Grand Lodge And Grand Festival.

0 f the Benevolent Institution at its recent Festival . I le was quite sure that all the Executive and all the Committees connected with the Institution gratefully acknowledged the liberal support extended . The Festivals of the ' Girls' and the Boys' Schools vvere yet to follow , and he vvas sure it would not be for want of any willingness on the part of the Craft if they fell short in ; lny measure of success when those Festivals were celebrated . His Roval

Hig hness the Duke of Connaught had most graciously consented to preside that day three weeks in that hall on the occasion of the 104 th Anniversary of the Girls' School . The Institution needed very greatly the brethren's cordial help . The Duke of Connaught ' s province—Sussex—was working extremely hard for it , and it would bring up a list worthy of its previous efforts . He sincerely pleaded for the Girls' School , and hoped that the

present list of Stewards might be so augmented that on thc 18 th May a successful announcement might bc made . There vvas one thing he must on this occasion refer to because he believed it vvas unique in the history of Grand Festivals—that the Board of Grand Stewards vvere represented on the Board of Stewards of the Girls' School . He was deeply gratetul to Dr . Godson for taking that ofiice , and the other Grand Stewards ' for so liberally responding to his call .

Bro . Admiral Sir . E . INGLEFIELD , proposed " The Stewards , " who were a most useful body . Although he was a young Grand Officer he vvas an old " salt , " and he could say that next to the captain on board ship , the most important person was the Steward . If a person took only a short voyage across the Channel , it was the Steward who was most called for . ( Laughter . )

The Grand Stewards were the hosts that evening , and they had given an excellent entertainment . They not only provided for the ladies , but they provided the ladies . ( Laughter ) . Bro . Dr . GODSON , President of the Board of Stewards , responded . It had been the Grand Stewards' effort to make the Festival a success , and they had spared no pains in carrying out that object .

Bro . the Rev . H . R . COOPER-SMITH , G . C , proposed " The Ladies , ' and said he supposed he was the "beardless boy" Sir John Monckton referred to . He did not know what the duties of a Grand Officer were , but it seemed to him that it could not possibly be part of the duty of a Grand Officer to grow a beard . He had been 21 years in Masonry . We were told that every seven years the whole human body completely changed . Well ,

it had not changed with him in the three seven years he had been in it , and a beard had not grown . He did not know what would take place in the fourth seven years ; perhaps an entire change might come over him . He had no doubt that ladies looked at a Mason with a certain amount of suspicion , because the ladies were excluded from all knowledge of Masonic mysteries ; but they did admit them , as they did that evening , to part of their entertainments .

Bro . PHILIP H . WATERLOW , 29 , responded , and the brethren proceeded to the concert , which was given in the Temple . The Earl of Lathom again presided . A selection of music was performed in Grand Lodge on the organ by Bro . Cutler , Q . C , Grand Organist .

The Grand Officers.

THE GRAND OFFICERS .

SENIOR GRAND WARDEN . Bro . the Duke of PORTLAND , whom his Royal Highness the Grand Master has been pleased to appoint S . G . W . for the ensuing year , was born in 1857 , a "d succeeded to the Dukedom on the death of his kinsman the fifth Duke in 1 S 79 . He served formerly in the Coldstream Guards , and till

quite recently was Lieut .-Col . of the Honourable Artillery Company of London . He vvas initiated in the United Lodge , No . 1629 , and if wc remember rightly not very long ago was affiliated to a lodge in North Britain . He has not , however , taken a very active part in the affairs of Masonry , owing , no doubt , to thc multiplicity of his public engagements .

JUNIOR GRAND WARDEN . Bro . the Marquis of GRANBY , M . P ., eldest son oi the Duke of Rutland , was born in 1852 . He vvas initiated in the Howe and Charnwood Lodge , No . 1007 , Loughborough , and having subsequently joined the Rutland Lodge , No . 1130 , Melton Mowbray , is now occupying the chair of W . M .

GRAND CHAPLAINS . Bro . the Kev . Sir WILLIAM VINCENT , Bart ., who vvas born in 1834 , and succeeded his father in thc baronetcy in 18 S 3 , was initiated while at Christ Church College , Oxford , in the Apollo University Lodge , No . 357 , in 1855 , and thc year following served as Prov . G . Steward of Oxfordshire .

Subsequently he joined the Lodge of Union , No . 52 , Norwich , and in 1 S 87 was installed as its W . M ., his services being further recognised by his appointment to the office of Chaplain in the Provincial Grand Lodge of Norfolk . He also joined the Royal Solomon at Jerusalem in 1878 and was exalted to the Royal Arch Degree in the Alfred Chapter , No . 340 , in 1856 .

