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Article THE NEW PROVINCE OF BERKSHIRE. Page 1 of 1 Article FREEMASONRY IN QUEENSLAND. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The New Province Of Berkshire.
THE NEW PROVINCE OF BERKSHIRE .
Arrangements are in progress for the installation of his Royal Highness the Duke of CLARENCE AND AVONDALE , P . S . G . W . of England , as Provincial Grand Master of the newl yconstituted Province of Berkshire . The ceremony has been appointed to take place at Reading , on Monday , the 15 th
December , and it is both hoped and expected that his Royal Highness the M . W . GRAND MASTER will presiele on the occasion and conduct in person the ceremony of installation . That the gathering will be a memorable one , not only in the annals of
Berkshire Freemasonry , but in those of the English Craft generally , needs not to be demonstrated . Other members of our Royal Family , both of this and former generations , have been inducted into offices of exalted rank in the midst of more or
less splendid surroundings , but the circumstances attending the forthcoming ceremony will constitute a unique chapter in the history of the Royal Craft in this country . Royal personages as we have said have been installed in office , but on no previous occasion during the career of our modern system of
Freemasonry has it been the good fortune of any one of our Royal Grand Masters to presiele at the induction of his eldest son and heir into a position second only in importance to that occupied by . himself . There is , therefore , small reason to doubt that our
Berkshire brethren will spare no efforts to ensure , not only the success of the gathering at which the rule of their new and illustrious chief will be formally inaugurated , but also such a success as shall prove in every way worthy of so rare , and , at the same time , so auspicious an event .
As regards the lodges which are comprised within the Province of Berkshire , and over which the Duke of CLARENCE AND AVONDALE will preside as Prov . G . M ., their loyalty to the principles of Freemasonry has been again and again demonstrated during the government of their late lamented ruler , while their number
is by no means inconsiderable . The senior lodge on the roll is the Etonian , No . 209 , Windsor , which was founded by the Grand Lodgeof the "Ancients" in 1794 , and the next , the Union , No . 414 , Reading , which dates from the year 18 33 . The Loyal Berkshire Lodge of Hope , No . 574 , which is located at Newbury ,
stands third in order of seniority , and then come pretty close together the second Windsor lodge—the Windsor Castle , No . 771—and the St . John ' s , No . 795 , Maidenhead , the former of which was constituted in 18 5 8 , and the latter in 18 59 . The Abbey Lodge , No . 945 , Abingdon , was founded in 186 3 , and the
second lodge at Reading , namely , the Grey Friars , No . 1101 , in 1866 . These seven lodges were in existence when , in 1868 , the late Bro , Sir Daniel Gooch , Bart ., was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Bucks and Berks , the remaining six having been constituted during the regime of that distinguished brother
and since the installation of the Prince of WALES as M . W . Grand Master . The Ellington , No . 1566 , the junior lodge at Maidenhead , dates from 18 75 ; the Vale of the White Horse , No . 1770 , Faringdon , from 18 7 8 ; the St . Hilda , No . 188 7 , from 1880 ; the Wellesley , No . 1899 , Sandhurst , from 1881 ; the third
Reading lodge—the Kendrick , No . 2043—from 1884 ; and the junior lodge of all—the Dene , No . 2228 , Cookham—from 188 7 . Thus there are at present 13 lodges comprised within the new Province of Berkshire , of which three meet in Reading , two in Maidenhead , two in Windsor , and the remaining half dozen in
the towns of Abingdon , Cookham , Faringdon , Newbury , Sandhurst , and Wallingford respectively . Several of these lodges are strong in point of membership , and all , according to their opportunities and ability , have given valuable support to our Masonic Institutions . Thus the conditions under which the
Provincial Grand Master nominate enters upon his duties are probabl y as favourable as they could well be , and we may rel y with the utmost confidence on the more experienced brethren in the county zealously supporting the efforts of his Royal Hi ghness to strengthen and promote the well-being of Freemasonry as well generally as in this district in particular ,
Freemasonry In Queensland.
FREEMASONRY IN QUEENSLAND .
