Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consecration Of The Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, No. 2404.
At the consecration ceremony about 150 brethren were present . After the lodge had been opened and the salutes given , Earl A MHERST , addressing the brethren , said as they had assembled together in such large numbers they were all aware of the cause , which was to add another lodge to the already large number of lodges of Kent . It could not but be interesting to every brother who had the interests of the Craft at heart , and he
was sure from the great number of brethren present that they all wished the new lodge a happy and prosperous career . It was established to afford a Masonic home for members of the two great services settled in the town , and he hoped it would be for the good of the town . It sometimes happened that a new lodge lessened the membership of another lodge , but it would not be so with this lodge . He had
no fear that it would promote the great interest in Freemasonry , and stir and stimulate the other lodges of the town . He was perfectly certain that there was not one of the brethren present but had the interest of Freemasonry at heart , and he was also certain that from the numbers present they had stamped the lodge with success . The consecration was then proceeded with , Bro . the Rev . H . M . MAUGHAM delivering the following
oration—R . W . Prov . Grand Master , W . Deputy Prov . Grand Master , W . Brethren and Brethren , —Were I to discourse fully of the nature and purposes of Freemasonry I should detain you far too long , and even if I could succe-ed in my attempt to describe the excellencies of Freemasonry , yet the youngest Master Mason might say to me—the one-half of the excellency of Freemasonry has not been told me . I therefore propose to speak but for a few minutes , not that I am able to say anything new , but to recall to y"ur minds a few
of the excellencies of Freemasonry . First , and in my mind foremost , Freemasonry is founded upon religion—on a belief of the oneness of God—the Creator and . Preserver and Lover of the creatures of His Providence . In Freemasonry we are reminded how part of the 24 hours of the day ought to be spent in prayer to our Heavenly Father , whose watchful eye ever observes us , and whose Almighty hand is ever ready to help us in all dangers and difficulties ; that to teach us
what duties we owe to Him , to our neighbour , and ourselves . He has not left us to depend upon the uncertainty of tradition , but has caused His Holy Will to be written down in the Holy Book , which we call the Volume of the Sacred Law . Rightly do Masons venerate this Book , and place it in the most honourable position in their lodges ; rightly , too , as < haplain , shall I carry it in procession during the consecration service ; rightly , too , will every Mason love it and study it every day , and by so doing
will he find it _ a lantern unto his feet , and a light unto his paths , guiding him through his earthly pilgrimage to his heavenly home . Brethren elect of the lodge about to be consecrated , whether you remain in England or duty should take you to either of the cardinal points of the compass all will be well if you are armed with the four cardinal virtues , if prudence be present to direct you , temperance to chasten you , fortitude to support you , and justice be the guide ot all your actions .
Besides these , Freemasonry supposes her children to be animated by the three theological virtues—namely , Faith , Hope , and Charity ; thus are we taught to realise the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man . Freemasonry inculcates brotherly love in a practical manner by her benevolent Institutions , to support which should be our duty and pleasure . Our hearts are constantly being moved to compassion by appeals to sympathise in the misfortune of our brethren , to relieve the distressed widow , to maintain and teach the
destitute orphan , and to help the failing brother in his declining years . But now I would refer to another phase of Freemasonry , when brother meets brother at the festive board , and when is exemplified the proverb " Iron sharpeneth iron , so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend . " Such gatherings promote brotherly kindness ; I think they are to be commended and therefore ought not to be given up because there may be some who suppose this is the chief business of our Masonic meetings . Having made
these remarks about Freemasonry in general may I add a few words of counsel to the founders of this lodge in particular ? To-day a new privilege will be yours , bringing with it a great responsibility , viz ., the right to admit into our brotherhood those who desire to share our privileges . I trust you will only admit those who are well and worthily recommended . Masonry , which numbers among its members the highest in the landthe heir to the throne and most of the Royal Princes—the heads of the learned
professions , the most distinguished ornaments of the Army and Navy , is deservedly greatly esteemed , and many desire to join its ranks and share its prestige . Much is expected of Masons and their conduct is observed , not always in that charitable spirit which rejoiceth not in evil . I trust then you will not admit anyone into its ranks whose conduct is likely to dim the brightness of the reputation of the Craft . Far better would it
be that you should increase the members of your lodge but slowly than you should admit any who might bring discredit on Masonry in general or your lodge in particular . \ ou have to keep up the high standard of excellence and moral worth to which you are pledged . by the name of your lodge and your position as members of the united service of that country upon whose territory and dependencies the sun never sets . I hope you will 'a ! in good part these words of counsel , and now for myself , and I believe on behalf of all the brethren present , I wish the worthy Master elect and the founders of the lodge a successful year of office , and a bright and prosperous future for the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge .
