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Article PROV. GRAND LODGE OF EAST LANCASHIRE. ← Page 2 of 2 Article PROV. GRAND LODGE OF EAST LANCASHIRE. Page 2 of 2 Article PROV. GRAND LODGE OF EAST LANCASHIRE. Page 2 of 2 Article PROV. GRAND LODGE OF DEVON. Page 1 of 2 →
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Prov. Grand Lodge Of East Lancashire.
down would never be forgotten . Earl Carnarvon was able in council , good in speech , clear in design , and able to carry out his designs perfectly . He was one of their Order whom they all esteemed , valued , and highly regarded . It was
at no small trouble that his lordship had come down to perform the interesting ceremony that day for the honour of that body and the benefit of Masonry , in installing himself as Provincial Grand Master of that province . He was heartily
glad to see representatives of every lodge in the province present . The Earl of Carnarvon , who was received with prolonged applause , said he always knew how warm the heart of Lancashire was * to her
friends ; but he felt well nigh overpowered by the more than kind , the touching welcome that they had been pleased , in their very indulgent kindness , to lavish upon him . When he left them , he should carry away the warmest , the heartiest ,
the most constant recollection of that day's proceedings and of his Lancashire brethren—( cheers)—and as he trusted they never would hesitate to ask him for any share of Masonic trouble or labour that he could give , so , on the
other hand , he never would hesitate to ask for any kindness or any good office at their hands . ( Applause . ) He had to thank them first for the kind manner in which they had drank the health of the Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge of
England , of whom he had the honour to be the representative . They were well sensible of the compliment they had paid them ¦ they rejoiced to have been present on such an occasion . He would venture to say that none had ever seen
any Masonic ceremony so full of interest , so full of true Masonic feeling , so remarkable , so dignified in all its proceedings , as that which had illustrated that great hall and gladdened their eyes that day . ( Applause ) . The Grand Lodge
of England was a tangible and visible embodiment of English Masonry , and it was so only in so far as it reflected and represented the Masonry of every province in England . They could not from all parts of England be present on every
occasion at the Grand Lodge , and therefore he rejoiced when members of the Grand Lodge of England were present in the provinces to judge how true tlie Masonic feeling was there , and how important it was that provincial interest should
be fully represented . He rejoiced to have been allowed to take part in the proceedings of that day ; he should carry away with him the liveliest and the heartiest recollection of that great and striking scene which passed before his eyes that
morning . ( Applause ) . And how could it be otherwise in Manchester , one ofthe great centres of English commercial life and activity ; in that great hall , the former scene of many an animated and perhaps not always friendly debate ? ( Cheers . ) Lastly , here in Lancashire , where
industry , energy , heartiness , resolve of purpose belonged to her sons , his heart would be cold , indeed , if he did not feel warmed with all that he had seen and heard . ( Cheers . ) They were sometimes told that , after a certain age , men ceased to make friends . He did not believe that
miserable and odious doctrine . ( Hear , hear . ) For his own part , he had always found—ancl trusted so long as he lived he should find—that go where he would , friends were always to be found —( hear , hear)—and when hc . left them on
the morrow , lie hoped he might be allowed to feel that if he came amongst them yesterday as a stranger , he should no longer come as such . ( Applause . ) He should go hoping by their kindness and favour to be allowed to return . ( Cheers . )
the R . W . Deputy Prov . Grand Master ( Bro . W - Ic . Callender , jun . ) , in proposing " The memory of Stephen Blair , Esq ., late Prov . Grand Master of the Province , " said the ancient E gyptians were- a wonderful nationwho
com-, bined satire with their melancholy and instruction with their mirth , were accustomed on festive occasions to place before the guests the emblems pf departed mortality , to convey those striking lessons
of mutual dependence , of human nothingness and frailty , which were symbolically depicted "i their lodges . The present occasion required no outward suggestion : the noble form , the statel y figure , the snow-white hair , andkindly-
Prov. Grand Lodge Of East Lancashire.
