Consecration.

CONSECRATION .

SGARSOALE L 008 E .

THIS new Mark Lodge was consecrated at Chesterfield on Tuesday , gth inst ., the Consecrating Officer being Bro . A . Woodiwiss , J . P ., Prov . G . M . M . Derbyshire , who was assisted by Bro . C . F . Matier Mark Grand Secretary of England , and other prominent members of the Degree . The new Lodge is numbered 529 on the English Register ,

and the following were appointed the first Officers : Bros . W . W . Jeudwine P . M . P . P . G . W . W . M ., Holland Rowbottom P . M . P . P . G . O . as I . P . M ., T . Shipton S . W ., W . O . Plowright J . W ., W . H . Edmunds Secretary , Rev . J . B . Le Gassick M . O ., G . E . Carline S . O ., S . E . Short J . O ., H . R . Proctor S . D ., W . H . Eyre J . D ., and F . L . Somerset I . G .

At night there was a Masonic ball , in the Stephenson Memorial Hall , which was beautifully decorated for the occasion . There was a very large attendance . The Stewards

were Bros . W . W . Jeudwine , F . L . Somerset , E . Emery , E . Taylor , E . W . Barnes , C . P . Markham , and F . Stanton . Mr . Mountney ' s band provided the music . The proceeds will be given to the War Fund .

Elaborate preparations have been made for the Consecration of the John Brunner Lodge , at Winsford , to-day ( Saturday ) . Sir John has invited the whole of the members of his Mother Lodge , the Sincerity , of Northwich , to the function , and a large number of invitations will be extended

to present and past Provincial Grand Officers . The ceremony will take place at the Brunner Guildhall . The founders number twenty-seven of the best names in the district and constitute of themselves a hearty send-off to the new Lodge .

Congratulations to Mr . William Wither Bramston Beach , member for the Andover Division of Hampshire and Father of the House of Commons . The hon . member , who is an illustration of the happy fact that the race of the " fine old English gentleman " has not entirely died out , is one of

the three new Privy Councillors whose names a . ppear in the list of New Year ' s honours conferred by Her Majesty the Queen . Bro . Beach in April next will have sat in the House of Commons for forty-three years uninterruptedly as a Hampshire representative , first of the North Hants Division and

then of the Andover Division , when the two Parliamentary divisions of the county were cut up into four under the last Redistribution of Seats Act . During this long period he has , therefore , practically represented the same constituency , a fact of which Sir John Mowbray , Bart ., the late " Father "

of the House , could not boast , though he had been a member of the Lower Chamber for a longer period than Mr . Beach ; hence it was that the distinction of seniority was generally conceded to him when , on Mr . Villiers ' s death , a question was raised as to who should be the new "Father . " The new

Privy Councillor was first elected at the head of the poll for North Plants in April 1857 , when he was travelling in Canada , where he rendered signal service to Freemasonry under a commission from the Grand Lodge of England . As member for North Plants he filled the vacancy caused by the

retirement of his friend and neighbour , Mr . Melville Portal . He had to contest his seat once or twice at subsequent elections , but in the last fight he had a majority of over fourteen hundred , and since then he has been allowed a walkover at successive general elections . Mr . Beach may be

classed among the silent members , but many will regard him as none the worse for that , and yet it is in the field of politics that he has perhaps achieved his greatest fame , for a man who has sat in the House of Commons for forty-three years , even though he be not a talker , must become famous . He

has sat under fourteen Ministers , and must have a store of memories of unrivalled interest . There would be no necessity to state that he is a sound Conservative were it not to emphasise the fact that the Liberals among his constituents would not yield to their political opponents in the strength of

the feelings of respect and esteem they entertain towards him . Pie is a man of many parts . He has had his share in Hampshire Yeomanry work , he isa Deputy-Lieutenant of his county , he is an Alderman of the County Council , and has for years

been a constant attendant at Quarter Sessions , and an active worker in the administrative business of the county ; for twenty-one years he was President of- the Hants County Cricket Club ; and for almost as long a period was President of the Hamphire Chamber of Agriculture , a child of his own

Consecration.

creation . He has been for over half a century a Freemason , for he commenced his career in the mystic Craft while yet an undergraduate at Oxford , being initiated in the'Apollo Lodge of that city , and for nearly thirty years he has been Grand Master of the Province of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight .

He is simply revered by the Brethren -of his Province , who when he had been twenty-one years their Grand Master presented him with a large oil portrait of himself , by Ouless , at an immense gathering at Portsmouth , the presentation being made on their behalf-by the Duke of Connaught . He

has also received other tangible marks of esteem from his Masonic Brethren , who will be among the first to congratulate him on the honour which , after long years of waiting , has now been conferred upon him . — " Hampshire Independent . "

The fourth annual ball inaugurated by the Egerton Lodge , No . 2132 , in aid of the Masonic Charities , was held on Friday evening of last week , at the New Brighton Tower . This ball has now come to be regarded as one of the events of the season in the Wallasey district , and that it is gaining

in popularity was shown by the increased number who patronised it on this occasion . About 250 ladies and gentlemen assembled in the magnificent ballroom of the Tower , which had been lavishly adorned with palms and plants . The Worshipful Master of the Lodge Bro . R .

Grundy and Mrs . Grundy received the Brethren and their ladies , and a Masonic procession took place prior to the commencement of dancing , for which an admirable programme of music was provided by the Tower orchestra , under the conductorship of Bro . Granville Bantock . There was a

goodly sprinkling of visitors from Liverpool . The President of the , ball was Bro . Dr . T . W . A . Napier P . M . P . P . G . A . P ., while Bro . R . Grundy was the Chairman , and Bro . Councillor G . J . Coombs S . W . the Vice-Chairman of the Committee having charge of the arrangements , the excellence of which

was in a large measure the result of the energetic services rendered by the Secretaries , Bros . Albert Bulmer and John Ashler . Credit is also due to the Masters of Ceremonies Bros . C . L . Casson , J . T . Hindle , J . B . Crispin , and E . C .

Gaskill , and to the Stewards Bros . J . C . Bulmer , E . A . Ash , T . W . Atkinson , D . Mackenzie , J . S . Warden , W . Boughey , and J . Boughey . The supper was catered by Bro . F Rollwagen , of New Brighton .

The " Newcastle Journal " was glad to see so goodly a company at the Masonic Ball in the old Assembly Rooms , on the gth—from go to 100 couples ; this in spite of influenza , which kept some half-dozen Stewards and ever so many more Brethren from being present . The arrangements were

excellent , as they were bound to be , being in the hands of Bros . F . W . Sykes , R . Plumpton and H . Spittle . But if I may venture to judge by what I saw from the gallery , says the writer in our contemporary , there are not a few Freemasons who are not particularly good dancers . However ,

they are kind-hearted gentlemen , seeing that they get up this annual ball for the purpose of helping , not the charities under their own control , but the local charities of the town and district . For this reason alone , quite apart from the merry dancers , it is good for the blind , for the little orphans , and for ever so many more , when the Masonic Ball is a success .

While entertainments innumerable are being arranged for the purpose of raising funds to relieve the distress consequent on the war in South Africa , it is satisfactory to note that the claims of our Masonic Institutions are not forgotten j and a number of good Masons , among whom we notice Major

Woolmer Williams , Bro . F . W . Berry W . M .-elect of the St . Michael Lodge , No . 211 , Bro . H . Banks , and Bro . W . Johnson , have organised a Cinderella Dance , to be held next Friday , 19 th inst ., at the King ' s Hall , Holborn , in aid of the

Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . Bro . F . R . Pritchard ' s band will be in attendance , and tickets , at the moderate cost of half-a-crown each , may be obtained from Bro . H . Kemp , Thavies Inn , W . C .

The annual ball promoted by the Officers and members of the Amphibious Lodge took place on the 5 th , at the Masonic Hall , Heckmondwike . Seme 100 guests put in an

appearance , and irom 8 p . m . until 2 . 30 a . m . indulged in dancing to music supplied by Robinson ' s band , of Cleckheaton . During intervals in the programme supper was served . The ball was very successful .