Bro . Eastes installed Bro . Francis Powell , P . M ., as W . M ., and the following brethren were invested as officers : Bros . J . Trimble , S . W . ; T . W . Holdstock , J . W . ; S . E . Morgan , acting I . P . M . ; B . Astle , Treas . ; J . W . Peart , Sec ; W . J . Burgess , S . D . ; H . Mordy , J . D . ; F . Duffin , D . C . ; Edwin Evans , Org . ; W . A - Phipps , l . G ., * J . W . Gunton and J . J . Young , Stwds . ; and C . J . Rose , Tyler . The CUStomarV VOteS of thanks wr-rs nasspd to HIP Cnni ; ppr : i'incr Offirprs wtin
were also elected honorary members of the lodge . The W . M . was chosen Charity representative of the lodge for the province , and names of joining members and of proposed initiates were read in open lodge . The lod ge was then closed , and the brethren adjourned to an elegant banquet , and afterwards honoured the usual toasts .
. The WORSHIPFUL MASTER , in proposing " The Queen and the Craft , " said her Majest y was a real friend to Masonry ; her eldest son was Grand Master , another iu T Provin C'al Grand Master , a District Grand Master , and Past Grand Uster , and a grandson was a Provincial Grand Master and a Past Grand varden . He therefore thought the quotation on the toast list attached to this toast was quite
appropriate—May one life-long triumph her reign e ' er attend , The Craft are assured she ' s firmly their friend . The WORSHIPFUL MASTER , in proposing the toast of " The M . W . G . M . , his suh 5 'S hness the Prince of Wales , " said he was sure that while Masons had the P * and Master the Craft would not deteriorate . Sixteen years ago , when lrl " ce of Wales was first installed in his position , the lodges numbered about 5 o ; that day , as the brethren were aware , they mustered 240 J .. therefore in 16 vears
w , ? ° er of lodges had been augmented more than 900 , or more than one a bad ' ^ ore . ** an tnat ) notwithstanding the number had been augmented , Masonry he fth ° w terioratec * - II was therefore very gratifying . On one or two occasions Mai •* - ** ad Deen present when the Prince of Wales was performing some no dk , ceremon y i ° ne was at the Jubilee celebration at the Albert Hall , when Proud ! nany brethren now at the table were there also ; they must have been 0 f JJ' he was proud to be one of that number , and to see how well the Prince PresMH J P erformed his work . He was also present when the Prince of Wales 1 « iaed at the Albert Hall at the Centenary Festival of the Girls' School ,
sion , .. * 5 ° ) ° oo was subscribed . He ( the W . M . ) was a Steward on that occaand ' h he heard the s P eeches of * he Prince of Wales and the King of Sweden , St eWa e rd Was ? lo re . than repaid for all the pains he had taken to perform his duty as favour v , * i N 0-hing more was required to be said to commend that toast to the ^ able consideration of the brethren . " The K , 0 RSHIPFUL MASTER , when the toast had been duly honoured , proposed and the ° Lalhom > Pro G - - i the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , Deputy G . M . ; knew h r < 2 St vf the Grand 0 mcers , Present and Past , " and said that all Masons shoulder ^ Gran d Officers of England did their duty ; they all put their Grand M the WheeI to make Masonry a success . The Earl of Lathom was paster of a large province , and as Pro Grand Master he had multifarious
Consecration Of The Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, No. 2404.
duties . He had heard him say on one occasion that he exercised the greatest supervision of his province . The Earl of Lathom was always doing something ; surely he never went to Ded or went to sleep . He always devoted his time to one duty or the other , and to judge from all that he ( the W . M . ) had seen on various occasions the Earl of Lathom must be a most remarkable man . The other officers
of Grand Lodge were like him . There was the Grand Secretary , who had a wonderful way of getting through his duties and his enormous correspondence . The brethren who wrote to the Grand Secretary always got a reply by return of post . Then there was the Grand Treasurer . There was a Past Grand Treasurer present , Bro . Edward Terry . They were very much flattered in having the presence of Bro . Terry , and he would call on Bro . Terry to respond .
