The Arrangements For The Installation.

THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE INSTALLATION .

On Wednesday evening the first meeting of the Stewards was held at Freemasons' Hall , when the arrangements , as far as made , were communicated to the brethren by the chairman , Bro . Monckton , ( President of the Board of General Purposes ); Bro . Sir Albert Woods , ( Garter ) , ( Grand Director of Ceremonies ); and Bro . Past Assistant Grand Director of

Thomas Fenn , ( Ceremonies ) . The Temple , in which building the meeting was held , was nearly full , all the Stewards appearing to be most anxious to obtain the fullest information with respect to the duties they will be called upon to perform . Supporting the chairman , right and left , in addition to Sir Albert Woods and Bro . Fenn , were Bros . Mclntyre ,

Q . C . ( Grand Registrar ); John Savage ( Past Grand Deacon ) ; Hugh D . Sandeman ( District Grand Master of Bengal ); Peter de Lande Long ( Vice-President of the Board of General Purposes ) , and John Hervey ( Grand Secretary ) . The chairman said , in opening the proceedings , that the brethren would understand that under the care

of the Board of General Purposes , not the banquet , but the great meeting for the Installation , had been p laced ; and as president of that board he now took the chair . The arrangements that had been in progress for the great meeting—he supposed the greatest ever held in the Craft—that would be held next week , had been incessantly going on up to the present time , and had entailed

constant labour on one or two brethren who had been < rood enough to devote themselves to thc work . Those brethren would lay before the meeting those details which the meeting was specially called for communicating to the Stewards . It might not be out of place for him to say that all the arrangements for the Installation were not yet quite ripe , and it was not to be expected that they

could be . So many queries had come in from various brethren ( all over London and the provinces ) nominated as Stewards , that it was thought by the committee desirable that those brethren should be called together thus early in order that they might put questions if they thought fit , or at any rate to learn what had been determined on up to the present time . The Grand Director of

Ceremonies , Sir Albert Woods , was , of course , at the head of those making the arrangements , by virtue of his position , and he ( the chairman ) would call upon him to tell thc meeting what had already been determined upon . When that had been done , and the brethren had seen what arrangements they had been able to make , he ( the chairman ) would inform thc brethren if any one

of them had a question to put to elicit any further information , by all means they might put it , and the committee would be glad to answer to the best of their ability . At the same time he must inform the brethren that this meeting was not one for . discussion , for the arrangements must be kept within the compass they were now in . ( Hear , hear . )

Sir Albert Woods then rose , and said his observations would be very few , inasmuch as , although having tbe larger portion , or he might say , t he responsible portion , of the coming ceremonial on his shoulders , he had been assisted by the committee of the Board of General Purposes . He had also had very great and valuable assistance from a brother whose name he

should mention presently in connection with this ceremonial . It would therefore only be necessary for him to say that they had hitherto done their best , and all they could do , to give every possible effect to the solemnity that was about to take place . It must be plain to the brethren that it was impossible for any one brother to take upon himself the whole of the work ; and he ( Sir A . Woods ) had

therefore , with the sanction of thc Most Worshipful the Grand Master , requested Bro . Fenn to take upon himself the duties connected with thc Albert Hall , that is to say , the seating arrangements there . He held in his hand the appointment of His Royal Highness for that purpose . Under those circumstances he would call upon Bro . Fenn to relate those matters of detail connected with the duties

of the Stewards ; any question those brethren might wish to ask in connection with those duties would be very gladly answered . Before sitting down he would say that the question of the jewel was now under consideration , and he hoped in the course of a very few days to submit a drawing for the approval of the Grand Master , and he trusted that the jewel would be one that would give the

Stewards satisfaction to wear after this august ceremony . Bro . Fenn would now give the details in connection with the Albert Hall , to explain the duties the Stewards would have to perform , and it was to be hoped thebrethren would aid the ceremony to thc utmost of their power , and not from any position they might be placed in have a personal feeling , which would cause them to neglect their duties , which it

was so incumbent should be fully and satisfactorily performed . ( Hear , hear . ) Bro . Thomas Fenn said , that having been deputed by Sir Albert Woods to give the details of the duties the Stewards would be called upon to perform , he should endeavour to do so in the fewest possible words . The building was capable of seating and giving a view of the

ceremony to about 7000 . In dealing with so large a "Umber as 7000 , the first object it appeared necessary to attempt was the dividing this large number into smaller and more manageable numbers , each with a separate entrance assigned to it , a block of seats , and a staff of Stewards . The peculiar construction of the building rendered this attainable without much difficulty . The building

was so constructed that a line drawn through the centre from north to south divided it into two exactly corresponding Parts , east and west , Indeed , those parts so exactly corresponded that a plan of the one—say for instance the east side—was , he might say , to a foot of space , the plan also of l jie west side , of course reversed . It followed , therefore , "' at the arrangements made for the east side applied also

The Arrangements For The Installation.

