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"A Sprig Of Acacia."
the Unity , No . 183 , his Mother Lodge , and the Secretaryship of which he held at the time of his decease . The Master of this Lodge , Brother J . Lloyd Bennett ( who is a Bromley resident ) , has asked me to write a short memoir of our departed friend ; and it is with a heavy heart and faltering pen that I apply myself to the task .
A really adequate literary memorial of the late Brother Speth will , I trust , one day see the light , but at the present time of writing I can only claim to figure as the most unpretending of biographers , and shall ask the indulgence of all
those who were intimately acquainted with the deceased , for the manner in which I am necessarily compelled to pass over in comparative silence many striking features of his remarkable career .
Bro . "Speth , the son of German parents , was born in England in 1847 . Fie early engaged in mercantile pursuits , and was a resident for some time in Cuba . After this he
retired into private life , and in the year 1872 was initiated in the Unity Lodge , No . 183 , London , of which he became the Worshipful Master in 1876 . Fie was made a Royal Arch Mason in the Sir Francis Burdett Chapter , No . 1503 , Twickenham , in 1883 , and has since filled the three chairs of J ., H ., and M . E . Z .
His first contribution to- Masonic literature was a history of his Mother Lodge , which appeared in 1881 ; but the period was now approaching when he would enter upon the congenial career of a Craft " litterateur , " which he pursued with such undeviating success , until his sudden and lamented death on the 19 th inst .
The story of the formation of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge has been often told , but I must narrate it once more . Nearly twenty years ago the possibility of establishing a " Students Lodge" was seriously discussed by Bros . W . J . Hughan , G . W . Speth , W . H . Rylands , the Rev . A . F . A .
Woodtord and myself . Shortly afterwards the same idea occurred to Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Warren , K . C . B ., and Bro . ( now Sir ) Walter Besant , and in the result the seven
persons above named , with the- additions of Lieutenant-Colonel S . C . Pratt and Bro . Paul Rylands , applied for a Warrant of Constitution , which was granted by FI . R . H . the Prince of Wales , Grand Master , on 20 th November 1884 .
The Consecration of the Lodge , owing to the departure of the Master-designate , Sir Charles Warren , for active service in South Africa , was unavoidably postponed until 12 th J anuary 1886 , when Sir Charles Warren was duly placed in the chair , and Bros . Sir Walter Besant and G . W . Speth
invested as Treasurer and Secretary respectively . Sir Chas . Warren was elected for a second term , after which , as the laws of Masonry in this country do not allow the chair of a Lodge to be held for longer than two years in succession by the same Brother , the Office of Master passed to another
member , who happened to be myself . But with regard to the Treasurer and Secretary , the duties they so happily undertook in 1886 were performed by them without intermission from that year , by Sir Walter Besant down to the present date , and by Bro . G . W . Speth until Friday last .
I must here pause to state that in the interval during which the Quatuor Coronati Lodge was in a state of " suspended animation , " namely , between 1884 . and 1886 , Bro . Speth , besides being a constant contributor to the journals
of the Craft , wrote a booklet of enduring value , called " Royal Freemasons , " and rendered to myself great and never-to-beforgotten services in successive volumes of my " History of Freemasonry , " an assistance that only came to an end with the publication of the final volume in 1887 .
Let me now return to the Quatuor Coronati Lodge which , as previously narrated , started on its mission—the association in Masonic fellowship of Craft students and the promotion of Masonic research—in January 1886 . About a year afterwards it occurred to Bro . Speth that the " Transactions " of
the Lodge would be comparativel y useless unless they were printed and more widely read . This idea culminated in the formation of a Correspondence Circle , consisting of Lodges or Brethren who might care to each pay half-a-euinea vearlv
tor the privilege of receiving the " Proceedings " of No . 2076 in printed form . The experiment was a bold one , but it has been crowned with the most signal success . The project was launched in February 1887 , and at the present time close upon 3 , 000 paying members " are actually enrolled in the Correspondence Circle . Nor does the number of new sub-
"A Sprig Of Acacia."
scribers show any sign of diminution . The cry still is " They come , " and after making due allowance for deaths and withdrawals , the net increase of members per annum may be estimated at a good round figure . Thirteen volumes in all have been printed of the " Proceedings " or " Transactions , "
and a fourteenth is progressing , which will be published at the close of the year . There are also nine volumes of " Archasologia , " consisting either of rare manuscripts printed for the first time , or of reprints of previously published books and pamphlets of which few or any copies , besides those used
( m each case ) by the Lodge , are known to be in existence . The work , therefore , performed by Bro . Speth , as Secretary of the Lodge , and editor of its " Transactions , " has been throughout of a very onerous character . Upwards of " two thousand nine hundred correspondents " in the Outer Circle
alone , not to speak of the extensive " book-keeping " involved by the applications for the various commodities of the Lodge , nor of his multifarious duties in other directions , must have left the " managing director " of the Quatuor Coronati with very little spare time on his hands .
