Freemasonry In The Province Of Worcester.

FREEMASONRY IN THE PROVINCE OF WORCESTER .

AN Exhibition of works of art and curiosities in connection with our ancient Order was most

successfully inaugurated in tho good old city of Worcester on Wednesday evening , when a conversazione was held , at tho Guildhall , at which about 450 ladies and gentlemen were present , at the joint invitation of the Provincial Grand Master of Worcestershire , Sir Edmund A . H .

Lechmere , Bart ., M . P ., and his Worship the Mayor of Worcester , Bro . William Blizzard Williamson . Amongst those who were present we may mention : —Colonel Sir Francis Burdett Prov . G . Master Middlesex , the Doan of York the Rev . C . A . Purey-Cust , M . J . Mclntyro , Col .

Shadwell H . Clerke , Rev . 0 . J . Martyn , Rev . W . K . R . Bedford , Rev . F . J . Hill , W . J . Hughan , J . B . Brinton , M . P ., Rov . Canon Butler , F . Binckes , T . B . Wh i tehead , Henry Smith , John Clmdwick , Dr . H . Hopkins , J . S . Cumberland , C . F . Pidcock , T . Lamb-Smith ,

T . M . Humphries , J . R . Riley , Dr . Ringer , T . W . Tew , W . Lake , T . R . Hill , M . P ., Rev . C . Black , C . H . Birbeck , H . G . Budd , A . J . Beauchamp , R . Bach , Rev . Canon Cattley , R . Smith-Carington , A . Comber ,

R . Eagar , A . F . Godson , Major Irwin , Canon Knox-Little , Colonel Mead , Rev . Trevor Parkins , J . Stevens , J . H . Sillitoe , J . Stallard , R . V . Vassar-Smith , George Taylor , W . H . Rylands , W . W . Morgan , & c . & c .

Sir Edmund Lechmere and the Mayor of Worcester received their guests in the Guildhall , which was most elegantly decorated for the occasion , while the exhibits , which are fully described in a well arranged Catalogue , and number some 1172 articles , were displayed in both

the New and Old Council Chambers of the elegant municipal building of the City of Worcester . The company began to arrive at half-past seven o'clock , and subsequently Sir Edmund Lechmere , in addressing his guests , stated

that—Bro . the Very Rev . A . C . Purey-Cnst ( Dean of York ) had consented to say a few words to them upon the Masonic Museum which had been collected and arranged with so much skill and ability by their valued brother , George Taylor . On his own behalf as Provincial Grand Master , he ventured to offer them all a most heartv welcome .

He trusted that the arrangements which had been made for their reception might be generally satisfactory to them all . He thought they were indebted very much for the initiation of that Museum to their excellent friend the Mayor of Worcester . As they all knew , he added to the other qualifications for the varions capacities that he

filled in the city that of being an enthusiastic and experienced Mason . He was desirous that his year of office might be signalised by some special effort connected with Masonry . He communicated his views to him ( Sir Edmund ) , aud he ventured to suggest an idea which had often occurred to him , that of a Masonic conversazione , to

which they might all come , and which might be made interesting by the aid of a Masonic Exhibition of works of art . The Mayor cordially concurred in that idea . To many minds a Masonic ball might have been more popular j bnt a conversazione was decided upon , and he was happy to say that the idea was taken np cordially by the

brethren throughout the Province , and a great number of brethren formed a Committee to carry out that object . To those who were Masons that Exhibition must be one of great interest . They flatter themselves that no such collection had been brought together in tbe Midland counties , or perhaps in England , specially connected with

Masonry . Their non-Masonic friends also might study thoso objects with some degree of interest . He dared say it would suggest a great deal of speculation in their minds , and he was sorry they could not indnlge them with any exposition of their secrets . But they could give them some little insight into their history and antecedents . He

hoped their noti-Masonic friends would go away with the conviction in their minds that whatever might bo tho usages and customs and history of English Masons , at any rate fchny might say , in the words of the old Masonic song , " There's nonght but what ' s good to bo

understood of a Free and Accepted Mason . " Their signs and symbols all pointed to the fact that there was nothing in Masonry contrary to the great princi ples of religion and loyalty , or to those principles which they all recognised as being connected more especially with the Masonic body , brotherly love and unity .

