Provincial Grand Lodge Of West Yorkshire.

at your hands a welcome which will warm his heart—a welcome such as his long and honourable devotion to the interests of the Craft in this province eminently deserves . Meanwhile , brethren , though I know how much I fall short oi it , 1 will endeavour to the best of my ability to supply his place . My first duty is a melancholy one . The loss which the nation has sustained by the death of H . R . H . the Duke of Clarence is great ; the sympathy which that unfortunate occurrence has called forth has been universil , and it would ill become us , who : as Masons , are

proud of our loyalty and devotion to our Queen and country , to let this , the first opportunity we have had , pass by without recording upon our minutes how greatly we regret the Prince's untimely death , and how deeply we sympathise with all those to whom he was near and dear . In the direct line of succession to the throne , heir to a noble heritage , beloved and esteemed by all who knew him , betrothed and on the eve of marriage with a young and amiable Princess—all these circumstances only intensify the feeling of sorrow which the death of one so

young and apparently so singularly blessed would naturally evoke . Add to this that he was one of us , that he was following in the footsteps of his illustrious father , our Most Worshipful Grand Master , and what more can be said ? Brethren , you will some of you , I am sure , before we part move a resolution which will adequately express our sympathy and sorrow . By the death of Colonel Shadwell Clerke , too , our late esteemed Grand Secretary , the Craft has sustained a severe blow , and West Yorkshire has lost a good friend .

Amiable , courteous , and thoroughly efficient at all points , he was able to combine the suavitcr in modo with the fortitcr in re in the exercise of his Secretarial duties in a way which was peculiarly his own . He will long be missed at lodge consecrations and other Masonic functions , at which his charm of manner and complete mastery of ceremonial detail were so conspicuous . In his successor , Bro . Edward Letchworth , we have got , I doubt not , an able and efficient Mason , and it must be our duty , brethren , to render him loyal and hearty support , and to

endeavour to maintain that good understanding and pleasant relation which has so long existed between this province and the executive of the Grand Lodge of England . To come now to home affairs . " The Thomas William Tew Presentation Fund " has been successfully completed , and the opinion of our R . W . Prov . Grand Master in relation to it has been expressed in most kindly and grateful terms in the letter which he addressed to me—a letter which I at once circulated in the province with the request that it should be read in all your lodges . This , I

trust , has been done , for I cannot too strongly commend that letter to yourjnotice . Bro . Tew , since his appointment as Deputy in 1875 , has been unsparing in his efforts , by means of papers and addresses given at installations , consecrations , and Prov . Grand Lodge meetings , to instruct the brethren of this province , and to lift Masonry up to a somewhat higher level . Those addresses have cost him much time , labour , and research , and by consenting to a re-publication of them , under the editorship of Bro . Matthewman , Prov . Assistant Grand Secretary , he trusts ,

as he says in his letter , that his efforts will meet with appreciation at your hands . It will be within the recollection of many of you , I dare say , that in my address , at Sowerby Bridge , in October last , I endeavoured to impress upon W . Masters , Treasurers , and Secretaries the necessity of a prompt and conscientious discharge of their duties , particularly in relation to the sending in of the annual returns . I regret extrtmely to be compelled to say that , notwithstanding that admonition , on the 31 st January last—the day upon which by Prov . G . Lodge By-Law 46 , all

these returns should have been in our hands—no less than 23 lodge Secretaries had failed to send in the requisite papers ; and it is only within the last few weeks , and by persistent application and repeated reminders , that we have been able to get the statistical information from those who are responsible for its production . Worshipful Masters , this should not be so . 1 appeal to you all , but more especially to those of the lodges to which these remarks particularly apply . Do not cast the blame on the Secretary—his predecessor , it is true , should instruct him and help

him in his duties—but it is you , and you only , who are responsible . You are raised by the suffrages of your brethren to the hig hest honour the lodge has power to bestow . You accept that honour ; you are proud of it ; justly proud of it ; but , brethren , besides the honour there is the responsibility : when you accept office as W . M ., you undertake certain duties , and those duties you should master , and once mastered , thoroughly carry out . How much more gracefully will you wear the honours if you can conscientiously feel that you are . doing the work ! Down to the

smallest detail of oganisation and management you should let your supervision extend . Direct , advise , reprove if necessary , and if you cannot get matters accomplished as promptly or as satisfactorily as you would wish , why , do them yourself rather than suffer the stigma of neglect or indifference to be connected or associated with the lodge of which you are the head . The chief reason why our Prov . Grand Master has not called us together quite three weeks ago has been that the returns came in so late , it was impossible to get

matters into train earlier . As to arrears , I must again say we are in a condition which permits of much improvement . One lodge has no less than 12 members in this condition . There are others with n , 10 , 9 , 8 , 7 , respectively , 2 with 6 , and so on , making a total of 165 brethren who have failed to pay their dues . It is the earnest wish of our Prov . Grand Master that something should be done to alter this . The remed y is simple . Give all reasonable notice or warning , and then apply that remedy . During the year 1890 the increase on our roll was 82 . This year it amounts to 36 . The figures stand thus :

