Consecration Of The London Rifle Brigade Lodge, No. 1962.

were honoured with the presence of a number of Grand Officers , an honour which he was sure the brethren would appreciate very highly . They were especially honoured by the presence of the R . W . Bro . the Right Hon . John Yvhittaker Ellis , Grand Junior Warden of England , the Lord Mayor of London ; the R . W . Bro . Sir Francis Wy . itt Truscott , Past Grand Warden ; the R . W . Bro . Gen . Brownrigg , Past Grand Warden ; the V . W . Bro . the

Rev . T orin Studholme Brownrigg , Past Grand Chaplain ; the V . W . Bro . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , Grand Secretary ; the W . Bro . Frank Richardson , P . G . D . ; the V . W . Bro . Sir John B . Monckton , President of the Board of General Purposes , and Bro . Alderman and Sheriff Hanson . They were particularly honoured by the presence of the Lord Mayor , as he was not only Lord Mayor but Patron of the London Rifle Brigade , which had to

thank him for the great interest he took in the regiment ; they had to thank him for his presence on several occasions when members of the corps received prizes at the hands of the Lady Mayoress , and for several other occasions when he had been present . He felt sure the Lord Mayor was pleased at the strong muster the corps made the previous Saturday when it formed a guard of honour to the Queen . The Chairmaa also referred to

the fact that the Lord Mayor was going to preside at the ensuing festival of the Boys' School , and suggested that the lodge should do its utmost by sending up a large list of subscriptions to support his lordship on that occasion . For his own part , he ( the Chairman ) had some time since sent in his name as one of the Stewards for that festival . He would conclude by asking them to drink to "The Health of the Grand Officers , " and he would couple with the toast the Right Hon . the Lord Mayor .

The L ORD MAYOR , in reply , said : Worshipful . Master and brethren—I certainly have had many occasions upon which I have had the opportunity of addressing my fellow citizens , but generally I have stood up alone , and however inefficient I may have felt myself , at least I was not brought into that peculiar position of making comparisons ; and we know upon irrefragable testimony that " comparisons are odorous . " Now , I must confess that

I , being surrounded on either side bj Past Grand Officers of such supreme and superb brilliance , comparisons , even with myself , are not nf that charming character which , appearing before you this evening , I should desire them to be . At all events , 1 am in very good company , and that is more than I can say on all occasions . The Worshipful Master has made some observations respecting the Grand Officers which I was about to make , and they

were stated in a manner that bodes well for the future of this lodge . Brethren , I was not here so soon as I could wish to have been ; 1 should have liked to be here at the very commencement ,-for I have heard far and wide of the Grand Secretary , not only for his natural characteristics , but also for the most admirable manner in which he speaks . I did see some part of the ceremony , and it only made me regret that I had not seen or heard the whole .

But of this I think the Past Grand Officers may feel satisfied that we have had added to the roll to-night a lodge which will reflect honour on Freemasonry ; and especially , I think , it must be gratifying to us that this lodge is to be composed of military- —of men practised in the use of arms—of the first regiment this city can boast of . And it is not to be forgotten that these Rifles Brigades of the . City represent the ancient troops which the City

raised , and which formed the first standing army which this nation knew . Well , this occasion is the first on which I have had an opportunity of speaking since I was appointed Junior Grand Warden of England . I must confess it is an honour which I prize beyond measure ; and I prize it , as all good Freemasons would prize it , because it is conferred by the condescension of His Royal Highness the M . W . G . M . But I also prize it because I am

p laced in association with Freemasons—a select few of Freemasonswho have won their position by the work they have performed at their various lodges . I believe that Freemasonry in England is one of the institutions that form the basis upon which the prosperity of the nation rests . I recollect that it was in the presence of one of the Royal princes I said that unless there was some bond of union , we were

but as the pebbles on the seashore , and the Royal prince responded , " Let me be the concrete that will make you a perfect whole , " make us a rock upon which the waves may dash , but which they can never disturb . I so think of the Worshipful Grand Master . Brethren , I feel that there are many that I am indebted to , and not the least to my most worthy predecessor , Bro . Sir Francis Wyatt Truscott ; he is thoroughly a good

