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Contents.
CONTENTS .
REPORTS or MASONIC MEETINGS i—Craft Masonry , 48 = Instruction , 4 SS Ancient and Accepted Rite 4 S 3 The Late Bro R . J . Spiers 4 SS Consecration ofthe Douglas Lodge No . 1725 4 S 0 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Somersetshire 489 The Fire at St . John ' s 4 S 9
A Masonic Funeral in America 4 S 9 Fraternity 40 ° Masonic ant ! General Tidings ., 490 Royal Masonic Boys' School 490 Reviews , 49 J Sketches of MasonicCharacter—liro . Plummer at Home 491 Notes on Art 491 The Recent Resolution of the Irish Grand Lodge 492 The last Grand Chapter 492
Labour and Refreshment 493 C ORRESPONDENCE : — Surrey Masonic Club 493 Lodges of Instruction v . Preceptors 493 Third Class hy all Trains 493 Past Grand Pursuivants 493 Lodges at Taverns 494 The ' Mace Fund 494
Masonic Notes and Queries 494 Centenary of the York Lodgo Noi 236 , 494 f \' e \ v Masonic Hall at Hamilton , New Zealand 494 Thc Irish Grand Lodge 49 S The Grand Orient of France 495 French and British Freemasonry -. , 495 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 49 6 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 496 Advertisements 497 , 4 S 8 , i . ii . iii . < v . v . vi .
Reports Of Masonic Meetings.
REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS .
toft Hasonrtt .
PHCENIX LODGE ( No . 173 ) . —The Phcenix Lodge held its first meeting for the season at Freemasons ' Hall , on Saturday last , Br * o . S . S . Phillips , W . M ., presiding . Present : Bros . Finch , S . W . ; Allen , J . W . ; Blythe , S . D . ; Andrews , J . D . ; and Melton , I . G . ; in their respective places , besides Bros . Burford , T . Mathews , Treas . and Sec . ; and Bro . Colvill , W . S . At the opening of the lodge
the W . M ., who yvith his officers appeared yvith their Masonic emblems in mourning , rose and said , " It is with feelings of deep emotion and fraternal regret that I rise to announce to the brethren the great loss they and I have sustained in the deaths , first of our much-respected and regretted I . P . M ., Bro . Massey ; and also of our Bro . Waterman . Bro . Massey ' s death has proved indeed a great and sad
ulow to myself , yvhen I consider the great experience , the good judgment , and brotherly kindness , the universal attention that yvas exhibited by Bro . Massey in the chair of this lodge as W . M . last year , and I take the opportunity of expressing to the lodge , hoyv much I personally shall lose in the support , assistance , ami brotherly kindness , and experience yvhich our late Bro . Massey yvould have shown
in his advising and helping me to attempt to worthily occupy the chair . I leave it to my brother officers and brethren to express the feelings of the lodge upon this subject , as I have no doubt they yvill in a resolution conveying thc sympathy and condolence of thc lodge to the widows of our deceased brethren . Bro . Finch , S . W ., then proposed in ir . ost feeling and suitable terms a resolution
cf sympathy and condolence to be furnished to the yvidows of three brethren , and Bro . Allen in terms equally appropriate seconded the same . Past Master Vine yvas then invested yvith the I . P . M . collar , and in returning thanks f poke most feelingly upon the sad losses the lodge had sustained . The lodge yvas then opened in the Second Degree , and Bros . F . C . Kearling , Fall , and Bennett ,
were questioned before raising and having acquitted themselves yvith satisfaction of the brethren retired . The lodge yvas then opened in the Third Degree , and Bros . Kearling , Fall , and Bennett , were raised the W . M . giving the charges , exhortation and traditional history with much emphasis and feeling . The lodge was then resumed to the First Degree , and Bros . Hutton , New ,
and Hill , balloted for , elected , and initiated . After some formal business , lodge yvas closed in due form , and W . M ., officers , aud brethren adjourned to banquet After the preliminary toasts had been proposed and honoured , Bro . Vine , P . M ., proposed "The Health of tile W . M . " He said it yvas peculiarly pleasing for him to do so , because the W . M . being so well up in his duties ,
the ollice of I . P . M . had been a complete sinecure . 'I he W . M . required no coaching , and when he performed the ceremonies the brethren derived great benefit from him . He had been correct and perfect , and the brethren yvere all proud of him . The W . M . iu acknowledging the toast said he noyv came to a more difficult portion of his duties . As regarded his
