Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consecration Of The Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, No. 2404.
As he had said before if the chief did not do his duty the captains and lieutenants would not do theirs , the sergeant-majors and sergeants would not do theirs , the rank and file were the same , and the whole affair got demoralised . Every one most keep up to a state of efficiency . That they had done in the past and they must do it in the future , and so long as they did they would find the name of their province respected , and that should be a reward for any trouble they had taken .
Now , it was customary on these occasions to thank the Provincial Grand Master for coming down to consecrate the lodge ; but it appeared to him it was one of the Provincial Grand Master ' s duties to perform the act ; it appertained to his office ; it was one of his most important functions . The old Constitutions said " every new lodge shall be consecrated by the Grand Master in person . " That was impossible in these days , and therefore the Deputy
Grand Master , or someone else , had to do it for him . If a new lodge was to be consecrated it was part of the plain duty of the Provincial Grand Master to do it , and on that account alone he was glad to do it . But beyond that he was glad to see a lodge consecrated in due and proper form . It was a solemn ceremony—a ceremony , he dared say , many of the brethren saw for the first time that day ; it was a solemn ceremony , and a very graceful ceremony , and for the
honour of the Craft and tV \ e interests of Masonry he liked to see it properly performed , and therefore he thought it would show considerable laxity on his part if he were not prevented by circumstances over which he had no control , if he were to allow a lodge to be consecrated in his province without being present himself in the lodge and doing the work . He must acknowledge that that day he had had the greatest reason for being glad to perform the ceremony . He had not
forgotten the time when he wore the Queen s uniform himself , and he was very proud to wear it , and the brethren might depend upon it that it gave him extra pleasure to come down and consecrate a lodge which he knew was to be the home of a branch of the service which were in high repute in the land . This branch of the service he knew had " one foot on land and one on sea , " and he thought he must recognise that it was on the land that they got their recruits for that
sister service which wore the blue coat . He had heard objections to . special lodges , but for himself he did not share those objections . When there was a large body of men gathered together as they were in Chatham , there was among them an esprit de corps which made them proud to have a lodge of their own , and it arose from that—which was a very natural feeling , as he had said before in lodge that day—that they presented a petition . In indulging that feeling he was sure he
was doing no harm to the lodges which already existed there . Masons were strongenough in Chatham to keep up the strength of Masonry and to support one more lodge ; they were strong enough to support lodges at Rochester , Chatham , and Gillingham , and without doing any harm to any of those they could support this lodge . That being so , he was very glad indeed to be able to be of some service to a number of his comrades in the service ; although he had doffed the
red coat some time ago , he still felt he had his comrades in the service , and at the same time to be of use to Masonry in Kent . Although there was no new thing he could say , as he had to return thanks five or six times in the year for the last 30 years , he might say now that he should look back with pleasure to that day when the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge was added to the roll of the lodges of the Province Of Kent . ¦
The WORSHIPFUL MASTER next proposed " The D . P . G . M . and the rest of the P . G . Officers , Present and Past , " and said there was also an equal interest attaching to that toast . There was no doubt their P . G . M . was perfectly Ai , but he must be assisted by other * :. No one could go through all the work by himself ; he must have some assistance , and in Bros . Spencer , Russell , Lovett , and a large number of others he had a collective strength which made the whole thing perfect , and secured the success of the province . He proposed their health .
Bro . LOVETT , replying , said Bro . Eastes had been obliged to leave to catch a train , but Bro . Eastes was an excellent assistant to the Provincial Grand Master . The Provincial Grand Master had said that the captains could not succeed without good officers , and he ( Bro . Lovett ) did not think he was going beyond the mark when he said that the Provincial Grand Master had an excellent officer in his
deputy ; indeed , he heard him say so a fortnight ago . Bro . Spencer belonged to the executive , but he ( Bro . Lovett ) belonged to the ornamental branch , though he hoped a useful branch ; they had not very hard work , and to come to this consecration was to him one of the greatest pleasures . He had never seen a consecration of a lodge before .
