-
Articles/Ads
Article Craft Masonry. ← Page 3 of 4 Article Craft Masonry. Page 3 of 4 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Craft Masonry.
was a founder of the Empire Lodge , as the brethren would see by the banner . Some of Ihe brethren whose names were there inscribed had gone , but that splendid fellow and Mason—Dr . Jameson—had not gone . The W . M ., Bro Barnett , had served on the Gold Coast , and he ( Bro . Lennox Browne ) had not mentioned it before Bro . Barnett was elected , but it was the fact that Brn . Harnett was responsible for the recent campaign at Ashanti , seeing that he crowned King Prempeh . Bro . Barnetthal since served in Boinco , and was the first Master of the most East- 'rn loda-e in the Eastern Archipelago . Therefore , he was a typical Master of the Empire Lodge , which had as its
aim , although perhaps it had not fulfilled all that the founders wished ; but still it had done something to further cement the bonds between the Colonial brethren . He had a warm regard for Bro . Barnett , because he was one of the founders of that lodge , and he felt very grateful to the members of the lodge , from the S . W . downwards , for having stood aside for a whole year , in order that Bro . Barnett should be Mister that year of the lodge in which he took " great interest , and particularly as it had had a fair share of home members . Having a Colonial brother now in the chair , brought more vivid'y before them the connection which the Empire Lodge had with the Colonies .
Bro . E . Algernon Barnett , W . M ., in acknowledging the warm and hearty way in which the toast had been received , said that , being somewhat of a nervous temperament , he felt it was very difficult to respond . With reference to putting him in as Master of lhat lodge , it was with diflide nee he accepted the position , but it was an honour which , he presumed , would be offered only ence , and he thought he had belter take it when offered . It redounded very much to the credit of all the officers of the lodge that they gave way . He was a founder of the lodge , but not to get in Master at all . ln answering to that toast , he must say one of the brethren—Bro . Lonsdale—was one of his friends ,
died in harness after a political mission to Ashanti ; a better fellow never stepped ; he was not only a good missionary , he was a good man all round . They had no telegraph then out there—if they had had things might have gone diff erently—but there was no telegraph when they crowned Prempeh . They could send telegrams there now , hut it was worse than Madagascar . Every one must feel deep sympathy with our Royal Family at the present time ; but Piince Hemv t . f Battenburg died in a good cauie and doing bis duty to England , lt was not only Masons , but everyone the world throughnot only the English world—who admired a man who died doing his duty . He had gone
through the Colonies a good deal ; he had been in lodges at the Cape , and also in the District Grand Lodge of Singapore . Masonry bound men together , not only in one way ; it bound them in friendship , and in everything else . Being a Mason , bespoke feelingly ; Masonry was one of the things that bound the Colonies together , and it would lead to it sooner or later . He only hoped he would be as good a Master as his predecessor , and he would do his best so to become . He afterwards gave " The Health of the Past Masters , " of whom they had a brilliant raw ; they were all good , and he
did not know which lo select . The I . P . M . had done his work well ; he had brought a certain amount of life into the lodge ; they had seen new faces ; they had three initiates trat night . He had been back from the Colonies six months only , and he hoped to see those initiates take their Second and Th ' rd Degrees . It was owing to the lodge having a good Master that it got initiates , and it obtained gcod initiates , and that was the sort of blcod they wanted in the lodge , as they slid in racing stables , and he hoped they would go on getting as good yearlings as they had that night .
Bro . Hermann Klein , I . P . M ., responding , said he felt old age creeping on him -, he had been W . M . ; he was then I . P . M ., and he was rather relieved of a sense of being on active duty . He wished there were more of the Past Masters present in the brilliant row to which the W . M . had alluded . The duties of the year were ended for him , and he was grateful for the testimonial they had presented to him . His regret in leaving the chair was accompanied also by regret that they had not more initiates or
joining members present . Through illness and business they were deprived of some distinguished musical brethren . He had been saddened that day by hearing of the death of his old friend , Sir Joseph Barnby , a member of the Guildhall School of Music Lodge . He ( Bro . Klein ) was proud of his Guildhall School of Music Lodge . He was very sorry , as he had before said , that more Past Masters of the lodge were not present , but he could assure the W . M . that all of them were most ardent in their desire to do the best they could for the lodge .