. Vrai . Resigned . Dead . Excluded . In Arrear . ' Iota / numbers . 1890 ... 300 113 6 9 3 6 161 3611 1891 ... 286 126 8 9 40 165 3647 I notice that whilst some lodges have been very active and added as many as 10 , in one instance 11 , new members , there are , on the other hand , five who have had neither an initiation nor a joining brother to increase their numbers throughout the entire year . I do not complain of this , if the reasons are satisfactory . Better

be without candidates than introduce unsuitable ones . But , brethren ( I will not say I very much fear , that would be a subterfuge ) , I kittm < that those nasons , in some cases , are not satisfactory—that they will not bear going into . I want to lay down a principle which I think cannot be gainsaid , and that is , that no brother has the right to blackball a candidate against whom no objection , Masonic or otherwise , has been taken , merely for the purpose of satisfying his own feeling of animosity , revenge , or pique . By doing this he not only obstructs

the progress and advancement of his lodge , but he throws everything out of gear ; he strangles its very life , and what is worst of all , he inflicts the greatest possible injustice on those—most probably the majority who have no concern in his quarrel , and have taken no part whatever in bringing about the difficulty under which the lodge labours . All true Masons take a pride in their lodge ; they are jealous of its reputation and honour ; they delight in the efficiency of its Worshipful Master and officers ; they are wishful to increase its

numbers and influence ; they congratulate themselves when peace and concord reign within its portals , and they are willing , nay anxious , to do all in their power to maintain this satisfactory condition of affairs ; and yet in spite of all their zeal and efforts , in some unhappy instances a few discontented brethren will spoil everything -will for peace substitute discord , and for order brings about chaos ! This being our annual meeting , it will shortly be my duty to invest with collars those who have been selected for office . Brethren , this conferring of honours is a

most difficult task—a task the burden of which year by year increases . Our R . W . Prov . Grand Master has gone most carefully into this matter ; he has diligently considered the names of those who may be fairly deemed eligible for the purple , and he has selected according to the best of his judgment . His award can scarcely be expected to give universal satisfaction ; there are many , doubtless , who will be disappointed , but I ask you to believe that Bro . Tew has been actuated by the highest motives , that he has striven to be just and impartial , and I know that

Provincial Grand Lodge Of West Yorkshire.

he has the fullest confidence that you , brethren , will loyally abide by his decision There is another aspect to this question I should like to glance at . In an ordinary Craft lodge a brother ' s rank is an important matter , as the higher he gets the more nearly does he approach the chair—the goal of his ambition . As , however the office of Provincial Grand Master is beyond the reach of most of us , it seems to me that to obtain a provincial collar of any rank is an honour with which one might reasonably be satisfied , and that the distinctions in Provincial Grand Lodge

are more imaginary than real . It is impossible to confer what is deemed hi gh office upon all , and the brother who is considered by his Provincial Grand Master worthy to wear the collar of his province does not need to trouble himself much as to the jewel that hangs therefrom . As to the duties which are associated with the various offices , they are clearly laid down in our provincial by-laws . I' would strongly enjoin the brethren appointed carefully to acquaint themselves with those duties , with a view to their effectual performance

I would further suggest that a very valuable method of assisting the executive might be organised , if the Provincial Officers would at intervals systematicall y visit the lodges , more especially those that lie remote from some great Masonic centre . The brethren visited would value the honour , and a closer and more intimate association would result , which , I am sure , would be productive of good and conduce to a more general spirit of brotherhood in the province . I commend these suggestions to your sound sense and good feeling , brethren . I fear I am

detaining you rather long , but there is only one thing more I would add . Our library , under the supervision , experience , and fostering care of Bro . Watson , is now rapidly becoming a most valuable institution . The province owes much to our Librarian , and whilst I propose to offer him an opportunity to give us some account of the results of his labours , I yet feel that this acknowledgment of his services is justly his due . The support which he receives from our R . W . Prov . Grand Master is another evidence that his work is highly appreciated . And now ,

brethren , I have done . Death has claimed its victims since I last addressed you , but that is in the ordinary course of events . I trust that when next we meet 1 shall stand on a lower step , to the right of the chair , and that the place of honour will be occupied by him who has so worthily filled it , whose interest in the Craft is warm as his own warm heart . I know how it will rejoice him ( if spared ) to visit you again , and great though that pleasure may be to him it will not exceed the gratification and delig ht which it will afford you to see him amongst you once more .

