£20: but Lodge Quatuor Coronati has just issued a facsimile (photo-lithography) reproduction, with an introduction by Hughan, Reprints vol vii. This book is almost indispensable, although largely quoted and commented on by Gould (History, ch. xvi.) Anderson's modern history, 1717-1738, may be accepted with some slight reservations; but the perusal of his ancient history, which only serves to illustrate the learned credulity of the writer, had better be deferred until the student has derived his first impressions of the remote past of our Society from a less imaginative authority.

It would then be as well to read up the ancient history of the Craft in Scotland (History, ch. viii.) I may even venture, perhaps, to recommend my own summary of the same period, Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, i., 139: it is a little less detailed but more connected than Gould's. Lyon's History of Freemasonry in Scotland should not be overlooked, for, although expensive, it is the fullest book on the subject. Where expense is only of secondary consideration it should be included in every student's library, but it may be omitted by the beginner, as the pith of it is given in the papers just quoted. For the early history of the Craft in Ireland, read History, ch. xxii.

Being well grounded in the history of the foundation of our present system of Freemasonry, and in as much as is known of its immediate precursor, the student should next turn his attention to the various theories of origin which have been broached. To follow these all up would, of course, require a large collection of books; of no subject may it more correctly be said, "Quot homines, tot sententiæ." Some few of the theories are rapidly glanced at in the History, ch. i. But omitting the older hypotheses, I would recommend Fort's Early History and Antiquities of Freemasonry, on account, not only of the beauty of the writer's style, which makes the work almost as interesting as a novel, but for the sake of the curious historical facts accumulated and commented on. I must, however, advise the utmost caution in accepting the brilliant author's conclusions. Findel's History of Freemasonry should also be studied. He gives the main historical facts in a comparatively small space, albeit somewhat confusedly, and not always correctly; his early history of the Grand Lodge of England containing some gross blunders. Above all, he is the chief exponent of a theory of origin very prevalent in Germany and America, the Steinmetz theory, the original author of which was Fallou, whose book is not, however, obtainable in English. The antidote should be taken imediately afterwards, viz., Gould, ch. iii., and my own paper, Ars Quatuor Coronatorum i., 17. Another German theory, more plausible but equally untenable, has been ably set forth by Brother Cramer, A.Q.C., ii., 102. The bare possibility of some interchange of customs between the French Compagnonnage and English Freemasons has been fully considered in the History, ch. iv. and v., and further discussed by Bro. W. H. Rylands, A.Q.C., i., 116, and ii., 52.

As regards the subsequent history of the Craft in Britain, its introduction and propagation abroad and in the Colonies, I know of no abler and safer guide than Gould, vols. iv., v. and vi. Nevertheless, concerning certain points, such as the rivalry between the two Grand Lodges (1750-1813), and the schism of the Lodge of Antiquity (1780-90), it will be instructive to compare his deductions with the views of other writers. One of the later editions of Preston's Illustrations of Freemasonry, and an early one of Dermott's Ahiman Rezon would therefore be valuable additions to our collection of books. Hughan's Masonic Sketches and Reprints should also be consulted for the history of the Craft in York, but, being out of print, and almost impossible to procure, I do not include it in the list appended. The same author's History of the Apollo Lodge also contains much information pertinent to this branch of the subject.

We now come to the third section; the ethics, dogma, and duties of Freemasonry. From the student's point of view, it is important to know what the early writers thought on this subject. This may be deduced from a great number of excellent orations and sermons by members of the Craft, and from such books as Preston's Illustrations (already mentioned), Smith's Use and Abuse of Freemasonry, Calcott's Candid Disquisition on the Principles and Practices of the Free and Accepted Masons; and others too numerous to cite. Of late years no special work on this subject has appeared in English, and opinions must still be gleaned from orations and sermons. In Germany, on the contrary, the ethics of the fraternity are the burthen of much of the writing of the present day, and the German views of the purport of Freemasonry and the active interference required of Lodges in social questions, go far beyond any lines ever laid down in our English Craft.

