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Article CONSECRATION OF THE WANDERERS' LODGE No. 1604. ← Page 2 of 3 Article CONSECRATION OF THE WANDERERS' LODGE No. 1604. Page 2 of 3 Article CONSECRATION OF THE WANDERERS' LODGE No. 1604. Page 2 of 3 →
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Consecration Of The Wanderers' Lodge No. 1604.
thren , —Our worthy and excellent Grand Secretary , who presides here to-day , has just stated that I will make a feyv observations to you before we proceed with the ceremony . I am glad that he used thc word " observations , " because what I shall now address to you yvill be in no sense what is commonly called in our technical language an oration . I purpose merely making a few plain
observations , such as might be addressed to the sailors or the soldiers of our native country , and who , I believe , generally speaking , yvhen they have to address themselves , address briefly and to the point . I yvill try , as far as I can , to folloyv their generally good example . Brethren , the assembly yvhich . is present hereto-day , the many uniforms of various colours— " coats of many colours "—remind us at least of
this , that communities of men must in this yvorld be classed together and form so many different corps , yvith different interests , differing laws , different regulations , and different duties ; but it is , perhaps , an occasion upon which more than any other we may see the moral of Freemasoniy , yvhatever may be the external garb yve wear , yvhatever the colour may be which the garb may bear , I trust that
beneath every one of our garments is a uniform—I mean a uniform love of all that is good and noble and true , in yvhich yve , as brother Masons , can unite as one corps , and feel that the esprit tie corps may never be lost . It has been handed down to us from ancient times ; it is with us at present in full vigour , and by the blessing of God it shall continue till time shall be no more . I feel peculiar
pleasure in being able to be present here to-day at the call of our excellent presiding Master , for not only am I pleased to be privileged to address you as a Past Grand Chaplain now growing old , but also because I feel a peculiar attachment to that body to which most of you belong . My first antl earliest days were spent yvithin three miles of Sunderland , yvhere I sayv many of thc military stationed
at that place , many , many noble fellows , privates , noncommissioned officers , and officers , I had the pleasure antl privilege of calling friends , many who used to come out , on a summer day especially , to our parish church ; and many of those brethren I remember with affection who now " sleep" on the hills of the Crimea . At Windsor , yvhere I was curate for four years , I had an opportunity ,
too , of making acquaintance with many of our military brethren , and there I met yvith some as good , and true , and noble fellows as ever I met in thc yvorld . On these accounts , brethren , I feel a peculiar personal pleasure In addressing you to-day . And now , what are we nut today to do ? To Consecrate this lodge into a Freemasons ' Lodge . And what is it ? We are not operative
Masons . We are not disposed to yvork as yve sayv in the public papers a few days ago iu that noble band of engineers , who carry on operations which , in the language of a great statesman , seem to be likely to subdue thc yvorld . Wc arc not those yvho attempt to conquer matter , but yve do attempt to yvork by mind ; and I venture , with all due deference to the great
statesman , to join with the highest journal in the land in feeling that the work in mind is after all higher than the yvork in matter . The lodge that wc arc about to consecrate is an emblem of the present yvork we have to do , and is an emblem and a foreshadowing of that great building , of yvhich , I trust , however wandering far antl wide wc may be , yve may at last be found to be members . Whatever
be the lines upon which yve arc noyv working , the lines wc have to work upon , brethren , are the lines laid down by thc Great Architect of the Universe for the purpose of building up a human edifice perfect in its parts and honourable to thc Great Master Builder , however much that building may be m ruins , it is our great work noyv to restore it to someyvhat of its original shape ; and the man
that works best at that high work , by truth , by honour , by temperance , by straightforwardness in all his dealings , and not least , by brotherly love to his fellowmen , and charity to all the yvorld , that man doubtless yvill be among the master builders that yvill be paid their wages one day yvhen they come to reckon yvith the Great Builder above . It is that yvork which we are called upon to do ; and the
man yvho docs it , whether civilian or soldier , truthfully , honestly , cheerfully and as in sight of the Allseeing Eye , sure am 1 that he will not lose his reward , ay , even now . The respect which a man receives who thus is able to hold his head up , the respect in which he feels—which is a totally different feeling from self-conceit—the self-respect which that man feels , is of itself a great reward . And ,