Bros . Horace Field and Frantz Deutsch having responded briefly to the toast of " The Initiates , " Bro . A . Bassett Hopkins said he could hardly repress the temptation to add a word or two on such an auspicious occasion , and he was the more tempted by the confident language employed by the I . P . M . in proposing the toast . That was an occasion that a man went through only once in his lifetime , and in that respect , perhaps , it tvas unique —certainly there were very few occasions which would bear comparison with it . There was only one he could think of like it , and that was a man's first
birthday , and that being so , perhaps the brethren would follow him in . Possibly it might not be altogether without some interest to those brethren who had belonged to the Brotherhood for so many years that perhaps by that time they had forgotten the feelings with which in the dim past they occupied so humble a position as the initiates had that night , and it might ba not altogether uninteresting if he told them what his feelings were . After his experience of that day , he would say frankly lhat the uppermost feeling that he entertained was that of regret for not having sought admission to the Brotherhood long ago . He felt that many previous years of his
life had been passed without a participation in a fraternity in which even with his small experience of that day he had already had a very high appreciation . Then , again , he felt a genuine pride for the very same reason . He had not lived so many years without some little observation ar . d without having read something on the subject of Masoniy , and he was aware that in times past existed much detraction and even much persecution of the brethren and the Craft . One could not help feeling that lhat had already disappeared from this country , certainly the persecution , and one was tempted to add the slander or detraction which unquestionably existed , and for all that ,
one did find there was a good deal of criticism , and he had not been able to escape cbserving it . With all respect for those critics , he expressed his unqualified dissent ; even in his almost complete ignorance of the Craft he felt that the operations of Brotherhcod were , and necessarily must be for good . No proof of that was wanted beyond what an otdinarily careful outside observer might regard as sufficient . The very fact that this great Brotherhood was presided over by the Heir to the Crown , that it numbered amongst its members the most illustrious of the land , whether for culture or for wealth , for genius , or for talent , was surely sufficient evidence that it could not be an evil
Institution , and , furthermore , an outsider could see that this was to an almost inconceivable degiee extended in recent years . He would complete his confession by telling the brethren lhat he saw a treatise which was published about the year 1 S 75 , wherein it was confidently predicted that the Order was on its last legs . He believed he was right in sayirg that the Craft of Masonry within the past 20 years , at least in this country , had ir creased to an almost inconceivable extent , while the learned treatise had never reached lo lie dignity of a secrnd edition , lt was said that while giving full credit to Masonry
for its benevolent objects , they did not require the mystery and secrecy with which it is guaidtd . He , as an humble apprentice , said that he entirely dissented from that view , li they wculd peimit him , he would say in all humility , and he hoped the brethren wc-uld pardon him , he regarded the secrecy , the mutual confidence , the self-reliance which were essential to Masonry as the one master key to its progress , and its consolidation ar . d its permanence . He felt there was another canon of Masonry , that it would not propagate , that it had no propaganda , and that he regarded as a part of its strength . It is we , said Bro , Hopkins , who ask you to receive us , and not you who go out seeking
rcciuils . Bro . Lennox Browne , P . M ., in proposing "The Visitors , " said that the Empire Ledge had begged the Grand Secretary to let them know when any Colonial Masons came to England . There was in the Umpire Lodge a home foi Colonial Masons , which never existed before the lodge was established . They were sorry that more of those brethren were not then present , but they had among them Bro . Wells , Past Grand Warden of South Australia .
liro . Wells , P . G . W . South Australia , in reply , said he supposed he was singled out to respond by the mere accident of his representing a Grand Lodge at the Antipodes , and he knew he must do so with somewhat deep regret in the presence of the Grand Secretary ( Bro . Letchworth -. " No , no " ) , because not so many years ago the brethren in ihe Colony separated from the Grand Lodge of England , but to show their respect fcr the mother Grand Lodge , as they called it , they adopted her Conslitution line for
line . It was a very large tract of country , and brethren in England who had not visited ( he Colony had no idea of its extent , lt cou'd place the whole of Great Britain in compatatively thc small Colony cf South Australia , and then it would be almost lost . Where the English Grand Lodge had the advantage was in population , and as far a , money in the Bank of England was concerned he admitted the mother Grand Lodge had thc advantage . He thoug ht the Bank of England would in course of time be out of place . He spoke with some little bunkum , because he had spent a large part of his time in thai
Craft Masonry.
delightful climate . He missed its sun , its fruits , and its early associations , and he be lieved he never met with an Australian Colonist who did not speak well of England He could only wish that every English Mison would visit Australia , for he would come back delighted with all he ( Bro . Well- ) had told them , and s'ill mire delighled that Masonry was Masonry in Australia . Bros . Hamilton and Bott also replied , and Bro . Hardin ? , P . M ., Sec , and the S . W . responded to the toast of " The Officers , " and the Tyler's toast ( was duly honoured before the brethren separated .
