Anniversary Festival Of The Belgrave Lodge, No. 749.

ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF THE BELGRAVE LODGE , No . 749 .

On Friday , the 20 th inst ., the brethren of this lodge held a festival at the Clarendon Hotel , Gravesend , to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the consecration of the lodge . The Belgrave Lodge , No . 749 on the register of the Grand Lodge of England , was consecrated on the 20 th July , 1 S 5 S , and consequently on Friday last

had completed a quarter of a century of its existence . There were present on the occasion the following members of the lodge , viz ., Bros . VV . C . Hall , VV . M . ; li . N . Grogan , P . M . ( the father of the lodge and oncof its founders ); H . Garrod , P . M ., and Secretary from the date of its inauguration to the present time ; J . Painter , P . M . and Treasurer ; P . Parsons , P . M . ; J . ' VV . Hobbs , P . M . and D . C ; H . VV . Greenwood , P . M . ; J . Coltart , P . M . ;

W . Groves , l . P . M . ; A . F . Leech , S . W . ; G . S . Elliott , J . W . ; H . John , J . D . ; F . G . Nawton , I . G . ; H . Quint , | . F . Moran , Alf . Brooks , R . J . Tyrrell , Thos . Carroll , C . Todd Pullen , J . C . Scudamore , Alf . Banks , R . F . E . Hopkins , B . Richards , VV . Tapstead , A . Barnard , G . lames , James Tubbs , VV . J . Tubbs , A . Tubbs , VV . E . ' Beckett , VV . T . H . Thackeray , F . Perry , E . C . Austin , H . Batt , F . Kedge , I . C . Walton , VV . Marcus , | . Bevan ,

T . A . Chambers , R . Chipperlield , H . A . Donnelly , 1 . Weeks , H . Clemence , J . C . Skeflington , C . L . Culpin , ] . Hodges , R . S . Moss , VV . Beeton , J . Grosutt , VV . R . JJurnetr , S . G . Alford , E . Triggs , VV . D . T . Turnpenny , P . VV . Jines , C . J . Fox , and J . J . Marsh , Tyler . Several of the brethren went down to Gravesend early in the day , and after making the necessary arrangements for the banquet , which was lixed for half-past five , chartered

carriages and made excursions to places of interest in the neighbourhood . Others took boat , and were ferried across to Hie Essex side , and inspected the works at the new docks of the East and West India Dock Company , where , besides seeing some 3000 men at work , they also saw the marvellous American steam navvj' in operation , and were well repaid for their trip . The bulk of the company , however , arrived shortly before the hour appointed for

dinner , and all were soon assembled in the spacious dining room of the Clarendon , which looks on to the garden and the river The dinner and wines did the greatest credit to Mr . Ernest Bibroe , the proprietor , being notorly of excellent quality , but well cooked and well served into the bargain . Add to this the pleasant company of everyone bent upon making himself agreeable , and it must be admitted that these were the ingredients of a very pleasant evening , and

so it proved . Aftertheclothhadbecndrawn the W . M ., Bro . W . C . HALL , in rising to propose the first toast , said that they were all there met that evening in the country , far away from where the lodge held its regular meetings . It was not his intention to occupy the time with very long speeches ; but as they were all loyal men and true he could not omit certain toasts . The first therefore that he would have the pleasure

to propose was that of " The Queen , " and to make it a Masonic toast he would add to it "The Craft . " Her Majesty took a great interest in the Craft , as those who attended Grand Lodge knew from the statement of their Grand Master—how she took a great deal of interest in everything that took p lace under the name of Freemasonry . There was therefore ample justification for coupling the Craft with the health of Her Majesty the Queen , and he

was quite sure the brethren would give it a cordial reception . The CHAIRMAN , rising immediately , said that as time was short he did not propose to rest long between the toasts which it was necessary to propose . He therefore prorosed to putto them at once "The Health of the M . VV . Grand Master , the Piinceof Wales , " and as time was precious he should add to that " The Pro Grand Master , the Earl of Carnarvon ; the Deputy Grand Master , the Earl of

Lathom ; and the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past . " The mere mention of the name of the M . W . Grand Master was quite sufficient to raise the enthusiasm of Freemasons on occasions of this kind . They were all aware of the interest His Royal Highness took in Freemasonry , and the trouble he took to be present at important Masonic gatherings whenever the manifold engagements of his high station made his attendance possible . His Royal

