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Article THE GREAT CITY LODGE (No. 1426.) ← Page 2 of 3 Article THE GREAT CITY LODGE (No. 1426.) Page 2 of 3 Article THE GREAT CITY LODGE (No. 1426.) Page 2 of 3 →
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The Great City Lodge (No. 1426.)
quired a better member of the Order than he ( Col . Burdett ) to reply properly to this toast . ( No , no . ) lie felt that he did not do it as he ought , but it was a great pleasure to him , nevertheless , to have to respond to such a toast in tlie presence of perhaps the largest assemblage of Freemasons in a private lotlge that had ever met together . He woultl not trespass on the time of thc brethren by
dilating on the virtues , high qualities , and excellences with which the Pro Grand Alaster adorned his position , but would confine himself simply to thanking thc brethren for thc way in which the toast hatl been proposed and drunk . The W . AL next gave " The Health of the Deputy Grand Alaster antl the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and
Past , " and reminded the brethren of the cheerfulness antl readiness with which all the Grantl Officers performed the very important duties which devolved upon them . Composed as thc Great City Lodge was of business men , and situated as it was in the midst of a great hive of industry , they coultl appreciate the exertions of hard-working men . At the present time competition was so great that
everything was conducted at express speed , and therefore the Grantl Officers' duties were the more arduous that they had to be discharged in time which was snatched from other engagements . Tlie Grand Officers made great sacrifices for the Craft , antl the brethren who were present , he was sure , would be glad to have this opportunity of acknowledging their sense of the benefits conferred by the
Grant ! Officers . ( Cheers . ) Bro . the Rev . J . Edmund Cox , L . L . D ., Past Grand Chaplain , replied , and thanked the lodge on behalf of himself , and all the past and present Grantl Officers whether at thc table , or dispersed throughout the kingdom . Whilst doing so , he thanked the brethren also most heartily for the privilege accorded to him and the other
Grand Officers around for being allowed to see so good an assemblage . But more he congratulated thc lodge and thc Craft generally on the admirable working which they had all witnessed that evening . It was of the highest character , and offered a pattern to the lodges throughout the metropolis . He was not disposed to flatter , but , as almost the father of the Grantl Officers of England , having
been connected with Grantl Lodge for nearly 30 years as a Grand Officer and Past Grand Officer , and in that character having visited many lodges , both in the metropolis and tlie provinces , he could say , without fear of contradiction , that he hatl never in the whole of his Alasonic career witnessed the initiation of brethren with so much pleasure and delight as he had that evening . But
he must not forget that he hatl to respond for the Deputy Grand Alaster and thc Grantl Officers , and he hoped he woultl not * be considered as travelling out of the record when he said that it was also a pleasure to find the principles of thc order so well enunciated as they had been that night by thc Worshipful Master . It was a matter of immense importance that they should be then assembled
in the City of London—a gathering together of Alasons from all quarters of the world , at a time when Masonry was distinguishing itself as it had not distinguished itself for many and many an age past , when it was producing that universal love of freedom which was the cementing bond of the nations , and more especially in one quarter , where it had mounted itself above the depression which had
been put upon it in times past—it was a great thing that such a lodge as this should be found working so correctly , manifesting the highest principles of the Craft , and showing that there was something more in Freemasonry than the outer world gave it credit for , and something more than that for which pedantry and bigotry condemned it . Conducted as the Great City Lodge was , no men being
admitted into it without the tongue of good report being most thoroughly heard in their favour , which was a most vital thing at a time when Masonry was making such great strides , he could not doubt that in all its members quality and not quantity was considered . When the members of the Order were men of character and respectability it mattered not what their circumstances were .
