him in the estimation of his fellow citizens, which, I supposed, his remarks had done. He as- sured me he did not intend to do so. I then said to him — having had a previous talk with his brother — “Will you go to him and apologize, by telling him you did not mean to injure him, but if you had done so you are sorry for it?” and I told him that his brother would overlook it. No, he re- plied, he should not go to him. I said: “Won’t you say to him what you have said to me, that you did not mean to hurt his feelings?” No; he declined meeting him. I then said to him, “I presume you intend ap- plying for the Encampment Orders” (he be- ing a Royal Arch Mason). He said he did. “Well,” I said, “you would not be able to obtain them with this feeling exist- ing with regard to your brother.” Well he did not care, and I could not prevail upon him to change his mind. It so hap- pened that I was present at the meeting of an Encampment of Knights Templar when, to my surprise, his name came up as a candidate for the Orders; the committee reported favorably, when the Commander, turning to me, said: “Sir Knight, I be- lieve this candidate is a townsman of yours, we would like to hear from you.” I told the Commander I could say as much in his favor as the committee had said, but he was so situated that he could not take the obligation of a Knight Templar. He was, therefore, rejected. He was in an adjoin- ing room awaiting to be admitted, and one of his committee said to me, “Had you as lief see him as not?” I said most as- suredly. On my my entrance, “Well,” he said, “I suppose I am indebted to Brother A. for my rejection.” (This was the brother he had offended, who himself belonged to the Encampment). I said, “No you are not; the brother was not present, but I was lucky enough to be present myself, and prevented you from uttering a falsehood, which you would have done in entering the Encampment.” Well, he came to me after that, and finally concluded, if I wished it, to meet his brother in my presence. I accordingly appointed a day for them to meet me at my bank, and when I got them together, I turned the key of the room, and told them they must settle this business before they could go. They did settle it, and the brother made the apology, which he had refused to do, and it was amicably settled. The day was a very stormy day — snow- ing very hard, and the candidate was to come before the Encampment again that evening. He asked me if I would see that all was right. I said I would, and if it stormed so that cars and omnibuses could not come in I would walk in, and with much more pleasure than I took in preventing his entrance, would recommend him for admission. I went over, and he was admitted, and became as useful a member as any in the Order. — H., in Masonic Review , of Ohio . o A Big Enough Family. “I think there was chilens enough, There was Kittie and Pomp and me; A cat and a dog and a little boy Are a big enough family. We used to have lots of fun, you bet, And now we have none at all. There’s something upstairs in mamma’s bed, A little red thing in a shawl. “If I slide down the bannisters, Jes’ make a little noise, A woman comes out and pats my head, And talks about ‘good little boys.’ She wears a white apron and cap, And ’pears to own the house ; I wonner ’f she thinks a fellow like me ’S got fur on his feet like a mouse? “They’re all the time talking about my nose* It’s broke on the bridge, they say, And they were certain sure there ’d be An accident there some day. And when I look in the glass they laugh: It’s funny, I suppose; But nobody ever did that before When anything hurted my nose. “When papa comes in, he says, ‘Hullo, You little rat — how’s sis?’ He means that wiggly thing upstairs The cook calls ‘Little Miss,’ And looks like a ’Gyptian mummy, ' And squinties in her eyes, That’s got the puckers in her skin, ’Specially when she cries. “Her nose is ten times broker ’n mine, Don’t look like a nose a bit; It’s got little holes, but not any bone, And mamma keeps pinching it. Jack Wilder’s got a brother now ’At can walk and pitch a ball; Why didn’t they get a child like that ’Stead of that thing in a shawl ? “Anyhow, I got Pomp and Kit, They know a lot fer true; They scoot when they see that woman come, And that’s ’zactly what I do. She can’t catch us; but when she says The baby’s the image of me, I wish that Pomp and Kit and I Was all the family.” THE TRESTLE BOARD . 53 Nathaniel Greene Curtis. In Memoriam. Brother, Companion, Sir Knight, Friend, Thy pilgrimage is at an end ; For thee Life’s stream no longer flows; The end was rest and sweet repose. For years a patient sufferer, In death thou wert a conqueror; For while it brought us poignant grief, It gave thy wearied soul relief. We’ll miss thee on the tesseled floor, Thy voice will charm us never more; The somber crape our great lights hide, Our working tools are laid aside. Thou’rt gone as all mankind must go Who journey in this world below; For life all worldly goods we give, And when life ends, we die to live. Adieu, dear friend, still loved, though dead, Sleep sweetly in your narrow bed, For noble deeds your record grace Which death itself cannot efface. Nelson Williams, Grand Master of Masons of Ohio. Where Sick Children are Cared for. Of all the charitable institutions in Toronto, none are more popular than the Hospital for Sick Children and its conval- escent branch, the Lakeside Home for Little Children, on Toronto Island. The city home of the sick children of this city and province is situated on College street, within a block of the site of the compara- tively small budding where were received the first patients to enjoy the benefits of an hospital specially devoted to the wants of sick children in this city. This was in 1875. Year by year the work has grown, until after occupying several small build- ings, each in turn found insufficient to meet the demands made upon it by the city and province, the present beautiful building was erected and perfectly equipped for the healing of children’s diseases, at a cost of St 50 000. Within its walls is ac- commodation for 2co patients, and for the past year the average number of patients in the building has been over one hundred, while in the outdoor department, 2,600 medical and 1,533 surgical cases were treated. At one time there was felt a great need for a convalescent branch, where the chil- dren, many of whom perhaps slowly re- gaining strength after some life-saving operation, might be taken from the noisy and heated city for the summer months. This want, in the year 1881, was supplied by the erection at the Lighthouse Park, Toronto Island, of the Lakeside Home for Little Children. Like the mother hospi- tal in the city, the accommodation afforded by its annex has hid several times to be increased, until at the erection of the pres- ent College street building, seven years ago, a sanitarium, equal to, if not exceed- ing it, in capacity, and as completely equipped, was built on the original site. A more ideal one it would be hard, indeed, to find. The broad waters stretch away to the horizon from the edges of its flowered lawns, and lying on their tiny cots, or at play on its wide verandas, the little ones, for whom the building was erected, watch with unfading interest the ever changing scene spread upon the broad waters of On- tario’s lake. From their windows they can see, too, the city, wreathed in smoke, and when their eyes once more seek the sunlit waters, they could wish that they might never have to say “Good-bye, sum- mer, good bye, good-bve.” The Lakeside Home for Little Children was a gift to the trustees of the Hospital for Sick Children, a gift which cost the donor, M. W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson, some $40,000, and one which he has since supplemented by contributions, which make his entire donations to the hospitaf funds reach the sum of $65,000. Bro. Robert- son attached one condition to his gift, and that was that the doors of the Hospital for Sick Children and the Lakeside Home for Little Children might be free to the chil- dren of the Craftsmen of this Jurisdiction forever. One of the wards in the hospi- tal is to be known as “The Masonic Ward,” and this winter it will be dedicated, and the cots, seven in number, placed therein. First, there will be the “Grand Lodge of Canada Cot” (No. 1), which has been fully endowed by the Grand Lodge through its donation of $2,000; “The Grand Royal Arch Chapter Cot” (No. 2). which has been partially endowed (Sr 000) by the Grand Chapter of Canada; “The Edward Mitchell Cot” (No. 3), fully endowed by M. W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson, in memory of his friend, the late Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Canada; “The Craft Cot” (No. 4), founded by contributions from the Masonic Lodges of this Jurisdiction, and “The Diamond Jubilee Cot” (No. 5), partially endowed ($717) by the Free- masons of Toronto. There will be two 54 THE TRESTLE BOARD, other cots in this ward; viz.: “The East Toronto Cot” (No. 6), and “The News- boys’ Cot” (No. 7), both fully endowed by M. W. Bro. J. Ross Robertson. For the Diamond Jubilee Cot another $1,300 is required, and it is hoped that the Crafts- men of Toronto will see that this amount is collected in the near future. There is also needed some $3,000 to complete the endowment of the other Masonic cots. Bro. Robertson’s interest in the little ones brought into the Hospital for Sick Children for treatment is well known to the youngsters themselves. And they also know that the children of the Craft find special favor in his eyes. One morning, when making his daily visit to the wards, as he passed a little cot whereon lay a child recovering from one of the worst cases of pneumonia ever brought into the hospital, a faint voice said, “Mr. Robert- son, I’m a Mason’s child.” And there have been many others, some two hundred in all — the children of Freemasons — who have been sent into this Institution, ninety per cent of whom have returned to their homes cured. Two years ago, a farmer living in the southwestern part of the Jurisdiction sent two of his children, a boy and a girl, to the hospital, and made arrangements to pay for their maintenance and treatment the sum of six dollars per week. After a long stay the children were discharged cured, but the father found himself unable to pay the amount of the bill. He was an honest fellow, and informed the Secretary of the institution that he expected to sell his farm, and that if he succeeded in doing so his first care would be to repay the hos- pital in a small measure for the recovery of his children. The fact that the man found it difficult to pay was reported to Bro. Robertson, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, who asked that he might be sent down to his office to talk the matter over. Bro. Robertson assured the farmer that of course he could take his own time to repay the amount, that the hospital did not demand payment, only accepting a nominal fee from those who felt that they were able to pay something, however small, and that they would accept payments of one dollar a week, until the entire amount was received. The man expressed his thanks, and was turning to go, when Bro. Robertson casually remarked: “By the way, do you belong to any fraternal society ?” “Yes; but I only belong to the Masons,” was the unexpected reply. A knowing smile crept gladly into Bro. Robertson’s eyes, as, after a moment’s pause, he said: “Go back to the hospital and tell the Secretary that you ‘only’ belong to the Masons, and he will give you a receipt for the three hundred dollars you owe. The Hospital for Sick Children is free to the children of the Craft forever.” There was again silence for a few mo- ments, and then the feelings of both men found vent in a hand shake, all the more hearty because they knew they were broth- ers. “The hospital needs no thanks,” said Bro. Robertson, as the farmer tried but failed to speak, “and all the thanks I want is this: You say you have not been regular in your lodge attendance. I hope that in the future, when the second Monday after full moon comes around, you will recall the incident of this hour, and not fail to be with your brethren of the Craft as they meet around the Masonic altar.” It generally falls to the lot of the Chair- man of the Hospital Trust to smooth away any difficulties that may arise in con- nection with intricate cases. One day a farmer called at the hospital to arrange for the admission of his child. It was a surgical case, one that had baffled many surgeons, yet the father thought that by treatment in the Hospital for Sick Chil- dren his child could be cured. . He talked the matter over with Bro. Robertson, and finally arrangements for the admission of the case were completed. As the farmer said “good-bye” to the Chairman, he said: “I suppose you don’t remember me, Bro. Robertson, but I sat in Lodge with you at Brooklin when you visited us as Grand Master.” “Now, why on earth,” exclaimed Bro. Robertson, “did you not tell me that at the beginning of this conversation ? It would have saved exactly thirty minutes of time. Your child, as the son of a Free- mason, may be sent to the hospital, and there need be no talk of charges.” Thus this brother was relieved of an obligation of $125, for which he was most grateful. Still another case. On one occasion Bro. Robertson was traveling in Leeds county in search of information concern- ing R. W. Bro. Ziba M. Phillips, who was a popular Provincial Grand Lodge officer THE TRESTLE BOARD 55 in the cays of 1817-22, and later. About noon one day when driving towards the city of Brockville, he passed a schoolhouse from which a troop of children came rush- ing out in eager haste to make the most of every moment of the recess. Bro. Robert- son smiled as the impetuous youngsters passed him with many a merry jest, but the smile vanished when he observed slow- ly following his companions a boy, one of whose legs was bent at the knee to a right angle, and who hobbled along on crutches. It took but a moment to stop the carriage, and call the youngster to its side. “My boy,” said Bro. Robertson, “how did you injure your leg so badly ?” Whereupon the lad explained that it had been done one day when he was chop- ping wood, that he had been in an eastern hospital for some time, where the leg had been straightened, but after he left it had gone back to its present condition. “How would you like to have your leg straightened for good?” asked Bro. Rob- ertson, knowing that similar cases had been successfully treated in the Hospital for Sick Children. “Well, mister,” replied the child wist- fully, “there is nothing I would like bet- ter.” “Then just jump in here, my bov, and take me to your father, and I will see what we can do.” The boy was assisted into the vehicle, for, poor child, he could not “jump,” and showed Bro. Robertson the way to his father’s blacksmith shop, which was for- tunately quite near. The object of the visit was explained, and the father’s con- sent quickly given to the child (he was one of seven) being brought to Toronto for treatment. As he was taking his leave the blacksmith said to Bro. Robertson: “I must say, I think this is returning good for evil, Bro. Robertson.” “In what way ?” “Why. don’t you remember that stormy night that you visited the Lodge at Mait- land ?” “I should think I did,” replied the P. G. M. “It was too stormy for me and other brethren to attend my Lodge,” the black- smith continued, “but you did not think it too stormy to keep your appointment with the brethren, and I feel that this, to a certain extent, is a reminder that when a Grand Master visits my Lodge I should be on hand to receive him, no matter what the weather mav be like.” The little deformed lad, whom Bro. Robertson so fortunately met on the road to Brockville, is a cripple no longer. He remained in the hospital for many months, and when he returned to his home he had no use for crutches. His knee will never, of course, have a natural joint, but the leg is quite straight, and he walks without support. The cases referred to were similar to the examples of orthopaedic work extract- ed from the recent annual report of the Hospital for Sick Children. These simple incidents give but a faint idea of the great work accomplished yearly by this noble institution. They are told that the Crafts- men of this Jurisdiction may realize more fully the advantages to which their chil- dren are entitled in connection with this charity, by reason of the endowment of the Lakeside Home for Little Children. Some facts about the hospital may be interesting to the Craft: It costs exactly eighty seven cents per head per day to pay the cost of main- tenance in the hospital. The average stay of children in the hos- pital is fifty-seven days. It costs $2,400 per month to maintain the hospital. Out of the 476 cases admitted last year 312 were absolutely cured, while 109 oth- ers were improved. The work of the hos- pital is ever increasing, and every brother can help this grand work. There is a pressing need for aid. The demand comes from an institution which brings health, life and ease to sick little children. Three hundred and ten out of the 360 Lodges on the roll have contributed amounts varying from $5 to $50. — Masonic Sun . o Arbitration. No topic is being more generally dis- cussed to day than that of Arbitration. The dangers of. war, with their terrible and bloody consequences, have caused the people everywhere to pause and ask if there is not some better mode of settling differ- ences than by resort to the sw'ord. Surely no question of greater importance could be suggested. Among nations, questions will arise affecting their dignity, and de- manding redress. The hasty and often 56 THE TRESTLE BOARD. unwarranted arrest of a citizen, for which the government itself may in no way be to blame, leads to complications, and some- times war. The recent signing of the treaty between the United States and Great Britain is one of the most important events of this wonderful nineteenth century. Its conse- quences are beyond all calculation. The great future, clear to the end of time, will be affected by it. Every civilized nation on the globe will be influenced by it. None can afford not to respect and honor the siprit of peace and national harmony it proposes. It is the proclamation of the approach of that blessed time when “swords shall be beaten into plow-shares and spears into pruning-hooks, when na- tion shall not war against nation, but the reign of Emanuel, Prince of Peace, shall be perfect.” For such a period the w^rld has been praying, and for such a peace the people have been preparing. The time will never come, when this treaty is once ratified and becomes a bind- ing compact between the two greatest na- tions in the world, when the carnage of bloody war will stain the verdant earth as in the past. There will be removed much that creates distrust and engenders bitter- ness. People will be more ready to en- gage in their peaceful pursuits because the ferment of uncertain contentions will be re- moved, and we may look for greater pros- perity throughout the world. The doctrine of arbitration is a true Masonic doctrine, as well as Scriptural. St. Paul admonished his people “to live peaceably with all men ” The Great Teacher, when speaking of one overtaken in transgression, tells his followers to first use every means to arbitrate the differ- ences. If he will not hear thee, then take thy brother with thee, that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” Every man has his rights. And every man’s rights should be respected. Every man has his notions which will not agree with the notions of all his neighbors. Ev- ery man has a right to follow the bent of his inclination, provided it does not vio- late law, but in the following of this in- clination he may trespass upon his neigh- bor; then comes a matter of dispute. The spirit of arbitration, if exercised in a proper manner, would settle the matter without any outburst of temper, resorting to “la w, ” or any of the expensive and unpleasant luxuries of strife. The grievances stated to disinterested arbirtators, whose sense of justice was unbiased, and whose judgment could be relied upon, would in almost ev- ery case bring about an amicable settle- ment. This spirit ought always to be found in the Lodge and among Masons. It is no part of the teaching of the Fraternity for a man to fly off and scandalize his brother and the Fraternity without exercising a little of the brotherly love he has heard preached in the lodge room. Brotherly love is arbitration. Arbitration means concessions consistent with justice and per- sonal dignity. The fact is, if this spirit of arbitration pervaded all Masouic Bodies, and dwelt in every Masonic breast, there would be no need for Commission of Appeals, or Committees on Grievances, for all matters would be settled satisfactorily before they reached any publicity. To such a state may we hasten . — N Y. Dispatch . o What Masonry Has Accomplished. Masonry has witnessed the rise and fall of many of the once mighty kingdoms of the earth. It has seen nations perish, and their memory lost to history. The very marble erected to perpetuate the memory of the illustrious sages and warriors of antiquity has crumbled to dust; the names it sought to rescue from oblivion are for- ever lost in the shadows. But this Order, despite the ravages of time, has come down to us through a long succession of ages, with its signs and its symbols, its signifi- cant ceremonies, its creed of universal brotherhood, all unimpaired. Standing in the twilight of the nine- teenth century, what is the answer of the Freemason to the question, “What has your Order, hoary with age, accomplished? What your title to public veneration?” Then might it be answered: In the ages when the blackness of paganism shrouded the world, when cruel torture was often a part of religious rites, even then there gleamed through the darkness light from Masonic altars. In ages when idols were set up to worship in the temple, when the many bowed the knee to Baal, the Craftsmen knew none other than the true and living God. At a period much less remote, when notwithstanding the advancing strides of modern civilization, the world yet knew little of religious toleration, the creed of THE TRESTLE BOARD . 57 the Mason was ‘‘the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man”; his faith the living words of the Prince of Peace; his charity, “as broad and general as the cas- ing air.” Eschewing every semblance of sectarianism, on every altar was found “the Book,” in every lodge room the blessed symbol. It was his belief that the only acceptable worship was such as found holy sanction in the high court of the in- dividual conscience. All that he claimed for himself he unhesitatingly conceded to his fellow. Responding yet more explicitly to the inquiry, What has been accomplished? It may be said that the Masonic Order, from a feeble beginning, “ a little cloud no longer than a man’s hand,” a century and a half ago, is now confessedly a potent factor upon the North American conti- nent. In the United States there are near- ly fifty jurisdictions, with an aggregate membership of more than 700,000 Free and Accepted Masons. This Fraternity, with its wonderful or- ganization, extending to every part of our domain, numbering among its adherents representatives of every calling known to human life — the toiler for daily bread, no less than men of letters and of great af- fairs; its living faith the sublime code whose inspiration was drawn from the aw- ful lessons from Sinai and from the gentle message from the mount; its ritual the marvel of the ages; its ceremonies, its mysteries, its language, such as only the craftsmen may know; thus equipped, thus inspired, this wondrous Order will be in the forefront of the appointed instrument- alities that upon the trestle board of the outstretched years are to work out the deep designs whose accomplishment will be the upbuilding, the elevation, the enobling of our race. As in the past, so in the oncoming years, the Institution will stand for stability in government — the antagonist of needless change; for religious toleration — the free- dom alike of belief and unbelief; for the largest measure of liberty — regulated and restrained by law. It will stand for all that the sure test of time has shown to be best in what makes up the warp and woof of our splendid civilization. In a word, the sublime mission of Freemasonry will be accomplished, in part, by conserving, not destroying, what it has cost our race the sleepless endeavor of centuries to achieve. Address before G. L. of Illinois . The First Pocket. What is this tremendous noise, What can be the matter ? Willie’s coming up the stairs, With unusual clatter; Now he bursts into the room, Noisy as a rocket; “Auntie, I am five years old— And I’ve got a pocket !’’ Eyes as round and bright as stars, Cheeks like apples glowing; Heart that this new treasure fills Quite to overflowing. “Jack may have his squeaking boots, Kate may have her locket, I’ve got something better yet — I have got a pocket. ’ ’ All too fresh the joy to make Emptiness a sorrow; Little hand is plump enough To fill it — till to-morrow. And, e’er many days were o’er, Strangest things did stock it; Nothing ever came amiss To this wondrous pocket. Leather, marbles, bits of string, Liquorice-sticks and candy, Stones, a ball, his pennies, too — It was always handy. And, when Willie’s snug in bed, Should you chance to knock it Sundry treasures rattle out From this crowded pocket. Sometimes Johnny’s borrowed knife Found a place within it; He forgot that he had said, “I want it just a minute.” Once the closet key was lost, No one could unlock it; Where do you suppose it was ? Down in Willie’s pocket ! o Does Freemasonry Pay ? “Hallo, here !” “Well, what is wanted ?” “I want you to go with me to the Lodge night.” “I’m not a Freemason; you have mis- taken your man now.” “Neither am 1 one; but if I don’t get blackballed, I expect to shortly. I’m go- ing to the hall to join, and I want you to accompany me. Will you go ?” The young man addressed shook his head. “It won’t pay,” he said; “I make a point of never doing anything unless it pays. Now I don’t believe this Masonry does. You will spend time and money, and what will vou get in return ? A mighty secret. I suppose. No, sir, believe me, Milton, the thing won’t pay.” “Perhaps not,” said Milton, “but I have 58 THE TRESTLE BOARD. a fancy for joining. I’m asocial fellow, you know, and like to be one of a brother- hood. I’m a young man just starting out in life. I shall oftentimes need assistance, advice, friendship and aid, and I am will- ing to pay something to secure this. I am determined to join.” Barker, the young man to whom these thoughts were addressed, shook his head again and laughed. “Don’t pay too dear for the whistle, my good fellow,” he said. “All is not gold that glitters. Look well before you leap. These are wise old say- ings, Tom; perhaps you would do well to heed them. Come in here and spend the evening. I’ll order champagne and candles, and we’ll have a set-down together. Let that tomfoolery alone; it won’t pay.” “No, no !” said Milton, “I know what I’m about. I’m bound to be a Freemason. So good evening, if you will not go with me,” and Thomas Milton kept on his way to the hall. Barker stood and looked after him a minute. “It’s a pity,” he muttered to himself, as he turned and went into his store, “that Tom Milton hasn’t got better sense. He’s a fine fellow — a devilish fine fellow, and with his talents and opportunities he ought to make a fortune, but he’ll never do it. He don’t understand taking care of the dimes. At church collections, missionary meetings and the like he can’t keep his hand out of his pocket. What benefit will he ever reap from Freemasonry ? None whatever. He’ll give, and never receive. I’m sorry for Tom — downright sorry for him.” And Lewis Barker ran his fingers through his brown locks which clustered thickly around his forehead and put on a look of commiseration, such as he thought well befitted the occasion. Thomas Milton and Lewis Barker were merchants in a small inland town in Georgia. They were both of them doing a very good business at the time we write of. Both were young men, and were surrounded by rich and influential friends. There was, however, one striking differ- ence between them. Milton was a social free and easy being — one who liked to talk, and had a very pleasant word for ev- erybody; even the little child bv the road- side shared his smiles. He was liberal, too. Not a benevolent scheme was broached, but he had a finger in it. He felt a kindly in- terest in everything by which he was sur- rounded. But in Lewis Barker’s character there was a vein of selfishness; he, in common phrase, understood the art of looking sharply after the real or imaginary inter- ests of “number one.” In short, he, too, often forgot the Golden Rule, “Whatso- ever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them.” But not- withstanding this dissimilarity in character, the young men were fast friends, and were much together. Time passed on, and young Milton went regularly to the lodge room. Barker stayed at home footing up his books, or to talk with Alice Moore, a pretty girl to whom he was engaged, now living on Third street. Once or twice he met Milton on his way to watch a sick brother. There was a happy expression about his face, which seemed to say, Freemasonry pays. Then, in spite of himself, young Barker could not keep from wondering what those fel- lows were about. Going to the Lodge, or off on Masonic duty, seemed to be mere pas- time with them. They went anywhere and everywhere with alacrity. They were mys- tical beings truly. Even Milton, with whom he had always been intimate, had suddenly grown enigmatical and strange. He did not fully comprehend his move- ments as of old. v|/ v!/ 4# vl/ vL* *T* There came a time of great pecuniary embarrassment, such as frequently occurs in the haunts of trade Men behind the counters and at the street corners wore solemn faces, and worked or walked with hurried movements. Barker and Milton both shared in this monetary depression. But somehow, the latter seemed to rise above his embarrassments more easily than the former. Perhaps Freemasoney had something to do with this. If so, it cer- tainly paid in that instance, at least. It was at length agreed that our two young friends would do better in the city than in an inland village. Accordingly, they sev- ered family ties, broke up old associations, and removed to the flourishing city of A . For awhile, everything betokened for both brightening prospects. There are few things denied to well directed industry, and both possessed this in an unusual degree. But alas! “it is not in man who walketh to direct his steps.” In 1839, the yellow fever, that scourge of the South, visited the city. Barker and Milton were among THE TRESTLE BOARD, 59 his first victims. Both were seized at their boarding-houses, and both were thought by their attending physician to be in a critical situation. To the bedside of one there came a crowd of Masonic brethren, ready to watch, aid, comfort and console. Nothing that the tenderest affection could devise was left undone; nothing that the most untir- ing energy could accomplish was left un- executed. To the couch of the other there came hired watchers who, in nine cases out of ten, sleep while the victim groans. The cooling draught was given grudgingly to his lips; the pillow was seldom moved be- neath his aching temples; the long nights were never enlivened by one kind word of sympathy. Before him lay the grave — a tomb grudgingly given in the potters- field, and the sexton he supposed would be the only attendant at his funeral. Such a prospect is gloomy in the extreme. At that hour Lewis Barker thought, with a groan, of the village left behind — a village still gladdened by the sweet face of Alice Moore. And thus he lingered between life and death until his old friend Milton be- came convalescent, and went to his bed- side to wait upon him. “How happens it,” he said, as he grasped the hand of Milton, “that you are recover- ing so rapidly, while I lie stretched here, with the fever still running rampant through my veins. I was told at first that the physi- cian pronounced you the sickest of the two.” “I owe it in part, I suppose,” said Mil- ton, “to the excellent nursing which I re- ceived. Good nursing is worth more than medicine to the sick. But brighten up, man; you will soon be well again. I ex- pect to dance at your wedding yet. It will not do to let you die here. Alice would never forgive me.” Barker turned his head wearily upon his pillow. “After all,” he thought, “Mil- ton was right. Freemasonry pays. If ever I get well, I mean to join the Lodge; and if Alice objects, I’ll tell her of this in- oident in our lives. How could I be de- ceived in this matter ? Milton did not need my commisseration in the least. How strange ! Freemasonry pays.” Barker was true to his resolve. He re- covered, married and joined the Lodge; and now Freemasonry has not in all its ranks a more devoted brother. — Masonic Review. Success. Success in lives of men depend Upon the shape of heads, To build ladders and climb to fame, Or to rest on downy beds. Gates and doors'are open to success For men with large heads or^small; In temples or in business lives, By shaped heads, they rise or fall. In temples men’s caliber is tested By shape of heads, not the size; And those with heads that pass the scale May rear ladders to the skies. Pathways of life for honest men Are strewn with golden threads To weave by labor or by business According to shape of heads. The brotherhood are faithful in vineyards, And gain favor by honesty. As heads of brothers are molded When they take their first degree. Brothers must be true to brothers Because their passports don’t digress In temples that are sanctified To lead men to success. o Points in American History. CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW. Seventeen hundred and seventy- eight was an epoch-making year. It cleared away the obstacles for the final triumph of American independence. It brought about combina- tions which assured glorious results. The efforts of the British commanders to cap- ture the line of the Hudson, divide the colo- nies and crush them in detail, had been de- feated at the battle of Saratoga, pre-emi- nently one of the decisive contests of the world. The battle of Saratoga was planned by Schuyler, won by Benedict Arnold, and its laurels were given to General Gates. It was during 1778 that Arnold received the rebuff and insults which made him, with his unfortunate temperament and make-up, the only traitor of American history. The Nemesis of treason pursued him to his death and followed his family. He fought a duel with a British peer because that nobleman, pointing to him, moved that a traitor be put out of the gallery of the House of Lords. On his death bed he or- dered that the uniform which he had worn at the battle of Saratoga, and had been carefully preserved, should be brought out and put on him, and he then gave utter- ance to the saddest of last words, “Let me die in the uniform in which I wish I had lived.” 6o THE TRESTLE BOARD. His son became, by the desperate daring that characterized his father, a Major-Gen- eral of the British army, and won distinc- tion upon many fields, and yet it is only within a recent period that in England a lady said to me at a party, “I have heard something lately about an American Gen- eral, Arnold. Can you tell me about him?” I said, “Do you mean General Benedict Arnold?” She said, “Yes, I think that is the name,” and added, “I believe he was a very bad lot — ” A lady present inter- rupted quickly, “Excuse me, but he was my ancestor. ’ ’ In 1778 was fought the battle of Mon- mouth. It uncovered the treachery of Gen- eral Lee and demonstrated to the enemies of Washington and to Congress that the Commander- in- Chief was not only a Fabyan General, but a thunderbolt upon the field of battle. The disclosures of Conway brought to a head the conspiracy to displace Wash- ington from the head of the army, and put General Gates in his place — a result which would have ruined the patriot cause. Seventeen hundred and seventy eight witnessed the alliance between France and the United States, and gave to us a fleet, troops and the money, without which our cause was in the greatest peril. The battle of Rhode Island, or rather the campaign of Rhode Island, inconsequential as it was, performed the signal service of bring- ing into harmonious relations the Ameri- cans and their French allies. General Sul- livan had at his command the assistance of the troops which Washington had sent him and the New England farmers who had come out for a three weeks’ enlist- ment in order to assist in driving their enemies from the last place in New En- gland which they retained. Sullivan’s force outnumbered about three times the British troops in Newport. The French fleet, un- der Count D’Estang, lying off the harbor, was stronger than the British men- of- war within. Concerted action and harmonious councils were all that were needed to in- flict one of the most crushing blows of the war. But Sullivan moved without con- sultation, D’Estang was offended, time passed, the farmers returned to their crops, the French fleet sailed away, and all was lost. Sullivan, in general orders, sharp- ly rebuked his French allies, and the French lost heart in the contest. Young Lafayette, only twenty years of age, welcomed because of his rank and dis- trusted because of his youth, grasped at once the situation. He rode seventy- six miles to Boston, whither D’Estang had gone, and procured a promise of assist- ance. He rode back seventy-six miles in six hours, and found the campaign over, and craved and received the perilous priv- ilege of taking the rear guard of the Ameri- cans off the island. But the misfortunes of the Rhode Island campaign brought about two important results. First, a clear ap- preciation in the minds of the Americn generals of the military value and diplo- matic skill of Lafayette, and, second, that new and better understanding between the French and the Americans, without which French assistance would have been of very little help. To Rhode Island belongs the credit of enforcing the lessons of religious liberty. She stood very much to the American colo- nies as Holland did to Continental Europe of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Her people, her commerce and her enter- prise made her rich and prosperous, and yet she was at all times willing to sacrifice everything for liberty of conscience. She fought her battle with magnificent intelli- gence, persistence and courage against the thunders of the Puritan theocracy and the boycott of Puritan legislation. Old Cot- ton Mather, of Boston, said: “Rhode Island is occupied by Anti-nomians, Anabaptists, Quakers, Ranters and everything else but Roman Catholics and Christians, and if any man has lost his religion he may find it in this general muster of opinions — this receptacle of the convicts of Jesusalem and the outcasts of the land.” The error of this great theologian and bigot was first as to facts. Catholics were welcomed with all other religions to toler- ant Rhode Island. In the light of our understandings of the teachings of Christ, I may say as regards liberal Rhode Island, and the bigoted and persecuting New England colonies of that period, that Rhode Island had religion with many sects, and the Puritan Commonwealth had one sect with no religion. Rhode Island has contributed three men of immortal fame among the founders and defenders of our country. She gave to us that most picturesque figure of our middle naval history, that hero who saved for us the lakes and our northern border, in the war of 1812, Commodore Perry. But the one supreme genius developed by the Revo- lutionary War was Nathaniel Greene. The THE TRESTLE BOARD. 61 seven years’ struggle produced very little of that supreme capacity which makes a great commander. The one next to Wash- ington to whom that title can apply, and who demonstrated it upon every field where he was placed, was this modest Quaker General and victorious soldier of Rhode Island. The glory, however, of this little com- monwealth is Roger Williams. His fame will increase with centuries, his place be- come higher and more isolated as the at- mosphere becomes purer and more clari- fied. Beyond all the religious teachers of an intensely religious and inquiring age, he believed in liberty of conscience. He alone had faith in that “truth crushed to earth would rise again,” for the immortal years of God are hers, while “error wound- ed writhes in pain and dies among its wor- shipers. ’ ’ Roger William’s life and career brings out in strong relief the value to our modern development of the discovery of America. Civil and religious liberty, abolition of caste and privilege, equality of all men before the law could only be worked out in anew country removed by thousands of miles of dangerous ocean from the tradi- tions of all the past in order to triumph. Roger Williams would have been crushed out in the Massachusetts Connecticut or New Haven colonies, and he would have been speedily silenced in Europe. But in the wilderness of Narragansett bay he could form a colony and try his experiment. He was an abler and broader reformer than Cromwell, Calvin or Luther. When seventy years of age he rowed himself in an open boat the whole length of Narragansett bay to discuss with a community of distinguished Quakers the dogmas of their sect. He was the first among the theologians and states- men of that age to recognize that debate is the safety valve of liberty. When his Puri- tan neighbors passed laws imprisoning Quakers, branding them, boring holes in their ears and hanging them, he inquired what did these men believe and what crime had they committed. When informed that they were fined, imprisoned, branded and hung because of their religious opinions, and that they believed in non resistance, and were quiet, inoffensive and industrious citizens, he sent them an eager letter of welcome to Rhode Island, because, he said, people who will die tor their faith and de- fend it only by discussion will be valuable additions to our commonwealth. “As Ye Would.” If I should see A brother languishing in sore distress, And I should turn and leave him comfortless, When I might be A messenger of hope and happiness — How could I ask to have what I denied, In my own hour of bitterness supplied ? If I might share A brother’s load along the dusty way, And I should turn and walk alone that day, How could I dare — When in the evening watch I knelt to pray - To ask for help to bear my pain and loss, If I had heeded not my brother’s cross? If I might sing A little song to cheer a fainting heart, And I should seal my lips and sit apart, When I might bring A bit of sunshine for life’s ache and smart — How could I hope to have my grief relieved, If I kept silent when my brothers grieved? And so I know That day is lost wherein I fail to lend A helping hand to some wayfaring friend; But if it show A burden lightened by cheer I send, Then do I hold the golden hours well spent, And lay me down to sleep in sweet content. o Are We Really So Smart ? JAMES W. CLARKE, A. M. We continually tell ourselves that this is the most wonderful age of all the ages, of human progress. It may be so. It cer- tainly is the most boastful age. Are we really so smart ? Suppose we stop bragging just for five minutes— long enough to consider a very few of the smart things which were done long before this wonderful age of ours, and which the smart men of our time are either not capable of doing at all, or, at most, can do no better. Did you ever read Wendell Phillips’ celebrated lecture on “The Lost Arts” ? Strange to say, you cannot find it in any edition of his published works. Pamphlet copies of it are rare. I happen to have one which the grand old man of Boston gave me over twenty years ago. In it he boldly declared that of a hun- dred marvelous things known to the nine- teenth century ninety- nine of them had been anticipated by the ancients. ,• T . . He pointed particularly to mechanical arts and inventions. He quoted Pliny to show that Nero had a ring with a gem in it, through which he looked and watched the sword play of the gladiators in the 62 THE TRESTLE BOARD. arena more clearly than with the naked eye — a style of opera-glass unknown to us moderns. The use of microscopes of immense power in ancient Egypt, Persia and Greece is fairly presumable, because there is a gem shown at Parma, once worn on the finger of Michael Angelo, the engraving whereon is two thousand years old, and which reveals the figures of seven women only with the aid of a strong magnifying glass. Sir Henry Rawlinson brought home from Nineveh a stone about twenty inches long and ten inches wide, containing a whole treatise on mathematics that was ut- terly illegible without a microscope. And if it cannot be read without a microscope, it could not have been engraved without one. Mr. Phillips averred that the art of color- ing reached a perfection among the an- cients far beyond our own. The buried city of Pompeii was a city of stucco. The exteriors of the walls of all its buildings were stucco, and the stucco was stained with Tyrian purple — the royal color of an- tiquity. The city has been buried eighteen hundred years. Yet, whenever the walls of one of its houses are dug out the royal purple flames up to view with a great deal richer hue than any we can produce. Evi- dently the Pompeiians possessed a secret for making fast colors that we have not. When the English despoiled the sum- mer palace of the Emperor of China they brought home curiously- wrought metal ves- sels of every kind, and European metal- workers confessed their inability to repro- duce them. Sheffield steel is an English boast, but it will not bear the atmosphere of India without gilding. Yet the Damascus blades used in the Crusades were not gilded, and they are as bright and keen to-day as they were eight centuries ago. There was one shown at the London Exhibition in 1862, the point of which could be made to touch the hilt, and which could be put into a scabbard like a corkscrew and bent every way without breaking. Tne best steel in the world to-day does not come from either Europe or America, but from the Pun- jaub. Sir Walter Scott, in his ‘ ‘Tales of the Crusaders,” describes a meeting between Richard Coeur de Lion and Saladin, in which the English monarch is made to think that Saladin practices the black art, because the latter takes an eiderdown pil- low from the sofa and causes it to fall in two pieces by drawing his keen blade across it. Travelers to-day in India tell of seeing Hindoos throw handfuls of floss silk into the air and cut them in pieces with their fine-edged sabers. There is no steel made in western workshops of that quality. So, too, with the art of glass cutting. It was supposed thirty years ago that there were no ancient glass factories, but the Pompeiian excavations revealed a work- shop full of ground glass, window glass, cut glass and colored glass of every variety. We plume ourselves upon our canals, but ancient Palestine had many magnificent canals with perfectly arranged gates and sluices. It is doubtful if, notwithstanding Me Adam and Telford, we build as good roads as did the Romans. We have not yet discovered a perfect way of ventilating either our public or private buildings, or our private houses; but the exploration of the pyramids in Egypt show that those Egyptian tombs were ventilated in the most scientific man- ner. Our architects are well aware that their ancient predecessors knew some things that are mysteries to them. Look, for example, at the stupendous work of the Egyptian builders of the Nile temples. It almost passes belief that the blocks of granite used in building those wonderful struc- tures could have been handled at all and lifted into their places. Many of the stone slabs forming the roof of the great Temple of Karnak weigh upward of fifty tons, and some of them are believed to weigh from one hundred to three hundred tons each. Yet all those huge stones were set without mortar, and to day, after all the centuries that have passed since they were placed, they are found to be jointed with such ac- curacy that the blade of a penknife cannot be forced between them. Lord Armstrong wrote with wonder and admiration of the great statue of Rameses the Great, which is cut out of a single block of syenite, calculated to have weighed 1,300 tons before the artist com- menced upon it. He observes that to bring such a block of stone from a dis- tance of one hundred and thirty-five miles “was a feat which would daunt the cour- age of a modern engineer, although aided by powers and appliances unknown to the THE TRESTLE BOARD, 63 ancient Egyptians/’ These huge blocks of stone were quarried by means of wooden wedges, which were inserted and after- wards swelled by water, and Lord Arm- strong was of the opinion that no engineer of the present day could detach them from the quarry by that ancient process. A learned Indian prince, Thakore Sa- hib, of Gondal, in his history of Aryan medical science, asserts that the grandest discoveries of western medical genius, such as vaccination, anaesthesia and antiseptic surgery, were all practiced among the Hindoos many centuries ago. He declares that in the Ayur Veda, or Science of Life, which is the most ancient of all Brahmin books on medicine, nearly all the best modern methods of medical diagnosis, as well as of practical surgery, are fully set forth. The circulation of the blood, which we say was discovered by Harvey, is fully explained in the same ancient volume of the Hindoo Scriptures. Cranial and ab- dominal surgical operations of the most difficult kind, such as we had supposed were never performed until within the last fifty years, were done a thousand years ago in the land of Buddha. There is a clear record of the trephining of King Bhoja of Dhar, who lived about A. D. 977, to relieve him of severe pains in his head. The record states that the king was ren- dered unconscious, his cranium opened, the cause of the trouble removed from the brain, the wound closed up, and his trouble completely cured. Jivaka, who was Bud- dha’s own physician, performed similar operations. Such facts as these may well shake our excessive self-esteem as the wisest and most highly inventive people who have ever occupied the earth, and to cast a doubt upon our boast that we are “the heirs of all the ages in the foremost files of time.” Are we not too prone to assume that Wisdom had no children worthy of her until we appeared upon the scene ? Are we really so smart ? o The Grand Secretary of England is of the opinion that it is undesirable to hold public Masonic funerals. He says there is no English constitution permitting them; neither have Lodges of Sorrow ever been sanctioned by the Grand Lodge of En- gland, and they form no part of its Ma- sonic ritual. What Created the Demand. “What makes you buy that brand of soap?” I asked a woman shrewd; “Some others have far larger scope— Their names I have reviewed.” “What makes me buy that brand of soap ?” The woman looked surprised; And thus she answered my demand — “Because it’s advertised.” “Why do you choose that ribbon fair?” I asked a little miss; “The other stores had others there, Why did you ask for this?” She glared at me with pitying eye, My face she criticised; Then answered very simply, “Why, Because it’s advertised.” “What makes you always buy that wine?” I asked a business friend. “It’s quite a favorite of mine; But why select this brand?” He looked astonished, and my aim He had not recognized; But still he answered just the same — “Because it’s advertised.” And so you’ll find where’er you go, Whatever people buy, The goods that have the greatest show, And on which folks rely, Are those made known through printer’s ink, And it may be surmised, Their merit is, the people think, “Because they’re advertised.” o What Shall the Government Do with the Money Received through the Postal Savings Banks ? This is a feature that will require careful consideration, and one that will doubtless awaken much discussion in and out of Con- gress. Several plans are proposed. One is to use the funds for the purchase of outstanding government bonds. Of these enough could be had to begin the system, and run it for three or four years. After United States bonds should become no longer available, something else could be found. It has been proposed that the funds be invested in State bonds, but it is doubtful whether this would be legal with- out a constitutional amendment. Certain it is that the opponents of the system would take this ground and try to block the way. The country stands in need of a cheap parcel post, of one cent letter postage and of rural free mail delivery. The money could be used to establish these, and bonds of small denominations be issued for the purpose, thus placing them within reach of people of small means. It has also been proposed to erect build- 6 4 THE TRESTLE BOARD. ings in the smaller towns and cities for government purposes, for the courts, post- offices and custom houses, and thus save rentals now paid. Another plan is to use the funds for the erection of telegraph lines and the estab- lishment of telegraph and telephone ser- vice in connection with the post offices. It has also been proposed to loan the funds to the Nationals banks, also to individuals upon farm mortgages and other real estate; but it is likely that these proposals would meet with strenuous opposition, and create a conflict that had better be avoided. Of the merit of the respective plans it is not necessary now to speak, but the sub- ject should at once be taken up and con- sidered by all the people. — Farm Journal. o Another Masonic Incident. The clippings from the N. O. Square and Compass , which was published in the Indian Masoji and also The Trestle Board, under the heading of “A Masonic Incident, ” calls to mind a somewhat simi- lar incident which happened some years ago in the State of Georgia. A popular and wealthy young man, who lead in social circles, sent in his ap- plication to a Masonic Ledge for member- ship. The report of the investigating com- mittee was favorable. The Lodge met up- on a dark, cold and stermy night, and, as a natural consequence, but few members were present. When the ballot was spread it was found to be dark. First one mem- ber and then another expressed surprise at the rejection of the candidate. The Mas- ter of the Lodge, who regarded the young man as a warm personal friend, so far for- got himself and the principles of Masonry as to take part in the discussion, and ex- press his disapproval of the result of the ballot. He spoke in the highest terms of the rejected candidate. He could not un- derstand how so nice and clever a gentle- man could have been blackballed, unless some personal feeling or motive prompted the casting of the cube. When the Master was through, all present, except an ‘old physician, had expressed themselves. It was evident that he had cast the black bal- lot, and that it was not accidental, but was intentional. The silence was painfully oppressive. After waiting for a few mo- ments, during which he seemed to be de- bating with himself as to what he should do, the old physician arose, and said: “Worshipful Master and Brethren: You have all expressed surprise at and dissatis- faction with the ballot. It is, therefore, clear that I cast the cube, and I might just as well come out and say so as to re- main silent. I am very sorry that this discussion has come up and been per- mitted. Not that I regret what I have done, but because I feel that under the circumstances, in view of what has been said, I owe it to myself and to Masonry to tell why I did it. I came out, through this cold and rain to-night, for no other purpose than to cast that cube. I know that the young man is popular and wealthy, and occupies a high social position, and that he has many friends, and I feared that if I stayed away from the Lodge to- night he would be elected. When you hear what I have to say your surprise and regret will be turned to thanks for what I have done. I did not speak sooner, be- cause what I know* involves another per- son who I believe to have been a victim rather than a culprit; to have been as help- less in this young man’s hands as a poor little sparrow in the talons of a hawk; a young fawn in the claws of a boa con- strictor. For her sake and the sake of her family I had intended to keep the mat- ter secret; but what you have said and what has been said by our Master forces me to tell why I cast that cube. I did so because I know that this young man, of whom you have spoken so highly, be- trayed the confidence of a father and a mother; that he was false to the love of a pure girl; that he took advantage of the innocence, and seduced the daughter of a Master Mason, and that Master Mason now presides over this Lodge. I could never give him my hand as a brother, I could not see him impose himself upon you, especially upon our Master, as such.’’ The surprise and consternation which followed this statement can be imagined, but can never be described. This inci- dent teaches the necessity of holding in- violate the secrecy of the ballot. Casting a ballot upon an application for the de- grees of Masonry is not only a privilege but also a duty. No Mason should ever tell how he voted, or attempt to find out how any other brother voted. Any such information or inquiry is un-Masonic. It is a reflection upon a brother to question his ballot, and such a course destroys that peace and har- THE TRESTLE BOARD. 65 mony which are the chief strength and support of all well regulated institutions, more particularly that of Freemasonry. Again, there may be the best of reasons why a brother should cast a cube, and at the same time keep his reasons to himself. Let us all, therefore, guard sacredly the secrecy of the ballot, and discountenance and stop all attempts, direct or indirect, to violate it . — Henry M. Furman y Ardmore , I T . , in Indian Mason. o Facts about Romanism. The eight Roman Catholic countries of Venezuela, Austria-Hungary, France, Bra- zil, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy, with an area of 4,452,275 square miles and a population of 148,087,027, of which the average is ninety- one per cent Roman Catholic, show an illiteracy of sixty per cent. The eight Protestant countries of Vic- toria, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Great Britain and the United States, with an area of 4,134,- 309 square miles and a population of 149,- 702,830, of which the average is eighty per cent Protestant, show an illiteracy of four per cent. This statement is from data furnished by the reports of the United States Com- missioner of Education, the documents is- sued by the Bureau of Education, the census of 1880 and the Statesman’s Year Book for 1887. The El Solfeo , an Italian journal of prominence, published the following sta- tistics: In 1870, Rome had 2,469 secular clergy among cardinals, bishops, prelates and cures, 2,766 monks and 2,117 nuns — in all, 7,322 religious of both sexes. The number of births reached in the same year to 4,378, of which 1,215 were legitimate and 3,163 illegitimate. The illegitimates, therefore, being in the pro- portion 75.25 per 100 of the total births. The illegitimates in Protestant London are only four per cent. The average committals for murder pe year are, in Protestant England, 72, or 4 to every 1,000,000; in Roman Catholic Ireland, 130, or 19 to every 1, 000,000; in Roman Catholic Bavaria, 31 1, or 68 to every 1,000,000; in Roman Catholic Sicily, 174, or 90 to every 1,000,000. More than four- fifths of the white men hanged in America are papists. Of the men who served in the Union army during the civil war, 1,625,270 were natives of the United States, 180,870 were natives of Germany, 144,221 were Irish, 99,040 were British and 48,410 were born in other foreign countries. The rate of de- sertions, according to nativity, was: Ameri- cans, 3 per cent; British, 7 per cent; Ger- mans, 10 per cent; other foreigners, 6 per cent; and Irish, 72 percent. Of 144,000 Irishmen who enlisted, 104,000 deserted. These desertions began after the Pope had recognized the Confederacy. The draft riots in Boston and New York were almost wholly among Roman Catho- lics. The assassination of President Lin- coln was concocted and executed by Rom- an Catholics. The city of New York, from 1869 to 1883, gave to the Roman Catholic church, $8,555,250.39, and from 1884 to 1893, $5,526,733.34. Protestant denominations received during the ten years, from 1S84 to 1893, $365,467.34. The appropriations from the excise fund for the month of August, 1893, to the Roman Catholic in- stitutions were $50,889.43. To the Protes- tants, $3,105.43. The State has no right to tax one man for the purpose of propogating another man’s religion. o Wanted — A Kicker. In every Masonic Lodge, one not afraid to open his mouth and denounce every abuse, no matter whom he offends or pleases. Such a one is the most valuable adjunct a Lodge can have, and without him a Lodge is often apt to lapse into a slow, lethargic style of work; the finances are often managed in a slovenly manner, moneys belonging to the Lodge are mis- applied, sometimes by carelessness, some- times by something even worse. Masons, like many other people, are prone to let things go on from month to month, and from year to year, under the management of one or two members, who form the “ring,” put up their own nomi- nees and friends for office without relation to their fitness, and who generally run the Lodge to suit themselves. Here comes in the kicker’s usefulness. He wants to know the why and wherefore; he moves for papers and the appointment of committees to inquire into matters that don’t seem very clear on the face of them, and who can’t be talked down or hushed by the haughty stare of surprise at his 66 THE TRESTLE BOARD boldness in denouncing the guilty party, and who can’t be bamboozled or befogged by any amount of long talks about noth- ing or by the smiling or pitying jeer of the cause of the trouble. We don’t mean a crank who runs his head, like Don Quixote, against every windmill that comes in his way, right or wrong. That man is a nuisance to him- self and to every one around him. But the thoughtful, useful kicker who, before ev- erything, has Masonry at heart; who helps the needy, attends the funerals, sees that the Damoclian sword of “suspension for non payment of dues” by some poor wretch panting in the struggle for bread, does not fall on some unprotected heads than can possibly be helped; sees that the rich man who can but won’t pay his dues has his just reward. Such is the valuable addition to the Lodge that we are speaking of and ad- mire. He should be fostered and cared for, and made much of by every right- thinking Mason. It is no easy task to stand up for the right at the risk of making enemies, or having the ill-will for a time of your brethren, and few men have the moral courage for it. — The Freeemasoii . o Non-Payment of Dues. Some of the Lodges are passing very stringent resolutions of intention to exact the utmost letter of the law in the matter of the non payment of dues; and, general- ly speaking, we are fully with them, in that the member who can and does not pay his share toward the general manage- ment and expenses of carrying on the business, the charity and the obligations of the Lodge should undoubtedly be sus- pended as a proper punishment for his conduct, whether it arises from parsimony or carelessness. But there is another class of brothers who deserve much more consideration at our hands and to whom the much-vaunted charity of our Order should be carefully extended. As the old charges have it, “there are many brethren who from vari- ous causes have been reduced to the low- est depths of poverty and distress” ; breth- ren who have suffered from hard times and are out of work, who would pay if they could, but when there is difficulty in get- ting bread must let their dues go till bet- ter times, and yet who have not the moral courage necessary to enable tht peal to the Lodge for a remission of their dues. In this behalf we think the Lodges should be very careful they do not commit an injustice while performing the strict letter of their duty, and should not compel the poor wretch who cannot get work or money enough to keep his dues up, to come before the Lodge and make a per- sonal appeal. When a brother and mem- ber of the Lodge vouches for the bona Jides of the case it should be enough to warrant the Lodge in remitting the dues for the time being, leaving it in the power of the brother to pay up when he is able. — The Freemason . o A Woman Constable. The new woman has broken out in a new spot. This time it is the constabu- lary of the city of Alleghany, Pa., which she has invaded. Miss Florence Klotz can scarcely be called even a woman con- stable though, for she is only eighteen years old. But she’s a constable all right. She serves warrants, summonses and sub- poenas with all the authority and deter- mination of a male minion of the law. Miss Klotz’s father is an Alderman, whose regular constable was an old man who had an inconvenient way of being sick or invisible when he was wanted for duty. On one of these occasions, about two months ago, the despairing Alderman pressed his daughter into service. That settled the matter The girl constable proved to be the pluckiest, quickest, most reliable one in town. Her very first mis- sion was to serve a subpoena on a farmer living four miles out of town. Miss Flor- ence put on her bloomers, mounted her wheel, and went after her man. When she came back, tired, muddy, but triumph- ant, she found a crowd in front of her father’s office to welcome her. “I served them, papa,” she exclaimed, and then, womanlike, she cried, even though she was a constable. She says she would rather deal with one hundred men than ten women. The women think it is a joke, but the men think the law must be obeyed even if it is embodied in an eighteen-year-old girl. Before she went into the constabulaiy, she wheeled through Allegheny county get- ting trade for her father’s candy factory. Next summer she and her sister will ride a tandem — geared to 68 — on the same THE TRESTLE BOARD. 6 7 errand. She is described by the St. Louis Globe- Democrat as slight nnd handsome, with raven black hair and snapping black eyes. In one case Miss Klotz acted as coun- sellor as well as constable. A butcher had kicked in the door when he found his hall- way locked up by the baker, who, with his family, occupied the rest of the house. The locking was by order of the landlord, who demanded that it be done at io P. M. The butcher was sued for malicious mis- chief. Miss Klotz brought her man to court, also served a score of subpoenas for witnesses, arranging the details of the hear- ing, cross-examined the witnesses, and finally had the case dismissed on her rec- ommendation that each of the parties be furnished with keys. The costs were di- vided, and the young lawyer-constable smiled with delight as she counted over her share. The only unruly case she has run across was a youngster of fourteen who refused to go with her. She took the dilemma by the horns and the boy by the collar, tripped him up, and, with a handy copy of “Pil- grim’s Progress, ” administered a series of business-like blows where they would do the most good, and led him weeping to court. A little jeweled revolver is her only weapon. It was presented to her by a big constable who was filled with ad- miration of her pluck. She says she doesn’t know what she would would do if she ran against an ugly customer, but she declares, with a snap of her black eyes, that she would get him. She is the pet of the municipal force, and if she ever sent word for help the entire retinue of clerks, heads of departments and underlings would turn out to the rescue of Constable Flor- ence. o What Profit ? Does Freemasonry pay ? What advan- tage has a man over his neighbor who is not a member of the Fraternity ? These and other related questions are quite like- ly to be asked of one’s self, even if they are not put into the form of words and ex- pressed in private or public speech. This is a practical age. It applies the test of profitableness to almost everything of human acquisition and use, and it raises the question of value in regard to man’s present existence, asking whether life it- self is worth having, whether it pays to maintain the hard struggle of mortal be- ing against the trials and struggles which must be encountered. There is a mighty army of disappointed and dejected people, quite ready to declare that there is no value in life, no good in anything. Out of the ranks of such as those come the recruits for madness and for suicide. We pity the morbid ones, so sad and so reckless. We say to them that the gift of life is a precious boon, worth living through and through as God gives it, and makes the way for its expression. Happy are they who get life rightly focused, so as to estimate its true value. Then will they have respect for those fac- ulties of mind, heart and soul which con- stitute man’s highest endowment, and by exercise of which he not only makes life useful, but derives for himself the utmost of strength, satisfaction and peace. Those who belong to this clai-s are disposed to make the most and the best of present be- ing, while they are always looking for a brighter light to shine upon their way, and a more exceeding glory to be disclosed. These, rightly numbered among the work- ers, the leaders, the helpers in our human world, will make willing declarations out of their own experience that it does pay to oppose evil, to struggle for the right, to cultivate the nobler attributes of being and to recognize the claims of related life. When men of this stamp pass within the line of Freemasonry they are not likely to be disappointed. They will find enough in the Institution to justify the expenditure of thought, time and money, requisite for active and intelligent membership in the Fraternity. They will testify that Free- masonry does pay; that it has profit not to be reckoned in material values, but in bene- fits which constitute an abiding property of life. Not long since a worthy Craftsman, who has held membership in Lodge, Chapter and Commandery for almost half a century, said to the present writer, “Freemasonry has blessed and enriched my life. I have made no money by my Masonic connec- tions. I have never been obliged to ask for any aid on Masonic grounds, but I be- lieve that I am both a better and happier man to-day because of my long and active identification with the Institution.” Most heartily can we indorse the words of our venerable friends who have found profit in Freemasonry. It has been of benefit to the writer by bringing him into pleasant rela- 68 THE TRESTLE BOARD . tions with good men and true, giving him a place in a community of mutual interests, and opening the way for the establishment of enduring friendships. The observance of its rites and ceremonies has been sug- gestive and interesting; and to witness Masonic work well done is none the less interesting now than it was years ago. Its profit has been realized by a study of its symbolism and principles, and by the ef- fort to apply its truths to the formation of character and to the conduct of life. It has been an inspiration and a benefit in many ways, as the writer has sought a bet- ter acquaintance with the history of the Institution and the evolution of its great system of moral ideas and fraternal pur- poses. It has augmented the zest of life, deepened faith in the eternal verities and made more evident the truths of the soli- darity of the human race. What profit has Freemasonry? Much profit, and in various ways, when rightly understood and applied, being judged by the tests which determine the higher values. Freemasonry pays the thoughtful, faithful Craftsman, not in the wages of the world’s current coin, but in what quickens the af- fections, exalts the aspirations, broadens and blesses the life, thus providing a so- cial, intellectual and moral incitement for a strong and useful manhood. — Freemason' s Repository . These lines from the pen of the erudite editor of the above-named magazine have struck an echo in our heart, and we con- sider it an act of simple justice to the cause of Freemasonry if we reprint them here, and thus give them a still wider scope of readers. If there are any disap- pointed and disgruntled brothers in our Institution, we would say to them: “Go into your inner chamber and commune with yourselves and your God; ask your- self with what purpose did I knock at the door of the lodge room; with what ex- pectation on the part of the brethren was that door opened unto me. If you find an inkling of selfishness in that purpose; if you find it was curiosity instead of the de- sire to help your fellow-men, by uniting with those who are banded together to achieve that object in a silent and unosten- tatious manner, then go earnestly to work to divest yourself of that canker which is gnawing at your heart, and pray that you may gather strength to practice the great principles of brotherly love and charity as you find them exemplified in all nature, and as they are becoming more and more the property of the human race. If in that struggle with your evil inclina- tions you can conquer self, then you will find yourself fully at home in the lodge room and in the world, because you will be in close and intimate touch with all mankind; then your good example will draw other good men to us, and the great mystery which gives our Institution that ever- rejuvenating vitality will be revealed to the world in a manner which over- shadows all things else — tokens, signs and words included. o Enforced Affiliations. We give two short extracts from the correspondence report of Bro. W. W. Clarke of Kentucky, one of the ablest lawyers and soundest reasoners in the guild: “Doubtless a Grand Lodge may decree that an unaffiliated Mason shall not appear in the procession, or visit a Masonic Lodge more than three times or not at all; but, this being true, we are constrained to urge that it is not only not good Masonry but is contrary to ancient usage. We remem- ber that the time is not very greatly in the past when there were no chartered Lodges, and when the neophyte was made such not for a particular place or time, but for all places and all time. One dif- ficulty that modern Masonry is laboring under is that there is too much legisla- tion, and much of its legislation swings clear of the ancient customs of the Craft, and, before a great while, the Order will be ancient only in name, certainly not in practice. ^ /jc “The right to sever his Lodge connec- tion, it would seem, is a right inherent in every member, and inalienable. But further: We presume that all Lodges have the right to discipline a member for failure to pay his dues. By what right, then, would a Lodge compel a member to incur lia- bility for Lodge dues against his will, and then punish him for failure to discharge that liability ?” We are quite confident of two things: That quite a number fancy they can an- swer this last query; and that many a long day will elapse before they will succeed in doing so . — Pacific Mason . THE TRESTLE BOARD. 