Celebration Of The Centenary Of The Lodge Of Fidelity, No. 280, At Leeds.

i 794 *^ The Philanthropic Lodge ( now 304 ) was constituted , the founders having all been initiated in Fidelity Lodge . 1795 . The Alfred Lodge ( now 306 ) was constituted . All the Sounders were members of Fidelity , their resignation being caused by disputes respecting the financial

state of the lodge . 1795 . September 30 th .. An instruction lodge was formed for all Leeds lodges . The W . M ., S . W ., and J . W ., were to take duty alternately , and officers were to be fined is . for each non-attendance . This might have been necessary at that time , it certainly is not

now . 1797 . To prevent imposition Fidelity and Philanthropic Lodges formed a Committee to dispense their Charity to poor and distressed Masons . By authority of Grand Lodge , this lodge consecrated the following lodges . 1801 . Nelson of the Nile . Batley ( now 264 ) . ( Five

of the founders were initiated in Fidelity ) . 1803 . Amphibious , Hightown ( now 258 ) . 1804 . Three Grand Principles , Dewsbury ( now 20 S ) . 1806 . The lodge applied for a warrant in place of dispensation . The lodge voted £ 1 is . each to the W . M . and Wardens for expenses in attending the Prov , Grand Lodge at York .

1812 . On the Union of the two Grand Lodges , The Moderns" and "The Ancients , " the number of this lodge was altered from 512 to 546 . 1821 . Ten Operative Masons were initiated in this year in order to form a lodge called St . Albans , which was consecrated by this lodge October 7 th , 1822 , and erased in 1 S 33 . In the records we find particulars of

memorial-stones of deceased brethren given to these brothers to work . 1823 . Lord John Pollinglon , after passing the chair of Fidelity Lodge , was installed Prov . Grand Master at Wakefield . His portrait , subscribed for by the brethren , painted by Chas . H . Schwanfelder , a brother of this lodge , was presented to the lodge .

1831 . December 27 th . In consequence of a letter from our worthy Bro . the Earl of Mexbrough , intimating his wish to have his son the Hon . John C Savile , Lord Viscount Pollington ( present Earl of Mexbrough ) initiated on St . John ' s Day . The ceremony took place on this date in the presence of the Earl of Mexbrough and a large number of brethren .

1833 . The number of the lodge was altered from 546 to 364 . 1836 . The Leeds lodges in this year attended the laying of foundation-stone of St . George ' s Church . 18 3 8 . The portrait of W . Bro . John Young , painted by Bro . Simpson , R . A . ( a member ot the lodge ) , was subscribed for .

1840 . The last year that I propose to mention . Bro . Rich . Brown , S . W . of Fidelity , was W . M . of the Philanthropic . The number of the lodge was altered in 1863 from 364 to 289 . In conclusion , the W . M . said : I ought now to tell you in naming individual brethren who take great interest in the proceedings that are now taking place , that we

have this year as Secretary Bro . Scarth . He has already by extracts and notes from the minute books taken such a quantity of interesting matter , that we can go on for many days simply reading without speaking ; and 1 acknowledge here to him in the fullest manner my indebtedness for the principal figures and statements that 1 have been able to place before you

today , which have been very largely taken from the notes he has so ably compiled . I am proud of our Secretary , and , indeed , of all my other officers . An " Ode " specially composed for the occasion by Bro . Dr . Spark , P . P . G . O ., was ably rendered by Bros . Blagbro , Reevers , Tooke , Briggs , Binns , Higgins , and Scarth .

_ The WOKSHU' 1-UL MASTER having thanked Bro . Spark , on behalf of the lodge , for the " Ode " he had composed , Bro . SMITHSON said : I have been most pleased this afternoon with the warmth of your recognition of the Grand Lodge of England , and , as one of the members of that body present , I beg to thank you most heartily

for that kindly recognition . Bro . W . PORRITT , P . P . G . W . East Yorkshire , then addressed the lodge . He said : Brethren need not have the slightest fearthat 1 am going to make any elaborate remarks . To-night at the Queen ' s we have plenty in prospect , to which I look forward equally with you ; if " brevity be the soul of wit , " then my speech would be

witty indeed . I esteem it an honour to have my name placed upon this centenary summons ; but when I look back to the time when 1 worked here , and hard too in the Masonic cause , I almost feel that the honour has been fairly earned . I attribute the honour to the fact that I was a believer in the progress of Freemasonry in this noble Borough of Leeds , and that such progress

could best be made by each lodge as far as possible having a lodge room of its own and meeting under its own roof . I was the initiator of this principle which I have seen largely carried to a successful issue . This meeting to-day enables us to contrast the peaceful methods of Freemasonry with that of the centenary of the French Republic whose members carried out their principles at the expense of their opponents beads

whilst ours arc carried out through the help of those three grand principles , brotherly love , relief , and truth . My heart is very full and I can only thank you most heartily for the honour you have done me , for the kind way in which you have listened to me . My heart is full of good will to Fidelity , and I hope most sincerely that it will continue to prosper . It is a proud day for me to stand on this dais to witness the celebration of the completion of the 100 years of Fidelity .

