Well Done, New York !

WELL DONE , NEW YORK !

In the early days of last month there was consecrated at Utica , in the State of New York , the Masonic Asylum or Home , which has been erected during the past 12 or 18 months by the Grand Lodge and brethren of the Emp ire State . The building , the cost of which is set down at $ 157 , 000 , is described as " beautiful in architectural design , convenient in arrangement ,

and solid and strong in construction—the grandest edifice devoted to Masonic Charity on the American Continent . " It is intended for the accommodation of indigent brethren and widows of brethren , and for the sons and daughters of deceased or indigent brethren . It stands in grounds of between 160 and 170 acres in extent , for which upwards of $ 50 , 000 was paid , the citizens of

Utica contributing $ 30 , 000 of the price in question , and when it has been completely fitted and furnished—a task which has been undertaken and will , no doubt , be most effectually carried out by the lodges and brethren in New York State—the Craft in this section of the great North American Republic will have good reason to be proud of the work they have achieved ; nor do

we imagine there will be any other feeling in the sister sections of the same Republic than one of congratulation that a work which has been kept steadfastly in view for the last 50 years should at length have been brought to so successful a completion . The story of the New York Hall and Asylum Fund , as told by Bro . W . J . DUNCAN in the American Tyler for last

month , is well worth reading , and shows clearly enough what the Masons of New York are capable of doing when once they have made up their minds to fulfil some special purpose . According to Bro . DUNCAN the determination of the brethren to erect firstly a Masonic Hall for the accommodation of their Grand Lodge and other Masonic bodies , and then an

Asylum for the poorer members and their belongings was formed in 1842 , the originator of the scheme being Bro . J AMES HERRING , the then Grand Secretary of New York . In that year a petition was drawn up for presentation to the Grand Lodge , in which the subscribers thereto besought the patronage of their rulers for a fund it was proposed to raise for ( 1 ) " the

erection of a hall in the city of New York for the Grand Lodge and other Masonic bodies ; " and ( 2 ) " the founding of an Asylum for worthy decayed Masons , their widows , and orphans ; " and the petitioners added the following sketch of their intended method of procedure .- " For the accomplishment of these noble purposes we invoke your honourable body to use your influence with the brethren of this State by sending forth a suitable

appeal to their liberality , and by constituting proper agents to solicit and receive contributions . In testimony of our own sincerity and confidence in the ability of the Fraternity in the State of New York we ask your acceptance of our subscriptions in cash and promise to pay annually hereafter , till •he works are completed , something towards the necessary fund . " And it

''asadded : " It is our desire , if the Grand Lodge accept of our offering , 'tat the fund thus raised should be carefully invested by the Trustees of 'he Grand Lodge and preserved for the especial purposes above set forth and no other , until the Grand Lodge shall decide that a sufficient fund has accumulated for the completion of the first object , to wit , the erection of a

I ur and Hall free from encumbrance , after which the second object | Kn be in like manner put in operation . " In 1843 the petition j * itn S 300 in cash was presented to , and unanimously adopted tyi the Grand Lodge of New York and in March , 1845 , the

lr "stees of the " Hall and Asylum Fund" were elected . In 1 849 a ^ ism broke out among the New York brethren , and the " Phillips Grand wd ge" was established , Bro . J AMES HERRING being appointed its Grand pretary ; and as the Trustees were members of the seceding body , the "" d , which in the meantime had swelled to S 6830 , was taken with them

J d fostered by the newly-created Grand Body . In 1858 the schism was . ^ led , and the year following it was handed over to Grand Lodge , the sum '" "and having reached to upwards of $ 9000 , while , if we understand Bro . U * CAN' rightly , the rival Grand Lodge had raised a sum of nearly $ 19 , 000 . i , years later the . subscriptions , nrincioal and interest toeether . fell not

* short of $ 50 , 000 , and the Trustees , in delivering their report , announced t ^| 'hey had procured an Act of Incorporation , empowering them to hold v . a "d personal property . Resolutions were accordingly adopted with a * } ° still further increase the amount in hand , and a Committee was Wmted to bring the matter more immediately under the notice of the le

j ' ° dges . In 1865 the Fund had reached upwards of $ 74 , 000 , and the [ stecs reported the purchase for $ 120 , 000 of a plot of ground having a lorj tage ° I 0 ° feet in Grand-street and 125 feet in Crosby-street , Grand p 6 e voting a grant of § 15 , 000 , of which $ 10 , 000 was taken from its patient Fund , and $ 500 from the General Fund . By the 0 [ e ° f the year 1866 the Fund amounted to over $ 204 , 000 , ™ ich nearl y $ 51 , 000 had been derived from a Fair held in

Well Done, New York !

