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Masonic Portraits. (No. 54.)
MASONIC PORTRAITS . ( No . 54 . )
A DEVON CRAFTSMAN .
The virtues of a private life , Exceed the glorious noise and strife Of battles won : in those we find The solid int'rest of mankind . THERE are few English counties so happily circumstanced as that of Devon . Its fertility is beyond
question . It is rich in historical associations . Its " seadogs " tako a foremost rank among our ablest and most brilliant naval heroes . Its principal port is the second naval station in the kingdom , ancl we may therefore add , with every feeling of confidence , that there is but one
other in the whole world which surpasses it . It can boast of a long army of worthies , whose names aro " household words " in the country they have adorned . It is , consequently , no matter for wonder that Devon should occupy a high place among our Masonic Provinces . Whatever
there is of good and noble and worthy in the United Kingdom is sure of a position in this favoured district , nor is it surprising , therefore , that at a very early date Freemasonry , at its so-called " revival , " in 1717 , should at a very earlyMatc have succeeded in establishing a firm foothold
here , or that in the long list of eminent Craftsmen , Devon should be able to boast of many among the more conspicuous . The subject of our present sketch is one of those who will be remembered Avith pleasure by all his fellows as a worthy Mason , as much for his practical
application of the three virtues which it is the duty of Freemasonry to inculcate as for the deep scientific knowledge he possesses of its hidden truths and mysteries . He is one who , in every degree ancl in every office , has made it his chief aim to be as nearly perfect as possible in whatever was
required of him . He has laboured hard , and his labours have been attended with more than the usual amount of success . He is not an old member of the Craft . Indeed , if we note only the number of years he has belonged to it , we must candidly admit that he is yet a long way off from
the attainment of what wc will venture to describe as his Masonic majority . But though his years as a Mason are few , he has served long enough to attain a very hio-h degree ot distinction , and our " Devon Craftsman " is not only well known and respected within the narrower limits of
the Province to which he owes allegiance , but he is likewise known and respected in the far wider and more extended limits of the Craft throughout England . This is , indeed , a satisfactory achievement for one whose career as a brother has endured for less than twelve years , ancl if all our
brethren were minded to work as he has done , there would bo no branch of the Craft universal so firmly ancl so happily placed as that which acknowledges the rule of the Grand Master of England . There is this , perhaps , to be said as accounting- for the success of our brother . He
is a man of understanding ancl of culture . Moreover , by his very profession he is compelled almost daily to examine most minutely tho nicest and most obscure points of the law . He must be prepared to give an opinion offhand on questions of gravity and delicacy , and it is easily comprehensible how one inured to such habits of mind would in a
very short time accustom himself to deal witb the abstruse studies of Masonic science . However , it is no business of ours to dwell at any considerable length on a brother ' s
private career—using the word " private " in contradistinction from the word " Masonic . " Our duty is to cbronicle the deeds he has done in the cause of Preemasonry , and to this agreeable duty we forthwith betake ourselves .
The career of our "Devon Craftsman " as a Mason is ante
nor to his connection Avith this particular Province . In fact , his Masonic infancy and the earliest distinction he gained as a brother are associated with the Province of Kent , a Province much nearer the head-quarters of the Craft . He Avas , in short , initiated in the Holmesdale Lodge , No . 874 ,
. Tunbridge Wells , in the month of October 1866 , and he attained to the second and third degrees in the months of November and December . In March of the folloAving year , he was appointed to the office of Inner Guard , a subordinate office , yet one Avhich even more eminent Masons
still have again ancl again been pleased to hold—it is needless to say Avith Avhat advantage to the Lodges of Avhich they happened to be members . In March 1871 , he joined the Sincerity Lodge , No . 189 , East Stonehouse , ancl in doing so Avas under the necessit y of severing his connection
Masonic Portraits. (No. 54.)