Sir , I venture to say , without being invidious , or casting any slur upon civilians merely for the purpose of flattering or attempting to flatter our brethren of the army , I will repeat what I have ever held from my earliest days , that a high and noble soldier , noble in the highest sense of that . exalted term , is one ofthe finest fellows on God's earth , for he is a man perhaps that has not
to face " the cannon ' s mouth " with brute courage , but a man who has perhaps to go through more temptations than any man in the world ; and therefore any man that comes out of that world of trial , a noble , a true , a good , and temperate man , depend upon it , Sir , is not only bound to receive but does receive our highest admiration . Antl yvhen he joins our Masonic band there do I
feel that he hears the two great key notes struck by our Grand Master at the Albert Hall , " Loyalty and Charity , " here he finds an additional bond and additional inducement to act upon the high principles which I have ventured to throw out . Loyalty I need not speak of in the presence of soldiers . To them yve look as the guardians of our liberties , of our homes , of our country ; loyalty to
the Sovereign , love to their country , and above all , obedience to their God , makes thcmlto be in our sight true guardians of our highest liberties , and in that sense 1 have a very great , great veneration for the military order , and I am rejoiced to find so many withn our noble society . Permit me , brethren , in conclusion , to mention a single point which I think it is very well for us all , not only soldiers
Consecration Of The Wanderers' Lodge No. 1604.
but civilians , to have in mind , and it is this : —Freemasonry in beneficial , as we know , for many things ; but probably Freemasonry can can teach us very little that yve know not already , lt is an idea among many that Freemasonry , or even thc highest forms of religion can teach us a great deal , and that wc may wait and wait till yve arrive at a pcifcct knoyvledgc before we practise , or call upon
ourselves to practise that which yve learn . I venture to think that in this day and with the education that yve have all received there is not a man of us in this room who needs to learn his duty — not one . VVe arc not as our poor brethren in this very land 1 S 00 years ago , we arc not as thc poor children of Adam scattered in many a land , ignorant of our duty—not at all . And
here-fore , I presume not to teach an } ' man in this room his duty . But I do this , and Freemasonry does it a thousand times better ; it reminds you and me of that which evet y one of us who can read his heart and has a knoyvledgc of himself knows wc need , it reminds us of the duties that yve right yvell know we ought to perform ; and it is that reminding , I look upon as a grand object of
Freemasonry , wc are perhaps in the presence of men who else rarely put themselves in the yvay of hearing these high truths ; we are enabled iti our beautiful and grand ceremonies to bting before them some of thc highest truths of religion ; anil sure I am—I know it from the mouths of dying Masons , that they have received in Masonic lodges some of the most bl essed rcmindings of their life .
Hence , I look upon it that a regular attendance . it our Masonic lodges , the putting ourselves in the way of being forced to hear these grand truths , the fact that we cannot avoid hearing them when we are within leach of them , is a great practical boon . I say this fact is a great blessing , and if we attend iu our Alasonic lodges , if we listen yvith attention to our beautiful ceremonies , and if wc make
a point of having in the chairs , as cur officers men whose hearts , and whose minds are attuned to those beautiful ceremonies , . and give them out in an impressive manner—I say it becomes a very great privilege to belong to a lodge of Freemasons , and all the more , not because the Master in the chair is a minister of religion , and doing a certain work yvhich yve may listen or may not listen to , as yve
like , and the acting up to yvhich is more or less a rcstiiction to us ; but he is put there by ourselves , and by his mouth wc interpret our duties . I trust that your lodge may long flourish under good Masters , with a succession of good Masters , as I have reason to believe the first will be on this occasion , that they yvill be supported by good and worthy officers , who will attend to their duties , and then as the
wanderers come home they will go forth , and your voice will " go forth into all lands , " and the Wanderers' Lodge yvill become a told to which thc sheep can ever return under good and true shepherds , ami yvhen they part to meet no more here they may meet m the Grand Lodge bove , to which we are all hastening . Applause . ) The ceremony o ! consecration was then proceeded yvith ,
and at its conclusion Bro . Hervey installed Bro . G . D . Roe , 1424 , P . P . G . S . West Division of South Wales , as VV . M ., and the folloyving brethren were in tested as tile officers lor the ensuing year : —Bros . T . 11 . Meredith , P . M . 1257 , I . P . M . ; W . J . Parish , 1089 , S . W . ; D . Evans , 209 , J . W . ; A . Wade , P . M ., Treas . ; K . J . Sett , Sec . ; Goodson , S . D . ; F . J . Wray , J . D . ; George Boulton , I . G . ; Geo .