Bro . EDWARD TERRV , P . G . T ., in reply , said he rose with a considerable amount of diffidence—he thought it was only right that on the present occasion he should support that fact by saying he told it to the Marines—when he rose to respond , as he often had the agony to do , for the Grand Officers . He felt considerably embarrassed because he felt he had to act in a dual position . As a Grand Officer he was supposed to combine a kind of dignity and as a comedian he was supposed
to be funny , therefore he could not help thinking that he realised in his present position a tolerably well known picture of Landseer ' s known as " Dignity and Impudence . " However , to quote a gentlemen who in the early days of his career was known to him—Mr . William Shakespeare— " a skilful surgeon ' s cut beneath the wound to make the cut complete . " Therefore he would not go so deeply into this matter as to cause the brethren any amount of annoyance . They
had had a very good dinner and they had heard a very good amount of harmony in the shape ^ of music , and it was not for him to cast a jarring note on such an amusement as that . It had g iven him very great pleasure to come down to Chatham and make a holiday and witness the consecration of the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge . Lord Charles Beresford was a man they had the greatest admiration for ; he was an ornament to the country , and he pursued his duty to
that country in a way which had marked out for him a most distinguished career . He might say to any of the brethren who might go abroad—and some he saw b y their medals had been abroad—that Masonry had a very great power abroad . He had had the pleasure of going through India on a holiday trip , and he was certainly astonished by the power of Masonry there . He found in Bombay , where he was received in a Parsee lodge—a lodge which combined Parsees , Hindoos ,
Mahomedans , and at the same time of his visit to the lodge a Jew also happened to be present—and it was marvellous to him visiting the lodge to see the harmony in which those castes worked . There was only one thing that could do that , and that was Masonry . When they considered that that little spot on the face of the earth ruling a vast and enormous p lace like India , it was simply because the place was split up into castes—Mahomedans , Hindoos—all antagonistic castes ; but there-he
found all these different sects working in a Masonic lodge with that love and harmony which should at all times characterise Freemasons . It was a great revelation to him , and if any brethren had the pleasure of going to India , as no doubt many of them would , they would find in Delhi , Lucknow , and Oawnpore , and every other station in India that they would have some of the happiest days of their lives , and they would find at Cawnpore in a Masonic lodge an oasis in an
otherwise desert . However , he was afraid he was getting over-painful and serious , and therefore he would say no more than that the Grand Officers were very thankful to the brethren for the toast , and he himself was much obliged to them for receiving his name in the way they had , and he hoped to have the pleasure of visiting Chatham at some other time and visiting the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge , and finding it in a flourishing condition .
The WORSHIPFUL MASTER next said he had now very great pleasure indeed in proposing the toast of " The Prov . Grand Master of Kent , Earl Amherst . " The very admirable way in which Earl Amherst had presided over that province so many years was quite beyond all praise . Some 17 or 18 years ago , when he ( the W . M . ) first became acquainted with the province , Earl Amherst ' s name was simply a household word in the province . What was it now , considering it had been
making progress ever since ? If there was anything wanting to satisfy the whole of the brethren of the province of his admirable qualities , of the splendid way he presided over the province , and the perfection with which he performed all other duties connected with the province , nothing could be better or more convincing than what took place when he presided over the last Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution a few months ago , when the amount raised by the Stewards
was between . £ 15 , 000 and , £ 16 , 000 , and more than a fifth of that amount was from the Province of Kent in support of its P . G . M . Nothing could speak more powerfully than that . With regard to the minute way Earl Amherst went into the details of the province , he ( the W . M . ) had had some experience , and therefore he said without fear of contradiction no detail passed him as a matter of form . Earl Amherst went into it himself . That was in his favour , and showed the great
amount of time and trouble he devoted to the interest of that province , because it all bore fruit in the end . All the brethren who assisted him felt that they also must do their duty ; the chain of responsibility passed right through , and that accounted for the very great success of the province . That must also account for the very handsome sum obtained by the Stewards of over £ 3500 from Kent when the Provincial Grand Master presided at the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution .
Earl AMHERST , in reply , said he believed he ought to have waited a short time before he answered to that toast as asong had to be sung , but the W . M , had told him that the vocalist who was to sing it was unable to be present , being laid up with influenza . Influenza appeared to him to account for everything mortal that was evil in these days . ( Laughter . ) He therefore had to reply immediately . Any man would be very strange and foolish if he did not feel flattered by the way in
which that toast was always received in the Province of Kent . He had now had the honour of presiding over that province for 31 years ; during all that time the brethren had always received him with the greatest kindness , and always did their best to back up his efforts in the cause of Masonry . The W . M . had alluded to the last Festival of the Old People , when he took the chair last February . He need hardly tell the brethren that he was more than gratified by the show that Kent
made at that Festival . In old days £ 2000 or £ 2500 was considered an enormous sum for any province to bring up . Certainly , at the Boys' Festival some years ago this province took up £ 3300 , but this year it sent up £ 3500 , which he believed was the largest sum any province had sent up in support of any one of the Masonic Institutions . He need hardly say there were larger provinces than the Province of Kent ; they embraced more lodges , and
consequently would have greater power of supporting the Institutions than Kent had ; but of this he was certain , it would never be broken , that according to the number of lodges in Kent would be the subscriptions . No province had shown itself more zealous in supporting the Institutions or more united—he might say with pride—in support of their chief . The W . M . had been kind enough to say he ( Earl Amherst ) took some trouble about the affairs of the province , buhe should like to know what sort of a Prov . Grand Master he would be if he
did not take trouble in such a province . As in all the affairs of life , so in Masonry , if things were to go straight when one commanded some 58 lodges and 3500 brethren , if somebod y did not take trouble the affairs of the province might get considerably mixed . He did not want to see the province get considerably
mixed . He thought the province having got a good repute in England that was worth something , and it was the part of the chief to keep up the reputation . Although some of the brethren gave more trouble than * he thought they ought it was more than repaid by the reflection of the success that the Province of Kent had obtained . He would like to know what man who was not wholly insensible would not be proud of presiding over such a province as that .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consecration Of The Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, No. 2404.
At the consecration ceremony about 150 brethren were present . After the lodge had been opened and the salutes given , Earl A MHERST , addressing the brethren , said as they had assembled together in such large numbers they were all aware of the cause , which was to add another lodge to the already large number of lodges of Kent . It could not but be interesting to every brother who had the interests of the Craft at heart , and he
was sure from the great number of brethren present that they all wished the new lodge a happy and prosperous career . It was established to afford a Masonic home for members of the two great services settled in the town , and he hoped it would be for the good of the town . It sometimes happened that a new lodge lessened the membership of another lodge , but it would not be so with this lodge . He had
no fear that it would promote the great interest in Freemasonry , and stir and stimulate the other lodges of the town . He was perfectly certain that there was not one of the brethren present but had the interest of Freemasonry at heart , and he was also certain that from the numbers present they had stamped the lodge with success . The consecration was then proceeded with , Bro . the Rev . H . M . MAUGHAM delivering the following
oration—R . W . Prov . Grand Master , W . Deputy Prov . Grand Master , W . Brethren and Brethren , —Were I to discourse fully of the nature and purposes of Freemasonry I should detain you far too long , and even if I could succe-ed in my attempt to describe the excellencies of Freemasonry , yet the youngest Master Mason might say to me—the one-half of the excellency of Freemasonry has not been told me . I therefore propose to speak but for a few minutes , not that I am able to say anything new , but to recall to y"ur minds a few
of the excellencies of Freemasonry . First , and in my mind foremost , Freemasonry is founded upon religion—on a belief of the oneness of God—the Creator and . Preserver and Lover of the creatures of His Providence . In Freemasonry we are reminded how part of the 24 hours of the day ought to be spent in prayer to our Heavenly Father , whose watchful eye ever observes us , and whose Almighty hand is ever ready to help us in all dangers and difficulties ; that to teach us
what duties we owe to Him , to our neighbour , and ourselves . He has not left us to depend upon the uncertainty of tradition , but has caused His Holy Will to be written down in the Holy Book , which we call the Volume of the Sacred Law . Rightly do Masons venerate this Book , and place it in the most honourable position in their lodges ; rightly , too , as < haplain , shall I carry it in procession during the consecration service ; rightly , too , will every Mason love it and study it every day , and by so doing
will he find it _ a lantern unto his feet , and a light unto his paths , guiding him through his earthly pilgrimage to his heavenly home . Brethren elect of the lodge about to be consecrated , whether you remain in England or duty should take you to either of the cardinal points of the compass all will be well if you are armed with the four cardinal virtues , if prudence be present to direct you , temperance to chasten you , fortitude to support you , and justice be the guide ot all your actions .