Our Queensland brethren are to be congratulated on the measures they have recently adopted for the establishment of a General Fund of Benevolence . At the regular meeting of this
District Grand Lodge , at Brisbane , on the 30 th September , a resolution was adopted to the effect "That , in addition to the contributions to-the District Grand Lodge already established , a further contribution be established for the Fund of Benevolence
under the District Grand Lodge of one shilling per quarter for each member of every lodge in the District . " Previous to the subject having been brought under consideration , the necessary notification that it would be considered had been sent to all the
lodges in the Colony , with the result that the great majority declared themselves in favour of the proposal , while the few which expressed themselves in the opposite sense did so not because they considered it undesirable , but because their funds
were not in a sufficiently flourishing condition—chiefly by reason of the heavy outlay they had incurred in erecting premisesto enable them to contribute without experiencing a certain amount of difficulty . It was suggested , however , that in the
case of these lodges—which were only two or three in numberthe annual subscription should be increased by 4 s ., and the suggestion , if it did not evoke any expressions of approval from the representatives who were present , was listened to with that
sympathetic silence which is commonly understood to imply assent . At all events , when the question that the above resolution be agreed to was formally submitted to District Grand Lodge , 23 votes were recorded in its favour and none against it .
Therefore it only now remains for the minutes of this District Grand Lodge to be conlirmed at the regular communication next month , and for the proposition to be referred for ratification to the Most Worshipful Grand Master , and Queensland will be in a
position to provide for the necessities of its indigent brethren , and that without any serious strain being felt by the lodges . At the same time , when the resolution has been confirmed , a further proposal will be made to the effect that a sum of £ 500
shall be contributed by District Grand Lodge towards the same fund , and as one lodge has expressed its readiness to vote 10 guineas for the same object , in addition to its fixed quarterly contribution , and others are certainly inclined , if they are not
at the moment prepared , to follow its example , we may look forward to this Fund of Benevolence being sufficiently large to allow the poor Mason , and possibly his widow likewise , to be provided for permanently . Indeed , our Queensland friends
appear to be bent on establishing a fund which shall correspond on the one hand with our Fund of Benevolence as administered by Grand Lodge , and on the other with our Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution
for aged and indigent Masons and their widows . It is , therefore , a more ambitious project than the title would appear to suggest , but nevertheless it is one which we doubt not the English Craft in this prosperous colony are
quite capable of carrying to a successful issue . It has , therefore , our hearty good wishes in its favour , and we trust ere long to hear that the fund has been established on a scale sufficiently large to allow of the demands which may be made
on its resources , both now and in the future , being liberally met . We also rejoice to hear that the friendly relations between the authorities of the District Grand Lodges of the English and Scottish Constitutions , which for a brief season had been
interrupted , have been renewed . A difference about a small matter of discipline should never have been allowed to arise between the two bodies , but it is at least satisfactory to hear that having arisen , it has been put an end to so summarily .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The New Province Of Berkshire.
THE NEW PROVINCE OF BERKSHIRE .
Arrangements are in progress for the installation of his Royal Highness the Duke of CLARENCE AND AVONDALE , P . S . G . W . of England , as Provincial Grand Master of the newl yconstituted Province of Berkshire . The ceremony has been appointed to take place at Reading , on Monday , the 15 th
December , and it is both hoped and expected that his Royal Highness the M . W . GRAND MASTER will presiele on the occasion and conduct in person the ceremony of installation . That the gathering will be a memorable one , not only in the annals of
Berkshire Freemasonry , but in those of the English Craft generally , needs not to be demonstrated . Other members of our Royal Family , both of this and former generations , have been inducted into offices of exalted rank in the midst of more or
less splendid surroundings , but the circumstances attending the forthcoming ceremony will constitute a unique chapter in the history of the Royal Craft in this country . Royal personages as we have said have been installed in office , but on no previous occasion during the career of our modern system of
Freemasonry has it been the good fortune of any one of our Royal Grand Masters to presiele at the induction of his eldest son and heir into a position second only in importance to that occupied by . himself . There is , therefore , small reason to doubt that our
Berkshire brethren will spare no efforts to ensure , not only the success of the gathering at which the rule of their new and illustrious chief will be formally inaugurated , but also such a success as shall prove in every way worthy of so rare , and , at the same time , so auspicious an event .