efforts to give the brethren satisfaction and put the lodge in a proper light with respect to the duties of Master he would admit as a fact that he had done his level best . As regarded the result , he must leave that to the brethren ' s kindly consideration , and that , as a brother just reminded him , was on the square . In returning thanks , he yvould ask the brethren , that as they had hitherto done so they
yvould ui future elo—meet him and work week by yveek together . Perseverance yvas the genuine article , and yvould make stability in Masonry . He yvas glad to follow the example of his P . M ., and he hoped the other brethren yvould do the tame and toil away till they got round the table and to the top . If he quitted office to the satisfaction of the brethren he should not mind . If he yvas not
eonceiteel he was considerably proud . One other favour he would ask of the brethren—to unite , to have no jealousy , but as much emulation as possible ; yvithout jealousy to yvork yvith one another , and for one another , for the good ° f the Phoenix Lodge ; and in such an effort he could promise
them they should not find him yyanting . The VV . M . tben proposed "The Health of the P . M . ' s , " and said he was proud of those who had gone before him . Masonry exhibited itself in many forms ; it exhibited itself in the luture . which was represented by the initiates , and by what n <* bad seen of those brethren he should say the future yvas
Reports Of Masonic Meetings.
a promising one ; the present yvas represented in himself , and the members of the lodge ; and the past was represented by the P . M . ' s , who had borne the heat and burden of the day , the hard yvork of the lodge , and had arrived at an hereditary state of things , which was proverbial , — the otium cum dignitate — dined , thought , looked , criticised , and observed ; and
in their sublime yvisdom , had sufficient forbearance to help the young ones who were coming along . He often thought the P . M . represented the largest of hens , because he was the proudest when covering the largest brood . The P . M . assisted the Master and the brethren , and the credit and honour of the Master ' s chair was largely in the hands of the P . M . The P . M . assumed
dignity , that dignity which he was told the House of Lords represented , inasmuch as it not only did nothing , but did it yvell . The P . M ' s . of the Phcenix Lodge were called upon to do very little , and there yvas very good reason yvhy they should be called upon to do very little . ( Laughter . ) The brethren laughed , but he did not . The reason the P . M ' s . yvere called upon to do very little was
that they had set thc brethren so glorious an example . The brethren yvere proud to follow it . They would now see on which side the laughter was . Freemasonry exhibited a history . There would be no history without the P . M ' s ., but as Bro . Wilson had suggested to him that the should say no more , he yvould simply propose " The Health of the Past Masters . " Bro . Vine , in reply , said he
had , in his position as a P . M ., endeavoured to carry out all the duties that fell to his share to fulfil , and he should always endeavour to do so . Bros . Salmon , Wilson , and Griffiths also replied . The W . M ., in proposing " The Visitors , " said he hoped that those brethren yvho had honoured the lodge that evening yvould be able to pass a favourable judgment upon it . Masonry was greatly
increasing just noyv , lodges were groyving numerous , and yvorking yvas becoming good ; but he hoped that the Phcenix Lodge yvould bear a fair comparison yvith any of them . He also referred to the banqueting arrangements yvhich were now so excellent at Freemasons' Tavern , and said he was happy to find Bro . Best , the proprietor , yvas among the visitors that evening . Bro . Best and several
other brethren replied . The W . M . next proposed " The Masonic Institutions . " Bro . James Terry , in reply , said it yvas a great pleasure to himself to find that the subject of the Masonic Institutions had been so kindly brought before thc notice of the brethren by the W . M ., who had said that the Institutions ivere all carefully and well worked and conscientiously overlooked by the executive
officers . He was happy to state that that yvas really the case , and it was very gratifiying to hear that said . If they had not been so well looked after , he was certain that the support the Institutions had hail during the last five or six years never yvould have been accorded them . They had only to look back to a period of eight , nine , or ten years to find a . great contrast in the
