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Article SUMMER FESTIVAL OF THE DOMATIC LODGE, No. 177. Page 1 of 2 Article SUMMER FESTIVAL OF THE DOMATIC LODGE, No. 177. Page 1 of 2 Article SUMMER FESTIVAL OF THE DOMATIC LODGE, No. 177. Page 1 of 2 →
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Summer Festival Of The Domatic Lodge, No. 177.
SUMMER FESTIVAL OF THE DOMATIC LODGE , No . 177 .
The summer festival of the Domatic Lodge , No . 177 , was held on Tuesday , the 26 th inst ., at the Star and Garter Hotel , Richmond . The weather was unpropitious in a fitful , peevish fashion . One would have thought an April day had got astray among its midsummer brethren , and was not overpleased thereat . Aggravating showers
alternated with almost as exasperating glimpses of brilliant sunshine . The day grew better as it grew older , however , and by the time dinner was over the ladies were able to enjoy the pleasures of the Star and Garter terrace until the ball room was ready for dancing . The showery character of the weather did not damp the gaiety of the gathering whatever it might have done to the grass outside , and the reunion of Tuesday , both in point of enjoyment and of
numbers , was fully the equal of any of its predecessors . The only change which was necessitated in the programme by the uncertainity of the day was that the concert , which enabled visitors to while away a very pleasant hour between three o ' clock , when the guests commenced to arrive , and four , when dinner was served , was listened to indoors instead of on the terrace . A brig ht and cool room on the basement was turned into a very graceful concert room by a
profusionof flowers and shrubs , and there Herr Louis Konig ' s band performed the following programme of music : Russian Parade March , Gavotte in E minor , Mazurka " Rosee du Matin ; " Piccolo solo , "The zephyrs ; " Waltz , " Ehren on the Rhine ; " Melody , " Le Charme ;" Quadrille in French Airs , " Dejazet ; " and Grand March , " Belphegcr . " At four o ' clock dinner was announced , and the guests
to the number of upwards of 150 , proceeded to the spacious banqueting hall of the hotel , where an excellent dinner was done good justice to . Bro . William Herbage , W . M ., presided , and was supported by the following Stewards : Bros . W . M . Foxcroft , S . VV . ; R . Pierpoint , J . W . ; George Everett , P . M ., Treas . ; Thomas Morris , Sec . ; Harry Price , S . D . ; Abel Simner , J . D . ; R . Montague , I . G . ; H . J . Chapman ,
D . C . ; R . Harvey , W . S . ; and by P . Ms . | . Brett , R . Baker , W . F . Smith , J . R . Foulgcr , T . E . Walford , W . ] . Ferguson , P . Kent , | . Willing , J . Buscall , E . White , H . N . B . Sprint , W . Harris , and J . M . Lean , I . P . M . The guests included Mrs . Herbage , Mr . and Mrs . Oakley , Mr . and Mrs . Edmerton , Mr . Alfred Crockford , Miss Cobb , Mr . Hubbard , Miss Gertie Cobb , Mr . Webb , Miss Herbage . Mrs . Pearce , Mrs . Silvani , Mr . and Mrs .
Cobb , Mr . and Mrs . Crockford , Mr . and Mrs . W . T . Herbage , Mr . Faulkner Leigh , Bro . J oseph Wilson , Mdme . Riechelmann , Mdme . Clever , Mrs . George Everett , Mr . and Mrs . G . L . Everett , Mr . and Mrs . John Ambrose , Mr . and Mrs . George Gardner , Bro . and Mrs . Rippon , Bro . and Mrs . Welch , Bros . A . Scard , D . A . Ball , T . Scoborio , H . Perrett , J . Sadler , and others . After grace had been sung , the WORSHII'FUL MASTER
rose to propose " The Health of the Queen and Craft . " He said : It is my pleasant duty to propose the first toast , namely that of the Queen and the Craft . I am sure it needs no words of mine to recommend this toast to you , because her Majesty has gained the sympathies of all classes of society , and we know that wc all deeply respect and reverence her . ( Cheers . ) In all the affairs of the nation , whether it be with troops in Egypt or in presence of
that sad calamity which happened the other day in Sunderland , we all know that the heart of her Majesty beats in sympathy with the tribulations of the nation . Her throne is firmly established where the malice of Fenianism cannot reach , or the force of dynamite injure , namely , in the hearts of her subjects . As regards the Craft , wc that know something of its teaching and working know that it is an institution that from age to age has gone on with
its good work of binding man to man , and breaking down the barriers of prejudice , oppression , tyranny and wrong , and ushering in that reign of peace and goodwill that Christianity was meant to bring amongst men . To prove this 1 may state that only the other day in a Masonic gathering held in aid of a school for the sons of poor Masons , the sum of £ 22 , 000 was collected for the work . ( Cheers . ) Ladies and gentlemen , it is the highest and
brightest glory of the Craft to be engaged in doing works of charity . With the greatest confidence , therefore , I ask you one and all to drink first to the health of the Queen , coupling with it that of the Craft . ( Loud cheers . ) The toast was drunk to musical honours . The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : Ladies and gentlemen , the next toast that 1 have to propose is "The Prince and Princess of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family . "
