Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Presentation To Bro. Cornelius Thorne, Past Dist. G. Master Of Northern China.
Freemasonry , and had ever exhorted them to put into practice outside the door of the lodge those admirable principles inculcated within it . He accepted the gift of the brethren in the spirit in which it was given , reechoed the wish ot the D . G . M . that it might pass down as an heirloom in his family , so that his children might know in what esteem their father had been held by his brother Masons in Shanghai .
The presentation over , the brethren adjourned to the spacious diningroom of the Masonic Hall , where an excellent dinner was served to more than too guests . Fortunately ths weather was cool , and with the aid of punkahs the tastefully-decorated room was not in the least hot . The toast of the evening was , of ourss , " Health and Happiness to the R . W . Bj-other , " whose approaching depirture is so near . The speeches
of the D . G . M ., Bro . Moore , and of the D . D G . M ., Bro . Danforth , were cast much in the some mould as those before outlined , but Bro . Allan , as the R . W . M . of the Cosmopolitan Lodge , working under the Scottish Constitution , showed by dates and statistics the close connection between the Cosmopolitan Lodge and Bro . Thorne
though a member of the English division of the Craft . He told his hearers that Bro . Thorne had aided in the founding of the lodge , that he had been an Honorary Member of it almost from the commencement , and that for the past quaiter of a century he had established a record by instilling year by year the various Masters as they succeeded each other .
R . W . Bro . THORNE made a very feeling and appropriate reply , and then excused himself on the score of delicate health . Other speeches , songs , and toasts filled up the remainder of the evening . —Shanghai Mercury , July 3 rd .
BRO . C . THORNE AND THE FREEMASONRY OF SHANGHAI .
In our last night's issue we gave a short account of the presentation ceremonial and dinner given to Bro . Cornelius Thorne on the occasion of his approaching departure from Shanghai . Bro . Thome ' s connection with local Freemasonry is interwoven with every fibre of its history . In that admirable little book compiled by Bro . F . M . Gratton , and recently re-edited by Bro . Drummond Hay , and entitled " Freemasonry in Shanghai and Northern China , " we find Bro .
Thome ' s name for the first time on p . 2 . The date is 1856 , when though only a four-year-old as regards Masonry , Bro . Thorne was apparently already Master of the Northern Lodge , a lodge which from that time to this has been second to none in the Far East for high-bred support of Masonic principles . We there find Bro . Thorne , as he then was , engaged in the disposal of the first Masonic Hall , a " one storied structure , entered
from a porch supported by Corinthian columns , " and situated in thi Nankingroad , then known as Park-lane . Since that time , with the exception of a short sojourn at home , Bro . Thorne has been intimately connected with the ups and downs of the Craft in Shanghai . He has seen the erection of two halls , that in the Canton Road still standing , but used for other purposes ,
and from which the inscription stones were not removed till so recently as 1895 , and the present building on the Bund which was ready for occupation in 1867 . Its foundation stone had been laid with great ceremony on the 3 rd July , 1865 , 36 years ago yesterday . There was a large assembly , the Consular Body , the Municipal Council , the Commissioner of Customs , the Volunteers , and many others being present . Amongst the various officers
Presentation To Bro. Cornelius Thorne, Past Dist. G. Master Of Northern China.
the names of M . L . Smith , C . H . Butcher , P . A . Myburgh , C . M . Donaldson , and R . F . Gould , will be best known by the present generation of Masons . The band of the 67 th Regiment which was here at the time enlivened the proceedings . In those days China was , Masonically , a province . It is since then that the present division into two districts has taken place . The subsequent history of the present Masonic Hall is matter of common knowled ge .
Quoting from the little work before referred to , we have the following : " In the year 18 95 it was discovered that the back portion of the block of buildings known as the Masonic Hall was unsafe and rebuilding was eventually commenced . " On the igth June , 1897 , a great variety of interesting documents was , wiih some little ceremony , deposited in a leaden casket in a " specially prepared cavity in the walls of the new building , " to send down to the distant future " some record of our work . "
Referring to the list of Past Masters of the Northern Lod ge we find amongst the collection of well-known and highly honoured names in local history , that of C . Thorne in 1858 ( not 1856 as is implied on p . 2 ) for the first time as Master . He was again in the chair in i 860 , since which time though he has never officially taken the Mastership , he has been an ever ready aid and substitute io a long succession of worthy men . In 1 S 62 Bro
Thome's name appears as First Principal of theZion R A . Chapter , a Craft offshoot of the Northern Lodge . Twenty years later a Committee was appointe d by the Municipal Council to inquire into the scholastic needs and capabilities of the settlement , but as their report fell flat , the Masonic Body , led by Bro . Thorne and a few other public-spirited men , took the question in hand raised money , established a school , the direct forerunner of the present Public School .