69 Sea-Side Musings. The following beautiful poem was composed by William Edwin Cressy, several years since. He died at Independence, Or., December 1, 1897, and the poem was recited at the funeral. I sat on the mighty ocean’s shore And watched the surging tide, I listened to the wave’s wild roar As they dashed from side to side, And my soul was filled with reverent awe As my thoughts to God ascended, While problems of life and infinite law In my questioning mind were blended. I gazed upon a misty drop Sailing through viewless air, Sent on a mission of love and hope To bless this land so fair; Then, when it's labor of love was o’er, I saw its glad return, As the onward flowing river bore That drop to the ocean again. How like these misty drops are we, As we journey through this life, Sent from Eternity’s dark sea Into a world of strife; WTen our short lives here shall end, All our earthly labors o’er, The river of Death our souls will send To Eternity’s sea once more. Is this all of life, I asked in trembling fear, With its trials, hopes and eager strife For knowledge, its way to cheer ? Is oblivion’s sea the only home My thirsting soul shall know, When this weary body shall cease to roam O’er these earthly scenes below? I would not like the raindrop rest Upon a senseless ocean, Subject to the wind’s and wave’s behest, Without the soul’s fair portion; But I would rise from star to star, On aspiration’s wave, And wrench that knowledge from afar Which my thirsting mind doth crave. Yes, I would tread the boundless fields Of universal space, And know that power which knowledge wields O’er all the human race; Then, like the ship on yonder sea, Which from foreign lands has come, With my bounteous treasures of truth so free I’d return to my own blest home. Will these aspiring hopes of mine E'er meet with their reward ? Will man’s abode in the coming time| Be known by other than God ? No answer came but the ocean’s roar, As the waves dashed from side to side Beating the sands on the pebbly shore, And the surging of the tide. Eternal Father, God of Love, Infinite Soul of the Nature, Thou hast into my being wove The warp and woof of a future; Undying faith in a world of Light Hath nerved the soul of man Thro’ all the ages of darkest night Down to the present time. Nor has these fires burned less bright As the ages come and go; But clearer grows that inward light, As history’s pages show; Thou dost supply the body’s needs On this earthly sphere below, Thou’lt not refuse the soul’s great need And immortal life bestow. Let confidence our thought enchain Of a better world than ours, Where friendship, truth and love shall reign Supreme in all their power; Where the aspirations of the soul Shall meet with their reward, Where man’s immortal mind may dwell Eternally with God. o Mrs. Merrydew’s Resignation. “It’s just what I always predicted,” groaned Mrs. Merrydew; “I knew this sort of thing,” with a glance around her cool, airy kitchen, where the ball-fringed cur- tains fluttered in the breeze and the tall clock told oflf the seconds with leisurely deliberation, “was a deal too good to last. I dreamed last night that I saw Sam in his winding sheet, and this morning when the letter came I knew what was in it, word for word, before ever I broke the seal.” “What has happened?” eagerly ques- tioned Hitty Johnson, the village gossip, who had stopped on her way to the place where she was engaged for a day’s work at dressmaking to aak how Mrs. Merry- dew’s rheumatism was. “He ain’t — dead?” “Dead?” croaked the old lady, “what a start you do give one, to be sure! Dead — of course he ain’t dead! He’s only^mar- ried.” “Well, I declare,”' said Hitty, “if that don’t beat all. Your Sam married.” “Married last week,” said Mrs. Mary Merrydew, “and going to bring his bride to see me to-day. What am I going to do, I’d like to know, with a daintily fine lady from the city who don’t know a spin- ning wheel from a clothes press, and never put her hands into a pan of good scalding dish-water in her life?” “Well, but,” said Hitty Johnson, “it seems to me as if that was borrerin’ trouble afore it’s due. How do you know but what you’ll like her ?” “Did you ever know one of these city girls that was worth her salt ?” contemptu- ously demanded Mrs. Merrydew. “Not ev- erybody knows what my luck has been, all 70 THE TRESTLE BOARD. my life long. If there was a bad egg in the bilin’ I was always certain sure to get it; if I bought ticket No. 7 in the raffle at a church fair, No. 8 was always the ticket to draw the prize. I didn’t expect any- thing better, and I’m resigned to the Lord’s will. Oh, dear, dear, this is a hard world to live in !” “A queer kind of resignation,” thought Miss Hitty, as she hastened on, leaving Mrs. Merrydew wiping her eyes with a yellow silk pocket handkerchief, and sigh- ing like any furnace. “And if Sam Merry- dew really has got married, I hope to good- ness he’s got a woman who won’t take the world quite so hard as his mother does.” “Yes, I’m resigned,” said Mrs. Merry dew, as she cut the white, rrisp fall ap- les into juicy slices for a tart, and mourn- fully filled the stove with fresh wood, “though I don’t s’ pose Sam’s wife will keep the old china and the silver candle- sticks and the Boughten carpets as I’ve done; no, and she won’t set no store by the old furniture that has been in the Merrydew family for a generation and a half. She’ll set and fold her hands, and let everything go to wrack and ruin; but I’m resigned. And Sam, he’ll be neg- lected, and his shirts will be destroyed and his stockings won’t be mended. Who ever heard of a city lady taking the trouble to mend stockings? But I ain’t one to grumble, and I always did say that, what- ever happened, I would try to be resigned.” The baking was all done, the table was set for tea, and the firelight gleaming through the cracks of the stove danced merrily up and down on the yellow-washed walls, and Mrs. Merrydew was alternately dozing over her knitting and wiping surreptitious tears from her spectacle glasses when there came a loud, insistent knocking at the door, and in walked a tall, untidy young woman in a cheap blue silk dress, whose mangy train drew itself over the floor, and a black lace hat overloaded with ragged artificial flowers. “Bless me !” said Mrs. Merrydew, only half awake, “who are you ?” “I’m Sam’s wife,” said the young wom- an, looking around her with indolent inter- est, “and I s’pose you’re my mother-in- law ?” “You?” gasped the old lady, scarcely able, at first, to realize the meaning of the handsome slattern’s words. “You Sam’s wife ! It can’t be possible !” The young woman untied the strings of her bonnet with a laugh, and flung it care- lessly on the table. “I guess I ain’t good enough for you,” said she. “Sam said his folks wouldn’t just fancy me at first, but we’re tight mar- ried, and there’s no help for it; so you’ll just have to make the best of things.” “You — you are from the city?” hesi- tated poor Mrs. Merrydew, not knowing what else to say. “I waited in a restaurant,” said Sam’s wife. “That’s where he first saw me, in New York.” “He never told me that,” said Mrs. Merrydew, faintly. “I s’pose it’s dreadful dull and pocky out here,” said the young woman, with a shrug of her pretty tawdry shoulders. “Do the crickets always keep on cheep — cheep- ing, like this ? And don’t the wind ever stop moaning through the trees? Dear me, what a crazy looking old clock! Why don’t you change it off for something mod- ern? Tea? No, I don’t care for tea. I’d a deal rather have a glass of beer. Beer al- ways sets me up when I feel faint. Or, p’raps, you might put just a drop of gin or spirits in the tea.” Mrs. Merrydew grew sick at heart; she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. “Is this my only son’s wife?” she asked herself. “This coarse, untidy, half-edu- cated creature. Oh, what have I done to be punished like this? Sam’s wife! In all the pictures of her that I painted to myself there was never one like this. No, never!” And the picture of her boy’s blighted life, her own desolate future, rose darkly up before her mind’s eye with sickening distinctness. “I can’t be resigned to this !” she ut- tered aloud. Sam’s wife eyed her with lazy indiffer- ence, mingled with rising dislike and pre- judice. “Humph !” said she, “I don’t see how you’re going to help yourself, mother-in- law. “What’s done can’t be undone. Sam’s sick of his bargain and you’re sick of vourn, but I ain’t tired of mine,” with a sinister chuckle. “It may be dull and stupid here, but it’s a peg higher up than waiting in a fifteen cent restaurant, any- how ” “Where’s Sam?” Mrs. Merrydew asked abruptly. “Ain’t he here?” said the young w ife opening her china-blue eyes. “Why, he came yesterday.” THE TRESTLE BOARD. 7 * “Sam ?’ ’ “Yes, Sam— Sampson Parley Parkins, Esquire!’ with an insolence which was heightened by a defiant toss of the head, “if you want the full name and all particu- lars, old lady.” “There’s some mistake,” said Mrs. Merry dew, with a sudden sensation of grateful relief at her heart. “My son’s name is not Sampson Parley Parkins, al- though I believe there is a young man of that name living at the grist mill, four miles up the road. My son is called Sam- uel Merry dew.” “Good gracious!’’ cried the bride, start- ing to her feet in a scrambling, terrified sort of way, and making a vague clutch at the shabby bonnet. “Then I’ve made a mistake and come to the wrong place. They told me it was a red house, back of four big willows.” “Yes.” said Mrs. Merrydew, “it is a red house behind four large willow trees, but there (with conscious pride) the like- ness ends. Perkins’ Mill House is not, by any means, such a place as this.” At the same moment, an open wagon, well besplashed with liquid mud, clat- tered up to the door, and a shrill voice was heard crying out: “Evenin’, Mis’ Merrydew. Seen any- thing of a young ’oman in a blue gown and red shawl hereabouts? I’ve somehow missed my wife at the depot, and — why, there she is now. How on earth come you here, Louisa Jeannetta? You might ha’ knew I’d a come arter you, if you could ha’ waited a spell.” And Mr. Sampson Parley Parkins, a long limbed Yankee, in a blue checked shirt and a suit of pepper-and salt cloth, helped his wife into the vacant seat of the muddy wagon and rattled away, leaving Mrs. Merrydew standing staring on the door step. “I am resigned now,” said that matron aloud, apparendy addressing herself to the crows and the crickets. “Good land o’ lib- erty, it was just exactly like a bad dream.” But Mrs. Merrydew had hardly returned to the cozy sitting-room again, when a second sound of wheels broke upon the fragrant stillness of the October evening, the door was flung open, and a cheerful voice exclaimed: “How d’ye do, mother, dear ? Here’s my wife. Give her a kiss, for she is pre- pared to love you dearly.” And a sweet, child like young face, framed in by smooth bands of shining hair, was lifted to hers, while a soft voice whispered: “Dear, mother, do try and like me a little, for Sam’s sake.” “My dear,” said the old woman, with tears in her eyes, “do you think you can get along in this old-fashioned place with only me for a companion?” And Sam’s wife answered: “Oh, mother, it is so beautiful and quaint and quiet here, and d ’ring all those years that I taught in the city I have so longed for a home — a real home, like this !” Hitty Johnson looked in the next morn- ing “just for a minute” again as she trudged by. “Feel any more resigned, Mrs. Merry- dew?” she asked, in a voice of carefully attuned sympathy. “Of course it’s a dref- ful trial, but — ” Mrs. Merrydew smiled broadly. “Resigned !” said she; “I never was so resigned in my life. Lily is a gem of the purest water. Sam is the luckiest fellow in the world, and I — well, I couldn’t have suited myself better if I’d looked all crea- tion over for a daughter-in-law. Don’t talk to me about resignation. Folks don’t need to be resigned when a golden streak of good fortune comes to ’em.” “Do tell!” said Hitty Johnson. “Well, I never did!” o The Darkest Hour. “You might give me another chance, sir.” “I see no reason to do so.” The last speaker raised his dark, shrewd eyes to the face of the man before him. Tom Wheeler moved uneasily under that steady gaze, and his glance traveled down- wards to the floor. But he was a manly fellow, not a coward by any means, and presently he lifted his head and looked Mr. Hanway full in the face. Perhaps something he saw there emboldened him; perhaps despair gave him courage; per- haps the thought of his wife and two baby boys drove him to speech. Anyhow, he gulped down the sullen pride rising with- in him. and said brusquely: “It ain’t for myself as I care, bet work’s none so easy to get, and a man as has got three mouths to feed as well as his own don’t like to be thrown out sudden like.” “You should have thought of that be- fore. I have already warned you twice. 72 THE TRESTLE BOARD, Last night you were drunk for the third time this fortnight ” “And if I was,” cried Tom, passionate- ly, “what of that? I ain’t the only chap as gets drunk now and again. It ain’t only us working fellows. Your fine gentle- men — ” “Be quiet,” interposed Mr. Han way, sternly. “I have heard all that before, and you are only injuring yourself. Does it make you any better that ‘fine gentle- men,’ as you call them, lower themselves in the same way? I have done my best for you, but if you will not be helped, it is not my fault. You will receive your week’s pay on Saturday, and you will leave on the same day. Take my advice,” he added, as Wheeler turned on his heel, “and try to keep steady in your next place. ’ ’ But such advice, however kindly meant, falls on unheeding ears when a man is dis- graced, humiliated, disappointed with him- self and furious with others. Tom Wheeler flung out of the office noisily, and his em- ployer sighed as he turned back to his writing. He was a middle-aged man, with an anxious, lined face, and hair already be- ginning to turn gray. The lips were stern, but there was a kindly look about the keen eyes. Among his men he was gen- erally liked, for if he was strict he was just and honest, steady work never failed to secure his notice. His people were there- fore well content, and Wheeler obtained but little sympathy from them. They thought him a fool, and did not scruple to tell him so in blunt language. Only one of them, catching a look on his face which the others did not see, and guessing some- thing of his feelings, uttered a brief word of comfort which Tom Wheeler never for- got: “Cheer up, mate. It mayn’t be so bad after all. At the darkest, things al- ways mend.” Saturday came, and Tom took his week’s money, and went out of the factory with a heavy heart. He had not yet told his wife of his dismissal, and he dreaded to face her with the news. But it had to be done; she must know, and he went straight home, quickening his steps as he passed the “Crown and Sceptre,” where a crowd of men, laughing, drinking and joking, called to him to join them. Mary Wheeler grew very pale as she listened to her young husband’s story, but when he had done she put her arms round his neck, and laid her head on his shoul- der. She was a quiet little woman, but Tom had feared her anger, and the loving little deed did more to comfort and cheer him than many words could have done. He tried his best to get work, trudging here and there till he was almost worn out; but he had learnt no special trade, and for every vacant post there were hundreds of applicants. Nothing but his wife’s patient cheerfulness kept up his courage, and at last hope failed him utterly. Then came a terrible time for the little family — a time when the children, sobbing with cold and hunger, fell asleep in Tom’s arms, as he sat drearily in their one room; a time when, worst of all troubles, Mary’s feeble strength gave out, and she fainted as she mounted the long, steep stairs. Tom heard the sound of her fall, and started up, putting the children on the floor. He went out, and, lifting her gent- ly in his arms, carried her into the room, and laid her on the heap of clothes, which was all they had left of a bed. He chafed her hands, and put some water to her lips, but she did not stir, and the still whiteness of her face frightened him. In his fear he sank instinctively to his kness, and uttered a prayer that was half a cry of pain and terror. And as he prayed, Mary Wheeler opened her eyes. They rested on the kneeling figure of her husband. She slipped off the bed to go to him, but her strength failed her, and she fainted again. Tom bent over her in despair. “Mary, my lass,” he cried, “keep up a bit longer, and I’ll find you something to eat. I will, I’ll manage it somehow. Mary, lass !” His voice, sharpened by hunger and weakness, rose almost to a scream, but it did not reach her. She lay still, and Tom, with one hasty glance round, hurried down- stairs, and out into the street. Mr. Hanway, waiting at Oxford Circus for an omnibus, noticed a slouching figure that also seemed to be watching the pass- ing vehicles. Something familiar in the man’s appearance attracted his attention, and he kept his eyes fixed on him, won- dering who he was. Presently an omnibus stopped, and a lady came out. She had just paid her fare, and held her purse in her hand. Instantly the man sprang forward, snatched it, and turned to make off, but a hand was laid heavily on his shoulder, and he found him- self baffled. A wild look — the look of THE TRESTLE BOARD. 73 the savage beast brought to bay — flashed into his eyes as he faced round upon his captor. But it faded, and a burning color spread over his face as he met the sorrow- ful, steady gaze of his late employer. “Wheeler,” said Mr. Hanway, slowly, “has it come to this ?” He took the purse from Tom’s unresist- ing hand and gave it to the lady, who thanked him and passed on. “This way,” said Mr. Hanway. Tom followed him in silence into a quieter street. Then he sprang forward and faced his companion with an oath on his lips. “It is your doing,” he cried. “I was a fool, but I was honest till you turned me off. I asked you for another chance, and you would not give it to me The chil- dren are starving, and the wife may be dead when I get back. And it is all your cruel work.” It was no time for argument. Mr. Han- way went into a shop, and made some pur- chases, telling Tom to wait. When he came out, he slipped his arm through Tom’s, and said in a cheery tone: “Now, then, Wheeler, lead on.” A few steps brought them to the house, and they hurried upstairs. Mary was still on the floor, but she had raised herself, and was leaning against the wall. Mr. Hanway went up to her. The color came slowly back into her face, and she tried to rise. He put her into a chair. “Mrs. Wheeler, you must let me give you a helping hand in these hard times. Your husband and I are going to make you more comfortable. And, in the first place, I think we will have a fire.” He suited the action to the word, and built up a fire, while Tom spread out the food they had brought. Mary’s eyes brightened, and the children woke up and were fed and warmed. A few hasty arrangements made the room more comfortable for the night, and then Mr. Hanway took Tom aside. “Your wife will be all right,” he said. “It was hunger and cold that made her faint. You must give her food slowly — a little at a time, and she’ll be all right. Now I will take myself off. Get a good night’s rest, and come to me at ten to morrow. Here, you will want to rig yourself out a bit. bet- ter first.” He laid some money on the table, and turning, held out his hand to Tom. The latter hesitated for a moment, then he put his into it. “I’ve been a fool and a thief,” he said, bluntly. “But if you’ll trust me, sir, I think God will.” “I am sure he will,” was the cheery answer. And there was a husky tone in the kind voice that bade them all “good- night.” The children had fallen asleep again, when Tom and Mary knelt down together, and no ear but God’s heard the penitent thanks they uttered. They could not say all they felt — it was hard to find words; but they knew He heard, and was satis- fied. o Keeping A Secret. It was when Mollie was getting over the measles that mamma told her about Tom’s birthday party. It was to be a bicycle party, and the boys were all to bring their bicycles; and Tom’s father was going to give him one for a birthdav present. “Oh, goody !” cried Mollie, jumping up and down. “Won’t Tom be just too happified for anything?” “Now, Mollie,” said mamma, “you must be verv careful not to tell Tom anything about it. You musn’t even look as if you knew about it.” “Can’t I tell anybody? Not even Ara- bella Maria?’ ’ asked Molly. “ ' Cause I shall surely burst if I don't.” “Yes,” said mamma, laughing, “you can tell Arabella Maria, but no one else.” This was hard. That very afternoon Tom came rushing in from school, and told Molly about Billy’s new improved safety. “I’d give something if I just knew I’d get a wheel for my birthday,” said he. “But, when father was telling about the scarcity of money last night, I knew that meant no safety for this vear.” “Bye low, bye low,” sang Molly to Arabella Maria, who, because she was made of rags and limber, Molly loved, as she said she was so nice and “huggv.” Molly kept her eyes shut tight for fear Tom would see a nickel-plated bicycle in them. “Why don’t you talk, and be a com- fort?” demanded Tom. “I suppose, if it was your birthday coming, you wouldn’t mind. You’d rather ha^e an old mushy doll like that!” indicating the beloved Ara- bella Maria, with a scornful finger. This was too much for Molly to bear. Her eyes flew open with a flash. “It isn’t 74 THE TRESTLE BOARD . so at all!” she said. “I wouldn’t want an- other doll at all, and I do want a bicycle. Every girl in the block has one but me. And Arabella Maria is not mushy, and she knows a great deal that you would be glad to know.” And then Molly, feeling that she was getting on dangerous ground, flew upstairs, holding Arabella Maria close up against her mouth. Uncle Tom and mamma were sitting on the porch quite near the open window, and heard all this conversation. Uncle Tom was much amused, and mamma very proud. “I can make her tell me,” said Uncle Tom. “Try,” said mamma, as she went in- doors to toast the muffins for tea. Molly presently found herself seated on Uncle Tom’s knee; and after she had told him all about the measles, and how it was a great surprise to everybody that Arabella Maria didn’t take them. “But she’s the best thing !” said Molly. “I told her not to ’cause I couldn’t nurse her, and she didn’ t. “What’s this about Tom’s birthday?” said Uncle Tom. “I want to know about it.” But Molly immediately shut her mouth up tight, and looked up at the sky. “It’s a secret,” she said finally. “But not from me, is it? You know he’s my namesake, and how do you know I won’t get him the same thing?” Molly looked troubled. ‘ ‘There is a dan- ger,” she said; “but if I should tell you, you might let it out — not on purpose, but ’cause it’s so hard not to. I don’t want to ever have the ’sponsibility of another se- cret, never !” “Well, well, and so you can’t trust me,” said Uncle Tom. “I wouldn’t mind trusting you at all, if I hadn’t promised I wouldn’t tell,” said Molly. “And me and Arabella Maria must keep our word, you see. Now, if it was about my birthday, I could tell you just as well as not, ’cause I wouldn’t know — ” But Uncle Tom was laughing so hard that Molly stopped. ‘ 4 Good for you, Molly, ’ ’ he said; “you’re a trump !” Molly didn’t know at all what he meant, but she was much relieved that he was not offended. When Tom’s birthday, with the party, the safety and all, really came, it was hard to tell which was the happier, Tom or Molly. Every time that Tom felt things boiling within him to such an extent that he couldn’t possibly stand it another minute, he would rush out on the lawn, and look at his new wheel, and say: “Hurrah! She’s a daisy!” and turn somersaults until he felt better. At the same time Molly would rush after Arabella Maria, and with a rapturous squeeze would say: “Aren’t we glad we didn’t tell, though, ’cause he’s so happy over the s’ prise.” By and by they all went out for a spin around the block; and there, among the shining wheels, was a dear little one, whom no one claimed. Tom picked up a card on the handle-bar, and read: “For Molly and Arabella Maria, two young women who knew how to keep a secret from even Uncle Tom.” “Oh, oh!” said Molly, dancing up and down, “Arabella Maria, we’re the hap- piest girls in this world, I know.” o “He Is Growing Old.” “Yes, he is growing old,” they say. The initiate, the energetic Master, the brilliant grand officer, is on the rising side of the meridian of to day and the old man of to morrow — the bud of now; the “last leal” of then. Where is the “last leaf” in our Masonic Bodies? Where is he “who is growing old?” Where is the once bright, ambitious Master when the almond tree flourishes, when the windows are dark- ening? Dimitted, forgotten, buried, un- known. Where is he who once bore the burden and the heat of the day, after three- score years have tinged his hair with gray? Crowded out; crowded out — out — out. Age, and often penury, have wrung an unwilling dimit from the Lodge he loved; the Lodge in which he won his laurels, achieved his ambition; where his hand was guided by justice and his purse open to the needy. “The last leal” tossed by ad- versity, trembling under infirmity, falls from the bough, dimitted gone. This is not a fancied sketch. The great army of non affiliates are, by a large majority, old men. The lot of the average is a depend- ence upon his children, or other relatives. The period when the dues of the Lodge, Chapter and Commandery were willingly and easily paid has passed. Now it be- comes a burden, and rather than suffer humiliation he withdraws, and loses his THE TRESTLE BOARD . 