The Prince of Wales is so much before us , and so greatly esteemed for all the works in which he is always so ready to engage on behalf of the nation , that I am sure his name has only to be mentioned to be drunk with the greatest enthusiasm . ( Cheers . ) As regards the Princess of Wales , there is little 1 can say , because it would be like trying to paint the lily . To the Prince of Wales wc as Masons arc deeply indebted , for he is our Grand Master . He is always
ready to promote the honour and prestige of the Craft . ( Cheers . ) We know the good work he has been lately engaged in as regards the Royal College of Music , and the Fisheries Exhibition , and it was only yesterday that he presided over a meeting as to the desirability of establishing a British School of Arch ; cology and classical studies at Athens . In these works the Prince is ready to give all his time and services for the good of the nation . As regards
the Duke of Edinburgh , it was only last week that he contributed avery interestingand highly valuable paperon our fisheries and fishing population , which was read by the Prince of Wales befoc the Fisheries Conference . The Duke and Duchess of Connaught on Saturday last distributed the prizes gained by the students of St . Thomas ' s Hospital , and on the same day the Duke of Albany was presiding in the cause of Charity at the Printers'
Corporation , where he made a most forcible speech . ( Cheers . ) 1 need only mention these as specimens of the noble work in which our princes are engaged in order to recommend this toast ( if it needed any words of mine to do so , which indeed it does not ) to your moit hearty reception . We feel that the nation is honoured in the merits of its princes
and princesses , and therefore 1 ask you to drink with the greatest enthusiasm "The Health of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales and the other Members of the Royal Family . " ( Loud cheers . ) The toast having been enthusiastically honoured , Mdme . Riechelmann sang the old popular favourite "Robin Adair" with great taste and feeling .
Summer Festival Of The Domatic Lodge, No. 177.
The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : I now approach with feelings of the deepest reverence and respect the toast which custom generally places last on the list ; but which we on this occasion have ventured to place after that of royaltynamely , the toast of " The Ladies . " ( Cheers . ) And I think very properly placed ; for are they not Queens ? ( Laughter and cheers . ) Do they not reign over the hearts of all ? ( Renewed laughter and cheers . ) I am sure that
no task comes more genially to me—or I may say could come to any Mason—than that of proposing the health of the ladies . ( Cheers . ) I recollect that on the last occasion , I am sure it was a great pleasure to myself—I do not know whether it was so to other people—to respond on behalf of the ladies , and I took occasion to remind those visitors present , especially the ladies , who , of course , are not Masons , what is the teaching of Freemasonry as regards the ladies .
I will not go over what I said then , because time is short , and we want to be brief ; but I may state that Masonry teaches us to regard them as " God ' s last and best gift to man . " ( Cheers . ) I arm sure we all feel their sweet influences and we all know the great power that they have over us in forming our characters and also in refining and elevating us . I am sure that brilliant as are the gleams of sunshine which we have had this afternoon , lovely and fair as is
that beautiful scene before us of hill anddale covered with the beautiful mantle of green , sparkling as is the river that runs at our feet , I am sure , I say , that brighter and lovelier far are the fair eyes which now beam upon us , more lovely far are their . fair forms , and more sparkling their countenances than anything in nature . ( Cheers . ) I rejoice to feel that we shall with the greatest reverence and respect drink the toast of the ladies as one which is most
welcome to us . In fact it is the toast of the day , and I wish you one and all to regard it as such . The gentleman whom I shall call upon to respond is , I am sure , quite equal to the responsibility . He is well known to many of us , and I am sure that with the greatest confidence I can leave this most responsible duty of replying to this important and pleasant toast , namely , "The Ladies , " in the hands of our friend and visitor , Mr . Hubbard . I ask you to drink with all the
honours "The Health of the Ladies , " coupling with it the name of Mr . Hubbard . ( Loud cheers . ) Bro . Faulkner Leigh then gave Sir Julius Benedict's " Eily Mavourneen , " and was loudly applauded . Mr . HUBBARD : Worshipful Master , Ladies and Gentlemen—The task which has been laid upon me on the present occasion—our worthy Chairman speaks so nicely to you all , that I am sure that you will be all very much disappointed
with what I shall say to you . ( No , no . ) Our worthy Chairman has said that this toast is the toast of the evening and therefore you may imagine that I feel that a very grave task is laid upon me in answering for so many ladies as I see around me at the present time , but as I look upon their faces , and as I see so many happy and beautiful smiles , I begin to feel a little content . If I were to see them looking dull and frowning I should almost imagine that
they were saying to themselves : " We wish the Worshipful Master had chosen some other person to answer for us . " Worshi p ful Master , I am very much pleased indeed to be at a dinner here where there are so may ladies present , because we gentlemen are used to dining in the city where we do not have the pleasure of ladies' society ; and Irecollect once a lady saying to me that she did not believe that any gentleman could do any business in London without
