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  • The Freemason's Chronicle
  • July 22, 1899
  • Page 2
  • CONSECRATIONS.
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The Freemason's Chronicle, July 22, 1899: Page 2

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    Article HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT. Page 1 of 1
    Article R. M. I. BOYS. Page 1 of 1
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Hampshire And Isle Of Wight.

HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT .

THE annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge will be held this year at the Victoria Rooms , Southampton , on the 8 th of August , under the presidency of Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . M . The ordinary business of the

Province will be transacted , and the Provincial Grand Officers will be appointed and invested . At the close of the proceedings , the banquet will take place at the Masonic Hall . The London and South Western Railway have kindly granted the privilege to visitors of return tickets at reduced fares .

R. M. I. Boys.

R . M . I . BOYS .

AT the local examination in Musical knowledge , conducted by Trinity College , London , on 24 th June last , of seven boys entered from this Institution , six gained Certificates , as follow : Junior Division : ( 3 ) Rogers , Pink and' Huskinson gained honours , obtaining respectively 85 ,

71 and 62 per cent , of the marks , ( 2 ) Gabbutt and Coleman passed , gaining 86 and 85 per cent , of the marks . Intermediate Division : W . D . Coales passed , gaining 95 per cent , of the marks .

Consecrations.

CONSECRATIONS .

CHARLES DICKENS LODGE . '

THE association of the respected name of our great novelist with Freemasonry is at first sight not quite apparent . Dickens was not a member of the Craft , and his references in the few isolated instances quoted in his works tend rather to the convivial than to the sublime work of our Order . Still , as Bro . the Rev . Canon Quennell observed

in a most interesting address , the writings of Dickens contain evidence of the principles of Freemasonry , and even his severe castigations of cant and humbug prove that at least he

was a Mason at heart . The idea of naming this Lodge after Charles Dickens doubtless originated in the fact that the meetings will be held at the ancient hostelry referred to in " Barnaby Rudge . "

A Warrant having been granted by the Grand Master for the establishment of the Charles Dickens Lodge further speculation is unnecessary , and hence it happened that on Tuesday of last week a large number of Brethren journeyed

by a well appointed train of the Great Eastern Railway to Buckhurst Hill , where carriages were in waiting to convey the visitors to the King ' s Head , at Chigwell , to meet the Provincial Grand Master of Essex , the Earl of Warwick , who had kindly undertaken to perform the consecration .

Upon arrival the Brethren assembled in the Lodge room , when Bro . Thomas J . Railing P . G . A . D . C . Prov . Grand Sec , happily recovered from his recent indisposition , opened the Lodge in the three degrees , after which the Provincial Grand Master entered , and was saluted according to ancient custom .

Lord Warwick requested the following Brethren to assist him : Robert Woodhouse Prov . S . G . W . as S . W ., Colonel Landon Prov . J . G . W . asJ . W ., Rev . Canon Quennell as Chaplain , Albert Lucking P . G . P . as D . C , and John J . C . Turner P . P . S . G . W . as I . G . The opening hymn was then sung , after which the Chaplain offered prayer .

Lord Warwick addressed the Brethren , saying they were assembled together in that ancient and historic room for the purpose of organising another Lodge in the Province , and he had been authorised by the Grand Master to act as his Deputy , and perform the consecration ceremony .

A very interesting and appropriate adddess was given by the Chaplain Bro . the Rev . Canon Quennell P . M . 214 P . P . G . Chap . ( Rector of Shenfieid ) . He said : —The duty devolves upon me , in obedience to command , to speak of the

nature and principles of our Institution . It is a theme familiar to us all : we endeavour to study and practise them . Yet there are occasions when we recite them : as in a certain solemn service the Ten Words are recited—the

Commandments of the Sacred Law , which we all know by heart , and acknowledge ourselves bound to know and to do them . It is difficult when all are familiar with the theme to present it with any air of freshness . But to-day , meeting as we do in

this house—I may say in this room—which has become historic , and under a banner which bears the name and effigy of him who made it so—I may be forgiven if I wander a little from the beaten track , and ask you to accompany me

Consecrations.