Cox and J . Fuller , Stewards ; . and Lackland , Tyler . When thc addresses had been delivered and thc ceremonies of the day brought to a termination , Bro . J . I Iervey yvas unanimously elected an honorary member of the lodge on the motion of Bro . Meredith , seconded by theS . W ., and Bro . Hervey having acknowledged the compliment , thc same honour yvas conferred on Bro . the Rev . R . J .
Simpson , on the motion of Bro . Meredith , seconded by the W . M . Thereafter six propositions for joining , and seven for initiation yvtre given in , and the thanks of the lodge , to be recorded on the minutes , were voted to Bro . Hervey for consecrating the lodge , the motion being made by Bro . Meredith , and seconded by the W . M . The excellent oration of Bro . Simpson dreyv another vote
of thanks from the lodge , proposed by Bro . Meredith , and seconded by the S . W . Bro . Meredith then proposed , and the J . W . seconded a vote of thanks to the other brethren yvho assisted in the consecration ; and this having been unanimously adopted , the W . M . proposed , and the S . D . seconded a vote of thanks to Bro . Cooke , in reply , said that if his music had added
anything to thc solemnity of thc beautiful ritual he yvas happy to have been thc medium through which that addition had been made . A vote of thanks was also passed to those brethren who had visited the lodge on this first night of its meeting , Bro . Guy stating that some brethren had come all the way from Portsmouth to be present . The brother from Hiram Lodge who replied , said that it had
given the brethren great pleasure to be present , and as to its being considered a long journey from Portsmouth to undertake for the purpose of seeing the consecration ol this lodge , so thoroughly did those brethren feci the importance of this lodge that if thc distance had been ten times as far they yvould have come . There were , however , some , who from military and other engagements had been prevented
from attending . This concluded the business of thc evening , and the brethren then closed the lodge and adjourned to Freemasons' Tavern , where after banquet the toasts usual on consecration nights were proposed and honoured . Bro . the Rev . R . J . Simpson in returning thanks for " Lord Skelmersdale , D . G . M ., aiid the rest of the Grand
Officers , " said that from what we had seen of Lord Skelmersdale , although he had not long been acting in his high position would prove an admirable ruler in the Craft , and by his personal yvorth as well as by attention to his tluties the admiration and respect of Freemasons . For thc brethren on his rig ht and left ( Bros . Hervey and Cottebrune ) he need say nothing , as they yvere well knoyvn , and their yvorks were appreciated ; but for them as well as
Consecration Of The Wanderers' Lodge No. 1604.
himself he might say that they returned thanks for the very kind yvay in yvhich their health had been proposed and received , and for the hospitable yvay iu yvhich they had been treated . He would nut for a moment attempt to trespass further on thc attention of the brethren , seeing that he had already occupied a good deal of their time in lodge ; but he might inform the brethren that he esteemed it a true
pleasure and a great privilege to have had the happiness of being present at the consecration of this military lodge . He recognised among thc brethren some old faces yvhich had come back to his memory , and which he had been re - joiced to meet that day , even though they might be in new places . He trusted that bye-anti-bye he might be received again as one of the Wanderer ' s , but at the same time as
one who would be at all times pleased to place his humble services at the disposal ofthe lodge . He wished all prosperity and happiness to the lodge , and he trusted that in future years it might prove the happy home for many an absent Mason to return to in his native land , and even it he Isjuml those whom he hail loved in his own home gone he might be received yvith open arms by his brother Masons .