75 Masonic home, his birthright. It is a shame, the disgrace of Masonry, that Lodges go on exacting dues from the patriarch, the fathers, and drive them to dismission. — Orient o Animal Friendship. I remember an elegant pair of Morgan horses, Nate and Mate, brother and sister, owned in Northfield, Mass., when I was a child. They were raised in northern Ver- mont, and when they were first brought to Massachusetts they were sold to two dif- ferent men, but were so homesick and balky that they were of no use until Mr. Eastman, an intelligent farmer, divined the trouble and purchased them both. They worked or drove beautifully in double harness, but one day Mrs. Eastman, having occasion to drive to the village, had Mate harnessed to a light buggy, and asked my mother, who was a near neigh- bor, to accompany her, Mrs. Eastman’s two children staying with my brother and myself while they were away. No sooner was Mate out of hearing than Nate began to call for her, first with low 7 , soft neighs, then with plaintive whinnies, and, at length, with loud squeals. We children were attracted to the barn by his frantic cries, and as none of the men were about, we tried to quiet him by giving him tidbits, but it was of no use; he plunged about until he broke his halter, and escaped into the yard. Fortunately, we had sense enough to shut the strong gate, and, in spite of his wheeling and plunging about, he found himself a prison- er. Then such an ado as there was ! He pranced around and across the yard, and his calls for his mate were like terrific shrieks; we children watching him from the roof of a low shed, where we had climbed so as to be out of the way. At length, after one of his calls, he listened, with his head in the air, and go- ing to the side of the yard toward the vil- lage, he stretched his neck over the fence and called again. This time, away to the northward, we heard a faint response “They are coming!” said my brother. “Mate is answering. I can see the dust. I can see them. Mate is running. ” That was the fact. Nearer they came and nearer, the beautiful white horse on a straight run, the two mothers in the light buggy, helpless and terror stricken, hold- ing the reins, but making no effort to con- trol the seemingly uncontrollable horse. But as Mate approached the house she slackened her pace, turned decorously into the yard and trotted airly up to the gate to receive her brother’s welcome. The horses fairly kissed each other in their delight, and, of course, they w T ere utterly unconscious of the desperate fright they had given the two ladies. — Scranton, Pa . , Republic . o Catholics and Jesuits. The Roman Catholic laymen themselves will be grateful to us for leading in an on- set which will deliver them at last from bondage. South American Catholics have shaken off the Jesuit yoke. In Chili there is a fine for sending a child to a Jesuit school for instruction. In the Argentine Republic the parochial schools are put under close supervision. That republic is so filled with the modern spirit that it will not submit to Jesuitism for a moment. In all the republics of South America the yoke of political Romanism has been shaken off, although the Catholic faith of the people has remained. Many of our Roman Catholics, devoutly attached to their faith, are still ill at ease under the power of this secret society in clerical form; and if we raise a huge wave of popu- lar indignation, I have no doubt they will take advantage of it to assert their own liberties in the United States as they have in South America and Mexico. Parochial schools are abolished in Mex- ico. In this foreign attack on your com- mon schools you have an exhibition of disloyal secret oaths setting up a power within a pow'er, and introducing here ac- tual alien authority. Cardinal Manning, of London, himself well understanding the power of the secret organization of the Roman Catholic church, says, and he said this in public to Roman Catholic ecclesi- astics: “It is your mission, holy fathers, to bend and break the will of an imperial race.” I say from Chicago here, the city of the Great Lakes, to Cardinal Manning, that we have now, thank God, no slave and no king on this continent, and that we shall never go into bondage to any king or prelate on the other side of the sea. But you are in danger of having a strug- gle on that matter, because you under- rate the power of the Jesuit oath-bound secret organization . — Joseph Cook. 76 THE TRESTLE BOARD . Masonry in India. The principal religions of India are Brahma, Mohammed and Buddha. They all hated and persecuted each other, and only agreed mutually in hating the Chris- tians. It was the country, up to recent date, of prejudice, hate, tyranny and in- tolerance. Four years ago I was the hon- ored guest at a Masonic Lodge meeting in the third degree in the great temple at Calcutta. There were about one hundred and fifty Masons present, men of almost every nationality and creed. The Master’s degree was conferred on three Fellow Crafts, who knelt together before the same altar. One was a Chris- tian, who took his obligation on the Bible; one was a Mohammedan, who took his obligation on the Koran; the other a Hindoo, who took it on the Shastras. The oath was administered by an English lord, a Judge of the Supreme Court, and he was assisted by the Grand Secretary, my friend Ruscomjee, a Parsee and fol- lower of Zoroaster. There Masonry is seen and felt. There it is now what it was in Europe during the dark ages. There no one thinks it trifling or useless. These men in India are the learned, the influeniial men They do not renounce their religions; but they meet before the Masonic altar on bended knee, before the Great Architect of the Universe, and, hand in hand, breast to breast, mouth to ear, they walk about in their quiet, daily avocations, among Asia’s teeming mill- ions, sowing the seed, and setting the ex- ample, from high to low, of Masonic teachings and Masonic lives. Who can calculate its influence? — Masonic Review . o A Year’s Work of Masonic Relief. Another important chapter in The Free- mason is in the report of the Los Angeles Board of Relief, which ought to do our brethren of the States good to read. Un- derstand, this is purely a local Board of this one city, and it should be remembered that while they receive a per capita tax from the city Lodges, none of it is ex- pended for the needy and destitute of Los Angeles, but all goes to “the stranger with- in their gates. ’ ’ The amount expended dur- ing the year by this Board was $2,803. Of this amount $484 was paid to widows, or- phans and sick and needy brethren of Cali- fornia, and $2,319 to the destitute appli- cants belonging to other Jurisdictions. The report contains the following paragraph: “Of the expense incurred for foreign bodies, about twenty per cent was repaid by the body to which the applicant be- longed. The balance is a debt of honor that should have the attention of the gov- erning powers who administer the laws in the various Jurisdictions, and here let us say that the Los Angeles Lodges who in- cur such debts of honor by reason of the falling by the wayside of one of their own members invariable repay in full all such obligations.’’ The Tidings expresses the opinion that the above should be an object lesson to our good brethren who, with Pharisaical unction, so easily turn down the so called Wisconsin proposition, tending, as they say, to undermine the great principle of individual Masonic obligation. Is it not true that in the great desire to maintain this principle, which is so dear to the hearts of these brethren, they permit a great injustice to be done to our good brothers like those in Los Angeles who re- spond so nobly to appeals for aid, whilst they withal escape. — Masonic Tidings , of 'Wisconsin . o Was Washington a Liar ? A so called “Christian Association,” which publishes a little four page (six by eight inches to the page) paper in Chi- cago, publishes that George Washington wrote a letter a year before his death in which he said, “I preside over no lodge, nor have I been in one more than once or twice during the last thirty years.” George must have lost his memory if he ever wrote such a letter, or else he was an unconscionable liar who locked up his memory and brains, wound up his mouth or pen, and allowed them to work un- trammeled. If, as this “Christian Asso- ciation” alleges, George wrote this letter, he must have been utterly regardless of the fact that public history would prove him to be a liar, because George must have known that he laid the foundation of the capitol building at Washington in 1783, in his capacity as presiding officer of the Masonic body which performed the ceremony. George must have known that, at Philadelphia, while he was Commander- in- Chief of the army, he thought it did not derogate from his dignity to attend Masonic Lodge, and even appear in pub- THE TRESTLE BOARD 77 lie on St. John’s day, and take part in an installation and listen to a Masonic ad- dress or sermon in a Christian church. George must have known, also, that his well-known signature on scores of Masonic Lodges in New York and Massachusetts, now r proudly shown at their centennial cele- brations, would also rise up to impeach his veracity. Nay, that even the minutes of the Lodge at Alexandria of which he was Master, and to which, on so many evenings “on or be- fore the full of the moon’’ in each month, he affixed his signature attesting their cor- rectness, would also rise up in judgment to destroy the halo to which he was justly entitled by virtue of the cherry tree in- cident of his youth. Was George a liar? Nay, verily, but this so-called “Christian Association,” which makes a precarious living attempting to foist upon the “Verdant Green’s” of the world alleged exposures of various secret organizations, stands convicted before the world, by the record of the history, charg- ing George Washington with writing that he knew to be false. — M. M. M., in Kansas Freemason . o Pennsylvania Decisions. That an oral motion to change the sal- ary of a Secretary, which is fixed by the By- Lays, is unlawful. That a man made a Mason while abroad on a visit could not be recognized as a Mason in this Jurisdiction. That the acceptance of a petition for in- itiation and membership without the cus- tomary fee is unlawful. That no motion to reconsider could be entertained after favorable report of a Committee of Inquiry and the petition had been lawfully withdrawn. That the Secretary of a Lodge cannot accept a petition unless the name is legibly written. That the place to try a statutory offense is in the courts of law and not in a Ma- sonic Lodge. That the Worshipful Master should take charge of the warrant, and that the mis- laying or loss thereof is a serious matter. That in this Jurisdiction an Entered Apprentice Mason is a member of a Lodge. That we claim perpetual Jurisdiction over all our rejected petitioners, our prac- tice being, when other Jurisdictions accept our rejected petitioners and confer the de- grees upon them, to issue an edict for- bidding Masonic intercourse with such. One who has been rejected in a Lodge because of Masonic objection by the Lodge nearest his place of residence, to which in- quiry had been made and answer received, still remains f the property of the Lodge to which he first applied. Refused to allow a Lodge to hold its election in the month of November instead of December. A brother, to obtain the benefit of a By-Law providing for one-half dues, after having paid full dues for twenty years, must have paid the full dues for the full term of twenty years. o Idaho Masonry. Bro. Frederick G. Mock, Grand Master of Idaho, was asked several questions, of which we copy two, as follows: Lemhi Lodge, No n, was requested by Rico Lodge, No. 79, of Colorado to con- fer the F. C. and M. M. degree upon a brother who resided at Salmon city. One of the members of Lemhi Lodge objected, unless they would be permitted to retain the fees. After examining the correspon- dence that had passed between the two Lodges and being satisfied that the broth- er had been regularly initiated, I replied: I am surprised to know that there is the slightest objection to Lemhi Lodge ex- tending a helping. hand to our brethren in Colorado, or any other Jurisdiction. By all means do this work for Rico Lodge, No. 79, of Colorado, and do not charge them a cent for doing it. Collect money as they advise, and remit to them by first mail. The brother who is opposed to this kind of work should let his charity extend beyond the home altar, for none can tell when you yourselves will want a similar favor. Hardly a week passes but what some Lodge in this great sisterhood of States does not extend a helping hand to some Lodge or brother of Idaho, and we should be only too glad to reciprocate for these favors. Bro. Frank A. Uhland, of Pocatello, asks, What is the standing of a M. M. who is suspended for non payment of dues; in other words, is he barred of all Ma- sonic intercourse during suspension, or does the suspension merely place him in same position as a non-affiliate? I replied: A brother suspended for any cause is 78 THE TRESTLE BOARD. barred from all the rights and privileges of Masonry, until reinstated. Many of the Lodges have had but little work during the past year, and, in conse- quence, the attendance has been small; merely a quorum, and many regular com- munications have passed without having a meeting. When asked why the attend- ance has been so small, the Master invari- bly replies: “There was nothing to come for. We had no work, and the brethren are not as zealous as they were in former times/’ During the year there has been consid- erable discussion among our Lodges re- garding the minimum fee for the degrees. The question is a serious one, and should receive our earnest consideration. At least seven-tenths of the Grand Jurisdictions to-day have a minimum fee of thirty dol- lars or less; many charging only twenty dollars. Now I am not making a plea for cheap Masonry, but, on the other hand, view this from a business standpoint. If we can place three times as many names on our roll at thirty- five dollars each, as we could at fifty dollars, we are ahead, both in fee money and in contributing members. The price should cut no figure in the work of the examining committee as to the quality of the material offered for our temple; nor does Masonry regard any man on account of his worldly wealth or honors. It is the internal and not the external qualifications that recommend a man for Masonry. Brethren, I recommend a minimum fee of thirty* five dollars. During my visit to Kootenai Lodge, No. 24, I learned that two of its members had, by vote of the Lodge and without consideration, been declared life members. This matter had been discussed by said Lodge, and the fact that these two mem- bers had been relieved of all the burdens and responsibilities of Masonry, and al- lowed to enjoy its benefits and privileges, had caused some discord. A careful search failed to disclose anything bearing directly on this subject, but from past customs, was satisfied that the Lodge had acted un- wisely, and without authority. I there- fore ordered the names of those brethren to be entered on the roll again, and charged with dues from that date. — Bro . Mock , Grand Master of Idaho. o The cost of the revision of the code of laws of the Grand Lodge of Ohio was be- tween $2,500 and $3,000. Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian Lodge, No. 21, installed their officers on St. John’s evening, as follows: Joseph M. Little, W. M.; E. J. Spaulding, S. W.; J. M. Oat, J. W.; W. M. Gifford, Treasurer; H. J. Burniston, Secretary; W. H. Wright, S. D.; F. W. Whitney, J. D.; J. A. Lowe and Fred Goudie, Stewards; H. Mynre, Tyler. A banquet followed, with Bro. Paul Newman as Toast Master, and among the toasts was one to the ladies,. which was responded to by Bro. Past Master M. E. Grosman, in the following happy vein: ‘ ‘ Worshipful Master , Mr. Toast Master and Brethren: The ladies are of great an- tiquity, but for heaven’s sake never tell one of them so. The first authentic rec- ord we have of woman was in the Garden of Eden. One Eve was produced from Adam’s spare rib — ’twas only a small rib that produced Eve, the merest fragment of Adam, yet she immediately claimed to be his better half. They dwelled together for a time, in domestic tranquility, undis- turbed with thoughts of bicycles, bloom- ers, crinolines, Easter bonnets, etc. One day Eve noticing Adam’s declining appe- tite and his gradual atrophy, persuaded him to eat of the forbidden fruit. I presume mixed into a Christmas mince pie or a plum pudding, when presto! what a change! Adam was himself again, and from this simple incident, brethren, originated the claim amongst Eve’s daughters that the way to a man’s heart was via his stomach. But we love the ladies. Eve took Adam’s rib, and since her time others have taken our hearts, our pocket-books and every- thing in sight and out of sight. Lovely woman has our last thought, our last cent and, as a rule, manages to have the last word. But with all her faults she is the loveliest, sweetest and dearest creature. She confers upon us the most unalloyed happiness. Who can withstand her charms? She gives to us higher and nobler aims in life. She gives to us that moral support that rounds out and perfects our character. She it is we first turn to in our joys and sorrows. She it is who is our comforter. She is queen of our hearts and empress of our souls. No matter how high or soar- ing a man’s ambition, no matter how high the station he may reach, there is no dream of success so dazzling, no achievement so great, as the acquisition of the love of a lovely woman. Masons have always held the ladies in the highest esteem, they are taught to regard everything that is high, noble, sacred and grand embodied in her. THE TRESTLE BOARD. 79 and to aid, support and protect her, to watch over her and to provide her with every necessity and comfort is our aim. And so if time would permit, legends could be sung of her. But I will simply say, brethren, that it makes my heart glow within me to respond to the toast to ‘The Ladies’ “Who share our joy, “Sympathize with us in our sorrows “And double our expenses. “God bless the ladies.” Lodge Le Progres de la Oceanic, No. 124, A. & A. S. R., at Honolulu, installed the following officers on St. John’s Day: Clarence M. White, W M.; E. A. Williams, S. W.; John Buckley, J. W.; Theo. P. Severin, Secretary; David Day- ton, Treasure; David W. Crowley, S. D.; Louis J. Con- nelley, J. D.; George Campton, Tyler; E. D. Crane, I. G. Pacific Lodge, No. 822, at Honolulu, installed their officers on Wednesday, Jan- uary 5th, as follows: Norman E. Gedge, R. W. M.; Clinton B. Ripley, D. M.; Alvin W. Keech, S. M.; W. Aus'in Whiting, S. W.; George W. Smith, J. W.; W. O. Atwater, Treasurer; H. H. Will- iams, Secretary; Frank L. Hoogs, Chaplain; John Walker, S. D.; Thos. Black, J. D.; J. F. v,lav , S. S.; Geo. C. Strate- me» er, J. S.; L. T. Kenake, I. G.; James A. Lyle, Tyler. This Lodge is only two and a half years old, and has increased from twelve char- ter members to a present number of sev- enty-three. A banquet followed the in- stallation ceremonies. o We frequently hear the remark from men less than fifty years of age that there is more rum drank and more intemper- ance at the present time than ever. If those making such assertions had wit- nessed the intemperate habits of people seventy years ago they would be of a dif- ferent opinion. Previous to 1830, we are told that all kinds of intoxicating spirits were sold as openly at every store, tavern and victualing cellar as confectionary is.at the present time, and it was almost a daily scene to see more or less drunken men lying about our streets, sleeping off the effects of New England rum, which was sold at twenty- five cents a gallon or eight cents a quart. To show that rum drinking was more common than at the present time, I give the following extract from the records of a church of our neighboring town, Tops- ham, across the river: Under date of April 15, 1819, “One-half of the male and female members of the church were ex- pelled for intemperance, until only eight were left.” The members of this church were more strict in their discipline than one of the churches in the suburbs of our own town. In 1841, Hawkins, the noted temperance lecturer, visited Brunswick, and from his lectures a great temperance revival fol- lowed, some five hundred signing the temperai.ee pledge. Some of the mem- bers of a church in the eastern part of the town called a meeting of the church to dismiss several of their members who made too free use of O. B. J. Those members of the church who were to be dealt with mustered their forces at the meeting, and outnumbering the temper- ance reformers, voted to dismiss from the church those who called the meeting for bringing into the church a disturbing ele- ment. — Independent , Bath, Maine. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was instituted in 1777, and on St. John’s Day, December 27th, installed its Grand officers as follows: Charles C. Hutchinson, Lowell, Grand Master; Albert L. Harwood, Newton Center, D. G. M. ; Frank W. Kaan, Somerville, G. S. W. ; Henry S. Rowe, Boston, G. J. W. ; John Carr, Roxbury, G. Treasurer; Sereno D. Nickerson, Cambridge, G. Sec- retary; William L. Richardson, Boston, G. Corresponding Secretary; Rev. Charles A. Skinner, North Cambridge, and Rev. Edward A. Horton, Boston, G. Chaplains; Henry K. Dunton, Brookline, G. Mar- shal; Charles M. Avery, Malden, and Chauncey E. Peck, Wilbraham, G. Lec- turers; Eugene C. Upton, Malden, G. S. D. ; John A. McKim, Jamaica Plain, G. J. D. ; Charles C. Henry, Wellesley Hills, G. S, S. ; Frank W. Mead of Somerville, W. D. J. Strain of Boston, and W. J. A. Mes- senger of Taunton, G. J. S. ; William B. Lawrence, Medford, G. Sw. B. ; Z. L. Bicknell, East Weymouth, G. St. B. ; Ed- ward S. Wellington, Malden, and Edward G. Graves, East Boston, G. Pursuivants; Howard M. Dow, G. Organist; George W. Chester, Boston, G. Tyler. The Grand Lodge held a banquet from 6:30 to 11 P. M., which closed the celebra- tion of St. John’s Day. Bro. Hutchinson is the forty-first Grand Master, this being his second term. o There are 1,227 Commanderies of Knights Templar in the world, with a total mem- bership of 118,374, of which 112,891 are affiliated in the United States and repre- sent 1,006 subordinate Commanderies. So THE TRESTLE BOARD . THE TRESTLE BOARD. A National Masonic and Family Magazine. PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE TRESTLE BOARD ASSOCIATION. Terms— $1.00 per year sent in United States, Mexico and Canada, and other Countries $1.25 strictly in advance. Single copies 10 cents. Subscribers not receiving numbers will notify us, and they will be supplied free. C. MOODY PLUMMER, Manager. Alvin Plummer, Advertising Manager. 408 California St., San Francisco, California. TRAVELING AGENTS. Rev, John N. Parker. W. O. Sterling. R. C. Yarbrough. Samuel Collins. For one dollar we will deliver prepaid twenty assorted copies of back issues of The Trestle Board magazine. This will give an immense amount of good reading for a comparatively small sum. Each number is complete in itself. o Freemasons and Lady members of the Eastern Star desiring pleasant employ- ment, can obtain it with good remunera- tion soliciting for The Trestle Board. o Templary and the Church. The history of Templary and the Church is an open book. They have existed side by side in lines parallel and interwoven with each other. History tells us of the origin, the principles, the object, the teachings, the practices and the results of their existence and their adherents and propagators. They are so entwined with each other that neither could perhaps have existed without the other. One is as a principle existing in the mind, enjoying itself in repose and inertia, and contenting itself in the self-satisfaction of having ac- complished its own security in the great problem of futurity. The other, with an equally just basis, but alive to the evils and distress of suffering humanity around it, flies to the succor and relief of the afflicted and down- trodden, and thinks only of its duty to others as well as them- selves, and trusting implicitly in the lov- ing care of the Creator who has been pleased to bestow upon them the blessing of this life, and trusting in Him for the world that is to come. Each institution has its sphere of usefulness and its work to perform. The Church, with its sentiment and self satisfaction, with its own position of security is, in exceptional instances, unfitted for the antagonisms of active life, and sits in dreamy listlessness and views, almost with indifference, all that is going on around, whether good or bad, evil or righteousness. Templary is action and activity concerning all about it. Not be- ing absorbed bv the vagaries of priests or a prey to the fears for the future, its ears are ever open to the cry of suffering and its hands ready to succor the distressed. True to the cause of its origin — the pro- tection of the Christian pilgrim — it still thrives in Christendom and only where Christianity prevails. It has no foothold elsewhere. It sees in action the fulfillment of the law as well as the duty of a Chris- tian without the boasting pretension of “firm belief ’ and promising only loyalty in defense of the Christian religion, whether assailed by the mailed Saracen or the de- votees of ignorance, hypocrisy and super- stition. It offers an asylum to all who may not come to the standard of the church, but may be equally as loyal sol- diers of the Master, Jesus Christ. o Clandestine Masonry. A large number of Grand Lodges have declared for the benefit of their member- ship just what is, and what is not legiti- mate Masonic bodies. If we remember correctly the number is twenty-four, and this number are harmonious and united in their decisions. The recent events, in this State, where trouble has come upon the Craft from an appeal from Masonic regu- lations and law as established by the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons brings the matter home to the foundation of Masonry — the Symbolic Body, composed of eighty- three per cent of the Craft. There are in- dications of more trouble unless Grand Lodge shall take cognizance of the situa- tion and act. A stitch in time will save nine. Procrastination was the cause of much trouble and expense to Grand Chap- ter, and unless some notice is given this subject, a repetition of events, now trans- piring in some other Jurisdictions, may be apprehended. In Ohio is already estab- lished a clandestine Grand Lodge, with seventeen Lodges, acknowledging fealty. This, together with the liberality of the irregular colored bodies in admitting white men to membership with lower fees and dues, tend to the detriment and retard the growth of regular and duly constituted bodies. In our position as a journalist, we meet a large clientage of Masons, and in inditing these words we only perform