Bro . Williamson was now called upon to say a few words , aud in response to the request spoke as follows : — He cordially agreed with Sir Edmund Lechmere that they mit'llt all derive some good by studying the many objects of interest which would be found in the Exhibition . They were very much indebted to

brotbren at a distance , and to Masons in every part of the coantry who had interested themselves so assiduously and earnestly in bringing that great collection of Masonic art together . lie commended to his brother Masons a study of it . He wished it to be known that penple

were never asked to become Masons . If they did so it must be of their own free will and inclination . As far as he could ascertain that was one of the most beautiful collections of Masonic art ever brought together in this country . He was sure the ladies and gentlemen present would go away inutrncted and edified by what they had been

Freemasonry In The Province Of Worcester.

fchero in connection with Ma 3 onry . He joined with Sir Edmund Lechmere iu bidding them a hearty welcome . Tho Dean of York was next called upon . He said : — no rose to address them in obedience to the command of the Provincial Grand Master . Tho object of the Exhibition , as they had

been told , was not to reveal the secrets of Masonry to the public generally ; but it was hoped to disabuse certain erroneous impres . sions which prevailed amongst the unitiated as regarded Masonry , and at the sumo to afford those who took an interest in Masonry some gratification by showing them the treasures and records of the

Craft in the present and the past . He thought the prejudices whioh existed in regard to Masonry were threefold . In the first place , it was assumed that they were a foolish body , that thoy adorned them , solves in pecnliar and fantastic dresses , and that there was reall y nothing to bo said for them . He thought , however , that thatExhi .

tion would show thoso who had that feeling at lea 9 t this faot , that if they were foolish people , they would be surprised to see how large a proportion of foolish people there had been in the world . They would see in that Exhibition that the Masons went back to a very ancient date , that they had gathered in men of great position and of great

eminence in all parts of the world . They would be astonished to find , perhaps , how many of thoso whose names were not altogether unknown in the pages of English history had not been ashamed to be enrolled as members of a Masonic province . Perhaps the impres . sion which would be made in their mind by the Exhibition would be

that after what they had seen thero must bo something in it . The next thing was that people were disposed to think that they were a selfish people . They thought Freemasonry consisted in nothing much better than eating and drinking . They thought the life of a Freemason was a life of incessant and interminable festivity ; but if

they would look at the records in the museum they would see what mifht be learned from the reports of the different branches of their Craft , they would fee that they were far from being a selfish body , that they hud the welfare of others very much at heart , that from generation to generation tho one great object of their community had

been to promote the welfare of others . They wonld see that they had always had a watchful care for the young and bad provided for them , as far as circumstances wonld allow , the means of a good sound useful education . They would see that there were institutions connected with Masonry by which the aged and infirm were provided

for , and their days of decay and decrepitude relieved . They would see also that there were ways in which the poorer members of the Craft received substantial and timely benefit and help from their brethren . Therefore he was quite sure a careful study of the Exhibition would disabuse at once any snch impressions in the minds of

those who might have entertained them . There was , in the third place , a lurking suspicion in some people's minds that the Masons must be a bad set of people . No less a person than the Pope had told them that they were communists , and that they disregarded the holy ordinance of matrimony , and he had implied that they were guilty

of so many transgressions of tho moral law and the laws of sooiety that he had altogether interdicted them . He thought the presence of so many of them on that occasion would bo tbe best proof as to whether they disparaged the holy ordinance of matrimony . They Masons rather flattered themselves that at all events if they were

not the most ornamental order in the * community , they were quite as good as their neighbours . The records in the Exhibition would show that they had ever been a body of upright and sober-minded people , who had had the best of all aims and objects in view , and had not been guilty of flagrant transgressions of laws either human or

Divine , nor wandered in the devious paths of infidelity and superstition . If they could disabuse those impressions which more or less lingered abroad concerning them a great deal would be done by such an Exhibition as that to benefit Masonry in the outer world . As to the inner world it did a great deal to increase one ' s pride in the

history and character of the Craft to which he had had the honour for more than thirty years to belong . He had great pleasure in visiting Worcester and seeing the Exhibition . Ho congratulated the Grand Master and the Mayor , and all connected with that Exhibition , on the great success that had attended their efforts . He hoped that

gathering would form an epoch in the history of Freemasonry in the county and city of Worcester , that it would lead to an increase of members and to an increase of the more substantial benefits of stability , union , and good order , whioh were essentially characteristic of the body to which they belonged .

The many calls on our time this week preclude us from giving as much attention to this interesting Exhibition as we feel it deserves , but we hope to be able to devote some considerable amount of our space in future issues to a comparative analysis of the several articles described in the

interesting Catalogue , which reflects great credit upon Bro . George Tayler Prov . G . Sec . Worcester , who has displayed much scholarly ability in its compilation , wbue the Archaeological Notes of Bro . W . J . Hughan will receive , as they deserve , the gravest consideration at the hands of all students interested in Masonic History .

The members of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Worcester held their Annua ! Meeting on Thursday . The proceedings throughout were of a very interesting character , and , in connection with the Exhibition to which we refer above , will long be remembered by those who had the privilege of being present . We shall publish a fall report next week .