Consecration Of The Eccleston Lodge. No. 1624.

u » W . M . in the discharge of his duties . The W . M . had told them he yvas a very young Mason , and under those * circumstances he claimed their kind help and assistnce m ore warmly and more earnestly than he yvould do •f he were an old and practised Past Master . Pray make 11 the allowance they could in his favour ; excuse him

where they saw he might do a little better ( but he did not ihiiilc he yvould do badly ); hold out to him forbearance for any little failings that might occur , and do all they could to render his year of office easy to himself , gratifying to them , the lodge a success in itself and an ornament to the Craft . He ( Bro . Pullen ) yvould have the greatest desire to know how well and successfully they steered their

barque onyvards , and he hoped he would have it in his power to come among the brethren and , if he could , to asiist them in piloting their vessel and assisting in every way possible in making the lodge a success . ( Hear , hear . ) Bro . the Rev . Ambrose W . Hall then rose , and said there devolved upon him that evening a task , which however , hc would not call a task but a pleasure , although

he felt some difficulty in fulfilling his duty properly , to propose , if not the most important the most interesting toast of the evening , " Success to the Eccleston Lodge . " In asking the brethren , in a very few words , to drink it he trusted that they would not consider that yvhat he said proceeded from those feelings yvhich we yvere too apt to set down as after-dinner things when yve had been

hosp itably entertained . The Eccleston Lodge started in a , vay which he was quite sure was an earnest of its future success . As he had said to them in lodge , there devolved upon the brethren responsible duties , and the officers of the lodge appointed that day he was sure those duties yvould be ably discharged . An old prophet had told them that a day was

coining which yvas called a millennium , when the lion should lie doyvn yvith the lamb , yvhen the child should p lay on the hole of the asp , and the weaned child put his hand on the cockatrice den , that nothing should hurt or destroy in all the holy mountain of the Great Architect ; but whenever that blessed time should come , the brethren , svho supplemented the sacred writings which spoke to them

of the blessed time , were in a position to do their little quota towards that happy end . He mentioned this merely to show brethren of this new lodge that they had to do many things , to support many principles high and sacred , which if they did not bring this millennium extended among men those grand principles of the Masonic Order , brotherly love , re ' . ief and truth , yvhich carried them through

the yvorld , repeated by all , loved by the brethren , and they trusted , rewarded eventually by their God . Bro . Hyde Pullen had said that they had launched their Masonic barque on the tide of this world ; let him add that they had to bear in that barque those precious things which it was theii's to uphold and to keep from being sunk in the billows that they must meet with in passing through

their Masonic life . To that barque they must have a banner nailed ; " nailed , " he said , because they must never take it down ; and on that banner must be inscribed the Masonic words , "Excelsior : On and on : Little beginnings : Great ends . " Time was so short that he must not go further in proposing what it gave him such great pleasure to speak about , and yvhich might lead him away and made

him dwell longer perhaps than their patience would allow ; he would therefore only say that from his heart he yvished to the Eccleston Lodge—and from the hearts of all thc visitors to it that day he was quite sure there proceeded the same wish—a fund of success , and the blessing of thc Greit Architect of the Universe . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . )

The VV . M . proposed " The Musical Brethren , " to which toast Bro . E . Coles , Organist , responded . The S . and J . W . replied for " The Officers , " and Bro . •Morgan and H . Massey ( " Freemason " ) for " The Press . " The Tyler ' s toast concluded the proceedings , yvhich were enlivened by thc vocal and instrumental cffoitsof the professional brethren before named , and Dr . Lavies .

