Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry During The Grand Mastership Of H.R.H. The Fringe Of Wales.
ing to his office ; or—as it is not in thc power of every Master tc command the time necessary for acquiring a full knowledge of the ritual—who does not make it clear to his lodge that hc does what he can to the best of his ability , ancl would do more if his private avocations were less urgent in their demands upon histime . Thatwe
are not over-estimating the progress which has been made in this respect during the last 21 years may be judged firstly from a consultation of the two G . Lodge Calendars we have already referred to—for 18 75 and the present year respectively . Whereas the number of lodges of instruction entered in the former is only
about 70 , those which arc to be found on pp . 182-186 of the 18 96 Calendar are not far short of 200 . There is also another and , if possible , more precise indication of the increased desire on the part of brethren to become acquainted with our ritual , and that will be found in the ever-increasing importance which is assigned to the
annual festival of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , and the pomp and circumstance with which its celebration is surrounded . Again , as to the exemplary character of so many of the lodges which , during this period , have been placed on the roll of G . Lodge . Where shall we find better , more
serviceable , or more influential lodges than the City of Westminster , No . 1563 , which matches well with the City of London , No . 901 ; the Studholme , No . 1591 ; thc Alliance , No . 1827 , founded for ofiicers of the Corporation of London ? Or for the special purposes for which they were established , than the Mozart , the
Sterndale Bennett , the Guildhall School of Music , the Orpheus , the Trinity College , . and other lodges connected with the musical profession ; the various quasi-military lodges such as those attached to the London Rifle Brigade , the London Scottish and the London Irish Rifles , the Train Bands , the Bloomsbury Rifles ,
the Second Middlesex Artillery ; or than those intended | formembers of the different professions and callings , such as the Galen for Chemists ; the yEsculapius for tlic Medical Profession ; the Evening Star for Gas Engineers ; the Hiram for Architects and Surveyors ; the Kaisar-i-Hind for Anglo-Indians , and others almost too numerous to mention ? Then there are the two < rreat
legal lodges—the Northern Bar , No . 1610 , and the Chancery Bar , No . 2456—the latter of which had thc honour of being constituted by the Prince of WALKS himself ; the several lodges founded for the benefit of Provincial brethren having business transactions in the Metropolis , such as the Lancastrian , thc United Northern
Counties , thc Cornish , the Scots , as well as the Lodge La France , which works in the French language , as the Pilgrim , No . 23 S , formerly a Red Apron Lodge , docs in the German ; the Empire Lodge , No . 2108 , which was founded in 1885 to serve as a Masonic home for Colonial brethren visiting London ;
the Anglo-American , No . 2191 , intended to server a like purpose for visiting brethren from the United States , and thc Columbia , No . 2397 , which was organised a few years later for much the same purpose ; the Drury Lane Lodge , No . 2127 , which meets in Olcl Drury , and is open to members of the dramatic
profession and those interested in dramatic pursuits ; the Savage Club Lodge , No . 2190 , for members of the club that bears that name ; the Fellowship Lodge , No . 2535 , which devotes itself chiefly to thedevelopmentof good fellowship among Masonsand the support of our Masonic Institutions ? There is , too , yet another Lodge
which claims more than a passing notice , both from thc exceptional objects for which it was established and the marvellous success which has attended its labours . We . allude , of course , to the Lodge Quatuor Coronati , No . 2076 , for which the M . W . Grand Master was pleased to grant a Charter in 1884 , but which
owing to the absence from England on military duty of Bro . Sir CHARLES WARREN , R . E ., the Alaster Designate , was not consecrated till some two years later . This lodge was founded for thc purpose of encouraging the promotion of Masonic literary studies anions : the brethren . The members of what is known as
the Inner Circle are limited to 40 , ancl only those are eligible to be admitted into the lodge who are known to have distinguished themselves in , or are heart and soul given up to , literary , scientific , and artistic pursuits . But the peculiarity of this lodge is that , in addition to its membership , it has an Outer or
Correspondence Circle , which all brethren in good standing and Grand and private lodges , chapters , and other Masonic bodies are eligible to join on the payment annually of one-half the present annual subscription exacted from those who are full members . At the meetings of the lodge , which are held at Freemasons '
Hall , it is the custom for some member , either of the Inner or Outer Circle , to read a paper on some question of special interest to Masons . These papers and notes on the discussions which follow them are fully reported in the minutes of thc Proceedings , and are published and issued free of cost to all subscribing
members of both Circles . In addition , there are published from time to time Reprints of old and rare Masonic MSS . or other works , but the cost of publishing these is defrayed , not out of the members' subscriptions , as are the Lodge Transactions , but by the proceeds of their sale . Here , then , we have a lodge , such as exists in no other Masonic jurisdiction throughout the world .
