towns, this duty is performed by a standing committee.

All applications ought to be made in writing, which should be filed by the secretary. The following may answer for a form of application:

To the Worshipful Master, Wardens, and other Brethren of Lodge, No.

The undersigned having long entertained a high respect for the institution of Masonry, is, if found worthy, desirous of being initiated into its mysteries, and becoming a member of your lodge. His place of residence is his age occupation (Signed) E. H.

his

"Do you seriously declare, upon your honour, that, unbiassed by friends, and uninfluenced by mercenary motives, you freely and voluntarily offer yourself a candidate for the mysteries of Masonry?

"Do you seriously declare, upon your honour, that you are prompted to solicit the privileges of Masonry by a favourable opinion of the institution, a desire of knowledge, and a sincere desire of being serviceable to your fellow creatures?

"Do you seriously declare, upon your honour, that you will conform to the ancient established usages of the order ?"

In some lodges however, the candidate is requested to sign a certificate, expressive of sentiments contained in

the above questions, instead of their being verbally put.

OF A LODGE AND ITS GOVERNMENT.

The word lodge, is expressive both of the place where Masons meet, and the members of which it is composed. Every lodge ought to assemble for work at least once a month, and to consist of as many members as the master, and a majority of the brethren shall think expedient.

The officers of a lodge should consist of a master, a senior and a junior warden, a secretary, a treasurer, one or more masters of ceremonies, two deacons, one or more stewards, and a tyler.

OF THE ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

The officers must be annually elected, by ballot, each member having one vote; and the election always to be held on the evening of a regular communication. As all preferment among Masons depends on real merit, no person should be put in nomination through prejudice, or for his birth or fortune, and the only consideration should be, whether he is worthy, and capable of filling the office with honour to the lodge, and to the advancement of the general interests of the fraternity. No brother can be master of a lodge till he has previously served in the capacity of warden, excepting in cases where a new lodge is to be formed, and no former warden is to be found among the members; in which case, three well qualified master Masons, who have never served in such offices, may be constituted master and wardens of the new lodge, or of any old lodge, in like emergency. brother has a right to refuse his services in any office to which he may be elected, unless he has previously served in the same office.

OF THE MASTER'S DUTY.

No

The master, after having been duly elected and installed, has it in specia charge, to see that the by-laws of his lodge, as well as the general regula tions of the grand lodge, be duly ob

served, that his subordinate officers faithfully perform their duty, and that they shall be examples of diligence and moral rectitude to the rest of the craft. He is to admit no apprentice or fellow craft into his lodge unless he has sufficient employment for him, and finds him duly qualified for learning, and understanding the sublime mysteries of the art. He has the power of calling a special meeting, upon the application of any of the brethren, or upon any emergency, which in his own judgment demands it, and he is to fill the chair when present. It is also his duty, together with his wardens, to attend the communications of the grand lodge, if within such distance as the laws of the grand lodge have ascertained, and when there, they, or either of them, have power to represent, and to transact all matters of their lodge, in the same manner as if the whole body were present. It is the duty of the master to take charge of, and carefully preserve the warrant or charter,

OF THE WARDENS.

None but those who have arrived to the sublime degree of master Mason, can be elected wardens of a lodge.

The general duty of the wardens is to assist the master in transacting the business of the lodge in due form. Some particular lodges however, by their by-laws, assign to their wardens other duties, for their own convenience, which they have a right to do, provided they keep in view the ancient landmarks, and in no way violate the true genius and spirit of Masonry. In the master's absence, the duties of his office devolves on the senior warden, and in case of the master's death, removal, or resignation, he is to fill the chair till the next regular election: and in case of the absence of the senior, the junior warden takes the authority. When, however, a past mas ter is present, he is generally requested by the warden to take the chair, after the lodge is duly congregated.

OF THE SECRETARY.

It is the duty of the secretary to record all such transactions of the lodge as are proper to be committed to writing, that such minutes, or an authenticated copy of them may be laid before the grand lodge when required. He is also to keep a correct list of all the members of the lodge, with the dates of their admission, and annually to forward to the grand secretary, a complete list for the time being, at such time as may be required. He is also required to collect all dues, and pay them over to the treasurer.

OF THE TREASURER.