into those realms of fancy , observing , as we linger there , how the principles of the Craft—those social , moral , and religious foundations on whichit rests , are represented in the delineations of life and character that we have as a possession of the English tongue from the brilliant imagination and facile pen of Charles Dickens . Was he then a Mason ? There is no

evidence that he was ; and that in itself is presumptive evidence to the contrary . Some have thought that the grotesque scene in which he describes the Apprentice ' s initiation into the Secret Society of the 'Prentice Knights , under the command of the Valourous Master Simon Tappertit ,

was intended as a travesty of our solemn proceedings , and therefore implies some acquaintance with them ; but the scene appears to me father to smack of those fanciful imaginings which the uninstructed world conjures up about our , mysteries ., and secrets ; and , moreover , I feel quite sure

that though Charles Dickens could hold up the foibles and weaknesses of life to keen ridicule , and lash with the bitterest invective its meannesses and wrongdoings , he was of far too generous a disposition wantonly to attack a noble institution , or by misrepresentation to wound the feelings of any of his fellow-men .

There are some of us who can remember the delight of those charming stories coming into our hands fresh from the author , and the eager expectation waiting from month to month for the new part . And while we may now think there is in his style a certain exaggeration—a rather strong flavour

to the dish with which he serves us , when compared with the delicacy of some other of his contemporaries , or more recent popular authors—though he may appear to us to present rather caricatures than portraits , comparable with the drawings by which Browne and Cruickshank embellish his

first editions rather than with the finished photographic picture of the modern illustration , yet ( and here is the point to which I have been coming ) in his writings there are always

the great realities of the Masonic Charter—the laudation of benevolence , the denunciation of wrongdoing , the relief of suffering merit , the unmasking of hypocrisy and selfish greed , the ultimate happiness of deserving loving hearts .

To take an illustration : The exuberant charity of the Brothers Cheeryble may move a smile , as we acknowledge that , notwithstanding the statement that they were drawn from life , no men exactly like them could have ever lived ; but the principles of good feeling and beneficent action which

they exemplify find an echo in every good man ' s heart , and . are particularly consonant to the character of the ideal Mason , and the conduct which he is bidden to pursue . Only in passing will I refer to the convivial side of the Dickens' story , the ample provisions , the mingled viands , the ( sometimes

unmingled ) liquids , which his scenes set before us . There , too , is the exaggeration I referred to ; who can read without laughing at the contents of Dick Swiveller ' s hamper , or without a shudder the unlimited capacity of Mr . Pickwick for milk punch . Our author does not always depict the

most comfortable and enjoyable form of social intercourse , such as quiet , sober Masons delight in , but the social side is always to the fore , and when the more serious parts of Masonic work have been well and worthily performed , the true Mason is always found to be a sociable man , and the

virtues of goodfellowship are rightly fostered by the enjoyment of a common meal and the agreeable conversation that accompanies it . We have almost a spice of our author ' s exaggeration about us , when we invariably call it a banquet ! Brethren , I have tried , I hope I have not exhausted your

patience , by this excursion into the regions of fiction , yielding to the genus loci . Can we wish better for the Charles Dickens Lodge than that it may long prosper , and illustrate the great Masonic virtues of Brotherly Love , Relief , and

Truth , with all the richness of expression , with all the steadiness of purpose , with all the zeal for the triumph of good over evil , and with all the graces of fancy , wit , and bonhommie which characterises the genius of him whose name it bears .

The Petition and Warrant were then read by Bro . Railing , and the founders expressed their approval of the Officers named therein . The ceremony proceeded upon the usual lines , and the Lodge was duly constituted , and dedicated to the service of God and the good of man .

Lord Warwick expressed regret at the absence of Col . Lockwood Deputy Prov . G . M ., who was detained by his duties at the House of Commons , but in his absence requested Bro . Lucking to undertake the installation of the first Master

of the Lodge . Bro . J . T . Dormer was thereupon presented , and formally placed in the chair , in the presence of a very large Board of Installed Masters . Having been proclaimed , and saluted , the Warrant was entrusted to his keeping .