Besides these , Freemasonry supposes her children to be animated by the three theological virtues—namely , Faith , Hope , and Charity ; thus are we taught to realise the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man . Freemasonry inculcates brotherly love in a practical manner by her benevolent Institutions , to support which should be our duty and pleasure . Our hearts are constantly being moved to compassion by appeals to sympathise in the misfortune of our brethren , to relieve the distressed widow , to maintain and teach the
destitute orphan , and to help the failing brother in his declining years . But now I would refer to another phase of Freemasonry , when brother meets brother at the festive board , and when is exemplified the proverb " Iron sharpeneth iron , so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend . " Such gatherings promote brotherly kindness ; I think they are to be commended and therefore ought not to be given up because there may be some who suppose this is the chief business of our Masonic meetings . Having made
these remarks about Freemasonry in general may I add a few words of counsel to the founders of this lodge in particular ? To-day a new privilege will be yours , bringing with it a great responsibility , viz ., the right to admit into our brotherhood those who desire to share our privileges . I trust you will only admit those who are well and worthily recommended . Masonry , which numbers among its members the highest in the landthe heir to the throne and most of the Royal Princes—the heads of the learned
professions , the most distinguished ornaments of the Army and Navy , is deservedly greatly esteemed , and many desire to join its ranks and share its prestige . Much is expected of Masons and their conduct is observed , not always in that charitable spirit which rejoiceth not in evil . I trust then you will not admit anyone into its ranks whose conduct is likely to dim the brightness of the reputation of the Craft . Far better would it
be that you should increase the members of your lodge but slowly than you should admit any who might bring discredit on Masonry in general or your lodge in particular . \ ou have to keep up the high standard of excellence and moral worth to which you are pledged . by the name of your lodge and your position as members of the united service of that country upon whose territory and dependencies the sun never sets . I hope you will 'a ! in good part these words of counsel , and now for myself , and I believe on behalf of all the brethren present , I wish the worthy Master elect and the founders of the lodge a successful year of office , and a bright and prosperous future for the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge .
Bro . Eastes installed Bro . Francis Powell , P . M ., as W . M ., and the following brethren were invested as officers : Bros . J . Trimble , S . W . ; T . W . Holdstock , J . W . ; S . E . Morgan , acting I . P . M . ; B . Astle , Treas . ; J . W . Peart , Sec ; W . J . Burgess , S . D . ; H . Mordy , J . D . ; F . Duffin , D . C . ; Edwin Evans , Org . ; W . A - Phipps , l . G ., * J . W . Gunton and J . J . Young , Stwds . ; and C . J . Rose , Tyler . The CUStomarV VOteS of thanks wr-rs nasspd to HIP Cnni ; ppr : i'incr Offirprs wtin
were also elected honorary members of the lodge . The W . M . was chosen Charity representative of the lodge for the province , and names of joining members and of proposed initiates were read in open lodge . The lod ge was then closed , and the brethren adjourned to an elegant banquet , and afterwards honoured the usual toasts .