Drury Lane Lodge , No . 2127 . The installation meeting of this dramatic and musical lodge % vas held on Tuesday last , at Freemasons' Tavern , under the presidency of Bro . O-car Barrett , W . M . About 230 brethren attended , among them h » in * r Bros . Viscount Dungarvan , Lord Skelmersdale , the Rev . C J . Martyn , Sir VV . T . Marriott , Q . C , Sir Terence O'Brien , Lennox Browne , James Lewis Thomas , Col . Ritchie , James Henry Matthews , Sir H . A . Isaacs ,
James Fernandez , Harry Nicholls , Thomas Catling , J . C Parkinson , Edward Terry , T . Fenn , Sir J . B . Monckton , Robert Grey , Rudolph G . Glover , C . Martin , Frederic ' * Mead , R . Clowes , R . G . Vcnables , Col . Ward , Gen . Hile Wortham , Walter Lestocq , T . H . Bolton , G . Farq'ihar , John Northcott , Hirry Lloyd , Mever Lutz , C . L . Carson ] W . M . 2190 ; G . Cru'kshanks , VV . M . 1319 ; E . Rosenthal , P . M . 2190 ; John Lobb , Charles Coote , R . St . A . Roumieu , Wilhelm Ganz , Col . H . W . Hummell , Carl T . Fleck , and Surgeon-Captain Bateman .
The lodge was opened at three o ' clock in the afternoon , and , after the preliminary business had been disposed of , Bro . Oscar Barrett installed Bro . Henry Neville , S . W ., as Master of the lodge , performing the ceremony admirably . Bro . Barrett was invested as I . P . M ., and later in the afternoon was presented with a handsome Past Master ' s jewel . The other ofiicers were Bros . Will E . Chaoman , S . W . ; G . M . MaxwellJ . W .-
, Rev . C . J . Mirtvn , P . G . C , Chap . ; J . S . Fleming , Treas . ; I . H . Matthews , P . D , G . D . C , Sec . ; Guy Repton , S . D . ; Lionel Rignold , J . D . ; Col . A . B . Bennett , I . G . ; Wilh ; lm Ganz , P . G . O ., Org . ; and Goddard , Tyler . Bro . James Fernandez delivered the address to the W . M . ; Bro . Harry Nicholls the address to the Wardens ; and Bro , Oscar Barrett the address to the brethren generally .
The lodge was afterwards closed , and the brethren adjourned to a choice banquet in the large hall of Freemasons' Tavern , and afterwards honoured the usuil toasts . The W . M ., having given "The Queen and the Craft , " which was most heartily received , proposed " The M . W . G . M ., H . R . H . the Prince of Walts , " and said his Royal Highness he need say nothing about , because wherever the Prince of Wales ' s name was mentioned there was sure to be enthusiasm . That he was a patron of the Drama gave him an additional claim on the Drury Lane Lodge .
Bro . Oscar Barrett , I . P . M ., proposed "The Health of the W . M ., " and said that the time of the W . M . was short , and he could not remain with the brethren much longer . The brethren would regret that as much as he ( Bro . Barrett ); he regretted it , perhaps , a little more than the other brethren , because he would have to perform Bro . Neville's important duties . He had the VVorshipful Master ' s permission to deviate
from the usual course under the circumstance ? , and propose that toast earlier than was cus ' omary . 'Ihe Drury Lane Lodge would have great reason to be proud of its preseni VV . M . ; they knew him to be an estimable man , an excellent actor , and having the gift of oratory ( which naturally came to a gifted actor ) , the working of the lodge during his year of office would be kept up to the standard of Drury Lane Lodge workin" .
