Notice Of Meetings.

NOTICE OF MEETINGS .

DOMATIC LODGE , So . 177 .

THE lasfc meeting of the session in connection with this Lodge was held on Friday evening , 11 th March , at Anderton ' s Hotel . Fleet-street , when there was a numerous attendance of members and visitors , under the presidency of Bro . A . Simner , Worshipfnl Master . Amongst those present were Bros . H . J . Chapman S . W ., Harvey

J . W ., George Everett P . M . Treasurer , T . Morns Secretary , 11 . Salmon S . D ., J . E . Spnrrell J . D ., J . Billinghnrst I . G ., Good fellow D . C , Hewetson W . S ., Harry Nelson Price I . P . M . ; Past Masters W . J . Ferguson , R . Pierpoint , J . G . Walford , W . J . Herbage ,

A . Bowman Spink , W . M . Funston , E . White , I . Bnscall , & o Lodge having been opened in form aud the minutes of the Inst meeting read and confirmed , was advanced to the third , when Bros . V . Melillo and D . Sfc . V . MoPherson were raised to the sublime

decree , the ceremony being performed by the Worshipful Master m a most impressive and highly satisfactory manner . Resuming in the s < 0 md . Bro . J . Hnniblin was passed , the working in this degree being also admirably carried out . Ou the motion of Bio . Ferguson , a committee , consisting of the Officers of the Lodge and five lay

members , was appointed to carry out the details of an entertain , ment to celebrate the Queen ' s Jubilee , to which ladies will be invited . Some minor matters having beeu transacted , the brethren and visitors adjourned to the Pillar Room , where a sumptuous banquet was provided by Bro . F . H . Clemow . In his

accustomed genial manner , Bro . Simner proposed the loyal toasts , in doing which he pointed out that what with printing , the telegraph , railways , and other improvements over the " good old days , " we lived in highly favoured times , and for much of this we were indebted to Her Majesty tho Queen . He gave them with much

pleasure the Qneen and the Craft ; the toast being received with musical honours . Our Most Worshipful Grand Master , the Prince of Wales , was well-known and appreciated in the Craft , and he was in every respect fully qualified for the exalted position he held as the bead of English Freemasonry . Those who attended the last meeting

of Grand Lodge knew with what acclamation bis Royal Highness was again elected Grand Master , and what a tribute was paid to him for the active interest he took in all matters appertaining to the daft . The next toast was that of the Right Hon . the Earl of Carnarvon , M . W . Pro Grand Mister ; the R . W . Deputy Grand

Mtit-ter , the Earl of Lathom ; and the rest of the Grand Officers , p'es"ht and past . Those who hid the privilege of attending Grand L > dge knew how thoroughly well and satisfactorily the business was transacted . They were foitnnate this evening in having amongst them the Grand Treisnrer-elect , Bro . Richard Eve , » nd he wonld

merely say the election that took place in Grand Lodge last week waa noble victory for a noble and well-known brother . There was not a r ember ol the Domatio Lodge but who rej > ieed at the success

at'ain d by so excellent a Mason as was Bro . E ^ e , and thev one and nil h-id *" ' ason to congratulate themselves upon the result of the election . It was with very great pleasure th . it iv > had the opportunity of nssni'i iting with ihe toast of the Grand OIK NOS tho name of tlie

Gra ' ! Tre . isurer . elect . Bro . Kve , who on rising to respond was most en'hu-iastically received , said he felt a very important duty had been p ac tl upon his should-rs by the Worshipful Master that , evei , ing , namely , th . t of r > spending on behalf of the Grind Officers pre-ent nnd p .-t > f ' ' ' •siii ' ' Lioi" ! e . It was the first time in London he

•unl a tempt "' anything ot the kind , inasmuch ns it was a duty which h » - hol iii-f long been called upon to discharge . But , in obedience to the command ot the W . M ., who wis the sovereign of his Lodge , he rose to respond to the toast , with great pleasure , and yet with a considerable amount of diffidence , because he felt there were many

present who had not been brought into close contact with him for some time , and he had not been able to move and act in Grand Lodge as many of them bad done . Bufc any one who had attended Grand Lodge must have seen that the duties which devolved upon the Earl of . Carnarvon , the Earl of Lathom , and others who were Officers

of Grand Lodge , had been performed with an ability and earnestness of purpose which commended itself to all good and true Masons . They felt that the M . W . Grand Master , in selecting these good brethren for the offices they filled , had exercised a choice of which no brother could in any way complain . There were upon that da'is men

of eminence in all shades of social and political thought , nnd men who knevv well the working of Freemasonry iu till ports of the world . They found in Freemasonry an appropriate and quiet place for meeting together , where all those elements which disturbed peace and tranquillity were thrown aside ; and they found brethren

holding high and lofty positions in the Government and ont of the Government uniting in Grand Lodge , as elsewhere , with quietness , goodwill , and brotherly love . Ifc was an essential part of Freemasonry to have men so qualified to discharge the dntit s of Grand Lodge , and to find that those qualifications permeated through all

sections of Masonry , not only in Grand Lodge , bufc private Lodges as well ; he shonld be sorry were anything to arise to mar tbat feeling nf pence anil harmony which now reigned supreme throughout the Ciatf . Their excellent Worshipful Master had kindly mentioned that , he ( the speaker ) had been elected to the office of Grand Treasurer

and he conld nssnre them he felt the honour of that position most deeply . He felt it was one of the most honourable positions that any brother conld aspire to , and to his mind it was the embodiment of all that a broth T who had lived aud moved activel y in Freemasonic conld possibly expect . It was the ono great office in the

hands of the Craft which they had at , fieir disposal . The od ' o > of Grand Master was an elective office , and so long as His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales consented to honour the Craft bv holding that high aud exulted position , which he filled so well , the Craft •would honour themselves by electing him to it . In regard to tbe office of Grand Treasurer , the case was somewhat different , but it