support given to the Institutions . Ten years since there yvere but no girls in the Girls ' School . whereas now they had 180 ; ten years ago the Boys' School had eighty-five or eighty-six boys in it , now there were 182 ; ten years ago the Benevolent Institution had 120 old men and women on the funds , the men receiving £ 2 ( 1 a year , and the widows
£ 23 . 1 here yvere now 205 annuitants on the Institution , thc men receiving £ 40 a year , and the yvidows £ 32 . It yvas therefore clear that the Institution was now distributing more than double the amount of money it gave ayvay ten years ago . They had to thank the Craft very much for yvhat it had done , and lie personally had to thank the
Masters of lodges for the tune being for their great kindness iu accepting the office of Steyvards of his oyvn and other Institutions , and voting a portion of their funds away for the benefit of the Institutions . To the W . M . ' s of lodges they were particularly indebted , because it was through their kindness the announcement of the festivals was
made in open lodge , and the services of the Stewards were secured . The Phoenix Lodge yvould be represented on the 13 th Feburary by Bro . Vine , whose yvish it yvas to take the oflice of Steyvard , rendered vacant by the lamented death of the late W . M ., Bro . J . D . Massey , yvhose past energy yvas so well-known to all the brethren . The legacy yvhich he bequeathed was one which might well be taken
up by the members of this lodge , and he ( Bro . Terry ) was thankful to Bro . Vine for having consented to take the position of the late W . M . Though unaware of yvhat the finances of the lodge were , he yvas nevertheless informed that they were in a prosperous state , and any balance they might have to spare might be profitably placed in Bro . Vine's list . There yvas a P . M . of this lodge at present a
recipient of an annuity from the Benevolent Institution , and the children of another of the P . M . ' s were in the schools . He did not expect that the Institutions would be so successful this next year as they had been during the past , because such enormous sums of money had been contributed to other charities . The Masonic Institutions last year totalled over £ 30 , 000 , and this year it yvould be
something like £ 42 , 000 , but he yvould beg all of the brethren to give what they could , and hc did not doubt that a very excellent figure yvould be the result . The other toasts were then . given , and thc brethren separated . BELGRAVE LODGE ( No . 749 ) . —On Wednesday evening , the instillation meeting of this lodge was held at Anderton's Hotel . Thc lodge was opened by Bro . Hobbs , W . M ., yvho , in presence of a very full lodge ,
initiated Mr . William Jones , and passed Bros , miliar and Godecke . When these ceremonies were concluded , Bro . J . Hester , P . M ., installed Bro . Henry William Greenwood , S . W ., and W . M . elect , as W . M . of the lodge for the ensuing year . The brethren appointed to office were Bros . Booker , S . W . ; Gardner , J . W . ; Hunting , P . M ., Treas . ; H . Garrod , P . M ., Sec . ; Coulthard , S . D . ; Groves , J . D . ; Hall , I . G . ; P . Parsons , P . M ., Steward ; Leach , Asst . Steward ; Norton , Org . ; and Gilchrist , Treas . Bro . Hobbs
Reports Of Masonic Meetings.
announced that hc was going to represent the lodge as its Steward at the next festival of the Benevolent Institution , and he solicited thc brethren to support him by giving as much as they could afford . The lodge was thereafter closed , antl the brethren adjourned to banquet . At the termination of the repast the toasts were duly proposed and drunk . "The
Queen and Craft , " "The M . W . G . M ., " "The Pro G . M , the Dep . G . M ., and the rest of the Grand Officers , " having been honoured , and accompanied by the singing of the National Anthem , and " God bless the Prince of Wales , " the W . M . proposed " The Initiates , " and in so doing said a brother had been initiated that evening , whom he thought they would all be proud of at some time . It
yvas highly important that Freemasonry should continually have neyv blood brought into the ranks ; otherwise Freemasonry would very soon become extinct ; the brother who had been initiated had been highly recommended , and yvould no doubt follow the precepts of Freemasonry , brotherly love , relief and truth , and become an ornament to the lodge , and a model for the Craft to initiate . Bro .