But if there were anything like a stain on their characters , or if they sought Masonry for private purposes , let Alasons have none of them . These guiding principles had made the order what it was—a cementing bond of unity , which brought " peace on earth , " and promoted " goodwill amongst men . " ( Cheers ) . The Rev . It . J . Simpson , P . G . C , said that by the
permission of the I . P . AL , Bro . James Stevens , he was privileged to propose "The Health of the W . AL" In doing so he mig ht be permitted for a moment to say that , as there were two kings of Brentford , so there was a kind of tlual government in this Great City , they had the chief magistrate of the City of London present , and the chief magistrate of the Great City Lotlge .
He was sure he woultl not be considered guilty of what was called in another place a "breach of privilege" when he asserted the title for this lodge of imperiiini in impcriii . There would be no brother so ready to acknowledge thc claim as the right hon . brother who had that evening been made a member of the lodge . I It * woultl have wished , in the presence of tlie initiates , to speak of the principles of
Freemasonry ; but time did not admit of it * , still he could point to ¦ 1 glorious past , in which our ancestors asserted not only the principles of the Order , but that independence of thought and freedom from that spiritual domination , which unhappily prevailed even in the 19 th century , lie could point , tco , to that glorious future to which Alasons were taught to look , to that future which " eye hath not seen ,
nor ear heard . " But he woultl not do so . I le would speak of thc liiing present , of those glorious principles founded upon piety and virtue , of those symbols which set forth to all not only that which put them in mind of what was noble , hut which descended into Ihe practical tluties of every-day life ; and in tloing so he could not do better than speak of the Alaster of the lotlge . Bro . Cox had so well and eloquently described the working of that night , that
The Great City Lodge (No. 1426.)
he ( Bro . Simpson ) would not dilate upon that subject . Speaking not of what he had witnessed only on that evening , but as a frequent attendant at the lodge during its short but brilliant history , he could testify to the admirable working of the lotlge , antl the excellent contluct of its business . He would advise brethren to come to it not on a grand night such as the present was , but to " steal in ,
as the inspectors of schools did sometimes " ( a laugh ) , on an ordinary occasion , and he coultl promise them always a treat as great as they had just had . The W . M . had commended himself to all his brethren , not only by his able working , but by his urbanity , constant courtesy , and kindness , and in proposing his health he felt sure that the visitors as well as the members of the lotlge would
acknowledge the efficient manner in which he hail that evening presided . ( Cheers ) . The W . AL , while acknowledging most heartily the compliment just paid to him , said he would not profess to hav . e any new words to reply to this toast , which was drunk at every Alasonic meeting , and therefore imposed a great difficulty on a brother to find something fresh to say . He
felt it a high privilege to he the Master of this lodge , and if they would really believe in him as a friend as well as a brother , he would feel it a greater pleasure than they could imagine . He hoped for many years to be associated with the brethren then around him , and he also hoped that he might never fail to receive that which he had hitherto always enjoyed—the very highest respect and regard of his
brethren . Bro . Joseph C . Parkinson , G . J . D ., proposed " Prosperity to the Great City Lodge , and Bro . James Stevens , the Immediate Past Alaster . " He said , Worshipful Alaster , my Lord Alayor , Bro . Sheriff , and brethren , —I have the pleasing duty of proposing success to the Great City Lodge , and I do so with the greater confidence by reason of the
presence of the Lord Mayor and a Sheriff of the City of London , for Freemasonry and civic institutions have , I think , much in common . Benevolence , education , and hospitality are inscribed on the shields of our ancient city guilds , and in countries where civil liberty and religious freedom are assured the vast revenues and potent social forces of Freemasonry are devoted to the same ends . ( Hear
