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Article THE PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF KENT. Page 1 of 1 Article THE EAST LANCASHIRE FESTIVAL. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Provincial Grand Lodge Of Kent.
THE PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF KENT .
There is no part of ' England over which Freemasonry has established a firmer hold or in which its principles are more abundantly illustrated than the . Province of Kent . Numerically ,
it is far from being the strongest of our Provinces , but the progress it has made and the degree of prosperity to which it has attained under the auspices of its jjresent distinguished ruler are marvellous , and if the occasions are few on which it
becomes our duty to refer to Kentish Masonry , it is because our Kentish brethren have the happy knack of going about their work quietly and unostentatiously , yet with enthusiasm and conspicuous success . In ordinary circumstances , the proceedings at the successive annual gatherings of its members in Prov .
Grand Lodge are uneventful , sufficiently interesting to excite the enthusiasm of those present , and well calculated to convey to the outside world a favourable impression of Kentish Masonry , but pointing no special moral , and furnishing material for no special consideration . However , the meeting that was
held at Maidstone on the 3 rd instant was of no ordinary character . The usual routine of work was done , but the agenda included more than one item of peculiar interest ; that which attracted the greatest amount of interest being the presentation that was made to Bro . J . S . EASTES , P . G . D . of Eng ., who for the
last 21 years has held the important office of Dep . P . G . Master , in recognition of the excellent services he had rendered in that and various other capacities to the Craft in England , but more particularly in the Province with which he had been so long ; tssociated . The Provincial Grand Master spoke feelingly and
even eloquently of those services . " No Provincial Grand Master , " said Bro . Earl AMHERST , '' ever had a more able supporter , no Mason ever had a truer friend , and no Province ever
had a more devoted servant . " Such words as these convey forcibly the precise nature of the services which Bro . EAS IES has for so long and with such conspicuous ability rendered to Kent . They tell of a man who at all times and under all circumstances
has laboured to fulfil his duties conscientiously . They can have no reference to the fuss and show in which some men delight . 1 hey point only to one who in his incomings and his outgoings lias had no other desire , than to do his duty faithfully , and to the utmost of his ability , in the different positions in which at
different periods of his career he has been placed . To such a man it was no more than right that the work he had achieved should be publicly recognised , and the Province of Kent is to be congratulated both as to the time when and the manner in which
it has expressed ifs gratitude to the Deputy of its Provincial Orand Master . In short , Bro . EASTES has won honour b y the manner in which he has performed his part in Masonry , and his Province by the generous manner in which it has recognised his worth .
There was one other subject which was brought to the notice f'f the Prov . Grand Lodge , the subject of " Masonic Vagrants . " •^ ome three months ago we penned an article on this question , which is continually worrying the brethren throughout the country , and which is undoubtedly one that needs to be dealt
with strongly and at the same time seriously . The adoption of ' c- ourse with a view to suppressing these objectionable people , < lr if that should prove impossible , of reducing their numbers , and surrounding their avocation with every imaginable difficulty ls ° y no means the easiest task in the world . We arehowever ,
, n ° t without hopes that the measures thus far adopted by the authorities of this Province may have the effect of inducing "ther Provinces to join with it in its laudable attempt to cope t &
"n . siuiiy _ with an acknowledged nuisance . It was our inten-1011 to have offered a few remarks on the subject , but the I cman ds upon our space are as heavy this week as they were , ' antl what we had intended saying must be deferred till our nc * t issue . .
The East Lancashire Festival.
THE EAST LANCASHIRE FESTIVAL .