Bro . Henry Neville , W . M ., in acknowledging the toast , said he could assure the brethren that the honour and pleasure of being the VV . M . of the Drury Lane Lodge , and of having his name enrolled forever and ever on thelodge banner were honours sufficient enough . Considering the many delightful expressions of Bro . Oicar Birrelt , he was really overwhelmed . He had no doubt the brethren would believe him when he told them he had not the slightest wish to repudiate anything that Bro . Oscar Barrel ! had said , and he hoped this time next year Bro . Barrett would be able to say the same
things—and , perhaps , more . He had been told , or read somewhere , that there were but two great pleasures in life—looking forward , and looking backward . No doubt many of the brethien had found a great deal of the pleasure he had spoke about which Freemasonry supplied , viz ., that it gave the pleasure of looking forward to the chair as he did , and of looking back as Bro . Barrett did upon the past . He remembered the time when he became a Mason—many more years than hc cared to think of—when Freemasonry was little more than a Masonic free-and-easy . It was better now than when his
grandmother said the only good it did was covered by a little apron . The brethren had listened to a ceremony that day performed by Bra . Oscar Barrett , assisted by Bros . James Fernandez and Harry Nicholls , than whom no better Masons existed , and no better men , a ceremony which was beautifully performed , and when they looked back upon the great work of their noble Grand Masters they knew there was something more than the mere gratification of their gastronomical propensities in Freemasonry j they knew there was a religion in it ; there was a Masonic religion by deeds which made them higher and higher the more they practised it . Still , as far as the banquets were
concerned he thought it was a very , very great comfort to know that it the world should come suddenly to an end a few good Masons would go into a corner and talk the matter over at a little dinner . As actors , he might say before going away , which he wis sorry he was obliged to do , the brethren of the Drury Lane Lodge were much obliged to the Grand Officers for their presence , but as his place would be taken by the Immediate Past Master that brother would do honour to them when he came to propose their health . He had nothing more left now to do than to say " Good night . " Bro . H . Neville then left , and his chair was taken by liro . Oscar Barrett .
Bro . Lord Skelmersdale , P . G . W ., responded to the toast of " The Pro Grand M ister , the Deputy Grand Master , and the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past " It was a great pleasure to the Grand Officers to be present at the gathering of the Drury Lane Lodge . They knew how well Masonry had improved throughout England and they appreciated the way in which it was carried out in the theatrical body . As his
father s name had been mentioned he might say that Lord Lathom took . the greitcst interest and care in everything connected with the Craft to which he was particularly devoted . The other Grand Officers desired to emulate him in that respect . The Grand Officers congratulated Bro . Barrett on his excellent performance of the ceremony of installation , and also Bro . Neville on his becoming . Master of the Drury Lane Lodge .
Bro . Oscar Barrett , I . P . M ., next said he regretted that he could mike a very poor deputy for the W . M . He was ' deputising in a drama'ic sense , not in a musical sense . In the theatrical world the deputy was called the understudy , but in the musical world a deputy was called a deputy . Well , he could not understudy their W . M . He must go on in his own way , and his shortcomings the brethren must forgive . But he wis pleased to deputise on that occasion , because it gave him an opportunity of personally saying how much he was impressed in his early M isonic career by the performance by one ot the Past Masters in his mother lodge of the ceremony of initiation . That brother
( Bro . J . C . Parkinson ) was present . He should never forget that performance , which took place in the Drury Lane Lodge . Perhaps he was not singular in that . A min who entered Masonry with an earnest desire and feeling , if the ceremony was well performed , must feel impressed . On that occasion he could safely say a profound impression . was made on him , and he said , " Well , if I can go on in Masonry—and I will f * ° on—I am sure that I shall be earnest . " What Drury Lane Lodge was now was dus to the fact of its Past Misters' excellent work , and he could only hope that in the future the lodge might have other worthy and true brethren who would do the work as conscientiously as those Past Masters had done in the past .
Bro . Sic Henry Isaacs , P . M ., P . G . W ., responded . He had the greatest passible pleasure in endorsing what the W . M . had said in respect to Bro . Parkinson , who , bj the way , was not a P . M . of thelodge , but had to do the work of the first W . M ., when he ( bro . Sir II . Isaacs ) was installed as VV . M . of the lodge he was installed by Bro . Parkinson , and if any brother who witnessed the ceremony had a spark of sentiment , ol smypathy , or of true Misonic feeling in him he must have been impressed by Bro . Parkinson ' s delivery . The indebtedness o ! Drury Lane Lod to BroParkinson « w
ge . immense . Yet a lodge \ vas what its Past Masters made it , and if thc brethren accept- ^ that proposition , and reflected on the character of Drury Line Lodge ( of course including him ) , hc could not but feel grateful to , and admire , the Past Misters . ' . ' ' regretted the absence of Lord Londesborough , Sir John Gorst , Sir Augustus IIarri * s < and the death ol Sir E , lnglelield ; but Bro . Fernandez was present anil so was Bro .
