The Approaching Girls' School Festival.

THE APPROACHING GIRLS' SCHOOL FESTIVAL .

It was vvith very great pleasure that we announced in our last week ' s issue that the Girls' School authorities had at length succeeded in obtaining a Chairman for the approaching Festival in the person of Bro . Lord CARRINGTON , a Past Senior Grand Warden of England , Past M . W . G . M . of the United Grand

Lodge of New South Wales , and Provincial Grand Master nominate of Buckinghamshire . After the many delays and disappointments they have experienced , Bro . HEDGES and his

Committee must be highly gratified at having enlisted the support of so distinguished a Craftsman , and we trust the brethren both in London and throughout the Provinces generally will use their utmost efforts in order to ensure the success of the

Anniversary at vvhich his lordship has so kindly undertaken to preside . As we have pointed out on many previous occasions , the duties and responsibilities of a Masonic P ' estival Chairman are by no means light . It is quite true , as Bro . Earl AMHERST remarked in his principal speech at the recent

Benevolent Festival , that the Stewards invariably do their work of canvassing so well as to leave the President of the day , be he never so eloquent and impressive , very little chance of extracting even a few additional guineas from the pockets of the

guests . Yet a President has many opportunities beforehand of influencing other distinguished brethren and the lodges or Province vvith which he may happen to be connected , to support him on the occasion of his Chairmanship , and we have no doubt that Lord CARRINGTON will use his

influence with the Buckinghamshire Masons to induce them to rally round him and give him all the assistance in their power in his advocacy of the claims of our Senior Charity . The Province , indeed , will not need much influencing . During the many years the late Bro . Sir DANIEL GOOCH was Provincial Grand Master of

Berks and Bucks , the Bucks section ofthe Province , like the Berks section , always figured in the Stewards' lists , nor was there any Province in England which , for its size , was more uniform or more generous in its support of all three Institutions . We cannot , of course , expect a very heavy return from a Province which has

onl y a dozen lodges on its roll , and which as yet is not completely organised under its newly-appointed chief . The time , too , is very short to allow of very much being done in the way 01 canvassing between now and the clay on which the celebration will take place . However , we dare say the Craft

generall y , which is well aware how necessary it is that these annual fetes should be loyally and generously supported , will co-operate with the Chairman and his Province with more than their usual energy . Indeed , Lord CARRINGTON

uiiiy deserves this much at their hands , not only because it will c Ins first appearance , at all events in England , in the capacity ° a Masonic Festival Chairman , but also because his services

J - reemasonry , albeit they have been rendered in a distant colony of the British Empire , and to a separate and independent land Lodge , have been of a most distinguished character . Unrii-r f ___„ " _ . _ •_ . ° , uic circumstances witli increased ancl

-w _ c , ana an increasing J , oard ° f Stewards to assist him in his efforts , we trust that j . ter all the 103 rd Festival of the Girls' School will result more ourabl y than only a few days since we had reason to expect .

Columbia Lodge, No. 2397.

COLUMBIA LODGE , No . 2397 .

af 1 consecrat ' of the Columbia Lodge , No . 2397 , marks . 0 f •Ste P ' a < ^ vance m the direction of strengthening ancl an 1 "f- ^ ' 10 se ^ ° f brotherhood which have always existed , „ j . ' . ' sincerel y trust , will always exist , between the two . ;> .., Sectl ons of English-speaking- Freemasons . A few years

our 1 l er ' brother , when visiting this country , though tion f ^ . Were open and ready to receive him on the productive ' ^ factor y evidence of his being a Mason , and though cord' f ° * ' fhat his reception would have been most 1 had nothing special in the way of Masonry

Columbia Lodge, No. 2397.

to attract him . There are lodges in all parts of London , and some of them are amongst the most distinguished on the roll of Grand Lodge . But to a brother hailing from foreign parts , one lodge would be very like another , while the difficulty , especially in the summer season , of ascertaining what

lodges were in session and available , therefore , for him to visit would be very great . Moreover , the English , whether Masons or non-Masons , are the reverse of demonstrative . A lodge , as we have said , would admit a foreign brother on proof—if there were no obstacle in the shape of private business in the

wayand extend to him a very hearty welcome , but his reception would be neither more nor less cordial than that of any other visitor . In our opinion , this is the greatest compliment that could be paid to a brother from a distant jurisdiction—that he should be received as one of us . All people , however , are not of the same

mind , and many are apt to think they are—we will not say discourteously , but—coldly treated , if the outward and visible signs of the cordiality that is truly felt are not exhibited . However , some four years ago the genial idea occurred to some of our

London brethren to establish a lodge , the membership of which should be open to American brethren resident in this Metropolis as well as to English brethren , and which , being thus constituted , should be in a position to offer a kind of special haven of Masonic beatitude to all Transatlantic members of our Order . Hence the

Anglo-American Lodge , No . 2191 , which was consecrated early in 188 7 with a most distinguished brother as first W . M ., a brother who is not only a member of our Grand Lodge , but the representative near it of over 20 American Grand Lodges . As regards the success which has attended this lodge from the very day of its

consecration there is no need for us to enlarge on a matter which is so familiar to our readers . Suffice it to say that the many distinguished American Masons who have visited these shores during the last four years have one and all expressed

themselves as delighted beyond measure with this special feature in our London Masonry . Indeed , so admittedly successful has been the career of the Anglo-American Lodge that it has been considered desirable that a second lodg-e of a similar

character and to fulfil the same object should be established , and hence the Columbia Lodge , which was consecrated on the 19 th ult ., and which already gives promise of being as great a success as its elder sister . That a certain amount of rivalry will exist between the two lodges we do not for one moment doubt , but

it will be an honourable rivalry , success in which will conduce more and more conspicuously to the prosperity of both . For ourselves we heartily wish them God-speed in their beneficent work , while to the more recently constituted of the two we say , in the opening words of the American National Hymn , " Hail , Columbia ! "

The Grand Master Of Canada On The Ceremonies Of The Craft.

THE GRAND MASTER OF CANADA ON THE CEREMONIES OF THE CRAFT .

The Grand Master of Canada , M . W . Bro . J . Ross Robertson , during his recent tour among the lodges of his jurisdiction , performed the ceremony of dedicatijn of a new lodge at Brighton , and delivered the following address , prefacing his remarks by

referring to the amount of work done by men like Bros . W . J . Hughan , R . F . Gould , and Geo . W . Speth , three men , he said , who stood to-day with more knowledge of early Craft work than any others in the world . The lecturer said that the work of these

three men had given the Craft light and dispelled much of the nonsense that had been written by men of the olden time , who when history ran short drew liberally on their imaginations . The audience was most enthusiastic , and seemed unanimous in their deep appreciation of the two hours' talk of the Grand Master .

The lecture being concluded , the ceremony of dedication was proceeded with . Before doing so , M . W . Bro . ROBERTSON said : —