Staffordshire Knot Lodge, No. 726. Installation Of Bro. Alfred Parker Cater.

Staffordshire Knot Lodge , No . 726 . INSTALLATION OF BRO . ALFRED PARKER CATER .

One of the most interesting , and certainly one of the most enjoyable Masonic , nciionson record held in connection with the above lodge , took place on the 17 th slant . Bro . Cater is to be warmly congratulated on having attained the summit of '" Masonic ambition on elevation to the Worshipful Master's chair . The timetjfnnnred and ancient festival was held by dispensation at the Oddfellows' Hall , Stafford , nonouis" __ . __ . , . , . .. ¦; . ¦ . .. , . r >„ ck A .. i-. the lendour and sacred beauty clinging to the mystic CraftA popular

„ ith all sp . Master of the lodge is an essential for that lodge ' s prosperity , and No . 726 for many vears has been able to congratulate its Worshipful Masters year after year on the . zeal and ability with which their duties have been most faithfully carried out . A distinguished body of Masons from all parts of the province and adjoining provinces assembled in honour of the election of Bro . Cater . "My 12 months are expired , " said Bro . Potts who throughout the year has given zealous attention to the work . After the

, usual business of a routine character , a Board of 25 Installation Masters was formed , consisting principally of brethren wearing the much-coveted purple of Provincial Lodge honours , adding further brilliancy to the scene . Bro . Alfred Parker Cater , after being duly obligated , was very skilfully installed as Worshipful Master by Bro . Potts , the retiring VV . M . That part of the ceremony completed , the pleasing duty of investing the various officers followed , the W . M . expressing , as each received the collar , his best thanks to them and confidence that he would be well supported . Bros . L . W . Potts ,

P M .: R . J- Bowan , S . W . ; Geo . Dean , J . W . ; Rev . Wickham Jones , P . P . G . C , rhao . ; E . W . Taylor , P . P . G . O .. Treas . ; J . Jackson . P . P . G . O ., Sec ; H . H . lordan . S . D . ; W . W . Wynne , J . D . ; J . Wooldridge , P . P . G . D . C , D . C . ; E . W . Taylor , Org . ; S . W . Morgan , I . G . ; J . H . Clothier , G . F . Mabbott , and Thomas Gibson , Stwds . ; and G . T . Hebbert , Tyler . The addresses , working > tools , & c , to the VV . M ., Wardens , and brethren were faultlessly and most impressively delivered by Bros . Potts , Marson , Wormal , E . W . Taylor , and J . E . Evans , and , as usual , the

very arduous duties of Director of Ceremonies were duly carried out to perfection by Bro . J . Wooldridge , P . M ., P . P . G . D . C . Ihe visitors present included Bros . W . E . Harding , 262 , P . P . G . W . Shropshire ; G W . C . Kent , P . A . G . D . C . Eng . ; F . W . Willmore , 539 , P . P . J . G . W . ; I . Ashmore , , So 6 , P . P . G . S . of W . ; R . Freer , P . M . 194 and 2706 , P . P . G . P . ; Albert Whitehouse , I . P . M . 1520 ; C . Porter , P . M . 1030 ; Rev . Byrom Holland , I . P . M . 1941 , P . P . G . C . ; W . N . Landor , W . M . 1941 ; G . Withers , W . M . 456 ; A . Baines , I . P . M . 2149 ; Rev .

A . E . Brisco Owen , W . M . 24 S 7 , P . P . G . C .: J . Devlin , P . M . 434 ; H . Bvolin , 177 and 262 , P . G . O . ; T . C . Bates , S . W . 456 ; W . G . de Jeune , S . D . 45 6 ; T . G . Adie , J . D . 24 S 7 ; E . Richardson , S . W . 1039 ; A . May , S . D . 1319 ; and T . Kemp , Sec . 74 . The members of the lodge present were Bros . C . J . Nevitt , P . P . J . G . D . ; W . D . Batkin , P . P . G . S . B . ; Rev . C R . Gordan , P . P . G . C . Salop ; J . Bodenham , P . A . G . D . of C . Eng . ; E . W . Taylor , P . P . G . O . ; Geo . Wormal , P . P . S . G . D . ; J . T . Marson ,

P . P . S . G . W . ; Rev . S . Wickham Jones , P . P . G . C ; J . Mottram , P . P . A . G . P . ; J . E . Evans , P . P . S . G . D . ; L . W . Potts , F . Amies , A . P . Cater , R . McBean , P . P . G . Purst . Salop ; J . Harding . P . P . G . S . B . ; R . J . Bowen , G . Dean , J . Jackson , H . H . Jordan , W . W . Wynne , T . Turner , W . B . Harvey , J . H . Clothier , G . F . Mabbott , W . Peach , T . Gibson , R . E . Meade , H . Thorn , J . Riccalton , E . B . Smith , W . Marson , and P . Bridgwood .