hear ) . The principle of self-government is enshrined in our Alasonic constitutions , and our annual election of Alasters , our profound obedience to laws made by ourselves , and binding upon all who take our obligations , whether rulers or ruled , our perfect system of representation , whereby every lodge sends its representative to Grand Lodge—the deliberative assembly which alone
has power to alter or repeal laws—all these have their types in that free municipal life of which the City of London has been for 800 years the proud exemplar ( cheers ) , which provides that representation and taxation shall go hand in hand , and that local communities shall be ruled by those whose public services , worth , and character have caused them to be selected by their
fellowcitizens for distinction , honour , and power . ( Hear , hear . ) It is natural , therefore , that Fremasonry shoultl in these , the days of its great prosperity , find a congenial home in the powerful City within whose walls it and its principles were cherished , even in times when thc outer world looked coldly on . This Great City Lodge recalls by its title those far-off days when our brother , Elias Ashmole , thc
antiquary , had to travel some hundreds of miles to the City , as the only place where he could see an initiation , to other days when Wren was Deputy Grand Alaster of England , and erected the noble city cathedral which forms his monument , to days when the civil rights and religious liberties of the English people were assailed by the Popish monarch James , and when thc only two Freemason ' s
lodges in England which , according to Preston , worth working , were presided over , one at St . Paul's by Sir Christopher Wren , and the other at St . Thomas ' s Hospital by Sir Robert Clayton , the then Lord Alayor of London . ( Cheers . ) After thc first general assembly of English Masons , in 1717 , it was in the City where the Duke of Alontagu was installed Grand Alaster , the ceremony
taking place in Stationers' Hall . Before the Freemasons had acquired the property they possess now the great city companies were always ready to show their sympathy with the Craft by lending it their halls . In 1723 the Duke of Bucclcuch was installed Grand Master in the hall of the Merchant Tailors' Company , in thc presence of 400 Alasons ; and in 1731 Lord Lovel , afterwards Earl of
Leicester , succeeded the Duke of Norfolk as Grantl Alaster , anil was installed in the hall of the Alerccrs' Company ; and it would be easy to multiply examples . This Great City Lodge represents , therefore , by the circumstance of the present Lonl Alayor of London ( cheers ) being one of its founders , and its striking numerical success , the close union which has long subsisted between the City of
London and Freemasonry . ( Hear , hear . ) And , if I may turn for a moment to another memorable city , I will say that the most significant and the most encouraging spectacle the Alasonic world has seen for many a century is the peaceful establishment of a Alf sonic temple within the walls of ancient Home . ( Loud cheers . ) Liberty of conscience , natural equality , and mutual dependence , the
fatherhood of God , and the brotherhood of man , being the broatl watchwords of Freemasonry , the capital of England might well send Alasonic greetings to those brethren who , after years of persecution , have established themselves under the beneficent protection of Italian unity to proclaim their principles in spite of opposition , and in the face of the whole world . ( Cheers . ) For it is a good test of the
government of a country to mark whether Freemasonry be fostered or proscribed . ( Hear , hear . ) Spiritual tyranny and civil oppression dread light * , antl wherever it is dangerous lo admit yourself to be a Afason , wherever the Craft is denounced and punished , the historian need not look far for evidence of an unconstitutional government and an enslaved people . ( Hear , hear . ) In Italy , as in England , members of the ruling dynasty now give their active per-
The Great City Lodge (No. 1426.)
sonal support to Freemasonry ; and we shall , I trust , learn in due course , of meetings such as this , where the chief civic dignitaries of Rome will meet their brethren under the banner of a great city lodge . In London we have Freemasons numerously represented " in thc City guilds , in the Common Council , on thealdermanic bench , arid among the high officers of the corporation . ( Hear , hear !)