December . In 1868 the Trustees reported that they had sold the Grand and Crosby-streets property for $ 163 , 000 , the result being a clear gain on the sum originally paid of $ 43 , 000 , the Fund at the time amounting to $ 284 , 000 . In 1869 the present site of the Grand Hall at the corner of Twenty-third-street and Sixth Avenue was purchased for $ -540 , 000 , and in

the course of another year the Trustees reported that this property was free from encumbrance , while close on $ 45 , 000 remained in hand . Thefound-itionstoneof the new hall was laid with Masonic ceremonial by Bro . J AMES GIBSON , M . VV . Grand Master , in the presence of some 12 , 000 Craftsmen . Five years later the hall was solemnly dedicated to the purposes of Freemasonry

by Bro . ELWOOD E . THORNE , M . W . Grand Master , the number of brethren present and in the procession which attended the Grand Master being estimated at some 26 , 000 . The cost of the building when complete was $ 1 , 590 , 000 , of which some $ 794 , 000 remained unpaid . In 1876 the income from rents was reported at nearly $ 51 , 800 , and by the following year the

debt had been reduced by some $ 16 , 000 . Since then the process of reducing this formidable encumbrance appears to have gone forward merrily year by year , until during the Grand Mastership of Bro . FRANK R . LAWRENCE the bonded debt was satisfied , the glorious event being celebrated with the utmost enthusiasm by the brethren

throughout the State of New York on the 24 th of April , 1889 . At this time , then , the Trustees had their property free of all encumbrance , and as the rents they were annually receiving exceeded $ 50 , 000 , and there was a cash balance in hand of close on $ 149 , 000 , it was determined to proceed with the second part of the scheme as originally propounded , and

select a site on which to erect the Asylum . The result of the steps taken in order to carry out this purpose was that a property of—as we have alread y stated—between 160 and 170 acres in extent near the city of Utica was obtained at the price of $ 50 , 000 , towards which the worthy citizens of Utica most generously contributed $ 30 , 000 . In 1890 it was resolved that the sum

of $ 150 , 000 should be expended in erecting the building , with a further $ 25 , 000 for architect's commissions , sewerage , kc , Sec . On the ist May , 1891 , the first stone of the proposed edifice was laid with imposing ceremonial by Bro . VROOMAN , M . W . Grand Master . Since then the Asylum has been erected at a cost of $ 157 , 000 , and it only remains that the

rooms should be suitably fitted and furnished in order that the building , which was dedicated early last month by the present G . Master , may be devoted to the uses of its intended occupants . Thus , after keeping steadily in view for 50 years the purpose set forth by Bro . J AMES HERRING and his brother petitioners , in 1842 , in their address to Grand Lodge , our brethren in

the State of New York now find themselves the owners of a Grand Hall and an Asylum for their indigent members and their widows and orphans , which , though they have cost from first to last close upon $ 2 , 140 , 000 ( £ 428 , 000 ) , are free from all encumbrance ; nor is there the slightest reason to doubt that the energy and generosity which have enabled them to achieve this splendid

feat will be continued in order to maintain in a state of complete efficiency and enlarge , if necessary , their Masonic Asylum . Bro . DUNCAN has done well in setting forth in the columns of the American Tyler the details of

this enterprise which we have thus summarised , and we gladly avail ourselves of this opportunity of congratulating our New York brethren on their observance of one of the two great fundamental principles of our Order , namely , Charity .

Supreme Grand Chapter.

SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER .

The Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England was held on Wednesday evening at Freemasons' Hall . Comp . the Rev . H . Adair Pickard , M . A ., Grand Supt . of Oxford , acted as M . E . G . Z . j Comp . Lieut .-General Charles Wilson Randolph , Grand Supt . of Sussex , as G . H . ; and Comp . Col . Gerard Noel Money , C . B ., as G . J . ; Comp . Edward Letchworth , G . S . E . ; and Comp . Captain N . G .

Philips , as G . S . N ., occupied those positions . The Rev , H . R . Cooper Smith , as G . P . S . ; Major-General J . Crossland Hay , C . B ., as ist A . G . S . ; Baron de Ferrieres as 2 nd A . G . S . ; and the following companions were also present : Comps . Robert Grey , President of Committee of General Purposes ; F . A . Philbrick , Q . C ., G . Reg . ; C . E . Keyser , G . S . B . ; Perceval A . Nairne , ist G . Std . Br . j Frank Richardson , G . D . C . ; F . Mead , D . G . D . C . ; Belerave Ninnis , A . G . D . C . ;

M . Maybrick , G . Org . ; W . F . Smithson , Richard Clowes , Mdjor C . Harding , F . H . Goldney , C . F . Hogard , Walter Hopekirk , George Everett , Charles Belton , Edwin M . Lott , Mus . Doc , Sir Bruce M . Seton , Edgar Goble , Eugene Monteuuis , J . T . Collins , R . J . Emmerson , Henry Maudslay , James Glaisher , C . F . Matier , Major George Lambert , Chas . H . Driver , Sir George D . Harris , Col . H . S . Somerville Burney , Ralph Gooding , M . D ., Henry J . P . Dumas , W . P . Brown , 2 nd A . G . D . C ; J . E . Le Feuvre , Herbert J . Adams , W . M . Bywater , W . G . Lemon , J . T . Morland , Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , J . Lewis