Jones , in replying , thanked the Master , Wardens , and brethren , for alloyving him to become a member of Freemasonry , yvhich appeared to him to be a great Institution . He hoped at some future time to prove to the brethren that he was a good Mason , and he trusted that some day he might occupy the noble position of W . M . The W . M . next proposed " The Visitors , " of whom there
were 31 present . With such a numerous array of talent he was quite sure thc brethren yvould take it for granted that it would be impossible to speak of the merits of each visitor . Although several brethren yvould like to respond , yvith so many being present it yvould be impossible , but he yvould call upon Alderman Randall , of Oxford , to reply . Bro . Randall , Prov . G . Treasurer Oxford , said that
as an old man from the country , he was extremely surprised that he had been selected to speak to the toast . He took it as a compliment , and hc congratulated the lodge on the feeling thus displayed , lt had been said there yvere brethren of considerable eminence present . He must not take a share in that compliment , for there yvere brethren present
more yvorthy than he to receive such an honour . He had but shown his inclination to obey the impulses of his oyvn life and to carry out thoroughly those principles yvhich he dreyv in with the light when he was first admitted into Freemasonry , yvhen he attended this lodge for the purpose of supporting a case yvhich had been brought before the lodge that evening . He hoped that they might be
successful yvith that petition , and from the manner in which it had been received he could not doubt that it yvould be . The W . M . proposed "The Masonic Charities . " He did not know that any toast could be more apropos to Freemasonry than that of the charities . Charity yvas the distinguishing characteristic of a Freemason ' s heart , and he believed all the brethren yvould agree yvith him that the
whole system of the Craft was mixed up yvith objects of charity . Hc would call upon Bro . Terry to respond , and had no doubt that that brother would give the brethren a valuable digest of the charities , especially thc particular one with yvhich he was more immediately connected , the Benevolent Institution , for the next festival of which the I . P . M . was about to be thc Steyvard . He trusted that all
the brethren would subscribe something toyvards so good an object as that of the relief of the aged Freemasons and the widows of Freemasons . Bro . Terry thanked the W . M . for proposing the toast so early in the evening , thinking it a very good plan to propose it at a period of thc evening when the yvhole of the brethren yvere present . During the past year it could not be said that the Craft had been
unmindful of thc chanties , as £ 42 , 000 yvould be found to have been received on their behalf . That yvas a very noble and grand sum for such a limited constituency to raise . But they yvere looking forward noyv to the future , and he might mention that at the meeting of the committee of his Institution that afternoon , twenty petitions
were presented and accepted for the election of as many candidates at the next election in May . This alone yvould convince the brethren that there yvas an enormous amount of distress day by day coming before the Ciaft , and if the Order increased as it had been increasing during the last four or five years , they would have more and more cases before them . The difficulty was how were they to deal
with these cases , and he thought it yvas only by the excellent plan that the P . M . of this lodge had adopted of accepting thc office of Stewart ! that the committee would be enabled to carry out their yvork . For many years past thc Benevolent Institution had had Stewards from the Belgrave Lodge , each trying to do his best , and he yvas ceitain of this , that the brother who had now accepted
thc office of Steyvard was not less mindful of his duty than those who had gone before him . Hc was also eiuite certain that the brother would if he could carry up as large an amount as thc brethren who had represented the lodge before . Hc ventured to think that all the brethren would give him their support , and if possible give him a larger list . The brethren should remember it yvould not be a
large sum that was asked of each of them . Five shillings from a member conferred the right of a vote , and no brother who wished to be considered a good and true Mason would refrain from giving that sum . It was not the pounds that helped the Institution , it yvas the many subscribers . Hc remembered an observation made by the Marquis of Ripon on one occasion in Grand Lodge , that
when he looked through the list of subscribers to the Institution he saw , much to his regret , but yet to his pleasure , that the names of the subscribers were repeated in each of the lists . What he desired to see , and yvhat each desired to sec was , that all members of the Craft should enrol themselves as supporters of Masonic Institutions . If they could but enlist the sympathy of every brother in lhe support of the Institution , and induce him to believe
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contents.