Integral parts of this section are of course the Symbolism of Freemasonry and the elucidation thereof. This can scarcely be profitably pursued without an extended study of universal and comparative symbology. It has never been properly handled in the past, but Bro. W. Simpson is now making a commencement in the instructive papers he is reading before our Lodge. Some of Dr. Oliver's works may be read as an introduction to the enquiry, but they only touch the fringe of it. A question not un-allied hereto has lately been treated in a masterly manner by Bro. Whymper in his Religion of Freemasonry. The

book is out of print, but the author has reserved a few copies which have been placed in my hands for sale. There is a great field for the student in our symbolism, practically untilleď. As Bro. General Albert Pike has justly observed, "We shall never understand Freemasonry until we recover the lost meaning of our symbols.'

The fifth section, Masonic Jurisprudence, is also in a pitiable state; the only English attempts in this direction being Oliver's Institutes of Masonic Jurisprudence, and Paton's Freemasonry and its Jurisprudence, works which leave much to be desired. American and German writers have attacked the subject more thoroughly but, for obvious reasons, their conclusions can have no great influence with an English Mason. Bro. Gould is at work on a book which I trust will fill the gap, but meanwhile the only advice I can give to an English Mason is to procure the last edition of the Book of Constitutions and do the best he can with it.

The Masonic Ritual of the present day must, of course, be mastered in the only proper way, i.e., by attending a good Lodge of Instruction. The ceremonial of a bygone age must naturally be studied in order to understand our symbolism. But the student who has arrived so far will know where to seek his information, and I may therefore be excused if I refrain from pointing it out. A most suggestive work, but of which unfortunately a very limited number of copies was struck off, is Hughan's Origin of the English Rite of Freemasonry. It contains a mass of curious information, some of which is hardly obtainable elsewhere, and the remainder lies scattered throughout the periodical literature of the Craft.

Thus far, I have only dealt with the study of Freemasonry in a broad and general sense; it may be infinitely subdivided, and the student who has obtained a good grasp of the whole subject would, of course, do well to single out some special branch for further research. The curriculum here enjoined on him would bring him up to the general level of our foremost literati, and having arrived so far he should strive to add to our joint knowledge. This can only be done by steady application and persistent research, and whatever branch he takes up he should first procure every book on the subject. For instance, should he attack the history and development of the various Grand Lodges of England, Lane's Masonic Records and the same writer's Handybook to the Study of the List of Lodges would be absolutely indispensable. But considerations of this sort are rather beyond the scope of the present paper.

I now append a list of books, with their probable price and where to be obtained, but my choice has naturally been restricted by the fact that many which I should like to recommend are not procurable except by the greatest good fortune. The effort, not quite successful, to confine the full list within the purchasing power of a ten-pound note, has also tended to reduce the number below what I should like; but such as it is, I believe it will go far towards making a really intelligent and industrious student master of the subject. I have divided the list into classes which will explain themselves.

For those, however, who can read German, a most useful book is the Algemeines Handbuch der Freimaurerei, Leipsic, (second hand from 15/- to 25/-, according to circumstances), the only really good Masonic Encyclopædia.

THE PEETERS-BAERTSOEN PRIZE.

66

N Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol. i., p. 133, we published a circular of the Grand Orient of Belgium announcing the conditions of this competition. Article I. states This prize is to be accorded to the most meritorious work from a Masonic point of view, published in Belgium or any other country by a Mason," during the preceding ten years. The report of the jury, 4th May, 1890, is now before us.

The English works submitted to competition were, Gould's History of Freemasonry, Sadler's Masonic Facts and Fictions, and Whymper's Religion of Freemasonry. More, no doubt, would have been sent in, were it not for the circumstance that on 25th June, 1888, Bro. Gould's "History was unanimously adopted by our Lodge as the representative and champion of English Masonic literature. Germany sent in nine publications, three by Findel; a series of eighteen Lodge-Orations by Bro. Caspari of Heidelberg; two by Bro. Cramer of Berlin, of one of which a chapter was translated in Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol. ii., p. 102; and several others-Belgium submitted four works, and of one of these, Tempels' Francsmaçons, a chapter was given in Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol. i., p. 111, whilst the others, although applicable to Freemasonry, were not primarily Masonic. France and Luxemburg each sent some Lodge-Orations, mere pamphlets.