Freemasonry During The Grand Mastership Of H.R.H. The Fringe Of Wales.
which was established wholly and solely for the cultivation an I promotion of Masonic literature ; whose membership amounts tn some 2000 lodges and brethren belonging to all or nearl y all thp Masonic jurisdictions inthe universe ; and which in the 10 years of its active existence has placed within the reach of members
of the Craft at large reprints ' of many of the most valuable of our old MS . Constitutions and of sundry of our most cherished works ; ancl we say , without fear of contradiction , that if the Masonic reign of his Royal Highness , the M . W . G . Master , had been signalised by no other event than the establishment of this
lodge , which is composed in great part either of our most eminent writers on Masonry or of brethren who are skilled in understanding its mysteries , that reign would still be a memorable one in the annals of our English Craft . But we must not dwell upon a matter which is sufficiently well known to our
readers , and by them most fully appreciated . English Craft Freemasonry , which is the basis of our whole Masonic system has progressed during these last 21 years in the character as in the number of its lodges , ancl , as we shall take occasion to note later in this article , that progress has not been unattended by a
corresponding measure of improvement in the other jurisdictions which exist within the limits of the British Empire . In the meantime , however , we shall give our attention to that other branch of Ancient Free and Accepted Masonry , which as the Book of Constitutions tells us , is connected with the Craft that is to say to
ROYAL ARCH MASONRY . And here , again , the progress which has been made under the auspices of the Prince of WALES is such , that not a few people might be inclined to think we were colouring our picture too highly , were it not for the authentic data which are to be found
in our Grand Lodge Calendars for the years 18 75 and 18 9 6 . From the former we learn that at the close of the year 18 74 there were on the roll of Supreme Grand Chapter 459 private chapters , of which 68 were located in London , 305 in the Provinces , and 86 in the Colonies ; the chapters of instruction in
the London District , which are reckoned apart , being eight . According to the Calendar for the present year , there were on the rollatlhe close of last year , 170 chapters in the London District , 509 in the Provinces , and 131 in the Colonies , & c , the total number thus distributed being 810 . But this is far from
representing the whole of the increase that has taken place during these 21 years . As our readers are aware our Royal Arch chapters are attached to Craft lodges , and when these latter are removed from the roll it almost invariabl y follows that the chapters are likewise removed . Thus , in the Colonics of South
Australia , New South Wales , Victoria , and Tasmania , of thc various chapters which existed prior to thc establishment of their respective Grand Lodge , there is only one remaining on the roll of Grand Chapter and that is attached to the onl y lodge which declined to take part in the formation of the Grand Lodge
of Victoria . The same thing has happened in the case of the chapters attached to the New Zealand lodges which have seceded from our Grand Lodge . Hence some allowance must be made for the chapters that would have been on the roll had not these separations been made from the parent stem of English
Freemasonry , and therefore we feel that we are not exaggerating if we place the increase in the number of chapters at about 3 80 . This is a far higher percentage even than in the case of Craft Masonry , and must be ascribed in the first place to the relaxation of the old rule which required that a lodge should have been
three years in existence before it could have a Eoyal Arch chapter attached to it , and in the next , to the change in the law by which the qualifying period for the exaltation of a Master Mason has been reduced from one year to one month . Nor is the progress in Royal Arch Masonry confined to a mere increase
in the number of chapters . There is now far- greater activity displayed by the members , while the companions generally exhibit a far greater desire to become familiar with the ritual , a fact which is demonstrated in the Metropolitan district by the
increase in the number of chapters of instruction from eig ht to 18 , and there is no doubt that the Provinces have exhibited the same studious proclivities . As regards
MARK MASONRY , the progress that has been made during this period is even m ° pronounced than in Constitutional Masonry , doubtless because there has been greater room for advancement . The " Com " ' politan " Calendar for 18 75 tells us that , including the so-called " Time-immemorial " lodges , there were at the beginning ofl ' * *} ;
year 104 lodges on tne roll . 1 lie "Cosmo" ior 1090 recu . " - that , inclusive of the said " T . I . " lodges , there were 502 at j- ; opening ofthe present year , and of these there are about roo t | ia have Royal Ark Mariner lodges moored to them , the latter being apparently too few in number in 18 75 to be considered wo 'j >! of notice . That the progress in Craft and Arch Masonry sho "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry During The Grand Mastership Of H.R.H. The Fringe Of Wales.