Bro . John Hervey in proposing " Success to the Wanderers' Lodge " said it was not a toast yvhich he thought the brethren yvould say was not yvorthy of being mentioned on that occasion . He was satisfied the brethren yvould all feel that the lodge had entered on its career under very auspicious circumstances ; auspicious , he might say , because it had a vast number of propositions both ol
candidates for initiation and candidates for joining the lodge . Under ordinary circumstances probably that might be a source of congratulation ; but on that occasion he thought it was such a source because there was the outside yvorld ( thc candidates for initiation being the outside yvorld ) coming forward to support them ; and they yvould not have allowed their natnes to be put forward unless they
had some degree o ? confidence in the members and sympathy yvith their objects ; and the candidates for joining would not have wished to enter themselves as joining members unless they had felt they could enter a society which was congenial with their feelings , and which would be to them a happy and comfortable Masonic lodge . So much for the auspices of the lodge ; and he thought he
might congratulate the brethren still further , inasmuch as the W . M . hail shewn that evening first of all on his advent to the chair that he was capable of fulfilling its duties , that he kneyy hoyv to govern the lodge , and by the yvay in which he invested his officers that he knew the ritual . All these performances of the W . M . proved that he yvas capable during his year of office of conducting the
business of the lodge yvith ability , and of setting a good example to the members . If the yvork of a lodge was yvell done the candidate was well impressed with thc society which he enteied , and the principles of that society . If the yvork were badly done , then he went away dissatisfied , and he so expressed himself—that he thought Masonry a thing of real importance , but found it yvas nothing
of the sort ; that he had found a Master in thc chair who stumbled in delivering thc ritual , and could not perform the ceremonies he professed to perform ; therefore he yvould not go near thc lodge again or have anything to do yvith i :. This yvas no imaginary state of things , but yvas really the feeling of candidates when they found a Master yvho could not perform the ceremonies . With
respect to the W . M . whom they had seen in the chair that evening , he had shown that he knew his duty , and that he yvould perform it with credit to himself , and yvould conduct the lotlge into a safe heaven . When it came to his turn , as come it yvould , to resign the chair , he yvould leave it yvith the approbation of thc brethren , and yield it to his successor with an example to follow in his footsteps . He
concluded by proposing " Success to thc Wanderers' Lodge and the Health of the W . M . " The W . M ., in reply , saitl he had often had occasion to regret his want of the power of speech to express his thoughts , but he did not know that he ever felt that want more than he did at that moment . He should have considered that the installation of the W . M . under ordinary
circumstances was as great a distinction as any human being could be expected to attain to ; but yvhen he found himself occupying thc chair ol K . S . as the first W . M . of the Wanderers' Lodge he asked himself what he had done to deserve such a distinction among his fellows . He hoped however , that he yvould be enabled , if the G . A . O . T . U . granted him health and strength , to discharge the duties
of his high office with satisfaction to thc lodge , yvith credit to himself , and yvith honour to the Craft . He hoped they would all be enabled to act up to one of their Masonic teachings by contributing their quota to the Masonic charities . He trusted that their working would be well and faithfully performed . It must be borne in mind that though they were a military lodge they were yet a metropolitan
lodge , and though for a time they could not hope to compete yvith the Metropolitan Lodges in supporting the charities , they would do their best to do so . It yvas cheering to know that the noble Order had been undergoing a process of purification and reformation , and it was satisfactory to him to feel that as Master of a lodge he was connected by such close ties with institutions yvhich provided a
common platform on yvhich politicians and others of every state of opinion might meet on the level and part on the square of friendship . Actions spoke louder than words , and he only hoped at the expiration of the present twelvemonths the brethren yvould give him as hearty a reception as they had that evening given him . From the well-known perseverance , and if he might be allowed ' . o use the word ,
"pluck , " of military men , he had no dou ' jt they wocld give that attention to the duties of the lodge as yvould give it a gratifying measure of progress and prosperity . The W . M . afterwards gave " Tbe Health of the Consecrating Officers , " to which Bro . John Hervey responded . The S . W . proposed " The Visitors , " -to which Bro . Pownall replied , and the S . W . having responded for " Tlie Officers ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consecration Of The Wanderers' Lodge No. 1604.
