The Freemasons And The Marquis Of Ripon.

THE FREEMASONS AND THE MARQUIS OF RIPON .

On Tuesday the Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire was opened at Sutton Coldfield , under the presidency of the Provincial Grand Master , Lord Leigh , and there were present many Masons eminent among the " uninstructed world who are not Masons , " aud holding , too ,

hig h positions in the Craft : For such a gathering it was inevitable that some reference should be made to the loss of the Grand Master of the Eng lish Masons through having turned his face Romewards , and giving as a sign of his obedience to the behests of his new spiritual masters , his

resignation of the high office he filled over his brethren—a position hereafter to be held by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales . The Provincial Grand Lodge was opened with a grand relig ions ceremony , in which several clergymen ( brethren ) took a part . In the subsequent

proceedings , in response to the toast of " The Rulers of the Craft , " proposed by Lord Leigh , Brother J . C . Parkinson , Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge of England , Deputy Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Middlesex , arid Past Master of the Bard of Avon Lodge , said it would ill become him as a "rand officer

whose elevation to the Masonic peerage had been one of the last official acts of the late Grand Master , to express aught but profound regret that his lordship should have found it necessary to resign his high position . It had been publicly stated , that Lord Ripon had been in secret a Roman Catholic for manv years , but that

statement must be denied in the most emphatic manner , for a very short time ago his lordshi p personally expressed his great interest in a proposal made by him ( Brother Parkinson ) that the Freemasons should restore the church of Stratford-on-Avon , and his lordship , after making reference to the Protestant church he was then

building , said that his sympathies were with the scheme for restoring and preserving Shakespeare ' s Church by the Masonic brotherhood ; and that if such a course were ever decided on , he would subscribe to any fund which might be raised . This occurred a short time since , and it was

clear that the Marquis was then a warm and active supporter of the Church of England as by law established . ( Hear , hear . ) The speaker , while regretting deeply that his lordshi p had seceded from that Church , could not share the naive astonishment expressed by some that a

Roman Catholic might not continue to fill a leading position in the Craft . The- fact was that the two systems of Romanism and Masonry were not merely incompatible , but were radically opposed , for one of the first lessons taught in Masonry was that it was " free . " Freedom

of thought , of opinion , and the broadest toleration in reli gious matters were the very essence of Freemasonry , and good and true men of all reli gions were embraced in its comprehensive arms . ( Cheers . ) When in India be had a Parsee amanuensis , who was a devout follower

of Zoroaster , and was so scrupulous a lireworshipper as to ask to be excused from striking a li ght lest the stroke led to waste the , to him , Divine element of fire : but he proved himself a faithful brother in the Craft . ( Cheers . ) Last year in America the speaker had met advanced

thinkers , who were better and more devout men for being Freemasons ; and a few months ago , at his lodge in Middlesex , he had the pleasure of initiating a Mahommedan , in the person of an Aflghan Prince of the blood , who had since passed the other degrees under

circumstances of peculiar interest . ( Cheers . ) There were , too , many excellent Jewish brethren ; there were brethren among the North American Indians , worshipping the Great Spirit on their native prairie , and the learned and devout English clergymen could meet with these brethren of various religious creeds , and on a

common ground join in grateful thanks to the Great Architect of the Universe , and subscribe together to the great doctrine of natural equality and mutual dependence . Freemasonry was a reli gion of good works , and asked for no priestly intermediary between a man and his Maker . Rs impressive ritual enforced the solemn truth that a man should be judged hereafter by his

The Freemasons And The Marquis Of Ripon.

actions on earth rather than by any verdict passed on him by a professional caste , and it was broadly tolerant of differences in faith and creed . When Roman Catholics were permitted by their spiritual rulers to uphold such opinions as these , then , and not till then , could they consistently

continue members of the Craft . The speaker concluded by , as a Grand Officer , thanking Lord Leigh and the Warwickshire Brethren for their loyal welcome , and expressing his firm conviction that under the Grand Mastership of the future King of England—a Prince of the Protestant

House of Hanover ( cheeis )— -Freemasons would continue to conserve those princi ples of religious liberty and spiritual freedom to which the Roman Catholic faith had ever been strenuously opposed . ( Cheers . ) There were three hundred present . — DAILY NF . WS .

Lord Carnarvon On Public Affairs.

LORD CARNARVON ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS .

The Highclcre Agricultural Association , comprising nine or ten parishes in North Hants , held its annual ploughing match and horticultural show on the farms of Mr . Fox and Mr . Rumbold at Burghclere aud Sydmonton , a few miles from Newbury on Tuesday . The Right Hon . the

Earl of Carnarvon , Secretary of State for the Colonies , has held the office of president to the society from the date of its formation , and the Countess also takes a lively interest in its operations , being the donor of several prizes in the horticultural department .

