Our Veteran Leaders.

and editor , and has proved the truth of the oft repeated opinion that a newspaper training is among the very best that can be given to anyone who may be called upon to occupy a prominent position in public affairs .

Our Deputy Grand Master dates his appointment only as far back as 1896 , but he enjoys the distinction of being one of the oldest among our Provincial Grand Masters , and as such an Officer of Grand Lodge , having been

appointed to preside over the Craft in Kent as far back as i 860 ; indeed , his length of service is only exceeded in two cases—those of Lord Leigh , who has been Provincial Grand

Master of Warwickshire since 1852 ; and the Duke of Devonshire , who has been at the head of the Derbyshire Province since 1858 .

Brother J . H . Matthews President of the Board of Benevolence dates his appointment to the same year , 1896 , prior to which period he had done much to win renown

for himself as a leader in Freemasonry , and although the youngest—in point of length of service—among our Veteran Leaders , is none the less entitled to hearty congratulations , with his companions , at our hands .

Consecration.

CONSECRATION .

— : o : — OLD MASONIANS LODGE . THE twenty-sixth century of Lodges on the Register of the Grand Lodge of England was completed on Saturday , 23 rd inst ., when this new Lodge , No . 2700 , was consecrated at Anderton ' s Hotel , Fleet Street , London , and launched on its career amid hearty good wishes and many expressions of approval of the work that had thus been

brought to a climax—for the Lodge , as its name implies , is intended to unite in Masonic Brotherhood ex-pupils of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , who have thus , for the

first time , a home of their own in which to prove their appreciation of what has been done for them by the Craft , and the advantages of the Masonic training they have received .

The following are the founders of the Lodge : Bros . A . F . Godson , M . P ., Prov . Grand Master of Worcestershire , Rev . C . J . Martyn P . G . Chap . D , Prov . G . M . Suffolk , J . W . Woodall P . G . Treas ., Richard Eve P . G . Treas ., C . E . Keyser , J . P ., P . G . D ., J . Morrison McLeod P . G . S . B ., Stanley J . Attenborough P . A . G . D . C , William P . Brown

P . G-Std . B ., Colonel Clifford Probyn Grand Treasurer-elect , . David D . Lara Cohen P . M . 29 P . G . Std . B ., James W . Burgess P . Prov . G . D . West Lanes . P . M . 1325 , F . J . Hubbard 2012 591 1032 P . M . 2492 P . P . G . D . West Lanes . P . G . Treasurer Bucks , James Speller 1677 P . M . 2256 2374 P . P . G . D . Essex , Hugh E . Diamond P . M . 353 1704 P . P . G . W . Derbyshire , R .

Harold Williams W . M . 6 3 , Roland H . Ward P . M . 18 92 , Charles Fruen P . M . 2381 , J . McDowell P . M . 240 , John Henry Whadcoat , J . P ., C . C ., P . M . 19 37 , D . Edwards Radclyffe P . M . 209 942 , Daniel Mayer 106 9 W . M . 59 , Harry Manfield P . M . 1704 ign 2431 P . P . G . D . Norths arid Hunts .,

Alexander Chapin P . M . 137 P . A . D . C . Dorset , A . Gartside Neville 2127 , Robert Stanley Chandler 1962 , E . Roehrich 34 , Patrick O'Doherty 1765 , H . Bowler 90 , Alfred Watkins , R . E . Barnes 871 , George Martin 4 60 , Leonard Wain 199 , Qeo . Allison 765 , J . Renton Dunlop , William Westley Chate

917 , Richard Davies 176 , and Joseph Roselli 29 . The Lodge was consecrated by Bro . Edward Letchworth , F . S . A ., Grand Secretary , who was assisted by Bro . Richard Eve P . G . Treas . as S . W ., J . Morrison McLeod P . G . S . B . as J . W ., - Rev . C . J . Martyn P . G . C . as ChaplainFrank

, Richardson P . G . C . as D . C , T . A . Bullock P . G . S . B . as I . G . The ceremony was carried through in regular order , and at its conclusion Bro . C . E . Keyser , M . A ., J . P ., P . G . D . was installed as first Worshipful Master of the Lodge , he appointing the following as his assistant Officers : Colonel Clifford

Probyn , J . P ., acting I . P . M ., R . S . Chandler S . W ., E . Roehrich J . W ., Rev . C . J . Martyn P . G . C . Chap ., R . Harold Williams Treas ., Patrick O'Doherty Secretary , H . Bowler S . D ., A . Watkins J . D ., R . E . Barnes I . G ., Roland H . Ward D . C , Geo . Martin Organist , Leonard Wain and W . W .