thren , —Our worthy and excellent Grand Secretary , who presides here to-day , has just stated that I will make a feyv observations to you before we proceed with the ceremony . I am glad that he used thc word " observations , " because what I shall now address to you yvill be in no sense what is commonly called in our technical language an oration . I purpose merely making a few plain
observations , such as might be addressed to the sailors or the soldiers of our native country , and who , I believe , generally speaking , yvhen they have to address themselves , address briefly and to the point . I yvill try , as far as I can , to folloyv their generally good example . Brethren , the assembly yvhich . is present hereto-day , the many uniforms of various colours— " coats of many colours "—remind us at least of
this , that communities of men must in this yvorld be classed together and form so many different corps , yvith different interests , differing laws , different regulations , and different duties ; but it is , perhaps , an occasion upon which more than any other we may see the moral of Freemasoniy , yvhatever may be the external garb yve wear , yvhatever the colour may be which the garb may bear , I trust that
beneath every one of our garments is a uniform—I mean a uniform love of all that is good and noble and true , in yvhich yve , as brother Masons , can unite as one corps , and feel that the esprit tie corps may never be lost . It has been handed down to us from ancient times ; it is with us at present in full vigour , and by the blessing of God it shall continue till time shall be no more . I feel peculiar
pleasure in being able to be present here to-day at the call of our excellent presiding Master , for not only am I pleased to be privileged to address you as a Past Grand Chaplain now growing old , but also because I feel a peculiar attachment to that body to which most of you belong . My first antl earliest days were spent yvithin three miles of Sunderland , yvhere I sayv many of thc military stationed
at that place , many , many noble fellows , privates , noncommissioned officers , and officers , I had the pleasure antl privilege of calling friends , many who used to come out , on a summer day especially , to our parish church ; and many of those brethren I remember with affection who now " sleep" on the hills of the Crimea . At Windsor , yvhere I was curate for four years , I had an opportunity ,
too , of making acquaintance with many of our military brethren , and there I met yvith some as good , and true , and noble fellows as ever I met in thc yvorld . On these accounts , brethren , I feel a peculiar personal pleasure In addressing you to-day . And now , what are we nut today to do ? To Consecrate this lodge into a Freemasons ' Lodge . And what is it ? We are not operative
Masons . We are not disposed to yvork as yve sayv in the public papers a few days ago iu that noble band of engineers , who carry on operations which , in the language of a great statesman , seem to be likely to subdue thc yvorld . Wc arc not those yvho attempt to conquer matter , but yve do attempt to yvork by mind ; and I venture , with all due deference to the great
statesman , to join with the highest journal in the land in feeling that the work in mind is after all higher than the yvork in matter . The lodge that wc arc about to consecrate is an emblem of the present yvork we have to do , and is an emblem and a foreshadowing of that great building , of yvhich , I trust , however wandering far antl wide wc may be , yve may at last be found to be members . Whatever
be the lines upon which yve arc noyv working , the lines wc have to work upon , brethren , are the lines laid down by thc Great Architect of the Universe for the purpose of building up a human edifice perfect in its parts and honourable to thc Great Master Builder , however much that building may be m ruins , it is our great work noyv to restore it to someyvhat of its original shape ; and the man
that works best at that high work , by truth , by honour , by temperance , by straightforwardness in all his dealings , and not least , by brotherly love to his fellowmen , and charity to all the yvorld , that man doubtless yvill be among the master builders that yvill be paid their wages one day yvhen they come to reckon yvith the Great Builder above . It is that yvork which we are called upon to do ; and the
man yvho docs it , whether civilian or soldier , truthfully , honestly , cheerfully and as in sight of the Allseeing Eye , sure am 1 that he will not lose his reward , ay , even now . The respect which a man receives who thus is able to hold his head up , the respect in which he feels—which is a totally different feeling from self-conceit—the self-respect which that man feels , is of itself a great reward . And ,
Sir , I venture to say , without being invidious , or casting any slur upon civilians merely for the purpose of flattering or attempting to flatter our brethren of the army , I will repeat what I have ever held from my earliest days , that a high and noble soldier , noble in the highest sense of that . exalted term , is one ofthe finest fellows on God's earth , for he is a man perhaps that has not