Bro . ( he Rev . H . R . COOPER-SMITH , D . D ., well deserves the honour which the Grand Master has conferred upon him , there being few even among our most zealous and prominent Masons who have exhibited a deeper interest in or rendered more valuable services to thc cause of Freemasonry . He was initiated by dispensation , while yet a minor , during his career at Oxford University , in the Apollo University Lodge , So . 357 , in the year l

. 7 t . The following year he joined the Churchill Lodge , and was elected ! ts W . M . in 1875 , his services being additionally recognised by hisappoint'iient in 1873 as Prov . G . D . C . Oxfordshire , ancl his promotion in 1875 to thc mair of Prov . J . G . W . In 1874 he made acquaintance with the London Y'tft , firstly by joining the University Lodge , No . 111 S , of which he vvas tlected W . M . in 1885 , and then by assisting to found the Lodge of St . Mary

Magdalen , of which he was thc lirst S . W . ancl second Master . In 1 S 7 S he ijiu a principal hand in founding the Cholmeley Lodge , No . 1731 , which •ilso meets in London , and of vvhich he vvas installed thc first Master , •istly , on | , j s g 0 ing to reside in the Province of Hampshire and the Isle of " 'g'lt , he joined the Oakley Lodge , No . 694 , Basingstoke , and here also J \ c " 1 ay liopc to hear of him as exhibiting the same interest and activity as J * 'vc marked his connection vvith the Craft in London and Oxfordshire . In Jj » w * j iiu t-unill , L . llUII 1 > llll Llll- \_ -l « ll L 111 Jjl / lllllMI ilMU V 7 . MUI U . 1 IIII U , 111

j > al Arch Masonry he has also won distinction . He was exalted in the nnptcr attached to his mother lodge ( No . ^ 7 ) , and served as M . E . Z . in 1 , J / A and as Prov . G . S . B . Oxfordshire in " i 881 . He also served as '/ .. of in il i Vers ' - C * ia P tcr * No * - •, 8 « ' » l 88 t * Hc w ; , s advanced lo the Mark coi ¦ ^ P ' vcrsity Mark Lodge , and vvas elected W . M . in 1879 , and on the 13 r ' i ' ° ° ^ ^ ' ar , d Oxon as a Mark Province , and the installation of Coo Ka - ° -I ersey ; , s ils , irst ,: > rov * Grand Mark Master in 1880 , Bro . nl 0 ' "S < iiith had the honour of being appointed Prov . S . G . W . Hc is ' t P . C . N , uf the lodge of Royal Ark Mariners altached to the Oxford

The Grand Officers.

Mark Lodge , and in 1881 vvas appointed Junior Grand Overseer of Mark Grand Lodge . Hc is a member Jof the Allied Degrees , was appointed Grand Chaplain of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters in March , 1 S 91 , and served as E . P . of the Coeur de Lion Preceptory of Knights Templar , Oxford , in 1880 . He is a P . M . W . S . of the Oxford

University Chapterof Rose Croix , 18 ° , and has taken thc 32 ° in the Ancient and Accepted Rite system . As regards our Institutions , he has been a generous supporter of them all , having constituted himself a Vice-Patron of the Girls ' School and Benevolent Institution , and a Life Governor of the Boys' School ; while he has served five Stewardships for the senior Charity , one for the Boys ' School , and no less than n in behalf of the Old People .

GRAND TREASURER . Bro . J . D . MURRAY , who at the Quarterly Communication in March was elected by an immense majority of votes to the post of Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year , and was duly invested with the insignia of his office on this occasion , vvas initiated in the Lindsay Lodge , No . 1335 , Wigan , and is one of its Past Masters . He is also a Treasurer of the Lathom Lodge ,

No . 2229 , Preston , a founder of thc Wigan Lodge , No . 2326 , and having been appointed Prov . G . D . C . of West Lancashire in 1885 , has been since annually re-appointed to that office . He has likewise greatly distinguished himself as a Royal Arch Mason , being a P . Z . of the Chapter of Harmony , No . 178 , Wigan , Scribe E . of the Lindsay Chapter , No . 1335 , and P . P . G . Treasurer of the Provincial Grand Chapter of West Lancashire . But

it is chiefly as an exponent and worker of our ritual that Bro Murray has obtained pre-eminence . Nor are there many experts who could surpass him in his rendering of the ceremony of consecration , in which for many years past he has played the leading role at the constitution of lodges in West Lancashire . In the Mark Degree Bro . Murray ranks as P . J . G . Overseer of the G . Lodge , while in the A . and A . Rite he is a Past Master , 0

S . of St . Peter ' s Chapter , No . 31 , Bolton , and has taken the 30 . Lastly , he is a very generous supporter of our Charitable Institutions , for which at different times he has served no less than ten Stewardships , and taken up lists amounting in the aggregate to about £ 2 , 000 . He is also a Life Governor of them all , and at the same time is a warm supporter of the West Lancashire Institutions , for vvhich he has rendered excellent service on manv occasions .