Bro . ALFRED SPENCER , Prov . G . Secretary , also replied , and thanked the W . M . for the compliment he had paid him in coupling his name with the toast . It had been his pleasure to take part in many of the Masonic ceremonies in Chatham and in other towns in the Province of Kent , and he was sure that that lodge was one they would be proud of . He hoped for many years he might have the pleasure of occupying the position he did , and of coming to Chatham and seeing the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge prosper and be one of the most distinguished lodges in the province .
Bro . WASNE said he was in a distant part of the country on one occasion and he had to respond to a toast of that kind , which had been given on the present occasion he thought in rather inappropriate terms by the W . M ., inasmuch as he was afraid the W . M . had over-eulogised the competence and ability of the Prov . Grand Officers . Nevertheless he had found himself relating a tale which he had related before , which he thought was rather appropriate to the present occasion .
He found himself on one occasion at Maidstone , and a poor wretch of a fellow was standing in the dock of the court there being tried . The crime of which he was accused was one easily brought home to him , and really admitted of no defence . Witness after witness came forward and spoke to his delinquencies , and at the close of the examination of every witness the judge , with that remarkable air judges only put on , looked over the top of his
spectacles , and asked him if he had any question to ask the witness . Still the prisoner remained silent , and refused to ask a single question . After the witnesses had been examined , the judge asked him if he had anything to say to the jury , because if he had then was the time to say it . Then for the first time the poor wretch broke silence , and looking at the judge and jury , said— " No , my lord , I have not got nothing to say , " and then , with a peculiar sort of twinkle in his
eye , he said— " And if I had nothing I should not have said it , because too much has been said of it already . " To the surprise of everyone in court , and no one more than the prisoner himself , the jury put their heads together , and brought him in not guilty . The judge looked at him once more with that look which judges can use , and said— " You had better go off ; you have had a narrow escape : don't come again . " Then he was equal to the occasionand said— " No
, , my lord , and I should not have come here now if I had not been brought . " That was the position he ( Bro . Warne ) found himself at that moment . He would not assume that too much had been said about the toast already , but everything that could be said had been said by the brethren who had preceded him , and he could only express the thanks of the Grand Officers for the
exceedingly kind and cordial manner in which the brethren always received the Provincial Grand Officers . It had been to them a source of very great happiness and pleasure to be there on that occasion , and if he might take a simile from a worthy medical brother who stood very near him who wrote at the bottom of those delicious draughts which he sent out over and over again to his patients , a missive on which they found— " The mixture as before . "
Earl AMHERST , in proposing " The Health of the W . M ., " said he was sure the brethren would drink the toast most cordiall y . He congratulated the brethren on the choice of W . M ., Bro . Powell , who had shown himself to be a very zealous and worthy Mason . He had taken a very great deal of trouble in the promotion of
Consecration Of The Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, No. 2404.
the lodge and had paid attention to all the minutiae and details which were sure to lead to the success of a new lodge . He thought he might travel into territories outside the Craft and say that in the Royal Marines they were all proud of him . Twenty-five years as a non-commissioned officer and 13 years as a sergeant , major was a very rare occurrence indeed . And when he told them that a petition most numerously signed was sent to the Admiralty that he should receive the
high rank of quartermaster , it spoke well indeed for the services he had done . He did not believe they could wish the W . M . a better record . Then in the Masonic world he had done equally good service . He had taken the trouble to found that lodge and the brethren knew the trrouble he had taken in doing so . There were always some slight difficulties in the first years of a new lodge . It always
was the case , but when the lodge first started on the tide it was for the brethren to take up the man who presided over it , and he was sure that the man they had chosen for their first Master would do credit to their choice , to himself , and to the Craft . He wished him a happy year of office , and at the same time asked the brethren to drink his health and success to the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge .
The W . M ., in reply , said that during his career in Masonry of 26 years he had belonged to Masonry in various parts of the world . He had served under the Constitutions of England , Scotland , and Ireland . In one place where he was there was a Scotch lodge only , and he joined that ; on another occasion he was where there was only an Irish lodge , and he became an Irish Mason . When he came to England he had joined English lodges . On two occasions he had joined
lodges in the Province of Kent ; one was at Walmer , No . 1096 , of which he was S . D ., and he was proud of it . The office of Deacon was not an inferior one , for if a Deacon did not do his work well a candidate might be deterred from coming for his other Degrees . If a Deacon was up to his work it was an encouragement to a candidate to come again . He felt very proud of being first Master of that lodge . It was one he did not ask for , as they knew , and he did not want it .
When he was asked for his advice about starting the lodge , he said it was a matter which required consideration . He gave it that consideration , and in due time gave his answer . Then they popped another question , and asked him to be Master . It was one thing to give advice , but another to assume leadership . However , he thought it over , and the very nice way they put the matter before him determined him . It was an honour to be for the third ' time , a W . M ., and if he could be of any
service to the brethren he did not mind taking the ordeal of being a third time VV . M . They knew the result , and what had taken place that day had turned out more than a success . It was in a large measure due to the Provincial Grand Master and his officers . It was very gratifying to see the work done well . He would impress upon all the members of the lodge and the officers to do their work well . If they would give him
their cordial assistance he would give them his . He wished to say as forcibly as he could that they must give all their assistance , and that every officer must make himself acquainted with his office . He should be with them to assist them . They had the authority of Lord Charles Beresford to assume his name as the name of the lodge , and he had promised to give them a visit on his
return to England in 18 months . Lord Charles Beresford was a Past Grand Officer , and he would feel disgusted if he saw the work ill done in a lodge to which he had given his name . When he visited them they must do the work well . He ( the W . M . ) would be in the chair only 12 months ; 12 months soon passed round , and they must make every effort to rally round him , and make the lodge worthy of the name it bore , worthy of the Provincial Grand Master , and worthy of the
province . Bro . MORGAN , I . P . M ., proposed "The Visitors , " and trusted that was not the only occasion on which they would honour the lodge with their presence . Of course that was an extraordinary occasion , but they hoped at their regular meetings the visitors would still visit them . He could promise them a reception they would not be ashamed of .
Bro . WIGGINS , W . M . 20 , replied , and said the visitors were proud to be present at the birth of that lodge , which he was sure would be an honour to the province , a credit to the service , and a credit to the old town of Chatham . As W . M . of the oldest lodge in the province , he was proud symbolically to hold out the right hand of fellowship to the youngest lodge in the province . If the brethren would
honour No . 20 with their presence they would be heartily welcomed . There was room for that lodge . He wished all men were Masons ; there was plenty of room for them in Chatham and everywhere else . When he consulted the brethren of No . 20 about that new lodge they were all agreeable . He thanked the brethren for the hearty reception given to the visitors . The other toasts were " The Masonic Charities , " " The Officers of the Lodge , " and the Tyler's toast .
Consecration Of The Halsey Chapter, No. 1479, St. Albans.
CONSECRATION OF THE HALSEY CHAPTER , No . 1479 , ST . ALBANS .