beaming face had passed away from the Craft , which he loved so we'l and served so faithfully , to , as they confidently hoped , the Grand Lodge above , where the World's Great Architect lives and reigns for evermore . He might speak of
their departed brother s * character in a variety of ways ; he might describe him as one beloved in the social circle , as a warm ancl constant friend , as a man of business whose commercial , dealings were never sullied by dishonesty or speculation ,
as one looked up to and trusted by his workpeople and fellow-townsmen , as a true and honest politician , who never obtruded his private opinion , and against whom party spirit never raised its voice ; he performed his duties as a
Christian , a gentleman , and a Mason , and they , as members of the Order of which he was the provincial head , had to mourn no ordinary loss , for Bro . S . Blair had governed that province for twenty-five years ; and as to the manner in which
he performed his duties , they might apply the epitaph of the builder of London's great cathedral , for they had only to look round . ( Applause . ) In the twenty-five years which Bro . Blair filled the offices , the lodges in the province
increased from 3 8 to 75 , and the number of subscribing brethren from 1 , 020 to 3 , 867—( hear , hear)—and the numbers were still increasing in a manner unknown in any other county . ( The toast was drunk in silence . )
The Right Hon . the Earl of Carnarvon , in proposing " The health of the R . W . the Prov . Grand Master , said he often heard Freemasonry misrepresented and misunderstood by those who stood without the charmed circle . Of those
sceptics he asked this question—Was it likely that any system would have endured so long and in such strength had it been founded on imposture ? ( Applause . ) A great writer had said that the great public buildings of Europe , built long
since by their Masonic forefathers , owed their decline to three causes : to the effects of time , to the revolutions of polit i cal or religious thought , and to passions and bad taste . ( Hear , hear . ) It was a perfectly true indictment , but he
asked—Had Masonry , which had been subjected to all these three influences—had Masonry succumbed in the way and degree that the handiworks of Masonry had succumbed throughout Europe ? Their works had felt the effects of time and passion , but the spirit of Masonry , the inner
essence and life , had remained untouched and unassailable . It had not merely not affected Masonry , but in every part ofthe world Masonry had gone on spreading . In lands civilised , in lands barbarous , in lands near , in lands distant , still the same tale -. each traveller who returned
told them how great was the power of Masonry . In war men owed their lives to it , in sickness they received attendance and care , in desolate countries they were rescued , and he knew of an instance where a mission of high importance to
the north of India attempted to pass in vain , until at Inst the officer in command of it gave certain signs and symbols known only to them as Masons , which at once secured his free passage to the country . ( Cheers . ) And if there
was one part 111 the whole habitable world where Masonry had taken deep ancl firm root , he claimed for that part England ; and if there was one corner of England where Masonry had taken deeper root than elsewhere , he thought they
might claim it for Lancashire . It was said about three hundred years ago by one of the wisest men of the time that England was the place above all others where the love of truth prevailed , in conjunction with reverence for that
which was old . ( Hear , hear . ) He believed that saying was equally true of Masonry . Those truths which had come through so many generations could not be without value , and it was for this that Masonry had received so much care
and reverence in this country . There was another reason . We were said to be a practical nation , and Masonry had shown its true value in this , that it had manifested a wonderful adaptation to all the modern requirements and all the wants
of our time . It was a law under which we lived that every institution in this country must show cause for its being , and must be prepared to stand its trial ; and he was satisfied that all good , true , and genuine institutions would stand the
Prov. Grand Lodge Of East Lancashire.
test , and would come out , like gold , more and more refined from the ordeal . ( Cheers . ) Masonry might gladly stand the test , for she would , he was convinced , come out of it ; and the lessons of Masonry were not likely to grow old in our
days , for they were as applicable to us as to our forefathers . They could never tire of the great cardinal principle of Masonry—charity — and should never forget that great bond that united them together . Lastly , they should never forget
how Masonry represented the principle of good citizenship and social order . In other countries Masonry unfortunately had too often lent herself to other societies , who had taken advantage of her , ancl under the shadow of her great name
had dared to foist upon society their own miserable doctrines and theories . They had allied themselves with political parties , they had mixed themselves up with revolution ; but when they saw Freemasons abroad too often degrading and
prostituting the principles of Freemasonry , let them be grateful for the forbearance and wisdom of those in this country who had clung to its ancient landmarks , and made Masonry the
representative of private and of civil virtues , and made her in this ancient royal commonwealth oneof the great pillars of order and liberty . He concluded by proposing the toast , which was received with the usual honours .
