Consecration Of The Rye Chapter, No. 2272.

leave on account of ill-health , and had , in fact , attended at considerable risk- Comp . Warner , vvho had been acting as J ., was an exaltee of his some three years ago . He hoped that when the chapter was in working order the Grand Officers would come down and see them at work , and he hoped they would be able to say the kind things they had been kind enough to say that night . " The Visitors " vvas next given , and cordially responded to by Comps . i . N EWTON , P . Z . ; W . DAVIES , M . E . Z . 1901 ; T . GRUMMANT , P . Z . 127 . ; ^ d W . DUNN .

The M . E . Z . then proposed " The Treasurer and Scribe E ., " and said the companions had selected the ri ght man for Treasurer , for Comp . Dunn would look after their disbursements and his ledger would be open to any chartered accountant . The Scribe E ., Comp . Swinford Smith , was somewhat of a novice in his duties , but would speedily make himself competent . Comps . F . DUNN , Treas ., and F . SWINFORD SMITH , S . E ., replied , and

" The Officers having been honoured , the Janitor ' s toast closed a successful gathering . The musical arrangements throughout the proceedings were in the hands of Comp . Frank Swinford , who provided an excellent selection of music . He was ably assisted by Comps . Arthur Weston , Arthur Bentley , E . J . Hell , and G . F . Smith . Comp . Brown contributed two humorous recitations that vvere much appreciated .

Grand Festival Of The Mark Degree.

GRAND FESTIVAL OF THE MARK DEGREE .

At the conclusion of the business of the Quarterly Communication of Mark Master Masons , on the 6 th inst ., Grand Festival was held at Freemasons' Tavern , where a most beautiful and choice banquet was provided by Spiers and Pond , Limited , whose manager , Bro . L . Mantell , was Secretary of the Board of Grand Stewards . Bro . the Earl of Euston , Pro Grand Master , presided , and he vvas supported by Bros , the Marquess of Hertford , Past Pro G . M . ; Viscount Dungarvan , Deputy G . M . ; Lord Ampthill , S . G . W . ; Sir M . White Ridley , J . G . W . ; and most of the other Grand Officers .

The usual toasts followed the dinner , and these toasts were interspersed vvith some fine singing by the Dilettante Vocal Quartette , consisting of Bros . James A . Brown , Frederick Bevan , Edvvard ' Dalzell , and Robert Hilton , who performed together for the first time . The programme was under the direction of Bro . F . Osmond Carr , Mus . Doc . Oxon , P . G . Org . "The Queen and Mark Masonry" and "The Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., " having been duly honoured

, The Earl of EUSTON proposed "The Past Pro Grand Masters , " and he said that those brethren had done good and sturdy work for the Mark Degree . There were many of them , including Lord Lathom and Lord Henniker . Not the least on the roll was his very good friend and brother , the Marquess of Hertford . All the brethren congratulated Lord Hertford on his attaining the rank of Past Pro Grand Master . They also wished and

hoped that he would not , and they did not think hc would , let his face not be known in thegatherings of Grand Mark Lodge now that he had passed the chair , but that he would always come and help them b y his work , counsel , and advice . Having acted as his Deputy for three years , he ( Lord Euston ) could say there was not a chief he would more readily serve . The Marquess of HERTFORD , in acknowledirinir the toast , said , after

thanking Lord Euston for his kind words , that he felt it a very high honour to have passed through the chair of Pro Grand Master of the Grand Mark Lodge of England , and he wished he could feel he went out of the chair having thoroughly done his duty in it . When a thing was worth doing at all it vvas worth doing well , and he would have wished not to have missed a single meeting . Unfortunately , he had , but , as he had told the brethren in lodee ,

it vvas not Irom want of will to attend . He was certain that in his successor they had a brother vvho would attend unless prevented by unforeseen circumstances . The brethren knew how completely Lord Euston had Mark nf " i ! . y a' heart' •Referring to his ( the Marquess of Hertford ' s ) year of ofhee , he did not think there had becn anything very special or particular happening in the Order , but he was very glad and proud to be able to say

inat curing those three years it had prospered very much . There were many more Mark lod ges now all over the country and in the Colonies than there were when he first became Pro Grand Master , and it was still making giant strides everywhere . One fact hc should always look back to with pleasure-that during his Pro Grand Mastership Grand Lod ffc was for the first time held in a fine

