Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Girls' School. The Subscription List At The Recent Festival.
West Yorkshire , with a long array of stewards , headed by its G . M ., Sir Henry Edwards , contributes the sum of £ 707 16 s , and in 1875 gave £ 580 17 s . The Punjanb appears for ten guineas , and the Grand Council of the Red Cross Order for £ 119 13 s . Thus of forty-one
provinces , or with Beds , Channel Isles—exciusivo of Jersey —and Isle of Man , forty-four , twenty-one are among the subscribers , and of these fifteen , Berks and Bucks , Cheshire , Kent , Lancashire East , Lancashire West , Lincolnshire , Middlesex , North Wales and Salop , Oxfordshire ,
Somersetshire , South Wales East , Suffolk , Surrey , Warwickshire , and West Yorkshire appear both last year and this ; eight others were represented in 1875 , but not on the occasion just past . It remains that of tho forty-four Provinces or Districts , fifteen are not comprised in either of the subscription
lists , or , in other words , have not contributed these two years towards the support of the Giils' School . These are Beds , Cambs , Cornwall , Dorset , Cumberland and Westmoreland , Durham , Gloucestershire , Herefordshire ,
Leicestershire , Norfolk , Northampton and Hunts , Northumberland , Worcestershire , Channel Islands , and Isle of Man . Some of them , however , will bo found contributing to our other charities , and others havo local charitable institutions of their own .
It will be evident from the foregoing particulars that a very considerable number of Lodges aro not to he found in this or indeed in any of the annual subscription lists . We do not say they are neglectful of their duty . We draw attention to the fact , in order that some of them mav
be led to contribute of their own free will , bysending up , and so swelling 'he number of the stewards on these important occasions ; or that they maybe induced to contribute by a zealons canvass on the part of some of the more active brethren . More than once have we pointed out that we are by no
means the first to call attention to tho subscriptions being only partial . By improved organisation , by a greater display of energy , this partiality may be remedied . We trust it may he , for the more general the support , the bettei for our charities .
Masonic Portraits (No. 28.) The Father Of The Lodge.
MASONIC PORTRAITS ( No . 28 . ) THE FATHER OF THE LODGE .
" So live , that when thy snmmoris comes to join The innumerable caravan that moves To that mysterious realm , ... ..
Thou go .... sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust , .... Like ono who wraps the drapery of his conch About him , and lies down to pleasant dreams . "
IF these sketches of ours were not accurate transcripts from the life , we might often indulge in ideal dreams of Masonic perfection , or of Masonic wisdom , which perhaps would prove amusing enough , however baseless they might be in fact . We might draw , for example , a
portrait of the modern Masonic sage , and for the due development of so august a figure we might turn to the sentimental school of fiction for our model of style or imagery . He , of course , should be a sort of Zanoni , mysterious , solemn , awe-inspiring . Full of strange dreamy
lore , and of still stranger fancies concerning human destiny and the tendency of human effort . Wo should surround our sage with all the theatrical accessories which , time out of mind , have formed a portion of tho stock in trade of the pretender . Crabbed manuscri pts , with here and there
a mystic mathematical problem , strange instruments , Masons' tools , of antique typo ; while the feeble glimmer of the lamp in his cell should reveal weird pictures of the Pyramids , or tho temple of Belus , or , more suggestive still , diagrams , amongst which the pentaclo wouidof course ,
, be conspicuous . Our ideal sage would be deeply learned , an ardent collector of books and manuscripts , and a bold speculator in those obscure realms of metaphysics iu which so many a dreamer has lost his way . His rank , of course , we could readily settle in a moment . He would be a Mason
of the highest attainments , in whose presence even the Grand Master himself would seem of second rank . He should be an apostle of mystery in its most obscure form ,
but ho should likewise be well practised in the daily business of the Order , aud should carry its laws written clearly on the tablets ' of his brain . A judicial mind , and consequent calm judgment , a dignified bearing , and a silent
Masonic Portraits (No. 28.) The Father Of The Lodge.