The magnificent public buildings with which thc City authorities have adorned their metropolis during the last few years , edifices combining the utmost architectural beauty with thc greatest public usefulness , have been designed by and erectetl under the supcrintendance of a popular member of our fraternity , Bro . Horace Jones , the City Architect . The duties of the Town Clerk of
thc City are discharged by no less a person than the President of our Board of General Purposes , Bro . Monckton ; and , culminating honour of all , in the year when the future King of England will be installed Grand Alaster , under circumstances of pomp and splendour such as the Craft has not seen since the tlays of Solomon , we have an experienced Past Alaster filling thc high position of Lonl
Mayor of London , able by his Alasonic rank to witness the greatest Alasonic pageant the centuries have seen . Brethren , if I say that the Great City Lodge is worthy of thc connection between the City and thc Craft of which I have given evidence ; that during its brief , vigorous life , it has been presided over by so excellent a working Alason as our Bro . James Stevens ; that it has kept to its original
programme and by its Saturday afternoon meetings conducted into our mysteries members of the great commercial community , whose multifarious duties and occupied lives make thc day and hour especially convenient ; that its contributions to our charities have been , thanks to its selfdenial , most liberal ; and if I further appeal to your knowledge of thc benevolent character and excellent qualities of
its present Alaster . to whom we are all indebted for the magnificent reception of to-night , and to whom the success we are commemorating is greatly due;—I shall have said more than enough to ensure an enthusiastic reception to the toast I now submit to you , " Success to the Great City Lodge . " ( Cheers . ) Bro . James Stevens , I . P . AL , said that the warmth with
which the toast had been received was at once a reward , antl an ample reward , for all his past | labours on behalf of the lotlge , and an encouragement to persevere in future efforts on behalf of Freemasonry in general , and of thc Great City Lodge most particularly . For the other portion of the toast , " Prosperity to the Great City Lodge , " he felt he should be wanting in his fair duty towards the brethren
if he did not a little dilate on thc subject of " The Lodge . " He would , however , do so briefly . For himself , as well as for thc other members ot the lodge , he might say they had very great pride indeed in the past transactions of thc lodge . It had been launched , after some amount of difficulty , and was put into its present position after encountering some storms . They all felt a pride in now being able to receive
the chief magistrate of the City of London , and it was a still further pride to them that he felt happy to be one of them . They had reached this distinguished position by small steps , ant ! lie ( Bro . Stevens ) was quite sure that such an example would have a good effect on other lodges . They had strongly supported the charities of the Order , and they had the good wishes of all their brethren , and it
would be very much their own fault if they did not do still greater things . ( Applause . ) The W . AL next proposed "The Health of thc Lord Alayor . " The brethren did not all know , although the founders of the Great City Lodge knew , that the Lord Alayor was with them in sympathy and iu spirit from the very inception of thc Great City Lodge . His signature
appeared on the petition for the charter which he ( the W . AL ) had now the honour to hold , l- ' rom a variety of circumstances , however , and the great pressure of other engagements , the Lord Alayor was unable to associate himself with the brethren at the formation of the lodgea circumstance , he thought , that any of the brethren would not now regret , for , had it been otherwise , they would
not have had the pleasure that night of enrolling his lordship as an honorary member of their lodge , and entertaining him as their guest . ( Addressing the Lord Alayor , the W . AL said ) : Aly Lord , we feel it a very high and great privilege , aud pleasure , to have had the opportunity of enrolling you to-night as a member of our lodge . I feel that I might dilate upon this toast to a most inordinate
length , but I will only say how proud I am , anil how happy we all are , to know that you have been pleased to accept the honorary membership of our lodge . We trust we may have many opportunities of greeting you at our meetings . I shall now call upon the brethren to respond to the toast I propose with the greatest enthusiasm . ( Cheers , in thc midst of which the toast was duly
honoured . ) The Lord Alavor , in reply , said—I thank you , sir , very much for the kind way in which you have proposed my health , and the brethren present for thc way in which it has been received . I should be ungrateful indeed if I ditl not warmly acknowledge the kind reception you have given me this evening . I consider myself to be , although
rather an ancient Alason , yet somewhat of a negligent one . I must say that , having arrived at a certain position in Alasonry , I have not stuck to it as I ought to have done . But I am now under the influence of this very , I may say , cordial reception you have given me tonight . I may say I am undergoing a kind of revival . ( Laughter anil cheers . ) I begin to feel again that the
respect and esteem of my brethren in Alasonry is a possession worth having , and I feel that the honour you have paid to thc oflice I hold is that which shoultl be encouraged . All who hold that ofiice should endeavour to obtain thc esteem and the respect which you have shown to me this night . I also feel that you have called upon me in a year which is likely to be most eventful . We have already elected as our Grand Master thc Prince of Wales . That
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Great City Lodge (No. 1426.)
