Masonic Portraits. (No. 41.)

or in the government of the province with which they are associated by birth or the ties of residence . " Onr Noble Critic , " for example , Avas born in the purple , as the saying is , and from his earliest days exhibited a warm interest in

all matters relating to his county . He has taken no prominent part in matters political—we presume , his tastes have not been in that direction . Or knowing , perchance , with how little wisdom the greatest affairs of State are

conducted , he may possibly have directed most of his energies to promoting the welfare of his immediate neighbourhood , where he felt it would be of service , and knew it would be appreciated , in preference to playing an active part in legislation , where his opportunities of doing good

might be fewer . Thus we find him doing more than his just share of work in the county of his birth , connected with the local auxiliary forces , assisting in the promotion of county enterprises , toiling with other magnates in the unthankful duties of the magistracy , and , to crown all ,

receiving at the hands of his most gracious Sovereign , the highest county honour it is in her power to bestow . A post of this eminence is only conferred on one who , in addition to the personal influence he may be able to exercise , has certain qualities of heart and great business

powers , such as will render his government acceptable to men of all shades of political opinion . We may , indeed , be tolerably certain that a man who is appointed Her Majesty ' s Lord Lieutenant in any county is , in the majority of cases , a popular man , and that he owes his popularity

far more to his qualifications as a man of business habits , and the active share he has taken in all that relates to local interests than even to the greatness of his name and station . Such a man as this is fortunate , by reason of the

good he is enabled to do ; and by the happiness he thus confers on others , he is himself most happy . Mere rank and wealth and pleasure do not constitute the sum of human happiness , without , as a poet has sung ,

" The mind ; Where judgment sits clear-sighted , and surveys The chain of reason with unerring gaze ; Where fancy lives , and to the brightening eyes ,

Bids fairer scenes , and bolder figures rise ; Where social love exerts her soft command , And lays the passions with a tender hand ; Whence every virtue flows , in rival strife , And all the moral harmony of life . "

But let us quit this portion of his career , in order to consider the still greater claims " Our Noble Critic " possesses on the esteem and respect of our readers . It is necessarily the Masonic portion of his life which most interests and delights us , and he whom we have chosen as

the subject of this portrait , has taken an active part in the concerns of our Craft for more than a quarter of a century ; while it is possible that no other brother , be he never so eminent , has received so many and such well deserved tokens of the respect in which he is held among

Freemasons . The other day , we were turning over the pages of a Masonic journal , —whose span of life is now run—when , by a very fortunate chance , we lighted upon sundry particulars of our brother ' s early career . It is , indeed , to this now defunct journal we are chiefly indebted for tbe Masonic

details of this portrait . It seems that " Our Noble Critic " first saw the light in a Birmingham Lodge , appropriately named the Lodge of " Light , " No . 475 . In due time , he was elected Worshipful Master , and , on retiring from the chair , was presented with a P . M . ' s jewel , in token of the

valuable services he had rendered during his term of office . He was one of the founders of the Stoneleigh Lodge , No . 725 , in those clays No . 1027 , Kenilworth , and was chosen to be its first Master , 1857-8 . Not long after , and chiefly through his instrumentality , a sixth was added to the list

of Lodges in Birmingham , the new one being consecrated as the Temperance Lodge , now No . 739 ; and in 1859 , under his auspices , the Bard of Avon Lodge , now No . 778 , and transferred to the Province of Middlesex , was consecrated

at Stratford-on-Avon . We are , however , somewhat anticipating matters , and stepping from the strict chronological order of events . In August 1852 , he was appointed by the late Earl of Zetland to be Provincial Grand Master of

Warwickshire , and it must be in the highest degree gratifying , not only to him , but likewise to all who have at heart the welfare of Freemasonry , to know that of the

twentynine Lodges now on the roll of this Province , no less than seventeen have been consecrated during the quarter of a century he has held the Prov . Grand Mastership . But though in this important respect his government of War-

Masonic Portraits. (No. 41.)

wickshire has been most successful , his efforts in connection with Freemasonry havo not been limited to this class of duty . Whenever a favourable opportunity has presented itself , and some building of public utility has been about to be erected , he has invariably permitted the foundation

stone to be laid with Masonic ceremonial . The following are the occasions on which he himself has presided at such a ceremony , namely , on the 12 th April 1859 , when the first stone was laid of the Leamington Hall Schools ; in 1864 , when the first stone was laid of the Coventry and

Warwickshire Hospital ; while the third occasion fell as recently as the 23 rd of April last , when he laid the first stone of the Shakspeare Memorial , at Stratford-on-Avon . At this ceremony , the gavel used in performing the ceremony was made of a piece of oak taken from Shakspeare ' s own

house . One or two other matters , more immediately associated with the government of his province , and we quit this portion of his Masonic career . It was at a Provincial

Grand Lodge , held at Rugby , on the 23 rd September 1859 , under his presidency , that a resolution to form a Provincial Masonic Benevolent Fund was started . In the year 1864 , he was appointed Provincial Grand Superintendent . Thus far we have confined our observations almost

entirely to what concerns him in common with Craft Masonry , and the events which have marked his career as head of a great Province . Let us now turn to one episode in his career which marks most clearly the estimation in which he is held . When certain negotiations with the

Craft Grand Lodge , with a view to the Mark degree being recognised as part and parcel of pure aud ancient Masonry , came to an end , it was resolved by a number of Mark Lodges to establish a Grand Lodge of their own . This was accordingly done , and on looking around for some

brother of eminence to preside as Grand Mark Master of England and Wales , & c , Ac , the Lodges made selection of " Our Noble Critic , " being governed in their choice , as we are told in the brief history which is prefixed to the Laws and Constitutions of Mark Masonry , by the fact of

his being a sound Constitutional Mason . This high position he filled from 1856 to 1860 , with the greatest credit to himself and infinite credit to the body over which he presided . We consider we are in nowise derogating from the valuable services of those who succeeded him in office

when we say that the present flourishing condition of Mark Masonry is primarily due , in the first place , to the happy selection made of the first Grand Mark Master Mason , and , secondarily , to the tact and ability he displayed in the fulfilment of his duties .

Let us now view him in connectiom with our several Charitable Institutions , and we may venture to affirm that , directly aud indirectly , he has done at least as much as any other Craftsman in contributing to their welfare . He is a Vice-President of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys .

He is a Yice-Patron of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , and one of the Trustees , and he holds similar rank among the supporters of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , and was only a short time since appointed to be a trustee of the Male Fund , in succession to the late

Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot . But this represents only the lesser half of his services to these splendid Charities . We need not dwell again on tho important services which the President of one of our Festival gatherings renders to the Charity in whose behalf he exhibits this signal mark

of his interest . Suffice it to say that y n the year 1860 , he presided at the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . He rendered a similar service to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution the year following , and but for a domestic misfortune would have presided at the Festival

of the Boys' School in 1862 . In 1869 he again figured before the Masonic public , as Chairman of the Girls' School , and last year , when his Province most handsomely supported him to the extent of £ 2 , 000 , he took the chair at the annual gathering in aid of " Our Boys . " It will be difficult to find a worthier record of service than this .

Indeed , so entirely worthy is it in our judgment that we are content to leave it as it stands , without farther comment . Before bringing this portrait to a completion , it may be as well , perhaps , to say why we have described our subject

as '" Our Noble Critic . " Strictly speaking , we ought to follow the sage counsels attributed to a certain judge , who was quite content to take the verdict of a jury , but advised them strongly for their own sakes to refrain from giving their reasons . But while we have presented the subject of our portrait in his public and in his Masonic capacity , we