. The WORSHIPFUL MASTER , in proposing " The Queen and the Craft , " said her Majest y was a real friend to Masonry ; her eldest son was Grand Master , another iu T Provin C'al Grand Master , a District Grand Master , and Past Grand Uster , and a grandson was a Provincial Grand Master and a Past Grand varden . He therefore thought the quotation on the toast list attached to this toast was quite
appropriate—May one life-long triumph her reign e ' er attend , The Craft are assured she ' s firmly their friend . The WORSHIPFUL MASTER , in proposing the toast of " The M . W . G . M . , his suh 5 'S hness the Prince of Wales , " said he was sure that while Masons had the P * and Master the Craft would not deteriorate . Sixteen years ago , when lrl " ce of Wales was first installed in his position , the lodges numbered about 5 o ; that day , as the brethren were aware , they mustered 240 J .. therefore in 16 vears
w , ? ° er of lodges had been augmented more than 900 , or more than one a bad ' ^ ore . ** an tnat ) notwithstanding the number had been augmented , Masonry he fth ° w terioratec * - II was therefore very gratifying . On one or two occasions Mai •* - ** ad Deen present when the Prince of Wales was performing some no dk , ceremon y i ° ne was at the Jubilee celebration at the Albert Hall , when Proud ! nany brethren now at the table were there also ; they must have been 0 f JJ' he was proud to be one of that number , and to see how well the Prince PresMH J P erformed his work . He was also present when the Prince of Wales 1 « iaed at the Albert Hall at the Centenary Festival of the Girls' School ,
sion , .. * 5 ° ) ° oo was subscribed . He ( the W . M . ) was a Steward on that occaand ' h he heard the s P eeches of * he Prince of Wales and the King of Sweden , St eWa e rd Was ? lo re . than repaid for all the pains he had taken to perform his duty as favour v , * i N 0-hing more was required to be said to commend that toast to the ^ able consideration of the brethren . " The K , 0 RSHIPFUL MASTER , when the toast had been duly honoured , proposed and the ° Lalhom > Pro G - - i the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , Deputy G . M . ; knew h r < 2 St vf the Grand 0 mcers , Present and Past , " and said that all Masons shoulder ^ Gran d Officers of England did their duty ; they all put their Grand M the WheeI to make Masonry a success . The Earl of Lathom was paster of a large province , and as Pro Grand Master he had multifarious
Consecration Of The Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, No. 2404.
duties . He had heard him say on one occasion that he exercised the greatest supervision of his province . The Earl of Lathom was always doing something ; surely he never went to Ded or went to sleep . He always devoted his time to one duty or the other , and to judge from all that he ( the W . M . ) had seen on various occasions the Earl of Lathom must be a most remarkable man . The other officers
of Grand Lodge were like him . There was the Grand Secretary , who had a wonderful way of getting through his duties and his enormous correspondence . The brethren who wrote to the Grand Secretary always got a reply by return of post . Then there was the Grand Treasurer . There was a Past Grand Treasurer present , Bro . Edward Terry . They were very much flattered in having the presence of Bro . Terry , and he would call on Bro . Terry to respond .
Bro . EDWARD TERRV , P . G . T ., in reply , said he rose with a considerable amount of diffidence—he thought it was only right that on the present occasion he should support that fact by saying he told it to the Marines—when he rose to respond , as he often had the agony to do , for the Grand Officers . He felt considerably embarrassed because he felt he had to act in a dual position . As a Grand Officer he was supposed to combine a kind of dignity and as a comedian he was supposed
to be funny , therefore he could not help thinking that he realised in his present position a tolerably well known picture of Landseer ' s known as " Dignity and Impudence . " However , to quote a gentlemen who in the early days of his career was known to him—Mr . William Shakespeare— " a skilful surgeon ' s cut beneath the wound to make the cut complete . " Therefore he would not go so deeply into this matter as to cause the brethren any amount of annoyance . They
had had a very good dinner and they had heard a very good amount of harmony in the shape ^ of music , and it was not for him to cast a jarring note on such an amusement as that . It had g iven him very great pleasure to come down to Chatham and make a holiday and witness the consecration of the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge . Lord Charles Beresford was a man they had the greatest admiration for ; he was an ornament to the country , and he pursued his duty to
that country in a way which had marked out for him a most distinguished career . He might say to any of the brethren who might go abroad—and some he saw b y their medals had been abroad—that Masonry had a very great power abroad . He had had the pleasure of going through India on a holiday trip , and he was certainly astonished by the power of Masonry there . He found in Bombay , where he was received in a Parsee lodge—a lodge which combined Parsees , Hindoos ,
Mahomedans , and at the same time of his visit to the lodge a Jew also happened to be present—and it was marvellous to him visiting the lodge to see the harmony in which those castes worked . There was only one thing that could do that , and that was Masonry . When they considered that that little spot on the face of the earth ruling a vast and enormous p lace like India , it was simply because the place was split up into castes—Mahomedans , Hindoos—all antagonistic castes ; but there-he
found all these different sects working in a Masonic lodge with that love and harmony which should at all times characterise Freemasons . It was a great revelation to him , and if any brethren had the pleasure of going to India , as no doubt many of them would , they would find in Delhi , Lucknow , and Oawnpore , and every other station in India that they would have some of the happiest days of their lives , and they would find at Cawnpore in a Masonic lodge an oasis in an
otherwise desert . However , he was afraid he was getting over-painful and serious , and therefore he would say no more than that the Grand Officers were very thankful to the brethren for the toast , and he himself was much obliged to them for receiving his name in the way they had , and he hoped to have the pleasure of visiting Chatham at some other time and visiting the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge , and finding it in a flourishing condition .