Consecration.

Chate Stewards . It is worthy of note that with the exception of the W . M ., the acting I . P . M ., and the Chaplain , all the Officers are ex-pupils of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys ; may they live to be as proud of their Lodge as they evidently are ot their old School .

The general business in the Lodge was of the usual character , and included a splendid , start in the work of Masonic benevolence by the voting of two sums , ten guineas each to the Boys and Girls Schools , the latter amount to be placed on the list of Bro . J . M . McLeod , who will this year

go up as a Steward for the Girls—presumably , some may think , to gain a little experience to stand him in stead at his coming triumph at the Centenary celebration of the Boys Institution ; or was it in answer to our special appeal that some of those who were working so hard on behalf of the

Boys would pause for a moment , and give a thought for their less fortunate sisters ? We are not egotistical , or should take all the credit to ourselves , but no matter what the inducement , we are pleased to see him advocating the needs of the Institution sister to the one he so zealously champions as

Secretary , at a time when help is so very much wanted . Candidates were proposed for the next meeting , including the son of Bro . McLeod , who comes forward as the first initiate of the Lodge , and will , we hope , rise to distinction therein , and help to make it the success his father—who has really been the moving spirit in its formation—desires .

Lodge having been closed , the company adjourned to the banquet , after which the customary toasts were given .

. In submitting that of the M . W . Grand Master Bro . Keyser said all Masons were proud of having the Heir Apparent to the throne at the head of the Order . On that occasion he had much pleasure in coupling with the toast the name of the Princess of Wales , who , as they were aware ,

had graciously promised to perform a ceremony on their behalf , at the Royal Albert Hall . Next to the Queen the Princess was the most popular lady in the world , and it was a great condescension on her part to promise to present the prizes won by the pupils of the Boys School .

Col . Clifford Probyn I . P . M . proposed the toast of the Grand Officers , thanking them for their help in launching the new Lodge , and especially referring to the services of the Grand Secretary in this direction . Bro . Richard Eve P . G . Treasurer responded . The

time had long been reached , he said , when they should have an Old Masonians Lodge . He had looked forward to it for years , but had had to wait until to-day . Now the younger branches of Masonry , knowing what Freemasonry really was , would be able to combine together to continue the good work .

The next toast was that of the Consecrating Officers , coupled with the Installing Master . The W . M . expressed the great indebtedness of the Lodge to the Grand Secretary , whose tact and skill in dealing with the work was so well known . He most certainly had none but friends in the

Craft ,. nor outside of it . Among the Consecrating Officers they had had the Chairman of the Board of the Boys School and its Secretary as Wardens , and others who had always evinced great interest in the Institution . The Founders would doubtless be pleased to hear there was every prospect of a great amount of work coming , on in the Lodge .

Bro . Letchworth , responding , said it afforded the Consecrating Officers more than usual pleasure to be associated with the ceremony that day , as they were one and all deeply interested in the Institution which the Lodge was

especially connected with . He could never forget the honour the Institution did him some years back in electing him to the position now occupied by the Worshipful Master —that of Treasurer of the Institution .

A most agreeable duty now fell to Bro . Letchworth , to propose what . was really the toast of the evening—success to the new Lodge , coupled with the health of the W . M . It had been his good fortune for many years to be associated in

Freemasonry with Bro . Keyser , and he most heartily congratulated the Lodge on having him at its head in this most important epoch in its history . They all hoped his year of office would be a most agreeable one .

Bro . Keyser tendered thanks for the toast . He could not claim to be a tyro , as that was his ninth Mastership , and the fourth occasion on . which he had filled the office of first Worshipful Master of a Lodge . When he consented to

become one of the Founders of this one—as Treasurer of the Institution with which it was so intimately associated—he had no idea he was to be in office , but he was always anxious to make himself useful as far as he could , and had acceded to the request of the other Founders . He hoped they would