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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 19 of 24 →
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Provincial.
were so cordially uniting to advance its interests . He congratulated them on having during the past year so distinguished a Master as Bro . Paul ; and the success which had attended the establishment of the Cherwell Lodge could not be otherwise than highly gratifying to all who had taken part in it . It xvas scarcely fifteen months ago when a few Brethren met at his ( Bro . Spiers ' s ) house to consider a plan for establishing a Lodge in this town . They laid clown their lines and plans , and submitted them to the Prov . G . M , xvho right nobly performed his part , for he not only consecrated the
Lodo-e , but felt so deep an interest in it that he attended the anniversary to xvituess the success xvhich had attended the establishment of this Lodge . He ( Bro . Spiers ) begged next , as the representative of Grand Lodge , to congratulate them on having in the Chair this year so excellent a Master as Bro . Bowyer ; the experience which he had had in distinguished London Lodges gave every promise of success , besides which he resided in the neighbourhood , and no one had entered into the cause xvith greater earnestness . He ( Bro . Spiers ) xvould only express a hope that this might be a stepping-stone to a higher position in the Craft ,
for one xvho so xvorthily filled the office of AV . M . xvas well qualified to be an officer of Grand Loclge . Amid these congratulations he ( Bro . Spiers ) must not forget his next duty , namely , to remind them that some of the Brethren had by their acceptance of office become privileged from this day to attend the communications of Grand Lodge . He xvould also call their attention to an occasion xx-hich would afford them an opportunity for the exercise of their charity : on Wednesday xveek the Eestival of the Boys' School would take place , at Freemasons' Hall in Loudon , xvhen he earnestly hoped that every one who couldxvould make it convenient to
, attend , and lie would insure them a very happy d-iy , in addition to tlie satisfaction of having rendered an essential service to au invaluable charity . He could speak of the x'alue and benefit of that school from personal observation , and was enabled also to say that the son of aBrotber in this province was at this moment participating in its advantages . He xvould not longer detain them , except to assure them that as
a Prov . G . Officer he felt interested in the character of the Province , and , xvhile he thanked tbem for the compliment they had paid him , he assured them that he was most anxious to do his duty , and to possess the good opinion of the Brethren of his native Province ( cheers ) . The W . M . then proposed tlie health of the Prov . G . M . for Oxfordshire , Bro . Bev . C . J . Ridley , who , lie said , had won the affection and esteem of every Brother in the Province , not only by the ability xvith xvhich he presided over it , and by the services he had rendered Masonry , but equally by the kindness and consideration ,
xvith xvhich he treated every one xvho came within the sphere of his acquaintance . He ( the W . M . ) rejoiced in being brought into closer connection xvith him by being appointed one of his Officers ( cheers ) . The Prov . GRAND MASTEB thanked them for the xvay in xvhich they had received the toast , and the W . M . for the kind manner in which he had proposed it , and said hoxv far he had deserved tbe compliments that had been paid him it was not for him to judge ; but this he coulcl say , he had endeavoured to do his duty as Prov . G . M , anil trusted that be should never relax any effort in continuing to do so . He hacl
a vivid recollection of the very agreeable day xvhich he spent last year on the consecration of this Lodge , and of the gratification which he derived in meeting the Brethren in that room , xvhich xvas one of the best he ever met with , for it xvas not only perfect in form , but those xvho worked in it xvere excellent Masons . He had also a strong recollection of an admirable banquet on that occasion , and he was glad to find that on this they had not forgotten that feature of the day ' s enjoyment , but had given a repetition of it . It was scarcely necessary to remind those who belonged to Banbury that about 400 years ago there xvere divers contests and
disputes in this town and neighbourhood , and direful collisions between the houses of York and Lancaster ; uotliing but wars , and that greatest curse , civil war , then prevailed . In this immediate neig hbourhood the txvo parties bearing the emblems of York and Lancaster xvere brought into collision , and one , the White Rose , might well blush for the misery xvhich it xvrought , xvhile the Bed Rose might turn pale for the bloodshed which it caused . But happily such times and scenes no longer existed , and where these contests once prevailed the sound ofthe hammer and the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