our duty as a loyal member of the Craft in whose service our best efforts for years have been devoted. THE TRESTLE BOARD. Si Mistakes in Masonry. Masonry is a human Institution, and it is human to err. The great mistake that writers on the subject of unaffiliation and unaffiliated Masons make, is in insisting that this evil exists from choice and vicious intent rather than from necessity and compulsion. The fact is that this class of Masons, or at least nine tenths of them, are men in me- dium and moderate circumstances, and find their financial condition such as de- mand retrenchment and close scrutiny of expenses. Charity begins at home. Ma- sonry works for charity and sociability. These are the great objects of Masonry — Archbishop Riordan and the Pope to the contrary notwithstanding. Nevertheless there is religion in the exercise of charity, and the Romish church is right in assert- ing that Masonry is a religious institution as much as the church. We think it is re- ligious compared with Romanism. But we digress. We believe unaffiliation, or nine- tenths of it at least, is the result of impecuniousness and sometimes indigence. We base our statement on the knowledge gained by the intimate relations we sus- tain with thousands of the Craft in all sec- tions of the country who are patrons of The Trestle Board, many of whom are in full sympathy with its opinions and positions upon matters of interest, but de- clare it necessary to forego the expendi- ture of even the small amount necessary to gratify the intellectual craving for read- ing upon the subject nearest their hearts, and even the expense of dues to their Lodge, because duty to family and them- selves require it. No good man or Mason will expend his income or earnings for charity or pleasure or sociability when honest debts or the necessities of life for family and himself are to be ignored as a result. Almost daily, for the past four or five years especially, has it been our ex- perience to encounter brethren who are too proud to beg to have dues remitted and too honest to steal to pay them with the proceeds of the theft, and thereby they become the much despised and often abused “drones” and “cormorants” in Ma- sonry. We say “abused,” for words some- times bite like an adder and sting like a serpent, and such appellations are abuse. We are led to indite these lines by read- ing the report of a special committee of Grand Lodge of Idaho, which was adopted recently. In the opinion of The Trestle Board, based upon continuous and active relations with Masonry of all degrees for nearly forty years, the true remedy for unaffiliation has not been applied. After an indefinite time it will be tried and adopted, because all other remedies will have failed. No desired object can be ob- tained while all the obstructions that can be conceived of are thrown in the way. The requirement that a brother under the same obligations as ourselves shall obtain membership by the same process and pay- ment of a sum of money as is required of a profane is certainly a very great in- ducement to remain unaffiliate'd. The bal- lot and fee for membership should be abol- ished forever as contrary to the spirit and teachings of brotherly love in Masonry. Previous to 1717 Masons were not attached to any Lodge, and a Mason was a member of any Lodge he happened to attend. It should be so now. The obligations of Masonry are toward all the brethren whithersoever dispersed around the world, whether affiliated or not, for in a case of emergency no time can be afforded to ex- amine credentials or receipts for dues, and a Mason may be called upon to perform his duty toward a “drone” as quickly as a worker. The bee-hive is one of the em- blems of Masonry, yet the “drones” are not always expelled, though they may have become useless members of the hive, and perhaps despised. So in the great hive of Masonry, as in humanity, we should not cast out of our Lodges those who, from sickness or distress, become “drones” or useless, but aid those who have taken up a burden they cannot bear with the same ability and strength which their brother possesses, with counsel and assistance, until he is again prospering and strong, and so fulfill the mission which Masonry is for in rendering brotherly love, sympathy and relief. The secret ballot is contrary to the spirit and teachings of Ma- sonry, which tell us that hypocrisy and deceit should be unknown among us, for it gives any one the most favorable oppor- tunity to practice them. And the ballot on affiliation should be abolished first be- cause, although we cry out against unaffilia- tion and blame the unaffiliate for his posi- tion, one-half the applications for mem- bership are rejected. This writer never was blackballed until he applied for a transfer of membership, and was four years in obtaining that which he sought, 82 THE TRESTLE BOARD. and this through the secret ballot. The blackball fiend was the obstacle. o The Value of Written Evidence. We have occasionally on our pages, and very frequently personally, berated the practice of ignoring the verbal tests of good standing in Masonry, and placing any reliance whatever in receipts for dues and diplomas. Forgeries are much easier to succeed than deception under strict ex- amination by a skillful Craftsman. If left to our own judgment, we should ignore all written or printed evidence in our ex- aminations. In a long and active experi- ence, we have never known that we have made any mistake in our conclusions, and have ever relied in our mind upon the re- sult of strict and close examination rather than investigating paper vouchers. The following tells a story in corroboration of our position. A special dispatch to the S. F. Call tells the story: Seattle, January 2 2d. — One of the most daring acts ever perpetrated upon the Masonic Order has come to light through the confession of the perpetrator, George Fleming. His career has been summarily ended through a conviction and sentence to the State penitentiary at Walla Walla for two and a half years for obtaining money under false pretenses from Attorney Richardson of Port Angeles. Fleming is a pseudo Mason, yet so skill- fully has he applied himself that he has been complimented by Past Grand Mas- ters on his knowledge of Masonry. By his own admissions, he has lived for eight years on money borrowed under false pre- tenses from Masons, the amounts varying from ten to several hnndred dollars, or, as he told the ex-Sheriff of King county, A. T., Van de Venter, according to the circumstances and the times. The total amount of money thus obtained will prob- ably reach $20, coo, but he has borrowed so much he does not pretend to recite all the instances. He has traveled all over the world, and never spent a cent for railroad or steamer transportation. He has had so many aliases that he cannot name them all. He was known in Mississippi as Professor Willey; in Kentucky as Alexander Craig; in Penn- sylvania as William Ball; in Cincinnati and Chicago as Charles Wilson; in St. Louis as William Mays; in Washington as Martin Mallorey; in Oregon as Charles Brown and Charles Floyd. In foreign countries he passed himselt off as Mallorey, Fleming, Willey or Ball. Once in a while he went as John H. Kimberley. In Paris he claims to have met and dined with the Prince of Wales and Sir Dudley Ward. For dessert he borrowed one hundred and fifty dollars from the Prince on the strength of Masonry. In Madrid he worked Min- ister Hannis Taylor for free transportation to the Rock of Gibraltar by the way of Cadiz. Things came his way in every city in every country. He wanted for nothing because he had a snap on the Ma- sonic Fraternity. It is admitted that this man, notwithstanding that he is not a Ma- son, knows more about Masonry than thou- sands of ordinary Masons. In this respect he stands without a peer in the civilized world, At first it seems almost impossible that Fleming could have fleeced the Fraternity so easily, but after reading his confession the matter appears in another light. The secret of his success lay in the fact that he knew all about Masonry, and applied his knowledge to the best advantage. Certifi- cates indicating that the dues of the person he represented himself to be were paid were obtained at first in various ways, but toward the last he had an improved sys- tem. From a man named Levy in San Francisco he obtained forged certificates, as few or as many as he desired. They were cheap. It was after the close of the war that Fleming took up Masonry. He became a member of a clandestine Lodge, and by using the information thus obtained, he gradually picked up point after point un- til he could give nine out of ten regular Masons information. By applying to Lodges where the officers were careless, he obtained admission into regular Lodges, and by close attention became conversant with the routine secret work. The Grand Lodge of the Masons met in Seattle in the early part of June, and during the session several complaints were made about a Masonic fraud who had been borrowing money indiscriminately. The matter was finally considered, and Grand Master A. W. Frater of Snohomish was instructed to have the matter thoroughly investigated. Frater took ex-Sheriff Van de Venter into his confidence. They tool?: careful note of all the complaints made, and arrived at the conclusion that one man had been do- THE TRESTLE BOARD. 33 in g all the work, and that man, in spite of his aliases, was none other than Martin Mallory. Not only did the description of the man confirm this belief, but also the significant fact that the man was al- ways fleeing to avoid arrest for killing a man in self-defense. Letters containing a description and a brief account of the system employed by the man were sent to the Lodges in all parts of the United States and foreign countries. The result was astonishing, even to Grand Master Frater and Mr. Van de Venter. In a brief period they received over one hundred answers. Having satis- fied themselves as to the man they wanted they kept up correspondence in all direc- tions with a view to securing Mallory’s arrest the first time he appeared in evi- dence. Finally a telegram came from Davenport, Wash, on September 26, 1897, to the effect that a man answering the description of Mallory had been ar- rested for a misdemeanor. It was then de- cided to swear out a warrant in Clallam county in connection with a case where Mallory had obtained four dollars from Attorney Richardson and others in Port Angeles. Sheriff Walter J. Dyke depu- tized Van de Venter, who immediately went to Davenport. Sure enough he saw his old ‘‘friend” Mallory. At first Mal- lory denied everything, but finally made a full confession. In his confession Fleming recites his experiences among various Lodges in Minnesota, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and other States in America, as well as in for- eign lands. In the latter part of his con- fession he recites the fact that in March, 1896, he was in South Carolina, and adds: “Then I went all through Tennessee and through the Carol inas. I went to California about June, and then came back into Oregon and Washington, staying only a few days in Washington. Then I went into Oregon, and went from Eugene City to a lumbering mill. There I got a horse, saddle and bridle and ten dollars from a man. I went from there to Prine- ville. There I got sixty dollars and a better horse, and from there went over the John river, and from there to Winnemucca. I made a flying trip to San Francisco on the train, and then took the stage route, stopping at a few small towns. Then I went by stage to Crescent City, and then across to Grant’s Pass. Then back I went by the Southern Pacific to San Francisco, arriving there three days before election. I stopped at the New International Hotel, and in conversation with a bar- tender, who wore four or five badges, while we were both half drunk, he told me he could get a receipt for Masonic dues in any Lodge in the country. All a man had to know, he said, was the degrees. This man was a night bar tender in a saloon within two blocks of the hotel, but I don’t remember the exact location. I asked him what it would cost me for the re- ceipts, and he replied, ‘Eight dollars for a dozen or two.’ “He introduced me to a man named Levy, who was forty or fifty years old, and as well as I can remember kept a second hand store; anyway there was all kinds of goods in it. I paid Levy thir- teen dollars for four receipts, which he filled out under the following names: Mar- tin Mallory, George Fleming, Professor Willey and William Ball. Out of the thirteen dollars, ten dollars went for the receipts and three dollars for sealing. After securing the receipts I took a steamer to Victoria, B. C. , and then went to Ta- coma. From there I went to Oregon and then back to Puget Sound, and finally to California, where I remained most of the time until spring. I was in many different places in California, borrowing money as I went from place to place. I remember getting money at Marysville, Sacramento and San Jose. o Mission Masonic Hall. The most beautiful and convenient build- ing for Masonic use, in the State of Cali- fornia, was dedicated on Wednesday, De- cember 28th, by the Grand Lodge of Cali- fornia. The Grand Officers present were: Bros. Thomas Flint. Jr., Grand Master; F. M. Angelotti, D. G. M.; Chas. L. Patton, G. S. W. ; Wm. L. Wells, G. J. W.; T. H. Macdonald, G. Treasurer; Geo. Johnson, G. Secretary; E. B. Church, G. Chaplain; E. S. Lippitt, G. Orator; E. A. Sherman, G. Lecturer; D. D. Allison, G. Marshal; C. O. Johnson, G. Standard Bearer; J. G. Smith, G. Sword Bearer; Woods Crawford, G. Bible Bearer; F. W. Foster, G. S. D.; W. W. de Winton, G. J. D. ; W. C. Ordwav, G. S. S.; R. S. Allen, G. J. S.; H. C. Bunker, G. Pur- suivant; G. P. Adams, G. Tyler. The music was under the direction of Bro. Samuel D. Mayer, Grand Organist. After the opening of the Grand Lodge in the small hall, the procession was formed 8 4 THE TRESTLE BOARD . and proceeded to the large hall where, after marching three times around the hall, the ceremonies of dedication were per- formed in ample form. The Grand Ora- tor spoke briefly of the distinguishing trait of Masonry — brotherly love. The au- dience were invited to partake of refresh- ments provided by Mission Lodge, No. 169, and the Grand Lodge was closed. o A Disqualification for Office. In Arkansas a decision of the Grand Master, which was approved by Grand Lodge, was given to the effect that the election of a brother who was in arrears for dues to the office of Juuior Warden was void, and that the Lodge may elect another. It appears that any one in ar- rears for dues can neither vote nor hold office. It does not say for what cause the brother was in arrears. Perhaps it was be- cause he was not able to pay, but was still interested in his Lodge affairs, or he would not have been elected. It would seem that an opponent took advantage of this dis- ability, perhaps to get the office for him- self or some friend. This would seem to be inflicting a very severe penalty for debt, and that without trial. And it would, further, seem that if his dues were paid subsequently his offense would not be con- doned. We were present at two meetings only in our Masonic life when this rule was observed, for it exists in other Juris- dictions than Arkansas, but is not often followed. On those two occasions the roll of those in good standing was called who voted, while at least one-third of the mem- bers were omitted, and did not vote. Verily Masonry is becoming inconsistent, for while requiring candidates to disclaim mercenary motives it is looking sharp after the dollars for itself. o How Masons Help Each Other. This is how Masons sometimes help one another. There are Masons and there are Masons. This illustrates one kind of Ma- sonry which is, we are sorry to say, too common. A young man of good address, with a family of a wife and four children, competent as a business man and salesman, as we know from his perseverance and success, applied to two mercantile houses, in this city, in succession for a position, and after the preliminary negotiations about experience, salary, etc., was com- pleted, was asked for recommendations, being a stranger. He gave the name of a well-known Freemason, as the prospective employer was a Freemason. This circum- stance ended the negotiations, the employ- er saying that Masonry was one thing and business another, and that he did not care to employ him for that reason. The two houses enjoy a large trade with Masons and their families, and do not object to their patronage. These two houses adver- tise in periodicals printed in the interest of the Romish church, but refuse all solicita- tion or offers to advertise in The Trestle Board because it is a “class publication/ * We, personally, make no complaint of the inconsistency of placing our publication in their prohibited list, but we do complain when Masons, who are wealthy and pros- pering, will refuse to give a brother Ma- son employment because he is a Mason and needs employment to enable him to the better to support himself and family, and to contribute more liberally to the re- lief of worthy brother Masons, their widows and orphans. o Editorial Chips. The change in sentiment in regard to table refreshments is very marked. Every Lodge but one — California, No. 1 — has found it advisable to adopt the custom which Grand Lodge made it possible with- out “whipping the evil one around a stump” and falsifying their records, and have held “banquets” which is merely a name used generally for mere simple re- freshments, such as any respectable citizen might order in a well-ordered restaurant. The results of this change of policy will be shown in the next annual reports. In our December issue we copied an article on page 552 from the Square and Compass which states that “Jeremy Cross was appointed General Grand Lecturer of the General Grand Chapter of the United States and traveled extensively in the south and west, teaching his lectures/* etc. We would like to have our contem- porary give us the authority for this state- ment. The statement we think has been disputed. Grand Secretary Berry of Maine sends out the following, by direction of Grand Master Locke, which severs all relations with the Grand Lodge of Peru: “It hav- THE TRESTLE BOARD S 5 in g come to my knowledge that the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- sons of the Republic of Peru, with which Grand Lodge of Maine has been in Ma- sonic communication, has changed its fundamental law whereby the ‘Book of the Law,' viz.: The Great Light in Ma- sonry,’ is excluded from its altar and the altars of the Lodges of its obedience, and thereby it and they have ceased to be Masonic Bodies: You are hereby notified that all Masonic communication with said Grand Lodge, its subordinate Lodges and the members of its obedience who con- tinue to adhere to said Grand Lodge under its constitution, changed as aforesaid, is suspended until the next annual session of the M. W. Grand Lodge of the State of Maine. But you are further notified that Masonic communication may be con- tinued with all brethren formerly of the obedience of said Grand Lodge of Peru who have or shall renounce allegiance to said Grand Lodge on account of said change in its fundamental law, without regard to any action of said Grand Lodge of Peru or the Lodges of its obedience against said brethren, after said change of its fundamental law, on account of their refusing obedience to said action.” The edict of the Pope excommunicating members of the Roman church who affili- ate with Masonic Lodges has never been enforced in some of the South American countries. In Peru, not only the members of the church, but the priests as well, be- long to the Fraternity. The foregoing is in harmony with an institution which will not allow the Bible to be used in the churches. France is an- other country where a portion of the Ma- sonic Fraternity have taken the Bible from its altars, and which is a Roman Catholic country. We have received the photograph of three members of Denver Lodge, No. 5, rep- resenting three generations: Bros. Thomas Linton, Grand Tyler of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, his son, Charles T. Linton and grandson, Harry B. Linton. It is a remarkably nice group in one picture. We take pleasure in placing it in The Trestle Board album in our office, which will contain about seven hundred pictures. The senior Linton is also Tyler of Denver Lodge, No. 1, which has 544 members. The work of conferring the 3 0 on the junior Linton was performed en- tirely by Past Grand Masters — nine in number — on September 21, 1897. Is the right to visit, a landmark of Free- masonry? Just what is meant by the term? In what way is this right limited ?” The right of visit is commonly included among the landmarks of our Institution. Freemasonry claims to be a general rather than a local organization, and while it draws many lines of classification, as be- tween Jurisdictions, Grand and Subordi- nate, it yet maintains the doctrine that ev- ery Mason belongs to the Fraternity at large, and that of right he should be wel- come in any assembly of Craftsmen all the world over. “The right of visit,” there- fore, is a very important element of the rights and privileges belonging to Ma- sonic connection; nevertheless, the exer- cise of the right is subject to limitations, for it has always been held that a stranger is not to be allowed to sit in a Lodge where his presence would be unwelcome to such an extent as to disturb the harmony of the Lodge. The Master of a Lodge, having knowledge that the admission of a visitor would tend to such a result, has full au- thority to bar him out. The rule is well stated in the code of the Grand Lodge of Iowa; viz.: “The right of a Master Mason to visit a Lodge other than his own is dis- cretionary with the Master thereof, having in view the usages of the Craft and the in- terest of the particular Lodge. He may seek information at his pleasure, and his decision is conclusive.” — Freemason s Repository. The foregoing does not seem to answer the enquiry at all. The right to visit is admitted, and it is also denied. Now, one can visit and now he can’t. It is an il- lustration of the trick of now you see it and now you don’t. Notwithstanding this doubtful explanation, it is in keeping with the regulations of modern Masonry. This writer has been an active member or a fre- quent visitor of a Symbolic Lodge for nearly two score years and never saw but one exclusion from his own Lodge, but was excluded from other Lodges three times. All these exclusions were caused by the law which requires it when com- missioners to investigate offences are to be elected, and which was entirely needless and senseless for the name of the alleged offender was not mentioned. The right to hold Masonic communication with the 86 THE TRESTLE BOARD . brethren, whithersoever dispersed around the globe, is an inherent right, and being so sacredly guaranteed cannot be limited by any regulations without infringing on those rights and impugning the integrity of those who, under authority, have given those guarantees. Masonry should adhere to the principles it professes, and such regulations are a violation of faith to its membership. Considering the dense ignorance which prevailed among the great majority of mankind, during many centuries of the Christian era, it is no wonder that good men have made slow progress in bringing about the enlightenment which prevails to-day, in all Christendom. Let the good work go on until Jew and Gentile, Chris- tian and Heathen, can meet on the level and part as friends belonging to a Univer- sal Brotherhood . — Missouri Freemason. There is no other institution in exist- ence upon whose platform can stand in Universal Brotherhood the whole human race except the Masonic Fraternity, and there is no reason why it cannot have the whole race upon its platform except its present membership have the conceit that most people are not as good as they them- selves are, or as they should be, and there- fore reserve the use of the secret ballot to keep out alike good, bad and indifferent instead of selecting such as would add to the glory and reputation of the Institution, and convince the world of its good effects. The Trestle Board is somewhat wor- ried because of the fact that a petitioner for the mysteries of Masonry in Kansas becomes a member of the Lodge in which he receives the third degree. It says that if such is the fact that one so admitted is not a “free 0 Mason, but only an “accept- ed” Mason. If a brother is not free to be- come a member of a Lodge or not as he pleases, then he is not a “free” Mason in a literal sense. Why? If The Trestle Board will examine as to what the word “free” as applied to Masonry meant origi- nally it will not fall into the error of mak- ing such a peculiar construction again. The country in which we live is a “free” country, but, nevertheless, its citizens are amenable to its laws. When a profane petitions for the privileges of Masonry he pledges himself to comply with and con- form to the laws, rules and usages of the Fraternity; i. e ., that of the Grand Juris- diction whose constituent he petitions. If the law is that he becomes a member of the Lodge in which he receives the third degree he has forfeited none of his “free- dom” for he has already given his assent to the law. The doctrine intimated by The Trestle Board is not expressed directly by the ancient constitutions, and is only to be drawn from them by implica- tion . — Kansas Freemason . The Trestle Board believes the an- cient landmarks should be strictly adhered to, especially when