“The Freemason's Chronicle: 1899-07-22, Page 2” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 18 Oct. 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fcn/issues/fcn_22071899/page/2/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
ROME AND FREEMASONRY. Article 1
BOARD OF BENEVOLENCE. Article 1
ROYAL ARCH. Article 1
HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT. Article 2
R. M. I. BOYS. Article 2
CONSECRATIONS. Article 2
SEVEN KINGS LODGE. Article 3
"A SPRIG OF ACACIA." Article 3
LODGE TERCENTENARY AT EDINBURGH. Article 4
MARK MASONRY. Article 5
Untitled Ad 5
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
The Theatres, &c. Article 6
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Article 7
A NEW CHAPTER. Article 7
QUICK, MASONS. Article 7
MASONIC PIC-NIC. Article 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
LODGE MEETINGS NEXT WEEK. Article 9
THE STAR AND GARTER, KEW BRIDGE. Article 9
CATHOLICS AND FREEMASONRY. Article 9
HOLIDAY TOURS. Article 10
HALF-DAY HOLIDAY TRIPS. Article 10
Untitled Ad 10
Untitled Ad 10
Untitled Ad 10
REPORTS OF MEETINGS. NORFOLK. Article 11
NORTH AND EAST YORKS. Article 11
CRAFT: METROPOLITAN. Article 11
INSTRUCTION. Article 12
PROVINCIAL. Article 12
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Page 2

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Hampshire And Isle Of Wight.

HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT .

THE annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge will be held this year at the Victoria Rooms , Southampton , on the 8 th of August , under the presidency of Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . M . The ordinary business of the

Province will be transacted , and the Provincial Grand Officers will be appointed and invested . At the close of the proceedings , the banquet will take place at the Masonic Hall . The London and South Western Railway have kindly granted the privilege to visitors of return tickets at reduced fares .

R. M. I. Boys.

R . M . I . BOYS .

AT the local examination in Musical knowledge , conducted by Trinity College , London , on 24 th June last , of seven boys entered from this Institution , six gained Certificates , as follow : Junior Division : ( 3 ) Rogers , Pink and' Huskinson gained honours , obtaining respectively 85 ,

71 and 62 per cent , of the marks , ( 2 ) Gabbutt and Coleman passed , gaining 86 and 85 per cent , of the marks . Intermediate Division : W . D . Coales passed , gaining 95 per cent , of the marks .

Consecrations.

CONSECRATIONS .

CHARLES DICKENS LODGE . '

THE association of the respected name of our great novelist with Freemasonry is at first sight not quite apparent . Dickens was not a member of the Craft , and his references in the few isolated instances quoted in his works tend rather to the convivial than to the sublime work of our Order . Still , as Bro . the Rev . Canon Quennell observed

in a most interesting address , the writings of Dickens contain evidence of the principles of Freemasonry , and even his severe castigations of cant and humbug prove that at least he

was a Mason at heart . The idea of naming this Lodge after Charles Dickens doubtless originated in the fact that the meetings will be held at the ancient hostelry referred to in " Barnaby Rudge . "

A Warrant having been granted by the Grand Master for the establishment of the Charles Dickens Lodge further speculation is unnecessary , and hence it happened that on Tuesday of last week a large number of Brethren journeyed

by a well appointed train of the Great Eastern Railway to Buckhurst Hill , where carriages were in waiting to convey the visitors to the King ' s Head , at Chigwell , to meet the Provincial Grand Master of Essex , the Earl of Warwick , who had kindly undertaken to perform the consecration .

Upon arrival the Brethren assembled in the Lodge room , when Bro . Thomas J . Railing P . G . A . D . C . Prov . Grand Sec , happily recovered from his recent indisposition , opened the Lodge in the three degrees , after which the Provincial Grand Master entered , and was saluted according to ancient custom .

Lord Warwick requested the following Brethren to assist him : Robert Woodhouse Prov . S . G . W . as S . W ., Colonel Landon Prov . J . G . W . asJ . W ., Rev . Canon Quennell as Chaplain , Albert Lucking P . G . P . as D . C , and John J . C . Turner P . P . S . G . W . as I . G . The opening hymn was then sung , after which the Chaplain offered prayer .

Lord Warwick addressed the Brethren , saying they were assembled together in that ancient and historic room for the purpose of organising another Lodge in the Province , and he had been authorised by the Grand Master to act as his Deputy , and perform the consecration ceremony .

