Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of West Yorkshire.

alure . It i * upon this principle that our Order is founded ; hence it cannot fill to exist . It must grow and prosper with the development of man ' s 1 etier sentiments . It is not aggresive , it is not obtrusive , it makes no issues , nd sets up no rivalries with other Institutions . But gathering up the ages ' t recognises the inner cravings of the soul , and the universal brotherhood nf man , forgetting all else in its devotion to his higher and better needs .

( App lause . ) The A CTING D . PROV . G . MASTER also very feelingly acknowledged the salutations and the warm approval that had been shown in his appointment in the Grand Lodge and the Grand Mark Lodge . On the roll of lodges being called , the whole of the lodges in the province

w ere found to be represented . On the motion of the PROV . G . MASTER , the following address was adop ted with acclamation : — " May it please your Majesty , we , the members of the Grand Lodge of West Yorks of Mark M . M . ' s of England and Wales , the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown , in Grand i nnVe assembled , humbly crave permission to approach vour Majesty , and

sincerely tender our loyal and dutiful congratulations on the attainment of the 50 th year of your Majesty ' s happy and prosperous reign . We most earnestly , too , pray that it may please T . G . O . O . T . U . long to spare your Majesty to reign over your vast empire , and to grant to all the various races of mankind who faithfully enjoy your Majesty ' s beneficent rule , continued happ iness , prosperity , and peace . Leeds , 20 th April , 1887 . " Bro . Dr . SMYTH then delivered the lecture in Mark Masonry .

On the motion of the PROV . G . REGISTRAR , it was agreed lhat each lodge in the province be required to keep an official lodge register , in which should be copied the returns to the Grand and Prov . Grand Lodges , and also that when a brother seeks to become a member in another town than that in which he resides , enquiry should be made of the Mark lodge in that

town . An invitation from the lodge at Barnsley to hold the next Prov . Grand Lodge in that town was accepted . The PROV . GRAND MASTER said that at the last lodge he had had the p leasure of presenting to each Master of a lodge a copy of the Book of Constitutions to lay upon the pedestal j he now had pleasure in supplementing that gift by a copy of Prov . Grand Lodge By-laws . Cordial thanks having been expressed for the gift , the lodge was closed , and the brethren adjourned to high tea .

Consecration Of The Invicta Mark Lodge, No. 378.

CONSECRATION OF THE INVICTA MARK LODGE , No . 378 .

The consecration of this new Mark lodge took place at the Bank-streat Hall , Ashford , on Wednesday , the 29 th inst . A great deal of interest was manifested in the proceedings , brethren attending in considerable numbers from different parts of the province and from London . The ceremony of consecration was performed by the Provincial Grand Mark Master , Bro . the Rev . T . Robinson , assisted by the Deputy Prov . Grand Mark Master , Bro . the Rev . H . Cummings , while Bro . C . F . Matier , Past G . W ., performed the responsible duties of D . C . There were also

present—Bros . Earl Amherst , PastG . M . Eng . ; J . S . Eastes , P . G . Org . fW . M . designate ); Podevin , P . D . P . G . M . ; Cozens , P . G . O . ; C . V . Cottertll , Prov . J . G . W . ; W . Masterman , Prov . S . G . W . ; A . Denton , Prov . S . G . D . ; F . Wood , P . P . G . M . O . ; A . H . Bateman , Prov . G . M . O . ; "W . B . Kennett , W . M . 1436 ; J . Bordeaux , Prov . J . G . D . ; J . E . Wilsher , Prov .

G . S . O . ; A . Holbein , Prov . G . J . O . ; S . H . White , Prov . G . Swd . Br . ; T . Cooper , Prov . G . I . G . ; R . H . Plattin , P . P . G . Std . Br . ; T . Watson , P . P . G . I . G . ; W . Lake , P . P . G . Reg . Cornwall ; Abel Penfold , P . P . G . M . O . ; G . Page , P . P . G . Treas . ; Rev . J . B . Harrison , P . P . G . Chap . ; Hughes Hallett , Thorpe , R . b-lliott , J . J . Pattisson , F . Mitchell , W . M . 364 ; & . Palmer , S . W . 22 G ; and many others .

The R . W . P . G . M . opened the lodge , and appointed his officers ( pro tem . ) A deputation of Grand Officers retired to receive the M . W . P . G . M ., the Earl Amherst , and conducted him into the lodge . The ballot was then taken for the admission of the brethren whose names were on the agenda paper for advancement , which ceremony was very ably performed by the Deputy Provincial Grand Mark Master , Bro . the Rev . H . Cummings . The Presiding Officer addressed the brethren , and the founders of the lodge , viz .,

Bros . Earl Amherst , J . S . Eastes , F . Hughes-Hallett , B . K . Thorpe , Robert Elliott , J . J . Pattisson , M . A ., and C . G . Robinson , commander R . N ., were arranged in order , and the warrant and petition read . The Presiding Officer inquired of the brethren of the new lodge if they approved of the officers named in the warrant . These were Bros . J . S . Eastes , P . M ., P . P . G . W . Kent , W . M . ; B . K . Thorpe , P . P . G . M . O . Kent , S . W . ; J . J . Pattisson , M . A ., M . O . ; Rev . P . J . Syree , Ph . D ., S . O . j A . Legge , J . O . ; Rev , G . D . Pagden , M . A ., Chap . ; R . Elliott , Treas . ; John Brothers , Sec . and Reg . of Marks ; C . S . A . AtkinsonS . D .: H . H . GreenJ . D . ; S . W .