Such is a very brief outline of the connection between Shanghai Masonry and the estimable gentleman who expects so soon to leave us , and to whom , in common with the whole community , Masonic and non-Masonic we offer our heartiest good wishes . To such a man as R . W . Bro . Thorne the teachings of Freemasonry were more than empty s , ound . Ceremony ,
rite , and ritual are to such but externals , useful only as typifying those grand principles which are ever the pride and the glory of the world-wide brotherhood whom they bind together . ' By their fruits ye shall know them . " Throughout history they have stood primarily for brotherly love , for charity , and truth , with the endless streams of good of which these
are the fountain Lead . Any one of the annual reports that are issued by the thousands of Masonic institutions throughout the world will suffice to show the practical effect , of the charitable teaching which is a corner stone in Masonic principle . In Great Britain the Craft has long been honoured by having the Heir Apparent as its Grand Master . Now that he has ' attained the Throne he has necessarily resigned this posttaking the more
, honorary rank of Patron . In the United States , the highest members of the Commonwealth are enrolled in the lists of Freemasons . It is only in lands that are suffering from want of freedom either in church or state that we find Masonry under a cloud . We cannot go into the vexed question why this should be . Possibly there are faults on both side ? . Certain it is
that the experience of England and America , and in a somewhat less emphatic degree , of Germany , shows that in Masonry we have a system which I ' thinketh no evil , which rejoiceth not in iniquity , but rejoiceth in the truth , " and the inference is that if other Continental Masonry is comparable to that of the Anglo-Saxon type , there is something wrong with the institutions that condemn it . —Shanghai Mercury , July 4 th .
Ad01002
CATALOGUEOFBOOKS ANDMANUSCRIPTS IntheLibraryoftheGrandLodgeofEngland, WITHADDITIONSTOTIIEENDOE1895. . Cloth hoards , Price 2 s . Gd ., Post Free . Contributions of Works on Freemasonry and kindred subjects wiU be thankfully received by the Grand Secretary for the Library and Museum of the Grand Lodge , where they will be more accessible to the Craft generally , than if they remained in private collections . Printed and Published by GEORGE KENNING , 16 and I 6 a , Great Queen Street ( Opposite Freemasons' Hall ) , London , W . C , 1 , 2 , V , UA , an , J-, LITTLE BRITAIN , 195 , 196 , aad L 97 , ALDERSGATE STREET , E . G . ; LIVERPOOL 23 , WILLIAMSON ST . MANCHESTER : 47 , BRIDGE ST , GLASGOW : 9 , WEST HOWARD ST
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Presentation To Bro. Cornelius Thorne, Past Dist. G. Master Of Northern China.
Freemasonry , and had ever exhorted them to put into practice outside the door of the lodge those admirable principles inculcated within it . He accepted the gift of the brethren in the spirit in which it was given , reechoed the wish ot the D . G . M . that it might pass down as an heirloom in his family , so that his children might know in what esteem their father had been held by his brother Masons in Shanghai .
The presentation over , the brethren adjourned to the spacious diningroom of the Masonic Hall , where an excellent dinner was served to more than too guests . Fortunately ths weather was cool , and with the aid of punkahs the tastefully-decorated room was not in the least hot . The toast of the evening was , of ourss , " Health and Happiness to the R . W . Bj-other , " whose approaching depirture is so near . The speeches
of the D . G . M ., Bro . Moore , and of the D . D G . M ., Bro . Danforth , were cast much in the some mould as those before outlined , but Bro . Allan , as the R . W . M . of the Cosmopolitan Lodge , working under the Scottish Constitution , showed by dates and statistics the close connection between the Cosmopolitan Lodge and Bro . Thorne
though a member of the English division of the Craft . He told his hearers that Bro . Thorne had aided in the founding of the lodge , that he had been an Honorary Member of it almost from the commencement , and that for the past quaiter of a century he had established a record by instilling year by year the various Masters as they succeeded each other .
R . W . Bro . THORNE made a very feeling and appropriate reply , and then excused himself on the score of delicate health . Other speeches , songs , and toasts filled up the remainder of the evening . —Shanghai Mercury , July 3 rd .
BRO . C . THORNE AND THE FREEMASONRY OF SHANGHAI .
In our last night's issue we gave a short account of the presentation ceremonial and dinner given to Bro . Cornelius Thorne on the occasion of his approaching departure from Shanghai . Bro . Thome ' s connection with local Freemasonry is interwoven with every fibre of its history . In that admirable little book compiled by Bro . F . M . Gratton , and recently re-edited by Bro . Drummond Hay , and entitled " Freemasonry in Shanghai and Northern China , " we find Bro .