A sixth Royal Arch chapter was added to the roll of Hertfordshire on Friday , the 29 th ult ., when the Halsey Chapter , No . 1 479 , attached to the Halsey Lodge , No . 1479 , St . Albans , was formally consecrated by Comp . T . F . Halsey , Grand Superintendent , assisted by his Provincial Officers . The ceremony took p lace in the Town Hall , where , at the appointed hour of 4 p . m ., there assembled together under the presidency of their respected chief Comps . George E . Lake , Prov . G . H . ; John E . Dawson , Past G . Std . Br ., Past Prov . G . H . ; T . S . Carter , Past Prov . G . H . ; Charles E . Keyser , P . G . I . ; lames Terry , P . G . Std . Br ., P . G . D . C ;
Charles Bullock , P . G . S . E . ; F . Sumner Knyvett , P . G . Treasurer ; the founders of the new chapter , namely , Comps . John Purrott , P . Z ., P . P . J-G . a ° b M . E . Z . designate ; the Rev . Philip Deedes , P . Z ., P . A . G . Soj ., H . designate ; G . J . Wood , J . designate ; the Rev . George Finch , P . Z ., P . P . G . J . ; W . Lewis , YMt Prov . 2 nd A . G . Soj . ; E . P . Debenham , George Haynes , and J . Thornhill-the names of the other founders , Comps . Keyser and Terry having been already mentioned and Comps . J . Brittain , P . Z . ; Scott Young , H . 1385 ; S . Banker ; J . Chalmers-Hunt , P . Z . ; Rev . G . Letting , H . 403 ; A . C . Spaull , P . Z . ; Nash , P . Z . 4 ° 9 J
and others . The Grand Superintendent and Comps . Lake and Keyser in the chairs ot »• and J . respectively having taken their seats , and the chapter having been ° P , ' the companions were admitted , and the petition and charter having been read , t founders expressed their approval of the companions designated as Princi pals . 1 ceremony of consecration was then carried out most impressively , the orati
customary on such occasions being delivered by Comp . C . E . Keyser , P . G . J Comps . J . Purrott and the Rev . Philip Deedes being already installed r if ^ Principals , were severally obligated and inducted into the chairs of M . E . Z . an a ¦ respectively by the Grand Superintendent , after which Comp . G . J . Wood * installed as J . by Comp . James Terry , P . Prov . G . J . and Prov . G . D . C . ^ following companions were then appointed and invested as officers for the y > namely , Comps . E . P . Debenham , Scribe E . j W . Lewis , P . Z ., Scribe N . ; ^ * HaynesPrin . Soj . ; JThornhillist Asst . Soj . and W . WrihtJanitor .
, . , ; g , A vote of thanks to the Grand Superintendent , and the Prov . Grand ° ! jl ong who had assisted him , having been unanimously passed , and sundry . P P etn ei ' having been handed in , chapter was closed , and the companions dined tog under the presidency of Comp . John Purrott , M . E . Z ., a most enjoyable eve : and one to be remembered in the annals of St . Albans Masonry , being the re
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consecration Of The Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, No. 2404.
As he had said before if the chief did not do his duty the captains and lieutenants would not do theirs , the sergeant-majors and sergeants would not do theirs , the rank and file were the same , and the whole affair got demoralised . Every one most keep up to a state of efficiency . That they had done in the past and they must do it in the future , and so long as they did they would find the name of their province respected , and that should be a reward for any trouble they had taken .
Now , it was customary on these occasions to thank the Provincial Grand Master for coming down to consecrate the lodge ; but it appeared to him it was one of the Provincial Grand Master ' s duties to perform the act ; it appertained to his office ; it was one of his most important functions . The old Constitutions said " every new lodge shall be consecrated by the Grand Master in person . " That was impossible in these days , and therefore the Deputy
Grand Master , or someone else , had to do it for him . If a new lodge was to be consecrated it was part of the plain duty of the Provincial Grand Master to do it , and on that account alone he was glad to do it . But beyond that he was glad to see a lodge consecrated in due and proper form . It was a solemn ceremony—a ceremony , he dared say , many of the brethren saw for the first time that day ; it was a solemn ceremony , and a very graceful ceremony , and for the
honour of the Craft and tV \ e interests of Masonry he liked to see it properly performed , and therefore he thought it would show considerable laxity on his part if he were not prevented by circumstances over which he had no control , if he were to allow a lodge to be consecrated in his province without being present himself in the lodge and doing the work . He must acknowledge that that day he had had the greatest reason for being glad to perform the ceremony . He had not
forgotten the time when he wore the Queen s uniform himself , and he was very proud to wear it , and the brethren might depend upon it that it gave him extra pleasure to come down and consecrate a lodge which he knew was to be the home of a branch of the service which were in high repute in the land . This branch of the service he knew had " one foot on land and one on sea , " and he thought he must recognise that it was on the land that they got their recruits for that
sister service which wore the blue coat . He had heard objections to . special lodges , but for himself he did not share those objections . When there was a large body of men gathered together as they were in Chatham , there was among them an esprit de corps which made them proud to have a lodge of their own , and it arose from that—which was a very natural feeling , as he had said before in lodge that day—that they presented a petition . In indulging that feeling he was sure he