tongue ! Such would be the sort of Masonic high priest which we might present to a fiction-loving public , and perhaps , like all fictions , it might contain a germ of truth , battered indeed out of all shape , or spread out like gold leaf to cover the coarser parts of the picture . Happily ,
few of us hvo in the realms of sentiment and romance ; the first has ceased to be popular since Byron ' s poetry went out of fashion , and the latter has quite departed , to make way for realism , which is often in its way as repulsive as the mock emotions and the mock courage of the heroes of
that school of fiction which was finally conjured away by the spells of Sir Walter Scott . Iu truth , there is enough matter for telling biographical writing within our reach to render any resort to the realms of pure imagination quite unnecessary . It may never be our province nor our good
fortune to write the lives of the seven wise men of the Order , whoever they may be , bnt if we are not yet called upon to exhibit a sage to the admiring gaze of the brethren , we may venture to introduce to the notice of our readers one of the Fathers of the Craft , whose cheerful English
face , with its venerable garnish of beard , smiles upon tis from a life-like photograph as we write . It is the face , indeed , of a brother who appears to have taken the adverse strokes of fortune as placidly as he received its favours . A jovial , cheerful man , who has always a pleasant word for a
brother , and wise counsel for those who seek it . He is a Masonic veteran , with experience which extends over half a century , and knowledge of the Craft as far-reaching and as deep as that of any of the galaxy of distinguished brethren . He was born in 1800 , and is consequently in his
seventy-sixth year , and was initiated , in 1827 , in the Bank of England Lodge , of which he is now the father . Generations have entered and passed tho chair since our neophyte nervously took upon himself the solemn obligations which Masonry imposes upon its members . The
young have become old , have dropped out of the ranks of the Craft , and out of the interminable ranks of men . New faces and forms have come up in succession , like the neverending processions in the dreams of an opium-eater , and the old comrades , some of whom were famous , seem to
belong to an age long buried . O'Brien , author of " The Round Towers of Ireland , " Douglas Jerrold , Dr . Crucefix , originator of the Institution for aged Masons , have passed for ever from the Lodge , and their places are
occupied by living worthies , who regard the " Father " as a true patriarch . Sir Michael , and his kind brother Raphael Costa , Zachariah Watkins , and others , now grown grey in honours , are amongst the men who have made the "Bank of England" famous in the Masonic
world . In spite of the ceaseless change to which every body corporate is subject , the Father of the Lodge , in response to the ever-welcome toast of " The Past Masters , " smiles pleasantly upon his brethren , and his voice , unshaken by age , still trolls out the accustomed
song"Timo ! Time ! Time ! Why ponder o'er thy glass To count tho dull sand pass ? " He is the survivor of a zealous few who , forty years since , saved the old Lodge from premature extinction . In the
year 1831 its members had so dwindled away that the propriety of surrendering tho warrant and affiliating with the Lodge of Fidelity , No . 3 , was seriously mooted . Wiser counsels , however , prevailed , and Dr . Davies , the W . M ., with his help , carried the Lodge safely through its period
of difficulty , and entered it upon that career of great prosperity which it has since so steadily pursued . The Lodge , now 263 on the roll of England , has proved
grateful for the fostering care bestowed upon it , and bids fair to survive as many successive fathers as the father of it has seen generations of members come and go . May it see them , as the ideal of the poet has seen : —
" Tho thin tiny pineshmb peep up from the moss , The wren ' s foot would cover it , tripping across ; The beechnut , down dropping , would crush it beneath , But 'tis warm'd by Heaven ' s sunshine aud fanned by its breath The eagle has seen it , upstruggling to sight ,
He has seen it defying the storm in its might , Then prostrate , soil-blended , with plants sprouting o ' er , But the grey forest eagle is still as of yore . His flaming eye dims not , his wing is unbowed , Still drinks he the sunshine , still scales he the clond . "
And may it be the type of many a good old Lodge of which the members may be as justly proud ! In the maguificent folio album commenced by the Lodge nearly forty years since there is a smiling face pourtrayed
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Girls' School. The Subscription List At The Recent Festival.