CONTENTS .
REPORTS or MASONIC MEETINGS i—Craft Masonry , 48 = Instruction , 4 SS Ancient and Accepted Rite 4 S 3 The Late Bro R . J . Spiers 4 SS Consecration ofthe Douglas Lodge No . 1725 4 S 0 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Somersetshire 489 The Fire at St . John ' s 4 S 9
A Masonic Funeral in America 4 S 9 Fraternity 40 ° Masonic ant ! General Tidings ., 490 Royal Masonic Boys' School 490 Reviews , 49 J Sketches of MasonicCharacter—liro . Plummer at Home 491 Notes on Art 491 The Recent Resolution of the Irish Grand Lodge 492 The last Grand Chapter 492
Labour and Refreshment 493 C ORRESPONDENCE : — Surrey Masonic Club 493 Lodges of Instruction v . Preceptors 493 Third Class hy all Trains 493 Past Grand Pursuivants 493 Lodges at Taverns 494 The ' Mace Fund 494
Masonic Notes and Queries 494 Centenary of the York Lodgo Noi 236 , 494 f \' e \ v Masonic Hall at Hamilton , New Zealand 494 Thc Irish Grand Lodge 49 S The Grand Orient of France 495 French and British Freemasonry -. , 495 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 49 6 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 496 Advertisements 497 , 4 S 8 , i . ii . iii . < v . v . vi .
Reports Of Masonic Meetings.
REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS .
toft Hasonrtt .
PHCENIX LODGE ( No . 173 ) . —The Phcenix Lodge held its first meeting for the season at Freemasons ' Hall , on Saturday last , Br * o . S . S . Phillips , W . M ., presiding . Present : Bros . Finch , S . W . ; Allen , J . W . ; Blythe , S . D . ; Andrews , J . D . ; and Melton , I . G . ; in their respective places , besides Bros . Burford , T . Mathews , Treas . and Sec . ; and Bro . Colvill , W . S . At the opening of the lodge
the W . M ., who yvith his officers appeared yvith their Masonic emblems in mourning , rose and said , " It is with feelings of deep emotion and fraternal regret that I rise to announce to the brethren the great loss they and I have sustained in the deaths , first of our much-respected and regretted I . P . M ., Bro . Massey ; and also of our Bro . Waterman . Bro . Massey ' s death has proved indeed a great and sad
ulow to myself , yvhen I consider the great experience , the good judgment , and brotherly kindness , the universal attention that yvas exhibited by Bro . Massey in the chair of this lodge as W . M . last year , and I take the opportunity of expressing to the lodge , hoyv much I personally shall lose in the support , assistance , ami brotherly kindness , and experience yvhich our late Bro . Massey yvould have shown
in his advising and helping me to attempt to worthily occupy the chair . I leave it to my brother officers and brethren to express the feelings of the lodge upon this subject , as I have no doubt they yvill in a resolution conveying thc sympathy and condolence of thc lodge to the widows of our deceased brethren . Bro . Finch , S . W ., then proposed in ir . ost feeling and suitable terms a resolution
cf sympathy and condolence to be furnished to the yvidows of three brethren , and Bro . Allen in terms equally appropriate seconded the same . Past Master Vine yvas then invested yvith the I . P . M . collar , and in returning thanks f poke most feelingly upon the sad losses the lodge had sustained . The lodge yvas then opened in the Second Degree , and Bros . F . C . Kearling , Fall , and Bennett ,
were questioned before raising and having acquitted themselves yvith satisfaction of the brethren retired . The lodge yvas then opened in the Third Degree , and Bros . Kearling , Fall , and Bennett , were raised the W . M . giving the charges , exhortation and traditional history with much emphasis and feeling . The lodge was then resumed to the First Degree , and Bros . Hutton , New ,
and Hill , balloted for , elected , and initiated . After some formal business , lodge yvas closed in due form , and W . M ., officers , aud brethren adjourned to banquet After the preliminary toasts had been proposed and honoured , Bro . Vine , P . M ., proposed "The Health of tile W . M . " He said it yvas peculiarly pleasing for him to do so , because the W . M . being so well up in his duties ,
the ollice of I . P . M . had been a complete sinecure . 'I he W . M . required no coaching , and when he performed the ceremonies the brethren derived great benefit from him . He had been correct and perfect , and the brethren yvere all proud of him . The W . M . iu acknowledging the toast said he noyv came to a more difficult portion of his duties . As regarded his