It is the duty of the treasurer to receive all monies raised, and to pay them out agreeably to orders drawn regular entries of both receipts and on him by proper authority: making expenditures, and always having his books and vouchers ready for inspection. He has also charge of the jewels when it is thought proper to appoint and furniture of the lodge, excepting some other brother for that particular duty, or when the officers of the lodge choose to take the charge immediately upon themselves.

skilled master Mason, is appointed and paid for tyling the lodge, during the time of communication. Generally a brother is to be preferred, to whom the fees of the office may be necessary and serviceable, on account of his particular circumstances.

His duty is fixed by custom, and known to every brother. He is to be true and trusty, and to obey the special directions of the lodge.

OF THE NUMBER TO BE INITIATED. Not more than five candidates, can be initiated into a lodge at one and the same time, excepting by a special dispensation from the grand master, or his deputy in his absence.

OF PRIVILEGES IN LODGES.

The majority of any lodge, when duly congregated, have the right of instructing their master and wardens relative to their conduct in the grand lodge; and when it so happens, that a lodge cannot attend the communications of the grand lodge, they may appoint a worthy brother, not under the rank of a past master, and give him instructions to represent them, and vote in their behalf. He, bearing their cervincate under the seal of the lodge, and signed by the master and wardens, may, if approved by the officers of the grand lodge, take his seat among them. and vote and act in the name of the lodge he represents. But no individual can appear for more than one lodge at the same time.

Lodges have place according to the date of their constitution; but should any lodge cease to meet regularly for twelve months successively, their charter is forfeited.

OF ATTENDANCE.

Every brother should be a member of some regular lodge, if circumstances will admit, and it is his indispensable duty regularly to attend. By the ancient rules of Masonry, which every lodge would do well to adopt in their by-laws, no excuse was judged suff cient for absence, short of satisfying the lodge that it was occasioned by

some extraordinary or unforeseen necessity.

OF BEHAVIOUR IN A LODGE.

No private committees are allowed while the lodge stands open for work, and all conversation foreign to the business of the lodge is strictly forbidden. Strict attention is required while any brother is addressing himself to the chair, and during the performance of the more solemn duties of the lodge. Obedience to the proper authority is to be observed, and a due respect paid to all the brethren.

OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF MASONS IN
THEIR PRIVATE CHARACTER.

Masons should be extremely cautious of their behaviour in all places; carefully avoiding every kind of excess or immorality; as being directly contrary to the principles of the fraternity, and in violation of the direct commands of that Being, to whom strict obedience is due, and who every Mason acknowledges as his Grand master.

It is particularly enjoined on Masons, to be true to the constitution of the civil government under which they live, to pay strict obedience to the laws, and never to be concerned in conspiracies.

Every Mason ought to be industrious in his vocation, and use all proper means to enable himself to pay for all the necessaries of life, so that he may not "eat any man's bread for nought." And when he is at leisure from his necessary avocations, his time should be employed iu studying the Holy Scriptures, the various arts and sciences, and every thing calculated to enable him the better to serve his Creator, and to render him more useful to his country, his neighbour, and himself.

Masons are to meet each other in a courteous manner, and no true Mason will neglect a brother, on account of his having through unforeseen misfortunes, or by the afflictive hand of Providence, been reduced in his circumstances; but will treat him with re

spect, and as far as lies in his power. without injury to himself or family, administer to his wants; and if he be in want of employment, will either give it to him himself, or use every possible means to procure it for him from others.

When in company with strangers, or those who are not Masons, the utmost prudence in conversation, particularly on the subject of Masoury, ought to be observed, and all impertinent or ensnaring questions should be answered with caution, or the conversation turned to another subject.

The principles of Masonry prohibit slander of every description, against the character of any reputable person; but the Mason who aims it at the character of a worthy brother, is guilty of a tenfold crime, it being his solemn duty to defend his brother's character against all unjust reproaches, or malicious attacks, and to warn him of all approaching danger.