The Provincial Grand Master , in rising to respond , was received with great cheering , and in the course of his address reviewed the origin and progress of Freemasonry , and the assistance which it had been in advancing the civilisation
of mankind ; for it was found that wherever their societies existed , there the arts and sciences flourished . As to the office to which he had been appointed he should study their feelings
and desires , and should seek to govern them to the best of his ability . ( Cheers . ) He then proposed "The health of the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , Bro . AV . R . Callender , jun ., ancl the Prov . Grand Officers , Present ancl Past . "
The Deputy Prov . Grand Master , in rising to respond , was received with prolonged cheers . Hi referred to his predecessors in office , whom he should seek to emulate in the discharge ofthe
duties which pertained to him , adding that he had no greater desire than to receive their confidence , and he should be glad if they would accept the past as an earnest for the future . Other toasts followed , and the proceedings were brought to a close .
Prov. Grand Lodge Of Devon.
PROV . GRAND LODGE OF DEVON .
The following is the oration delivered by the R . W . Bro . Metham , at tlie recent Prov . Grand Lodge of Devon , and omitted in our report last week from want of space : — Of the many claims made upon me from time to time there are none I more readily acknowledge
than one like thc present . It is an occasion on which inclination and duty go together . If , therefore , very worshipful sir , I fail to-day in the task you have set me , if what I say is feeble in matter as hesitating in manner , I must plead as my excuse that I am much engrossed in a labour which has
engaged all my time and thoughts—a labour of love and patriotic effort which admits of no delay , a labour which will , I trust , for many years to come give comfort and relief to the destitute widows nnd orphans of a most deserving class of our brethren , and for whom I hope to be able , by-and-bye ,
to ask the cordirl sympathy and aid of my brethren ; not only in this province , not only in England , but also of all English , Scotch , and Irish Masons , in every part of those vast dominions of our beloved Queen , on whicli the sun never sets . Yet there is something in the extension of our Craft , as typified
by the opening of a new lodge , which is peculiarly interesting to Freemasons at the present time . The scorching breath of war is burning the primeval curse deep into thc history of our time in letters of fire , a million armed soldiers are holding their bayonets at each other ' s throats ; the land is burdened with thousands of festering corpses of men
and beasts of burden , the air resounds with the groans of the sick and wounded ; the palaces of kings , the mansions of the noble , and the hovels of the peasant , are involved in one common ruin ; the bread is snatched from the mouths of starving women ancl children , and their cries for pity are stilled for ever in the burning wreck of their once happy cottages . Day after day men ask each other
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Prov. Grand Lodge Of East Lancashire.
down would never be forgotten . Earl Carnarvon was able in council , good in speech , clear in design , and able to carry out his designs perfectly . He was one of their Order whom they all esteemed , valued , and highly regarded . It was
at no small trouble that his lordship had come down to perform the interesting ceremony that day for the honour of that body and the benefit of Masonry , in installing himself as Provincial Grand Master of that province . He was heartily
glad to see representatives of every lodge in the province present . The Earl of Carnarvon , who was received with prolonged applause , said he always knew how warm the heart of Lancashire was * to her
friends ; but he felt well nigh overpowered by the more than kind , the touching welcome that they had been pleased , in their very indulgent kindness , to lavish upon him . When he left them , he should carry away the warmest , the heartiest ,
the most constant recollection of that day's proceedings and of his Lancashire brethren—( cheers)—and as he trusted they never would hesitate to ask him for any share of Masonic trouble or labour that he could give , so , on the
other hand , he never would hesitate to ask for any kindness or any good office at their hands . ( Applause . ) He had to thank them first for the kind manner in which they had drank the health of the Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge of
England , of whom he had the honour to be the representative . They were well sensible of the compliment they had paid them ¦ they rejoiced to have been present on such an occasion . He would venture to say that none had ever seen
any Masonic ceremony so full of interest , so full of true Masonic feeling , so remarkable , so dignified in all its proceedings , as that which had illustrated that great hall and gladdened their eyes that day . ( Applause ) . The Grand Lodge
of England was a tangible and visible embodiment of English Masonry , and it was so only in so far as it reflected and represented the Masonry of every province in England . They could not from all parts of England be present on every
occasion at the Grand Lodge , and therefore he rejoiced when members of the Grand Lodge of England were present in the provinces to judge how true tlie Masonic feeling was there , and how important it was that provincial interest should
be fully represented . He rejoiced to have been allowed to take part in the proceedings of that day ; he should carry away with him the liveliest and the heartiest recollection of that great and striking scene which passed before his eyes that
morning . ( Applause ) . And how could it be otherwise in Manchester , one ofthe great centres of English commercial life and activity ; in that great hall , the former scene of many an animated and perhaps not always friendly debate ? ( Cheers . ) Lastly , here in Lancashire , where