Highnes ; had only that week assisted in laying the foundation-stone , with full Masonic rites , of the Science and Art Institution ! in the province of Yorkshire . Bro . Hall said that he had been invited to be present , but he had not had the pie ; s ire of attending ; otherwise he would have had the gratification of recounting to ihem the details of the work that was done . It was extremely gratifying to Freemasons to observe the interest that His Royal

Highness took in the Craft , and he was sure that the feeling would prompt them to join with the greatest cordiality in diinking to the health of the Grand Master and his very able assistants , ( he Pro Grand Master , the Earl of Cari , a < von ; and the Deputy Grand Master , the Earl of Lathom ; together with the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past . Bro . VV . GROVES , I . P . M ., said the gavel had once more

been placed in his hands , and although he had been entrusted with it on many occasions he never handled it with greater pleasure than he did that day . He needed not to tell them the reason of its being entrusted to him ; they knew at once that he was able to propose the health of the VV . M . It afforded him great pleasure to do so , for Bro . Hall had conducted the business of the Bejgrave Lodge in a manner which commended it to all who had

been visitors to the lodge . He was sure that no one who had been present in the lodge would confess that its reputation had lost anything , but had gained a great deal by Bro . Hall's conduct in the chair . The meeting that day was a fair—he was going to say termination of his year of office , but he might say it was a good zenith to his year of office , from which he would derive a great amount of credit . He was quite sure that

all present were grateful to Bro . Hall for the way in which he had carried through the business of the day . As to those proceedings there would probably be something said at a later period of the evening , and he should therefore content himself by proposing to rise and drink a hearty toast to ' * The Health of the VV . M . "

Bro . HALL said he thanked Bro . Groves and the brethren for the very eulogistic manner in which his health had been pr » p <> .-c <] by the former , and for the very enthusiastic manner in which the latter had responded to it . He could assure them that his year of office had been a matter of great anxiety to him , but if he had in any measure satis-

Anniversary Festival Of The Belgrave Lodge, No. 749.

fied them , he was in a very small measure satisfied himself . Everything he had done had been done in the interests of the Belgrave Lodge . It was his mother lodge , and he was necessarily so closely connected with it in every way that every duty he owed to Freemasonry he owed first to his mother lodge . Ashe said at the commencement , he did not intend to make long speeches , and he would thereforecontent himself with thanking them most

, heartily for the very kind way in which they had responded to this toast . The next toast , the CHAIRMAN said , was "The Health of the Visitors , " of whom they had that night a very goodly array . The Belgrave Lodge was always pleased to see among them a goodly number of visitors ; they were pleased to receive them in lodge when there was work to be done , because they counted on the friendly criticisms of

their visitors ; they were also pleased to receive them at the festive board , being pleased not only to entertain them , but to enjoy their company . They had that evening a very distinguished list , to the number of 19 . There were Bros . H . F . Atter , F . Newton , 157 ; VV . Iron , VV . M . 1579 ; John Shepherd , 140 ; F . Eckstein , P . M . 119 6 ; F . Calvert , Royal Alfred Lodge ; VV . E . Rose , T . J . Cusworth , P . M . S 13 ; H . E . Wilson ,

47 ; VV . Richards , 1 S 53 ; S . Bass , 19 S 7 ; Geo . Lowther , S 33 ; VV . N . Soley , 77 ; H . E . Coffin , 167 ; T . D . Spurgin , 1365 ; O . J . Bellis , VV . M . 1901 ; A . VV . Westcott , P . M . 1365 ; J . L . Cogan , P . M . 1365 ; and E . C . Massey , of the Freemason . He thought all the brethren would agree with him that that was not only a long list , but a very distinguished list of visitors , and he thought it a great thing for them to get so many visitors to come to them at so

great a distance from London , and he would ask them to drink to the health of their visitors , with which toast he would couple the names of Bro . Cusworth , P . M . of the New Concord Lodge ; Bro . Soley , of the Gravesend Lodge ; and Bro . Shepherd , of Lodge No . 140 . In replying to this toast Bro . CUSWORTH said , speaking in his own behalf he thanked the VV . M . and brethren for the generous and hearty reception which the visitors had

received ; for himself he could say that he had always very great pleasure in coming to the Belgrave Lodge , being on all occasions received with a great deal of kindness . The work in the lodge was unexceptionable . The Past Masters he had had the pleasure of knowing for a number of years ; he need not enumerate them , but he might state that he had had the pleasure of seeing all but one of those brethren pass the chair in the Belgrave Lodge . He had heard that

this was the silver wedding of the lodge , and it must be a great pleasure to the VV . M . to occupy the chair on such an occasion . He hoped to visit them on many more occasions , but he could scaicely expect the pleasure of meeting them at the golden wedding ot the lodge . Bros . SOLEY and SHEPHERD also acknowledged the compliment paid to the visitors . Bro . HALL then said he had another toast to propose ,

