Consecration Of The Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of Lincolnshire.

of new provinces . It was only on the previous Friday that a new province had been established in Sussex , when tho brethren assembled in large numbers at Brig hton . These facts pointed to the estimation in which the Mark was held , and described it far better than any words he could use would do .

Bro . F . Binckes proposed " The R . W . Provincial Grand Mark Master Mason of Lincolnshire , Bro . John Sutcliffe , " and in doing so said it was always a difficult and delicate matter to approach what the Director of Ceremonies had just announced as the toast of the evening . He

had , however , the most excellent subject for the toast that he ever had in his life . Their excellent Provincial Grand Master he ( Bro . Binckes ) had at last found out , was the cleverest man within the circle of his acquaintance ; for he had discovered the grand secret of renewing his

youth . He would tell them why—and this he firmly believed—he had told him ( Bro . Binckes ) that evening while sitting beside him that he had eulogised him too much in the observations he had made , and he had seen mantling to Bro . Sutclifte ' s cheeks the blush of modesty . Now

they all knew that modesty was the peculiarly distinguishing characteristic of youth . If the Grand Master had not restored himself by some process into which he ( Bro . Binckes ) did not care to pry , he could not have seen that blush of

modesty mantling to his cheek , but he would ask the brethren whether one word he had used concerning the Provincial Grand Master , in the course of the proceedings of the day , under the difficult circumstances in which he had

been placed , had been in any respect more than he thoroughly and richly deserved by a long course of service both in Masonry and tout of it ? Of course not . Truly " on their own merits modest men are dumb ; " but surely in the presence of one like

Bro . Sutcliff ' e no one should be debarred speaking of those merits and commending them to a body of men like those then present . He was not speaking of Bro . Sutcliffe in empty terms of compliment , but he could speak of his qualifications , which were

known to every one in the room . If he said more of him he fell he should be guilty of what was superfluousness and excess—of " gilding refined gold " or attempting to " paint the lily . " He would therefore , as simply as he could , but nevertheless most heartily and earnestly , ask the

brethren to respond to the toast . The subject of that toast was the first Provincial Grand Master of Lincolnshire , and the brethren of that Province and of the Province of Lancaster testified their hearty approval of the Grand Master ' s choice by lesponding heartily to the toast . They

wished to show how they valued what he had done in the past ; they congratulated him heartily on his present position , and they wished him a prosperous career in the future . The Prov . G . Master , on rising to respond , was received with loud applause . This lasted

for some time , and on its subsiding he said the occasion was one of very serious and great importance to him . He would refer to the short remarks made by the Installing Master , Bro . Binckes , who spoke of the past so much , and who had the gift of eloquence in such a large

measure . Unfortunately for himself he ( the Prov . G . M . ) had not that gift , but he was a practical man . He could not make the worse appear the better reason , and he hoped that Bro . Binckes would not flatter him too much . All that Bro . Binckes hadsaid that he ( the Prov . G . M . )

had done and would do , he hoped would turn out to be the fact , and what he had been in the past he would try to be in the future . He had certainly undertaken that day a position of responsibility , which , perhaps , he should not have undertaken , but he was in this difficulty : that

the brethren of Lincolnshire would not take nay from him . They appealed to him to take the office on the ground that he would be promoting the . interests of Mark Freemasonry in the province . Oc \ consideration he thought there were other

brethren in the province more deserving of high rank and position than he was . Being however , strongly pressed , and told it was a duty he owed to Freemasonry that he should take the office , and that there was no one else they considered more worthy , he considered the matter

Consecration Of The Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of Lincolnshire.

again , and finding there was no help for it , he consented . As he had recently said , in Mark Masonry they must have the cream of Craft Masonry , and he was sure from the assemblage he saw before him that day they did get the cream of Craft Masonry . It occuir ^ d to him to say tlwt Mark Masonry should be recognised by

Grand Lodge ; for , as they stood at present it seemed to him that they were dissenters from the Craft . ( Bro . Binckes : " , No . No " ) . As he had told the brethren of Lincolnshire , if he could be of any service in promoting ths interests of Freemasonry it would afford him great pleasure to do so . He had undertaken this office on the

same principle as that which guided all his actions through life , that what was worth doing at all was worth doing well . He never" went in" for half measures ; he always " went the whole hog , " and he would take Mark Masonry in hand in this province so long as it did not come in

collision with Craft Masonry . ( Bro . Binckes : "It never can" ) . Their Brother Binckes said it never could . Looking at Lancashire they found Craft Masonry , Mark Masonry , Royal Arch Masonry , and every other kind of Masonry there ; the land was covered with it . He remembered William

Dugdale of Bolton saying of the people there , " Thc-y stink of brass . " He would not use the word offensively , but he would apply the meaning conveyed by the expression , to the position of Masonry in Lancashire ; that province was the most Masonic province in England . He was not at all ashamed of beins a Lancashire lad .

