Grand Lodge Of Mark Master Masons.

believed that in no other year had more than noo or 1200 been advanced . That made the average of the two years 1500 . He had during the past year had to visit several counties , and had had the pleasure of going himself to the formation of three new provinces . During the year there had been six new provinces formed—one in Westmorland , New Zealand ; one in the Mediterranean ; one in Montreal ; another in Tasmania , and another in

Nottingham . Another that he had attended was in East Anglia . He was very anxious , belonging as he did to East Anglia , being at heart an East Anglian , during the time he was Mark Master that Mark Masonry should flourish in East Anglia . There were now two Mark Lodges there , and strong ones too . He had to mention another circumstance . During his year of office he had brought himself under his own jurisdiction by accepting- a

Provincial Grand Mastership . After hesitating a good deal he had thought that perhaps just for one year they might keep together , and so he had consented . His friends were anxious that a friend of his should be appointed Prov . Grand Master , and he hoped with the assistance of his able friend , Bro . Martyn , the work of the Provincial Grand Master for East Anglia would be duly carried on . When they elected another Worshipful Grand

Master in his stead he would have no more loyal subject than the Provincial Grand Master of East Anglia . He wished to say just one word before he sat down as to the way in which the Grand Lodge had been received by the brethren throughout the country . He thanked the brethren of Birmingham for the way in which when they went there they were received ; and he also thanked the brethren

of Nottingham for the reception met with there ; and he was quite sure that the brethren of East Anglia were anxious to entertain the W . M . and his officers as well as they were able . He thought it right for him to say how heartily they had been received in the important cities—it was only right that when brethren undertook to entertain them properly the Grand Master should acknowledge what they had done . He did not think that they would

require him to say any more on that point ; he would only , therefore , add that the cordiality he had met with had given him every encouragement in the efforts he had made to advance the Order , and he assured them that , as he had tried to the utmost to do his duty , so he would during his remaining year of office ; and when he laid down his position of their Grand Master he should be sorry to sever some things . He still might hand over to his successor the

Order in as advancing and successful a state as when his predecessor handed them to him ( Lord Henniker ) , and he hoped that it would advance in usefulness . He would like to say one more word , as this was the last time that he would be installed their Grand Master—he hoped that when he became a Past Grand Master the brethren would allow him to take an active part in the management of the Grand Mark Lodge .

In proposing "The Health of the M . W . P . G . M . Ms ., " the W . M . said they had seen that day amongst them Bro . Beach who was a brother who never failed to promote the interests of the Order . They had also seen amongst them a brother whom they all very greatly respected and whom he would venture to congratulate , and that was the M . W . Past Grand Master , Bro . Portal , who had been able to move with his usual force the

recommendations of the General Board , and whom he hoped to see among them for many years . He knew all the Past Grand Masters pretty well and he talked to them very often about Mark Masonry ; he believed they all did their best for the advancement of the Order , and he hoped that they might see them from time to time amongst them . As they got older however it was not easy to secure their presence on these occasions . He thought it

had been his fortune during his term of office to see one member of the royal family one of the Past Grand Masters , and as he had already told them in lodge he hoped they would soon see another of the royal family amongst them . He was one of those whose time was so fully taken up that he hardly had a moment to spare , yet he had never neglected to give all the time he could spare in the services of Freemasonry . The Chairman said he was sorry no Past Grand Master was present , Bro . Portal's health Would

not allow him to remain and Bro . Beach was also unable to stay . That however need not prevent their drinking their health . The CHAIRMAN said the next toast that he had the pleasure to propose was that of " The Health of the Deputy Grand Master and the Grand Officers , Present and Past . " He was sorry that his noble friend the Deputy Grand Master was not present , among other reasons because he

always felt stronger when the Deputy Grand Master was at his side . He thought they would have received him as he deserved , and would have shown him as he deserved that he was popular among Mark Masons . In proposing this toast the Chairman said he had first of all to perform a most pleasing task , and to thank the Past Grand Officers for the way in which they had supported their Grand Master during the past year . He hoped

that the present Grand Officers would have a harder year's work . Wherever he had been and whenever the interests of the Order had been at stake he had always found the Past Grand Officers at his side to support him . He wished to thank especially Bro . Binckes , the Grand Secretary ; Bro . Dewar , the Assistant Grand Secretary ; and Bro . Davison . Without going further he would say that all the Grand