Celebration Of The Centenary Of The Lodge Of Fidelity, No. 280, At Leeds.

The Acting P . G . M ., Bro . Hv . SMITH , having called attention to the fact that all the officers of Fidelity this year were Past Masters , proceeded to distribute the centenary jewels to the members who applied for them . The WORSHIPFUL MASTER then received the congratulations of the visiting brethren , personally tendered by the Worshipful Master ' s of the visiting lodges .

The ACTING PROV . GRAND MASTER said he felt highly honoured at being present on this most interesting occasion , and expressed his hearty congratulations and good wishes . He would have much pleasure in telling the P . G . M . of the proceedings . He would add that he had spent an agreeable hour with Bro . Tew on the previous day , and he was glad to say found him

much improved . In acknowledging the congratulations Bro . R . WILSON said : On behalf of my lodge and myself , I reciprocate every good wish and every kind word that has been uttered here to-night . 1 trust all will be present at the Queen's Hotel , where we will endeavour to prove our pedigree , and will give you a right " Royal Yorkshire "

welcome , and we hope an evening spent in "harmony . After the lodge had been duly closed , the brethren were conveyed in carriages to the Midland Railway Company ' s Hotel ( The Queen ' s ) , where about 150 brethren sat down to a magnificent banquet , at which the following toasts were proposed . The VVoRsutrruL MASTER , who was warmly

received on rising to propose the first toast— " The Queen "—said : One hundred years ago to-night our ancestors were sat most likely in the Old George in Briggate , and the first toast then given was , I have no doubt , the toast of his Majesty King George III . We are met to-night in the Queen's Hotel—rather a singular coincidence—and the toast I have to propose , and I

propose it in as earnest and loyal manner as they did their toast , and 1 hope you will drink it with as good feeling as they did , is " Her Majesty the Queen , " Brethren , I ask you to join in " The Queen . " The toast was drunk with much enthusiasm , the company standing and joining heartily in singing the National Anthem , which was led off in capital style by

Bro . Wood Higgins . The WoRsmi'iaa MASTER said the next toast he had to propose was " The M . W . G . M ., H . R . H . the Prince of Wales ; the M . W . Pro G . M ., the Right Hon . the Earl of Lathom ; the R . W . the Deputy G . M ., the

Right Hon , the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe ; and the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past . " He wished those brethren health and long life ; a wish which he felt sure everyone present would echo . With the toast he coupled the names of Bros . Henry Smith , P . G . D . England , Dep . P . G . M ., and W . F . Smithson

P . G . D . Bro . HENRY SMITH , Dep . P . G . M ., in responding , said he was that ni ght enjoying the hospitality , he might almost go further than that , and say the sumptuous bounty of their W . M , and those who were associated with him , and he thanked them for their invitation , and he could assure them that the memory of that night

would remain upon his mind for many years to come . He trusted their Huddersfield friends might have , as had been suggested , a similar meeting in their good old town on their approaching centenary . If they did , he anticipated the brethren of the Craft would receive an enthusiastic reception , but that reception , however much it might equalcould not , he felt sure , surpass

, the warmth of the welcome they had received that night . He thought most of the good things had been said about the Fidelity Lodge at their meeting in lodge during the afternoon , and therefore his remarks then must be as brief as possible . The noble Prince at the head of their Craft , the Prince of Wales , was a man who had enchanced its value and increased its

dignity , and he hoped the dignity and character of their lodges might never be impaired . They in Leeds knew well the able nobleman , Lord Lathom , who sometime ago came amongst them to pertorm a ceremony , and whose courteous manner and geniality , and every good quality that man could possess was displayed on that occasion . It was an occasion which many of

them would never forget . Then they had the Deputy Grand Master , the Right Hon . the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , who had only recently come to the front , but he believed they would find in him as good and worthy a Mason as they had found Lord Lathom to

be . Many of them were aware that at a recent meeting of the Grand Lodge a discussion was raised respecting the increase of Officers in Grand and Provincial Lodges , but to their great dismay the whole matter was shelved . He personally looked forward to the time when there would be several members

wearing collars and joining with him in responding to toasts such as the one to which he had the honour to respond to that evening . In conclusion he thanked them heartily for their recognition of the officers of the Grand Lodge , and hoped they might be spared to meet on many other occasions . Bro . W . F . SMITHSON , P . G . D ., also responded . He

said that he was proud to be present at the Centenary Celebration of the Lodge of Fidelity , the oldest and the premier lodge of the good old town of Leeds . Since he had had the honour of accepting the collar and joining hands with the Prince ot Wales , it had always been his endeavour to lurther the interests ot

the Craft , and especially the interests of the Leeds and West Yorkshire lodges . He was gratified to know that his services had proved acceptable to the brethren , and he thanked them from the bottom of his heart for the way in which they had received the toast and the honour they had done him in coupling his name with it .