After the business had been concluded , the usual banquet was partaken of at the Swan Hotel . After this part of the proceedings the usual toasts followed . Bro . W . E . Harding , of the Shropshire Province , gave " The Grand Officers , " and Bro . Bodenham ably responded , and mentioned that in speaking of the Grand Officers , Present and Past , he would like almost to say Future also , for Bro . T . Taylor , of Hanley , whom they all knew to be such an excellent and worthy Mason , would receive Grand Lodge honours next week , which was a great compliment to him and the

province . The toast of "The Provincial Grand Master" followed , proposed by Bro . J . T . Marson , who referred to the great interest the Prov . G . Master took in the Craft , and that it was his intention to undertake the ceremony of consecrating a new lodge at Wolverhampton next week , and reminded the brethren that Prov . G . Lodge would be held at Tamworth on the 20 th prox . Bro . Dr . Gordon submitted " The Dep . Provincial Grand Master " in very fitting terms , and Bra . Dr . Willmore responded on his behalf and the Oflicers of Prov . Grand Lodge .

The toast of the evening—that of "The Worshipful Master "—was given by the I . P . M ., who said he could have no greater pleasure than to instal his successor . In their choice they had paid a worthy Mason a well-deserved honour , and he was certain that during his year he would uphold the dignity of the lodge in every way . Bro . Cater , on rising to respond , met with a very enthusiastic reception , and

thanked sincerely Bro . Potts for his kind words and the brethren for the flattering manner in which the toast had been received . In undertaking the Mastership he knew he was taking a great responsibility , but still he would do his best to maintain the good reputation of his mother lodge , in which he had already spent many happy hours . "The Installing Master " was proposed in happy terms by the W . M . Bro . Evans gave " The Visitors . "

Bros . Porter , Whitehouse , and Baines responded , Bro . Porter ' s eloquent and humorous speech being much enjoyed and appreciated . Bro . G . Dean , J . W ., gave " The Past Masters . " Bros . Potts , Nevitt , and Wooldridge responded . The toast of "The Officers" followed . , Bro . R . J . Bowen , S . W ., thanked the W . M . for his exceedingly kind mention of them , and assured him that they would loyally support him and carry out to the best of their

abilities the work he gave them to do , and it was their full intention to prove to him } h £ quotation on the toast list—that they were " a worthy band of brothers ; " and , on Behalf of the officers , wished him a successful year and the best of health . Bros . Jordan , S . D ., and Clothier , Stwd ., also responded . Bro . S . W . Jones proposed " The Masonic Charities . " ° -Wormal , the popular Charity Steward , replied . 1 he Tylers toast ended a vety happy and successful meeting . 11 11 j . \ . £ was enlivened by songs , Bros . Whitehouse , Byolin , Richardson , and Holland taking part .

Thomas Railing Lodge , No . 2508 . INSTALLATION OF BRO . FRANK W . WARD .

PRESENTATION TO BRO . PERCY GRIFFITHS , I . P . M . inni . i annua installation ceremony and banquet in connection with the above lodge nnmif lace at theRoebuck Hotel , Buckhurst Hill , on Saturday , the 20 th inst ., a large X j members and visitors being present . The W . M ., Bro . Percy Griffiths , pre-H .- «; *« sUpp 0 rted by the following- Past Masters : Bros . Clark , Lewis , Tull , M « u « ' t ^ ''??• P-A . G . D . C . The visitors present included the following Past " m ^^ ^ f * ** 1 H . Sadler , G . Tyler ; H . Bigg . eston , 3 ., F . King ,

seUp «? . ° i ? l . received for the unavoidable absence of Bro . Col . Lockwood and several other brethren . Uro M ni i ! S r ?» L n ° P ened , the W . M . elect was presented for installation by of ti , » WM 'i . ? ' ceremony being most impressively performed by the father Bro F W w h J ° - . Horatio Ward - Prov - G ' - Br - Kent . Immediately after voice vtJiC , 1 A l ? d taken S > ° ' of a W - - e | ect » Bro . Gregory Hasfsfine baritone death " Th . * - advantage in his rendering of Mendelssohn ' s " Brethren , faithful unto Bro , HarWi u , n if accompanied by Br" . Kempling , P . P . G . O ., on the organ and by rhairof K c H , . the violincello . Bro . F . W . Ward having been installed in the H . „ r . _ ne invested the following brethren as his nffircre fnr the dnminir » nr .