Officers had ably supported him . He must not omit the name of Bro . Berridge . He hoped the present Grand Officers would have a year of pretty hard work , and he would now propose to drink " The Health of the Present Grand Officers . " Unlike the Past Grand Officers he could not thank those who had been that day appointed for what they had done , though he could thank those who had been and still were Grand Officers , but he could tell

those who had been just appointed that they were expected to work hard for the benefit of the Order . With this toast he would couple the name of Col . Bignold . •' >•„ , . ' Col . BIGNOLD said it had fallen upon him , through ' the kindness of the Grand Master , to return thanks for thc Grand Officers . With thc Grand Master he regretted the absence of Lord Kintore , because of thc loss of thc admirable speech which they were sure to have had from him . He could

not , however , but feel proud that the distinguished duty of replying to this toast had fallen upon him . For himself he loved Masonry , and had always loved it , and he did not less love it since he had become a Mark Mason , and he did not love it less since he had seen the admirable way in which the Grand Master had performed the duties of his high office . When the Grand Master had done him the honour to make him one of his Grand Officers he

had been pleased to allude to the Province of East Anglia , to which they both belonged . The Province of East Anglia , which was known to be famous for its wise men , had shown that it had not lost its wisdom when it selected the Grand Master to rule over them . The Grand Master had done them the honour to be present when 28 Mark Masons were advanced ; since that they had added 18 last week , and had 58 working members . , Before he sat down he desired to say how much he felt that the spirit of truemeemasonry was not dead , that the keystone of the arch was still alive ^ nd under the

Grand Lodge Of Mark Master Masons.

Grand Master's most worthy superintendence they felt that love and charity and brotherly kindness was the true keystone of the arch of Masonry . Bro . RANDALL , P . G . Chaplain , in proposing the next toast said that it was a very important one , "Success to the Mark Benevolent Fund . " There was no single degree in Freemasonry into which benevolence did not enter , not a lodge in which the principle was not received , not a brother who did

not admit it as a duty . In some degrees it was inculcated upon each from the time he is installed to diffuse the sublime princi ples of universal benevolence and to distribute alms to the poor , to clothe the naked , bind up the wounds of the afflicted—these were the duties laid upon Freemasonry , and he was sure the brethren would agree with him that it did great and high honour to the institution of which they were proud to be members .

Mig ht he not hope to see these principles earned practically into effect . They had been told that Mark Masonry was flourishing ; Masonry in every degree was flourishing , and he thought he might say the benevolent funds in every degree were flourishing . They would be able to hear from the brother who would respond for this toast full details of this benevolent fund . Sometimes they heard sneers from the outside world and

sometimes in their ignorance they had some foundation for their accusations . Probably some few of the outside world who had looked on , as some had looked on that evening , had found them engaged at the hospitable board , and might say , These Masons assemble for nothing but eating and drinking . He was not one to encourage such attacks , because he thought that the labourer was worthy of his hire and that they must not muzzle the ox that

treadeth out the corn . He was sure that there were no Masons who had sat round these hospitable boards who did not feel that they had spent some of the happiest and most profiitable hours of their lives in so doing . Why was this ? Because in the midst of theirenjoyment they did not forget the wants of others . He had himself often wished perhaps that a bottle of champagne less , or some wonderful dish the less , had been ordered , and that the money should rather

have gone into a benevolent fund . He trusted he might be excused for having thrown out that remrk . There was no institution in the kingdom according to numbers , not the Church of which he was a minister , nor any association existing , according to its numbers , that did so much in the way of benevolence as the three Masonic Institutions . After some further

remarks the speaker proposed the toast " Success to the Mark Benevolent Fund , " coupling with it the name of the man who had done more perhaps than any other to promote the success of Mark Masonry , and who , he was sure , had done more than any man to promote the success of the Mark Benevolent Fund—Bro . Binckes .