The Jury chose to regard the intentions of the testator as applying to books only which should explain and illustrate Masonic doctrines and principles. We have, of course, no intention of questioning their good faith, and will merely remark that as such a limitation obviously immediately disqualified pure historians, it is a pity Article I. was not better worded. As quoted above, it embraces a much wider field, and although the Jury's construction of it still admitted Bro. Whymper's clever book, he was rejected because his conclusions are incompatible with a somewhat strained view of the universality of the Craft.

The result of the competition is that no book has been considered sufficiently excellent to deserve the whole prize, which has been cut up and awarded as follows:

To Bro. Caspari, for his eighteen Lodge-Orations, £100.

To Bro. Count Goblet d'Alviella, Past Grand Master, Belgium, for L'Evolution religieuse contemporaine chez les Anglais and Introduction à l'histoire générale des religions, £100. Neither of these works refer directly to Freemasonry, but the conclusions of the author were considered applicable thereto, and his researches are held to be helpful to the true understanding of Masonic principles.

To Bro. Cramer, for his General Instruction to Freemasons, £30.

To Bro. Findel, for his three works, the best known of which is Geist und Form der Freimaurerei, £30.

To Bro. Gillon, for a work entitled La lutte pour le bien-être, a treatise on political economy, £20, and

To Bro. Tempels, for Les Francsmaçons, £20.

Of the above, Bros. D'Alviella, Cramer, and Tempels, are members of our Correspondence Circle.

As regards Bro. Gould, the exact words of the award are as follows:

"Of all these works [i.e., of the whole number sent in], the most important, without doubt, is the grand History of Freemasonry by R. F. Gould. But this work, the fruit of long and patient research, although presenting the most complete picture of the external history of our Institution, although an inexhaustible repertory of facts concerning its origin and progress, is dumb, or nearly so, respecting its internal history, i.e., respecting its principles, their origin, development, and the influence which they have exercised on the progress of civilisation in the various countries where the Craft has taken root. Therefore, it has not appeared to us to be of the class of works which Peeters-Baertsoen had in view and desired to create.

"That which he wished to reward was not the most meritorious work of a Mason, but that work of a Mason which should be best calculated to spread and consolidate the empire of Masonic principles.

"We have thus been forced, in spite of well-merited admiration, to leave Bro. Gould's History to gather the laurels which are its due, in some competition differing from our own."

THURSDAY, 4th SEPTEMBER, 1890.

SPECIAL Meeting of the Lodge was held at Freemasons' Hall, at 5 p.m., when there were present :-Brothers R. F. Gould in the chair; W. J. Hughan, P.G.D., as I.P.M.; W. M. Bywater, P.G.S.B., S.W.; J. Lane, as J.W.; G. W. Speth, Sec.; Dr. W. Wynn Westcott, S.D.; E. Macbean, I.G.; W. M. Williams, Stwd.; F. H. Goldney, P.G.D.; C. Kupferschmidt; S. T. Klein; and the following members of the Correspondence Circle:-Brothers C. P. MacCalla, G.M. Pennsylvania; J. Ross Robertson, G.M. Canada; J. P. Hornor, P.G.M. Louisiana; Col. Marmaduke Ramsay, D.G.M. Malta; J. B. Mackey; A. Howell; F. H. Miller; W. H. Kempster; S. Saunders; F. King; Felix Weiss; W. Watson; C. Baxter, G. Stwd. (S.C.); F. W. Levander; C. W. Mapleton; J. Seymour; C. B. Barnes; J. J. Pakes; J. Taylor; J. Barnett, jun. ; J. Bodenham, P.A.G.D.C.; G. W. Taylor; F. A. Powell; C. F. Hogard, P.G.Std. Br.; E. T. Edwards; R. A. Gowan; W. Lake; A. Hart; and J. S. Cumberland. The following visitors were also present:-Brothers S. Scott Young, P.M. 226; C. N. McIntyre North, W.M. 1559; A. Clark, P.M. 2191; J. Balfour Cockburn, P.M. 84; C. W. Hughes, 2243; W. W. Lee, 1897; W. Klein, P.M. 238; M. Hart, 205; and J. M. McLeod, P.M. 884.