ing to his office ; or—as it is not in thc power of every Master tc command the time necessary for acquiring a full knowledge of the ritual—who does not make it clear to his lodge that hc does what he can to the best of his ability , ancl would do more if his private avocations were less urgent in their demands upon histime . Thatwe
are not over-estimating the progress which has been made in this respect during the last 21 years may be judged firstly from a consultation of the two G . Lodge Calendars we have already referred to—for 18 75 and the present year respectively . Whereas the number of lodges of instruction entered in the former is only
about 70 , those which arc to be found on pp . 182-186 of the 18 96 Calendar are not far short of 200 . There is also another and , if possible , more precise indication of the increased desire on the part of brethren to become acquainted with our ritual , and that will be found in the ever-increasing importance which is assigned to the
annual festival of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , and the pomp and circumstance with which its celebration is surrounded . Again , as to the exemplary character of so many of the lodges which , during this period , have been placed on the roll of G . Lodge . Where shall we find better , more
serviceable , or more influential lodges than the City of Westminster , No . 1563 , which matches well with the City of London , No . 901 ; the Studholme , No . 1591 ; thc Alliance , No . 1827 , founded for ofiicers of the Corporation of London ? Or for the special purposes for which they were established , than the Mozart , the
Sterndale Bennett , the Guildhall School of Music , the Orpheus , the Trinity College , . and other lodges connected with the musical profession ; the various quasi-military lodges such as those attached to the London Rifle Brigade , the London Scottish and the London Irish Rifles , the Train Bands , the Bloomsbury Rifles ,
the Second Middlesex Artillery ; or than those intended | formembers of the different professions and callings , such as the Galen for Chemists ; the yEsculapius for tlic Medical Profession ; the Evening Star for Gas Engineers ; the Hiram for Architects and Surveyors ; the Kaisar-i-Hind for Anglo-Indians , and others almost too numerous to mention ? Then there are the two < rreat
legal lodges—the Northern Bar , No . 1610 , and the Chancery Bar , No . 2456—the latter of which had thc honour of being constituted by the Prince of WALKS himself ; the several lodges founded for the benefit of Provincial brethren having business transactions in the Metropolis , such as the Lancastrian , thc United Northern
Counties , thc Cornish , the Scots , as well as the Lodge La France , which works in the French language , as the Pilgrim , No . 23 S , formerly a Red Apron Lodge , docs in the German ; the Empire Lodge , No . 2108 , which was founded in 1885 to serve as a Masonic home for Colonial brethren visiting London ;
the Anglo-American , No . 2191 , intended to server a like purpose for visiting brethren from the United States , and thc Columbia , No . 2397 , which was organised a few years later for much the same purpose ; the Drury Lane Lodge , No . 2127 , which meets in Olcl Drury , and is open to members of the dramatic
profession and those interested in dramatic pursuits ; the Savage Club Lodge , No . 2190 , for members of the club that bears that name ; the Fellowship Lodge , No . 2535 , which devotes itself chiefly to thedevelopmentof good fellowship among Masonsand the support of our Masonic Institutions ? There is , too , yet another Lodge
which claims more than a passing notice , both from thc exceptional objects for which it was established and the marvellous success which has attended its labours . We . allude , of course , to the Lodge Quatuor Coronati , No . 2076 , for which the M . W . Grand Master was pleased to grant a Charter in 1884 , but which
owing to the absence from England on military duty of Bro . Sir CHARLES WARREN , R . E ., the Alaster Designate , was not consecrated till some two years later . This lodge was founded for thc purpose of encouraging the promotion of Masonic literary studies anions : the brethren . The members of what is known as
the Inner Circle are limited to 40 , ancl only those are eligible to be admitted into the lodge who are known to have distinguished themselves in , or are heart and soul given up to , literary , scientific , and artistic pursuits . But the peculiarity of this lodge is that , in addition to its membership , it has an Outer or
Correspondence Circle , which all brethren in good standing and Grand and private lodges , chapters , and other Masonic bodies are eligible to join on the payment annually of one-half the present annual subscription exacted from those who are full members . At the meetings of the lodge , which are held at Freemasons '
Hall , it is the custom for some member , either of the Inner or Outer Circle , to read a paper on some question of special interest to Masons . These papers and notes on the discussions which follow them are fully reported in the minutes of thc Proceedings , and are published and issued free of cost to all subscribing
members of both Circles . In addition , there are published from time to time Reprints of old and rare Masonic MSS . or other works , but the cost of publishing these is defrayed , not out of the members' subscriptions , as are the Lodge Transactions , but by the proceeds of their sale . Here , then , we have a lodge , such as exists in no other Masonic jurisdiction throughout the world .