Bro . BINCKES , in replying to the toast , said he was afraid that thc extreme approval his excellent friend , Bro . Randall , had bestowed upon him had deprived him of the powerjfo ^ replying to the toast which he had proposed in such eloquent terms . WsMehe believed Bro . Randall perfectly sincere in every word he had said , he & wlts sure that everyone present would

believe him ( Bro . Binckes ) equallytstneere when he said that it was enough for him to have achieved thatjpnp . t' success which had been alluded to , because he desired the glory ^ JSe & hared by those with whom he had been associated in the charities ofljMark Masonry . It had been his ( Bro . Binckes's ) duty for a number ^ years to interest his brethren in Freemasonry in the cause of charity anpato devote the best of those poor powers with

which he had been gifted tjaihat chanty , which he believed to be the greatest ornament of the order , Jma lie thought he might say that he had not got an altogether unsuccessful answer . He believed that next year would bring his silver wedding with regard to Mark Masonry . From what a very small origin had these great results be achieved . There' were very few brethren who knew the difficulty

Mark Masonry had had to . contend with . The announcement made by thc Grand Master that evening . was he thought the crowning honour that could be conferred upon the degree when he said that he was not permitting himself , even with thoste who occupied the highest position either in the State or Freemasonry , to indulge invterms of polite adulation , but he thought that one who since his election had won the heart of every Mason to him—that they

had a right to-congratulate themselves upon the honour conferred upon their Order by the announcement made by their Grand Master that evening . And he said this for the purpose of adding the remark that he did not think anyone better than himself could tell how much they owed to the Grand Master for the success of Mark Masonry . The M . W . G . M . would allow him

to say that it was entirely attributable to his good offices that this honour had been brought to them . It gave them additional reason for saying that since the formation of this Grand Lodge in 1855-56 they had never been presided over by one who set up for himself a higher standard of duty for the advancement of the Order . In the cause of charity with which this toast had been associated Lord Henniker had done all in his

power . In reference to the Mark Benevolent Fund they had always found Lord Henniker a staunch supporter . It could not fail to bring to their recollection those memorable words used by H . R . H . when he was installed , that the two great watch words of FYeemasonry were loyalty and charity . The Grand Master had said that evening that no Englishmen were so loyal as Masons , and among Masons there were none so loyal as Mark Masons .

He ( Bro . Binckes ) did not hesitate to say that they were the " creme de la creme" of Freemasonry . He would claim for Mark Masonry that whether in reference to loyalty or charity they were always in the front . With regard to the Mark Benevolent Fund , he had to announce that the ensuing annual festival would bepresided over by Bro . Pryce Pryce , P . G . M . for South Wales . Bro . Randall in proposing this toast had alluded to

enjoyments of the table which he found ; but he ( Bro . Binckes ) would ask him whether his experience did not extend to this—that whenever a gathering took place in connection with thc Church , to which he had referred , whether to lay a foundation stone or to form a mission for the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts , something in thc way of hospitality was always to be found . He knew that Freemasons spent an

enormous amount of money for their own enjoyment , but it was through that means that their hearts were warmed to that extent to unloose the breeches pocket or the purse within that pocket to contribute to the Masonic Institutions . He might mention that the adhesion of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales was , subject to the condition that it was not to be understood for a moment as justitying any attempt on the

part of the Mark Masons to seek or claim recognition in the shape of amalgamation with the Grand Lodge of England . On this subject Bro . Binckes said that Mark Masters no longer thought it desirable , even if it were possible that there should be any such amalgamation . " The Health of the Visitors " was proposed by Baron DE FERRIERES , and was responded to b y Bro . DALRYMPLE DUNBAR , who referred in his speech to the position which Mark Masonry held in Scotland in reference to Craft and Royal Arch Masonry .