Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS— , PAGK Masonic Celebration of the Queen ' s Diamond Jubilee ... ... 2 gg The Approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys ... 300 Provincial Grand Lodge of Somerset ... ... ¦ •••••3 °° Grand Lodge of Ireland ... ... ... ... ••¦ 3 ° '

Royal Masonic Institution for Boys .,. ... ... •» ¦••3 ° ' The Masonic Meeting at the Royal Albert Hall ... ... ... 302 Annual Athletic Sports of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys ... ... 303 Diamond Jubilee Summer Outing of the Dalhousie Lodge , No . Sfio ... ... 303 Presentation to Bro . Alderman Snape ... ... ... •¦•303

POETRYThe Queen's Jubilee ... ... ... - - 303 Mark Masonry ... ... •••' ••••¦••••3 ° 3 MASONIC NOTES— ' Entertainment at the Boys'School ... ... ... ... 3 ° 5 Proceedings of the District Grand Lodge of Queensland ... ... 305

Correspondence ... ... ¦••••••••¦ ¦¦ 3 ' ° Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... •.. ... ¦•¦ 306 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... •••3 ° Obituary .,, ... ... ... ... ... •••3 ° <> Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... — ... 308

Masonic Celebration Of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

MASONIC CELEBRATION OF THE QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE .

The Royal Albert Hall , South Kensington , has been the scene of the three most memorable in-door gatherings of Freemasons that have ever been held in this or any other country . In some of the jurisdictions in the United States , notably in

those of the Grand Lodges of New York and Pennsylvania , there have been , on certain occasions , such as the laying of the foundation-stones of the Masonic flails in New York and Philadelphia , out-door processions in which the brethren have

mustered to the number of 15 , , 20 , 000 , 25 , , or even more , while when the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar is held trienniaHy in one of the larger cities , thousands of the knights parade in full Templar costume , and are for the time being a

centre of attraction to such a concourse of spectators as we should not care to think of estimating . These out-door processions and parades are , invariably , a conspicuous success , but we shall doubtless be forgiven if we claim for the Albert Hall

Masonic meetings a splendour and impressiveness that have not been , and in our humble opinion cannot be , surpassed or even equalled elsewhere . In the first place , there is no hall we have ever heard of that will accommodate so vast a number as has

been gathered together on these occasions in the Albert I lall . In the second place , the building has been so constructed as to allow not only of many thousands being accommodated , but likewise of their being seated in such a manner that the whole bod y may be seen as well as see what is being done .

The first of the three meetings we are referring to was held on the 28 th April , 18 75 , when his Royai Highness the Prince of WALES was solemnly installed in office as M . W . Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England in the presence of a

concourse of brethren variously estimated at from Sooo to 10 , 000 This was a Grand Lodge differing in no other respects from tlu ordinary communications which are held periodically in Freemasons' Hall than in the vast number that wen ; present , and ,

further , in the admission of Master Masons—at the rate of one per lodge—other than those entitled to be present as Wardens at such assemblies . Tbe meeting was tyled in the usual manner , and Grand Lodge was opened and closed with thc

accustomed formalities , while the proceedings throughout wen : conducted , as we have said , in precisely the same fashion as at the meeting which is held on the day of the annual Grand Festival . The second of the three

Masonic Celebration Of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

meetings was held on the 13 th June , 1 S 8 7 , under the presidency of the Prince of WALES , M . W . G . M ., for the purpose of celebrating the Jubilee ol * thc QUEEN ' accession to the throne . There were just over 6000 brethren present , but the meeting was

not a Grand Lodge and consequently there was an absence of the usual ceremonial . When the Prince had taken his seat , his Royal Highness rose and explained that the meeting had been called for the purpose of voting an address of congratulation to her

Majesty the QUEEN , on thc completion of the 50 th year of her reign , and the , Grand Secretary having read the address , the then Pro Grand Master—the Earl of CARNARVON—moved , and the then Deputy Grand Master—the Earl of LATHOM—seconded ,

that the address be adopted , and on the Prince putting this to the meeting it was carried unanimously amid the most enthusiastic cheering . His Royal Highness having signed the address the National Anthem was sung , and cheers for the OuEEN and

the Prince of WALES having been given , the Grand Master conferred Past Grand Rank " on a number of distinguished brethren , The ( jrand Master then announced that he had given his sanction for all Masons who should be subscribing members of an English

lodge on tlie 20 th June—the anniversary of the QUEEN ' S accession—to wear a special jewel commemorative of the event , and having been presented with one by the Earl of CARNARVON on behalf of the Craft , his Royal Highness returned thanks for the

gift , and announced that the fees paid for admission to the meeting , amounting to upwards of / , " 6 ooo , would be divided equally , and without deduction , among tin ; three Masonic Institutions . He then left the Hall as he had entered it amid the applause

of the assembled brethren . The third great meeting was held on the 7 th June , 1088 , when , under the presidency of his Koyal Highness the M . W . G . Master , the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls celebrated the centenary of ils foundation . On this

occasion the arcnaandorchestraof the Hall we're transformed intoa banqueting-room in which the Stewards of the Festival to the number of between 1200 and noo dined , the chair beine

occupied hy the Prince , who was supported by his Majesty the King of SWEDEN and NOUWAV , Past G . Master of England , on his right , and also by the Pro and Dep . G . Masters , Prince ALBERT VICTOR OF WALKS , the Grand Master Mason

of Scotland , and others , while a numerous gathering of ladies and brethren viewed the scene from the boxes and galleries . In the course of the proceedings his Royal Highness had the pleasure of announcing that the donations and subscriptions exceeded X ' 50 , 000 .

I hese are the meetings that have been held , and of which we English Masons are justly proud . On Monday , the 14 th instant , a fourth meeting will be held in the same Hall , and precisely on the same lines as the Jubilee meeting in 188 7 . We

publish elsewhere a programme of ( he proceedings , and it is not necessary , therefore , that we should say more than that , in all probability , the numbers present will be about the same as in 188 7 , and that the fee charged for admission is thc same ; but on

this occasion one-half of the proceeds will be paid over to the Prince of WALES ' S Hospital Fund and the other half divided equally among the three Masonic Institutions . In all other respects—as regards the mode of proposing the Address , the

conferring Past Rank on distinguished brethren , & c . —the order proceedings is as it was at the Jubilee , and we trust that it will be in our power to announce next week that , in respect of the

weather , the meeting of Monday next will have been as brilliant a success as was that held in the same Hall lo years ago almost to the very day ,