Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

BUT little more than three weeks must elapse ere the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution is an event of the past , and clearly it is none too soon to remind onr brethren of this important fact . Tuesday , the 21 st "February , is the day appointed by His Royal Highness

the Grand Master for holding this Anniversary , and Bro . James Terry has already the satisfaction of having enrolled on his List of Stewards quite 230 brethren , whose labours will no doubt be very profitable to the Charity . At the same time we trust there will be , in the course of the next

three weeks , a large addition to this number . South Wales West is a loyal , but by no means a numerically strong Province , as are Yorkshire and the Lancashires , or even as Devonshire and Cheshire . It is desirable , therefore , that the other Provinces and the Metropolitan Lodges should

bestir themselves with even greater zeal than usual . Let it be borne in mind that no less than . 155 old brethren and 160 old ladies have to be provided for , the outlay in annuities to which the Institution stands committed being , in

round figures , - £ 11 , 500 , to say nothing of the expenses of management , which are also considerable . We make early note of these highly important facts because we are anxious to see Colonel Lloyd-Philipps , who has kindly undertaken to preside , as liberally supported as his predecessors .

Early Grand Masters.

EARLY GRAND MASTERS .

OCCASIONAL PAPERS . —No . VI .

Bead in the Confidence Lodge of Instruction in 1876 .

( Continued from page 51 ) . LORD Paisley was succeeded in the G . Mastership by the Earl of Inchiquin , by whom the office of Prov Grand Master was instituted , a deputation , conferrino such honour , being granted 10 th May 1727 , to Bro . Hugh

Warburton as Prov . Grand Master for North Wales , and a similar deputation for South Wales to Bro . Sir Edward Mansell , Bart ., on the 24 th June of the same year . The latter date is further memorable by reason of the fact that

the privilege of voting in Grand Lodge was on that . day extended to Past Grand Wardens . During Lord Colcraine ' s presidency over the Craft Grand Stewards were appointed , and a Lodge in Madrid was constituted . Lord

Kingston , next on the roll of Grand Masters , and subsequently Grand Master of the Craft in Ireland , presented Graud Lodge with a curious pedestal and cushion , as well

as with a 3 ewel for the Grand Secretary ; while among the Lodges that were warranted was one that held its meetings in Bengal , presumably at Calcutta . On 29 th January the Dnke of Norfolk was invested and installed as Grand

Master , his Deputy being Bro . Nathaniel Blackerby , who had acted in that capacity to Lord Kingston . One great event of the Duke of Norfolk's Grand Mastership was mentioned in my last lecture , namely ,

the issue of a Deputation appointing Bro . Daniel Coxe to be Provincial Grand Master of New York , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania , for a period of two years from St . John the Baptist's day ( 24 th June ) . By this alone would his Grace ' s services to Freemasonry deserve to be remembered ,

for it is to this small beginning we are indebted for tho magnificent structure which has since been raised to Freemasonry in North America , There are now some forty-eight

Grand Lodges , with 600 , 000 members , in this division of the world , and it must never be forgotten that the first seed of Masonry was implanted there by this Duke of Norfolk . But there is another circumstance in connection with his

Grace ' s reign which deserves notice . It is not to be expected that a Society which had risen so rapidly in public estimation as to have attracted within its folds many of the principal nobility and gentry could exist for any length of time without raising up to itself a number

of detractors whose efforts would be directed towards ridiculing its mysteries . Nor is it unreasonable to suppose that more than one person , unconscientious and actuated by the basest motives , would seek admission into our ranks , with the sole object of publishing whatever secrets might

be entrusted to them . Thus , since the establishment ( or re-establishment ) of Grand Lodge , a number of bitter attacks against Freemasonry had appeared at divers times . They did no great barm perhaps , but good rather . Curiosity was aroused , and Masonry received a larger share of public attentiou than she would have done had she been left

unmolested . Be this as it may , when it was found that these scurrilous attacks were continually being repeated , sundry of our more enlightened brethren were induced to publish apologies for the Craft . Foremost amongst these was the celebrated Dr . Anderson , who took upon himself

the duty of replying directly to a pamphlet by Samuel Prichard , late member of a constituted Lodge , bearing the title of " Masonry Dissected ; being a universal and genuine description of all its branches , from the original to this present time , giving an impartial account of their regular

proceeding in initiating their new members in the whole three degrees of Masonry , viz . the Entered Prentice , Fellow Craft , and Master . " This reply of Dr . Anderson was intituled " A Defence of Masonry , occasioned by a Pamphlet called ' Masonry Dissected , ' " and made its appearance in

the year 1730 . The only fault , I believe , that was ever laid against Dr . Anderson in respect of the Defence was that he had been at too great pains to repel an insolent attack . His work was too elaborate , too learned . This , though regarded at the time as a fault , is in fact the very

highest praise that could have been bestowed on the learned brother . And thongh the onslaught it was directed against may have been a feeble one , the Defence is one to which successive generations of Craftsmen have pointed , and will

continue through all time to point , with a mingled sense of pride and thankfulness that the task was accomplished so thoroughly , and with such consummate ability . Whenever we find ourselves the object of calumny on the part of outsiders , we have but to turn to this apology of

Ar00101

JCJJL JL ta IS ( CO ^ ORTING ) COCOA . *