right. No Jurisdic- tion should make a law contrary to the spirit of Masonry or the ancient land- marks. One of the ancient landmarks is freedom of membership in a Lodge or not as one chooses or is able to assume, and to this there should be no restriction by affiliation fee or secret ballot. How many novitiates know the laws of their own Jurisdiction upon this subject ? It is only after years of active relation with the Fra- ternity that one becomes familiar with the peculiar points of law which each Jurisdic- tion holds in its own territory. A uniform law should prevail, but that is impossible unless a power is created to make and en- force it. Mrs. Georgia A, Matfield, of San Diego, Past Grand Matron, is dead. On Novem- ber 1 6th, in company with her daughter, who was in poor health, and a lady friend, she went to the city of Mexico. On De- cember 29th she died from a stroke of paralysis which occurred on Christmas Day. Mrs. Matfield was a native of Ohio, and came to San Diego in 1885, where she immediately became prominent in benevolent, educational and church work, and was honored with the highest positions and responsibilities. Mrs. Matfield was an exceedingly attractive woman, mentally and physically, brilliant, refined and cul- tured, and none met her but to esteem her. She was honored by the Order of Eastern Star with the highest office within their gift, that of Grand Matron. Her death is a great loss to her family and friends as well as the city of her home. Bro. Rev. Samuel B. Bell, a member of Live Oak Lodge, No. 6 r , at Oakland, died at Santa Barbara December 27th. He was a pioneer in California, arrivings in 1852, but returned East in about ten THE TRESTLE BOARD . S7 years and returned to California a few years since and located at Santa Barbara. He was prominently instrumental in the establishment of the present University of California. The 33 0 was conferred upon six postu- lants on Sunday afternoon, December 26th, by the Supreme Council, at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, Oakland Cal.. Bro. Thomas H. Caswell, 33 0 , Grand Commander, pre- siding. A very unusual incident occurred at Selma. Cal., in Selma Lodge, No. 277, December 18th, says the Irrigator. A father, J. M. Pugh, conferred the third de- gree on three sons and a nephew at one session. There was also one other can- didate. There were visitors from other Lodges and a banquet followed the cere- monies. The Lodge from which Negro Masonry of the present day gets its authority to or- ganize Lodges and initiate candidates is one whose charter was issued by the Grand Lodge of England, dated September 29, 1784- Secretary Hubbard of Oriental Lodge, No. 44, is the dean of Masonic Scretaries in this State, having been first elected in December, 1864. Seventy-five years ago three-fourths of the population of the United States were farmers and the remaining one- fourth w^ere mechanics. Now it is the reverse — three- fourths are consumers and one fourth are producers. The Grand Lodge of Kentucky reduced the mileage of delegates from eight to six cents, thereby reducing expenses about $1,500 a year. Nothing is easier than fault-finding. No talent, no self-denial, no brains, no char- acter, are required to set up in the grum- bling business. But those who are moved by a genuine desire to do good have little time for murmuring and complaint. Masonic jurisprudence is full of laws and rules that are useless. For instance, what is the use or benefit of a law which requires a dispensation to elect an officer of a constituent Lodge in case of death, removal or resignation, unless it is to swell the assets of Grand Body ? Every little makes a muckle, and every little is as useful to a constituent bor»y in misfor- tune as to Grand Body, which will not even remit dues which sometimes require assessments on members Why should not any body be allowed to fill its vacant offices without even asking permission, much more without paying for it ? From every section of the State we have returns from almost every Lodge installa- tion, and without exception the old land- mark of touching toes under the table and enjoying the refreshments of mind and body which lie at their command has been followed. Asa result we predict a greater prosperity this year than has ever been seen in California since Masonry was or- ganized here. Refreshments and the reduc- tion of the fees have produced good fruits. The Supreme Council, 33 0 , Northern Jurisdiction, of the Scottish Rite have a custom of calling the roll of the members who were present at the union of the Rite May 17, 1867. Of the fifty-eight then present sixteen are living, of whom twelve were present at, and four were absent from the twenty- fourth and last annual meeting. Thirty-six have gone the way of all the earth. Every Mason ought to be a member of some regular Lodge, attending its meet- ings and sharing its burdens. The Masonic Constellation, of St. Louis, Mo., has had the great misfortune to have their office destroyed by fire on December 19th, and including all records, accounts and subscription lists. The publisher asks that all subscribers will advise them, giv- ing name, address and date of subscrip- tion. The January number has appeared, however, as usual. In the Masonic Temple at Philadelphia sixty Lodges, twelve Royal Arch Chap- ters, seven Commanderies, three Mark Lodges, six Schools of Instruction, Royal and Select Masters and Veteran Associa- tion, together with the various bodies of Scottish Rite, meet, and for each meeting they pay from ten to fifty dollars. Bro. Odell S. Long, Lieutenant Grand Commander ot the Supreme Council, 33 0 , 88 THE TRESTLE BOARD. A. & A. Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, died at Charleston, West Virginia, December 30, J 8 97- Any brother who desires to visit a Lodge in California is required to show a receipt for his last year’s dues. We have heretofore given our opinion in favor of joint installations. We hear of them frequently in other cities and other Jurisdictions, and are more in favor of such installations than ever. It would have been a grand scene to have seen as- sembled in some large public place the members of the sixteen Lodges, and beheld the ceremony of installing sixteen Masters and the other subordinate officers, and been followed by a banquet — one grand family linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection, bound to aid, support and protect each other, with no distinctions of the high or low, the rich or the poor, and uniting men of every coun- try, sect and opinion. Then the little petty divisions into Lodges, with all their contributing jealousies and animosities, would have been forgotten in the joys and pleasures of celebrating St. John’s Day by this auspicious event. As it was performed this year, although enjoyed by those pres- ent, the attendance varied from fifty down to ten per cent of the member- ship. One Lodge only did not avail itself of the permission of Grand Lodge to serve refreshments, and although it was the largest body, it registered the smallest per- centage of members present. The Lodge with the largest attendance served refresh- ments of the plainest quality and in the simplest manner. To the thoughtful the installations of the past month are fraught with several instructive features, but more particularly that of sociability and interest as promoted by refreshments. Do our brethren who belong to Lodges that have small attendance desire to know how to increase it? Let them visit Mission Lodge any evening, and particularly when the third degree is conferred, and they will learn. There are some approaching them, but none excel in this art. Every Mason, whether affiliated or not, should consider himself free to visit any Lodge wherever he may be, and it is a right solemnly and sacredly secured to him to hold Masonic communication with the brethren whithersoever dispersed around the globe. There are no families or clans in Masonry, and such an idea is the in- vention of a narrow, exclusive mind, too small to receive into it the true spirit and intent of the Institution, and a mind that should be taught over again the lessons he failed to receive into his heart with his initiation. Many Masons talk and argue much about the belief in the Diety as essential to becoming a Mason and of being a good Mason. Brethren have been expelled from the Institution for doubting the existence of a personal Supreme Being and an orthodox God. There is another qualify- ing requirement which we seldom or never hear mentioned, which is always placed in juxtaposition, but never has there been a case of discipline for a lack of be- lief in or practice of its precepts. We allude to the brotherhood of man. The Great Teacher of Christianity told one who had obeyed the law and the prophets from his youth up to do one thing more, “To go sell all he had and give to the poor.” Many obey the first portion of his injunction, but keep the proceeds, and the poor still go naked and hungry. There is much for the Mason to do under the recognition of the brotherhood of man, and we hope we are not laying ourselves liable to expulsion when we say that we deem it the most important article of the creed of a Mason. Though last it should be first, and though many are called not a few are delinquent on this article. Bro. Captain Thomas G. Lambert of Monterey, who has attended every com- munication of the Grand Lodge of Cali- fornia the past twenty-six years, was un- able to be present at the installation of the officers of Monterey Lodge on account of ill health. He has been installed an officer of this Lodge eighteen times — ten times as Master, four times as Secretary and four times as Senior Deacon. Incidentally we visited Golden Gate Lodge, No 30, on Tuesday evening last, and while in the Tyler’s room a fashion- ably dressed gentleman of 5 feet and 10 inches height and stout, wearing gloves and cane entered, and at once, without the usual formalities of a stranger, pro- ceeded to the desk on which lay the THE TRESTLE BOARD. S 9 Lodge register, and was about to register his name, as one would on entering a hotel, when the Tyler asked him to wait a mo- ment before registering, and if there was any one to vouch for his being a Mason. His reply was evasive, but he said his name was Kelly, from Tacoma, and he be- longed to some Lodge in Iowa, and be- lieved the number was 61. Finding that more than this was required to gain ad- mission to the Lodge, he finally said he had something that would ensure his ad- mission into any Masonic body in the world, and immediately pulled from his breast pocket a large new morocco leather case which he opened, and displayed a new parchment, about two feet square, covered with emblems and printing, with big seals and bold signatures attached. Upon closer examination it proved to be the emanation of that fifteen-year old hy- brid organization known as the Cerneau fraud, and was signed, among others, by our quondam friends, Barker and Frambes, both of whom have been on the Pacific Coast, and carried off pockets full of money, and left their dupes to mourn its loss. The gentlemanly visitor was informed that his credentials would not carry him into any body meeting in Masonic Temple, and he hastily departed. The Grand Lodge of Arkansas refused to amend a by-law, whereby dues are charged members suspended for non-pay- ment of dues during time of suspension. This question was settled in California, years ago, that a brother suspended had no rights, privileges or benefits from the Lodge during such suspension, and, in justice ought not to be required to pay something for nothing. — The Trestle Board. By this act the Grand Lodge of Cali- fornia offers a premium for non-affiliation, thinks Bro. Price of Tennessee. Bro. Price is wrong in his conclusion. Brethren become suspended in California for relief from the burden of high dues caused by the expense imposed upon them through the refusal of other Grand Juris- dictions to reimburse them for aid ren- dered the membership of almost every State and country on earth who come here and require assistance. They do not ex- pel , in California, for N. P. D. , as in Georgia and some other States, but give brethren in moderate circumstances a “breathing spell, ” and allow them to “take hold again’’ if the blackball does not intervene. Bro. Price is too strongly imbued with the spirit and policy of the brood of benefit societies which have come up like mushrooms during the past fifty years, and we are suspicious that he be- longs to some of them. We notice some others who hold similar opinions are so situated and influenced. It has been said that it is impossible for such a person to be a thoroughly charitable Mason. Mr. Loud, of California, who is Chair- man of the House Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, is particularly anxious to further restrict the privileges of the people to receive second-class mat- ter at a fair rate. He wishes to further limit that class to actual bona fide sub- scribers paid in advance, while he is will- ing that the railroads shall be paid eight times as much from the P. O. D. as they charge the general public for similar trans- portation. He is willing that weekly pub- lications shall be delivered through the mails in the place of publication for one cent a pound, while he is willing that pub- lishers of other than weeklies shall be charged eight times more and double the rate charged for the same matter to the general public. Even the Postal Guide , published by authority of the P. O. D., is sent all over the country by express be- cause of discriminating rates against books. Verily, the railroads and expresses have a cinch on our Congressmen. Most of the annual reports of the Masonic Grand Bodies come to us by express, thereby saving on expense. General John C. Smith, of Chicago, says the statement that all but three of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Freemasons is a fable. He further states that from a careful search he can find but five signers who were Freemasons or were known as sueh. They were John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Liv- ingston, Matthew Thornton and William Hooper. There may be more, he adds, but he can find no record or authority for the statement. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania maintains the doctrine of perpetual juris- diction over rejected material, and ignor- ing the autonomy of every Grand Lodge in the United States. As a consequence, Masons made in other States, who have 90 THE TRESTLE BOARD. been rejected in Pennsylvania, are not rec- ognized in that State. The necessity of a General Grand Body with power is gradu- ally becoming more apparent. The Grand Lodge of Idaho has passed a resolution requiring every unaffiliated Mason to become affiliated within six months after notice, or to pay dues to his nearest Lodge, or charges shall be pre- ferred against him by the Junior Warden of the nearest Lodge, and if no sufficient excuse be found he shall be expelled. It does not say what shall become of him if he petitions and is rejected, or if he is un- able to pay dues, or who shall be the judge or compose the jury in case of a trial. There must be considerable unaffiliation in Idaho to require legislation. Abolish the ballot and affiliation fee, and much of it will disappear. Freemasons afe not free when compelled to carry burdens they cannot bear. Vallejo is a place of about 6,000 inhabi- tants and has 92 saloons. A good field for temperance workers. There are now nineteen Grand Jurisdic- tions that have Homes, or are moving to secure them. Lodges must and should make Masons, but let it be done in a dignified, slow and thorough manner and in keeping with the high and solemn sentiment — that of build- ing our spiritual temple. It is a mistake to dimit from your Lodge because you can’t always have things your own way. Remember that the Lodge can do without you better than you can do without the Lodge. A joint public installation of the Lodge, Chapter and Commandery of Tucson, Ari- zona, was held on December 27th — St. John’s Day. In Boston, at the triennial conclave, 26,- 000 Sir Knights paraded, with 137 bands of music, besides drum corps, etc. Pitts- burg expects 35 000 Sir Knights, with 200 bands. It is a Masonic offense in Mexico to in- stitute a civil or criminal suit against a brother without first attempting to adjust matters before the Lodge. A well known scientist, who has been studying the skins of negroes and whites, declares that by the proper application of electricity a black man can soon be turned white. As our subscriptions have increased so largely, and as we have carried upon our books some names we had not the heart to erase until the sum total foots up sev- eral thousand dollars, we feel obliged here- after to erase from our mailing lists all who are in arrears, and in future discon- tinue at expiration after giving notice. The sum of one dollar is small to lose, but several thousand dollars loss deprive us of that which will enable us the better to support ourself and to contribute more liberally to the relief of brethren, their widows and orphans, and perhaps avert the calamity of becoming a burden upon the charity of the Craft. We hope our brother in arrears will not be offended, and certainly no brother who has been paying promptly will have cause to be ag- grieved. It is a business necessity. We hope to hear favorably from all in arrears, at least in excuse for delinquency. o Correspondence. Clifton, ARiz.;Jan. 18, 1898. At a special meeting of Coronado Lodge, No. 8, held on January 10th, the following officers were installed, P. M. Bro. Thomas Smith, in- stalling officer, assisted by P. M. Bro. James Baker Wilcox as Marshal. James S. Cromb; W. M.; John C. Anderson, S. W.; Geo. B. Gamble, J. W.; Edwin L. Davis, Treasurer; Thomas Smith, Secretary; William J. Davis, Chaplain; George Fraser, S. D.; David Clark, J. D.; Charles M. Shamon, Marshal; George A. Green, S. S.; Archibald Morrison, J. S.; Joseph J. Haskens, Tyler. The following visiting brethren were present*. Bro. James G. Robinson, Alamo, No. 44, San Antonio, Texas; T. A. W. Burtch, Dunlap, No. 321, Morrison, 111 .; James Baker, Wilcox, No. 10, Wilcox, Ariz. ; R. E. Grant, Bakersfield, No. 224, Bakersfield, Cal. ; J. C. B. Schlarbaum, Live Oak, Oakland, Cal. After installation the Mas- ter made a few remarks on the duties of individu- al Masons, and pointed out the benefits gained by living up to the precepts and principles of Masonry in every day life, and the influence a Masonic Lodge should have on the community by observing their walk and conversation. Some visiting brethren then addressed the brethren in a few well-chosen remarks, after which the Lodge was called to refreshment, provided by the Wardens, where the brethren and visitors spent a very pleasant hour socially together, after which the Lodge was duly closed. The Arizona Copper Co. being about to erect a li- brary building for its employees, the Lodge has the privilege to, and will build a fine new* Lodge room on the second floor. The Company is the life of this town and everything in it. Sigma. THE TRESTLE BOARD . 9i Other, Jurisdictions. At the 27th annual conclave of this Grand Commandery, held in Baltimore November 23d and 24th, Thomas J. Shryock was elected Grand Commander and John Henry Miller, G. Re- corder. The following are the statistics: Created, 109; affiiliated, n; reinstated, 3; died, 21; with- drawn, 15; suspened, 12; expelled, 3. Total, 1,197; net gain, 45. The Grand Lodge of Texas held its annual communication in Houston December 6th, M. W. Bro. A. B. Watkins, Grand Master, presid- ing. A very large attendance was present. The returns show a net gain of membership of 821. Fort Worth was selected for the location of the Masonic Home by a majority of 47 votes in a total of 1,680. The Home Fund amounts to 1124,530.62. The following officers were elected: J. L. Terrell, Terrell, Grand Master; Samuel R. Hamilton, Farmersville, D. G. M.; R. M. Lusk, Bonham, G. S. W.; N. M. Washer, Fort Worth, G. J. W. ; B. F. Frymire, Houston, G. Treasurer; John Watson, Houston, G. Secre- tary; S. M. Templeton, Clarksville, G. Chaplain; Abernethy McKinney, G. Orator; J. H. Har- grove, Greenville, G. Marshal; Robert F. Stew- art, Poetry, G. S. D. ; L. J. Mitchell, Sherman, G. J. D.; John Hughes, Houston, G. S. S.; F. R. Wallace, Johnson Station, G. J. S.; Joseph Adams, Crockett, G. Pursuivant; E. S. Brewer, Terrell, G. Tyler. The Grand Chapter of Texas held its 48th an- nual convocation at Houston December 7th, Comp. R. O. Rounsavall, H. P., presiding. Returns show 93 Chapters and a net gain of 102 in membership. Comp. T. H. Haynie was elected G. H. P. and George Lopas, Jr., was elected G. Secretary. At the 45th annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, held at St. Paul, January 12th and 13th, the fol lowing officers were installed: Alonzo T. Stebbins, Rochester. Grand Master; Alonzo Brandenburg, Fergus Falls, D. G. M.; John H. Randall, Minneapois, G. S. W.; Ambrose D. Countryman, Appleton, G J. W.; Joseph H. T ompson, Minneapolis, G. Treasurer; Thomas Montgomery, St. Paul, G. Secretary; Henry R. Adams, Minneapolis, G. Orator; Robert Forbes, Duluth, G. Chaplain; Jared G. Wheeler, Kasson, G. S. D.; Edwin F. Barrett, Le Sueur, G. J. D.; John D. Carroll, Newport, G. Marshal: Louis L. Manwaring. Stillwater, G. St. B.; Melville C. Sullivan, Granite Falls, G. Sw. B.; Enoch Stott, Winona, G. S. S.: Alexander Fiddes, Jackson, G. J. S ; W. 8 . Mitson Alexandria, G. Pursuivant; Jean C. Fischer St. Paul, G. Tyler. Committee on Correspondence— Irving Todd, T. Mont- gomery, E P. Barnum. There are 207 active chartered Lodges, with 15,692 members; a net gain of 211. Receipts, $8,128.75; expenses, $7,987.97. In Treasury, General Fund, $12,003.91; Widows and Orphans’ Fund, $r8 759.10. Lodges were chartered at Elysian and Mora; charter of Amboy Lodge, No. 193, arrested; $2,545 appropriated for relief of twenty needy cases. The Grand Lodge of Utah closed its an- nual communication on January 20th. The following officers w'ere installed for the en- suing year: John F. Hardie, Salt Lake, Grand Mas’er; James D- Murdock, Park City, D. G. M.; George V. Schramm, Ogden, G. S. W.; Charles W. Morse, Sail Lake. G. J. W.; John S. Scott, Sait Lake, G. Treasurer; Christopher Diehl, Sait Lake. G. Secretary; A. C. Staten, Salt Lake, G. Chaplain; H. V Cassaday, Mt. Pleasant, G. Orator; F. C. Schramm, Ogden, G. Lecturer; H. M. Cushing, Salt Lake, G. Marshal; S. D. Evans, Salt Lake, G. St. B.; H, S Mar- tin, Provo, G Sw. B.; F. A. M'Carty, Park City. G. S. D.; Elijah Bowen, Eure* a, G. J. D.; S. L. Raddon, Park City, G. S. S.; D. L. Cook, Provo, G. J. S ; Daniel Dunne, Salt Lake, G. Tyler. O Chips from Other Quarries. There is a Lodge in San Francisco which charges an affiliation fee of twenty-five dollars. It must not be thought for an in- stant that this is for the purpose of intro- ducing the artificial class distinction of wealth into Masonry. Of course any poor man can throw out twenty- five dollars for affiliation without it being a hardship. California should abolish affiliation fees at the earliest possible moment. — Kansas Freemason . Illinois seems to have a law whereby a constituent Lodge has the right to restore a suspended brother to good standing in the Fraternity, but not to Lodge member- ship. A member in that State was twice suspended for non-payment of dues, and each time was reinstated in full member- ship. Again becoming delinquent he was again suspended, and, after a time, his dues being paid, he was restored to good standing, but his Lodge declined to re- store him to membership. Falling into distress in Nebraska he was relieved, his Lodge notified and he was discovered as a member. A Lodge thus has the power to place the Fraternity at large under obli- gation, yet denies any responsibility itself. — Kansas Freemason. To be Master of a Lodge should be the laudable ambition of every brother, and when he has attained it, he should not un- derrate its great responsibilities. A good Master should be strictly a moral man. He should never enter a saloon or poison his breath with the perfumes of blue ruin. He should never take the name of God in vain or lose his temper to the extent of being boisterous or insulting; his daily de- portment should be such as to excuse him from being placed in such a position. He should “go in and out” before his mem- 92 THE TRESTLE BOARD . bers as the pastor does before his flock. His life should be an open book. He should not engage in any private piques or quar- rels except to settle them, as becomes his duty. He should be courteous to every one, and have a word of good cheer for the entire Craft. He should visit the sick of his Lodge promptly, and, when necessary, “minister to their wants,” and should they die, exercise that kindly attention and fra- ternal love toward the family that will con- vince them that Masonry is not a “a sound- ing brass or tinkling cymbal.” If a brother is out of employment he should use his best endeavors to help him obtain a posi- tion, so that he can provide for those de- pendent upon him. If a brother should go astray he should go at once to him, re- gardless of his position, and whisper good counsel in his ear. In our humble opinion the position of Steward, aside from the Master, is the most responsible, and yet how little atten- tion is paid to their selection. As a gen- eral thing, the Master thinks “any old thing’ ’ is good enough for Steward. Never was a greater mistake made. It is in the power of the Stewards to ruin the work before the material is presented, and we have frequently seen this done. In the selection of Stewards Masters cannot be too particular. They should be men of years and high standing in the Craft, so as to impress the neophyte with the dig- nity and importance of the Institution. Upon the first appearance of mirth or friv- olity the Master should remove them at once and make another appointment, and so continue, if necessary, until he gets those who have a proper conception of the duties of the position. R. W. William A. Sutherland, Grand Master of New York, issued a general edict on June 8th, directed to the Masters of all the Masonic Lodges in the State. He dis- solves all relation with the Grand Lodge of Peru on the ground that the latter body has, to use the word of the official docu- ment, “committed Masonic suicide, and vanished from existence.” He says: “I am this day furnished with a printed copy of an edict issued by Christian Dam, Grand Secretary, wherein the said Chris- tian Dam, as Grand Master of Masons in Peru, recites to those under his Jurisdic- tion that, according to Catholicism, the Bible is a sacred book in which the re- vealed word is deposited, and, as such, cannot be freely examined and criticised; that the Bible cannot be considered as a foundation of scientific knowledge or his- tory, nor as a basis of morality, and he does decree that on all Masonic altars the Bible shall be removed and replaced by the constitution of the Order of Freema- sonry, and that in all our rituals the word ‘Bible’ shall be stricken out and the words, ‘the constitution of the Grand Lodge of Peru’ be put in its place. Every Lodge should be self-supporting. Accidents may happen, losses may be in- curred which would justify the Grand Lodge in contributing to a Lodge to replen- ish its paraphernalia or assist it for losses incurred by fire or otherwise, and no Grand Lodge would refuse. Lodges are to dis- seminate Masonic light, but Masonic light can hardly be disseminated by a darkened Lodge, and we are inclined to believe that no Lodge whose business is so small and whose influence is so limited that it cannot turn into the treasury of the Grand Lodge sufficient to pay its dues and the per diem of its representatives is in a position to dis- seminate Masonic light. — W. J. Duncan . The Masonic Board of Relief, of San Francisco, in the annual statement for the year ending September i, 1897, has ex- pended for other Jurisdictions, $6,543.35, and been reimbursed, $1,710.15, leaving the Board to “hold the bag” to the tune of $4,833.40. This Board has also expend- ed for Lodges in California, $3,633,35, and was reimbursed, $1,318.85, leaving $2,314.50. In other words, the Board of Relief of San Francisco has expended on relief over $9,000 on Masons outside of their Jurisdiction. Beside this, the Board has had charge of twenty- two funerals of brethren of other Jurisdictions. This means a good deal of work, and this Board de- serves the commendation of every one. Some of the Jurisdictions ought to pay up. — Orient , of Kansas City , Mo . “The body, which was the Grand Lodge of Peru, has attempted to accomplish that which it is not within the power of any man or body of men to do. In laying violent and profane hands upon a great light in Masonry, it has attempted to change the plan and very ground-work of the Institution. That the Bible is a book containing sacred truth is one of the funda- THE TRESTLE BOARD. 