industry , energy , heartiness , resolve of purpose belonged to her sons , his heart would be cold , indeed , if he did not feel warmed with all that he had seen and heard . ( Cheers . ) They were sometimes told that , after a certain age , men ceased to make friends . He did not believe that
miserable and odious doctrine . ( Hear , hear . ) For his own part , he had always found—ancl trusted so long as he lived he should find—that go where he would , friends were always to be found —( hear , hear)—and when hc . left them on
the morrow , lie hoped he might be allowed to feel that if he came amongst them yesterday as a stranger , he should no longer come as such . ( Applause . ) He should go hoping by their kindness and favour to be allowed to return . ( Cheers . )
the R . W . Deputy Prov . Grand Master ( Bro . W - Ic . Callender , jun . ) , in proposing " The memory of Stephen Blair , Esq ., late Prov . Grand Master of the Province , " said the ancient E gyptians were- a wonderful nationwho
com-, bined satire with their melancholy and instruction with their mirth , were accustomed on festive occasions to place before the guests the emblems pf departed mortality , to convey those striking lessons
of mutual dependence , of human nothingness and frailty , which were symbolically depicted "i their lodges . The present occasion required no outward suggestion : the noble form , the statel y figure , the snow-white hair , andkindly-
Prov. Grand Lodge Of East Lancashire.
beaming face had passed away from the Craft , which he loved so we'l and served so faithfully , to , as they confidently hoped , the Grand Lodge above , where the World's Great Architect lives and reigns for evermore . He might speak of
their departed brother s * character in a variety of ways ; he might describe him as one beloved in the social circle , as a warm ancl constant friend , as a man of business whose commercial , dealings were never sullied by dishonesty or speculation ,
as one looked up to and trusted by his workpeople and fellow-townsmen , as a true and honest politician , who never obtruded his private opinion , and against whom party spirit never raised its voice ; he performed his duties as a
Christian , a gentleman , and a Mason , and they , as members of the Order of which he was the provincial head , had to mourn no ordinary loss , for Bro . S . Blair had governed that province for twenty-five years ; and as to the manner in which
he performed his duties , they might apply the epitaph of the builder of London's great cathedral , for they had only to look round . ( Applause . ) In the twenty-five years which Bro . Blair filled the offices , the lodges in the province
increased from 3 8 to 75 , and the number of subscribing brethren from 1 , 020 to 3 , 867—( hear , hear)—and the numbers were still increasing in a manner unknown in any other county . ( The toast was drunk in silence . )
The Right Hon . the Earl of Carnarvon , in proposing " The health of the R . W . the Prov . Grand Master , said he often heard Freemasonry misrepresented and misunderstood by those who stood without the charmed circle . Of those
sceptics he asked this question—Was it likely that any system would have endured so long and in such strength had it been founded on imposture ? ( Applause . ) A great writer had said that the great public buildings of Europe , built long
since by their Masonic forefathers , owed their decline to three causes : to the effects of time , to the revolutions of polit i cal or religious thought , and to passions and bad taste . ( Hear , hear . ) It was a perfectly true indictment , but he
asked—Had Masonry , which had been subjected to all these three influences—had Masonry succumbed in the way and degree that the handiworks of Masonry had succumbed throughout Europe ? Their works had felt the effects of time and passion , but the spirit of Masonry , the inner
essence and life , had remained untouched and unassailable . It had not merely not affected Masonry , but in every part ofthe world Masonry had gone on spreading . In lands civilised , in lands barbarous , in lands near , in lands distant , still the same tale -. each traveller who returned
told them how great was the power of Masonry . In war men owed their lives to it , in sickness they received attendance and care , in desolate countries they were rescued , and he knew of an instance where a mission of high importance to
the north of India attempted to pass in vain , until at Inst the officer in command of it gave certain signs and symbols known only to them as Masons , which at once secured his free passage to the country . ( Cheers . ) And if there
was one part 111 the whole habitable world where Masonry had taken deep ancl firm root , he claimed for that part England ; and if there was one corner of England where Masonry had taken deeper root than elsewhere , he thought they
might claim it for Lancashire . It was said about three hundred years ago by one of the wisest men of the time that England was the place above all others where the love of truth prevailed , in conjunction with reverence for that
which was old . ( Hear , hear . ) He believed that saying was equally true of Masonry . Those truths which had come through so many generations could not be without value , and it was for this that Masonry had received so much care
and reverence in this country . There was another reason . We were said to be a practical nation , and Masonry had shown its true value in this , that it had manifested a wonderful adaptation to all the modern requirements and all the wants
of our time . It was a law under which we lived that every institution in this country must show cause for its being , and must be prepared to stand its trial ; and he was satisfied that all good , true , and genuine institutions would stand the
Prov. Grand Lodge Of East Lancashire.