Thome ' s name for the first time on p . 2 . The date is 1856 , when though only a four-year-old as regards Masonry , Bro . Thorne was apparently already Master of the Northern Lodge , a lodge which from that time to this has been second to none in the Far East for high-bred support of Masonic principles . We there find Bro . Thorne , as he then was , engaged in the disposal of the first Masonic Hall , a " one storied structure , entered
from a porch supported by Corinthian columns , " and situated in thi Nankingroad , then known as Park-lane . Since that time , with the exception of a short sojourn at home , Bro . Thorne has been intimately connected with the ups and downs of the Craft in Shanghai . He has seen the erection of two halls , that in the Canton Road still standing , but used for other purposes ,
and from which the inscription stones were not removed till so recently as 1895 , and the present building on the Bund which was ready for occupation in 1867 . Its foundation stone had been laid with great ceremony on the 3 rd July , 1865 , 36 years ago yesterday . There was a large assembly , the Consular Body , the Municipal Council , the Commissioner of Customs , the Volunteers , and many others being present . Amongst the various officers
Presentation To Bro. Cornelius Thorne, Past Dist. G. Master Of Northern China.
the names of M . L . Smith , C . H . Butcher , P . A . Myburgh , C . M . Donaldson , and R . F . Gould , will be best known by the present generation of Masons . The band of the 67 th Regiment which was here at the time enlivened the proceedings . In those days China was , Masonically , a province . It is since then that the present division into two districts has taken place . The subsequent history of the present Masonic Hall is matter of common knowled ge .
Quoting from the little work before referred to , we have the following : " In the year 18 95 it was discovered that the back portion of the block of buildings known as the Masonic Hall was unsafe and rebuilding was eventually commenced . " On the igth June , 1897 , a great variety of interesting documents was , wiih some little ceremony , deposited in a leaden casket in a " specially prepared cavity in the walls of the new building , " to send down to the distant future " some record of our work . "
Referring to the list of Past Masters of the Northern Lod ge we find amongst the collection of well-known and highly honoured names in local history , that of C . Thorne in 1858 ( not 1856 as is implied on p . 2 ) for the first time as Master . He was again in the chair in i 860 , since which time though he has never officially taken the Mastership , he has been an ever ready aid and substitute io a long succession of worthy men . In 1 S 62 Bro
Thome's name appears as First Principal of theZion R A . Chapter , a Craft offshoot of the Northern Lodge . Twenty years later a Committee was appointe d by the Municipal Council to inquire into the scholastic needs and capabilities of the settlement , but as their report fell flat , the Masonic Body , led by Bro . Thorne and a few other public-spirited men , took the question in hand raised money , established a school , the direct forerunner of the present Public School .
Such is a very brief outline of the connection between Shanghai Masonry and the estimable gentleman who expects so soon to leave us , and to whom , in common with the whole community , Masonic and non-Masonic we offer our heartiest good wishes . To such a man as R . W . Bro . Thorne the teachings of Freemasonry were more than empty s , ound . Ceremony ,
rite , and ritual are to such but externals , useful only as typifying those grand principles which are ever the pride and the glory of the world-wide brotherhood whom they bind together . ' By their fruits ye shall know them . " Throughout history they have stood primarily for brotherly love , for charity , and truth , with the endless streams of good of which these
are the fountain Lead . Any one of the annual reports that are issued by the thousands of Masonic institutions throughout the world will suffice to show the practical effect , of the charitable teaching which is a corner stone in Masonic principle . In Great Britain the Craft has long been honoured by having the Heir Apparent as its Grand Master . Now that he has ' attained the Throne he has necessarily resigned this posttaking the more
, honorary rank of Patron . In the United States , the highest members of the Commonwealth are enrolled in the lists of Freemasons . It is only in lands that are suffering from want of freedom either in church or state that we find Masonry under a cloud . We cannot go into the vexed question why this should be . Possibly there are faults on both side ? . Certain it is
that the experience of England and America , and in a somewhat less emphatic degree , of Germany , shows that in Masonry we have a system which I ' thinketh no evil , which rejoiceth not in iniquity , but rejoiceth in the truth , " and the inference is that if other Continental Masonry is comparable to that of the Anglo-Saxon type , there is something wrong with the institutions that condemn it . —Shanghai Mercury , July 4 th .
Ad01002
CATALOGUEOFBOOKS ANDMANUSCRIPTS IntheLibraryoftheGrandLodgeofEngland, WITHADDITIONSTOTIIEENDOE1895. . Cloth hoards , Price 2 s . Gd ., Post Free . Contributions of Works on Freemasonry and kindred subjects wiU be thankfully received by the Grand Secretary for the Library and Museum of the Grand Lodge , where they will be more accessible to the Craft generally , than if they remained in private collections . Printed and Published by GEORGE KENNING , 16 and I 6 a , Great Queen Street ( Opposite Freemasons' Hall ) , London , W . C , 1 , 2 , V , UA , an , J-, LITTLE BRITAIN , 195 , 196 , aad L 97 , ALDERSGATE STREET , E . G . ; LIVERPOOL 23 , WILLIAMSON ST . MANCHESTER : 47 , BRIDGE ST , GLASGOW : 9 , WEST HOWARD ST