Masonic Material.

initiated the Duke of Connaught . There is no Masonic charity of which he is not a most generous supporter ;• and what is very rare in Masonry , he gives away more money which is not advertised than he does in subscriptions which carry votes with them and publicity .

A Centenary Celebration.

A CENTENARY CELEBRATION .

THE centenary of Solomon Lodge , Fraserburgh , was celebrated on Wednesday 23 rd ult ., by a torchlight procession , followed by a supper and ball in the evening . Bro . 0 . T . Gordon , of Cairness , Deputy Provincial Master of East Aberdeenshire presided at the supper , at which about 150 ladies and gentlemen attended . After the Loyal and patriotic toasts the Chairman submitted the

Centenary of Solomon Lodge . It was now his privilege , he said , to propose to them , the toast of the evening , and his feeling in rising to do so was one of regret that the Grand Master Mason of Scotland , Bro . Lord Saltoun , was unfortunately prevented from being present with them that night , because he was sure they should all have welcomed him in the heartiest manner

possible , and he was quite certain of this , that he would have been able to do far more justice to the toast than he hoped to do . At the same time , he felt it a very great privilege to be allowed to participate that night in the celebration of that important—he might say of that unique—event , for they were met there that night to celebrate , looking at the large company

assembled in no unfitting or inadequate manner , the hundredth anniversary of the foundation of Solomon Lodge , in Fraserburgh . Well , it would be interesting if they had time to cast their eyes back to the year 1796 , and try to realise what Fraserburg looked , and what the world looked like at . that very interesting time . They all knew that in 1796 there was stirring events .

There were wars taking place , and many of the stirring events of the time m which this country was very deeply interested . He had no doubt that the town of Fraserburgh took its full share of interest in the great events which were then being enacted . From her being a seaport , she possessed great advantages—considerable advantages certainly over many places of perhaps

larger-populations situated in the more inland districts of the country , and one could imagine the keen interest with which the people of Fraserburgh would watch for the arrival of vessels bringing tidings of the battles and the important events of that time . And in that connection it showed the zeal and the determination which must have actuated the Freemasons at that

time , when they were able to interest their friends and their Brother Masons to such an extent , as to successfully found the Solomon Lodge . Well , it was on the 2 nd May 1796 , that the Solomon Lodge was founded . They received a charter from Grand Lodge signed by the Earl of Ancrum , who was then Grand . 'Master Mason of Scotland , and the first annual meeting was held early in the following year , and by the minutes they learned that the

membership at that time consisted of forty-five ,. and that a benefit society was at that early stage of the history of Masonry in Fraserburgh founded in connection , with the Lodge , and the Lodge flourished and continued to grow ia numbers and in wealth for a very considerable time . It became possessed of a very considerable amount of property , and this satisfactory gh ite of affairs continued until the year 1835 , and then took place an event

A Centenary Celebration.

in the history of Freemasons in Fraserburgh which he was afraid thoy Masons must always look back upon with feelings of regret and disappointment . What took place at that time was this . The Harbour Commissioners began to negotiate with the Lodge for the purchase of the Lodge premises . Nobody would blame the Harbour Commissioners for that , because they probably had in view much needed improvements in the widening of streets

at that time . What took place was that the Lodge eventually agreed to dispose of their premises for a very substantial sum , but a sad and disappointing time followed , for at the same meeting the Brethren agreed to dissolve the Lodge entirely , and to divide the funds amongst the members . There were , he believed , at the meeting of sixty-four members only three who stood out and who dissented from the finding . All honour to those three ,

now he feared nameless Brethren , who had the courage and the faithfulness to stand up at the time and to forego the temptation of present gain—of material advantage to their pockets— -for the sake of the high principles of the Craft o £ Masonry which they professed . But it was the protest of a small minority , and was , of course , of no avail . There continued an interregnum , for the space , he thought , of twenty-eight years . It was not

until the year 1863 that Masonry again revived in Fraserburgh , and in that year , which they would remember was the year in which the Prince of Wales ' s marriage took place , a few of the older Brethren remaining in the town—amongst whom he was sure there would be those three Brethren whom he had referred to , who so nobly stood up for Masonic principles—they came forward and successfully started the Solomon Lodge again . He believed the

procession whic . i took place on the 10 th March 1863 , which , was the day of the wedding of the Prince of Wales , formed a very important and imposing feature in local rejoicings . The Lodge had continued from that to tho present time in a thoroughly flourishing and satisfactory condition . Its membership was very satisfactory . It was entirely free of debt , and he did not think there had been any event of outstanding importance except

perhaps—and it was certainly an important event—the foundation in the year 1883 of a Widows' and Orphans' Fund in connection with the Lodge . That fund last year , by special and most praiseworthy exertions on the part of the Brethren , was brought up to £ 100 , so that it was now on a thoroughly satisfactory footing . He was not going to detain them at great length , but he should like to say this . He did not want to undul y . speak in praise of the

Masonic Craft in an assembly such as that , but he thought he might say that wherever Masonry existed—and it existed now all over the world—Masons were looked upon as very valuable members of whatever community they happened to be in . He did not think it was too much to say that had it not been for the practice of those great and noble principles that underlay Masonry , had it not been for their acts , the town of Fraserburgh would not

have achieved the position which it had done in commerce , in enterprise generally , in education and in art , and , therefore , there is not much chance of it ever happening that in future it would have to be chronicled no Masonic Lodge existed in Fraserburgh . He thought it was pretty certain that the principles . of Masonry were bound to flourish ; they were so well established

and so much appreciated in the community that not only would the present Lodge flourish , but two or even three Lodges would not be sufficient to contain in the course of future years the large body of Masons which Hs thought were likely to exist in the town of Fraserburgh . He had given them a short sketch of the history of the Lodge , and he did not think he need go further into the subject . — " Aberdeen Free Press . "

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Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . Offices—5 Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen Street , London , W . C . Chief Patroness—HEE MAJESTY THE QUEEN . Grand Patron and President— -H . E . H . THE PRINCE OF WALES , K . G ., & c , M . W . G . M . Grand Patroness— -H . E . H . THE PEINCESS OF WALES . Bankers—LONDON & WESTMINSTER BANK LTD . ( BLOQMSBURY BRANCH ) , HIGH HOLBORN , W . C . 1874 Girls have been provided with Education , Clothing , and Maintenance , the full number of Girls now receiving its benefits being 269 . The Names of Brethren willing to serve as Stewards at the 109 th Anniversary Festival , which will take place in May next , are earnestly solicited . ,. - . ' . F . B . W . HEDGES , Secretary , 5 FREEMASONS' HALL , LONDON , W . C .