Harry Nicholls . When he thought of all those brethren and the brother who introduced that toast , whose name was now enrolled upon the list of Past Masters of the Drury Lane Lodge , he must say that they were indeed a distinguished body . He had gn- ' respect for Masonry , and he agreed with what the W . M . hid said , that there wis a religion in Freemasonry . Freemasonry was a religion distinguished from all u' , 1 l- ' religions , inasmuch as it recognised every tiue and good Mason , let his modeof relig ' - *
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Craft Masonry.
was a founder of the Empire Lodge , as the brethren would see by the banner . Some of Ihe brethren whose names were there inscribed had gone , but that splendid fellow and Mason—Dr . Jameson—had not gone . The W . M ., Bro Barnett , had served on the Gold Coast , and he ( Bro . Lennox Browne ) had not mentioned it before Bro . Barnett was elected , but it was the fact that Brn . Harnett was responsible for the recent campaign at Ashanti , seeing that he crowned King Prempeh . Bro . Barnetthal since served in Boinco , and was the first Master of the most East- 'rn loda-e in the Eastern Archipelago . Therefore , he was a typical Master of the Empire Lodge , which had as its
aim , although perhaps it had not fulfilled all that the founders wished ; but still it had done something to further cement the bonds between the Colonial brethren . He had a warm regard for Bro . Barnett , because he was one of the founders of that lodge , and he felt very grateful to the members of the lodge , from the S . W . downwards , for having stood aside for a whole year , in order that Bro . Barnett should be Mister that year of the lodge in which he took " great interest , and particularly as it had had a fair share of home members . Having a Colonial brother now in the chair , brought more vivid'y before them the connection which the Empire Lodge had with the Colonies .
Bro . E . Algernon Barnett , W . M ., in acknowledging the warm and hearty way in which the toast had been received , said that , being somewhat of a nervous temperament , he felt it was very difficult to respond . With reference to putting him in as Master of lhat lodge , it was with diflide nee he accepted the position , but it was an honour which , he presumed , would be offered only ence , and he thought he had belter take it when offered . It redounded very much to the credit of all the officers of the lodge that they gave way . He was a founder of the lodge , but not to get in Master at all . ln answering to that toast , he must say one of the brethren—Bro . Lonsdale—was one of his friends ,
died in harness after a political mission to Ashanti ; a better fellow never stepped ; he was not only a good missionary , he was a good man all round . They had no telegraph then out there—if they had had things might have gone diff erently—but there was no telegraph when they crowned Prempeh . They could send telegrams there now , hut it was worse than Madagascar . Every one must feel deep sympathy with our Royal Family at the present time ; but Piince Hemv t . f Battenburg died in a good cauie and doing bis duty to England , lt was not only Masons , but everyone the world throughnot only the English world—who admired a man who died doing his duty . He had gone
through the Colonies a good deal ; he had been in lodges at the Cape , and also in the District Grand Lodge of Singapore . Masonry bound men together , not only in one way ; it bound them in friendship , and in everything else . Being a Mason , bespoke feelingly ; Masonry was one of the things that bound the Colonies together , and it would lead to it sooner or later . He only hoped he would be as good a Master as his predecessor , and he would do his best so to become . He afterwards gave " The Health of the Past Masters , " of whom they had a brilliant raw ; they were all good , and he
did not know which lo select . The I . P . M . had done his work well ; he had brought a certain amount of life into the lodge ; they had seen new faces ; they had three initiates trat night . He had been back from the Colonies six months only , and he hoped to see those initiates take their Second and Th ' rd Degrees . It was owing to the lodge having a good Master that it got initiates , and it obtained gcod initiates , and that was the sort of blcod they wanted in the lodge , as they slid in racing stables , and he hoped they would go on getting as good yearlings as they had that night .
Bro . Hermann Klein , I . P . M ., responding , said he felt old age creeping on him -, he had been W . M . ; he was then I . P . M ., and he was rather relieved of a sense of being on active duty . He wished there were more of the Past Masters present in the brilliant row to which the W . M . had alluded . The duties of the year were ended for him , and he was grateful for the testimonial they had presented to him . His regret in leaving the chair was accompanied also by regret that they had not more initiates or
joining members present . Through illness and business they were deprived of some distinguished musical brethren . He had been saddened that day by hearing of the death of his old friend , Sir Joseph Barnby , a member of the Guildhall School of Music Lodge . He ( Bro . Klein ) was proud of his Guildhall School of Music Lodge . He was very sorry , as he had before said , that more Past Masters of the lodge were not present , but he could assure the W . M . that all of them were most ardent in their desire to do the best they could for the lodge .