were so cordially uniting to advance its interests . He congratulated them on having during the past year so distinguished a Master as Bro . Paul ; and the success which had attended the establishment of the Cherwell Lodge could not be otherwise than highly gratifying to all who had taken part in it . It xvas scarcely fifteen months ago when a few Brethren met at his ( Bro . Spiers ' s ) house to consider a plan for establishing a Lodge in this town . They laid clown their lines and plans , and submitted them to the Prov . G . M , xvho right nobly performed his part , for he not only consecrated the
Lodo-e , but felt so deep an interest in it that he attended the anniversary to xvituess the success xvhich had attended the establishment of this Lodge . He ( Bro . Spiers ) begged next , as the representative of Grand Lodge , to congratulate them on having in the Chair this year so excellent a Master as Bro . Bowyer ; the experience which he had had in distinguished London Lodges gave every promise of success , besides which he resided in the neighbourhood , and no one had entered into the cause xvith greater earnestness . He ( Bro . Spiers ) xvould only express a hope that this might be a stepping-stone to a higher position in the Craft ,
for one xvho so xvorthily filled the office of AV . M . xvas well qualified to be an officer of Grand Loclge . Amid these congratulations he ( Bro . Spiers ) must not forget his next duty , namely , to remind them that some of the Brethren had by their acceptance of office become privileged from this day to attend the communications of Grand Lodge . He xvould also call their attention to an occasion xx-hich would afford them an opportunity for the exercise of their charity : on Wednesday xveek the Eestival of the Boys' School would take place , at Freemasons' Hall in Loudon , xvhen he earnestly hoped that every one who couldxvould make it convenient to
, attend , and lie would insure them a very happy d-iy , in addition to tlie satisfaction of having rendered an essential service to au invaluable charity . He could speak of the x'alue and benefit of that school from personal observation , and was enabled also to say that the son of aBrotber in this province was at this moment participating in its advantages . He xvould not longer detain them , except to assure them that as
a Prov . G . Officer he felt interested in the character of the Province , and , xvhile he thanked tbem for the compliment they had paid him , he assured them that he was most anxious to do his duty , and to possess the good opinion of the Brethren of his native Province ( cheers ) . The W . M . then proposed tlie health of the Prov . G . M . for Oxfordshire , Bro . Bev . C . J . Ridley , who , lie said , had won the affection and esteem of every Brother in the Province , not only by the ability xvith xvhich he presided over it , and by the services he had rendered Masonry , but equally by the kindness and consideration ,
xvith xvhich he treated every one xvho came within the sphere of his acquaintance . He ( the W . M . ) rejoiced in being brought into closer connection xvith him by being appointed one of his Officers ( cheers ) . The Prov . GRAND MASTEB thanked them for the xvay in xvhich they had received the toast , and the W . M . for the kind manner in which he had proposed it , and said hoxv far he had deserved tbe compliments that had been paid him it was not for him to judge ; but this he coulcl say , he had endeavoured to do his duty as Prov . G . M , anil trusted that be should never relax any effort in continuing to do so . He hacl
a vivid recollection of the very agreeable day xvhich he spent last year on the consecration of this Lodge , and of the gratification which he derived in meeting the Brethren in that room , xvhich xvas one of the best he ever met with , for it xvas not only perfect in form , but those xvho worked in it xvere excellent Masons . He had also a strong recollection of an admirable banquet on that occasion , and he was glad to find that on this they had not forgotten that feature of the day ' s enjoyment , but had given a repetition of it . It was scarcely necessary to remind those who belonged to Banbury that about 400 years ago there xvere divers contests and
disputes in this town and neighbourhood , and direful collisions between the houses of York and Lancaster ; uotliing but wars , and that greatest curse , civil war , then prevailed . In this immediate neig hbourhood the txvo parties bearing the emblems of York and Lancaster xvere brought into collision , and one , the White Rose , might well blush for the misery xvhich it xvrought , xvhile the Bed Rose might turn pale for the bloodshed which it caused . But happily such times and scenes no longer existed , and where these contests once prevailed the sound ofthe hammer and the