witb his Mother Lodge . The propriety of such a step will be unhesitatingly recognised . It Avas impossible he could justly fulfil his Masonic duties in the Provinces of Kent and Devon , considering the distance at Avhich they are
situated from one another . It was incumbent , therefore , on him , Avhen transferring his residence from the former to tho latter county , to transfer his allegiance from a Kent to a Devon Lodere . On the 24 th June of the same
year , ho was appointed Junior Deacon in the Sincerity , and on tho same day in the year following ho had the honour of being re-appointed to that office . In this latter year , he became a joining member of the St . John ' s Lodge , No . 1247 , Plymouth , a comparatively
young Lodgo , having beeu constituted only in 1868 , and requiring , therefore , it may be supposed , more support from young and energetic brethren than one Avhich already boasted an existence of upAvards of a century . On the 27 th December of the same year he Avas appointed Junior
Deacou of tho St . John ' s ; on 14 th July 1873 he had conferred upon him the still more responsible office of Junior Warden of tho Sincerity , and ultimately on the 24 th Juno 1874 , he attained Avhat is regarded as tho goal of every true and Avorthy Mason's ambition—the Mastership of his
Lodge . On that clay he was formally installed into the highest office it Avas in the power of his brethren of the Sincerity to bestoAv , and there Avere upwards of forty Past Past Masters present to Avitness tho interesting ceremony . This fact alone will serve to show the high esteem in which
he Avas held by his felloAvs . On the 24 th June of the folloAving year he was further honoured by being elected to represent the Lodge of Sincerity on the Committee of Petitions for tho Province of Devon , and it must be obvious to our readers
that such an election could only have fallen on one Avho Avas deemed Avorthy as Avell as in every Avay capable of discussing and adjudicating upon matters requiring the most serious ancl attentive consideration . On the
24 th June of the folloAving year he Avas re-elected on a similar Committee , and in two months' time , that is , on the 31 st August , his A'aluable services wero accorded a still more conspicuous honour , as on that day bo Avas appointed to be Senior Grand Warden of his Province . That his services as a member of the Committee on
Petitions Avere of a highly meritorious character , may bo gathered from his election for the third time in June of last year , and as Ave aro justified in anticipating his future conduct of affairs from what has gone before , Ave should say there is every probability that his Province will call upon
him to continue on this Committee , so long as he has time and health to spare for tho fulfilment of its duties . If we add that ou the 25 th June of last year , his connection Avith the St . John ' s Lodge ceased , AVO shall have noted all the leading points in his career as a Craft Mason .
As a R . A . Mason his career has necessarily been shorter , but Ave do not think Ave are over-statinjr the case if we
declare it as our opinion that in this recognised branch of the Masonic science , he has achieved almost as great distinction as in tho Craft pure ancl simple . He Avas exalted as a Companion'in the Sincerity Chapter No . 189 , East Stonehouse , on the 24 th April 1871 , or , in fact , only a feAVAveeks
after becoming a joining member of the Sincerity Lodge . In September of the same year , he Avas appointed Eirsfc Granct Standard Bearer in the Provincial Grand Chapter . In January of the year folloAving , he became Pr . Soj . in his Chapter , and in 1874 , by a special dispensation of tho
Provincial Grand Superintendent , Avas installed as J . and H . ; while in 1875 , his honours as a Royal Arch Mason culminated in his installation as Z . or Pirst Principal of the Chapter he had so regularly attended , and so ably served .
But it is not alone in Craft and Arch Masonry that our worthy brother has achieved distinction far above and beyond what ordinarily falls to the lot of Masons . On 2 nd January 1872 , he Avas advanced to the degree of Mark Master in Lodge Sincerity No . 35 East Stonehouse , ancl in
the November following was appointed M . O . In 1873 he rose to the position of Senior Warden , ancl a week or tAvo afterwards had the honour of the Junior Wardenship of tho Provincial Grand Lodge of M . M . M . Devon conft ' rred upon him , Avhile on the very same day he joined the Elliott
Mark Lodge , East Stonehouse . On 4 th November 1874 he Avas installed as Master of the Sincerity , ancl in Feb - ruary of the current year he has achieved similar distinction in the Elliott Lodge . To complete the list of hia Mark honours , AVC must add that in June 1876 he attained the rank of Junior Grand Deacon of the Mark Grand
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Portraits. (No. 54.)