There have been occasions on which we have considered il cur duty to point out , in reference to some of its minor contributions to our great Central Masonic Chanties , that East Lancashire was not according to them that measure of support to which , in the circumstances , they were justly entitled . But we have
never concealed from ourselves or our readers that on special occasions the Province has acted in a manner worthy oi its ancient reputation and numerical strength . We have also mentioned , not incidentally , but as furnishing the true explanation of
their occasional shortcomings , that it had maintained for the last 20 years in an admirable state of efficiency a local Charitable Institution rejoicing in the title of the "East Lancashire Systematic Masonic Educational and Benevolent Institution , " which durimr the whole of its career had conferred incalculable benefits
upon the deserving poor brethren of the Province , their widows , and their families , while , at the same time , it had been gradually accumulating a very substantial capital , amounting , we believe , to close upon ^ l 2 , noo . It was in aid of this local Institution that on Wednesday , the 3 rd instant , our East Lancashire brethren
held hig h festival at the Royal Botanical Gardens , Old I rafford , Manchester . Their respected Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Col . LE GEN'ORE N . STARKIE , was the President of the day , and under his auspices upwards of 700 ladies and brethren gathered around the festive board , resolved on doing what lav in their
power to place their Chanty on a firmer basis than heretofore . The full report of the proceedings we publish elsewhere shows how great was the success which attended upon this resolution . No special Festival had been previously held in behalf of . the Institution , and in so large a Province we may be sure that it
was no easy task to organise one which was certain to prove , ' as this has done , a success . The Provincial Grand Master lent the weight of his influence in support of the gathering . Bro . J . H . SlLLlTOE , P . G . Std . Br . of England , Chairman of the General Committee of the Institution , bestirred himself , as only a man of
such energy knew how to do , in furtherance of the project , while the details of the work were admirably carried out by Bro . J . NEWTON , Prov . Asst . Grand Secretary , tin : Secretary of the Charity . The result showed itself firstly in the constitution of a Board of Stewards numbering 4 S 2 members , and next , in the
accumulation of donations and subscriptions amounting in the aggregate to upwards of £ 4000 . This will certainly enable the General Committee of the Systematic Educational and Benevolent ¦ Institution to enlarge the area of the benefits it confers . It will enable it to do more , and still more effectually than
in the past , for the poor Craftsmen of the Province and their families what our Central Charities do for the whole body of English Masons . We may go a step further , and point out that by its greater ability to relieve the necessitous brethren of East Lancashire , it will indirectly benefit the Central Institutions ,
by relieving them of a part of that very serious pressure upon their resources t to which they have been so long subjected . More especially will this be the case if the great Festival of the 3 rd instant turns out to be the first of a long series of similar annual gatherings . In that case , East Lancashire will not need ,
except very occasionally , to avail itself of the advantages ol the General Charities . It will provide for its own poor brethren , and leave the latter open to those Provinces and lodges which are not strong enough or wealthy enough to maintain efficient Charities of their own . However , we need not concern ourselves
as to what the future may have in store for us . It is enough that East Lancashire has held its first Festival in behalf of its own Charitable Institution , and that thanks to the generous influence exercised by Bro . Col . STARK IF . and the energy and ability displayed by Bros . SlLLlTOE and / . NEWTON in organising the
arrangements , this Festival has proved to be a grand success . We congratulate our East Lancashire brethren from its worthy chief down to its newest and most inexperienced initiate on the
result of their combined efforts , and we trust that in future years itjmay be our privilege to offer them as great—or even greaterfelicitations than we offer them now in respect of their meeting of last week .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Provincial Grand Lodge Of Kent.
THE PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF KENT .
There is no part of ' England over which Freemasonry has established a firmer hold or in which its principles are more abundantly illustrated than the . Province of Kent . Numerically ,
it is far from being the strongest of our Provinces , but the progress it has made and the degree of prosperity to which it has attained under the auspices of its jjresent distinguished ruler are marvellous , and if the occasions are few on which it
becomes our duty to refer to Kentish Masonry , it is because our Kentish brethren have the happy knack of going about their work quietly and unostentatiously , yet with enthusiasm and conspicuous success . In ordinary circumstances , the proceedings at the successive annual gatherings of its members in Prov .
Grand Lodge are uneventful , sufficiently interesting to excite the enthusiasm of those present , and well calculated to convey to the outside world a favourable impression of Kentish Masonry , but pointing no special moral , and furnishing material for no special consideration . However , the meeting that was
held at Maidstone on the 3 rd instant was of no ordinary character . The usual routine of work was done , but the agenda included more than one item of peculiar interest ; that which attracted the greatest amount of interest being the presentation that was made to Bro . J . S . EASTES , P . G . D . of Eng ., who for the
last 21 years has held the important office of Dep . P . G . Master , in recognition of the excellent services he had rendered in that and various other capacities to the Craft in England , but more particularly in the Province with which he had been so long ; tssociated . The Provincial Grand Master spoke feelingly and
even eloquently of those services . " No Provincial Grand Master , " said Bro . Earl AMHERST , '' ever had a more able supporter , no Mason ever had a truer friend , and no Province ever
had a more devoted servant . " Such words as these convey forcibly the precise nature of the services which Bro . EAS IES has for so long and with such conspicuous ability rendered to Kent . They tell of a man who at all times and under all circumstances
has laboured to fulfil his duties conscientiously . They can have no reference to the fuss and show in which some men delight . 1 hey point only to one who in his incomings and his outgoings lias had no other desire , than to do his duty faithfully , and to the utmost of his ability , in the different positions in which at
different periods of his career he has been placed . To such a man it was no more than right that the work he had achieved should be publicly recognised , and the Province of Kent is to be congratulated both as to the time when and the manner in which
it has expressed ifs gratitude to the Deputy of its Provincial Orand Master . In short , Bro . EASTES has won honour b y the manner in which he has performed his part in Masonry , and his Province by the generous manner in which it has recognised his worth .
