The Washinston Centenary In America.

THE WASHINSTON CENTENARY IN AMERICA .

THE members of the Constitutional Lodge , No . 294 , Beverley , Yorks , as briefly reported by us at the time , forwarded a wreath , in the form of a square and compasses , to be placed on Washington ' s tomb at Mount Vernon on the 14 th December last , the hundredth anniversary of his death ; and Lord Londesborough P . M . of the Lodge and P . G . Senior Warden of England forwarded a wreath of oak

and evergreen from Londesborough Park for the same purpose . Both attracted great attention in America , and were received with every mark of respect . The members of Constitutional Lodge , in addition , sent a Union Jack to be placed , along with the Stars and Stripes , over a bust of Washington in the Lodge room at Beverley , Mass ., U . S . A ., where it arrived on Christmas Day .

The following verses accompained the wreaths sent by the Earl of Londesborough and the Worshipful Master , Officers , and Brethren of the Constitutional Lodge :

An English Wreath we fain would lay Upon this mighty Tomb to-day—Of laurel , ivy , o ; ik , and yew , Which drank the English sun and dew On far off Yorkshire ' s grassy sod ; Where once—we boast—his fathers trod , * Whom East and West unite to praise And crown with never fading bays .

O Washington , thy symbol be The oak for strength and constancy : For grandeur and for grace of form ; For calmness in the stress and storm , The monarch of the forest thou ! To thee the generations bow ; And under thy great shadow rest , For ever free , for ever blest .

And thine the laurel , for the fame Illustrious of a Conqueror's name—Patient to wait and prompt to strike , Intrepid , fiery , mild alike : Great , for the greatness of the foe Which fell by thy repeated blow : Great , for thy Country ' s greatness , won By thee , her most beloved Son .

And as the ivy twines around Cottage and tower , thy heart was found Clinging to home , and church and wife , The sweeter for the finished strife : And so thy memory , like the yew , Will still be green to mortal view" The greatest of good men " confest By all , " and of great men the best I "

RICHARD WILTON , Canon of York , and Chaplain to the Earl of Londesborough . Londesborough Rectory , East Yorkshire , November 1899 .

(*) John Washington , the founder of the American family of Washington , and great grandlather of the President , lived at South Cave , Beverley , England . Accompanying the wreaths were the following addresses : — Londesborough Park .

A humble token of respectful admiration for one of the greatest architects the world has known , whose work every Englishman prays may endure and prosper through all time . From Londesborough , An English hon . member of Liberty Lodge ,

Beverley , Mass ., U . S . A ., And Past Master of Constitutional Lodge , No . 294 , Beverley , Yorkshire , England .

From the Worshipful Master , Officers , and Brethren of the Constitutional Lodge , No . 294 , Of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons , of Beverley , East Yorkshire , England . A Token

of the high esteem in which the character of the Illustrious Washington is held .

14 th December 1899 . Bro . Thomson Foley P . M ., in a letter dated 23 rd November , from the Constitutional Lodge , Beverley , to Bro . J . S . Douglass Secretary of the Alexandra Washington Lodge , U . S . A ., states : — "I have forwarded by the s . s . Germanic two wreaths to place on the tomb of the illustrious Washington , one from the Earl of Londesboroueh . the other

from the Constitutional Lodge . I hope they will arrive safe and in good time . The wreaths are composed of oak , laurel , ivy , and yew . May the oak be an emblem not only of the long continuance of the Fraternal goodwill of the Brethren on each side of the Atlantic , but of the lasting friendship of the two peoples . May the laurel crown the enterprises of

The Washinston Centenary In America.

both which tend to emancipate the oppressed and raise the fallen . As the ivy clings to its support may the two nations , in whose veins run the same blood , sprung from the same freedom-loving stock , continue to cling to and uphold each

other in all their laudable undertakings . And may the friendship both of the Brethren and people continue as fresh ( as the ever-green yew ) in the ages to come as it does at the close of the 19 th century . "

In a letter received by Bro . Foley from Bro . Charles Woodbery P . M . of the Liberty Lodge , Massachussetts , and an Honorary Member of the Constitutional Lodge , the latter observes : — "At Beverley ( Mass . ) and at Alexandra the Brethren have been overwhelmed with kindness and attention ,

which they could never half repay . The Virginians were excited over the Earl ' s wreath and the Lodge tribute . The wreath was displayed in a large window at Alexandra , and hundreds went to view it . Many asked for a leaf and an acorn . They had to cover the window in the rear so that no

one could get at it . The Lodge had it photographed . 3 , 000 Masons were in Alexandra , and it was nearly impossible to get by the window . On Wednesday evening it was borne by two of the Brethren of the Lodge to the boat . Every dry leaf that blew off on the way was scrambled for . At the

Grand Lodge of Virginia , at the request of the G . M ., I read your sentiments again . The Earl and the English Lodge were cheered , all the members rising . The poem has been

received by all the people , and is being copied from city to city , we learn every day . " A copy of the poem , he adds , was posted at the University of New York , and created great enthusiasm .

The following is an extract from a letter from the President of the United States to a member of the Liberty Lodge , Beverley , Mass . : — "I am very glad to learn that the Fraternal relations existing between Liberty Lodge and

Constitutional Lodge , of Beverley , England , are so cordial . Such relationships do much to develop a Fraternal and international spirit of goodwill . The Earl of Londesborough has certainly behaved very generously in this and other matters . The wreath which he sent for the Mount Vernon exercises has arrived , and is said to be very handsome . "" Beverley Independent . "

The Provincial Grand Master of Devonshire Lord Northcote of Exeter , better known as yet as the Right Hon . Sir Stafford Northcote , the newly-appointed Governor of Bombay , paid a farewell visit to his former constituents on Tuesday , and was entertained at a round of festivities . At

noon he was presented in the Guildhall with the freedom of Exeter , the diploma being enclosed in a silver casket , bearing an appropriate inscription . The Mayor paid a high tribute to the services of their youngest freeman during the twenty

years he had represented the city in Parliament . Afterwards Lord and Lady Northcote were entertained to luncheon , and in the evening , at a concert , her ladyship was presented with an album , and his lordship with 300 guineas , wherewith to endow a Northcote bed in the Devon and Exeter Hospital .

Bro . E . Burgess , who left the Isle of Man on Monday , 8 th inst ., goes to Burton to take up a responsible position with Messrs . Allsopp , as announced in the " Manxman" a month ago . Bro . Burgess has been in active prominence amongst the Masonic Fraternity for the past ten years . Two

years ago he filled the W . M . chair in St . Trinian Lodge , and at the present time he holds a high position in Athole Chapter , No . 1004 . At the instigation of Bro . G . Watterson Z . of the Athole Chapter , and Bro . T . H . Royston W . M . 2050 W . M . M . 323 , a farewell dinner was given in honour of

Bro . Burgess on Friday evening , 5 th , being confined solely to Masonic friends . A goodly number assembled in the Masonic Hall . The toast of " Our departing guest" was proposed by Bro . Rev . R . B . Baron and supported by Bro . Watterson . The speeches were highly eulogistic of Bro .

Burgess ' s good qualities—his quiet unassuming manner , his unselfish devotion to Freemasonry , his admirable business attainments , and his other bon homtne characteristics were appropriately remarked upon . Bros . Dr . Greville , David Clarke and others spoke in a similar strain , and the audience

emphasised all the good things said by paying musical honours to the guest . Bro . Burgess , who was visibly affected , referred to his pleasant associations with Manx

Masonry , whose interests he had done his best to promote . In his new sphere he should never forget the many kind friends he left behind , nor wipe from his fond records the enduring examples of their friendship .