MASONIC PORTRAITS . ( No . 54 . )
A DEVON CRAFTSMAN .
The virtues of a private life , Exceed the glorious noise and strife Of battles won : in those we find The solid int'rest of mankind . THERE are few English counties so happily circumstanced as that of Devon . Its fertility is beyond
question . It is rich in historical associations . Its " seadogs " tako a foremost rank among our ablest and most brilliant naval heroes . Its principal port is the second naval station in the kingdom , ancl we may therefore add , with every feeling of confidence , that there is but one
other in the whole world which surpasses it . It can boast of a long army of worthies , whose names aro " household words " in the country they have adorned . It is , consequently , no matter for wonder that Devon should occupy a high place among our Masonic Provinces . Whatever
there is of good and noble and worthy in the United Kingdom is sure of a position in this favoured district , nor is it surprising , therefore , that at a very early date Freemasonry , at its so-called " revival , " in 1717 , should at a very earlyMatc have succeeded in establishing a firm foothold
here , or that in the long list of eminent Craftsmen , Devon should be able to boast of many among the more conspicuous . The subject of our present sketch is one of those who will be remembered Avith pleasure by all his fellows as a worthy Mason , as much for his practical
application of the three virtues which it is the duty of Freemasonry to inculcate as for the deep scientific knowledge he possesses of its hidden truths and mysteries . He is one who , in every degree ancl in every office , has made it his chief aim to be as nearly perfect as possible in whatever was
required of him . He has laboured hard , and his labours have been attended with more than the usual amount of success . He is not an old member of the Craft . Indeed , if we note only the number of years he has belonged to it , we must candidly admit that he is yet a long way off from
the attainment of what wc will venture to describe as his Masonic majority . But though his years as a Mason are few , he has served long enough to attain a very hio-h degree ot distinction , and our " Devon Craftsman " is not only well known and respected within the narrower limits of
the Province to which he owes allegiance , but he is likewise known and respected in the far wider and more extended limits of the Craft throughout England . This is , indeed , a satisfactory achievement for one whose career as a brother has endured for less than twelve years , ancl if all our
brethren were minded to work as he has done , there would bo no branch of the Craft universal so firmly ancl so happily placed as that which acknowledges the rule of the Grand Master of England . There is this , perhaps , to be said as accounting- for the success of our brother . He
is a man of understanding ancl of culture . Moreover , by his very profession he is compelled almost daily to examine most minutely tho nicest and most obscure points of the law . He must be prepared to give an opinion offhand on questions of gravity and delicacy , and it is easily comprehensible how one inured to such habits of mind would in a
very short time accustom himself to deal witb the abstruse studies of Masonic science . However , it is no business of ours to dwell at any considerable length on a brother ' s
private career—using the word " private " in contradistinction from the word " Masonic . " Our duty is to cbronicle the deeds he has done in the cause of Preemasonry , and to this agreeable duty we forthwith betake ourselves .
The career of our "Devon Craftsman " as a Mason is ante
nor to his connection Avith this particular Province . In fact , his Masonic infancy and the earliest distinction he gained as a brother are associated with the Province of Kent , a Province much nearer the head-quarters of the Craft . He Avas , in short , initiated in the Holmesdale Lodge , No . 874 ,
. Tunbridge Wells , in the month of October 1866 , and he attained to the second and third degrees in the months of November and December . In March of the folloAving year , he was appointed to the office of Inner Guard , a subordinate office , yet one Avhich even more eminent Masons
still have again ancl again been pleased to hold—it is needless to say Avith Avhat advantage to the Lodges of Avhich they happened to be members . In March 1871 , he joined the Sincerity Lodge , No . 189 , East Stonehouse , ancl in doing so Avas under the necessit y of severing his connection
Masonic Portraits. (No. 54.)