The WORSHIPFUL MASTER next said he had now very great pleasure indeed in proposing the toast of " The Prov . Grand Master of Kent , Earl Amherst . " The very admirable way in which Earl Amherst had presided over that province so many years was quite beyond all praise . Some 17 or 18 years ago , when he ( the W . M . ) first became acquainted with the province , Earl Amherst ' s name was simply a household word in the province . What was it now , considering it had been
making progress ever since ? If there was anything wanting to satisfy the whole of the brethren of the province of his admirable qualities , of the splendid way he presided over the province , and the perfection with which he performed all other duties connected with the province , nothing could be better or more convincing than what took place when he presided over the last Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution a few months ago , when the amount raised by the Stewards
was between . £ 15 , 000 and , £ 16 , 000 , and more than a fifth of that amount was from the Province of Kent in support of its P . G . M . Nothing could speak more powerfully than that . With regard to the minute way Earl Amherst went into the details of the province , he ( the W . M . ) had had some experience , and therefore he said without fear of contradiction no detail passed him as a matter of form . Earl Amherst went into it himself . That was in his favour , and showed the great
amount of time and trouble he devoted to the interest of that province , because it all bore fruit in the end . All the brethren who assisted him felt that they also must do their duty ; the chain of responsibility passed right through , and that accounted for the very great success of the province . That must also account for the very handsome sum obtained by the Stewards of over £ 3500 from Kent when the Provincial Grand Master presided at the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution .
Earl AMHERST , in reply , said he believed he ought to have waited a short time before he answered to that toast as asong had to be sung , but the W . M , had told him that the vocalist who was to sing it was unable to be present , being laid up with influenza . Influenza appeared to him to account for everything mortal that was evil in these days . ( Laughter . ) He therefore had to reply immediately . Any man would be very strange and foolish if he did not feel flattered by the way in
which that toast was always received in the Province of Kent . He had now had the honour of presiding over that province for 31 years ; during all that time the brethren had always received him with the greatest kindness , and always did their best to back up his efforts in the cause of Masonry . The W . M . had alluded to the last Festival of the Old People , when he took the chair last February . He need hardly tell the brethren that he was more than gratified by the show that Kent
made at that Festival . In old days £ 2000 or £ 2500 was considered an enormous sum for any province to bring up . Certainly , at the Boys' Festival some years ago this province took up £ 3300 , but this year it sent up £ 3500 , which he believed was the largest sum any province had sent up in support of any one of the Masonic Institutions . He need hardly say there were larger provinces than the Province of Kent ; they embraced more lodges , and
consequently would have greater power of supporting the Institutions than Kent had ; but of this he was certain , it would never be broken , that according to the number of lodges in Kent would be the subscriptions . No province had shown itself more zealous in supporting the Institutions or more united—he might say with pride—in support of their chief . The W . M . had been kind enough to say he ( Earl Amherst ) took some trouble about the affairs of the province , buhe should like to know what sort of a Prov . Grand Master he would be if he
did not take trouble in such a province . As in all the affairs of life , so in Masonry , if things were to go straight when one commanded some 58 lodges and 3500 brethren , if somebod y did not take trouble the affairs of the province might get considerably mixed . He did not want to see the province get considerably
mixed . He thought the province having got a good repute in England that was worth something , and it was the part of the chief to keep up the reputation . Although some of the brethren gave more trouble than * he thought they ought it was more than repaid by the reflection of the success that the Province of Kent had obtained . He would like to know what man who was not wholly insensible would not be proud of presiding over such a province as that .