was doing no harm to the lodges which already existed there . Masons were strongenough in Chatham to keep up the strength of Masonry and to support one more lodge ; they were strong enough to support lodges at Rochester , Chatham , and Gillingham , and without doing any harm to any of those they could support this lodge . That being so , he was very glad indeed to be able to be of some service to a number of his comrades in the service ; although he had doffed the
red coat some time ago , he still felt he had his comrades in the service , and at the same time to be of use to Masonry in Kent . Although there was no new thing he could say , as he had to return thanks five or six times in the year for the last 30 years , he might say now that he should look back with pleasure to that day when the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge was added to the roll of the lodges of the Province Of Kent . ¦
The WORSHIPFUL MASTER next proposed " The D . P . G . M . and the rest of the P . G . Officers , Present and Past , " and said there was also an equal interest attaching to that toast . There was no doubt their P . G . M . was perfectly Ai , but he must be assisted by other * :. No one could go through all the work by himself ; he must have some assistance , and in Bros . Spencer , Russell , Lovett , and a large number of others he had a collective strength which made the whole thing perfect , and secured the success of the province . He proposed their health .
Bro . LOVETT , replying , said Bro . Eastes had been obliged to leave to catch a train , but Bro . Eastes was an excellent assistant to the Provincial Grand Master . The Provincial Grand Master had said that the captains could not succeed without good officers , and he ( Bro . Lovett ) did not think he was going beyond the mark when he said that the Provincial Grand Master had an excellent officer in his
deputy ; indeed , he heard him say so a fortnight ago . Bro . Spencer belonged to the executive , but he ( Bro . Lovett ) belonged to the ornamental branch , though he hoped a useful branch ; they had not very hard work , and to come to this consecration was to him one of the greatest pleasures . He had never seen a consecration of a lodge before .
Bro . ALFRED SPENCER , Prov . G . Secretary , also replied , and thanked the W . M . for the compliment he had paid him in coupling his name with the toast . It had been his pleasure to take part in many of the Masonic ceremonies in Chatham and in other towns in the Province of Kent , and he was sure that that lodge was one they would be proud of . He hoped for many years he might have the pleasure of occupying the position he did , and of coming to Chatham and seeing the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge prosper and be one of the most distinguished lodges in the province .
Bro . WASNE said he was in a distant part of the country on one occasion and he had to respond to a toast of that kind , which had been given on the present occasion he thought in rather inappropriate terms by the W . M ., inasmuch as he was afraid the W . M . had over-eulogised the competence and ability of the Prov . Grand Officers . Nevertheless he had found himself relating a tale which he had related before , which he thought was rather appropriate to the present occasion .
He found himself on one occasion at Maidstone , and a poor wretch of a fellow was standing in the dock of the court there being tried . The crime of which he was accused was one easily brought home to him , and really admitted of no defence . Witness after witness came forward and spoke to his delinquencies , and at the close of the examination of every witness the judge , with that remarkable air judges only put on , looked over the top of his
spectacles , and asked him if he had any question to ask the witness . Still the prisoner remained silent , and refused to ask a single question . After the witnesses had been examined , the judge asked him if he had anything to say to the jury , because if he had then was the time to say it . Then for the first time the poor wretch broke silence , and looking at the judge and jury , said— " No , my lord , I have not got nothing to say , " and then , with a peculiar sort of twinkle in his
eye , he said— " And if I had nothing I should not have said it , because too much has been said of it already . " To the surprise of everyone in court , and no one more than the prisoner himself , the jury put their heads together , and brought him in not guilty . The judge looked at him once more with that look which judges can use , and said— " You had better go off ; you have had a narrow escape : don't come again . " Then he was equal to the occasionand said— " No
, , my lord , and I should not have come here now if I had not been brought . " That was the position he ( Bro . Warne ) found himself at that moment . He would not assume that too much had been said about the toast already , but everything that could be said had been said by the brethren who had preceded him , and he could only express the thanks of the Grand Officers for the
exceedingly kind and cordial manner in which the brethren always received the Provincial Grand Officers . It had been to them a source of very great happiness and pleasure to be there on that occasion , and if he might take a simile from a worthy medical brother who stood very near him who wrote at the bottom of those delicious draughts which he sent out over and over again to his patients , a missive on which they found— " The mixture as before . "
Earl AMHERST , in proposing " The Health of the W . M ., " said he was sure the brethren would drink the toast most cordiall y . He congratulated the brethren on the choice of W . M ., Bro . Powell , who had shown himself to be a very zealous and worthy Mason . He had taken a very great deal of trouble in the promotion of
Consecration Of The Lord Charles Beresford Lodge, No. 2404.
