Essex.

Universe , and one of His great principles was that they should have charity one to the other . Concluding , his Lordship said it had given him great pleasure to be able to honour , on the part of the Province , two of their most respected and distinguished Brethren .

His Lordship then proposed the health of the D . P . G . M . Col . Lockwood responded , and said that Freemasonry was still in its infancy in Essex , and it behoved every Brother to go forth that night determined to uphold and spread its great and beneficent principles .

Brother Imbert-Terry W . M . 214 responded for the Worshipful Masters of the Lodges in the Province , proposed by the Earl of Warwick , remarking that the Lodge he represented had been most anxious that everything possible should be done to make the meeting a success , and they trusted that they had been successful in their efforts .

During the dinner the band of the 1 st Essex Volunteer Battalion played a selection of music ; and between the speeches Bro . Schartau and a concert party gave an excellent entertainment .

Church Service.

CHURCH SERVICE .

THE church of St . John , West Chelsea , which has been closed for five Sundays during changes and repairs of the interior , was re-opened on Sunday , 17 th ult ., when the Bishop of London preached at 11 a . m . There was a Masonic Service at 3 * 30 , when a large number of Brethren were present in regalia . The sermon was preached by the Eev . J . Seaver , vicar of St . John ' s ,

Holloway , and the Service read by the vicar , the Rev . F . W . A . Wilkinson , both of whom are Masons . In the evening the vicar preached . The parishioners have entered heartily into tbe work of restoring the church , and there were large congregations on Sunday . The repairs to the outside are in progress . Of the £ 1 , 000 wanted the vicar has obtained nearly £ 800 .

Are You Squared By This?

ARE YOU SQUARED BY THIS ?

Address by Brother W . H . De Hart , at a Masonic Convention in Tampa , Florida , from the " Voice of Masonry . " HOW could even a golden-mouthed or silver-tongued orator present in fullness and force the just claims and

Are You Squared By This?

immeasurable merits of Masonry ? Masonry ? What emotion s swell the heart of every true Brother at the mention of that name ? Masonry , venerated for its antiquity , yet often , through the ages , suspected and persecuted for its mysteries . Masonry ? Under that one word I might sing to you an epic poem of lives and deeds of chivalry—clear sounding , far reaching clarion notes , telling of

the great and pure-minded men of all ages , who , in Masonio grandeur loom up along the shores of time , as do the light-houses upon our treacherous coast . Lives brilliant and shining , fadeless as stars in an evening sky , shedding their benign influence on all around . Lives which , by the silent force of daily example , disapprove of all that is coarse , immoral and wrong—encouraging

all that is noble and grand and elevating to the human mind , leaving behind them undying evidences of the goodness and far reaching purposes of our Order—its benefits to the sons of men , irrespective of their theological or political opinions . But chat is not my purpose . Neither do I intend , on this occasion , to argue the antiquity of the Order . No man knows the exact date of the

origin of symbolic Masonry , and yet no intelligent person will deny that it has existed , in a similar form to what it is to-day , since the building of King Solomon ' s temple . This is absolutely true of the three sections of the ancient York rite . Capitular , Cryptic and Templar Masonry , we must frankly confess , are of more recent date ; but , taken as a whole , clearly understood and

fully appreciated—from Entered Apprentice to Knights of Malta and Saints John—no more beautiful teachings of immortality , no more sublime a system of morality has the world ever beheld . And yet we do not claim , Brothers , tbat Freemasonry takes the place of the Church—we do not set it up as a religious institution—only a moral society—ever gently wooing the mind

of man away from idolatrous dogmas of vainglory and hypocrisy , envy , malice , hatred and all uncharitableness ; and seeking to elevate the heart to that higher , holier sphere of gentleness , meekness , kindness and Brotherly love . I believe that our Order is a handmaid to the religion of one true God , and for that reason , fostered by Him , it has lived through the persecutions of past ages ; and to-day , under the glorious sun of liberty , her Great

Lights are shining in this far land—shining and preparing the minds of initiates by the pure associations of upright men , to have faith in God , hope in immortality , and charity for all their fellow men ; so that their souls can be swayed by the gentle influences of the great " I am that I am " and borne on wings of love beyond the golden portals of the celestial city , into the Temple not built wifch hands , eternal in the heavens .

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