As regards the lodges which are comprised within the Province of Berkshire , and over which the Duke of CLARENCE AND AVONDALE will preside as Prov . G . M ., their loyalty to the principles of Freemasonry has been again and again demonstrated during the government of their late lamented ruler , while their number
is by no means inconsiderable . The senior lodge on the roll is the Etonian , No . 209 , Windsor , which was founded by the Grand Lodgeof the "Ancients" in 1794 , and the next , the Union , No . 414 , Reading , which dates from the year 18 33 . The Loyal Berkshire Lodge of Hope , No . 574 , which is located at Newbury ,
stands third in order of seniority , and then come pretty close together the second Windsor lodge—the Windsor Castle , No . 771—and the St . John ' s , No . 795 , Maidenhead , the former of which was constituted in 18 5 8 , and the latter in 18 59 . The Abbey Lodge , No . 945 , Abingdon , was founded in 186 3 , and the
second lodge at Reading , namely , the Grey Friars , No . 1101 , in 1866 . These seven lodges were in existence when , in 1868 , the late Bro , Sir Daniel Gooch , Bart ., was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Bucks and Berks , the remaining six having been constituted during the regime of that distinguished brother
and since the installation of the Prince of WALES as M . W . Grand Master . The Ellington , No . 1566 , the junior lodge at Maidenhead , dates from 18 75 ; the Vale of the White Horse , No . 1770 , Faringdon , from 18 7 8 ; the St . Hilda , No . 188 7 , from 1880 ; the Wellesley , No . 1899 , Sandhurst , from 1881 ; the third
Reading lodge—the Kendrick , No . 2043—from 1884 ; and the junior lodge of all—the Dene , No . 2228 , Cookham—from 188 7 . Thus there are at present 13 lodges comprised within the new Province of Berkshire , of which three meet in Reading , two in Maidenhead , two in Windsor , and the remaining half dozen in
the towns of Abingdon , Cookham , Faringdon , Newbury , Sandhurst , and Wallingford respectively . Several of these lodges are strong in point of membership , and all , according to their opportunities and ability , have given valuable support to our Masonic Institutions . Thus the conditions under which the
Provincial Grand Master nominate enters upon his duties are probabl y as favourable as they could well be , and we may rel y with the utmost confidence on the more experienced brethren in the county zealously supporting the efforts of his Royal Hi ghness to strengthen and promote the well-being of Freemasonry as well generally as in this district in particular ,
Freemasonry In Queensland.
FREEMASONRY IN QUEENSLAND .
Our Queensland brethren are to be congratulated on the measures they have recently adopted for the establishment of a General Fund of Benevolence . At the regular meeting of this
District Grand Lodge , at Brisbane , on the 30 th September , a resolution was adopted to the effect "That , in addition to the contributions to-the District Grand Lodge already established , a further contribution be established for the Fund of Benevolence
under the District Grand Lodge of one shilling per quarter for each member of every lodge in the District . " Previous to the subject having been brought under consideration , the necessary notification that it would be considered had been sent to all the
lodges in the Colony , with the result that the great majority declared themselves in favour of the proposal , while the few which expressed themselves in the opposite sense did so not because they considered it undesirable , but because their funds
were not in a sufficiently flourishing condition—chiefly by reason of the heavy outlay they had incurred in erecting premisesto enable them to contribute without experiencing a certain amount of difficulty . It was suggested , however , that in the
case of these lodges—which were only two or three in numberthe annual subscription should be increased by 4 s ., and the suggestion , if it did not evoke any expressions of approval from the representatives who were present , was listened to with that
sympathetic silence which is commonly understood to imply assent . At all events , when the question that the above resolution be agreed to was formally submitted to District Grand Lodge , 23 votes were recorded in its favour and none against it .
Therefore it only now remains for the minutes of this District Grand Lodge to be conlirmed at the regular communication next month , and for the proposition to be referred for ratification to the Most Worshipful Grand Master , and Queensland will be in a
position to provide for the necessities of its indigent brethren , and that without any serious strain being felt by the lodges . At the same time , when the resolution has been confirmed , a further proposal will be made to the effect that a sum of £ 500
shall be contributed by District Grand Lodge towards the same fund , and as one lodge has expressed its readiness to vote 10 guineas for the same object , in addition to its fixed quarterly contribution , and others are certainly inclined , if they are not
at the moment prepared , to follow its example , we may look forward to this Fund of Benevolence being sufficiently large to allow the poor Mason , and possibly his widow likewise , to be provided for permanently . Indeed , our Queensland friends
appear to be bent on establishing a fund which shall correspond on the one hand with our Fund of Benevolence as administered by Grand Lodge , and on the other with our Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution
for aged and indigent Masons and their widows . It is , therefore , a more ambitious project than the title would appear to suggest , but nevertheless it is one which we doubt not the English Craft in this prosperous colony are
quite capable of carrying to a successful issue . It has , therefore , our hearty good wishes in its favour , and we trust ere long to hear that the fund has been established on a scale sufficiently large to allow of the demands which may be made
on its resources , both now and in the future , being liberally met . We also rejoice to hear that the friendly relations between the authorities of the District Grand Lodges of the English and Scottish Constitutions , which for a brief season had been
interrupted , have been renewed . A difference about a small matter of discipline should never have been allowed to arise between the two bodies , but it is at least satisfactory to hear that having arisen , it has been put an end to so summarily .