I . P . M ¦ H . ™ 1 V ? . . ''" ne W . M ., acting as D . of C : Bros . P . Griffiths , ' reas . V M Si , D' ^ 'A Chas . Gough , l . W . ; Thos . Railing , P . A . G . D . of C , A » an B . Fuller In ' . * Y , D- of C' » W' *¦ 01 dhan 1 ' ' » Geo - Rankin > S D ' W . W . HolHa ^ , D , s J , -Wesney Ward > ' •«¦; c- H- Kempling , P . P . G . O ., Org . ; "efo / e the l 0 d ~ and J - Martin , Stwds . ; and J . W . Freeman , P . M ., Tyler . Griffiths I P M Was closed a proposition for initiation was received , and Bro . P . guineas ' fo ' r ihV ' ° V » . tnat ne had been successful in collecting the sun-of 100 'esponse manVho y u asonic Benevolent Institution . So generous had been the wi'h a minimum ^ TL , 0 ^ the Iod 8 e that this amount had been collected by him mum 01 trouble . Out of the 100 guineas the lodge had voted 20 , he had

Staffordshire Knot Lodge, No. 726. Installation Of Bro. Alfred Parker Cater.

collected 66 { com individual members , leaving only 14 guineas that had been collected outside the lodge . The W . M . informed the lodge that he had the pleasure of pinning a Past Master's jewel on the I . P . M . ' s breast , and he was sure they would agree with him that no Past Master ' s jewel had ever been better earned . The result of tho collection thev had just heard testified that Bro . P . Griffith's energy and his unselfishness was proved by his having allowed his ( the W . M . 's ) father to instal him . Bro . Griffiths , I . P . M ., briefly responded , and the lodge was then closed .

An excellent banquet had been prepared for the brethren by the genial host , Bro . G . Smith , and full justice was done to his catering bv members and visitors present . The W . M ., in proposing the toast of "The King and the Craft , " observed that events had been moving very rapidly since they last met at that table . The country had a new Sovereign , and the Craft a new Master since then . With regard to their late lamented Sovereign , they were all sure she had left them for a land of pure delight , and with regard to their present Sovereign , they were sure he would make as good a king as he had a Grand Master , and as he would a Protector .

The toast having been loyally received and the National Anthem sung , the W . M . proposed "The Most Worshipful Grand Master , H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , K . G . " They had already had experience of his Royal Highness as Provincial Grand Master of Sussex , and now that the King had become Protector of the Craft , he was sure they were all agreed that the Duke was the best Grand Master they could possibly have .

The next toast was that of "The M . W . the Pro G . Master , the Earl Amherst ; the R . W . the Dep . G . Master , the Right Hon . the Earl of Warwick ; and the rest of the G . Officers , Present and Past . " The W . M ., in proposing this toast , maintained they might go a long way before they found such good Masons as the Provincial G . Masters of Kent and Essex , and as there were members of tbe Thomas Railing Lodge hailing

from either county , so they felt that the Pro G . Master and the Dep . G . Master , in a way , belonged to them . The Earl Amherst had proved himself to be very fond of Masonry , and was beloved throughout the whole of Kent , and a similar remark would apply to the Earl of Warwick , who , as Lord Brooke , had been widely known and liked throughout Essex . He would couple with the toast the names of his father and Bro . Clarence .

Bro . Horatio Ward thanked the brethren for the splendid reception they had given him . That evening would remain with him as one of his pleasantest recollections , and one that he would never forget . He had had some red letter days in his life , but that day was one of the best of them , for after having previously initiated , passed , and raised his son , and also exalted him to the holy Royal Arch , he had now been enabled to instal him into the chair of K . S . He was a great believer in the advantages of Freemasonry , for it brought together men of the most different opinions , who would never

otherwise come together . Even in South Africa during the war they had all read of how lives had been spared by virtue of the mystic sign . The I . P . M . had collected a grand sum for Charity , and , as was well known , Masonic Charity had done much for the widow and the orphan . Masonry was of remote origin and glorious career , and , while numbering among its adherents men of various forms of religious belief , its virtues were such as had enabled it to survive the persecutions , in remote timsi , of heathenism , of medieval corruption , and , in more recent times , of Papal intolerance .

Bro . Clarence , in replying , recalled the fact that the W . M . had for a long time acted as Secretary of the lodge and done excellent work in that capacity . He was sure . the lodge would hold its own for a long time to come , for it included many good workers in its ranks . During his recent prolonged and severe illness , nothing had given him more pleasure than the inquiries made by members ot the lodfe after his health . The next toast was that of "The R . W . the Prov . G . M ., the Right Hon . the Earl of Warwick ; the V . W . the Deputy Prov . G . M ., Colonel Lockwood ; and the rest of the

