A Three Days' Masonic Festival At Worcester.

W . M ., Wardens , and brethren of the Worcester Lodge entertained the whole of the brethren—about 300—attending Provincial Grand Lodge at a sumptuous luncheon . Punctually at half-past 12 o ' clock a Craft lodge , under the banner of the Worcester Lodge . No . 280 , was opened in the Chapter House of the Cathedral , vvhich had been placed at the disposal of the Fraternity for the occasion by the Dean and Canons .

The Craft lodge having been fully opened , the Prov . Grand Master and the Prov . Grand Officers filed into the lodge , and by right assumed the chairs vvhich were vacated by the Craft lodge officers . The Prov . Grand Master , Bro . Sir Edmund Lechmere , Bart ., M . P ., was supported by Bros . Sir Michael Hicks-Beach , Bart ., M . P ., P . G . M . Gloucestershire ; John Derby Allcroft , P . G . Treas . England ; Rev . W . K . R . Bedford , P . G . C . England ; G . Taylor , P . G . Std . Br . England ; the Marquess of Hertford ; A . F . Godson , M . P ., and a full complement of Present and Past Prov . Grand Officers .

The appearance of the lodge was particularly striking , the rich colours of the clothing of the Grand Lodge and Prov . Grand Lodge Officers commingling with the more subdued tints of the clothing worn by the Craft brethren with great effect . No lodge room could be more appropriate or fitting for an assembly of a Grand Lodge than the Chapter House of Worcester Cathedral , and with the gray and venerable walls relieved here and there with the banners of the different lodges , it presented such a picture as vvill long remain imprinted upon the minds of those who were present .

The Prov . Grand Master and the officers of the Prov . Grand Lodge having been received with the honours and compliments due to their rank , the reports of the various Committees appertaining to the business of the province were in each case read and confirmed , and fresh Committees elected or the old ones re-appointed for the ensuing year . An incident of an exceedingly pleasant nature occurred in connection with the presentation by Bro . W . Waldron of the report of the Library and Museum Committee , vvhich is a Committee which was elected primarily for the

purpose of raising funds for the purchase of the well-known collection of Masonic curios which belonged to Bro . G . Taylor . For this purpose the Prov . G . Master advanced a sum of money , £ 100 of which still remains unpaid . This amount , the Provincial Grand Master informed his lodge , he was willing to present to the Committee if the Provincial Grand Lodge would undertake to have a full explanatory catalogue of the unique collection prepared and printed . This the Provincial Grand Lodge gratefully undertook to do , and a resolution to that effect vvas carried with acclamation .

The Provincial Grand Master appointed and invested the following brethren to the duties of Provincial Grand Lodge for the ensuing year : —¦ Bro . H . Rowe , P . M . 280 , P . P . J . G . W . ... ... Prov . S . G . W . ' „ A . Combes , 377 , P . P . G . Reg . ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . „ Rev . W . J . Down , 252 , P . A . G . C . ... ... D „„ , Jj Rev . G . F . Hough , P . M . 794 ... j Prov . G . Chaps . .. W . E . Walker , P . M . 252 , P . P . S . G . D . ... ... Prov . G . R .

„ J . Joseland , P . M . 529 ( re-appointed ) ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ Geofge Taylor , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ C . Smith Carrington , P . M . 280 ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ W . B . Hulme , P . M . 280 ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . „ John E . Bottomley , P . M . 564 ... ... ... Prov . G . S . of W .

„ J . Mossop , M . P . 1874 ( re-appointed ) ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ W . T . Page , I . P . M . 280 ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ Edward Lowe , I . P . M . 573 ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ G . R . Green , P . M . 1874 ... ... ... A r „ ., T > ^ W . J . Gilliver , P . M . 49 8 j Prov . G . Std . Brs „ W . Haynes , 120 4 , P . P . G . O . ... Prov . G . Org . „ W . Dorset , P . M . 560 ... ... ... Prov . G . P . „ Sam Owen , I . P . M . 2034 ... ... ... Prov . A . G . P .

The duties of the Provincial Grand Lodge having been concluded , it was called off , and the brethren , still wearing their Masonic clothing , were marshalled into procession by the Prov . G . D . of C , Bro . John Mossop , prior to attending service at the Cathedral . The Masonic formula prescribed for such occasions was strictly adhered to . The procession entered the noble fane by the western door , and appropriately so , too , for at the time the Cathedral vvas restored the Provincial

Grand Master defrayed the whole cost of its reconstruction and restoration , otherwise it would have been for ever closed , and at the same time the Freemasons of the province defrayed the cost of the beautiful stained-glass window in the western end of the nave , beneath vvhich the Provincial Grand Master ' s door stands . The great nave organ , presided over by Bro . W . Haynes , Prov . Grand Org ., pealed forth Mendelssohn ' s " Priests' March " as the brethren reverendly took their seats .