Ar00501

Tlie Queen , accompanied by Princess Beatrice and Prince Leopold , reached Edinburgh at 8 . 30 on Wednesday morning . She yvas met at thc station by the Duke of Connaught , now with his regiment at Edinburgh , and proceeded to Holyrood Palace . On Thursday the statue of the late Prince Consort was unveiled , and afterwards the Queen proceeded to Balmoral . Great preparations

were made in Edinburgh on the occasion . VVe shall al-™ le to the ceremony in our next . The Council of tlie Hospital Sunday Fund nas resolved to distribute £ 29 , 943 amongst sixty-nine general and special hospitals and four institutions ; and 'o devote £ 2 3 36 16 s . 8 d . to fortv-five disnensaries .

ihe Prime Minister , who is now on a visit to ' -ord Bradford at Castle Bromwich , near Birmingham , rt n" unex P -ted visit yesterday evening to Ashton Hall „ ark . Mr . Disraeli , who was accompanied by Lady radford and two other ladies , drove in the first instance so N er grounds , a public pleasure garden much retea to by the Hirminrrham wnrkina- rlasse * : fnr itanrinar

boating . After walking round the grounds , where party w , recognized and cheered on leaving , they the C < l throu 8 * h the P ark t 0 Ashton Hall , over yvhich TK conducted b X Mr * Rodway , the Curator , roo National Gallery , with the additional h ™ 'ch have been added to it by Mr . Edward Barry now n t £ rown ° P en t 0 the P"bHc . The collection , which be . j l ™ ° considerably over a thousand pictures , may Mast ^ P arated roughly into two parts—the Old , ' rers > OCCUpyinir the Rasr and Hie Modem Pninterc 111 ,.

th e ter V ' rhe t 1 lv ' sion > however , is not absolute , for f ° r that " tilC W ynne E "' bequest render it necessary years •g ^ n'leman ' s pictures to be kept together for ten Election ' * WaS thou S ht desirable to preserve the Peel Sreat state " " com P leteness as representing the last of a

Some Of The Peculiarities Of Ancient Craft Masonry.

SOME OF THE PECULIARITIES OF ANCIENT CRAFT MASONRY .

WEHIS J UNIOR . It has long been conceded that Freemasonry—an institution peculiar , nay , yvonderful , in many respects—is a subject yvorthy of the attention of the moralist , the statesman and the philosopher . Others , too , who are not entitled to these high

designations , may study this oldest and strongest of human institutions with advantage . There are some peculiarities of this Institution yvhich yvill early attract the attention and awaken the interest of the Masonic student and which we may briefly consider . Our attention may be first directed to the universality claimed for the Order . The Monitors say :

From East to West , and between North and South , Freemasonry extends , and in every clime are Masons to be found . And thc learnad Dr . Mackey states that Over the yvhole habitable globe are our lodges disseminated . Wherever the wandering steps of civilized man have left their foot-prints , there have our temples been

established . Thc lessons of Masonic love have penetrated into the wilderness of the West , and the red man of our soil has shared with his more enlightened brother thc mysteries of our science , yvhile the arid sands of the African desert have more than once been the scene of Masonic greeting . The claim of univer sality is , indeed , not an idle boast . Reports of committee on foreign correspondence , foreign

publications of the Order , statistics , the narrative of travellers , and other documents too numerous and elaborate to quote here , all bear testimony to the existence of Masonry in all parts of the world . And while the number of Masons in any one community , or district , may be , and unusually is , small in proportion to the yvhole population of such district , yet there are few localities , indeed , of . any considerable size where some members of the Order are not to be found .

Freemasonry , in its organization , principles , methods of teaching , and in its objects , has . and from the facts above stated , must have thc elements necessary to a cosmopolitan institution . For example , it recognises no political systems of theories , save only the rights of man by the layv of nature ; knows nothing of religious creeds or sectarian dogmas as such , save , 1 belief in God , the

obligations of the moral law , and the immortality of the soulfundamental truths about which all men may agree . An eloquent yvriter truthfully says * . Itexists in Pagan , Jewish , Moslem and Papal countries . Some of its members worship the sun , and others the shekinan ; some fall before the _ cresccnt , nnel others before the cross ; but it has taught them all to respect and