the lodge and had paid attention to all the minutiae and details which were sure to lead to the success of a new lodge . He thought he might travel into territories outside the Craft and say that in the Royal Marines they were all proud of him . Twenty-five years as a non-commissioned officer and 13 years as a sergeant , major was a very rare occurrence indeed . And when he told them that a petition most numerously signed was sent to the Admiralty that he should receive the
high rank of quartermaster , it spoke well indeed for the services he had done . He did not believe they could wish the W . M . a better record . Then in the Masonic world he had done equally good service . He had taken the trouble to found that lodge and the brethren knew the trrouble he had taken in doing so . There were always some slight difficulties in the first years of a new lodge . It always
was the case , but when the lodge first started on the tide it was for the brethren to take up the man who presided over it , and he was sure that the man they had chosen for their first Master would do credit to their choice , to himself , and to the Craft . He wished him a happy year of office , and at the same time asked the brethren to drink his health and success to the Lord Charles Beresford Lodge .
The W . M ., in reply , said that during his career in Masonry of 26 years he had belonged to Masonry in various parts of the world . He had served under the Constitutions of England , Scotland , and Ireland . In one place where he was there was a Scotch lodge only , and he joined that ; on another occasion he was where there was only an Irish lodge , and he became an Irish Mason . When he came to England he had joined English lodges . On two occasions he had joined
lodges in the Province of Kent ; one was at Walmer , No . 1096 , of which he was S . D ., and he was proud of it . The office of Deacon was not an inferior one , for if a Deacon did not do his work well a candidate might be deterred from coming for his other Degrees . If a Deacon was up to his work it was an encouragement to a candidate to come again . He felt very proud of being first Master of that lodge . It was one he did not ask for , as they knew , and he did not want it .
When he was asked for his advice about starting the lodge , he said it was a matter which required consideration . He gave it that consideration , and in due time gave his answer . Then they popped another question , and asked him to be Master . It was one thing to give advice , but another to assume leadership . However , he thought it over , and the very nice way they put the matter before him determined him . It was an honour to be for the third ' time , a W . M ., and if he could be of any
service to the brethren he did not mind taking the ordeal of being a third time VV . M . They knew the result , and what had taken place that day had turned out more than a success . It was in a large measure due to the Provincial Grand Master and his officers . It was very gratifying to see the work done well . He would impress upon all the members of the lodge and the officers to do their work well . If they would give him
their cordial assistance he would give them his . He wished to say as forcibly as he could that they must give all their assistance , and that every officer must make himself acquainted with his office . He should be with them to assist them . They had the authority of Lord Charles Beresford to assume his name as the name of the lodge , and he had promised to give them a visit on his
return to England in 18 months . Lord Charles Beresford was a Past Grand Officer , and he would feel disgusted if he saw the work ill done in a lodge to which he had given his name . When he visited them they must do the work well . He ( the W . M . ) would be in the chair only 12 months ; 12 months soon passed round , and they must make every effort to rally round him , and make the lodge worthy of the name it bore , worthy of the Provincial Grand Master , and worthy of the
province . Bro . MORGAN , I . P . M ., proposed "The Visitors , " and trusted that was not the only occasion on which they would honour the lodge with their presence . Of course that was an extraordinary occasion , but they hoped at their regular meetings the visitors would still visit them . He could promise them a reception they would not be ashamed of .