test , and would come out , like gold , more and more refined from the ordeal . ( Cheers . ) Masonry might gladly stand the test , for she would , he was convinced , come out of it ; and the lessons of Masonry were not likely to grow old in our
days , for they were as applicable to us as to our forefathers . They could never tire of the great cardinal principle of Masonry—charity — and should never forget that great bond that united them together . Lastly , they should never forget
how Masonry represented the principle of good citizenship and social order . In other countries Masonry unfortunately had too often lent herself to other societies , who had taken advantage of her , ancl under the shadow of her great name
had dared to foist upon society their own miserable doctrines and theories . They had allied themselves with political parties , they had mixed themselves up with revolution ; but when they saw Freemasons abroad too often degrading and
prostituting the principles of Freemasonry , let them be grateful for the forbearance and wisdom of those in this country who had clung to its ancient landmarks , and made Masonry the
representative of private and of civil virtues , and made her in this ancient royal commonwealth oneof the great pillars of order and liberty . He concluded by proposing the toast , which was received with the usual honours .
The Provincial Grand Master , in rising to respond , was received with great cheering , and in the course of his address reviewed the origin and progress of Freemasonry , and the assistance which it had been in advancing the civilisation
of mankind ; for it was found that wherever their societies existed , there the arts and sciences flourished . As to the office to which he had been appointed he should study their feelings
and desires , and should seek to govern them to the best of his ability . ( Cheers . ) He then proposed "The health of the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , Bro . AV . R . Callender , jun ., ancl the Prov . Grand Officers , Present ancl Past . "
The Deputy Prov . Grand Master , in rising to respond , was received with prolonged cheers . Hi referred to his predecessors in office , whom he should seek to emulate in the discharge ofthe
duties which pertained to him , adding that he had no greater desire than to receive their confidence , and he should be glad if they would accept the past as an earnest for the future . Other toasts followed , and the proceedings were brought to a close .
Prov. Grand Lodge Of Devon.
PROV . GRAND LODGE OF DEVON .
The following is the oration delivered by the R . W . Bro . Metham , at tlie recent Prov . Grand Lodge of Devon , and omitted in our report last week from want of space : — Of the many claims made upon me from time to time there are none I more readily acknowledge
than one like thc present . It is an occasion on which inclination and duty go together . If , therefore , very worshipful sir , I fail to-day in the task you have set me , if what I say is feeble in matter as hesitating in manner , I must plead as my excuse that I am much engrossed in a labour which has
engaged all my time and thoughts—a labour of love and patriotic effort which admits of no delay , a labour which will , I trust , for many years to come give comfort and relief to the destitute widows nnd orphans of a most deserving class of our brethren , and for whom I hope to be able , by-and-bye ,
to ask the cordirl sympathy and aid of my brethren ; not only in this province , not only in England , but also of all English , Scotch , and Irish Masons , in every part of those vast dominions of our beloved Queen , on whicli the sun never sets . Yet there is something in the extension of our Craft , as typified
by the opening of a new lodge , which is peculiarly interesting to Freemasons at the present time . The scorching breath of war is burning the primeval curse deep into thc history of our time in letters of fire , a million armed soldiers are holding their bayonets at each other ' s throats ; the land is burdened with thousands of festering corpses of men
and beasts of burden , the air resounds with the groans of the sick and wounded ; the palaces of kings , the mansions of the noble , and the hovels of the peasant , are involved in one common ruin ; the bread is snatched from the mouths of starving women ancl children , and their cries for pity are stilled for ever in the burning wreck of their once happy cottages . Day after day men ask each other