A A > tS - 0 W "' Tllat fact alone shovvcd the strides Mark Masonry had made during the last few years . The possession of that hall was a great incentive to Mark Masonry , for Mark Masons felt they had a home of their own , and saw no reason . why Mark lodges should not increase in the same ratio as Craft lod ges . He thanked the brethren for their kind reception of »¦

- toast , and Ior the cordial support lhey had invariably given him during \ ' _ term , office ' He thcn proposed " The Pro G . M ., the Earl of Euston . " r _ i vi at Was said in Grand ' - ° d gc that evening—after what the Pro "rand Master himself had said a few minutes ago—there was very little icit to say of him . He would simply ask the brethren to drink his health .

mc nan ot HUSTON , in reply , said after the kind words addressed to nim b y the members of the Grafton Lodge , named after his father , in Grand -odge he responded vvith great pleasure , and he should have much pleasure

he V . is fatller about il thc next morning . From thc kind way in vvhich thr received on this and on every occasion , he hoped that when his as ^ . ^ run t , le Degree would be found to have increased , not only much as in his predecessor ' s terms , but even more . He would raise the

ask ftv , could and having their support he thought he should . He thev ii" t 0 C 0 " ° P . crate witI" him in the effort , and to attend as often as y could the functions of Mark Masonry . If they would help the Grand fccH S \\ Grand Officers would help them . He trusted that the kindly und" ^'* ° ' been '" tfle past between tne Pro Grand Master and those •vant . l j ' d be colUinucd during his period of office . If anything was .., ' ... and he was allowed to be told of it , if thev could not tret it . hc would

Den , V ? more than half wa His lordshi p next proposed " The R . W . every F _ , nd Master , and Grand Officers , Present and Past . " He thought io soi th ° L P rcscnt wou ' agree with him that they had gone from north got l- ' i searched from high and low in Mark Masonry , that they had Cro « . and and Wales and tlle Colonies and Dependencies of the British « ,... _ " most amply represented bv the officers aoDointed that evenintr . It

a i vv ^^ * '" * ' thing to satisfy everybody , and many hoped for honours form e ' n " ° years ¦¦ 0 P ' £ ' ' but t ,, cn t , le y had not done the work in the M r Ue grees always that wouldientitle them to the distinction . Work in the p " . ry Was what ought to be looked to as a stepping-stone to honours , and ince of Wales had looked to that , as would be seen in the names of the

Grand Festival Of The Mark Degree.

present Grand Officers . Lord Dungarvan entered into Masonry with him and was a personal friend , and whatever his hand had found to do for the good and benefit of the Craft he had done it with his might . The S . G . W . had lately been made G . M . of Bedfordshire , and when he was installed last month he spoke of Freemasonry in such a way of commendation lhat it was plain they had the right man in the right place . Sir M . White Ridley was well known in Northumberland and Durham , and he vvas another proper man .

His lordshi p having mentioned each of the Grand Officers and their qualifications , addressing them , said he trusted that as they had been chosen for the north , south , east , and west of England and Wales and the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown , they would , as he felt certain they would , clo their utmost in their year of office , and when they had past rank to encourage , increase and strengthen the Mark Degree . He hoped they would have health and strength to carry out all the duties that might be imposed upon them .

Viscount DUNGARVAN , D . G . M ., said that after thc flattering terms in which Lord Euston had proposed that toast , he was afraid he could hardly answer for his own blushes , much less could he answer for the blushes of others . When lhey met in Red Lion-square Mark Masons were in much smaller numbers . Now they met in a hall of their own and in large numbers ,

and dined at Freemasons'Tavern . The more the merrier ; the more thc keener . Let them hope that before Lord Euston ' s term was over the number would be doubled . He felt a large amount of gratitude in his breast , as had also other Mark Masons , to the Board of Stewards , vvho had provided such an excellent dinner .

Lord AMPTHILL also responded , and said he was not conscious of being deserving of the honour conferred on him , but hc thanked Lord Euston and the brethren for welcoming him so cordially . It was not so long that he had been initiated in Freemasonry , but he felt there was work to be done . Hc was extremely grateful for the honour conferred on him . When a man found himself in a position of greatness , suddenly and unexpectedly thrust

upon him , it was his chief feeling that he would do his utmost to deserve that position . That was his feeling , and would be his feeling , so long as he was able to be associated with Freemasonry . The Earl of EUSTON proposed " The Mark Benevolent Fund , " and said that the annual Festival of the Fund had gone on increasing . He was happy to say that no applicant for relief from the Fund vvas refused ,

and it was a great thing that there were no expenses . 1 he claims on the Fund were to a certain extent small ; but as the Order increased the probability was that they would be more . The Fund was admirably managed by Bro . Matier . It was divided into three parts—educational , benevolent , and annuity . While no just claim had been refused , there had been no necessity for an election to the educational branch .