Freemasonry During The Grand Mastership Of H.R.H. The Fringe Of Wales.
which was established wholly and solely for the cultivation an I promotion of Masonic literature ; whose membership amounts tn some 2000 lodges and brethren belonging to all or nearl y all thp Masonic jurisdictions inthe universe ; and which in the 10 years of its active existence has placed within the reach of members
of the Craft at large reprints ' of many of the most valuable of our old MS . Constitutions and of sundry of our most cherished works ; ancl we say , without fear of contradiction , that if the Masonic reign of his Royal Highness , the M . W . G . Master , had been signalised by no other event than the establishment of this
lodge , which is composed in great part either of our most eminent writers on Masonry or of brethren who are skilled in understanding its mysteries , that reign would still be a memorable one in the annals of our English Craft . But we must not dwell upon a matter which is sufficiently well known to our
readers , and by them most fully appreciated . English Craft Freemasonry , which is the basis of our whole Masonic system has progressed during these last 21 years in the character as in the number of its lodges , ancl , as we shall take occasion to note later in this article , that progress has not been unattended by a
corresponding measure of improvement in the other jurisdictions which exist within the limits of the British Empire . In the meantime , however , we shall give our attention to that other branch of Ancient Free and Accepted Masonry , which as the Book of Constitutions tells us , is connected with the Craft that is to say to
ROYAL ARCH MASONRY . And here , again , the progress which has been made under the auspices of the Prince of WALES is such , that not a few people might be inclined to think we were colouring our picture too highly , were it not for the authentic data which are to be found
in our Grand Lodge Calendars for the years 18 75 and 18 9 6 . From the former we learn that at the close of the year 18 74 there were on the roll of Supreme Grand Chapter 459 private chapters , of which 68 were located in London , 305 in the Provinces , and 86 in the Colonies ; the chapters of instruction in
the London District , which are reckoned apart , being eight . According to the Calendar for the present year , there were on the rollatlhe close of last year , 170 chapters in the London District , 509 in the Provinces , and 131 in the Colonies , & c , the total number thus distributed being 810 . But this is far from
representing the whole of the increase that has taken place during these 21 years . As our readers are aware our Royal Arch chapters are attached to Craft lodges , and when these latter are removed from the roll it almost invariabl y follows that the chapters are likewise removed . Thus , in the Colonics of South
Australia , New South Wales , Victoria , and Tasmania , of thc various chapters which existed prior to thc establishment of their respective Grand Lodge , there is only one remaining on the roll of Grand Chapter and that is attached to the onl y lodge which declined to take part in the formation of the Grand Lodge
of Victoria . The same thing has happened in the case of the chapters attached to the New Zealand lodges which have seceded from our Grand Lodge . Hence some allowance must be made for the chapters that would have been on the roll had not these separations been made from the parent stem of English
Freemasonry , and therefore we feel that we are not exaggerating if we place the increase in the number of chapters at about 3 80 . This is a far higher percentage even than in the case of Craft Masonry , and must be ascribed in the first place to the relaxation of the old rule which required that a lodge should have been
three years in existence before it could have a Eoyal Arch chapter attached to it , and in the next , to the change in the law by which the qualifying period for the exaltation of a Master Mason has been reduced from one year to one month . Nor is the progress in Royal Arch Masonry confined to a mere increase
in the number of chapters . There is now far- greater activity displayed by the members , while the companions generally exhibit a far greater desire to become familiar with the ritual , a fact which is demonstrated in the Metropolitan district by the
increase in the number of chapters of instruction from eig ht to 18 , and there is no doubt that the Provinces have exhibited the same studious proclivities . As regards
MARK MASONRY , the progress that has been made during this period is even m ° pronounced than in Constitutional Masonry , doubtless because there has been greater room for advancement . The " Com " ' politan " Calendar for 18 75 tells us that , including the so-called " Time-immemorial " lodges , there were at the beginning ofl ' * *} ;
year 104 lodges on tne roll . 1 lie "Cosmo" ior 1090 recu . " - that , inclusive of the said " T . I . " lodges , there were 502 at j- ; opening ofthe present year , and of these there are about roo t | ia have Royal Ark Mariner lodges moored to them , the latter being apparently too few in number in 18 75 to be considered wo 'j >! of notice . That the progress in Craft and Arch Masonry sho "