to face " the cannon ' s mouth " with brute courage , but a man who has perhaps to go through more temptations than any man in the world ; and therefore any man that comes out of that world of trial , a noble , a true , a good , and temperate man , depend upon it , Sir , is not only bound to receive but does receive our highest admiration . Antl yvhen he joins our Masonic band there do I
feel that he hears the two great key notes struck by our Grand Master at the Albert Hall , " Loyalty and Charity , " here he finds an additional bond and additional inducement to act upon the high principles which I have ventured to throw out . Loyalty I need not speak of in the presence of soldiers . To them yve look as the guardians of our liberties , of our homes , of our country ; loyalty to
the Sovereign , love to their country , and above all , obedience to their God , makes thcmlto be in our sight true guardians of our highest liberties , and in that sense 1 have a very great , great veneration for the military order , and I am rejoiced to find so many withn our noble society . Permit me , brethren , in conclusion , to mention a single point which I think it is very well for us all , not only soldiers
Consecration Of The Wanderers' Lodge No. 1604.
but civilians , to have in mind , and it is this : —Freemasonry in beneficial , as we know , for many things ; but probably Freemasonry can can teach us very little that yve know not already , lt is an idea among many that Freemasonry , or even thc highest forms of religion can teach us a great deal , and that wc may wait and wait till yve arrive at a pcifcct knoyvledgc before we practise , or call upon
ourselves to practise that which yve learn . I venture to think that in this day and with the education that yve have all received there is not a man of us in this room who needs to learn his duty — not one . VVe arc not as our poor brethren in this very land 1 S 00 years ago , we arc not as thc poor children of Adam scattered in many a land , ignorant of our duty—not at all . And
here-fore , I presume not to teach an } ' man in this room his duty . But I do this , and Freemasonry does it a thousand times better ; it reminds you and me of that which evet y one of us who can read his heart and has a knoyvledgc of himself knows wc need , it reminds us of the duties that yve right yvell know we ought to perform ; and it is that reminding , I look upon as a grand object of
Freemasonry , wc are perhaps in the presence of men who else rarely put themselves in the yvay of hearing these high truths ; we are enabled iti our beautiful and grand ceremonies to bting before them some of thc highest truths of religion ; anil sure I am—I know it from the mouths of dying Masons , that they have received in Masonic lodges some of the most bl essed rcmindings of their life .
Hence , I look upon it that a regular attendance . it our Masonic lodges , the putting ourselves in the way of being forced to hear these grand truths , the fact that we cannot avoid hearing them when we are within leach of them , is a great practical boon . I say this fact is a great blessing , and if we attend iu our Alasonic lodges , if we listen yvith attention to our beautiful ceremonies , and if wc make
a point of having in the chairs , as cur officers men whose hearts , and whose minds are attuned to those beautiful ceremonies , . and give them out in an impressive manner—I say it becomes a very great privilege to belong to a lodge of Freemasons , and all the more , not because the Master in the chair is a minister of religion , and doing a certain work yvhich yve may listen or may not listen to , as yve
like , and the acting up to yvhich is more or less a rcstiiction to us ; but he is put there by ourselves , and by his mouth wc interpret our duties . I trust that your lodge may long flourish under good Masters , with a succession of good Masters , as I have reason to believe the first will be on this occasion , that they yvill be supported by good and worthy officers , who will attend to their duties , and then as the
wanderers come home they will go forth , and your voice will " go forth into all lands , " and the Wanderers' Lodge yvill become a told to which thc sheep can ever return under good and true shepherds , ami yvhen they part to meet no more here they may meet m the Grand Lodge bove , to which we are all hastening . Applause . ) The ceremony o ! consecration was then proceeded yvith ,
and at its conclusion Bro . Hervey installed Bro . G . D . Roe , 1424 , P . P . G . S . West Division of South Wales , as VV . M ., and the folloyving brethren were in tested as tile officers lor the ensuing year : —Bros . T . 11 . Meredith , P . M . 1257 , I . P . M . ; W . J . Parish , 1089 , S . W . ; D . Evans , 209 , J . W . ; A . Wade , P . M ., Treas . ; K . J . Sett , Sec . ; Goodson , S . D . ; F . J . Wray , J . D . ; George Boulton , I . G . ; Geo .