to thc west side , and it would be unnecessary to explain more than one of thosedivisions . Thc entrances to the building were ten in number , the cast arena entrance , cast gallery entrance , cast box entrance , east balcony entrance , west balcony entrance , west box entrance , west gallery entrance , west arena entrance , orchestra entrance , and the Royal entrance . The two latter he need not

allude to , because they did not enter into the arrangements in which the Stewards would be called upon to take part . Taking off these two , there remained eight , leading to all parts of the building . These eight , by the erection of barriers and closing of doors , were made into twelve , leading to only part of thc building , viz .: six on the east and six on the west , and were numbered one to twelve

consecutively . Each of the entrances on the east side was distinguished by a colour , No . 1 red , No . 2 yellow , No . 3 mauve , No . 4 blue , No . 5 green , and No . 0 pink , and the entrances on the west side bore corresponding colours . Selecting the east side for the description , the first , or red entrance , led to the upper and lower east orchestra ( Bro . Fenn explained on a plan that was exhibited all these

details ) . The yellow , or No . 2 entrance , led to the eastern part of the arena only ; the mauve led only to the gallery , or the eastern portion of the gallery , which would be occupied by thc Master Masons ; No . 4 , or thc blue , led to the amphitheatre and the loggia boxes ; No . 5 , green , led only to the first and second tier of boxes , the grand tier and second tier ; and No . 0 , pink , led only to the eastern

portion of the balcony . These entrances would be marked very distinctly with colours in large type , so as to be distinctly visible at a considerable distance , and the figures would be printed on thc appropriate colour of the entrance . Each of the tickets was likewise coloured the colour of the entrance , and bore a number on the outside ( which many of the brethren had perhaps seen ) which was to assist the

police in directing brethren who might require it to their entrance . In allotting thc blocks and seats care had been taken that members of each province should be admitted at one entrance only . This was not only more convenient and agreeable to the brethren themselves , but it was obviously necessary to assist identification , and with respect to London lodges , the members of each lodge would be

admitted at the same entrance with the same object . The London lodges in like manner would be disposed of ; each member of the lodge would enter at the same entrance , with same object . There were some few exceptions to this , but very few , that need only be explained to the officer in chief command at the entrance . Coming now to the arrangements for the admission of the brethren , he had selected

for that purpose the east box entrance , of which the rough drawing is a plan ; it was very rough and he hoped the brethren would not be critical , as he was not a professional draughtsman . It was drawn to scale , half an inch to a foot , and in this entrance he was describing thc principles which would be adopted at all the entrances . Each entrance would have a staff of

Stewards , under the command of a Grand Officer , consisting of the Grand Officer in command , the keeper of the outer entrance , and an assistant to the keeper of the door , an aide-de-camp , two acting as Grand Pursuivants examiners of clothing , three scrutineers ; and in the cases where the entrances were appropriated to thc provincial brethren , the Provincial Stewards , who were appointed

for identifying the brethren of their provinces—Each of these stewards would be distinguished by a rosette of the colour of the entrance and block of seats in which his duties lay . Thc principal officer ' s duty at the entrance would be of a very onerous and responsible character , and in fact it required considerable Masonic knowledge , and experience , and authority , and it had been

felt by the committee that these responsible and onerous duties ought only to be entrusted to Grand Officers , and if possible to those who were or had been members of the Board of General Purposes . The Grand Officer in command having once adopted thc regulations which had been approved of by the W . M . G . M ., and conducted to his post , would be independent of all other authority . All the

Stewards at the entrance must obey him in every particular . All cases of difficulty or doubt would have to be decided by him ; and in fact his decision must necessarily be final and without appeal . With the Grand Officer in command would rest the exclusion of brethren , those , for instance , who could not prove their identity to his satisfaction , those who might not comply with the regulations printed on the

card , and those whom it might , for other reasons , be thought necessary to exclude or reject . The Grand Officers would of course exercise these powers without any interference , and when the outer doors were closed and one of the Stewards had been deputed to report to the brother in chief superintendent of the arrangements , he , the Grand Officer , with other Grand Officers that might be of his

staff , would proceed to the Grand Officers' room , and afterwards join in the procession as usual at Quarterly Communications . Should the Grand Ofljcer in command wish to obtain any information either from Sir Albert Woods or himself ( Bro . Fenn ) , or make any communication to them , they might do so by means of the aide-de-camp . The instructions to the Stewards would be

delivered to them in print or writing at some early day previous to the meeting . At present they were only in rough notes . The work of issuing the tickets and the correspondence had been so enormous , that it had occupied the time of Sir A . Woods and himself from early morning till late at night ( Hear , hear ) , and it had been quite impossible to put those instructions into proper form within reasonable time . They would be communicated to

the Stewards in due course . The duties of the Stewards , however , would certainly be indicated in general terms if he described now the methods of admitting the brethren at these entrances and passing them to their respective seats . Each Steward would have his duties cursorily touched upon , and perhaps the explanation so far would be sufficient for that evening . Take the blue entrance , No , 4 ( referring to the diagram ) . The brethren

The Arrangements For The Installation.