Celebration Of The Centenary Of The Lodge Of Fidelity, No. 280, At Leeds.

In proposing the next toast , " The R . W . Provincial Grand Master of West Yorkshire ; Bro . T . W Tew P . G . D . ; the W . D . Prov . Grand Master , Bro . Henry Smith ' P . G . D . ; and the Officers of Provincial Grand Lodge ' Present and Past , " the WORSHIPFUL MASTER said he paused at the name of Bro . T . W . Tew , because he was quite certain that all present were cognisant that

Bro . Tew , when in good health , spared neither time nor expense in promoting the interests of the West Yorkshire lodges . If their sympathies could not outlast their brother ' s short illness and his temporary withdrawal from them , his services had been but of small avail . He , however , believed that there was a strong feeling amongst them that Bro . Tew should not be

harrassed by thinking he must do this or that when labouring under such a severe illness . He ( the W . M . ) wished for all who were'included in the toast health and strength to perform their respective duties , and he confidently anticipated that wherever the interests of Masonry needed their services , there the Provincial Grand Master and his officers would be found .

The Rev . Canon BULLOCK , P . P . G . Chaplain responded on behalf of himself and brother officers . The three little words— " Audi , Vide , Tace , " on the Fidelity banner , were very significant . They had had in lodge an exhibition of the first word . They had been witnesses of a very remarkable ceremony—a ceremony which covered what was wanting , and did not

extend so long that anyone was weaned with it . They were interested , and obeyed , and listened , and then when they came into the banqueting hall immediatel y after that ceremony , there was no difficulty in obeying the second command on their banner . The Worshi ptul Master , as he looked round him that night must realise that after one hundred years of life , Fidelity was more

living than ever , as its life was evidence of good fellowship and kindly feeling . Everyone at that splendid gathering must be considerably gratified , and feel that it was an honour not only to be there but to work in however humble a sphere as a Freemason . The last word on their banner was a perplexing one , " Tace . " To bring one to such a banquet and then

say to them "Tace " was , to put it mildly , a bold thing to do . They had , however , as the lively and fraternal conversation showed , for once had the courage to thoroughly disobey that command . There was , as they were aware , a great interest and a great responsibility in looking back over a hundred years , and their Worshipful Master knew full well what that

responsibility was . Might he conclude by giving a little boy's definition of " responsibility . " An esteemed and revered bishop was once taking a class of boys , and asked them to tell him what" responsibility " was . For some little time there was no answer , but at last one boy , being pressed , said , " If you have only two buttons on your knickerbockers , and one breaks , the other has to

bear all the responsibility . " Now their Worshipful Master ' s responsibility was great and weighty , but experience had proved to them that he was quite equal to bear any responsibility they might put upon him . The toast of the evening , ' ¦ The Lodge of Fidelity , " was proposed by Bro . Hv . SMITH , D . P . G . M ., who said he could only reiterate the sentiments that had been

expressed before , viz ., that the Lodge of Fidelity might not only live to celebrate its second centenary , but might go on for a thousand years with the same success as had attended its present life . As Deputy Provincial Grand Master , he had watched its career with great interest , and whenever the returns came in he scanned them closely . In the future he should expect to find ,

as he had done in the past , a judicious increase of members with high standard and quality . Referring to Bro . Tew , their Prov . Grand Master , he remarked that the principles he endeavoured to carry out were to advance wherever he could the cause of Freemasonry . He always sought to lead the minds of the brethren in

a direction that their principles might be exemplified by their conduct not only in the lodge but out of it , and he was very happy to know that those principles , when taken to heart , had in all cases been beneficial in the highest degree . He had many good and faithful friends in the Lodge of Fidelity , and proposing its toast almost unmanned him . He was aware that he was but a poor

feeble representative of their excellent P . G . M ., whom nothing would have delighted more than to have been present , and to have done justice to the toast . He requested them to join him in drinking success to the Lodge of Fidelity . The ode " In this hour of hopeful joy , " specially composed by Bro . Dr . Spark for the centenary , was

then again sung by the Septet as in lodge . The WORSHIPFUL MASTER , in responding , said he stood there as the representative ot the officers and brethren of the lodge . It was no small boast to oe able to say that his officers were all Past Masters but it was a still greater boast to be able to say that these Past Masters had done their duty cheerfully and well

and that in every direction their peculiar qualification had been made use ot and had added to the harinon ) of the lodge . 'They could not of course call upon ever ) officer to respond to the toast but were compelled , confine themselves to one and that one ot necessi 7 11

had to be the W . M . At the same time they ^ allow him to give them the names of his officers , a whom had worked shoulder to shoulder for the ben ot the lodge not only for the present year but for rnj years past . The I . P . M ., Bro . Arthur Wm . "P lel as they knew , had discharged the duties of Past M < - n in a most satislar . turv and Draiseworthy manne .

was perhaps not necessary that he should enla g ^ the respective merits or qualifications exhibited y ^ officers ol the lodge , for every brother knew tne ^ ^ worked harmoniously together . With thc