Ancient And Accepted Rite.

ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE .

A convocation of the Supreme Council , 33 , was held at 33 , Golden-square , on Tuesday , the 10 th instant , when the following candidates were advanced : — -Tothe 3 i ° : 111 . Bros . Major-General John Frederick Crease , C . B ., 9 ; John Moulding , 19 ; and George Cooper , wi . To the 30 ° : Bros . William Bayley Marshall , 5 ; Frederick F . Schnitger , 8 ; John Weston , 10 ; John

Utting , 19 ; William Henry Burton Atkinson , 23 ; James Richard Wilson , 38 ; William Pinder Eversley , M . A ., 45 ; George Fletcher , William Henry Marsden , Thomas Roe , M . P ., Sir John Smith , J . P ., Percy Wallis , and Abraham Woodiwiss , J . P ., of 63 ; the Most Hon . the Marquess of Hertford and Sir Reginald Hanson , Bart ., ofioi ; Charles Vincent Cotterell , 105 ; and Charles Rackham Gilman , J . P ., 116 .

At the conclusion of the ceremonies the brethren dined together at the Cafe Royal , under the presidency of M . 111 . Bro . Capt . N . G . Philips , Lieut .-Gen . Commander , when the usual loyal and Masonic toasts were given .

The Late Bro. Clifford P. Muccalla, P.G. Master Of Pennsylvania.

THE LATE BRO . CLIFFORD P . MucCALLA , P . G . MASTER OF PENNSYLVANIA .

The following is from the columns of the Philadelphia Keystone , and shows in the first place how terribly sudden was the death of this respected brother , and in the next place how great is the loss which Pennsylvania has sustained by the death of one whose record is so brilliant and so well worthy of imitation by Craftsmen generally : —

" On Saturday last , just after receiving the most interesting letter from Cairo , which we publish this week , from the Editor of the Keystone , wc received the following cable message : ' Port Said , Egypt , April 23 , ib ' o- ' - ' MacCalla dangerously ill in British Hospital here . Wire instructions . 'Consul BROADBEXI - . '

A reply was sent , and on Sunday a second cable was received . ' Port Said , Egypt , April 24 . iSyj . ' MacCalla died at noon to-day . Inter Monday morning . ' OROAUBEXT . ' On Tuesday last further dispatches were received , one staling the body would be embalmed and shipped . Also one from Bro . Shahccn Makarius , of Cairoannouncing " MacCalla died . "

, A light went out with these words . Like a Hash of lightning from a flevir sky , instantly followed by a terrific crash of thunder , came this news ol : l great calamity to the family and friends and the Masonic brothers of Right Worshipful Past Grand Master , Bro . Clifford P . MacCalla . One can "" realise the fact that he is dead to this world and to us here . In a foreign landthousands of miles from homejust as his heart ' s desire had been

, , gratified -just as he was turning his lace homeward , after he had visited the most wonderful and interesting places on the face of the earth , aroiui ' which are historied all the traditions and legends of Freemasonry , thai witnessed the lile , death , and resurrection of Him who spoke as never iii ' ' '" spake . After he had visited the place where Solomon ' s Temple once stuotl ,

and where the sites of the second and other temples are marked by run and desolation—where he had walked in a land in which every foot of gr ° "' is hallowed , and thus after storing his mind full of what he had seen « 'il his own eyes , and heard with his own ears , and was coming back to " ^ make us participants in bis joy , and to die ' . to die 11 to die I ' . I and

Melt into the vast divine , Plying from false to true , from wars of sense , To peace eternal , where the silence lives . These thoughts pass quickly before us , and wc call upon our tiici" 01 ) '

to what manner of man this was . . j , Clifford Paynter MacCalla was born in the city of Philadelphia , J JV J * -ts 1837 , his ancestors being of Scotch , Irish , and German descent . ijjst the son of the late Mr . James S . MacCalla , at one time one of ln c tc iif employing printers and successful newspaper publishers in the ot ; ., Pennsylvania , who died June , 1 SS 5 . Bro . MacCalla was educated "' ^ Public Schools of Philadel phia , and graduated a Master of Arts i » Central High School here , in 1855 . He read law with Francis \\ >' ^ one of the leading lawyers ancl counsellors in the United States at that