Consecration Of The Sterndale Bennett Lodge, No. 2182.

the ambition of the lowest brother who entered the lodge , and they were conservative to the good traditions of the Order to pay the most profound respect to the Sovereign for the time being . They united in themselves , if he mig ht venture to draw an allusion from things external , all that was best of rival systems , and if people who contended a great deal , and occupied a large share in the world's quarrels , were to turn their eyes to Masonic

customs , observances , loyalty , and opinions , they might , perhaps , go farther to draw better lessons . An excellent brother had taken upon himself the functions of the I . P . M . He was monarch in another lodge . But the monarch of to-day was the W . M ., who claimed the allegiance of the willing hearts of subjects already well disposed towards him . He would endeavour to do his duty in the chair , and to promote that happiness of the individual

members and that success of the lodge which it was the duty of every Master to attain during his year of office . Hearty good wishes , particularly at this time of the year , and in the Jubilee year of her Majesty ' s reign , were due , and were given to the W . M ., and under his rule he hoped the Sterndale Bennett Lodge would go or . and prosper . All the members in it were worthy men and true , and , with their assistance , the W . M . ' s task

would be comparatively light . The W . M ., in reply , said he was very grateful both for the flattering terms used by Bro . Philbrick and for their hearty reception by the brethren . Being a poor speaker he must merely ask the brethren to judge him not now by his words , but in the future by his actions . If at the end of his

year of office he still merited their approbation and goodwill , he should feel even more honoured than he now did at beirg the first W . M . of this lodge . The VV . M . next proposed "The Consecrating and Installing' Officer , " and congratulated the brethren who had been present on having witnessed such well-performed ceremonies .

Bro . PHILBRICK , after making some humorous observations , said he should not have liberated his mind if he had not said that if Englishmen had to be proud of anything it was of the great masters of music and harmony who had printed their names for ever on the sands of time . It

was a glorious galaxy of names which were associated with the English school , whether it was the name of Henry Purcell or of Blow . After the Restoration came names which Englishmen would not willingly let die . Among those were that of Westley and Gloucester , and , coming down to the present time , they had a worthy exponent in Goss , of St . Paul ' s , in

Consecration Of The Sterndale Bennett Lodge, No. 2182.

Bishop , in Sterndale Bennett , who well supported the worthy traditions of the English school . Speaking for himself , he appreciated the great treat which had been provided . He must refer to the observations he made in lodge as to the raison d ' etre of the lodge . In the petition for a lodge there must always be something to justify its existence—which would give a lead for its permanent success . When he had referred to the musical element

he had said enough to show that the Grand Master had thought well and come to a right conclusion when he felt that the Sterndale Bennett Lodge had a claim to be warranted , as likely to be of permanent use and efficiency in the Craft . The Grand Officers had been very pleased to take part in the solemnities of the day , and to render any services they could . He concluded by wishing the lodge every success .

Col . SHADWELL CLERKE also responded . In his official position of Grand Secretary of the Order it had given him great and unmixed pleasure to take part in any shape or form in launching this very successful lodge . It was , as the Grand Registrar had said , a very difficult thing for a new

lodge to be established in London , where there were now 350 lodges . There was , however , good ground for granting a warrant for the Sterndale Bennett Lodge . " Prosperity to the Sterndale Bennett Lodge" was the next toast . Bro . BINCKES having responded to the toast of " The Visitors , "

Bro . Major O . C HOUGHTON , St . Paul , Minnesota , U . S . A ., also replied . He said there were two reasons which prompted him to be very brief in his response to the toast ; first , the lateness of the hour , and , secondly , he did not possess the gilt of speech which belonged to the traditional Yankee . He congratulated the brethren of the Sterndale Bennett Lodge

on being established , and thanked them for their kindness in allowing him to be at their royal board . It would be to him one of his brightest memories of the past , and when he took his journey across the Atlantic it would be one more of the ten thousand links which bound the United States to the dear old country of England .

Bro . JAMES TERRY likewise replied , and wished the lodge every success .

Bro . CLOWES , responding as Treasurer to the toast of " The Treasurer and Secretary . " - Bro . CLI I'TORD replied as Secretary ; and the other officers having been toasted , the T yler ' s toast was given , and the brethren separated .

Freemasonry In 1886.

FREEMASONRY IN 1886 .

English brethren have every reason to be satisfied with the progress of events during the year which is now rapidly approaching its conclusion . We have enlarged our borders by the erection of many new lodges . We have maintained friendly relations with nearly all the Grand Lodges which interchange representatives with the United Grand Lodgeof England , We have upheld , and even in the case of one of them enlarged , the efficiency of our Charitable Institutions . More than one ceremonial of rare occurrence

has taken place in the United Kingdom , and the private lodges and chapters have held their own both as regards numerical strength and general efficiency . As a counterpoise to these evidences of our continued prosperity there is , unfortunately , a formidable array of deaths to lament , especially among the higher dignitaries of the Order , but these losses are inevitable . No matier how successful we may be in maintaining or increasing our strength ,

every succeeding year will have its own sad tale to tell of worth y brethren removed from our midst whose places will know them no more . Yet it is a consolation to us to feel that , in the majority oi cases , those who have departed hence have left behind them a bright example of good work , excellently well accomplished , which it will be well for us who remain to follow . Their fame survives , and we shall best honour their memories by walking in

their footsteps and devoting ourselves with the same energy and determination as they did to upholding the honour , dignity , and efficiency of the Craft . However , these losses apart—which , as we have said , are inevitable—we find that Freemasonry has prospered not in one of its branches , but in all , not in one Section , but generally , and not in one country , or under one

jurisdiction , but everywhere . We are stronger , and our opportunities for exercising a beneficial influence on society are greater than they were a year ago . And that this is not a mere phantasy on our part , not a mere creation of our own too imaginative brain , we venture to say the following summary of the year ' s history will testify most abundantly .