Notice Of Meetings.

was the highest elective position to which any ordinary member o ! tho Craffc could aspire . There were many distinguished positions distinguished men of honour could aspire to , bnt ho assured them if there was ono post more than another he should like to take upon himself it would be that which the Craffc had done him tho

honour dnring the past week of p lacing within his reach . Ho seemed scarcely yet to realise fully the duty which was embodied , but he appreciated the honour which had been conferred npon him by one of the greatest Grand Lodges that ever assembled in this country ; be might say tho largest . Ho had the high privilege of being

elected by that large gathering of brethren of the London and Provincial Lodges to the office of Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year , and he could assure them that although ho aspired to that honour , ho felt , when he had obtainod it , the resnlt was more than he was ablo to bear . That he should have been elected by such a

majority in the presence of so large an assembly , not only from Lodges in London and the suburbs , but also from the Province ? , was most gratifying certainly to himself , but the compliment was so great that , as he told a friend near him , he grew really pale with the thought that so many brethren should be there , and tbat he should

be elected by suoh a vast majority . He felt that he scarcely deserved that honour , but he sincerely trusted that Masonry would not suffer by his having been elected to the position of Grand Treasurer . Thafc office was one the dignity of which the brethren should be anxious to preserve , so that ifc might

not lose the estimation in which it had hitherto been held in all parts of the world . He was pleased to be amongst them that evening , by invitation of their Worshipful Master , to whom he owed a deep debt of gratitude . It was difficult sometimes to know what to say , but his difficulty on this occasion was rather what not to

say , but , he repeated , he owed their W . M . a deep debt of gratitude for the kindness he had evinced towards him ( the speaker ) iu reference to the recent election , and it bad made a deep impression upon him . It was through an intimation he received shortly after he had the hononr of visiting the Domatic Lodge , some months ago ,

that he became acquainted with certain matters which to his mind were most painful , for however much one might be met b y aspersions in the outside world , one scarcely expected to be met by snch aspersions in a Masouic Lodge or from brethren of the Craft , He felt it to be bis duty , painful as it was fco him—though be would

not dwell upon that parfc of the subject—to rebut these aspersions He felt there was in Freemasonry such a feeling of what he called fair-play , snch a desire on the parfc of the brethren to see the ri ght man was selected , or at any rate thafc the man who acted rightly should not go withont his reward , that they would vindicate not

only the hononr of Freemasonry but demonstrate to the world that charges againsfc a man of any specific character , either religiousl y or politically , should not enter into Masonic life . He was nnder a deep debt of gratitude to the many brethren who so nobly cime forward and supported him in the time of trial . He loved and honoured the

Craft all the more for what they had done for him , and he should endeavour to discharge the functions of his exalted office to the very best of his ability . He felt that Freemasonry cemented men in ties of love and friendship when they wonld otherwise be estranged , thafc ifc brought them together iu brotherly intercourse when they

would otherwise never have known one another , and that it wonld be in the future conducive to the same desirable ends , not onl y amongst those within the fold , but would exercise a beneficial radiating influence far beyond it . They h id passed through a trying position during the past week , when hundreds of brethren satin

Grand Lodge in order that they might give their veto to what had occurred outside , and to which he had alluded . He was glad to see that Freemasonry was considered so good , that , there were so many who took a deep interest iu it , aud testified that interest by loss of time , travelling long distances , and in other wavs , to attend the

election of Grand treasurer . He felt a double debt of gratitude to the members of the Domatic Lodge , who did him the honour of receiving him scarcely a month ago ; and he believed the fact of his comin » here was the turning point of the election , so far as London brethren were coucerned . Many of them knew him but little , whilst others

knew bim well , and he thanked Bro . George Everett for having given him the opportunity at that time of coming amongst them , and he believed it was in a great manner due to their kindness that he had achieved the honour to which he aspired . Let him tell them now , he had no conception till the end of last year he should ever run for

the Grand Treasurership . Whatever he had done in Freemasonry had not been with a view to office ; bat he was giad they had so nobly supported him in his candidature , thafc so many members of tho Domatic Lodge rallied around himou that occasion . He thanked them again for the Grand Officers , who were not present to speak for

themselves , and also on his own behalf for their consideration in the past and iandness at the present time . The Grand Treasurer-elect resumed his seat amidst loud and prolonged applause . Bro . H . N . Price I . P . M . then proposed the health of the Worshi pfnl Master , to whom he referred as a thoroughly good and worthy brother , fully

competent to discharge the important dnties of the chair of the Domatic Lodge . If . wns known that Bro . Simner intended going np as Steward to the next Festival of tho Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , and had promised that , in the event of his list being made up to a total of 100 guineas he would personally supplement it bvan equal

amount . He hoped the Lodge would bo well to tho fore o : i that occasion , as the Gitls' School was an institution well deserving their support Th !) toast having been hear ily received , Bro , Simner returned thanks . He hoped to be able to discharge th ^ duties of his office with credit to himself and satisfaction to the brethren , tie was

conscious ol his own short comings , but being near thoir ve''y able I . I ' . M . that was half the battle ; he was [ . based to find that his slight , efforts to promote tho happiness of the brethren had been

well received . Bio . Pi ice was going round with the list fi' -r the Girls ' School : he thanked the Pa-fc Masters for their each havincr contributed five guineas , whilst the I . P . M . hacl promised ten guineas . If all the brethren followed that example there would be