Freemason . He has prejudices , but those prejudices are always founded on the true instincts of a thorough Englishman , and while these await the final decision of that Great Master who made heaven and earth , I may say that Bro . Sir Francis Wyatt Truscott is a man upon whom we may always rely as a man and a brother Mason of the highest order . Of the Grand " Secretary nothing I can say will express the gratitude 1 owe to him . The high

position in which he stands in Masonry , and the high position in which he stands in society , is one of the proofs of the wisdom and discretion of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales ; and I can only now regret that I am not so intimate with Bro . General Brownrigg as I should like to have been , because I know by report that he is one of those men who have done a great deal of good to the Craft ; and for the reverend Chaplain , the Rev . Bro . Brownrigg , I am

sure that we all feel the greatest possible respect and admiration . One of the greatest pleasures which I am sure that Freemasons always feel is when we show charity to each other . Our W . M ., when he said grace before dinner , had not the slighest idea that the reverend Chaplain stood on his right hand . If I had been the reverend Chaplain I should have said , " Confound you , what do you mean ? " But he took it generously ; and when we asked him why he did not say grace , he

said he supposed the W . M . was such a martinet in military matters that he would not allow anyone to do that which he could do himself . Nothing could give me greater pleasure than appearing here this evening . There is but one drawback ; among the great variety of clothing that I must admit I have to use , I have a difficulty to night to appear in the right one . When I received the appointment to the honourable position of Junior Grand

Warden , I said to myself , " Now I have arrived at something which actually entitles me to appear in gorgeous and beautiful clothing , " and I at once told niy secretary to write to the Tyler of my lodge to provide me with everything necessary , and I then forgot all about it . I am sorry to say that my secreretary forgot all about it too ( but I mean to have him made a Mason at once ) , and that is how it comes that I appear before you to-night in the wrong colour ( the Lord Mayor wore the red clothing of a Past Grand Steward ); but

at least , believe me , that if the colour is wrong the heart is in the right place . ( Applause . ) Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE , G . S ., said that it was his pleasant prerogative to propose the next toast , which he must consider to be the toast of the evening , as it was "The Health of the first Worshipful Master " of the lod ge that had just been consecrated . The Grand Secretary remarked that he had taken very great interest in this new lodge for many reasons ,

Consecration Of The London Rifle Brigade Lodge, No. 1962.

one of which was that he had the pleasure of knowing the W . M . very well ; that he was a thorough good fellow and a capital Mason . When he heard of the petition for a warrant for this lod ge he knew that the warrant would be in perfectly safe keeping . The W . M ., did not come new to the work ; he was already P . M . of another lodge , and might be said to know the whole box of tricks . This lodge had a good sound Masonic basisand

, it was therefore with unusual pleasure that he asked the company to drink to the health and prosperity of the W . M . of this new lodge , congratulate him upon having attained to his present proud position ( because this lodge would hold a very high position among the lod ges of London ) , and wish him a very successful and prosperous year of office . The W . M . having briefly returned thanks , said that he would at once

proceed to the next toast , which was that of " The Consecrating Officers . " They were all deeply indebted to Col . Clerke and the other Grand Officers who had stood by him in organising this lodge , and he was sure that all must be as pleased as he was at the admirable manner in which the ceremony was performed . He had heard several eminent brethren perform that ceremony , but he had never heard it to such advantage as he had heard it that evening . had had excellent oration from

They an the Chaplain , and he was very glad to know that ^ he was an old volunteer ; it was plain by the way in which he entered upon that task , that itgavc the Chaplain very great pleasure to give that oration about the volunteers . Genl . Brownrigg had also come to assist at that august ceremony ; also the Junior Grand Warden , the Lord Mayor ; the Past Grand Warden , Sir Francis Truscott ; Sir John

Monckton , the President of the Board cf General Purposes ; and Bros . Alderman Hadley and Frank Richardson , P . G . Deacons . To all of these eminent brethren they were under deep obligations , and he asked the brethren present to give this toast a most cordial reception . Bro . Col . CLERKE said he reall y did not like to appear before them like

a Masonic jack-in-the-box , always popping up and down , and he could only repeat what he had already said . It was a sincere pleasure to himself and all who had come with him to take part in the consecration , because they felt that this was an unusually good lodge , and fully deserving of support .