Suits at law between Masons, are directly inconsistent with the ancient rules and usages of the order, and ought, as far as possible, to be avoided. Should differences unhappily arise between brethren, relative to any temporal concerns, application should first be made to the lodge to which one or both of the parties belong, to have the matter in dispute adjusted; and should either party be dissatisfied with the deeision of the lodge, an appeal should be made to the grand lodge. But where

any matter of difference may exist, which can neither be settled as above, nor by a reference to impartial brothers, and must be decided by the civil law, the utmost candour should be exercised by both parties in the pursuit; all personal ill-will should be avoided, and nothing should be said or done to prevent the continuation or renewal of that brotherly love and friendship, which are the glory and cement of this ancient fraternity. It is much more commendable to suffer wrong than to do wrong; and Masons

ought to be actuated by the sentiments advanced by St. Paul, in his directions to his Christian brethren, in the sixth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians, where he tells them that there is "utterly a fault" among them, because they "go to law one with another ;" and directs them to refer their matters of difference to the decision of some of their brethren.

OF A GRAND LODGE.

A GRAND LODGE consists of the masters and wardens of all the regular lodges, within its jurisdiction, with the grand master at their head, the deputy grand master on his left, and the grand wardens in their proper places; attended also by the grand secretary, grand treasurer, grand tyler, grand pursuivant, and other necessary offi

cers.

No new lodge can be acknowledged, or their officers admitted into the grand lodge, until such new lodge is regularly constituted, and registered by the grand lodge.

All grand past, and deputy grand past masters, past grand Wardens, and past masters of warranted lodges ou record, who continue members of any regular lodge, are, both by courtesy and custom, admitted to vote in all grand lodges. Past grand secretaries, and past grand treasurers, by courtesy have also the privilege of sitting in all grand lodges, and of voting on such matters as they might have done while in office.

No master, warden, or other member of the grand lodge, should ever attend without the jewels he ought to wear in his own lodge, unless he can produce a satisfactory reason for such omission. When the officer of any particular lodge, from urgent business, or any casualty, cannot personally attend, he may send a brother of his lodge, with his jewels and clothing, to supply his place in the grand lodge. See preceding page, "of the privileges in lodges."]

The grand lodge must have four stated meetings a year, for quarterly communications; and such other meetings as business may require, to be held in the grand lodge room only, excepting the grand master should think it expedient to appoint some other place for a special meeting.

All matters in the graud lodge are determined by a majority of votes, each member having one vote, unless for the sake of expedition, certain subjects are left to the determination of the grand master.

It is the business of the grand lodge to consider, transact, and settle all matters concerning the craft in general, or private lodges, and single brethren in particular. All differences

which brethren cannot adjust between themselves, nor by a particular lodge, are here to be considered and decided. But if any brother be dissatisfied by such decision, he may lodge an appeal in writing, with the grand secretary, and have a re-hearing, and final decision, at the next quarterly communication, provided it be not on the annual meeting of the grand lodge, or on either of the festivals of St. John, on which no petitions or appeals are to be heard, nor any business transacted to disturb the harmony of the assembly, but must all be referred to the next meeting. And in general, all unfinished business of one meeting, may be adjourned, or referred to a committee, to report their opinion at the next meeting.

The officers of all subordinate lodges under the jurisdiction of the grand lodge, shall, at every quarterly communication (except those of distant lodges, who shall annually, on or before the festival of St. John the Evangelist) de

have been either made or admitted by them, since the last communication, and books shall be kept by the grand secretary, in which such returns shall be duly recorded; together with a list of all the lodges in communication, the usual times and places of their meeting, and the names of all their members, as well as all the proceedings of the grand lodge which are proper to be written.

It is the duty of the grand lodge to adopt the most prudent and effectual means of collecting and managing such inoneys as may accrue to the general charity fund.

OF THE ELECTION OF THE GRAND

MASTER.

The grand lodge must meet in some convenient place, in order to elect new, or reappoint the old officers, and such election or reappointment must be made in such season that the grand lodge may be completely organized, and duly prepared for the celebration of the annual feast in June, and other important business of the season,

The election shall be made either by holding up of hands or by ballot, as may be agreed by the majority, on motion made and seconded for that purpose; provided always, that the brother recommended by the grand master in office, as his successor, be the first voted for, either by holding up of hands, or by ballot, and if he is not chosen, the other candidates in the order they were proposed, until one has the majority of voices or ballots. When the election is thus made, he is to be proclaimed, installed, and saluted, if present; but if not present, a day is to be appointed for this ceremony, which is grand, solemn, and serious, but is not to be described in writing, nor ever to be known to any but true master Masons. The ceremony of installing the new grand master, is to be conducted by the last grand master; but he may, nevertheless, order any brother well skilled in the ceremony, to