tolerate each other . Its universality is a peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry . Every man belongs to some nationality by birth or adoption , and is an alien in all other lands than his own . Other societies , religious or secular , are , in the main , confined to certain localities or countiies . But Freemasonry is a universal republican brotherhood , which knows no

international boundaries , no race , no country , but has tne yvhole earth for its territory . It is , essentially , the same institution wherever found , providing for certain wants of men , of all races , and in all conditions of life , and posscssa universal language of signs and symbols understood by its members in all countries . For convenience , there are lodges , or places of assembly ,

in cities , villages , and other localities , and separate general and local jurisdictions ; but he who becomes a member in one lodge , or jurisdiction , is a Mason , not only there , but everywhere . A Mason in one country is a Mason in all countries , and is recognised as . 1 brother entitled to certain rights and privileges , by the mysterious language he speaks , in all lands . Have wc not just cause to be proud

ot this peculiar feature of our Order . Another peculiarity of Freemasonry is its elaborate and beautiful system of teaching by symbols , allegories , types and emblems , being the oldest method of imparting instruction known to the world . By this system a large class of important truths and principles are brought within the comprehension of even the most illiterate , and are

impressed upon thc mind in a manner unequalled by any other method of instruction , but now preserved only in Freemasonry , as a complete system , and in the Romish church , partially . It is a system thc beauty and value of yvhich becomes more and more apparent thc better yve study its history and philosophy . Our attention is called also , to the system

of government of our Order , by a Master and two Wardens , in Grand and subordinate lodges , and certain fundamental and unchangeable rules , known as landmarks , all forming a system of government , original and peculiar , and found nowhere else , except by adoption . It is a perfect and happy blending of absolute power , with reptesentative democracy and the

preservation of individual rights by immutable laws . And right here we meet another , and most valuable , peculiarity of Freemasonry , —that is its permanent , unchangeable character . In its system of government , in its landmarks , in its fundamental principles and objects , no changes or innovations are necessary to adapt it to the wants and conditions of men in all countries , and in all times ; nor are any changes or innovations permitted .

No power exists anywhere within or without the Order to make such changes . Here , indeed , is permanence . No perversion of purposes ; no " shifting sands of doctrine . " We know what we have . It is , indeed , gratifying to discover that amid the ever changing and ephemeral associations instituted by men , from time to time , for various purposes , there is , at least , one w ' lich is steadfast . Is it too much to say that Freemasonry is the only permanent

Some Of The Peculiarities Of Ancient Craft Masonry.

conservator amid the chances and changes of time , of those fundamental laws and principles of human rights and those moral obligations which are binding on all men ? A peculiar feature of Freemasonry is its silence and unobtrusiveness . A lodge may exist in our midst for years , and we hardly recognize the fact . It interferes yvith no

person , sect , party , or opinion , and never asks any favours or special privileges from community , church , or state . It raises no disputes , argues no questions , and strives to live in quietness and peace with all men . Unlike other societies , it ever maintains its dignity and reserve . It seeks not the pbpular favour ; it does not proselyte ; it sends out no propagandists , and pays nothing to recruits ; and while

the worthy who knocks at its doors are seldom denied , they are never urged to seek admission . The equality of all men before God and in natural right and in the lodge-room , as taught in Masonry , is peculiar to this institution . Other societies , secular and even religious , grant preferment and favours much according to social , pecuniary , and civil distinctions . But

Masonic equality is real—not merely theoretical . The Ancient Charges declare that " all preferment among Masons is grounded upon real worth and merit only . " The Order regards no man for his worldly worth or honours . Prince and peasant , plebeian and patrician meet upon the same level . The day labourer , the farmer , the mechanic , as has frequently been the fact , may be