efforts to give the brethren satisfaction and put the lodge in a proper light with respect to the duties of Master he would admit as a fact that he had done his level best . As regarded the result , he must leave that to the brethren ' s kindly consideration , and that , as a brother just reminded him , was on the square . In returning thanks , he yvould ask the brethren , that as they had hitherto done so they
yvould ui future elo—meet him and work week by yveek together . Perseverance yvas the genuine article , and yvould make stability in Masonry . He yvas glad to follow the example of his P . M ., and he hoped the other brethren yvould do the tame and toil away till they got round the table and to the top . If he quitted office to the satisfaction of the brethren he should not mind . If he yvas not
eonceiteel he was considerably proud . One other favour he would ask of the brethren—to unite , to have no jealousy , but as much emulation as possible ; yvithout jealousy to yvork yvith one another , and for one another , for the good ° f the Phoenix Lodge ; and in such an effort he could promise
them they should not find him yyanting . The VV . M . tben proposed "The Health of the P . M . ' s , " and said he was proud of those who had gone before him . Masonry exhibited itself in many forms ; it exhibited itself in the luture . which was represented by the initiates , and by what n <* bad seen of those brethren he should say the future yvas
Reports Of Masonic Meetings.
a promising one ; the present yvas represented in himself , and the members of the lodge ; and the past was represented by the P . M . ' s , who had borne the heat and burden of the day , the hard yvork of the lodge , and had arrived at an hereditary state of things , which was proverbial , — the otium cum dignitate — dined , thought , looked , criticised , and observed ; and
in their sublime yvisdom , had sufficient forbearance to help the young ones who were coming along . He often thought the P . M . represented the largest of hens , because he was the proudest when covering the largest brood . The P . M . assisted the Master and the brethren , and the credit and honour of the Master ' s chair was largely in the hands of the P . M . The P . M . assumed
dignity , that dignity which he was told the House of Lords represented , inasmuch as it not only did nothing , but did it yvell . The P . M ' s . of the Phcenix Lodge were called upon to do very little , and there yvas very good reason yvhy they should be called upon to do very little . ( Laughter . ) The brethren laughed , but he did not . The reason the P . M ' s . yvere called upon to do very little was
that they had set thc brethren so glorious an example . The brethren yvere proud to follow it . They would now see on which side the laughter was . Freemasonry exhibited a history . There would be no history without the P . M ' s ., but as Bro . Wilson had suggested to him that the should say no more , he yvould simply propose " The Health of the Past Masters . " Bro . Vine , in reply , said he
had , in his position as a P . M ., endeavoured to carry out all the duties that fell to his share to fulfil , and he should always endeavour to do so . Bros . Salmon , Wilson , and Griffiths also replied . The W . M ., in proposing " The Visitors , " said he hoped that those brethren yvho had honoured the lodge that evening yvould be able to pass a favourable judgment upon it . Masonry was greatly
increasing just noyv , lodges were groyving numerous , and yvorking yvas becoming good ; but he hoped that the Phcenix Lodge yvould bear a fair comparison yvith any of them . He also referred to the banqueting arrangements yvhich were now so excellent at Freemasons' Tavern , and said he was happy to find Bro . Best , the proprietor , yvas among the visitors that evening . Bro . Best and several
other brethren replied . The W . M . next proposed " The Masonic Institutions . " Bro . James Terry , in reply , said it yvas a great pleasure to himself to find that the subject of the Masonic Institutions had been so kindly brought before thc notice of the brethren by the W . M ., who had said that the Institutions ivere all carefully and well worked and conscientiously overlooked by the executive
officers . He was happy to state that that yvas really the case , and it was very gratifiying to hear that said . If they had not been so well looked after , he was certain that the support the Institutions had hail during the last five or six years never yvould have been accorded them . They had only to look back to a period of eight , nine , or ten years to find a . great contrast in the