, , "haw , I . G . ; and John Cooke , Tyler , The brethren having signified their approval , the Presiding Officer proceeded to constitute the lodge , and the invocation having been given , V . W . Bro . Rev . Hayman Cummings , Past G . Chap . England , and ^ P- Grand Master of the Province , in the absence of the Prov . G . Chaplain , delivered the oration .

Having expressed regret at the unavoidable engagement which prevented ° ° - Rev . J . P . Britton attending in his place , he said R . W . P . G . Master , M . W . P . •M-, and brethren : It is impossible to compress within the few minutes before us , n ything like an exhaustive consideration of Mark Masonry in its varied aspects ,

, as exhibited in the purity of its principles , its antiquity , ancient as the Wndations and buildings of the old world , its history , bound up with other degrees eir progress and development , its watchwords , Mark well , do justly , practice . ant y , work diligently in His Temple whose servants we are . All these would be

stln S topics on which to enlarge , but it will suffice on the present occasion if I I c 6 ?/ su ggest ' remarks , which , without wearying those to whom the subject " ¦ •miliar , may yet indicate certain lines of enquiry , profitable for students and •vu . J * members to pursue for themselves . From the earliest time Operative

himself S 6 em t 0 ha - Ve USed a Mark * by which each man's work might be known to t 0 _ J * and to his overseer . These Mason's marks to some have appeared tion of - ^ ^ P er an d greater significance than contained in a mere identifica-Ancienf . t , ^* . ' s work- We know that in the religious symbolism of the and a Vdrl trian gle > the sacred tau , the pentalpha contained a ' hidden meaning an d the ? " S } S known only to the initiated , concealed from the outside world , tetisof th ** rema - that the marks of Masons divided by long centuries in time , and ^ n fouf aDds 0 i mi ! es a P > are identical . The same deeply indented outlines have s tones f . L" the ruins °£ ' tlle ° ^ world , wide apart as the Antipodes . Excavated ^ Wrica r ? ° ly Tem P > the ruined buildings and Temples of the Western n Continent , Egypt ' s monuments on the banks of the Nile , and the remains

Consecration Of The Invicta Mark Lodge, No. 378.

of monastries and cathedrals in these British Islands , all bear witness to the cosmopolitan genius of Masonry ; appeal to us down the dim vista of past ages in the silent language of Mason ' s marks , comprehended and explained in this our Order , and then blended with this , our ritual , includes the idea , ancient enough in its conception and practice , of the mark or pledge of friendship given by one Mason to another , of which you have heard in the ceremony just concluded ,

calling out the kindliest and highest impulses of our human nature , mutual forbearance and Charity , knitting and cementing in close unity , the ties of Masonic brotherhood . It is not my purpose , and you will not wish me to enter on a disquisition on the ritual of the Mark—it is intelligible to the student of the various Degrees of Freemasonry , and takes its own natural and proper place in the development of the whole Masonic system ; but I should like to make one or two

general remarks before concluding . Mark Masonry , as a part of a great whole , has been subjected to attack from the cowan and the would-be intruder—in most cases from those who either know nothing whatever of our mysteries or their purport , or who have obtained a garbled or fictitious notion of them from unworthy sources . We are political—dangerous and disloyal to the State . We can afford to smile at the display of ignorance involved in such a charge . We are

a secret Society , to be suspected as such , of evil doings and designs , but surely , brethren , secrecy is no more in itself a proof of guilt than that the secret doing of alms is an unworthy deed . Our lodges are irreligious , or at least anti-Christian in their vows and tenets . Well , brethren , it has been truly said , and we do well to repeat it , Freemasonry is not religion though it is its handmaid , and it is ot every religion that can claim as we can , no less than in the brotherhood of the

Craft , to be judged by results . " By their fruits ye shall know them , " there is no other way for us or for them . A Mason's lodge , and a Mark Mason ' s not less than others , ought to be , may I not say it is , a school for the display of virtue . Temperance , in the restraint that we place in our language and our behaviour . Patience , in the industry with which we cultivate a knowledge of ritual , and obedience to the rulers and powers that be . Improvement in social culture and the study of the vast

outspreading field of Masonic literature . And what shall I say of Friendship ? Some of the most treasured friendships of a life have been made in a Mason ' s lodge . It is one of its brightest phases as we grow older , one too , that I am sure is the experience of not a few who are here to-day , that we can look back with unalloyed and lasting pleasure on friendships with men , whom we should never have known at all , but for Freemasonry . I say little of our symbols , which find their proper