Bro . WIGGINS , W . M . 20 , replied , and said the visitors were proud to be present at the birth of that lodge , which he was sure would be an honour to the province , a credit to the service , and a credit to the old town of Chatham . As W . M . of the oldest lodge in the province , he was proud symbolically to hold out the right hand of fellowship to the youngest lodge in the province . If the brethren would
honour No . 20 with their presence they would be heartily welcomed . There was room for that lodge . He wished all men were Masons ; there was plenty of room for them in Chatham and everywhere else . When he consulted the brethren of No . 20 about that new lodge they were all agreeable . He thanked the brethren for the hearty reception given to the visitors . The other toasts were " The Masonic Charities , " " The Officers of the Lodge , " and the Tyler's toast .
Consecration Of The Halsey Chapter, No. 1479, St. Albans.
CONSECRATION OF THE HALSEY CHAPTER , No . 1479 , ST . ALBANS .
A sixth Royal Arch chapter was added to the roll of Hertfordshire on Friday , the 29 th ult ., when the Halsey Chapter , No . 1 479 , attached to the Halsey Lodge , No . 1479 , St . Albans , was formally consecrated by Comp . T . F . Halsey , Grand Superintendent , assisted by his Provincial Officers . The ceremony took p lace in the Town Hall , where , at the appointed hour of 4 p . m ., there assembled together under the presidency of their respected chief Comps . George E . Lake , Prov . G . H . ; John E . Dawson , Past G . Std . Br ., Past Prov . G . H . ; T . S . Carter , Past Prov . G . H . ; Charles E . Keyser , P . G . I . ; lames Terry , P . G . Std . Br ., P . G . D . C ;
Charles Bullock , P . G . S . E . ; F . Sumner Knyvett , P . G . Treasurer ; the founders of the new chapter , namely , Comps . John Purrott , P . Z ., P . P . J-G . a ° b M . E . Z . designate ; the Rev . Philip Deedes , P . Z ., P . A . G . Soj ., H . designate ; G . J . Wood , J . designate ; the Rev . George Finch , P . Z ., P . P . G . J . ; W . Lewis , YMt Prov . 2 nd A . G . Soj . ; E . P . Debenham , George Haynes , and J . Thornhill-the names of the other founders , Comps . Keyser and Terry having been already mentioned and Comps . J . Brittain , P . Z . ; Scott Young , H . 1385 ; S . Banker ; J . Chalmers-Hunt , P . Z . ; Rev . G . Letting , H . 403 ; A . C . Spaull , P . Z . ; Nash , P . Z . 4 ° 9 J
and others . The Grand Superintendent and Comps . Lake and Keyser in the chairs ot »• and J . respectively having taken their seats , and the chapter having been ° P , ' the companions were admitted , and the petition and charter having been read , t founders expressed their approval of the companions designated as Princi pals . 1 ceremony of consecration was then carried out most impressively , the orati
customary on such occasions being delivered by Comp . C . E . Keyser , P . G . J Comps . J . Purrott and the Rev . Philip Deedes being already installed r if ^ Principals , were severally obligated and inducted into the chairs of M . E . Z . an a ¦ respectively by the Grand Superintendent , after which Comp . G . J . Wood * installed as J . by Comp . James Terry , P . Prov . G . J . and Prov . G . D . C . ^ following companions were then appointed and invested as officers for the y > namely , Comps . E . P . Debenham , Scribe E . j W . Lewis , P . Z ., Scribe N . ; ^ * HaynesPrin . Soj . ; JThornhillist Asst . Soj . and W . WrihtJanitor .
, . , ; g , A vote of thanks to the Grand Superintendent , and the Prov . Grand ° ! jl ong who had assisted him , having been unanimously passed , and sundry . P P etn ei ' having been handed in , chapter was closed , and the companions dined tog under the presidency of Comp . John Purrott , M . E . Z ., a most enjoyable eve : and one to be remembered in the annals of St . Albans Masonry , being the re