CRAFT MASONRY . Of the S 3 lodges for which warrants have been granted since the Quarterly Communication of December , 1885 , and the issue of Grand Lodge Calendar for the current year , five have been added to the London roll , 20 to the Provincial , and 28 to sundry Districts abroad . Of the Provincial , Hants and Isle oi Wight has had three new lodges , Cheshire and Kent two

each , and the following one each , viz ., Cornwall , Durham , Essex , Herts , Isle of Man , Lancashire ( East ) , Lancashire ( West ) , Middlesex , Shropshire , Staffordshire , Surrey , Warwickshire , and Yorkshire ( North and East ) . The 28 Abroad are thus distributed , namely , New South YVales , o „ and Victoria 7 ; Queensland 2 , and West Australia I ; Wellington ( New Zealand ) , and Auckland ( New Zealand ) , each 2 ; Bombay 2 , Ceylon I , East Griqualand

and South Africa ( Eastern Division ) each 1 . Thus more than a moiety of our new lodges have gone towards strengthening English Masonry in the Colonies , but especially in Australia ; those of Victoria and New South Wales , in which attempts have been made to set up independent organisations , still continuing to show a marked predilection for remaining in allegiance to their Mother Grand Lodge . A fact like this , to which we have frequently

called attention , ought to satisfy those Grand Lodges in the United States , which favour the multiplication of independent Grand Lodges , with or without reason , that the position in the two Colonies we have named is not favourable lo any disturbance of their connection with England for the present , whatever changes of feeling in this respect the future may have in store for us . At home , too , there is a further addition to be noted . The

Is e of Man , which has now six lodges , has had conferred upon it a provincial organisation , which must materially assist in giving dignity to the Craft and establishing . " ! strong feeling of friendship among the brethren there . We have had evidence in the case of Bedfordshire of the benefits resulting from the establishment of a local governing body , and when the Isle of Man Lodges have had time to settle down under their new arrangements , we

Freemasonry In 1886.

feel sure they will appreciate the change , and exhibit a far greater interest than has been possible heretofore in the proceedings of one another . As regards the Metropolis , we have no doubt the new lodges will prove accessions of genuine strength . They are calculated to prove of service , and especially

the Huguenot Lodge , No . 2140 , in respect of the circumstances which led to their being organised ; and as soon as they have managed to fall in with the routine of lodge work we shall find them adding lustre as well as strength to Metropolitan Freemasonry . The new provincial lodges also give excellent promise of future steadiness .

The proceedings in Grand Lodge have been of a very ordinary character , no question of a really momentous character having arisen . ; In the early part of the year , it was announced that the Grand Lodge of Illinois had expressed its sympathy with the Grand Lodge of Quebec in the proceedings threatened , and subsequently adopted by the latter against England , and as a result Bro . Brackstone Baker , who had represented Illinois at our

Grand Lodge , threw up his patent as a matter of course . Quebec , too , has issued its edict of non-intercourse with English Craftsmen , though what it hopes to gain in dignity or self-respect by making itself the laughing-stock of Freemasonry throughout the civilised world is not very apparent . In March the election of Grand Treasurer resulted in Bro . D . P . Cama obtaining an immense majority of votes , and at the Communication held

on the first Wednesday in the current month , two worthy brethren—Bros . A . F . Godson , M . P ., and Richard Eve—were nominated for election in the ensuing year . A question of sentiment as to the ri ght of Past Masters to wear their collars on all occasions appears to have considerably exercised the brethren during the year , and Grand Lodge has so far modified the regulations relating to the subject as to allow P . M . ' s to wear their said

collars in their own lodges , but not when visiting sister lodges—an attempt to enlarge the regulation so as to include the latter having been defeated by a majority of onl y one vote . Under these circumstances we may reasonably anticipate that some further attempt will be made to induce Grand Lodge to sanction the wearing of collar , b y P . M . ' s on all Masonic occasions . There is yet another matter which has attracted some notice .

and which , indeed , was to have been directl y submitted to Grand Lodge during the current month . We allude , of course , to the proposals offered from time to time in different quarters , and particularl y by Bro . Raynham W . Stewart , P . G . D ., for celebrating in some especial manner the Jubilee of the Queen ' s reign . We , ourselves , have suggested that our Institutions

should be benefited by the creation of certain Perpetual Presentations , while many of our Provincial Grand Lod ges and Chapters have referred the question to a Select Committee to consider and report in due course . As the subject is still pending we shall say nothing further here than we have said already , namel y , that whatever form the proposal may take , it should have about it something of an especially Masonic character .

Undoubtedly the great event of the year has been the appointment and installation , at Brighton , of H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , as Prov . G . Master of Sussex , in succession to the late Sir W . W . Burrell , Bart . A more popular appointment could not have been made , and the prominence given to the ceremony of installation b y the presidency of the Prince of Wales himself shed additional splendour on the event . We are all aware how difficult it is , having regard to the multi plicity of his engagements , for the

Prince to take an active part in our proceedings . But circumstances were favourable in this particular instance , and it was fortunately in his power to personally preside at and carry out the ceremony of installing his brother in olfice as liis representative in the Province of Sussex . We need hardly say how gratified were our South Saxon brethren at receiving this special mark of the Grand Master ' s favour , and though the gathering in the Dome of the Royal Pavilion , Brighton , was necessarily on a somewhat limited scale , it was in all respects worthy of the occasion .