In Lincolnshire they were not so thickly strewn as the brethren in Lancashire ; but he should not depart from his desire of making Masonry great in Lincolnshire . He would once more thank the brethren for the compliment they had paid him by coming that day to witness his

installation . It was such a compliment as any Provincial Grand Master must feel most deeply . He did not know all the brethren who attended individually , but he looked upon the gathering as though he know every person composing it , and it was such a noble one that it- must be an

encouragement to him to perform his duties . He would pledge them his word , every one of them , that when they held Provincial Grand Lodge every brother there that day should have notice of it . To his thanks he would add another expression of heartiness b y drinking the

good health of every brother present , and that of their wives and sweethearts . The Prov . G . Master then said that as the special train for the north-west would not leave till halfpast seven there was no necessity for the brethren from that quarter to leave at present ; for he would

request their attention for a few minutes while he gave "The Health of the Installing Master , Bro . Binckes . " He desired to thank that brother very much for the honour he had done him by installing him that day . They all knew Bro . Binckes , and he could not say

anything of him which they were not previously aware of . Had Bro . Romaine Callender been present he might have had more to remark upon ; but with regard to so well known a brother as Bro . Binckes , he would simply propose his health and leave it in their hands .

Bro . Binckes rose to reply immediately , and said they must not pause for a single moment , as the trains would not wait . They had all partaken of Bro . Sutclifte ' s hospitality , and would gladly have enjoyed it still longer were it not for the exigencies of the railway . The proceedings

of the day in Grand Lodge were peculiar ; and he felt that they resembled very much a performance in a theatre where there was a thickl ypacked audience to hear the play of" Hamlet , " with the principal character to be filled by a distinguished actor , but before the proceedings

commenced , the stage manager had to come forward to announce that the character would , through the illness of the great actor , have to be represented by a minor actor . The distinguished tragedian engaged at enormous expense could not come , and the audience must either be

content to see the character played by a minor pet former , or they could have their money returned at the doors . That was just the position of affairs that day . Bro . Romaine Callender had been taken ill . Although he ( Bro . Binckes ) along with all the brethren , were much grieved at his absence and the cause of it , he was very glad to

Consecration Of The Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of Lincolnshire.

fill his post , and however imperfectly he had performed his duties he had endeavoured to do it in the best way he could . He felt indebted to them for the credit they had given him for those endeavours . He knew that one of the causes of this great gathering was the announcement that

Bro . Callender would be present . No one more regretted than he ( Bro . Binckes ) throughout the day ' s proceedings , the absence of their distinguished brother , to whom he was quite prepared to render any assistance in a subordinate position ; but he never thought for a single instant of being his

representative . When the prompter ' s bell was rung and the green curtain drawn up , and all the magnificent mountings of the piece were displayed , it was found that the principal performer was not present , and he was called upon to fill his part . Whether he should ever again be

emboldened to fill the same part he did not know ; perhaps he might be like " single-speech Hamilton , " who made a brilliant oration once , and never attempted it again ; or like a sky-rocket which made a great show as it went up , and nothing ; but the stick remained to come down .

He was very much pleased to have had to instal his old friend , although he much regretted the absence of Bro . Callender . Some remarks had been made about Grand Craft Lodgs , and some Masons did not know Mark Masonry so intimately as the brethren present . It had been

thought by some that Mark Masons were casting a slur on Craft Masonry , but any such observations must have been made unguardedly and from want of knowledge of what Mark Masonry was . He must ask them to take from him the fullest assurance that if the time of danger ever

came to Craft Masonry , Grand Craft Lodge of England would find its warmest supporters in Mark Masons . Bro . Binckes then referred to the G . Master ' s remark that he ( Bro . Binckes ) had the power of speoch ; but he said that it was necessary that some one should be able to

appeal to the hearts and sympathies of the brethren . He would now discharge another duty , and thank the brethren on behalf of himself and the absent Bro . Callender , whose representative he was . The brethren all wished him better health , also long life , happiness , aud

prosperity , and on all occasions received his name with respect . He ( Bro . Binckes ) took their reception of his name that day as a testimony of how highly they esteemed him , how deeply they regretted his absence , and how much they wished for his reappearance among them in health and

strength . The Prov . G . Master next proposed " The Health of the Visiting Brethren , " and spoke with gratification of the presence of the many he saw before him from Lincolnshire , Cheshire , Yorkshire , and numerous other places . To all

of them he tendered his most sincere and hearty thanks for following the brethren of Lincolnshire to the Provincial Grand Mark Lodge . It was always pleasant to drink the health of the visitors , to whom they never gave the cold shoulder . They rather gave them the saddle of mutton , and

whatever would make them enjoy themselves . That day they offered them a hearty reception , but he was sorry that train time was becoming so short that a general stampede of the visiting brethren might soon be expected . He would not therefore enlarge on this toast , but he could

not conclude without saying that the Province of Lincolnshire felt greatly complimented by having such a large body of visitors from all parts of the country . He would call on Bro . Young , from the province of Durham to respond . Bro . Young said that the fact of his coming

from Durham would speak as much for his opinion of the Prov . G . Master as even volumes of words . The journey from such a distance would show that he had at heart the good of Masonry in Lincolnshire , and that he highly honoured the Prov . G . Master . He was

delighted to have the opportunity of doing honour to Bro . Sutcliffe , and eagerl y j seized the occasion of giving him a welcome . With the view of doing so he immediately undertook to represent Northumberland and Durham . In its Provincial

Grand Master , Lincolnshire had one who would be most welcome at all times in this ( Bro . Young ' s ) district . He was a most excellent representative of the Craft , —one of those baronial fellows who should have lived in times gone