SENIOR GRAND DEACONS . Bro . Major-General J . C . HAY , C . B ., who saw much active service in the Afghan and South African campaigns , and has been twice severely wounded and several times mentioned in despatches , vvas initiated in the Canongate Kilwinning Lodge , No . 2 on the roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , on the 22 nd January , 1856 , and is , therefore , a Mason of over 36

years'standing . He became an English Craftsman in May , 1861 , when he joined thc Triune Brotherhood Lodge , No . 984 . Thc year following hc joined the Star-in-the-East Lodge , No . 67 , Calcutta , and then , after an interval of nine years , the Mayo Lodge , No . 1413 , Rawul Pindee . In 1875 he joined the Mooltan Lodge , No . 1307 , which meets in the city whence it takes its name , and in 1877 the Lodge of Fraternity and Perseverance , No . 1746 ,

Benares , of vvhich he appears to have been the lirst W . M . After a further interval of five years , vve find him accepted as a joining member , firstly , of the Prince Edward of . Saxe-Weimar Lodge , No . 1 903 , Portsmouth , and then of the Friends in Council Lodge , No . 1383 , while in 1 S 90 he joined the Drury Lane Lodge , No . 2127 . He is also a Royal Arch Mason , having been exalted under the Scottish Constitutions in the Edinburgh Chapter , No . 71 , in October , 1875 . Two years later he joined the Sandeman Chapter ,

No . 391 on the roll of England , and the year following was elected and installed M . E . Z . He has received District honours in both branches of Constitutional Freemasonry , having been appointed Dist . G . S . of W . Bengal in 1 S 78 , and Dist . G . P . Sojourner in the Grand Chapterof the same District in 1879 . He is a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite , having taken the 31 ° in that system in 1 S 82 , and being a member of the Studholme Lodge of Rose Croix . He served the office of Steward for thc Royal Masonic Institution for Girls in 1891 .

Bro . S . G . SINCLAIR hails from thc province of West Lancashire , of vvhich , during the greater part of his career , he has been a very prominent member . He was initiated in the St . George ' s Lodge of Harmony , No , 32 , Liverpool , on the 20 th December , 1876 , and in due course rose to be W . M ., to vvhich office he was elected in 1883 . In 1 S 87 he was a founder and first i . W . ol thc Lathom Lodge , No . 2229 , Preston , and on thc 27 th January ,

1 S 90 , had the honour of being installed its W . M . In 1886 Bro . the Iiarl of Lathom appointed him Prov . S . G . W . In Royal Arch Masonry he has won like distinction . He was exalted in Jerusalem Chapter , No . 32 , Liverpool , in 1878 , and twice occupied the chair of First Principal , namely in 1886 and again in 18 S 7 , and in 1889 he vvas appointed Prov . G . J . West Lancashire . He was installed a Knight Templar in the J acques de Molay Preceptory in

January , 1884 , and inducted into office as E . Preceptor in April , 1886 . He is in addition a Knight of Malta , was installed E . Prior in 1887 , and at the present time is G . Constable and First Lieutenant in the Prov . Priory of West Lancashire . He was perfected Rose Croix , in 1879 in the Liverpool Chapter of that Degree , and was installed M . W . S . in 1884 , and again in 1890 ,

and has taken the 31 in the Ancient and Accepted Rite . He has served two Stewardships in behalf of each of our three Charitable Institutions and has qualified as Vice-Patron of them all , in addition to which he is a Vice-Patron of the three West Lancashire local Institutions—the Educational , the Hamer , and the Alpass .

JUNIOR GRAND DEACONS . Bro . CHARLES E . KEYSER , M . A ., J . P ., vvas initiated , while yet a minor , in the Isaac Newton University Codge , No . 859 , Cambridge , and still retains his connection with it as an honorary Life Member . But his chief Masonic work has been done and his highest distinctions obtained in the Province of Hertfordshire , of which he became a member , when hc joined the Watford

Lodge , No . 404 , Watford , in 1876 . In this lodge he vvas soon after appointed to a junior office , and gradually working his way to the front , was in April , 1881 , installed W . M . In 1889 he was principal founder , and vvas installed first W . M . of thc Bushey Hall Lodge , No , 2323 , Bushey , and in addition he is a member and D . C . of the Hertford Lodge ,-No . 403 , 3 member of thc Halsey Lodge , No . 1479 , and outside Hertfordshire , a member of the Abercorn Lodge , No . 1549 , Great Stanmore , Middlesex , which he joined in

18 S 4 , and thc Lodge of Antiquity , No . 2 , of which hc is the present Junior Warden . In 18 S 1 his earlier services in Hertfordshire were recognised b y his apppointment as Prov . J . G . W . He was one of thc Special Stewards at thc Masonic commemoration of the Queen's Jubilee in 1887 , and a member of the Board of General Purposes in 1890 . He vvas exalted in the Walford Chapter , No . 404 , on thc 10 th May , 1875 , and has twice occupied thc chair of First Principal , namely , in 1885 and 1889 ; while in thc Prov . Grand