and it was one which he thought every member of the Belgrave Lodge would be most heartily disposed to join in with enthusiasm — it was " Prosperity to the Belgrave Lodge , " or rather he should say , " Continued Prosperity to the Belgrave Lodge . " No doubt there had been for a great many years a continual progress of prosperity ; but what he wished to propose that evening was continued prosperity for that lodge . He thought that this year would

be with one exception the most prosperous in the annals of the lodge ; he thought that , excepting perhaps the year 1 S 6 5 , they would find that there had been more initiates in this , the twenty-filth , year since its consecration , and that in his year of office it would have exceeded any year , except 1 S 65 , since 185 S , the year of its consecration . He did not wish to enlarge upon the early days after the consecration of the lodge , because he was but a young member ; he

had not been a member more than half the time since its consecration ; but he would ask Bro . Grogan to respond to the toast , and give the brethren any details that might be interesting to them . He would simply ask them to drink to the continued prosperity of the Belgrave Lodge , coupled with the name of Bro . Grogan . Bro . GROGAN , P . M ., said the VV . M . had been pleased to couple his name with the toast of " Continued Prosperity

to the Belgrave Lodge " as the father of the lodge and one of its founders . In the early days of the lodge it was his province , in conjunction with their deceased Bro . Froud , to procure a home for the Belgrave Lodge . After many months they succeeded in finding it a home and , strange to say , it was on the banks of the Thames . That was 25 years ago , and it was a singular coincidence that after the lapse of a period of 25 years they should without

premeditation have selected a spot on the banks of the 1 hames for the holding of that festival . On the night 25 years ago on which they succeeded in finding a home for it they had intended to give it up in despair ; and if they had not succeeded that night the Belgrave Lodge would never have come into existence . The house they found wa ? at the New Gun Inn , Pimlico ; the Old Gun Inn had been pulled down , and this new Gun was the house erected in his stead . After

parsimonious management they contrived to establish the lodge at the New Gun , but the landlord finding that a Masonic lodge meeting there once a month did not answer his purpose so well as billiard tables , the Belgrave lodge had to go . They then took up their quarters in Denbigh-street , Pimlico , but they had to leave that also . On leaving that they had to seek another roof to cover their heads , and they found one in the Thatched House Tavern , St .

Jamcs ' s-street . It was a famous house for Freemasonry ; it was there the Prince of Wales ' s Lodge was held . But they were obliged to leave that also , because they were going to pull the roof off from over their heads . They then tried St . James's Hotel , but it was not at all to their minds , and then they found Anderton's Hotel , in Fleetstreet , where they had been located ever since . They had meet with a greater degree of prosperity than any lodge

in London . During the five-and-twenty years they had been a lodge they had been the envy of many lodges , and they had conducted their affairs at very moderate expense . They had never been in debt for a single day ; they had always endeavoured to give the members everything in reason , and to treat visitors with the greatest courtesy and the greatest generosity .

Going onward he must tell them that during their twentyfive years' existence they had made 2 S 7 members ; they had given away from a Benevolent Fund of their own , to which the annual subscription was only 2 s . Od . each , a sum of £ 125 , besides other little matters . They had also given to the Masonic Charities—of all of which they had become Vice-Presidents—sums amounting to £ 300 .

Anniversary Festival Of The Belgrave Lodge, No. 749.

Looking at these facts , and at the small subscription which the Belgrave Lodge charged , and that they gave their members six banquets in the year very similar to that which they had just enjoyed , he thought that there were few lodges that could cope with them . He thought he need not detain them longer , as the night was getting on . It afforded him great pleasure , as the oldest Past Master , and the father of that lodge , and from the great interest he

had always taken in its progress and welfare , to see when he looked round at the end of five and twenty years , so many of his children coming to that lodge and joining that lodge . His years of course were waning ; but he trusted that the Belgrave Lodge would go on in the future without dissentions of any kind whatever , and with the same degree of prosperity . He thanked them for the very cordial manner in which this toast hadlbeen proposed and received .

