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RoyalMasonicInstitutionforGirls.OFFICES— 5 FREEMASONS' HALL , GREAT QUEEN STREET , LONDON , W . C . 2020 Girls haiSe been provided vOith Education , Clothing , and Maintenance , the full number of Girls now ? receiving its benefits being 26 U . The 113 th Anniversary Festival will be held on WEDNESDAY , 8 th MAY igoi , under the distinguished Presidency of the M.W.PROGRANDMASTEROFENGLAND,TheRightHon.TheEarlAmherst,R . W . PROV . G . M . KENT . Telephone No . 2952 , Garrard . Registered Office Telegraphic Address : "Girlands , London . " F . R . W . HEDGES , Secretary , do . School do . "Machio , London . " 5 FREEMASONS' HALL , LONDON , W . C .

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Rgi &' jgMaa ^ gcgsi .¦^j^^^^^^^gSATURDAY , 2 ND MARCH 1901 .

The Logic Club.

THE LOGIC CLUB .

WERE any apology needed to justify the existence of this famous Club for Masonic practice and instruction we think it might be found in the gathering of Sunday evening last , when members and friends assembled in strong force on the occasion of the twentieth annual banquet of the Club , at the Cafe Royal , Regent Street . Accommodation was made for about a hundred and eighty guests ,

and although some of those who were expected were unable to be present , others attended , with the result that there were very few vacant chairs when the worthy Preceptor Bro . Robert Manuel called the company to order for grace , which he delivered in brief but reverent and all sufficient terms . The dinner was excellent , and

was thoroughly enjoyed by the company , which included a few gentlemen guests , besides members of the Club and their Masonic visitors . In equally brief and appropriate terms Bro . Manuel gave grace at the conclusion of the banquet , and then proceeded with the toasts of the evening .

In proposing the first on the list he said our empire had recently sustained a great and sad loss , which we should regret for all time . The death of Her Majesty the late Queen involved a slight modification in the terms of the toast he had then the honour to submit . The most illustrious Brother in English Freemasonry who for over a quarter of a century had ruled over the

destinies and promoted the good fortune of the Craft in England had been called upon to undertake an even higher office , but he was proud , as they all would be , that the King would occupy the position of Protector of English Freemasonry . Most respectfully and most loyally they wished him a long , a prosperous and a happy reign . The toast of the King and the Craft was cordiall y honoured , and followed by the National Anthem .

Bro . Manuel said that as a Chairman he believed he could not do better than prevent all gaps , and accordingly he would proceed with what they considered on these festive occasions the toast of the evening . They especially desired to honour at their annual gatherings the idea with which the Logic Club was founded , which was to promote a close study of the Masonic ritual , and to

•render it in as perfect a manner as practice could achieve . They might ask themselves if , since they last met , the Logic Club had made progress in that ideal , and in this connection there were one or two points worthy of consideration . Inside the Club the best evidence of progress was to find earnest appreciation , and devotion on the part of the members of the Club to take their place in the

different Lodges to which they belonged . Another sign of its progress was the great many members of the Craft who had joined itj which , as they all knew , was a very gratifying tribute to its popularity ; while among those who had joined them it was gratifying to find many whose careers were vitually ended , so far as instruction was concerned . This was particularly noticeable in the

very gratifying number of Present and Past Officers of the Grand Lodge of England who had lately joined their Club . Why did they come ? He thought it was because they sympathised with the ideal of the Club , which he had attempted to sketch ; but what they particularly desired was the young Mason , who came in with the desire of qualifying himself for Office in the Craft . One word or two as to the influence of the Logic Club outside its own portals ;

he might refer , as far as good taste allowed , to two invitations extended to its members—one from the Club represented by the three Brethren sitting on his left ( the Genesius ) , and the other from the Jubilee Masters Lodge—and he felt it was due to those who represented the Logic Club on those occasions to say they acquftted themselves full well . Another influence < oiitside the Club , and . most gratifying to those who worked for it , was the

The Logic Club.

frequent traces of the influence of the teachings of the Logic Club ; and thus he might ask if it were not right of them to honour the memory of two of its founders , and honour the presence of the third of them—Bros . John Maclean and George Buckland in the one case ; and he hoped that each would have some claim on the next generation of Freemasons for what they had done in the foundation

of the Logic Club , and the promotion of its principles . Then they tad' the surviving founder of the Club , their worthy Secretary Bro . J . Percy Fitzgerald , who for the past twenty years had given unceasing devotion to the Club ; they could not pay 111 m too much honour . That night he had a little surprise in store for another member of the Logic Club . In its earlier days they would have

been homeless but for the kindness of a Brother who offered them the hospitality of his roof , and they had since been allowed to assemble under that roof—for many years . It had be ' en arranged that the members should recognise what he had done for the Club , all that time , and later in the evening he should have the pleasure

of handing a slight tribute of their sentiments to Bros . Humphrey . He now gave the toast—Success to the Logic Club , coupled with the name of its only surviving founder Bro . Fitzgerald and their dearly respected and old friend Bro . Edward Humphrey . The toast was warmly received .

Bro . Fitzgerald said they would be much more delighted to listen to the music , and the songs would please them much better , than anything he might have to say to them . First he had to inflict upon them a series of excuses from Brethren who were unable to attend the meeting , and who wrote expressing their inability . The members of the Club looked upon themselves as a

little close body and many of those who came among them soon , became distinguished in the Craft . At the present time they mustered 204 members , and the aggregate of the attendances was upwards of 2 , 100 during the twelve months ; they had also entertained some 3 8 5 visitors during the same period . Their Charity Association had been the means of collecting / 230 for the Charities ,

the Club out of its own funds had given ninety guineas for the same good . cause , the amount being put on the lists of their dear old Preceptor , who was thus enabled to take up three figure lists at the Festivals he attended . Besides this there was a balance of about ^ 50 in hand , ready for some Brother who cared to represent the Club at forthcoming Festivals . A most important point for th- ° . m .

to consider was as to what they would do for the future . They , had a generous landlord , who had entertained them for seventeen years , but they could not desire to live on his liberality much longer , and the question was , what was best to be done . The difficulty was to know how much larger their Club was going to grow ? He felt the time had come when they should find a home for themselves ,

for although their Bro . Humphrey had been the means of securing the success of the Logic Club , he considered the members ought to form themselves into a Company , establish a home for themselves and throw their doors open to all members of the Craft . Bro . Humphrey—bless him—did not complain , but the members felt the time had come when he should oe relieved of the task of providing a home for the Club .

Bro . Wooder next proposed the health of the worthy Chairman , Bro . Manuel . He felt the task ought to have fallen on some more experienced Brother than himself , as he was but a lay member , and further than that only a new member . But the task became an easy one as all respected Bro . Manuel , and recognised that

as Preceptor he was the guiding spirit and the ruling influence of the Logic Club . It seemed to him that it was due to Bro . Manuel that the Club had risen to its present high position , while nothing he could say would enhance their estimation of the worthy Preceptor—the Chairman that day—the toast of whose health , long life and prosperity he asked them to pledge .

Bro . Manuel tendered thanks for the kind reception of his name as Chairman and in connection with the duty of Preceptor of the Club . Nearly four years ago the mantle of Preceptor fell somewhat unexpectedly on his shoulders , and he determined to do his utmost to carry out the ideal of the Logic Club . He thought

they had done some useful work towards that ideal . Personally he was very much surprised at their having him for their Chairman that night , as his position in the Club necessitated that he should occasionally hint to the Brethren that they were not quite right , and that they should try the work over again , so as to make it more consistent with the standard they had set themselves ; it