Bro . Speth was also a very diligent contributor to the columns under his control . A bibliography of his writings , even in the restricted area of " Ars Quatuor Coronatorum , " would indeed carry me too far , but it may be stated that no subject was ever discussed in the " Transactions" of the
Lodge , without its evoking an intelligent and graceful criticism from the editorial pen . The Degrees of Masonry ; the derivation of " Free " in relation to Freemasonry ; the Manuscript Constitutions ; and Cathedral ( as distinguished
from the other ) Builders ; were perhaps the topics dearest to his heart , and on all of them' he wrote both learnedly and well , pouring out the treasures of his knowledge in a series of remarkable papers , the publication of which , in a collected form , is very greatl y to be desired .
His latest pamphlet , a revised edition of " A Masonic Curriculum " for the use of Craft students , is characterised by a rare elegance of diction , and if affords me satisfaction to think that the very last letter I received from him was in
acknowledgment of the compliment I had tendered in respect of the ability and power displayed m his most recent brochure , and of the beautiful language in which his remarks were expressed .
Bro . Speth was a Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies , in the hierarchy of the Grand Lodge , and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society . In other and minor ways the honours of the Craft , as indicating the esteem in which he was held by the Brethren at large , fell thickly upon him . He
was honorary member of many Lodges at home and abroad and of many Veteran Societies of Freemasons . On 17 th November 1894 he was presented by his friends in the inner and outer circles of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge with a magnificent English chronometer , to which was appended a chain
and jewel . The presentation was made by Sir Chas . Warren P . M ., who after remarking that the work carried on by the Lodge was known far and near , went on to say , amid the
approving cheers of the Brethren who were present , that the great structure of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge had been built up in a great measure by the admirable administrative skill and ability of Bro . Speth .
The subject of this memoir was not in robust health during a portion of 1900 , but with the present year his friends were congratulating him on having been restored to his old form . Everything pointed to a protracted period of usefulness in the field of Masonic labour , which he had so
thoroughly made his own . But it was not to be . On Friday last , with startling suddenness , the end came , and on Wednesday afternoon , the 24 th inst ., in the Bromley Cemetery , the remains of one of the best known and most widely-esteemed of English Freemasons , were laid at rest . — " Bromley and District Times , " 26 th April 1901 .
A STRIKING demonstration of respect for the memory of the late Bro . G . W . Speth was paid at a largely attended meeting of the " Correspondence Circle" of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , held at Freemasons' Hall early last ~ month . The wonderful industry and social virtues of the zealous
Masonic antiquary were testified to from the Master ' s chair , the Secretary ' s table , and the lay Brethren ' s benches ; and it added to the impressiveness of the various eulogisms delivered that one came from a Past Grand Master of Canada , and the historian'of the Masonry of the Dominion .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"A Sprig Of Acacia."
the Unity , No . 183 , his Mother Lodge , and the Secretaryship of which he held at the time of his decease . The Master of this Lodge , Brother J . Lloyd Bennett ( who is a Bromley resident ) , has asked me to write a short memoir of our departed friend ; and it is with a heavy heart and faltering pen that I apply myself to the task .
A really adequate literary memorial of the late Brother Speth will , I trust , one day see the light , but at the present time of writing I can only claim to figure as the most unpretending of biographers , and shall ask the indulgence of all
those who were intimately acquainted with the deceased , for the manner in which I am necessarily compelled to pass over in comparative silence many striking features of his remarkable career .
Bro . "Speth , the son of German parents , was born in England in 1847 . Fie early engaged in mercantile pursuits , and was a resident for some time in Cuba . After this he
retired into private life , and in the year 1872 was initiated in the Unity Lodge , No . 183 , London , of which he became the Worshipful Master in 1876 . Fie was made a Royal Arch Mason in the Sir Francis Burdett Chapter , No . 1503 , Twickenham , in 1883 , and has since filled the three chairs of J ., H ., and M . E . Z .
His first contribution to- Masonic literature was a history of his Mother Lodge , which appeared in 1881 ; but the period was now approaching when he would enter upon the congenial career of a Craft " litterateur , " which he pursued with such undeviating success , until his sudden and lamented death on the 19 th inst .
The story of the formation of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge has been often told , but I must narrate it once more . Nearly twenty years ago the possibility of establishing a " Students Lodge" was seriously discussed by Bros . W . J . Hughan , G . W . Speth , W . H . Rylands , the Rev . A . F . A .
Woodtord and myself . Shortly afterwards the same idea occurred to Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Warren , K . C . B ., and Bro . ( now Sir ) Walter Besant , and in the result the seven
persons above named , with the- additions of Lieutenant-Colonel S . C . Pratt and Bro . Paul Rylands , applied for a Warrant of Constitution , which was granted by FI . R . H . the Prince of Wales , Grand Master , on 20 th November 1884 .
The Consecration of the Lodge , owing to the departure of the Master-designate , Sir Charles Warren , for active service in South Africa , was unavoidably postponed until 12 th J anuary 1886 , when Sir Charles Warren was duly placed in the chair , and Bros . Sir Walter Besant and G . W . Speth
invested as Treasurer and Secretary respectively . Sir Chas . Warren was elected for a second term , after which , as the laws of Masonry in this country do not allow the chair of a Lodge to be held for longer than two years in succession by the same Brother , the Office of Master passed to another
member , who happened to be myself . But with regard to the Treasurer and Secretary , the duties they so happily undertook in 1886 were performed by them without intermission from that year , by Sir Walter Besant down to the present date , and by Bro . G . W . Speth until Friday last .