West Yorkshire , with a long array of stewards , headed by its G . M ., Sir Henry Edwards , contributes the sum of £ 707 16 s , and in 1875 gave £ 580 17 s . The Punjanb appears for ten guineas , and the Grand Council of the Red Cross Order for £ 119 13 s . Thus of forty-one
provinces , or with Beds , Channel Isles—exciusivo of Jersey —and Isle of Man , forty-four , twenty-one are among the subscribers , and of these fifteen , Berks and Bucks , Cheshire , Kent , Lancashire East , Lancashire West , Lincolnshire , Middlesex , North Wales and Salop , Oxfordshire ,
Somersetshire , South Wales East , Suffolk , Surrey , Warwickshire , and West Yorkshire appear both last year and this ; eight others were represented in 1875 , but not on the occasion just past . It remains that of tho forty-four Provinces or Districts , fifteen are not comprised in either of the subscription
lists , or , in other words , have not contributed these two years towards the support of the Giils' School . These are Beds , Cambs , Cornwall , Dorset , Cumberland and Westmoreland , Durham , Gloucestershire , Herefordshire ,
Leicestershire , Norfolk , Northampton and Hunts , Northumberland , Worcestershire , Channel Islands , and Isle of Man . Some of them , however , will bo found contributing to our other charities , and others havo local charitable institutions of their own .
It will be evident from the foregoing particulars that a very considerable number of Lodges aro not to he found in this or indeed in any of the annual subscription lists . We do not say they are neglectful of their duty . We draw attention to the fact , in order that some of them mav
be led to contribute of their own free will , bysending up , and so swelling 'he number of the stewards on these important occasions ; or that they maybe induced to contribute by a zealons canvass on the part of some of the more active brethren . More than once have we pointed out that we are by no
means the first to call attention to tho subscriptions being only partial . By improved organisation , by a greater display of energy , this partiality may be remedied . We trust it may he , for the more general the support , the bettei for our charities .
Masonic Portraits (No. 28.) The Father Of The Lodge.
MASONIC PORTRAITS ( No . 28 . ) THE FATHER OF THE LODGE .
" So live , that when thy snmmoris comes to join The innumerable caravan that moves To that mysterious realm , ... ..
Thou go .... sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust , .... Like ono who wraps the drapery of his conch About him , and lies down to pleasant dreams . "
IF these sketches of ours were not accurate transcripts from the life , we might often indulge in ideal dreams of Masonic perfection , or of Masonic wisdom , which perhaps would prove amusing enough , however baseless they might be in fact . We might draw , for example , a
portrait of the modern Masonic sage , and for the due development of so august a figure we might turn to the sentimental school of fiction for our model of style or imagery . He , of course , should be a sort of Zanoni , mysterious , solemn , awe-inspiring . Full of strange dreamy
lore , and of still stranger fancies concerning human destiny and the tendency of human effort . Wo should surround our sage with all the theatrical accessories which , time out of mind , have formed a portion of tho stock in trade of the pretender . Crabbed manuscri pts , with here and there
a mystic mathematical problem , strange instruments , Masons' tools , of antique typo ; while the feeble glimmer of the lamp in his cell should reveal weird pictures of the Pyramids , or tho temple of Belus , or , more suggestive still , diagrams , amongst which the pentaclo wouidof course ,
, be conspicuous . Our ideal sage would be deeply learned , an ardent collector of books and manuscripts , and a bold speculator in those obscure realms of metaphysics iu which so many a dreamer has lost his way . His rank , of course , we could readily settle in a moment . He would be a Mason
of the highest attainments , in whose presence even the Grand Master himself would seem of second rank . He should be an apostle of mystery in its most obscure form ,
but ho should likewise be well practised in the daily business of the Order , aud should carry its laws written clearly on the tablets ' of his brain . A judicial mind , and consequent calm judgment , a dignified bearing , and a silent
Masonic Portraits (No. 28.) The Father Of The Lodge.