At the usual dinner of the subscribers Lord Carnarvon occupied the chair , and among the company were the members for the Northern Division of Hampshire ( Mr . W . W . Beach and Mr . George Sclaicr Booth , President of the Local Government Board ) , Mr . W . Fox , J . P .,

the Mayor of Newbury , the Rev . W . H . Gretton the Rev . F . Gosling , the Rev . T . Waters , Mr Kingmill , J . P ., Messrs . II . Frampton and S Wentworth ( Secretaries ) , and others . ' ' The Health of Her Majesty the , Oueen ' having been proposed ,

The noble chairman then gave that of " The Prince and Princess of Wales , and the rest of the Royal Family , " a toast which , his lordship observed , was only honoured in the second degree to that which they had just drunk . Their loyalty , thank God , was , he would not say

so common , but so universal in this country , that it was almost difficult to find topics for remark in connection with such a toast . The Prince of Wales was a thorough Englishman , and there was no sport , no pursuit , and no interest in which they were all concerned in which

his Royal Highness had not also shown a sympathy and interest , and he had further discharged all the duties which befitted his high position with much heartiness , thoroughness , and invariable good taste . ( Cheers ) . Within the past few weeks the name of the Prince of

Wales had come before them , perhaps , in a somewhat new character . He did imagine that among this audience there were more than a few members of the great fraternity of Freemasons , to which he had the honour to belong . ( Cheers ) . But he saw by his side one most distinguished

member of the Craft , Bro . W . Beach . M . P ., the GrandMasterof Hampshire . ( Cheers . ) And he did not doubt but that there were other Masons present . When b y a most unfortunate , and to him ( Lord Carnarvon ) a most astonishing secession from our Church , the office of Grand Master of

the English Freemasons became vacant , the Prince of Wales , acceding to the earnest request of the members of the Craft , stepped forward and consented to fill the high office that could not by the Constitution of the Order be held by

a Roman Catholic . It was a cause for much satisfaction to the brethren of the Order to find his Royal Highness at the head of the English Freemasons . ( Cheers . )

The Finsbury Park Lodge of Instruction , No . 128 S , ( Bro . P . Dickinson , Preceptor ) , was reopened on Wednesday 7 th inst ., and will continue to meet every Wednesday evening throughout the winter , at the Finsbury Park Tavern , ( Bro . Pigot ' s ) , Seven Sisters-road , Holloway , at 8 o ' clock precisely .

Consecration Of A New Lodge In New Zealand.

CONSECRATION OF A NEW LODGE IN NEW ZEALAND .

The Forest Lodge ( No . 14 S 1 ) , was consecrated and the first Master installed , on June 24 , 1 S 74 . It is to be held at the house of Bro . R . T . Smith , the Forest Inn , Wakefield , about iS miles distant from Nelson .

To show how our young colonies are advancing , we are credibly informed that but a few years since , the inn whereat this ceremony was performed was but a roadside shanty , standing in the confines of dense bush and swamp ; now it is an hotel under excellent manas-emeut and of

most respectable dimensions , and there is a good macadamized road running from Nelson city to miles far beyond it , a four horse coach runs there daily , and a railway from Nelson to the district is now beinsr constructed .

The petition to the Graud Lodge of England , asking for a warrant , was forwarded through the Southern Star Lodge No . 73 . 5 , of Nelson . At about one o ' clock on the 24 th of June , a number of the brethren of the Southern Star Lodge assembled at Bro . Smith ' s , and after

partaking of luncheon , proceeded to the schoolroom close by , this being the most convenient room to be had in the neighbourhood for the ceremony , and then Bro . W . B . Seely , P . M . of the . Southern Star Lodge , and formerly Assistant Director of Ceremonies of the P . G . Lodge of

Wiltshire , and who had been requested to act as presiding officer , proceeded to consecrate the lodge , and never , we think , will the most youthful Mason who was present forget the interesting and most impressive ceremony as given by Bro . Sealy , who had appointed as his Wardens

[ iro . lew ., Bro . P . M . John Percy , ( S . W . ) ; and Bro . P . M . Robert Burn ( J . W . ) ; both being P . M . ' s . of the Southern Star Lodge . At about half-past two o ' clock , Bro . P . M . Sealy assumed his seat in the E ., with Bro . P . M . Alfred Ilibble on his right , and Bro . the Rev .

C . L . Maclean , the present W . M . of the Southern Star Lodge , who officiated as Chaplain , on his left ; and having first stated that the lodge about to be opened must be considered as a representative Grand Lodge , he duly opened the lodge in the three degrees .

After prayer and thanksgiving , Bro . P . M . Hibble arranged the seven brethren of the Forest Lodge who had signed the petition in front of the pedestal , and presented them in due form to the presiding Master . The warrant was then read and declared to " be in due form . Bro .

Hibble then presented Bro . Joseph Shepherd ( P . M . of the Southern Star Lodge ) as the first W . M . of the Forest Lodge . On being' ques ' tioned , the brethren expressed themselves as satisfied with their proposed W . M . ; Bros . Chattock and White weie next presented as the

Senior and Junior Wardens nominate , and the brethren having expressed themselves satisfied with them , the beautiful and impressive ceremony of consecrating , dedicating , and constituting the new lodge was gone through ; and after the Hallelujah Chorus had been played , the

representative lodge was declared closed in clue form . A regular Craft Lodge was then opened in the second degree , and Bro . Shepherd took the obligation of Master elect . The usual ceremony of installation was then gone through , and Bro .

Shepherd was regularly installed W . M . and saluted in form . Bro . Shepherd then invested the following brethren as officers for the ensuing year : —Bro . Chattock , SAY . ; Bro . White , J . W . ; Bro . Smith , Secretary ; Bro . J . Jervis , Treasurer ; Bro . Plank ,

S . D . ; Bro . Baigent , J . D . ; Bro . Watty , I . G . ; and Bro . Woolcott , Tyler . Bro . Sealy then gave the usual address to the Wardens aud brethren of the lodge in a manner that will not easily be forgotten by those who were present . Five gentlemen were proposed for initiation ,

and the W . M . duly closed the lodge . The solemnity of the ceremony was much enhanced by the excellent manner in which Bro . Holloway presided at the organ , one of Mason aud Hamlin ' s excellent American instruments . The ceremony , though somewhat long , passed off most satisfactorily 3 and although they had