Bro . HALL said that he had one other toast to propose to the brethren which he was quite sure they would be pleased to join in ; it was the continued " Health of their Past Masters . " It was only those who were in office and those who were aiming at being in office who knew the great value that was to be attached to the title of a Past Master . They were always ready to offer any service and advice that was necessary to anybody , to any other member that was

coming along and endeavouring to emulate their example , and occupy the position that they had occupied before ; and he ( Bro . Half ) , who at this present momentoccupiedtheposition of W . M ., knew well that it was greatly due to the P . Ms , that he was in that position . He thought that all the brethren could not do better than rely upon the P . Masters ' advice ; they were old and tried members and their hearts were evidently set upon the continued prosperity in every

shape and way of that , the Belgrave Lodge . The brethren were all animated by one spirit : the desire for the continued prosperity of the Belgrave Lodge . He therefore asked them to drink to the health of the P . Ms , of the lodge . Bro . J . PAINTER , the Treasurer of the lodge , addressing the Master , officers , brethren , and visitors , said he thanked them all very much for the very handsome manner in which they had honoured the toast to the Past Masters . The

VV . M . had spoken of their earnest endeavour to perform the duty they had to fulfil . He remembered one occasion when he and others came down to Gravesend to ask their brethren to support a candidate at an election for the Benevolent Institution , and he remembered that their hardest work on that occasion was to get away from the lodge , and the consequence was that they did not get away at all that night , but went back to London the next morning . They were however so far successful that the widow of their

brother received the annuity , and he thought she was still in possession of it . Bro . Garrod was his senior by many years , and Bro . Parsons , he thought , ranked before him ; but he was quite sure it was their and his and all the Past Masters' wish to think and do the best they could for Freemasonry in general , and for the Belgrave Lodge in particular . Bro . HALL said it was his pleasant duty to orooose to

them still another toast , and that was " The Health of their Officers . " The brethren knew that the lodge could not proceed in its work without good and tried officers , and it had fallen to the lot of the Belgrave Lodge to have a succession of remarkably good officers . He was himself peculiarly fortunate this year in being supported by a number of officers who were most zealous in all the duties they had to perform , and so relieved him of a great deal of

the trouble which would otherwise occupy his mind in the working of the lodge . He asked them , therefore , to rise and drink to "The Health , long-life , and prosperity of their Officers , " coupled with the name of theirbrotherS . W . Bro . LEECH , S . W ., in reply thanked the W . M ., P . Ms ., and brethren very sincerely for the manner in which they had honoured this toast . The officers of the lodge felt very gratified at the high estimation in which they were held ;

they had always striven to do their best , and were pleased that the W . M . and the brethren thought they had succeeded . They had the Belgrave Lodge at heart , and they would always hold ifforemost in their affections . During the evening Bro . Tubbs and other brethren favoured the company with a selection of vocal and instrumental music , adding to the p leasure of what was even without it a most enjoyable evening .

Annual Picnic Of The Newstead Lodge, No. 47, Nottingham.

ANNUAL PICNIC OF THE NEWSTEAD LODGE , No . 47 , NOTTINGHAM .

The brethren of this ancient lodge held their annual picnic on the 12 th inst . at Matlock , proceeding by rail in Pulman cars . After luncheon at the Old English Hotel , the party drove to Chatsworth for the purpose of inspecting the art treasures contai ned in that magnificent mansion

and viewing the beautiful grounds ; the grand cascade and fountains , by the kind permission of his grace the Duke of Devonshire , being for the occasion in full play . After this pleasant break the party completed their journey to Baslow , where a most excellent banquet was provided by Bro . H . Mountain . Before separating to take part in the various amusements at hand or to admire the

surrounding beauties of nature , the W . M ., Bro . G . CHAPMAN , in a brief but very appropriate speech proposed " The Health of the Queen . " Bro . DERRY , P . M ., in a very able and facetious speech proposed "The Ladies , " Bro . SUTTON , P . M ., responding on their behalf . Bro . TOPLIS , P . M ., proposed "The W . M . " in a speech

which was received in a most hearty manner , and the WORSHIPFUL MASTER in reply said he was much obliged to Bro . Toplis for the kind manner in which he had proposed the toast , and for the many kind things he had been pleased to say about him , and to the ladies and gentlemen for the generous way in which they had received it . The unkindest thing he could do would be to detain them while he attempted to make a speech ; but as he did not wish to be

under the ban of their displeasure he should not do so . The man most essentially qualified to make a speech was he who knew what to say , who knew how to say it , and who had sense enough to sit down when he had said it . Now , as far as that particular toast was concerned , he had proved that he knew what to say ; he had shown that be knew how to say it , and he should at once convince them that he could sit down when he had said it . He thanked them for the

toast . The return journey was made through Edenson ( where Lord F . C . Cavendish now rests ) to Rowsley , and from thence by rail to Nottingham , where the party safely arrived , after having spent a most enjoyable day .