Bros . Horace Field and Frantz Deutsch having responded briefly to the toast of " The Initiates , " Bro . A . Bassett Hopkins said he could hardly repress the temptation to add a word or two on such an auspicious occasion , and he was the more tempted by the confident language employed by the I . P . M . in proposing the toast . That was an occasion that a man went through only once in his lifetime , and in that respect , perhaps , it tvas unique —certainly there were very few occasions which would bear comparison with it . There was only one he could think of like it , and that was a man's first
birthday , and that being so , perhaps the brethren would follow him in . Possibly it might not be altogether without some interest to those brethren who had belonged to the Brotherhood for so many years that perhaps by that time they had forgotten the feelings with which in the dim past they occupied so humble a position as the initiates had that night , and it might ba not altogether uninteresting if he told them what his feelings were . After his experience of that day , he would say frankly lhat the uppermost feeling that he entertained was that of regret for not having sought admission to the Brotherhood long ago . He felt that many previous years of his
life had been passed without a participation in a fraternity in which even with his small experience of that day he had already had a very high appreciation . Then , again , he felt a genuine pride for the very same reason . He had not lived so many years without some little observation ar . d without having read something on the subject of Masoniy , and he was aware that in times past existed much detraction and even much persecution of the brethren and the Craft . One could not help feeling that lhat had already disappeared from this country , certainly the persecution , and one was tempted to add the slander or detraction which unquestionably existed , and for all that ,
one did find there was a good deal of criticism , and he had not been able to escape cbserving it . With all respect for those critics , he expressed his unqualified dissent ; even in his almost complete ignorance of the Craft he felt that the operations of Brotherhcod were , and necessarily must be for good . No proof of that was wanted beyond what an otdinarily careful outside observer might regard as sufficient . The very fact that this great Brotherhood was presided over by the Heir to the Crown , that it numbered amongst its members the most illustrious of the land , whether for culture or for wealth , for genius , or for talent , was surely sufficient evidence that it could not be an evil
Institution , and , furthermore , an outsider could see that this was to an almost inconceivable degiee extended in recent years . He would complete his confession by telling the brethren lhat he saw a treatise which was published about the year 1 S 75 , wherein it was confidently predicted that the Order was on its last legs . He believed he was right in sayirg that the Craft of Masonry within the past 20 years , at least in this country , had ir creased to an almost inconceivable extent , while the learned treatise had never reached lo lie dignity of a secrnd edition , lt was said that while giving full credit to Masonry
for its benevolent objects , they did not require the mystery and secrecy with which it is guaidtd . He , as an humble apprentice , said that he entirely dissented from that view , li they wculd peimit him , he would say in all humility , and he hoped the brethren wc-uld pardon him , he regarded the secrecy , the mutual confidence , the self-reliance which were essential to Masonry as the one master key to its progress , and its consolidation ar . d its permanence . He felt there was another canon of Masonry , that it would not propagate , that it had no propaganda , and that he regarded as a part of its strength . It is we , said Bro , Hopkins , who ask you to receive us , and not you who go out seeking
rcciuils . Bro . Lennox Browne , P . M ., in proposing "The Visitors , " said that the Empire Ledge had begged the Grand Secretary to let them know when any Colonial Masons came to England . There was in the Umpire Lodge a home foi Colonial Masons , which never existed before the lodge was established . They were sorry that more of those brethren were not then present , but they had among them Bro . Wells , Past Grand Warden of South Australia .
liro . Wells , P . G . W . South Australia , in reply , said he supposed he was singled out to respond by the mere accident of his representing a Grand Lodge at the Antipodes , and he knew he must do so with somewhat deep regret in the presence of the Grand Secretary ( Bro . Letchworth -. " No , no " ) , because not so many years ago the brethren in ihe Colony separated from the Grand Lodge of England , but to show their respect fcr the mother Grand Lodge , as they called it , they adopted her Conslitution line for
line . It was a very large tract of country , and brethren in England who had not visited ( he Colony had no idea of its extent , lt cou'd place the whole of Great Britain in compatatively thc small Colony cf South Australia , and then it would be almost lost . Where the English Grand Lodge had the advantage was in population , and as far a , money in the Bank of England was concerned he admitted the mother Grand Lodge had thc advantage . He thoug ht the Bank of England would in course of time be out of place . He spoke with some little bunkum , because he had spent a large part of his time in thai
Craft Masonry.
delightful climate . He missed its sun , its fruits , and its early associations , and he be lieved he never met with an Australian Colonist who did not speak well of England He could only wish that every English Mison would visit Australia , for he would come back delighted with all he ( Bro . Well- ) had told them , and s'ill mire delighled that Masonry was Masonry in Australia . Bros . Hamilton and Bott also replied , and Bro . Hardin ? , P . M ., Sec , and the S . W . responded to the toast of " The Officers , " and the Tyler's toast ( was duly honoured before the brethren separated .