quired a better member of the Order than he ( Col . Burdett ) to reply properly to this toast . ( No , no . ) lie felt that he did not do it as he ought , but it was a great pleasure to him , nevertheless , to have to respond to such a toast in tlie presence of perhaps the largest assemblage of Freemasons in a private lotlge that had ever met together . He woultl not trespass on the time of thc brethren by
dilating on the virtues , high qualities , and excellences with which the Pro Grand Alaster adorned his position , but would confine himself simply to thanking thc brethren for thc way in which the toast hatl been proposed and drunk . The W . AL next gave " The Health of the Deputy Grand Alaster antl the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and
Past , " and reminded the brethren of the cheerfulness antl readiness with which all the Grantl Officers performed the very important duties which devolved upon them . Composed as thc Great City Lodge was of business men , and situated as it was in the midst of a great hive of industry , they coultl appreciate the exertions of hard-working men . At the present time competition was so great that
everything was conducted at express speed , and therefore the Grantl Officers' duties were the more arduous that they had to be discharged in time which was snatched from other engagements . Tlie Grand Officers made great sacrifices for the Craft , antl the brethren who were present , he was sure , would be glad to have this opportunity of acknowledging their sense of the benefits conferred by the
Grant ! Officers . ( Cheers . ) Bro . the Rev . J . Edmund Cox , L . L . D ., Past Grand Chaplain , replied , and thanked the lodge on behalf of himself , and all the past and present Grantl Officers whether at thc table , or dispersed throughout the kingdom . Whilst doing so , he thanked the brethren also most heartily for the privilege accorded to him and the other
Grand Officers around for being allowed to see so good an assemblage . But more he congratulated thc lodge and thc Craft generally on the admirable working which they had all witnessed that evening . It was of the highest character , and offered a pattern to the lodges throughout the metropolis . He was not disposed to flatter , but , as almost the father of the Grantl Officers of England , having
been connected with Grantl Lodge for nearly 30 years as a Grand Officer and Past Grand Officer , and in that character having visited many lodges , both in the metropolis and tlie provinces , he could say , without fear of contradiction , that he hatl never in the whole of his Alasonic career witnessed the initiation of brethren with so much pleasure and delight as he had that evening . But
he must not forget that he hatl to respond for the Deputy Grand Alaster and thc Grantl Officers , and he hoped he woultl not * be considered as travelling out of the record when he said that it was also a pleasure to find the principles of thc order so well enunciated as they had been that night by thc Worshipful Master . It was a matter of immense importance that they should be then assembled
in the City of London—a gathering together of Alasons from all quarters of the world , at a time when Masonry was distinguishing itself as it had not distinguished itself for many and many an age past , when it was producing that universal love of freedom which was the cementing bond of the nations , and more especially in one quarter , where it had mounted itself above the depression which had
been put upon it in times past—it was a great thing that such a lodge as this should be found working so correctly , manifesting the highest principles of the Craft , and showing that there was something more in Freemasonry than the outer world gave it credit for , and something more than that for which pedantry and bigotry condemned it . Conducted as the Great City Lodge was , no men being
admitted into it without the tongue of good report being most thoroughly heard in their favour , which was a most vital thing at a time when Masonry was making such great strides , he could not doubt that in all its members quality and not quantity was considered . When the members of the Order were men of character and respectability it mattered not what their circumstances were .
But if there were anything like a stain on their characters , or if they sought Masonry for private purposes , let Alasons have none of them . These guiding principles had made the order what it was—a cementing bond of unity , which brought " peace on earth , " and promoted " goodwill amongst men . " ( Cheers ) . The Rev . It . J . Simpson , P . G . C , said that by the
permission of the I . P . AL , Bro . James Stevens , he was privileged to propose "The Health of the W . AL" In doing so he mig ht be permitted for a moment to say that , as there were two kings of Brentford , so there was a kind of tlual government in this Great City , they had the chief magistrate of the City of London present , and the chief magistrate of the Great City Lotlge .