I must here pause to state that in the interval during which the Quatuor Coronati Lodge was in a state of " suspended animation , " namely , between 1884 . and 1886 , Bro . Speth , besides being a constant contributor to the journals
of the Craft , wrote a booklet of enduring value , called " Royal Freemasons , " and rendered to myself great and never-to-beforgotten services in successive volumes of my " History of Freemasonry , " an assistance that only came to an end with the publication of the final volume in 1887 .
Let me now return to the Quatuor Coronati Lodge which , as previously narrated , started on its mission—the association in Masonic fellowship of Craft students and the promotion of Masonic research—in January 1886 . About a year afterwards it occurred to Bro . Speth that the " Transactions " of
the Lodge would be comparativel y useless unless they were printed and more widely read . This idea culminated in the formation of a Correspondence Circle , consisting of Lodges or Brethren who might care to each pay half-a-euinea vearlv
tor the privilege of receiving the " Proceedings " of No . 2076 in printed form . The experiment was a bold one , but it has been crowned with the most signal success . The project was launched in February 1887 , and at the present time close upon 3 , 000 paying members " are actually enrolled in the Correspondence Circle . Nor does the number of new sub-
"A Sprig Of Acacia."
scribers show any sign of diminution . The cry still is " They come , " and after making due allowance for deaths and withdrawals , the net increase of members per annum may be estimated at a good round figure . Thirteen volumes in all have been printed of the " Proceedings " or " Transactions , "
and a fourteenth is progressing , which will be published at the close of the year . There are also nine volumes of " Archasologia , " consisting either of rare manuscripts printed for the first time , or of reprints of previously published books and pamphlets of which few or any copies , besides those used
( m each case ) by the Lodge , are known to be in existence . The work , therefore , performed by Bro . Speth , as Secretary of the Lodge , and editor of its " Transactions , " has been throughout of a very onerous character . Upwards of " two thousand nine hundred correspondents " in the Outer Circle
alone , not to speak of the extensive " book-keeping " involved by the applications for the various commodities of the Lodge , nor of his multifarious duties in other directions , must have left the " managing director " of the Quatuor Coronati with very little spare time on his hands .
Bro . Speth was also a very diligent contributor to the columns under his control . A bibliography of his writings , even in the restricted area of " Ars Quatuor Coronatorum , " would indeed carry me too far , but it may be stated that no subject was ever discussed in the " Transactions" of the
Lodge , without its evoking an intelligent and graceful criticism from the editorial pen . The Degrees of Masonry ; the derivation of " Free " in relation to Freemasonry ; the Manuscript Constitutions ; and Cathedral ( as distinguished
from the other ) Builders ; were perhaps the topics dearest to his heart , and on all of them' he wrote both learnedly and well , pouring out the treasures of his knowledge in a series of remarkable papers , the publication of which , in a collected form , is very greatl y to be desired .
His latest pamphlet , a revised edition of " A Masonic Curriculum " for the use of Craft students , is characterised by a rare elegance of diction , and if affords me satisfaction to think that the very last letter I received from him was in
acknowledgment of the compliment I had tendered in respect of the ability and power displayed m his most recent brochure , and of the beautiful language in which his remarks were expressed .
Bro . Speth was a Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies , in the hierarchy of the Grand Lodge , and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society . In other and minor ways the honours of the Craft , as indicating the esteem in which he was held by the Brethren at large , fell thickly upon him . He
was honorary member of many Lodges at home and abroad and of many Veteran Societies of Freemasons . On 17 th November 1894 he was presented by his friends in the inner and outer circles of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge with a magnificent English chronometer , to which was appended a chain
and jewel . The presentation was made by Sir Chas . Warren P . M ., who after remarking that the work carried on by the Lodge was known far and near , went on to say , amid the
approving cheers of the Brethren who were present , that the great structure of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge had been built up in a great measure by the admirable administrative skill and ability of Bro . Speth .
The subject of this memoir was not in robust health during a portion of 1900 , but with the present year his friends were congratulating him on having been restored to his old form . Everything pointed to a protracted period of usefulness in the field of Masonic labour , which he had so
thoroughly made his own . But it was not to be . On Friday last , with startling suddenness , the end came , and on Wednesday afternoon , the 24 th inst ., in the Bromley Cemetery , the remains of one of the best known and most widely-esteemed of English Freemasons , were laid at rest . — " Bromley and District Times , " 26 th April 1901 .
A STRIKING demonstration of respect for the memory of the late Bro . G . W . Speth was paid at a largely attended meeting of the " Correspondence Circle" of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , held at Freemasons' Hall early last ~ month . The wonderful industry and social virtues of the zealous
Masonic antiquary were testified to from the Master ' s chair , the Secretary ' s table , and the lay Brethren ' s benches ; and it added to the impressiveness of the various eulogisms delivered that one came from a Past Grand Master of Canada , and the historian'of the Masonry of the Dominion .