support given to the Institutions . Ten years since there yvere but no girls in the Girls ' School . whereas now they had 180 ; ten years ago the Boys' School had eighty-five or eighty-six boys in it , now there were 182 ; ten years ago the Benevolent Institution had 120 old men and women on the funds , the men receiving £ 2 ( 1 a year , and the widows
£ 23 . 1 here yvere now 205 annuitants on the Institution , thc men receiving £ 40 a year , and the yvidows £ 32 . It yvas therefore clear that the Institution was now distributing more than double the amount of money it gave ayvay ten years ago . They had to thank the Craft very much for yvhat it had done , and lie personally had to thank the
Masters of lodges for the tune being for their great kindness iu accepting the office of Steyvards of his oyvn and other Institutions , and voting a portion of their funds away for the benefit of the Institutions . To the W . M . ' s of lodges they were particularly indebted , because it was through their kindness the announcement of the festivals was
made in open lodge , and the services of the Stewards were secured . The Phoenix Lodge yvould be represented on the 13 th Feburary by Bro . Vine , whose yvish it yvas to take the oflice of Steyvard , rendered vacant by the lamented death of the late W . M ., Bro . J . D . Massey , yvhose past energy yvas so well-known to all the brethren . The legacy yvhich he bequeathed was one which might well be taken
up by the members of this lodge , and he ( Bro . Terry ) was thankful to Bro . Vine for having consented to take the position of the late W . M . Though unaware of yvhat the finances of the lodge were , he yvas nevertheless informed that they were in a prosperous state , and any balance they might have to spare might be profitably placed in Bro . Vine's list . There yvas a P . M . of this lodge at present a
recipient of an annuity from the Benevolent Institution , and the children of another of the P . M . ' s were in the schools . He did not expect that the Institutions would be so successful this next year as they had been during the past , because such enormous sums of money had been contributed to other charities . The Masonic Institutions last year totalled over £ 30 , 000 , and this year it yvould be
something like £ 42 , 000 , but he yvould beg all of the brethren to give what they could , and hc did not doubt that a very excellent figure yvould be the result . The other toasts were then . given , and thc brethren separated . BELGRAVE LODGE ( No . 749 ) . —On Wednesday evening , the instillation meeting of this lodge was held at Anderton's Hotel . Thc lodge was opened by Bro . Hobbs , W . M ., yvho , in presence of a very full lodge ,
initiated Mr . William Jones , and passed Bros , miliar and Godecke . When these ceremonies were concluded , Bro . J . Hester , P . M ., installed Bro . Henry William Greenwood , S . W ., and W . M . elect , as W . M . of the lodge for the ensuing year . The brethren appointed to office were Bros . Booker , S . W . ; Gardner , J . W . ; Hunting , P . M ., Treas . ; H . Garrod , P . M ., Sec . ; Coulthard , S . D . ; Groves , J . D . ; Hall , I . G . ; P . Parsons , P . M ., Steward ; Leach , Asst . Steward ; Norton , Org . ; and Gilchrist , Treas . Bro . Hobbs
Reports Of Masonic Meetings.
announced that hc was going to represent the lodge as its Steward at the next festival of the Benevolent Institution , and he solicited thc brethren to support him by giving as much as they could afford . The lodge was thereafter closed , antl the brethren adjourned to banquet . At the termination of the repast the toasts were duly proposed and drunk . "The
Queen and Craft , " "The M . W . G . M ., " "The Pro G . M , the Dep . G . M ., and the rest of the Grand Officers , " having been honoured , and accompanied by the singing of the National Anthem , and " God bless the Prince of Wales , " the W . M . proposed " The Initiates , " and in so doing said a brother had been initiated that evening , whom he thought they would all be proud of at some time . It
yvas highly important that Freemasonry should continually have neyv blood brought into the ranks ; otherwise Freemasonry would very soon become extinct ; the brother who had been initiated had been highly recommended , and yvould no doubt follow the precepts of Freemasonry , brotherly love , relief and truth , and become an ornament to the lodge , and a model for the Craft to initiate . Bro .