tongue ! Such would be the sort of Masonic high priest which we might present to a fiction-loving public , and perhaps , like all fictions , it might contain a germ of truth , battered indeed out of all shape , or spread out like gold leaf to cover the coarser parts of the picture . Happily ,
few of us hvo in the realms of sentiment and romance ; the first has ceased to be popular since Byron ' s poetry went out of fashion , and the latter has quite departed , to make way for realism , which is often in its way as repulsive as the mock emotions and the mock courage of the heroes of
that school of fiction which was finally conjured away by the spells of Sir Walter Scott . Iu truth , there is enough matter for telling biographical writing within our reach to render any resort to the realms of pure imagination quite unnecessary . It may never be our province nor our good
fortune to write the lives of the seven wise men of the Order , whoever they may be , bnt if we are not yet called upon to exhibit a sage to the admiring gaze of the brethren , we may venture to introduce to the notice of our readers one of the Fathers of the Craft , whose cheerful English
face , with its venerable garnish of beard , smiles upon tis from a life-like photograph as we write . It is the face , indeed , of a brother who appears to have taken the adverse strokes of fortune as placidly as he received its favours . A jovial , cheerful man , who has always a pleasant word for a
brother , and wise counsel for those who seek it . He is a Masonic veteran , with experience which extends over half a century , and knowledge of the Craft as far-reaching and as deep as that of any of the galaxy of distinguished brethren . He was born in 1800 , and is consequently in his
seventy-sixth year , and was initiated , in 1827 , in the Bank of England Lodge , of which he is now the father . Generations have entered and passed tho chair since our neophyte nervously took upon himself the solemn obligations which Masonry imposes upon its members . The
young have become old , have dropped out of the ranks of the Craft , and out of the interminable ranks of men . New faces and forms have come up in succession , like the neverending processions in the dreams of an opium-eater , and the old comrades , some of whom were famous , seem to
belong to an age long buried . O'Brien , author of " The Round Towers of Ireland , " Douglas Jerrold , Dr . Crucefix , originator of the Institution for aged Masons , have passed for ever from the Lodge , and their places are
occupied by living worthies , who regard the " Father " as a true patriarch . Sir Michael , and his kind brother Raphael Costa , Zachariah Watkins , and others , now grown grey in honours , are amongst the men who have made the "Bank of England" famous in the Masonic
world . In spite of the ceaseless change to which every body corporate is subject , the Father of the Lodge , in response to the ever-welcome toast of " The Past Masters , " smiles pleasantly upon his brethren , and his voice , unshaken by age , still trolls out the accustomed
song"Timo ! Time ! Time ! Why ponder o'er thy glass To count tho dull sand pass ? " He is the survivor of a zealous few who , forty years since , saved the old Lodge from premature extinction . In the
year 1831 its members had so dwindled away that the propriety of surrendering tho warrant and affiliating with the Lodge of Fidelity , No . 3 , was seriously mooted . Wiser counsels , however , prevailed , and Dr . Davies , the W . M ., with his help , carried the Lodge safely through its period
of difficulty , and entered it upon that career of great prosperity which it has since so steadily pursued . The Lodge , now 263 on the roll of England , has proved
grateful for the fostering care bestowed upon it , and bids fair to survive as many successive fathers as the father of it has seen generations of members come and go . May it see them , as the ideal of the poet has seen : —
" Tho thin tiny pineshmb peep up from the moss , The wren ' s foot would cover it , tripping across ; The beechnut , down dropping , would crush it beneath , But 'tis warm'd by Heaven ' s sunshine aud fanned by its breath The eagle has seen it , upstruggling to sight ,
He has seen it defying the storm in its might , Then prostrate , soil-blended , with plants sprouting o ' er , But the grey forest eagle is still as of yore . His flaming eye dims not , his wing is unbowed , Still drinks he the sunshine , still scales he the clond . "
And may it be the type of many a good old Lodge of which the members may be as justly proud ! In the maguificent folio album commenced by the Lodge nearly forty years since there is a smiling face pourtrayed