93 mental truths of Freemasonry. Howsoever men differ in creed or theology, all good men are agreed that within the covers of the Bible are found those principles of morality which are the foundation upon which to build a righteous life.” About this time of year you sometimes come across a “pouting Mason.” He has attended the annual meeting, the only one, perhaps, he has attended during the year, and his “candidate” was defeated, or may be, himself did not get what he wanted, and so he says, “I won’t pay. I won’t stand it.” He may call for his demit, and run off to another Lodge. He forgets that he may not be any more “appreciated” at the end of the year in the new Lodge than he was in the old one, and he also forgets that the Lodge can do without him better than he can do without the Lodge. A man often makes a mistake by “pouting” because he cannot have things “all his own way.” He frequently “bites off his nose to spite his face,” and a face without a nose does not make a very prepossessing Mason. It is a great mistake to “demit” when you are angry. Nine times out of ten you will regret it. You will be great- ly disappointed when you are “out” to find things going on better than ever. — W. J. Duncan. A Masonic trial is almost always a source of annoyance to a Lodge, aside from the feeling of discord, and in many instances serious disturbances of the wonted tranquility which should pervade. Massa- chusetts has a plan which is in successful operation of trial by commissioners, who hear the evidence and report their findings of facts to the Grand Lodge, which, upon the report presented, passes j udgment. The actual trial thus had is before a tribunal which is without undue sympathies, and much less liable to mistakes than if the accused were tried before his Lodge, and the Lodge is saved the annoyance, and al- ways the expense attendant upon such pro- ceedings. No man who deals in intoxicating liquors can become a member of any Lodge in Georgia; so says the Grand Lodge. Why not go further and prohibit also the man who drinks it ? The Grand Lodge of Min- nesota draws the line on saloon-keepers and bar-tenders, but. does not say a word about the man who manufactures it. If they could prohibit its manufacture there would be no necessity for legislating against saloon-keepers and bar- tenders. — Memphis Abpcal. Dignity is no more the sign of wisdom than a paper collar is of a shirt. All quacks wear silk high hats, and make a show of dignity. The scientific attainments of doc- tors are almost exactly the inverse ratio to tfceir show of dignity and pose. Ignor- ance is most easily hidden under the cloak of dignity, and by keeping close mouth. Do not promote an officer simply be- cause he is in line. This absurd practice has prevailed in both subordinate and Grand Bodies, often to their detriment and failure. An officer may do fairly well as a subordinate, may even show excellent work, yet be a total failure as a presiding officer. Many men make good subordi- nate officers, but few make good presiding officers. Do not elect him because he is in line; you would better hurt his feelings than suffer humiliation for a year. — Kansas Orient. Solomon’s Temple, the wonder of the world, was only 107 feet long, 36 feet broad and 54 feet high. Many private residences of the present day are much larger. It seems hardly credible that this small building and its surroundings could be made to cost “more than four thousand millions of dollars,” as Mackey states it. And yet when you consider that it took one hundred and eighty- four thousand men over seven years to complete it, to say nothing of the cost of material, these figures do not seem so fabulous. The story of how Major McKinley came to join the Masons is thus told, at his dic- tation, in a biography: “His entrance into Masonry was an in- cident of the war, and unique. McKinley was going through the hospitals with one of the regimental surgeons. He noticed that the surgeon and some of the Confed- erate wounded were very friendly to each other, and, in several instances, the sur- geon gave money to the prisoners. There was an unmistakable bond of sympathy be- tween them. Young McKinley asked the surgeon if he knew those prisoners. The surgeon told him they were brother Ma- sons. Young McKinley was so impressed by the friendly feeling existing betwee 94 THE TRESTLE BOARD Confederate and Union Masons that he ex- pressed a desire to join the Order. He was made a Mason in Hiram Lodge, Win- chester Virginia, May i, 1865, receiving his degree at the hands of a Confederate Master of the Lodge.” As Master Masons we are taught never to take the name deity in any other man- ner than with that reverential awe due from the creature to his creator. As Royal Arch Masons the lesson is more strongly impressed upon us. But as Knights Tem- plar the doctrines of the Christian religion are so interwoven in our beautiful Orders that profanity in one of its members is in- excusable if not absolutely unpardonable. — Tyler . A correspondent asked: “Is it any crime against ye ancient landmarks, or fly marks, or what not, to require a Master to acquire some Masonic education?” Bro. Upton sar- castically answers: “As to a Master Ma- son, yes, it is. While Masonry was both operative and speculative, when an ap- prentice was ‘admitted Master,’ he was re- leased from his indenture and became free. And ever since Masonry has been purely speculative, the instant a Mason is raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason he becomes entitled to all the rights and privileges of Masonry, one of which is to remain an ignoramous as long as he lives, if he prefers to do so. And many are they who have availed themselves of this sacred right.” — W. H. Upton . The standing of a non- affiliate from a sister Grand Lodge Jurisdiction moving into ours is a peculiar one. He may knock at our door for admission as a vis- itor, and yet the Worshipful Master is obliged to deny his request under our law — he has no right of visitation, no right of Masonic relief from the Lodge, and in case of death no right of Masonic burial. He has committed the great crime (Ma- sonic) of taking a demit, possibly to join a Lodge in another State, and is accord- ingly denied the courtesy of visiting with his "brethren in the tyled precincts of the Lodge.” — George Van Saun , of Iowa . This is a bad law in some respects, and in our humble opinion should be modi- fied. Under it a brother is compelled to affiliate, in a city where there are two or more Lodges, without the privilege of visiting, whereby he might select the Lodge of his choice in which to deposit his demit. When once elected he must “take his medicine” even though he finds out his mistake . — Bun F. Price . This is what Benjamin Franklin thought of Freemasonry: “It has secrets peculiar to itself; but of what do these principally consist? They consist of signs and tokens, which serve as testimonials of character and qualifica- tions, which are only conferred after a due course of instruction and examination. These are of no small value; they speak a universal language, and act as a passport to the attention and support of the initiated in all parts of the world. They cannot be lost so long as memory retains its power. Let the possessor of them be expatriated, ship-wrecked or imprisoned, let him be stripped of everything he has got in the world, still these credentials remain and are available for use as circumstances re- quire. The great effects which they have produced are established by the most in- contestible facts of history. They have stayed the uplifted hand of the destroyer; they have softened the asperities of the tyrant; they have mitigated the horrors o captivity; they have subdued the rancor o malevolence, and broken down the bar- riers of political animosity and sectarian alienation. On the field of battle, in the solitude of the uncultivated forests, or in the busy haunts of the crowded city, they have made men of the most hostile feel- ings, the most distant religions and the most diversified conditions, rush to the aid of each other, and feel social joy and sat- isfaction that they have been able to afford relief to a brother Mason.” The twenty- four inch gauge is used by the operative Mason to measure his work, and by the speculative Mason to measure his time. The twenty-four hours of the day are all used for good purposes, in the speculative measure. There are eight for refreshment and sleep, and that division is the only one about which we can form any doubt, and the doubt arises from the refreshment. What is refreshment, and what do we enjoy? If we run refreshment into dissipation it becomes injurious. If we encroach upon the division allotted to the service of God, or that to our usual avocations, we are robbing God or our own employers. If we tarry at refresh- ment when we should sleep, we are “burn- THE TRESTLE BOARD. 95 in g the candle at both ends,” and must suffer for it. If the Masonic division of time was universally observed, all crime would cease, and this world would become heaven. — N. Y. Dispatch . It is beyond dispute that true Masonry is universal; exacting no dogmatic tests, imposing no sectarian doctrine, and requir- ing no confession of religious belief other than that “in which all men agree.” Hence it would seem that any association of Ma- sons which excludes from its communion the followers of any school of religious thought that recognizes the fundamental tenets of Masonry, or which confines its membership to the adherents of a particu- lar form of theological belief, by such act virtually denies its own claim to affiliation with the ancient Craft. In a restricted sense this is undoubtedly true, and to the extent that Templary is not of universal application, it is not Masonic as that term is now generally understood. — Geo. IF. Warvelle , of Ulmois. Originally, in England, all Lodges were independent of each other without any warrant from a Grand Lodge. Annually the members assembled and elected a Grand Master, and these gatherings were called assemblies. St. Albans, who was martyred in 306 of the Christian era, ob- tained a charter from the King to hold these assemblies, and every Mason was privileged to attend them. Prince Edwin, brother of Prince Athelsane, obtained a charter from him for Masonic assemblies in 926 of the Christian era. The Prince called all the Masons of the realm together at York, and here was formed a general Lodge, and Prince Edwin was chosen the Grand Master. — Bro. B. W. James. The name of Pio Lono before he be- came Pope was Mastai Ferretti, who was a member of the Masonic Order in good standing. He took advantage of his in- fallibility, and satisfactorily to himself ab- solved himself of his vows to the Order, and has become one of its enemies. As long ago as 1865 he was summoned before the Lodge at Palermo to answer the charge of perjury and stand trial. He paid no attention to the summons, and the matter dragged along until last March when, hav- ing excommunicated all members of Free- masonry from the Catholic Church, he was expelled from the Order for false swearing; Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy and Grand Master, himself signing the decree of ex- pulsion. It is difficult to tell which has the best of it. The Pope has excommuni- cated a whole Order that don’t believe in Catholicism, and the Masons have expelled one man who don’t believe in Masonry, and there continues to be room in the world still for all the parties. — Milwaukee Sentinel , iSjq. A body of Theosophists, who are also Masons, propose to erect a Temple on the Pacific Coast, where the “inner meaning” of Masonry is to be revived under the di- rection of Masters from Egypt and India, who are to confer the ancient mysteries in due and ancient form, and invest initiates with occult secrets which were, doubtless, once possessed by the Fraternity, but which have been lost during the changes and mutations of long centuries. — Square and Compass. Practical Temperance Work. — This is a composition on temperance, written by a little Georgia girl: “Temperance is more better than whisky. Whisky is ten cents a drink, and lots of it. My pa drinks whisky. He has been full one hundred and thirteen times. One night he came home late, and my ma went out and cut some hickories and walloped him good. Then she ducked his head in a tub of soapsuds and locked him up in the barn. And the next morning my pa said he reckon he’d swear off.” Ranchman Sam Dodge, who lives sev- enteen miles southwest of Caney, in the Osage county, Kansas, went to Vinitia on business Wednesday morning, September 14th, and shortly after he had gone, Bes- sie, his five-year-old daughter, wandered away from home in an attempt to follow him. Mrs. Dodge discovered her absence about two hours after Sam’s departure. She made a thorough search of the prem- ises, and failing to find the child notified the neighbors of her disappearance. They turned out in force, and scoured the prair- ies all that day and all that night, and all the next day, searching for the little wan- derer. Late Thursday evening an Indian came upon her laying fast asleep, just south of Post Oak Creek, in an old road known as the “Whisky Trail.” Across her body stood a Newfoundland dog, which had always been her companion about the 9 6 THE TRESTLE BOARD. ranch. The dog was torn and bleeding, and near his feet lay the dead bodies of two wolves. Although her cheeks were stained with tears and covered with dust, Bessie was unharmed. She and her pro- tector were taken back to her home, a dis- tance of twelve miles from where they were found, where the dog died of his wounds that night. He was given a de- cent burial, and yesterday Sam Dodge or- dered a marble monument, which will be placed at the head of the faithful animal’s grave. A few days ago Rev. Dr. McIntyre de- livered a lecture in a new theater at Wash- ington, Iowa. It was a fine building, and the company which built and operated it also owned a private electric plant which lighted it. A large audience was present, and the lecturer had his subject well in hand, when suddenly every light went out. The theater was pitch dark. A few words from the speaker prevented a panic, and the lecture was resumed in the dark. Just at the climax of a fine period the lights suddenly flashed up again, throwing the audience into disorder and disconcerting the lecturer. After a few minutes of blinking Dr. McIntyre set- tled down to work again, and was warm- ing up nicely when another plunge into darkness interrupted him. He was nearing the peroration, and hoped to finish in the dark without further interference. “Patience,” he said, “is ab- solutely necessary for success in the daily affairs of life. Never lose your temper. It is foolish to display such a weakness — ” Just then the lights flashed up. The speaker walked to the wings, and shaking his fist at a brawny Irishman who was tampering with the wires, cried out in a tone which could have been heard a block away: “Confound you, you idiot! Will you ever have sense enough to leave those wires alone ?” That ended the lecture on “Patience.” A man that is married to a woman is of many days and full of trouble. In the morning he draws his salary and in the evening it is all gone. It goes, but he knows not where. He spendeth shekels in the purchase of fine linen to cover the bosoms of his family, yet he is seen at the gates of the city with but one suspender. He goes forth as an ox, and draweth the chariot of his offspring. He ariseth in chilly garments of night, and seeketh the somnambulent paregoric which healeth the colicky stomach of his offspring. Yes, he is altogether wretched and full of misery. Wide is the way and broad is the road that leadeth to the gate of matrimony, and many there be that go in thereat. Well Qualified. — Old Lady — My dear,, do you really think you are fit to become a minister’s wife? Engaged Niece (from the West) — Yes r indeed. I don’t mind being talked about at all. I’ve got the energy of a buffalo bull and the hide of a rhinoceros. Little Edith had just been to church for the first time. “And what did you think of it ?” asked her mother. “I didn’t like the organ very well,” she replied. “Why not ?” “ ’Tause there wasn’t any monkey with it.” Woman is, in most cases, as amiable as man is otherwise. But when she is irri- table by temperament, and has never sub- jected her irritation to any sort of disci- pline, a striped hyena is companionable by comparison. o Literary Notes. We have received from George Spaulding &: Co., 414 Clay street, San Francisco, Part VI of “Fifty Years of Masonry in California,” a mag- nificently illustrated history, containing views of the Masonic halls at Hawaiian Islands, also at several places in California, with historical sketches of the leaders of the Order and valua- able information concerning the organization of the Order at various points. We have received printed copies of the proceedings of the following Grand Bodies for which the Secretaries have our thanks: Grand Lodges of California,. Kentucky, Ohio. Canada. Wyoming, New Mexico; Grand Chapters, R. A. M. of Illinois, Maine. Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Nebraska, Arkansas; Grand Councils, R. & S. M. of New York Kentucky, Washington, Illinois, Ohio; Grand Commanderies, K. T of Massachusetts, Illi- nois, Ohio. Florida; Grand Chapters, O. E. S., of Iowa, New Hampshire, Illinois, Michigan; Supreme Council, 33 0 , A. & A. Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction of U. S.; twelfth annual report of the Masonic Veteran Association of Illinois. O Deaths. In San Francisco, January 6th, George Scharetg, a na- tive of Paspels, Canton Grisons, Switzerland, a member of South San Francisco Lodge, No. 212, aged 52 years, 8 monihs, 17 days. In San Francisco, January — , Henry Ashton Shelton, a native of Nashville, Tenn., aged about 70 years. His funeral was attended by Pacific Lodge, No. 136. In San Francisco, January 4th, George J. Smith, a na- tive of New York city, a member of Oriental Lodge, No. 144, aged 55 years. In San Francisco, January 9th, Ludwig G. J. Behrmann,. a native of Scharenbeck, Germany, late a member of Eu- calyptus Lodge, No. 243, at Haywards, Cal., [aged 45 years. 9 months, 24 days. THE TRESTLE BOARD. California Safe Deposit and Trust Company. Corner California and Montgomery Streets. Capital fully paid, - $1,000,000.00 Transacts a general Banking business and allows interest on deposits payable on demand or after notice. Acts as Executor, Administrator and Trustee under wills or in any other trust capacity. Wills drawn by the Company’s Attorneys ^nd are taken care of without charge. SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES to rent at prices from $5 per annum upward according to size, and valuables of all kinds are stored at low rates. DIRECTORS— J. D. Fry, Henry Williams I.G. Wickersham, Jacob C. Johnson, James Treadwell, F. W. Lougee., Henry F. Fortmann, R. B. Wallace, R D. Fry, A. D. Sharon a ndj. Dalzell Brown. OFFICERS— J. D. Fry, President; Henry Williams, Vice President; R. D. Fry, Second Vice President; J. Dalzell Brown, Secretary and Treasurer; E. E. Shotwell, Ass’t Sec’y; Gunnison, Booth & Bartnett, Attorneys. MANN & COMPANY, Book Binders, 535 Clay Street, SAN FRANCISCO. CONTINENTAL BUILDING and LOAN ASSOCIATION 222 Sansooie Street, San Francisco, F OR the year ending December 31st, 189:, a dividend of 6 per cent on ordinary, and 7 per cent on t ' ear term deposits, 10 per cent to class “F.” and 12 per cent to class “A” stock. Dr. ED. E. HILL, President. Capt. OLIVER ELDRIDGE/ Vice President. WM. CORBIN, Sec’y & Gen’l Manager. THE IMPROVED “DOMESTI C.” Preeminently the Sewing Machine for Family Use. Send for Catalogue. J. W. EVANS, Agent, 1021 Market St., San Francisco. CHARLES S. TILTON, ENGINEER & SURVEYOR . Twenty-five years experience in the City and County Surveyor’s office. Charges Moderate and all Work Warranted. 420 Montgomery St., San Francisco. BLAKE, MOFFITT & TOWNE, Importers and Dealers in Book, News, Writing, and Wrapping Papers, Card Stock, Straw and Binder’s Board, Manufacturers of Patent Machine Made Paper Bags. 512 to 516 Sacramento St., San Francisco. A Homeopathic treatment for the cure of the tobacco habit. One course of treatment, lasting about ten days, is guaranteed to remove the craving and produce a positive aversion to the use of tobacco. Conlabaco is perfectly harmless and is devoid of all the obnoxious and dis- agreeable features common to nearly all other methods of treatment for the cnre of the tobacco habit. One complete course of treatment with full directions, nicely packed in a vest-pocket case, may be obtained from your druggist or will be sent to any ad^ dress, postpaid, on receipt of $1.00. Manufactured only by The Contabaco Company, San Francisco, Cal. MASONIC, KNIGHTS TEMPLAR, ETC., CARDS, PROGRAMS AND MENUS. BADGES, INVITATIONS, The largest manufactory in the United States, different bodies of Masonry, Having the cuts and dies for all the we can furnish same on any kind of stationery at low rates. If you wish a Menu for a special occasion write us particulars and we will send an appropriate sample. Telephone, Main 330 WALTER N. 535 CLAY ST. San Francisco California CONTINENTAL BUILDING & LOAN ASS’N -OF CALIFORNIA. ESTABLISHED IN 1889 THE LARGEST ASSOCIATION ON THE PACIFIC COAST. When you write, please mention The Trestle Board. Tours in the Rocky Mountains, The “Scenic Line of the World,” the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, ofters to tourists in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico the choicests resorts, and to the trans- continental traveler the grandest scenery. The direct line to Cripple Creek, the greatest gold camp on earth. Double daily train service with through Pullman sleepers and tourists’ cars be- tween Denver and San Francisco and Los Angeles. Write S. K. Hooper, G. P. & T. A., Denver, Colorado, or W. J. Shotwell, General Agent, 126 California St., San Francisco, for descriptive pamphlets. Subscribed Capital Over $6,000,000 00 Paid in Capital - - 800,000.00 Profit and Reserve Fund 80,000,00 Monthly Income , over - 50,000.00 Business done in December , 1897. Amount loaned $73-5°° 00 Shares issued, Installment 2660 7 per cent Certificates of deposit 221 Total 2881 Home Office : 222 Sansome St, San Francisco, Cal. WM. CORBIN, Secretary & General Manager.