The sermon vvas preached by Bro . the Rev . W . K . R . Bedford , M . A ., Past Grand Chaplain of England . The reverend brother took for his text the 14 th verse of the 25 th Psalm , "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him . " During the course of the sermon he said that the object of Freemasonry , hand-in-hand with religion , was precisely the same as that of the Christian Church , and , indeed , of every other religious organisation and elevating influence whatever , to evoke

the nobler emotions of the secret life by propagating certain convictions and sentiments among its members . It proposed to do this by symbolic and verbal tokens of fraternity and charity . For the mind may be quickened into a whole system of inauguration by the electric quiver imported by a single word at once the key and the symbol of the thought to which it leads . The man who condemned its first essays vvas undeserving of the order of a true philosophy . Before

condemning their symbolic language the student should bring before him some monument of the olden time ; should pass his thoughtful eye over its scriptured images ; should observe , intermingled with them , the abbreviated inventions of al phabetical expression , and while he wondered that the latter did not wholly replace the former , should recurr to the words of our most refined philosophers and orators and perceive in them just as varied combinations , which are veiled beneath their language , which would shock him with relations which are quite as heterogeneous .

The collection at the conclusion of the service amounted to over ; £ iS , which was made up to £ 2 $ by the Provincial Grand Lodge , and divided between the Worcestershire Infirmary and one of the National Schools in the city . The procession was afterwards reformed in reverse order , and on the return of the brethren to the Chapter House , the Provincial Grand Master moved votes of thanks to the Mayor of Worcester for the use of the Guildhall , for the luncheon

and banquet , and to the Worshipful Master , Wardens , and brethren of the Worcester Lodge for their entertainment of the brethren of the other lodges in the province . The propositions were unanimously carried , and the Provincial Grand Master subsequently tendered his own and the congratulations of the Grand Lodge to the Worshipful Master , Wardens , and brethren of the Worcester Lodge on the occasion of the centenary of that lodge . This concluded the business , and the lodge was promptly closed .

The annual Provincial Grand Lodge banquet afterwards took place at the Guildhall , the Provincial Grand Master presiding . The usual Masonic toasts were given , the intervals between each being pleasantly varied with songs and other forms of musical entertainment . The festivities in connection with the celebration of thc Worcester Lodge were

continued on Thursday , when there was a special centenary meeting of the lodge , at which the additional charter granted by the Grand Lodge was presented , the whole concluding with a grand ball in the evening . The warrant sets forth the fact of the lodge's continued and unbroken existence since the elate of its charter , and gives all present and future subscribing members of the Worcester Lodge permission to wear a centenary jewel , vvhich has been especially designed and

A Three Days' Masonic Festival At Worcester.

approved of by Grand Lodge . This business over , there was a very pleasant little surprise for the Secretary of the lodge , Bro . Samuel Southall , who was presented by the W . M . with one of the new centenary jewels , on behalf of the lodge , in recognition of the brethren's appreciation of his services as Secretary to the Centenary Celebration Committees , in which connection he has laboured hard and successfully . Another pleasing portion of the evening ' s work was the presentation by Bro . F . G . Underwood of a manuscript containing a full history of the lodge , with lists of its officers since the date of its constitution to the present .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Warwickshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF WARWICKSHIRE .

The annual meeting of the above Provincial Grand Lodge was held at the New Town Hall , Municipal Buildings , Leamington Spa , on the 29 th ult ., under the presidency of the Prov . G . M ., Bro . Lord Leigh , and vvas attended by about 200 brethren of the province . Divine service was held in All Saints' Parish Church , and an excellent sermon was preached by Bro . the Rev . W . H . H . Richards , P . G . Chap ., after vvhich a collection was made in aid of the Warwickshire Masonic Benevolent and Pupils' Aid Fund .