Bro . C F . MATIER , G . Sec , responded . Speaking in the presence of three distinguished brethren who had most nobly filled thechairof President of the Benevolent Fund , and in the presence of brethren who were past , and present , and future Stewards , he could say but little to ask the brethren still further to devote their energies on behalf of that great and laudable enterprise . Hc would tell them one or two little facts—first , that

the records of the highest amount ever subscribed at the Mark Benevolent Fund Festival was , when the Pro Grand Master presided ; and , secondly , that thc next Festival would be held on July 26 th , not July 19 th , and Col . Gerard Noel Money , Prov . G . M . for Surrey , would preside . His ( Bro . Matier ' s ) great object of ambition vvas that thc province of Surrey would

support him , as other provinces in days gone by had supported their Grand Master . Thanking the Pro Grand Master for his kind personal allusion , he assured the brethren that he should in the future , as he had in thc past , devote his best energies to promote the prosperity and success of that Institution which he himself thought most honourably worthy of support .

The Earl of EUSTON next proposed " The Visitors , " and coupled with the toast the name of Bro . Dalrymple Duncan , Deputy G . Z . of Scotland . He gave him and the other visitors a hearty welcome , and hoped they had enjoyed themselves . The brethren wished Freemasonry in Scotland , in every Degree , all the success it could possibly wish for itself . Bro . DALRYMPLE DUNCAN , Deputy Grand Z . of Scotland , in reply ,

said that was not the first time he had had the honour of sitting at that hospitable board ; eight or nine years ago he sat down with the Grand Master , his friend and countryman , Lord Kintore ; again , five years ago , when the Marquess of Hertford was Deputy Grand Master and filled the chair ; and he rejoiced to say that each time he returned to thc Festival of Grand Mark Lodge of England he found the Mark Degree had made marked progress ,

and that its prosperity had greatly increased . From what he had seen that night and the account they had had from Bro . Matier of the position of the Benevolent Fund , he augured well for it in the future , and felt that strong as the Mark Degree vvas at thc present time , under the eminent and distinguished brother who now filled the position of Pro Grand Master , Grand Mark Lodge would go on prospering and would prosper to the great

usefulness of the Craft . He wished he could say the same for the position of the Mark Degree in Scotland , * but , as he explained when he was here before , the position was somewhat anomalous ; it was worked under the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter , but curiously enough it had always worked under thc Grand Lodge , and the result was that neither bod y held itself responsible for the efficiency of thc Degree , so that it fell between two

stools . It was unfortunate that there vvas no constitution recognising Grand Mark Lodge of Scotland . That was a possibility past praying Tor ; but what he would like to see in Scotland was that the Mark Degree should be handed over to the Craft . Nothing could be more anomalous than to open a Mark lodge first , and then to open a Royal Arch chapter without difference . He vvas glad to say that in a lodge he was especially interested

in , a lodge which he thought his distinguished brothers , Colonel Noel Money and Colonel Burney , would say did very good work , he had succeeded in introducing the Mark , and they had had very excellent Mark lodges . He hoped the day would come when the Mark Degree in Scotland would be handed over to the Craft , and that the Grand Lodge of Scotland would recognise , be responsible for , and would cherish the Degree , and would raise it to the level which it held in England .

Bro . tliuciENK MONTEUUIS , as one of thc respondents to the toast of " The Stewards , " mentioned thc fact that there was a lodge in London in which Frenchmen mig ht hear ihe work in their own language . Thc lodge was very successful . On behalf of the Grand Stewards he said they had tried their best to brine- the Grand Festival to a happy issue . They could

not get on without engineers , and in this case the engineers were Bro . Matier , and Bro . Louis Mantell , Secretary . If the Grand Stewards had satisfied the Grand Officers and brethren they were very happy indeed , but they remembered to whom the greatest thanks were due—Bro . Matier and Bro . Mantell . Thc proceedings then terminated .