witb his Mother Lodge . The propriety of such a step will be unhesitatingly recognised . It Avas impossible he could justly fulfil his Masonic duties in the Provinces of Kent and Devon , considering the distance at Avhich they are
situated from one another . It was incumbent , therefore , on him , Avhen transferring his residence from the former to tho latter county , to transfer his allegiance from a Kent to a Devon Lodere . On the 24 th June of the same
year , ho was appointed Junior Deacon in the Sincerity , and on tho same day in the year following ho had the honour of being re-appointed to that office . In this latter year , he became a joining member of the St . John ' s Lodge , No . 1247 , Plymouth , a comparatively
young Lodgo , having beeu constituted only in 1868 , and requiring , therefore , it may be supposed , more support from young and energetic brethren than one Avhich already boasted an existence of upAvards of a century . On the 27 th December of the same year he Avas appointed Junior
Deacou of tho St . John ' s ; on 14 th July 1873 he had conferred upon him the still more responsible office of Junior Warden of tho Sincerity , and ultimately on the 24 th Juno 1874 , he attained Avhat is regarded as tho goal of every true and Avorthy Mason's ambition—the Mastership of his
Lodge . On that clay he was formally installed into the highest office it Avas in the power of his brethren of the Sincerity to bestoAv , and there Avere upwards of forty Past Past Masters present to Avitness tho interesting ceremony . This fact alone will serve to show the high esteem in which
he Avas held by his felloAvs . On the 24 th June of the folloAving year he was further honoured by being elected to represent the Lodge of Sincerity on the Committee of Petitions for tho Province of Devon , and it must be obvious to our readers
that such an election could only have fallen on one Avho Avas deemed Avorthy as Avell as in every Avay capable of discussing and adjudicating upon matters requiring the most serious ancl attentive consideration . On the
24 th June of the folloAving year he Avas re-elected on a similar Committee , and in two months' time , that is , on the 31 st August , his A'aluable services wero accorded a still more conspicuous honour , as on that day bo Avas appointed to be Senior Grand Warden of his Province . That his services as a member of the Committee on
Petitions Avere of a highly meritorious character , may bo gathered from his election for the third time in June of last year , and as Ave aro justified in anticipating his future conduct of affairs from what has gone before , Ave should say there is every probability that his Province will call upon
him to continue on this Committee , so long as he has time and health to spare for tho fulfilment of its duties . If we add that ou the 25 th June of last year , his connection Avith the St . John ' s Lodge ceased , AVO shall have noted all the leading points in his career as a Craft Mason .
As a R . A . Mason his career has necessarily been shorter , but Ave do not think Ave are over-statinjr the case if we
declare it as our opinion that in this recognised branch of the Masonic science , he has achieved almost as great distinction as in tho Craft pure ancl simple . He Avas exalted as a Companion'in the Sincerity Chapter No . 189 , East Stonehouse , on the 24 th April 1871 , or , in fact , only a feAVAveeks
after becoming a joining member of the Sincerity Lodge . In September of the same year , he Avas appointed Eirsfc Granct Standard Bearer in the Provincial Grand Chapter . In January of the year folloAving , he became Pr . Soj . in his Chapter , and in 1874 , by a special dispensation of tho
Provincial Grand Superintendent , Avas installed as J . and H . ; while in 1875 , his honours as a Royal Arch Mason culminated in his installation as Z . or Pirst Principal of the Chapter he had so regularly attended , and so ably served .
But it is not alone in Craft and Arch Masonry that our worthy brother has achieved distinction far above and beyond what ordinarily falls to the lot of Masons . On 2 nd January 1872 , he Avas advanced to the degree of Mark Master in Lodge Sincerity No . 35 East Stonehouse , ancl in
the November following was appointed M . O . In 1873 he rose to the position of Senior Warden , ancl a week or tAvo afterwards had the honour of the Junior Wardenship of tho Provincial Grand Lodge of M . M . M . Devon conft ' rred upon him , Avhile on the very same day he joined the Elliott
Mark Lodge , East Stonehouse . On 4 th November 1874 he Avas installed as Master of the Sincerity , ancl in Feb - ruary of the current year he has achieved similar distinction in the Elliott Lodge . To complete the list of hia Mark honours , AVC must add that in June 1876 he attained the rank of Junior Grand Deacon of the Mark Grand