Master or Grand Master , while the rich man , the professional man or the highest civil or military functionary may be and often is , but a private member . And this is so because Masons assemble in a higher character , or upon a higher plane than that made by merely conventional distinctions , —they meet as men and brethren . We may add , in conclusion , that , while Masonry knows

nothing of political parties , yet in all countries and in all times the Order has taught its disciples the fundamental doctrines of Liberty , Fraternity , and Equality , and these principles Masonry taught before modern republics had existence . Libeity , regulated by layv ; obedience to established authority ; the fatherhood of God ; the brotherhood of man , and tolerence of private religious and

political opinions , are of the very essence of Freemasonry . And the thought comes to us here—should it not long since have come to the prejudiced and short-sighted opponents of Misonry—yvhat other institution known among men presents , has alyvays presented , such a powerful , such a successful bulwark to the insidious encroachments of

ecclesiastical and political despotisms , which would reinstate and arc labouring to re-instate the intellectual darkness , the , ; intolarence and bigotry and the religious dogmas of thc Middle Ages ? Despotic power in Church and State to-day , as for ages past , hates Freemasonry with an undying hate . What does it mean ?

May not the friends of civil and religious liberty , of morality , of toleration , cf fraternity , in all lands , ponder on the question how great and good a work has Freemasonry been , silent but surely , doing in the centuries gone by ? What mission has ihis Order , so old , so strong , so peculiar in its character , to fulfil in the centuries to come ?

Masonic Temple At Philadelphia.

MASONIC TEMPLE AT PHILADELPHIA .

The Masonic Temple in the city of Philadelphia is , probably , the finest and most magnificent structure , erected for the fraternity , in the yvorld . It has four fronts , and is 150 by 245 feet , and rises from the pavement 95 feet . It is built of granite , and is a perfect specimen of Norman architecture , bold , elaborate , and unlike anything in

Philadelphia . Thc Broad-street front displays two grand towers , 230 feet from the ground to the top of the turret . The Norman porch is very elaborate and is made up of three pairs of receding pillars , yvith arches , mouldings , and other decorations . The grand entrance is through doors seventeen feet high and seven feet wide . The main hall is laid in black and white tiles with ornate borders .

I here is a grand staircase of granite , finished in Corinthian style , which rises from the iront . The central staircase approached from the Juniper-street front is in the Doric style . Thc Grand Lodge Library-room , 105 feet l ° "g > 5 ' fcet wide and 50 feet high , is constructed and decorated after the Corinthian style . The Banquet Hall is 103 feet long , 50 feet wide and 30 feet high , is of the

Composite order , and the tables will seat 500 persons . The Oriental Hall , occupied by subordinate lodges , is ornamented in the richest style of Moorish architecture . Then there are the Ionic , thc Egyptian , the Norman , the Gothic , and the Renaissance Halls , the latter being 90 feet long , . 50 feet wide , 50 feet high , and very richly decorated . The Knights Templar occupy the Gothic hall for their asylum .

The grand Temple and enduring monument of Masonic taste and liberality , was erected at a cost of about one million three hundred thousand dollars . — " Masonic Journal . " On Thursday the marriage of the Earl of Gosford and Lady Louisa Montagu , second daughter of Bro . the Duke of Manchester , yvas solemnised at St . George ' s ,

Hanoversquare , in the presence of a number of relatives and friends of both families . On the arrival of thc bride she yvas received by the Duke of Manchester and her bridesmaids —namely , the Ladies Grace and Margaret Gordon , Lady Mabel Bridgeman , and Lady Alice Montagu ( sister of the bride ) . The bride yvore a dress of white poult de sole , trimmeil with Brussels lace and bouquets of orange flowers , a couronne of the same flowers , over which yvas

arranged a veil of Brussels lace , fhe ornaments yvere diamonds and pearls . The bridesmaids' toilettes , were of pale crernc poult de soie and cachmere ; cuirassc bodices , with sleeves entirely composed of gold braid ; and bonnets of creme cachmere , with bouquets of red rosebuds . The wedding presents which were very numerous , included a diamond and pearl cross from the Prince and Princess of Wales , and a pair of gold candlesticks Irom the Duke and Duchess of Teck .