place and meaning in our midst . Of the teachings of the corn , and wine , and oil in the consecration ceremony , emblems of plenty , speaking to us of those virtues most needed in a time of plenty , temperance , and Charity . The volume of the sacred law our surest guide in the path of happiness as well as of duty . The All-seeing eye , reminding us of Omniscience that never slumbers nor sleeps , and the working tools and implements which find each its own proper allusion and significance in "

illustration of our work , both in the lodge and in the life . We Mark Masons , are taught . in our ceremonies , to do justice , to love mercy , to cover up the infirmities and failings of a brother , to aid the fallen to recover themselves , to live in peace and love . If we do this—nay , just in so far as we do this , we shall prove to the world that our Masonry is something more to us than a mere name , or an empty creed , that

our principles are founded , not on maxims of the world ' s philosophy , but on those eternal truths and moral precepts , which , from first to last , have had the approving mark of the Great Overseer himself ; aye , and of Him too , who is our great exemplar in things human and divine , who is in Himself the personal embodiment of all love , self-sacrifice and truth .

The Presiding Officer dedicated and constituted the lodge , and the installation of the Worshipful Master was then most impressively performed by the R . VV . Prov . Grand Master , Bro . the Rev . T . Robinson , M . A . The brethren afterwards sat down to an excellent banquet , the V . W . Bro . J . Smith Eastes , presiding . The toast of " The Queen and Mark Masonry" was proposed by the WORSHIP * FUL MASTER , and loyally received .

The WORSHIPFUL MASTER then proposed the toast of "The M . W . G . M ., H . R . H . the Prince of Wales ; the Pro G . M ., M . W . the Earl of Kintore , and Past G . Master of the Order , " coupling the name of M . W . Bro . the Earl Amherst , Past M . W . G . M . M . W . Bro . Earl AMHERST , in reply , reminded the brethren of the changes

that had come to the Order since the early days when the pioneers of Mark Masonry in this country stood shoulder to shoulder for the honour of the caiisei He could not forget the labours of such men as Canon Portal—a P . M . W . G . M . — and Bro . Binckes , who had worked so honourably for the truest interests of the Order . He was sorry to have appeared in such scanty clothing as his Apron and Collar had

been forgotten in London ; but it reminded him of the day when he entered , poor and apparently penniless , into Masonry , and now , as then , the brethren had come forward generously to clothe his nakedness . Yet he was proud of the old , faded , simple clothing of a Grand Master of the days long passed , in thrilling contrast to the gorgeous apparel of the present . It aptly symbolised the progress and development of the Order , and also the dangers that attended its present prosperity . The Prince

of Wales wonld , no doubt , devote his interest to the Mark as he had to the Craft , and it could not fail to be of immense advantage to the Order . Happily , the differences which once existed , which might have developed into bitterness and hostility , were now buried , and the Mark vvould go on and piosper . He congratulated the lodge on its good fortune in having so able and excellent a Mason as Bro . Eastes as its first Master , in whose hands it was certain to be successful .

The toast of "The M . W . Dep . G . M ., Lord Egerton of Tatton , and the Grand Officers , Present and Past , " was proposed by W . Bro . WM . MASTERMAN , M . A ., Prov . S . G . W ., who , referring to the growing importance and reputation of the Mark Degree , said that it was of enormous advantage to the Order that the Grand Officers and rulers were ever ready to carry on the traditions bequeathed to them by their predecessors . It must be very gratifying to the brethren that among the

Grand Officers present at the consecration of the Invicta Lodge , they were permitted to see such inimitable work as that of R . W . Bro . Matier , P . G . W ., the R . W . Prov . G . Master , and hisDeputy , whose equals in the exposition of Masonic ritual it would be very difficult to find . There were others too who deserved mention . The W . M . himself was a Grand Officer , but as all the brethren he had named would be called upon to speak to other toasts , he would couple this one with the name of Bro . Horatio Ward , Grand Deacon .

Bro . WARD , in replying , said that the Grand Officers were only too pleased when called upon to assist in furthering the true progress of Mark Masonry , and it was a source of genuine gratification to himself and to the Grand Officers , who were also members of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Kent , to see another lodge consecrated in the province , with such fair prospects and such a distinguished brother as the W . M . He begged to give them the best wishes of the Grand Ofiicers for a happy and prosperous career .

The WORSHIPFUL MASTER , in giving " The Health of the R . W . Prov . Grand Master of Kent , " said that brother was so well known everywhere that no words of his were needed to introduce the toast ; but nowhere was Bro . the Rev . Thomas Robinson esteemed and appreciated more than in Ashford . He was a very close

friend to many present . He had endeared himself to them during many years of pleasant intercourse in the Craft and Royal Arch Masonry , and now he had , as P . G . M . M ., given the last evidence of his interest in them in the consecration of the Invicta Mark Lodge . He trusted that the G . O . O . T . U . would spare Bro . Robinson ' to be their Prov . G . M . for many years to come ,

The P . G . MASTER , in his reply , gave a most excellent summary of what Mark Masonry had been in the past—in the days of 1856 and subsequently . He pressed the junior members of the Order to become students , not only of the ritual , but