Prov . Grand Officers , Present and Past , " with which the W . M . coupled the names of Bros . Railing and Lewis , both of whom responded to the toast in suitable terms . The I . P . M . then proposed the toast of the evening , that of " The Worshipful Master . " He himself had been installed by an elder brother , but he felt there was something very pathetic in seeing their present W . M . installed by a father with such a Masonic record . It was no sacrifice on his part to allow Bro . Horatio Ward t ) instal his son , but the proposal had come to him rather as a welcome suggestion . He trusted that the Shakespearian quotation printed after the nam : of the W . M . on the toist list might be fully realised by him . " Thus have I begun my reign , and ' tis my hop : to

end successfully . " The W . M ., in reply , expressed the pride and pleasure he felt in being installed in the chair of K . S . by his father , of whom he was also very proud . He had felt to the full the solemnity of the installation ceremony , and hoped for a successful year of office , for which , he depended very largely on the support of the members of the lodge . Thetoastof "The I . P . M . and Past Masters" was responded to by Bros . Percy Griffiths , I . P . M . ; Tull , P . M . ; and Hennings , P . M . The toast of " The Visitors " was acknowledged by Bros . Sadler and Hunt , and , on behalf of those visitors who had contributed to the musical portion ofthe programme , by Bro . Gregory Hast .

Bros . Harvey Lohr and Chas . Gough replied to the toast of " The Officers , " a most enjoyable evening being brought to a close with the Tyler ' s toast . The musical portion of the programme was of a very high order , and included the following items : Part songs , in which some half-dozen of the brethren took part ; " Lullaby " ( composed by Bro . Harvey Lohr ) , "Sailor ' s song , " and " The long day

closes . " Bros . C . H . Kempling , Alfred Greenwood , and Harvey Lohr gave as an instrumental trio Mendelssohn ' s "Andante Espressivo , " performing respectively on the piano , violin , and violoncello . The principal feature ot the musical portion of the proceedings was undoubtedly , the singing of Bro . Hast , who , after being vociferously applauded for his rendering of Sullivan ' s " Forward , Grey , " surpassed his previous effort in singing " The Sands o' Dee , " for which he received quite an ovation , which he acknowledged by obliging the company with yet another song .

Arcadian Lodge , No . 2696 . INSTALLATION OF BRO . C . JOHNSTONE BURT . ] PRESENTATIONS TO BRO . E . W . BEARD , I . P . M ., AND BRO . CRIPPA . The annual installation ceremony and banquet of the above lodge was held at the Hotel Cecil on Tuesday , the 23 rd instant . Ihe W . M ., Bro . E . W . Beard , presided , and officiated as Installing Master , being supported by Bros . Rossdale , P . M ., and Patrick , P . M ., and the following visitors : Bros . A . Heald , P . M . 163 ; I . F . Ingram ,

P . M . 2469 ; E . Branscombe , P . M . 1929 ; Beechcroft , P . M . ; Bennett , P . M . ; S . J . Notley , P . M ., P . G . S . B . ; Reading , P . M . 637 ; G . Davis , P . M . 185 ; S . V . Abraham , P . M ., P . G . P . ; O . S . Shipley , P . M . ; and others . The lodge having been opened , the Treasurer submitted audited accounts which showed a credit balance brought forward of over £ 67 . Bro . Rossdale , P . M ., then presented the lodge with a very handsome banner , consisting of a light blue satin ground elaborately embroidered with Masonic emblems , and , as a centrepiece , an

artistic representation of an " Arcadian" shepherdess tending her sheep , also the name and number of the lodge , interwoven in the scroll . The VV . M ., in a few well-chosen words , acknowledged the handsome present that Bro . Rossdale had made the lodge , and moved that the thanks of the lodge to Bro . Rossdale be recorded in the minutes . The S . W . seconded the proposition , which was carried unanimously . The W . Master elect , Bro . C Johnstone Burt , was then installed in the chair of K . S . by Bro . Beard , the musical portion of the

ceremony being under the able control ot Uro . Kichards , organist at the Chapel Koyal , St . James's , and at Christ Church , Lancaster-gate , and Examiner of the Roynl College of Organists . The newly-installed W . M . then invested the following officers for the ensuing year : Bros . E . W . Beard , I . P . M . ; Chas . E . Burton , S . W . ; E . J . Southern , J . W . ; Jas . Rossdale , P . M ., Treas . ; H . Glen Beard , Sec . ; Granville M . Kenyon , S . D . ; J . Geo . Moncrieff , J . D . ; Harry Zusman , I . G . ; Percy E . Beard , P . M ., D . of C ; Gordon H . Lindsey , A . D . of C . ; E . J . Welman and jas . Bates ,

Stwds . ; A . Fransella , Org . ; and C . Patrick , P . M ., Tyler . Bro . G . Davis , P . M ., acted as D . of C . during the investiture of the officers . The W . M . then presented Bro . E . W . Beard , I . P . M ., with a Past Master ' s jewel on behalf of the lodge , and in doing so took the opportunity to refer to the excellence of the work done by his predecessor in the chair . He had carried out the working of the three Degrees during his year of office , and also the installation ceremony that evening with a proficiency that could only have been attained with a considerable sacrifice of time .