A very interesting and appropriate adddess was given by the Chaplain Bro . the Rev . Canon Quennell P . M . 214 P . P . G . Chap . ( Rector of Shenfieid ) . He said : —The duty devolves upon me , in obedience to command , to speak of the

nature and principles of our Institution . It is a theme familiar to us all : we endeavour to study and practise them . Yet there are occasions when we recite them : as in a certain solemn service the Ten Words are recited—the

Commandments of the Sacred Law , which we all know by heart , and acknowledge ourselves bound to know and to do them . It is difficult when all are familiar with the theme to present it with any air of freshness . But to-day , meeting as we do in

this house—I may say in this room—which has become historic , and under a banner which bears the name and effigy of him who made it so—I may be forgiven if I wander a little from the beaten track , and ask you to accompany me

Consecrations.

into those realms of fancy , observing , as we linger there , how the principles of the Craft—those social , moral , and religious foundations on whichit rests , are represented in the delineations of life and character that we have as a possession of the English tongue from the brilliant imagination and facile pen of Charles Dickens . Was he then a Mason ? There is no

evidence that he was ; and that in itself is presumptive evidence to the contrary . Some have thought that the grotesque scene in which he describes the Apprentice ' s initiation into the Secret Society of the 'Prentice Knights , under the command of the Valourous Master Simon Tappertit ,

was intended as a travesty of our solemn proceedings , and therefore implies some acquaintance with them ; but the scene appears to me father to smack of those fanciful imaginings which the uninstructed world conjures up about our , mysteries ., and secrets ; and , moreover , I feel quite sure

that though Charles Dickens could hold up the foibles and weaknesses of life to keen ridicule , and lash with the bitterest invective its meannesses and wrongdoings , he was of far too generous a disposition wantonly to attack a noble institution , or by misrepresentation to wound the feelings of any of his fellow-men .

There are some of us who can remember the delight of those charming stories coming into our hands fresh from the author , and the eager expectation waiting from month to month for the new part . And while we may now think there is in his style a certain exaggeration—a rather strong flavour

to the dish with which he serves us , when compared with the delicacy of some other of his contemporaries , or more recent popular authors—though he may appear to us to present rather caricatures than portraits , comparable with the drawings by which Browne and Cruickshank embellish his

first editions rather than with the finished photographic picture of the modern illustration , yet ( and here is the point to which I have been coming ) in his writings there are always

the great realities of the Masonic Charter—the laudation of benevolence , the denunciation of wrongdoing , the relief of suffering merit , the unmasking of hypocrisy and selfish greed , the ultimate happiness of deserving loving hearts .

To take an illustration : The exuberant charity of the Brothers Cheeryble may move a smile , as we acknowledge that , notwithstanding the statement that they were drawn from life , no men exactly like them could have ever lived ; but the principles of good feeling and beneficent action which

they exemplify find an echo in every good man ' s heart , and . are particularly consonant to the character of the ideal Mason , and the conduct which he is bidden to pursue . Only in passing will I refer to the convivial side of the Dickens' story , the ample provisions , the mingled viands , the ( sometimes

unmingled ) liquids , which his scenes set before us . There , too , is the exaggeration I referred to ; who can read without laughing at the contents of Dick Swiveller ' s hamper , or without a shudder the unlimited capacity of Mr . Pickwick for milk punch . Our author does not always depict the

most comfortable and enjoyable form of social intercourse , such as quiet , sober Masons delight in , but the social side is always to the fore , and when the more serious parts of Masonic work have been well and worthily performed , the true Mason is always found to be a sociable man , and the

virtues of goodfellowship are rightly fostered by the enjoyment of a common meal and the agreeable conversation that accompanies it . We have almost a spice of our author ' s exaggeration about us , when we invariably call it a banquet ! Brethren , I have tried , I hope I have not exhausted your

patience , by this excursion into the regions of fiction , yielding to the genus loci . Can we wish better for the Charles Dickens Lodge than that it may long prosper , and illustrate the great Masonic virtues of Brotherly Love , Relief , and

Truth , with all the richness of expression , with all the steadiness of purpose , with all the zeal for the triumph of good over evil , and with all the graces of fancy , wit , and bonhommie which characterises the genius of him whose name it bears .

The Petition and Warrant were then read by Bro . Railing , and the founders expressed their approval of the Officers named therein . The ceremony proceeded upon the usual lines , and the Lodge was duly constituted , and dedicated to the service of God and the good of man .

Lord Warwick expressed regret at the absence of Col . Lockwood Deputy Prov . G . M ., who was detained by his duties at the House of Commons , but in his absence requested Bro . Lucking to undertake the installation of the first Master

of the Lodge . Bro . J . T . Dormer was thereupon presented , and formally placed in the chair , in the presence of a very large Board of Installed Masters . Having been proclaimed , and saluted , the Warrant was entrusted to his keeping .

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