with blue tickets , and numbered with a large figure 4 on them , would enter at that door ( pointing ) . In this instance they were the brethren from Derby , West Lancashire , Cheshire , and West Yorkshire ; and numbered in the aggregate 780 . When the brethren had entered they would present their tickets to thc keeper of the outer entrance , who would be attended by an assistant . Of course ,

any brother presenting any other ticket than that which entitled him to entrance at this door , must be absol jtely rejected . He could not be . allowed to enter without a regular ticket . When a brother had shewn his regular ticket he would be directed to a table ( pointed out ) to clothe . There was no accommodation for boxes in the lobbies , and those brethren the Stewards came in contact

with they should recommend not to bring anything like boxes with them , or anything , in fact , that it would be necessary to leave behind them ; because it would be attended with very considerable inconvenience to them , as there would be nobody to take charge of them . It would be impossible to give such accommodation for 7 , 000 people . Bro . Sir Albert Woods suggested that he should say that

if any brethren thought it more convenient to clothe themselves before they came to thc Hall they must take care that they were not seen in Masonic clothing outside the building ; that was strictly forbidden ; they might take a light coat to cover up all symbols of Masonry . After the brethren had clothed , the brother stationed at the table while the brethren clothed would call their attention to certain notices affixed . One would be to the effect

that brethren having their Grand Lodge certificates would pass one way and show them open with their tickets to the Scrutineer ; and the other would be that those withou t Grand Lodge certificates must pass the table and show their tickets to the Scrutineer placed there . Those who were ready with their Grand Lodge certificates would pass without much difficulty into the Hall . There would be a

Grand Pursuivant or examiner of clothing , whose duty would be—so far as had been possible these officers were selected from the Past Grand Pursuivants who were well acquainted with this duty—to sec that the brethren were properly clothed and wore no jewels but those connected with Craft or Royal Arch Masonry . There would be the Scrutineer to examine thc certificates and tickets . When

he was satisfied he would tear the ticket in half , and that part which bore the number outside would be dropped into a box , many of which were provided at the Hall for that purpose . The other part bearing the name of the brother they would give back tp him , and he would be directed to the part of the Hall wttere he was to take his seat . They would then pass into the corridor ; here would be a

Steward to direct them cither to the part of the Amphitheatre marked on their cards , either to Q . R . or S , or to the Loggia Boxes on the same floor . If they carried tickets into the Amphitheatre they would go down a passage ( pointed out ) , and pass into Q , R , or S , as the case might be . Arriving in the Amphitheatre there would be a Steward stationed at the top of the passage , and another

at the bottom . The Steward at the top would direct all the brethren as they entered to proceed to the bottom to their scats , and thc Stewards would fill the seats in one direction as the brethren entered , beginning at the lowest seat and filling the second and third , and so on until the top was also filled . Brethren with Loggia Box tickets would be directed in one course first , so

as to fill up all the boxes towards the south . Of course , brethren who came early would prefer to take the best places , and perhaps if there was the slightest choice those might be considered the better places by the platform . There was very little , however , choice of seats inthe Hall ,. Each seat had its own peculiar advantage over anothcr . which he would refer to . He would now leave

the brethren in the Hall and go back to the " green . " Brethren with green tickets marked 5 would enter at one entrance ( pointed out ) and after showing their tickets to the keeper oi the outer entrance , would be allowed to pass on in the former instance to the table to clothe . They would then be directed either to one part , or where the barrier was erected , to show their certificates and tickets ,

and if his proofs were satisfactory he would pass in a given direction . If he had not a certificate , he would be directed to go to the Scrutineers' table , where he would undergo a certain sort of questioning and examination . There were certain modes of identification which had been well thoughtof , but which it was not thought expedient to mention in that 100 m ; but they would be fully explained to the

Scrutineers who would be at the table . After the brethren had given convincing proofs to the brethren at thc table , they would pass up the winding staircase that led to the boxes . On arriving at thc first floor , they would be directed by a Steward on the landing , either into thc grand tier corridor or second tier corridor , according to their tickets of admission . When they had passed into the grand tier corridor the

boxkeepers would fill the boxes in like manner , beginning at one end , filling each box one after another until the whole were filled , and in like manner as in the other part . He ought perhaps to have mentioned before tha the number of seats in each of the Loggia boxes would be sixteen ; in each of the grand tier boxes twenty ; and in each of the second tier boxes eight . That was about the extent the

boxes would accommodate without considerable inconvenience . His brother president suggested that he ( Bro Fenn ) should say they would hold more , and so they woul if they crowded them ; there would be space to moe and to stand , but not to see with anything like comfort . *•' half past two punctually , the doors being closed , all comnunication between the inside and the outside of the builc / ng

would be entirely cut off ; consequently no brother ould under any circumstances enter after half past two . The lobby once cleared , the Grand Officers , in command , aft-i" deputing a Steward to report that all was secure , would ^ roceed to the east front or ofiicers' clothing room to join ir tne procession . There would be an aide-de-camp in waithg at half past two to conduct the Stewards to the places prepared for