He was sure he woultl not be considered guilty of what was called in another place a "breach of privilege" when he asserted the title for this lodge of imperiiini in impcriii . There would be no brother so ready to acknowledge thc claim as the right hon . brother who had that evening been made a member of the lodge . I It * woultl have wished , in the presence of tlie initiates , to speak of the principles of
Freemasonry ; but time did not admit of it * , still he could point to ¦ 1 glorious past , in which our ancestors asserted not only the principles of the Order , but that independence of thought and freedom from that spiritual domination , which unhappily prevailed even in the 19 th century , lie could point , tco , to that glorious future to which Alasons were taught to look , to that future which " eye hath not seen ,
nor ear heard . " But he woultl not do so . I le would speak of thc liiing present , of those glorious principles founded upon piety and virtue , of those symbols which set forth to all not only that which put them in mind of what was noble , hut which descended into Ihe practical tluties of every-day life ; and in tloing so he could not do better than speak of the Alaster of the lotlge . Bro . Cox had so well and eloquently described the working of that night , that
The Great City Lodge (No. 1426.)
he ( Bro . Simpson ) would not dilate upon that subject . Speaking not of what he had witnessed only on that evening , but as a frequent attendant at the lodge during its short but brilliant history , he could testify to the admirable working of the lotlge , antl the excellent contluct of its business . He would advise brethren to come to it not on a grand night such as the present was , but to " steal in ,
as the inspectors of schools did sometimes " ( a laugh ) , on an ordinary occasion , and he coultl promise them always a treat as great as they had just had . The W . M . had commended himself to all his brethren , not only by his able working , but by his urbanity , constant courtesy , and kindness , and in proposing his health he felt sure that the visitors as well as the members of the lotlge would
acknowledge the efficient manner in which he hail that evening presided . ( Cheers ) . The W . AL , while acknowledging most heartily the compliment just paid to him , said he would not profess to hav . e any new words to reply to this toast , which was drunk at every Alasonic meeting , and therefore imposed a great difficulty on a brother to find something fresh to say . He
felt it a high privilege to he the Master of this lodge , and if they would really believe in him as a friend as well as a brother , he would feel it a greater pleasure than they could imagine . He hoped for many years to be associated with the brethren then around him , and he also hoped that he might never fail to receive that which he had hitherto always enjoyed—the very highest respect and regard of his
brethren . Bro . Joseph C . Parkinson , G . J . D ., proposed " Prosperity to the Great City Lodge , and Bro . James Stevens , the Immediate Past Alaster . " He said , Worshipful Alaster , my Lord Alayor , Bro . Sheriff , and brethren , —I have the pleasing duty of proposing success to the Great City Lodge , and I do so with the greater confidence by reason of the
presence of the Lord Mayor and a Sheriff of the City of London , for Freemasonry and civic institutions have , I think , much in common . Benevolence , education , and hospitality are inscribed on the shields of our ancient city guilds , and in countries where civil liberty and religious freedom are assured the vast revenues and potent social forces of Freemasonry are devoted to the same ends . ( Hear
hear ) . The principle of self-government is enshrined in our Alasonic constitutions , and our annual election of Alasters , our profound obedience to laws made by ourselves , and binding upon all who take our obligations , whether rulers or ruled , our perfect system of representation , whereby every lodge sends its representative to Grand Lodge—the deliberative assembly which alone