1 he Rev . J . S . BROWNRIGG , in returning thanks , referred to the fact that he was associated with the Volunteer movement twenty years ago . He was proud to join this lodge , and tr isted that he should often have the pleasure of coming back to it , and hoped next July to hear of one of its members winning the Queen ' s prize at Wimbledon .

Bro . GENERAL BROWNRIGG said that he had been flattering himself that he had escaped being called upon to make a speech . He had grown old and grey in Masonry . It was twenty-six years ago that he was a Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of England , and he had hoped that they would spare him . He had an English sense of pride in the volunteer movement .

As they had heard already , many ridiculed the idea at first , but should any foreign nation have the daring and the pluck to invade England , we should be perfectly able to resist him . He was glad to see a Masonic lodge associated with one of the oldest volunteer corps , and it had given him great pleasure to assist in the consecration of it .

The other toasts included " The Visitors , " for which Bro . G . F . BUS - BRIDGE , P . P . G . A . S . Kent , responded ; "Treasurer and Secretary , " and "The Wardens and other Officers of the Lodge . " The musical arrangements were under the direction of Bro . Fred . H . Cozens , assisted by Bros . Lawler and Ashton ; and the assistance of these brethren , both during the ceremony of consecration , and afterwards at the banquet table , contributed to the success of the evening .

Consecration Of The Duke Of Albany Lodge, No. 1963.

CONSECRATION OF THE DUKE OF ALBANY LODGE , No . 1963 .

This new lodge , an offshoot of the Crichton Lodge , No . 1641 , was consecrated on Thursday , the 4 th inst ., at the Masonic Hall , on the Shaftesbury Park Estate , Lavender Hill . It will be remembered , perhaps , by some of our readers that this hall was built for the purposes of Freemasonry , under the superintendence of the late Grand Secretary , John Hervey , and a warrant , since cancelled , was granted to hold a lodge therein . Most of the

lodges which may be considered as belonging to the parish have removed to more convenient quarters , and but for the Earl Spencer Lodge , No . 1420 , which is more or less a parochial lodge , Battersea has been Tor some time devoid of active Freemasonry . This consideration , among others , influenced the M . W . G . M . to grant a warrant of constitution for a new lodge to some brethren , chiefly members of the Crichton , a lodge which , though only founded in 1876 has taken foremost

, a place in South London for the unbroken harmony of its brotherhood and the purity and correctness of its work . His Royal Highness Prince Leopold , Duke of Albany , graciously consented that his title should be used as the Masonic name of the lodge , and the founders started on their task with the kind support and best wishes of their mother lodge , the Crichton , and their sister lodge and nearest neighbour , the Earl Spencer .

I he ceremony was performed by the V . W . the Grand Secretary , Bro . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , and he was very ably assisted by the R . W * . Bro . H . D . Sandeman , Past District Grand Master of Bengal , a " s S . W . ; W . Bro George Lambert , P . G . S . B ., as J . W . ; Bro . the Rev . Ambrose W . Hallj P . M . / P . G . C , as Chaplain ; and the W . Bro . Frank Richardson , P . G . D ., as Director of Ceremonies ; Bro . David Rose , the well known and esteemed Preceptor of the Peckham and Rose Lod ges of Instruction kindly actinias I . G . "

It would be impossible to over-estimate the Grand Secretary ' s correct and impressive rendering of the ceremony , and the excellent management of the various details of the ritual reflects the hi ghest credit on Bro . Frank Richardson , the acting Director of the Ceremonies . The music was exceedingly well performed by Bros . J . H . Maunder , Org . 1641 ; H . R . Baker , 1641 and Voisey , 1329 , P . M . 1641 . Bro . Baker ' s solo in the anthem excited ' universal admiration .

A most eloquent and learned oration was delivered b y Bro . the Rev . Ambrose \ V . Hall , full of Masonic lore , and teeming with stirring exhortations to the proper fulfilment and propagation of the true teachingsaud grand principles of our noble Craft . His lervid utterances were received with rapt attention , and could scarcel y fail to make a lasting impression on the mind =

of all who had the privilege of hearing them . The lodge having been consecrated , dedicated and constituted , the Grand Secretary then installed Bro . Robert James Voisey , P . M . 16 41 , as the first W . M . Bro . Voisey is well known in South London Masonic circles as an excellent worker , both in Craft and Royal Arch Masonry , and under his