Cox and J . Fuller , Stewards ; . and Lackland , Tyler . When thc addresses had been delivered and thc ceremonies of the day brought to a termination , Bro . J . I Iervey yvas unanimously elected an honorary member of the lodge on the motion of Bro . Meredith , seconded by theS . W ., and Bro . Hervey having acknowledged the compliment , thc same honour yvas conferred on Bro . the Rev . R . J .
Simpson , on the motion of Bro . Meredith , seconded by the W . M . Thereafter six propositions for joining , and seven for initiation yvtre given in , and the thanks of the lodge , to be recorded on the minutes , were voted to Bro . Hervey for consecrating the lodge , the motion being made by Bro . Meredith , and seconded by the W . M . The excellent oration of Bro . Simpson dreyv another vote
of thanks from the lodge , proposed by Bro . Meredith , and seconded by the S . W . Bro . Meredith then proposed , and the J . W . seconded a vote of thanks to the other brethren yvho assisted in the consecration ; and this having been unanimously adopted , the W . M . proposed , and the S . D . seconded a vote of thanks to Bro . Cooke , in reply , said that if his music had added
anything to thc solemnity of thc beautiful ritual he yvas happy to have been thc medium through which that addition had been made . A vote of thanks was also passed to those brethren who had visited the lodge on this first night of its meeting , Bro . Guy stating that some brethren had come all the way from Portsmouth to be present . The brother from Hiram Lodge who replied , said that it had
given the brethren great pleasure to be present , and as to its being considered a long journey from Portsmouth to undertake for the purpose of seeing the consecration ol this lodge , so thoroughly did those brethren feci the importance of this lodge that if thc distance had been ten times as far they yvould have come . There were , however , some , who from military and other engagements had been prevented
from attending . This concluded the business of thc evening , and the brethren then closed the lodge and adjourned to Freemasons' Tavern , where after banquet the toasts usual on consecration nights were proposed and honoured . Bro . the Rev . R . J . Simpson in returning thanks for " Lord Skelmersdale , D . G . M ., aiid the rest of the Grand
Officers , " said that from what we had seen of Lord Skelmersdale , although he had not long been acting in his high position would prove an admirable ruler in the Craft , and by his personal yvorth as well as by attention to his tluties the admiration and respect of Freemasons . For thc brethren on his rig ht and left ( Bros . Hervey and Cottebrune ) he need say nothing , as they yvere well knoyvn , and their yvorks were appreciated ; but for them as well as
Consecration Of The Wanderers' Lodge No. 1604.
himself he might say that they returned thanks for the very kind yvay in yvhich their health had been proposed and received , and for the hospitable yvay iu yvhich they had been treated . He would nut for a moment attempt to trespass further on thc attention of the brethren , seeing that he had already occupied a good deal of their time in lodge ; but he might inform the brethren that he esteemed it a true
pleasure and a great privilege to have had the happiness of being present at the consecration of this military lodge . He recognised among thc brethren some old faces yvhich had come back to his memory , and which he had been re - joiced to meet that day , even though they might be in new places . He trusted that bye-anti-bye he might be received again as one of the Wanderer ' s , but at the same time as
one who would be at all times pleased to place his humble services at the disposal ofthe lodge . He wished all prosperity and happiness to the lodge , and he trusted that in future years it might prove the happy home for many an absent Mason to return to in his native land , and even it he Isjuml those whom he hail loved in his own home gone he might be received yvith open arms by his brother Masons .