has power to alter or repeal laws—all these have their types in that free municipal life of which the City of London has been for 800 years the proud exemplar ( cheers ) , which provides that representation and taxation shall go hand in hand , and that local communities shall be ruled by those whose public services , worth , and character have caused them to be selected by their
fellowcitizens for distinction , honour , and power . ( Hear , hear . ) It is natural , therefore , that Fremasonry shoultl in these , the days of its great prosperity , find a congenial home in the powerful City within whose walls it and its principles were cherished , even in times when thc outer world looked coldly on . This Great City Lodge recalls by its title those far-off days when our brother , Elias Ashmole , thc
antiquary , had to travel some hundreds of miles to the City , as the only place where he could see an initiation , to other days when Wren was Deputy Grand Alaster of England , and erected the noble city cathedral which forms his monument , to days when the civil rights and religious liberties of the English people were assailed by the Popish monarch James , and when thc only two Freemason ' s
lodges in England which , according to Preston , worth working , were presided over , one at St . Paul's by Sir Christopher Wren , and the other at St . Thomas ' s Hospital by Sir Robert Clayton , the then Lord Alayor of London . ( Cheers . ) After thc first general assembly of English Masons , in 1717 , it was in the City where the Duke of Alontagu was installed Grand Alaster , the ceremony
taking place in Stationers' Hall . Before the Freemasons had acquired the property they possess now the great city companies were always ready to show their sympathy with the Craft by lending it their halls . In 1723 the Duke of Bucclcuch was installed Grand Master in the hall of the Merchant Tailors' Company , in thc presence of 400 Alasons ; and in 1731 Lord Lovel , afterwards Earl of
Leicester , succeeded the Duke of Norfolk as Grantl Alaster , anil was installed in the hall of the Alerccrs' Company ; and it would be easy to multiply examples . This Great City Lodge represents , therefore , by the circumstance of the present Lonl Alayor of London ( cheers ) being one of its founders , and its striking numerical success , the close union which has long subsisted between the City of
London and Freemasonry . ( Hear , hear . ) And , if I may turn for a moment to another memorable city , I will say that the most significant and the most encouraging spectacle the Alasonic world has seen for many a century is the peaceful establishment of a Alf sonic temple within the walls of ancient Home . ( Loud cheers . ) Liberty of conscience , natural equality , and mutual dependence , the
fatherhood of God , and the brotherhood of man , being the broatl watchwords of Freemasonry , the capital of England might well send Alasonic greetings to those brethren who , after years of persecution , have established themselves under the beneficent protection of Italian unity to proclaim their principles in spite of opposition , and in the face of the whole world . ( Cheers . ) For it is a good test of the
government of a country to mark whether Freemasonry be fostered or proscribed . ( Hear , hear . ) Spiritual tyranny and civil oppression dread light * , antl wherever it is dangerous lo admit yourself to be a Afason , wherever the Craft is denounced and punished , the historian need not look far for evidence of an unconstitutional government and an enslaved people . ( Hear , hear . ) In Italy , as in England , members of the ruling dynasty now give their active per-
The Great City Lodge (No. 1426.)
sonal support to Freemasonry ; and we shall , I trust , learn in due course , of meetings such as this , where the chief civic dignitaries of Rome will meet their brethren under the banner of a great city lodge . In London we have Freemasons numerously represented " in thc City guilds , in the Common Council , on thealdermanic bench , arid among the high officers of the corporation . ( Hear , hear !)