The Lodge having been opened, the W.M. introduced to the brethren the Grand Masters of Pennsylvania and Canada, and the Past Grand Master of Louisiana, who were duly welcomed and saluted.

Bro. CLIFFORD P. MACCALLA, Grand Master of Pennsylvania: It has been my good fortune during my stay of four days thus far in your grand jurisdiction to visit four Lodges of Freemasons. I scarcely could have visited any more. I would not have visited any less. From the time that, accompanied by my distinguished friend, Bro. Hornor, I visited a lodge at York, subsequently the United Northern Counties Lodge in London, and subsequently the United Grand Lodge of England, I have been honoured, and now you have honoured me by an invitation to your midst. I appreciate this honour both as the Grand Master of Masons of Pennsylvania, and also as a member of your own Correspondence Circle. As you are aware, I have had the largest interest in this Circle from the commencement. I was one of the earliest members, and I trust, with your approval, to continue a member to my life's end. My sympathies have been with the purposes of this Lodge as with all the purposes of Freemasonry, and it is one of the glories of our Institution that it has so many sides-each of them running into one groove-and offering to brethren of different inclinations an opportunity of gratifying those pursuits, to improve themselves and derive instruction and pleasure from anything that Freemasonry offers. I beg to return my acknowledgments for the honour accorded to my Grand Lodge, which meets upon the same evening as your own Grand Lodge, because the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is a close follower, as far as may be, of every step of the Grand Lodge of England. We meet on the first Wednesday in September, and every three months consecutively after that. I knew my Grand Lodge would be interested in my visit, and, therefore wired to them, and in five hours received a reply from the acting Grand Master, the elected Deputy Grand Master, which I will read-"The Freemasons of Pennsylvania, in Grand Lodge assembled, send their fraternal salutations to their Grand Master, and wish him a pleasant sojourn and a safe return." It was kind of my Grand Lodge thus to remember me. I think they also intend to honour you, for they knew that such good news I could not keep to myself.

Bro. J. Ross ROBERTSON, G.M. of Canada (Ontario): I could not allow this opportunity to pass without expressing my gratitude to you for the flattering and gratifying reception accorded to me as Grand Master of Canada. I can assure you that ever since my visit to this Lodge-of which I am a member of the Correspondence Circle-last year, I have had pleasant recollections of my meeting with so many brethren, and I have endeavoured in my humble way to further the interests and make the work of this Lodge known through my jurisdiction. I am pleased that I have been able in some measure to contribute to Masonic literature, and I should like to mark my visit by presenting to your library a copy of my "History of the Knights Templar of Canada." We in Canada are posted up in the work of this Lodge, and we appreciate its work, and look forward to the time when a larger number of our jurisdiction will be contributing members. I can only say I shall, as I said last night in Grand Lodge-retain pleasant recollections of my visit, not only to this, but to other Lodges in England. My lips fail me in expressing my thanks, but I can assure you that my heart goes on thanking you.

Bro. J. T. HORNOR, P.G.M. Louisiana: I do not known what I can say in addition to what has been said. As a member of the Correspondence Circle I endorse all that has been said. I am trying in my own jurisdiction-away down South-to increase your Circle, and I think your roll will show we have numerous members there. I hope we shall do more, as the aim and object of the Lodge commends itself to all. It reminds me, particularly as an American Mason, that in our American Lodges we have a special Degree, in which we obligate our members to a practical diffusion of Masonic light, and we call them Most Excellent Masters.

BRO. R. F. GOULD, acting W.M.: This is our first emergent meeting, and I think you will all agree that there has been a good reason for its taking place. The brethren will no doubt wish to enjoy the pleasant society of the distinguished brethren who have just addressed them, and I therefore do not propose to take up your time at the present moment by alluding to their meritorious services, though at a later period I shall say a little with regard to them all. I am aware that it is customary for a W.M. to introduce the lecturer, but on the present occasion the lecturer-Bro. MacCalla-is too well known to need any introduction. Bro. Robertson has been kind enough to say that he retains pleasant recollections of his last visit. You will remember he addressed us in eloquent terms, and that we listened to him with delight. This meeting has been called for a particular purpose, and we can enter upon no other business.