Drury Lane Lodge , No . 2127 . The installation meeting of this dramatic and musical lodge % vas held on Tuesday last , at Freemasons' Tavern , under the presidency of Bro . O-car Barrett , W . M . About 230 brethren attended , among them h » in * r Bros . Viscount Dungarvan , Lord Skelmersdale , the Rev . C J . Martyn , Sir VV . T . Marriott , Q . C , Sir Terence O'Brien , Lennox Browne , James Lewis Thomas , Col . Ritchie , James Henry Matthews , Sir H . A . Isaacs ,
James Fernandez , Harry Nicholls , Thomas Catling , J . C Parkinson , Edward Terry , T . Fenn , Sir J . B . Monckton , Robert Grey , Rudolph G . Glover , C . Martin , Frederic ' * Mead , R . Clowes , R . G . Vcnables , Col . Ward , Gen . Hile Wortham , Walter Lestocq , T . H . Bolton , G . Farq'ihar , John Northcott , Hirry Lloyd , Mever Lutz , C . L . Carson ] W . M . 2190 ; G . Cru'kshanks , VV . M . 1319 ; E . Rosenthal , P . M . 2190 ; John Lobb , Charles Coote , R . St . A . Roumieu , Wilhelm Ganz , Col . H . W . Hummell , Carl T . Fleck , and Surgeon-Captain Bateman .
The lodge was opened at three o ' clock in the afternoon , and , after the preliminary business had been disposed of , Bro . Oscar Barrett installed Bro . Henry Neville , S . W ., as Master of the lodge , performing the ceremony admirably . Bro . Barrett was invested as I . P . M ., and later in the afternoon was presented with a handsome Past Master ' s jewel . The other ofiicers were Bros . Will E . Chaoman , S . W . ; G . M . MaxwellJ . W .-
, Rev . C . J . Mirtvn , P . G . C , Chap . ; J . S . Fleming , Treas . ; I . H . Matthews , P . D , G . D . C , Sec . ; Guy Repton , S . D . ; Lionel Rignold , J . D . ; Col . A . B . Bennett , I . G . ; Wilh ; lm Ganz , P . G . O ., Org . ; and Goddard , Tyler . Bro . James Fernandez delivered the address to the W . M . ; Bro . Harry Nicholls the address to the Wardens ; and Bro , Oscar Barrett the address to the brethren generally .
The lodge was afterwards closed , and the brethren adjourned to a choice banquet in the large hall of Freemasons' Tavern , and afterwards honoured the usuil toasts . The W . M ., having given "The Queen and the Craft , " which was most heartily received , proposed " The M . W . G . M ., H . R . H . the Prince of Walts , " and said his Royal Highness he need say nothing about , because wherever the Prince of Wales ' s name was mentioned there was sure to be enthusiasm . That he was a patron of the Drama gave him an additional claim on the Drury Lane Lodge .
Bro . Oscar Barrett , I . P . M ., proposed "The Health of the W . M ., " and said that the time of the W . M . was short , and he could not remain with the brethren much longer . The brethren would regret that as much as he ( Bro . Barrett ); he regretted it , perhaps , a little more than the other brethren , because he would have to perform Bro . Neville's important duties . He had the VVorshipful Master ' s permission to deviate
from the usual course under the circumstance ? , and propose that toast earlier than was cus ' omary . 'Ihe Drury Lane Lodge would have great reason to be proud of its preseni VV . M . ; they knew him to be an estimable man , an excellent actor , and having the gift of oratory ( which naturally came to a gifted actor ) , the working of the lodge during his year of office would be kept up to the standard of Drury Lane Lodge workin" .
