The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-10-13 00:00:00

A HIGHLAND GIRL'S ROMANCE.

About • fortnight ago., a dapper young fellow, respect-
ably dressixl, called at Masers. Ferguson and Furrester's
restaurant, Glasgow, offering himself fur employauguL It
happened that the firm had an extensive order on hand—
the provisioning of a large steamer which was about to
on a pleasure cruise extending over four or five
proceed
and as they were in need of assistants, Charles
Stewart, for that was the name the youth gave, was
engaged to make himself useful to the cook, Accordingly,
Charlie weut with the vessel and worked in the galley,
sleeping in a bunk In the male servants quarters. He
110011/il to have attracted the special notice of only one of
those who were working the ship and attendiii- to the
comforts of the voyagvrs. A young lad, also employed in
the galley, came to suspect that his companion was a girl,
and on the fourth day after leaving t;lii-gow he um& his
companion confess she was a girL On ino discos cry being
made known to Mr. Ferguson, that gentleman had the girl
at once put under the care of the stewardess during the
remainder of the trip. The young madcap, inspired by •
foolish desire to do something out of the oritimiry run of
female enterprise, left home a few weeks ago and came
to Glasgow. Her parenta, wel.to-do.people in the High-
lands, gave her money enough to live in reqicetalile
private lodgings. Purchasing a snit of boys clothes, and
gettin4 dressed, she disposed of her ordinary apparel, had
her hair cut short, and then presented herself at Mears.
Ferguson and Forrester's. While on board ship, and
before her sex was discovered, her behaviour was most
modest and seemly, and she appeara ou realising the
',coition in which the hail placed herself ou board to have
suffered much shame and vexation. She adniltted that
until placed under the care of the atesearilesa she had never
enjoyed anything Like a sound sleep on board ship. She
always "ti-nail in" with her clothes on, and in the..
circumstances, ()barrens; the Gia.vole Herald, which tells
the store, the most heroic spint will tire of trousers.
ller address has lug been obtained, she WAS sent home.

FREEMASONRY AND FREEDOM OF THOUGHT
Bro. J. C. Parkinson, Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge
of England, replying to the toast of " The ltulers of the
Craft ' at Warwickshire PAO, while regretting the
session of the Marquis of Ripon, the late G.M., said he
could not share the naive astionisl 111 l mit expressed by some
that a Roman Catholic might not till a leading pi isition in
the craft. The fact was that the two systetusof Romanis=
and Masonry were not merely incompatible, but were
radically opposed, fur one of the first lessons tauth by
Masonry wil.l that it was " free.- Fnaslont of thought, of
opinion, and the broadest tolerati in in religious matters
were the very CIIICIICC of Freemasonry, and good nail trite
nice of all religions were endiraced In its comprehensive
arms. When in I isdia he hada Parsee amanutesis, who wasa
devoted follower of Zoreaster, and Wit., a
tire worshipper as to ask to be excused (ruin striking a
light lest the stroke Id to waste the, to him, Divine
element of lire; but lie proved I self to be a faithful
brother in the craft. Last year, in America, the speaker
had met advanced thinkers, who were better Anil more
devout men fur being Freemasons ; and a few instal=
ago, at his lodge, in Midillssex, he hail the pleasiire of
initiating a 31alioniinedan, in the person of uu Afghan
MIRA, of the blood, alio hint since passed the other
degrees under circumstances of peculiar interest. There
were, too, many excellent Jewish brethren ; there were
brethren among the North American Indians, worshipping
the Great Spirit on their native prairie, unit the !canted
and devout English clergymen could meet with these
brethren of various religious creeds, and un a common
ground join in griteful thanks to the Great Architect sf
the Universe, mail subscribe together to the great
doctrine of natural equality and inutual dependence.
Freemasonry was a religion of gissi works, alit iisked for
no priestJy intermediary between a man anil his soaker.
Its inipreuive ritual enforced the solemn =east that • titan
should be judged hereafter by hi. actions toi earth rather
than by any verdict passed on him lir a professional
and it was broadly tolerant of ditierences in faith and
creed. When Roman Catholics were permitted by their
spiritual rulers to uphold such opinions as these, tiwg,
and not till then, could they cousistently continue
1111,1111,0111 of the eral. The speaher expressed his firmu
conviction that under the (trawl Mastership of the future
King of Engkuld-- a Prin.: of the Protestant House of
Hanover -Freemasons would continue to •'enoer(c those
, principles of religious liberty and spiritual freeduni to
which the ItonianeCatholic faith Lad ever been strenuously
opposed.