Jones , in replying , thanked the Master , Wardens , and brethren , for alloyving him to become a member of Freemasonry , yvhich appeared to him to be a great Institution . He hoped at some future time to prove to the brethren that he was a good Mason , and he trusted that some day he might occupy the noble position of W . M . The W . M . next proposed " The Visitors , " of whom there
were 31 present . With such a numerous array of talent he was quite sure thc brethren yvould take it for granted that it would be impossible to speak of the merits of each visitor . Although several brethren yvould like to respond , yvith so many being present it yvould be impossible , but he yvould call upon Alderman Randall , of Oxford , to reply . Bro . Randall , Prov . G . Treasurer Oxford , said that
as an old man from the country , he was extremely surprised that he had been selected to speak to the toast . He took it as a compliment , and hc congratulated the lodge on the feeling thus displayed , lt had been said there yvere brethren of considerable eminence present . He must not take a share in that compliment , for there yvere brethren present
more yvorthy than he to receive such an honour . He had but shown his inclination to obey the impulses of his oyvn life and to carry out thoroughly those principles yvhich he dreyv in with the light when he was first admitted into Freemasonry , yvhen he attended this lodge for the purpose of supporting a case yvhich had been brought before the lodge that evening . He hoped that they might be
successful yvith that petition , and from the manner in which it had been received he could not doubt that it yvould be . The W . M . proposed "The Masonic Charities . " He did not know that any toast could be more apropos to Freemasonry than that of the charities . Charity yvas the distinguishing characteristic of a Freemason ' s heart , and he believed all the brethren yvould agree yvith him that the
whole system of the Craft was mixed up yvith objects of charity . Hc would call upon Bro . Terry to respond , and had no doubt that that brother would give the brethren a valuable digest of the charities , especially thc particular one with yvhich he was more immediately connected , the Benevolent Institution , for the next festival of which the I . P . M . was about to be thc Steyvard . He trusted that all
the brethren would subscribe something toyvards so good an object as that of the relief of the aged Freemasons and the widows of Freemasons . Bro . Terry thanked the W . M . for proposing the toast so early in the evening , thinking it a very good plan to propose it at a period of thc evening when the yvhole of the brethren yvere present . During the past year it could not be said that the Craft had been
unmindful of thc chanties , as £ 42 , 000 yvould be found to have been received on their behalf . That yvas a very noble and grand sum for such a limited constituency to raise . But they yvere looking forward noyv to the future , and he might mention that at the meeting of the committee of his Institution that afternoon , twenty petitions
were presented and accepted for the election of as many candidates at the next election in May . This alone yvould convince the brethren that there yvas an enormous amount of distress day by day coming before the Ciaft , and if the Order increased as it had been increasing during the last four or five years , they would have more and more cases before them . The difficulty was how were they to deal
with these cases , and he thought it yvas only by the excellent plan that the P . M . of this lodge had adopted of accepting thc office of Stewart ! that the committee would be enabled to carry out their yvork . For many years past thc Benevolent Institution had had Stewards from the Belgrave Lodge , each trying to do his best , and he yvas ceitain of this , that the brother who had now accepted
thc office of Steyvard was not less mindful of his duty than those who had gone before him . Hc was also eiuite certain that the brother would if he could carry up as large an amount as thc brethren who had represented the lodge before . Hc ventured to think that all the brethren would give him their support , and if possible give him a larger list . The brethren should remember it yvould not be a
large sum that was asked of each of them . Five shillings from a member conferred the right of a vote , and no brother who wished to be considered a good and true Mason would refrain from giving that sum . It was not the pounds that helped the Institution , it yvas the many subscribers . Hc remembered an observation made by the Marquis of Ripon on one occasion in Grand Lodge , that
when he looked through the list of subscribers to the Institution he saw , much to his regret , but yet to his pleasure , that the names of the subscribers were repeated in each of the lists . What he desired to see , and yvhat each desired to sec was , that all members of the Craft should enrol themselves as supporters of Masonic Institutions . If they could but enlist the sympathy of every brother in lhe support of the Institution , and induce him to believe