Bro . John Hervey in proposing " Success to the Wanderers' Lodge " said it was not a toast yvhich he thought the brethren yvould say was not yvorthy of being mentioned on that occasion . He was satisfied the brethren yvould all feel that the lodge had entered on its career under very auspicious circumstances ; auspicious , he might say , because it had a vast number of propositions both ol
candidates for initiation and candidates for joining the lodge . Under ordinary circumstances probably that might be a source of congratulation ; but on that occasion he thought it was such a source because there was the outside yvorld ( thc candidates for initiation being the outside yvorld ) coming forward to support them ; and they yvould not have allowed their natnes to be put forward unless they
had some degree o ? confidence in the members and sympathy yvith their objects ; and the candidates for joining would not have wished to enter themselves as joining members unless they had felt they could enter a society which was congenial with their feelings , and which would be to them a happy and comfortable Masonic lodge . So much for the auspices of the lodge ; and he thought he
might congratulate the brethren still further , inasmuch as the W . M . hail shewn that evening first of all on his advent to the chair that he was capable of fulfilling its duties , that he kneyy hoyv to govern the lodge , and by the yvay in which he invested his officers that he knew the ritual . All these performances of the W . M . proved that he yvas capable during his year of office of conducting the
business of the lodge yvith ability , and of setting a good example to the members . If the yvork of a lodge was yvell done the candidate was well impressed with thc society which he enteied , and the principles of that society . If the yvork were badly done , then he went away dissatisfied , and he so expressed himself—that he thought Masonry a thing of real importance , but found it yvas nothing
of the sort ; that he had found a Master in thc chair who stumbled in delivering thc ritual , and could not perform the ceremonies he professed to perform ; therefore he yvould not go near thc lodge again or have anything to do yvith i :. This yvas no imaginary state of things , but yvas really the feeling of candidates when they found a Master yvho could not perform the ceremonies . With
respect to the W . M . whom they had seen in the chair that evening , he had shown that he knew his duty , and that he yvould perform it with credit to himself , and yvould conduct the lotlge into a safe heaven . When it came to his turn , as come it yvould , to resign the chair , he yvould leave it yvith the approbation of thc brethren , and yield it to his successor with an example to follow in his footsteps . He
concluded by proposing " Success to thc Wanderers' Lodge and the Health of the W . M . " The W . M ., in reply , saitl he had often had occasion to regret his want of the power of speech to express his thoughts , but he did not know that he ever felt that want more than he did at that moment . He should have considered that the installation of the W . M . under ordinary
circumstances was as great a distinction as any human being could be expected to attain to ; but yvhen he found himself occupying thc chair ol K . S . as the first W . M . of the Wanderers' Lodge he asked himself what he had done to deserve such a distinction among his fellows . He hoped however , that he yvould be enabled , if the G . A . O . T . U . granted him health and strength , to discharge the duties
of his high office with satisfaction to thc lodge , yvith credit to himself , and yvith honour to the Craft . He hoped they would all be enabled to act up to one of their Masonic teachings by contributing their quota to the Masonic charities . He trusted that their working would be well and faithfully performed . It must be borne in mind that though they were a military lodge they were yet a metropolitan
lodge , and though for a time they could not hope to compete yvith the Metropolitan Lodges in supporting the charities , they would do their best to do so . It yvas cheering to know that the noble Order had been undergoing a process of purification and reformation , and it was satisfactory to him to feel that as Master of a lodge he was connected by such close ties with institutions yvhich provided a
common platform on yvhich politicians and others of every state of opinion might meet on the level and part on the square of friendship . Actions spoke louder than words , and he only hoped at the expiration of the present twelvemonths the brethren yvould give him as hearty a reception as they had that evening given him . From the well-known perseverance , and if he might be allowed ' . o use the word ,
"pluck , " of military men , he had no dou ' jt they wocld give that attention to the duties of the lodge as yvould give it a gratifying measure of progress and prosperity . The W . M . afterwards gave " Tbe Health of the Consecrating Officers , " to which Bro . John Hervey responded . The S . W . proposed " The Visitors , " -to which Bro . Pownall replied , and the S . W . having responded for " Tlie Officers ,