Bro . Henry Neville , W . M ., in acknowledging the toast , said he could assure the brethren that the honour and pleasure of being the VV . M . of the Drury Lane Lodge , and of having his name enrolled forever and ever on thelodge banner were honours sufficient enough . Considering the many delightful expressions of Bro . Oicar Birrelt , he was really overwhelmed . He had no doubt the brethren would believe him when he told them he had not the slightest wish to repudiate anything that Bro . Oscar Barrel ! had said , and he hoped this time next year Bro . Barrett would be able to say the same
things—and , perhaps , more . He had been told , or read somewhere , that there were but two great pleasures in life—looking forward , and looking backward . No doubt many of the brethien had found a great deal of the pleasure he had spoke about which Freemasonry supplied , viz ., that it gave the pleasure of looking forward to the chair as he did , and of looking back as Bro . Barrett did upon the past . He remembered the time when he became a Mason—many more years than hc cared to think of—when Freemasonry was little more than a Masonic free-and-easy . It was better now than when his
grandmother said the only good it did was covered by a little apron . The brethren had listened to a ceremony that day performed by Bra . Oscar Barrett , assisted by Bros . James Fernandez and Harry Nicholls , than whom no better Masons existed , and no better men , a ceremony which was beautifully performed , and when they looked back upon the great work of their noble Grand Masters they knew there was something more than the mere gratification of their gastronomical propensities in Freemasonry j they knew there was a religion in it ; there was a Masonic religion by deeds which made them higher and higher the more they practised it . Still , as far as the banquets were
concerned he thought it was a very , very great comfort to know that it the world should come suddenly to an end a few good Masons would go into a corner and talk the matter over at a little dinner . As actors , he might say before going away , which he wis sorry he was obliged to do , the brethren of the Drury Lane Lodge were much obliged to the Grand Officers for their presence , but as his place would be taken by the Immediate Past Master that brother would do honour to them when he came to propose their health . He had nothing more left now to do than to say " Good night . " Bro . H . Neville then left , and his chair was taken by liro . Oscar Barrett .
Bro . Lord Skelmersdale , P . G . W ., responded to the toast of " The Pro Grand M ister , the Deputy Grand Master , and the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past " It was a great pleasure to the Grand Officers to be present at the gathering of the Drury Lane Lodge . They knew how well Masonry had improved throughout England and they appreciated the way in which it was carried out in the theatrical body . As his
father s name had been mentioned he might say that Lord Lathom took . the greitcst interest and care in everything connected with the Craft to which he was particularly devoted . The other Grand Officers desired to emulate him in that respect . The Grand Officers congratulated Bro . Barrett on his excellent performance of the ceremony of installation , and also Bro . Neville on his becoming . Master of the Drury Lane Lodge .
Bro . Oscar Barrett , I . P . M ., next said he regretted that he could mike a very poor deputy for the W . M . He was ' deputising in a drama'ic sense , not in a musical sense . In the theatrical world the deputy was called the understudy , but in the musical world a deputy was called a deputy . Well , he could not understudy their W . M . He must go on in his own way , and his shortcomings the brethren must forgive . But he wis pleased to deputise on that occasion , because it gave him an opportunity of personally saying how much he was impressed in his early M isonic career by the performance by one ot the Past Masters in his mother lodge of the ceremony of initiation . That brother
( Bro . J . C . Parkinson ) was present . He should never forget that performance , which took place in the Drury Lane Lodge . Perhaps he was not singular in that . A min who entered Masonry with an earnest desire and feeling , if the ceremony was well performed , must feel impressed . On that occasion he could safely say a profound impression . was made on him , and he said , " Well , if I can go on in Masonry—and I will f * ° on—I am sure that I shall be earnest . " What Drury Lane Lodge was now was dus to the fact of its Past Misters' excellent work , and he could only hope that in the future the lodge might have other worthy and true brethren who would do the work as conscientiously as those Past Masters had done in the past .
Bro . Sic Henry Isaacs , P . M ., P . G . W ., responded . He had the greatest passible pleasure in endorsing what the W . M . had said in respect to Bro . Parkinson , who , bj the way , was not a P . M . of thelodge , but had to do the work of the first W . M ., when he ( bro . Sir II . Isaacs ) was installed as VV . M . of the lodge he was installed by Bro . Parkinson , and if any brother who witnessed the ceremony had a spark of sentiment , ol smypathy , or of true Misonic feeling in him he must have been impressed by Bro . Parkinson ' s delivery . The indebtedness o ! Drury Lane Lod to BroParkinson « w
ge . immense . Yet a lodge \ vas what its Past Masters made it , and if thc brethren accept- ^ that proposition , and reflected on the character of Drury Line Lodge ( of course including him ) , hc could not but feel grateful to , and admire , the Past Misters . ' . ' ' regretted the absence of Lord Londesborough , Sir John Gorst , Sir Augustus IIarri * s < and the death ol Sir E , lnglelield ; but Bro . Fernandez was present anil so was Bro .
Harry Nicholls . When he thought of all those brethren and the brother who introduced that toast , whose name was now enrolled upon the list of Past Masters of the Drury Lane Lodge , he must say that they were indeed a distinguished body . He had gn- ' respect for Masonry , and he agreed with what the W . M . hid said , that there wis a religion in Freemasonry . Freemasonry was a religion distinguished from all u' , 1 l- ' religions , inasmuch as it recognised every tiue and good Mason , let his modeof relig ' - *