The magnificent public buildings with which thc City authorities have adorned their metropolis during the last few years , edifices combining the utmost architectural beauty with thc greatest public usefulness , have been designed by and erectetl under the supcrintendance of a popular member of our fraternity , Bro . Horace Jones , the City Architect . The duties of the Town Clerk of
thc City are discharged by no less a person than the President of our Board of General Purposes , Bro . Monckton ; and , culminating honour of all , in the year when the future King of England will be installed Grand Alaster , under circumstances of pomp and splendour such as the Craft has not seen since the tlays of Solomon , we have an experienced Past Alaster filling thc high position of Lonl
Mayor of London , able by his Alasonic rank to witness the greatest Alasonic pageant the centuries have seen . Brethren , if I say that the Great City Lodge is worthy of thc connection between the City and thc Craft of which I have given evidence ; that during its brief , vigorous life , it has been presided over by so excellent a working Alason as our Bro . James Stevens ; that it has kept to its original
programme and by its Saturday afternoon meetings conducted into our mysteries members of the great commercial community , whose multifarious duties and occupied lives make thc day and hour especially convenient ; that its contributions to our charities have been , thanks to its selfdenial , most liberal ; and if I further appeal to your knowledge of thc benevolent character and excellent qualities of
its present Alaster . to whom we are all indebted for the magnificent reception of to-night , and to whom the success we are commemorating is greatly due;—I shall have said more than enough to ensure an enthusiastic reception to the toast I now submit to you , " Success to the Great City Lodge . " ( Cheers . ) Bro . James Stevens , I . P . AL , said that the warmth with
which the toast had been received was at once a reward , antl an ample reward , for all his past | labours on behalf of the lotlge , and an encouragement to persevere in future efforts on behalf of Freemasonry in general , and of thc Great City Lodge most particularly . For the other portion of the toast , " Prosperity to the Great City Lodge , " he felt he should be wanting in his fair duty towards the brethren
if he did not a little dilate on thc subject of " The Lodge . " He would , however , do so briefly . For himself , as well as for thc other members ot the lodge , he might say they had very great pride indeed in the past transactions of thc lodge . It had been launched , after some amount of difficulty , and was put into its present position after encountering some storms . They all felt a pride in now being able to receive
the chief magistrate of the City of London , and it was a still further pride to them that he felt happy to be one of them . They had reached this distinguished position by small steps , ant ! lie ( Bro . Stevens ) was quite sure that such an example would have a good effect on other lodges . They had strongly supported the charities of the Order , and they had the good wishes of all their brethren , and it
would be very much their own fault if they did not do still greater things . ( Applause . ) The W . AL next proposed "The Health of thc Lord Alayor . " The brethren did not all know , although the founders of the Great City Lodge knew , that the Lord Alayor was with them in sympathy and iu spirit from the very inception of thc Great City Lodge . His signature
appeared on the petition for the charter which he ( the W . AL ) had now the honour to hold , l- ' rom a variety of circumstances , however , and the great pressure of other engagements , the Lord Alayor was unable to associate himself with the brethren at the formation of the lodgea circumstance , he thought , that any of the brethren would not now regret , for , had it been otherwise , they would
not have had the pleasure that night of enrolling his lordship as an honorary member of their lodge , and entertaining him as their guest . ( Addressing the Lord Alayor , the W . AL said ) : Aly Lord , we feel it a very high and great privilege , aud pleasure , to have had the opportunity of enrolling you to-night as a member of our lodge . I feel that I might dilate upon this toast to a most inordinate
length , but I will only say how proud I am , anil how happy we all are , to know that you have been pleased to accept the honorary membership of our lodge . We trust we may have many opportunities of greeting you at our meetings . I shall now call upon the brethren to respond to the toast I propose with the greatest enthusiasm . ( Cheers , in thc midst of which the toast was duly
honoured . ) The Lord Alavor , in reply , said—I thank you , sir , very much for the kind way in which you have proposed my health , and the brethren present for thc way in which it has been received . I should be ungrateful indeed if I ditl not warmly acknowledge the kind reception you have given me this evening . I consider myself to be , although
rather an ancient Alason , yet somewhat of a negligent one . I must say that , having arrived at a certain position in Alasonry , I have not stuck to it as I ought to have done . But I am now under the influence of this very , I may say , cordial reception you have given me tonight . I may say I am undergoing a kind of revival . ( Laughter anil cheers . ) I begin to feel again that the
respect and esteem of my brethren in Alasonry is a possession worth having , and I feel that the honour you have paid to thc oflice I hold is that which shoultl be encouraged . All who hold that ofiice should endeavour to obtain thc esteem and the respect which you have shown to me this night . I also feel that you have called upon me in a year which is likely to be most eventful . We have already elected as our Grand Master thc Prince of Wales . That