At the meeting it was resolved that the Warwickshire Masonic Calendar be issued next year as usual . A vote of thanks was passed to the Mayor of Leamington , Bro . Fell , for kindly placing at the disposal of the brethren the New Town Hall for the meeting , and the Council Chamber for the banquet . A vote of thanks was passed to the P . G . Chaplain , and also to the vicar of All Saints' Parish

Church for his kindness in granting the use of his church for service , together with a donation of , £ 5 5 s . towards the parish charities . The following donations were voted : £$ 5 s . to the fund for erecting the Centenary Window in the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ; £$ 5 s . to the Warwickshire Reformatory at Weston ; and £ 10 ios . to the Ear and Throat Hospital , Birmingham . The Provincial Grand Master appointed his officers as follows :

Bro . J . T . Collins ... ... ... ... Prov . D . P . G . M . „ W . F . Wyley ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ C . J . Bkker ... ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . ,, Rev . W . H . Holland Richards ... ... ... A , ^ _ -,, r > XT M u . - Prov . G . Chaps . „ Rev . N . M . Henessey ... ... ... ) r

1 , Colonel Cox ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ Charles F . Vachell ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . ,, George Beech ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . ,, W . H . Johnson ... ... ... ... } D 0 „ ,,. , T T TJ H . i Prov . S . G . D . s . „ J . P . Barrett ... ... ... ... )

„ C . H . Beck ... ... ... ... " 1 D T r- n J ;; P . E . Shepheard j Prov . J . G . D . ' s . „ W . W . Curtis ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . of W . „ Major Ash ... ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ W . Tidmarsh ... ... ... ... Prov . D . G . D . C . ,, James Collins ... ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D C . „ J . C . Price ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ F . C . Taylor ... ... ... ... ") n „ , _ , . n 01

/ - r / - ii- 1 rruv . u . . ors . ,, C . J . Collins ... ... ... ... ) „ W . Waters ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . ,, G . A . Thomason ... ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Sec . „ E . P . Cole ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ W . Troman ... ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Purst . ,, N . Burrows ... ... ... ... Prov . G . T yler .

A banquet was afterwards provided in the Council Chamber , Municipal Buildings , and a large number of brethren were present , the Council Chamber being well filled .

Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of Lancashire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND MARK LODGE OF LANCASHIRE .

The annual meeting of the above Provincial Grand Mark Lodge vvas held recently , at the Masonic Buildings , Lord-street , Southport . The Prov . Grand Master , Bro . the Earl of Lathom , presided , supported by the D . P . G . M ., Bro . Col . Le Gendre Starkie , and many Past Provincial Grand Ofiicers ; indeed , about half of the 130 Mark Masons present had attained provincial rank . Bro . the Rev . T . B . Spencer acted as Prov . D . G . Chaplain , and Bro . J . D . Murray as Prov . G . D . C . All the Lancashire lodges , save two of the most remote , were represented , the attendance from Liverpool , Preston , Manchester , and Burnley being specially strong .

The Prov . Grand Secretary , Bro . J CHADWICK , read his 20 th annual report showing notable progress in Lancashire Mark Masonry . He pointed out that wherever the Mark Degree had been well worked it had made rapid strides and found great favour . The Prov . Grand Treasurer ' s accounts showed an increased balance in hand .

One feature of the report alone vvas painful , and particularly so , the Prov . J . G . W . having died last year before he could assume office , and the Prov . G . Registrar being absent owing to serious illness . The Prov . Grand Chaplain had been unable to perform his duties consequent on removal to Canada . Bro . T . R . Jolly , 146 , having been unanimously elected Prov . Grand Treasurer , the Prov . Grand Master invested his officers as follows - .

Bro . W . E . M . Tomlinson , M . P . ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ W . Court ... ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . „ J . Talbot Stowell ... ... ... ... Prov . G . M . O . „ J . L . Houghton ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . O . ,, Rev . Sadleir Stoney ... ... ... Prov . G . Chap . „ T . R . Jolly ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ J . Lambert ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg .

„ John Chadwick ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ C . Crablree ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ W . E . Irwin ... ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . „ P . R . Barrow ... ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ R . Harrison ... ... ... .... Prov , G . I . of W .

„ S . Scott Young ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ W . Turby ... ... ... .. Prov . G . Std . Br . „ J . Holyoak ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ John Howarth ... ... ... ... Prov . G . I . G . ., T . Adams ... ... ... ... ~ l

„ R . Sharrock ... ... ... ID r- ce J „ J . Hatch ... ... ... ... ... j" P «» v . G . Stwds . ,, Dr . Charlick ... ... ... ... J „ J . Hankin ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Tyler .

Bros . N . Nicholson , James Piatt , and T . Nevett were chosen Auditors . A donation of 10 guineas was made to the Portal Memorial Organ Fund . Liverpool , Preston , and Blackpool were each suggested for the next annual meeting , the Prov . Grand Master to decide .