There was one other subject which was brought to the notice f'f the Prov . Grand Lodge , the subject of " Masonic Vagrants . " •^ ome three months ago we penned an article on this question , which is continually worrying the brethren throughout the country , and which is undoubtedly one that needs to be dealt
with strongly and at the same time seriously . The adoption of ' c- ourse with a view to suppressing these objectionable people , < lr if that should prove impossible , of reducing their numbers , and surrounding their avocation with every imaginable difficulty ls ° y no means the easiest task in the world . We arehowever ,
, n ° t without hopes that the measures thus far adopted by the authorities of this Province may have the effect of inducing "ther Provinces to join with it in its laudable attempt to cope t &
"n . siuiiy _ with an acknowledged nuisance . It was our inten-1011 to have offered a few remarks on the subject , but the I cman ds upon our space are as heavy this week as they were , ' antl what we had intended saying must be deferred till our nc * t issue . .
The East Lancashire Festival.
THE EAST LANCASHIRE FESTIVAL .
There have been occasions on which we have considered il cur duty to point out , in reference to some of its minor contributions to our great Central Masonic Chanties , that East Lancashire was not according to them that measure of support to which , in the circumstances , they were justly entitled . But we have
never concealed from ourselves or our readers that on special occasions the Province has acted in a manner worthy oi its ancient reputation and numerical strength . We have also mentioned , not incidentally , but as furnishing the true explanation of
their occasional shortcomings , that it had maintained for the last 20 years in an admirable state of efficiency a local Charitable Institution rejoicing in the title of the "East Lancashire Systematic Masonic Educational and Benevolent Institution , " which durimr the whole of its career had conferred incalculable benefits
upon the deserving poor brethren of the Province , their widows , and their families , while , at the same time , it had been gradually accumulating a very substantial capital , amounting , we believe , to close upon ^ l 2 , noo . It was in aid of this local Institution that on Wednesday , the 3 rd instant , our East Lancashire brethren
held hig h festival at the Royal Botanical Gardens , Old I rafford , Manchester . Their respected Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Col . LE GEN'ORE N . STARKIE , was the President of the day , and under his auspices upwards of 700 ladies and brethren gathered around the festive board , resolved on doing what lav in their
power to place their Chanty on a firmer basis than heretofore . The full report of the proceedings we publish elsewhere shows how great was the success which attended upon this resolution . No special Festival had been previously held in behalf of . the Institution , and in so large a Province we may be sure that it
was no easy task to organise one which was certain to prove , ' as this has done , a success . The Provincial Grand Master lent the weight of his influence in support of the gathering . Bro . J . H . SlLLlTOE , P . G . Std . Br . of England , Chairman of the General Committee of the Institution , bestirred himself , as only a man of
such energy knew how to do , in furtherance of the project , while the details of the work were admirably carried out by Bro . J . NEWTON , Prov . Asst . Grand Secretary , tin : Secretary of the Charity . The result showed itself firstly in the constitution of a Board of Stewards numbering 4 S 2 members , and next , in the
accumulation of donations and subscriptions amounting in the aggregate to upwards of £ 4000 . This will certainly enable the General Committee of the Systematic Educational and Benevolent ¦ Institution to enlarge the area of the benefits it confers . It will enable it to do more , and still more effectually than
in the past , for the poor Craftsmen of the Province and their families what our Central Charities do for the whole body of English Masons . We may go a step further , and point out that by its greater ability to relieve the necessitous brethren of East Lancashire , it will indirectly benefit the Central Institutions ,
by relieving them of a part of that very serious pressure upon their resources t to which they have been so long subjected . More especially will this be the case if the great Festival of the 3 rd instant turns out to be the first of a long series of similar annual gatherings . In that case , East Lancashire will not need ,
except very occasionally , to avail itself of the advantages ol the General Charities . It will provide for its own poor brethren , and leave the latter open to those Provinces and lodges which are not strong enough or wealthy enough to maintain efficient Charities of their own . However , we need not concern ourselves
as to what the future may have in store for us . It is enough that East Lancashire has held its first Festival in behalf of its own Charitable Institution , and that thanks to the generous influence exercised by Bro . Col . STARK IF . and the energy and ability displayed by Bros . SlLLlTOE and / . NEWTON in organising the
arrangements , this Festival has proved to be a grand success . We congratulate our East Lancashire brethren from its worthy chief down to its newest and most inexperienced initiate on the
result of their combined efforts , and we trust that in future years itjmay be our privilege to offer them as great—or even greaterfelicitations than we offer them now in respect of their meeting of last week .