FREEMASONRY AND ROTARY

Sift, — In the Revue Internationale des SocielEs SecrEtes of October 16. 1927, there was a quotation concerning the Rotary Club. According to this extract, Rotary is a particular aspect of Masonic activity, a sort of open Masonry. The principal object of Rotary is the elevation of the moral level of humanity.
At the 1928 Congress of Rotary Clubs at Ostend delegates from the entire world were present, the Belgian Minister of Justice defined Rotary as " A code of lay morality and of national and internmional citizenship."
In connection with this allusion, it is worth while quoting some phrases of the Letter of Pope Leo XIII to the Italian people /12 J 92 :
" Societies not subject to the influence of ,-eligion and as such easily exposed to be more or less directed and dominated by Masons, must in general be looked on with suspicion and avoided.
" Those also must be avoided which not only lend their aid to Masonry but constitute a nursery and a factory for the training of apprentices. All should avoid any liaison, any familiarity with persons suspected of being Freemasons or of belonging to affiliated societies."
The following details may be at interest to your readers: The first Rotary Club was started in February, 1905, by Paul Harris in Chicago, U.S.A. On July 1st, 1939 there were 4,970 Rotary Clubs with a membership of 210,000. On July I, 1940, there were 5,037 clubs with
a total membership of 210,500. The Prcsident of the Rotary International is S. Armando de Arruda Periera, of Sao Paolo, Brazil.
In Great Britain and Eire the clubs on July 1, 1940 numbered 486 with 21,179 members.
F. M.
Masonic Passes
Ste.—The following, headed " Passes for Soldier Freemasons,' taken from the London Times (March. 1916). will be found instructive:— " Freemasons serving with the Forces abroad may now be supplied by permission of the_ military and Masonic authorities, with a Card, printed in English, French Italian, German and Turkish, vouching of their Masonic membership, and asking for kindly treatment at the hands of any Freemasons with whom they may come in contact.
" The cards are issued by the Charterhouse Lodge by special permission of the Grand Lodge of England upon the production of the necessary authority. The idea was suggested to them by the Canadian Freemasons serving with the Forces who are supplied with similar vouchers by the Canadian Grand Lodges"
M. J. F.