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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 12 of 17 →
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Provincial.
lowed . We now purchased ofthe Trustees of the Rodney , chairs , jewels , candlesticks , and other articles ; Brother Crow lending us the money , which we repaid by instalments . From the great accession of members , and the number of initiations , we now began to think seriously of building this Lodge ; for we were growing too numerous for the room in which we met . AA ' e called a meeting on the 23 rd of March , 1827 , to ascertain the feelings and Alasonic spirit of the members on the subject
; and , when I state to you that at that meeting upwards of £ 300 was subscribed , I need not dilate on their Alasonic zeal —( cheers ) . AVith such a commencement , we immediately determined to begin building , and purchased this piece of ground for £ 145 , through Bro . Dryden ( to whom I cannot but pay a just tribute of gratitude for the many acts of kindness he lias done for this Lodge ); we contracted for the building , and on the 19 th of September 1827 we opened this Lodge bdispensation
, , y from Bro . Beverley , the D . P . G . M . All went well , the Lodge progressed , and we kept paying our debts , until the 6 th of February , 1828 , when a most serious difference arose among both officers and members , respecting a ballot , ivhich difference threatened the total ruin of the Lodge , destroyed all confidence , disgusted many of its most respectable members , who retired altogether from us ; and , had it not been for tbe determination of a few neither to leave the Lodge nor allow it to be
broken up , the Alasonic brotherhood would have been again dispersed , instead of your possessing the splendid edifice in which we are this evening met—at a cost of upwards of i' 1500 , ( not a farthing of which remains unpaid )—( hear)—instead of being able to transmit this handsome building , unencumbered , to our Alasonic posterity , as a proud monument
of the triumph of perseverance and unanimity . We have also , as you are aware , formed a Benevolent Fund on a firm basis , ivhich has already , in numerous instances , rendered the most important assistance to those whose necessities have required its aid ; and I doubt not but that in-a short time we shall be in a position to form an Annuity Fund , by ivhich the declining years of the aged and deserving Alason may be freed from the bitter pangs of poverty and distress —( cheers ) . Instead , I say , of
having done all this ( and that in the short space of sixteen years , and in spite of the apparently overwhelming difficulties which at first beset us ) , ive should only have erected the shell of a building , at which ignorance and ridicule might point the finger of scorn . "Success has , however , rewarded our endeavours ; our numbers have increased until this Lodge has become one of the most numerous on record ; and I doubt notfrom the courtesy and zeal of its officersand
, , an apparent determination among its members to be unanimous , that it will continue to increase and prosper , —ivhich , I can assure you , is my most fervent prayer —( applause ) . "Allow me , Worshipful Alaster , and Officers , and Alembers , in conclusion , to thank you for this your handsome testimonial , and to assure you that I shall ever look upon it with pride and satisfaction , as a token that my conduct has for so long a period met your approval ; and I
shall hand it down to my family as the most valuable gift I possess , with a strong injunction that they should keep it to their latest posterity . " ¦ —( loud cheers ) . The AV . MASTER then rose , and addressed P . M . Bro . Stark , the Secretary , in a speech marked by equal fervour as in the preceding case , in which the services of Bro . Stark were dilated on with deserved eulogium , and he happily observed that it was with feelings of gratitude and respect
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
lowed . We now purchased ofthe Trustees of the Rodney , chairs , jewels , candlesticks , and other articles ; Brother Crow lending us the money , which we repaid by instalments . From the great accession of members , and the number of initiations , we now began to think seriously of building this Lodge ; for we were growing too numerous for the room in which we met . AA ' e called a meeting on the 23 rd of March , 1827 , to ascertain the feelings and Alasonic spirit of the members on the subject
; and , when I state to you that at that meeting upwards of £ 300 was subscribed , I need not dilate on their Alasonic zeal —( cheers ) . AVith such a commencement , we immediately determined to begin building , and purchased this piece of ground for £ 145 , through Bro . Dryden ( to whom I cannot but pay a just tribute of gratitude for the many acts of kindness he lias done for this Lodge ); we contracted for the building , and on the 19 th of September 1827 we opened this Lodge bdispensation
, , y from Bro . Beverley , the D . P . G . M . All went well , the Lodge progressed , and we kept paying our debts , until the 6 th of February , 1828 , when a most serious difference arose among both officers and members , respecting a ballot , ivhich difference threatened the total ruin of the Lodge , destroyed all confidence , disgusted many of its most respectable members , who retired altogether from us ; and , had it not been for tbe determination of a few neither to leave the Lodge nor allow it to be
broken up , the Alasonic brotherhood would have been again dispersed , instead of your possessing the splendid edifice in which we are this evening met—at a cost of upwards of i' 1500 , ( not a farthing of which remains unpaid )—( hear)—instead of being able to transmit this handsome building , unencumbered , to our Alasonic posterity , as a proud monument
of the triumph of perseverance and unanimity . We have also , as you are aware , formed a Benevolent Fund on a firm basis , ivhich has already , in numerous instances , rendered the most important assistance to those whose necessities have required its aid ; and I doubt not but that in-a short time we shall be in a position to form an Annuity Fund , by ivhich the declining years of the aged and deserving Alason may be freed from the bitter pangs of poverty and distress —( cheers ) . Instead , I say , of
having done all this ( and that in the short space of sixteen years , and in spite of the apparently overwhelming difficulties which at first beset us ) , ive should only have erected the shell of a building , at which ignorance and ridicule might point the finger of scorn . "Success has , however , rewarded our endeavours ; our numbers have increased until this Lodge has become one of the most numerous on record ; and I doubt notfrom the courtesy and zeal of its officersand
, , an apparent determination among its members to be unanimous , that it will continue to increase and prosper , —ivhich , I can assure you , is my most fervent prayer —( applause ) . "Allow me , Worshipful Alaster , and Officers , and Alembers , in conclusion , to thank you for this your handsome testimonial , and to assure you that I shall ever look upon it with pride and satisfaction , as a token that my conduct has for so long a period met your approval ; and I
shall hand it down to my family as the most valuable gift I possess , with a strong injunction that they should keep it to their latest posterity . " ¦ —( loud cheers ) . The AV . MASTER then rose , and addressed P . M . Bro . Stark , the Secretary , in a speech marked by equal fervour as in the preceding case , in which the services of Bro . Stark were dilated on with deserved eulogium , and he happily observed that it was with feelings of gratitude and respect