having a dinner . I do not know whether that lady was poetical or not , but I came across a few lines the other day in a newspaper which I will read to you and which so exactly and aptly express the same idea that I think that lady must have written them . They are as follows : " He may live without poetry , music , or art , He may live without conscience and live without heart ,
He may live without friends ; he may live without books , But civilised man cannot live without cooks . He may live without books . What is knowledge but grieving ? He may live without hope . What is hope but deceiving ? He may live without love . What is passion but pining ? But where is the man that can live without dining ? "
( Laughter . ) Now , gentlemen and ladies , we are living in an age of progress , and ladies , I think , are progressing as much as anything of our day . We have ladies now on School Boards , and I dare say you all saw the other day in the newspapers that one famous lady was elected as Chairman on one of the committees . ( Laughter . ) I wondered greatly as to how the worthy members of the committee would address this lady . I suppose they would have to
say "Mrs . Chairwoman . " ( Laughter . ) Gentlemen , I need not I am sure remind you , after our worthy Chairman has done so , of how much we owe to the ladies . From our earliest days , when noise and screams took the place of reason with us , they fondled and took care of us ; and when we are boys who is there who does not profit by his
mother ' s love and his mother ' s advice ? and when we get older and enter into the state which commenced with our first parents in the Garden of Eden—then , when the husband goes to town , sometimes hearty and in good spirits because stocks are up , and when he comes home dull and cross and irritated because stocks are down—who is it that
can then comfort and cheer him ? Who is it , when she sees the black cloud lowering , can show to the husband the beautiful silver lining ? Who , but his wife ? ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , I shall not detain you much longer , but I will finish with a little anecdote that I heard the other day from an Admiral in the Navy . He said he had once on board a ship a chaplain who was very zealous and preached very long sermons .
He , therefore , went to the chaplain and said to him " My crew does not like such very long sermons ; won't you try to limit yourself to a quarter of an hour ? " The chaplain said : "Mr . Captain , you have your duty to perform in your department of the ship , and I have my duty to perform in my department of the ship . I cannot perforin my duty without giving to the crew my firstly , secondly , thirdly , and lastly . " ( Laughter . ) On the following
Sunday the chaplain began to preach , but when he had got to secondly the captain looked at his watch , and finding the quarter of an hour was up , cried out to the crew " All hands reef the topsail , " which put an effectual end to the sermon . ( Laughter . ) As I do not want such an end to my speech , I shall conclude it by thanking the Worshipful
Master for the kind way in which he has proposed the toast , and to you gentlemen for the kind way in which you have drunk it . ( Cheers . ) Madame Clever then gave " Jock o' Hazeldean , " and was warmly applauded . The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : Ladies and gentlemen , I
Summer Festival Of The Domatic Lodge, No. 177.
wish time would permit us to do justice to the next toast , which is one for " The Visitors . " I am sure we members of thelodge all feel highly honoured that our festival should be graced with the presence of so many visitors . We feel that without visitors we should be like a garden without flowers . 1 am sure I rejoice in being the mouthpiece of the lodge to wish them one and all a hearty welcome . ( Cheers . ) I need not go through the list of visitors . All of us have
here friends whom we deeply respect , and I feel sure that I can appeal to every member of the lodge to drink this toast with the greatest enthusiasm , coupling with the name of the visitors that of one of our most respected friends , one who has honoured our lodge with his presence on many occasions , and who has been always willing to support us in our efforts to advance the cause of charity—I refer to Bro . Crockford . ( Loud cheers . )
Bro . Joseph Wilson then gave a graceful rendering of Moir's song , " Best of all . " Bro . CROCKFORD : Worshipful Master , ladies , and gentlemen , as our Worshipful Master has given us the hint that brevity is to be the order of the day , as there are other speeches to follow , I shall be as short as I can . The gentleman who spoke for the ladies just now had evidentl y a great weight on his mind , and thought he had a great deal
to do . I have not , although I have a double duty , and have not only to speak for the ladies , but for the gentlemen . Still , comparatively it is an easy task , for , as has just been remarked by the Worshipful Master in trying to get on to the next toast , the Stewards have done their duty so admirably that the gathering has been one of great pleasure to all here . I am sure the Worshipful Master has been most cordial in his attention , and so have all the members of the
lodge to all the visitors ; and we would be ungrateful indeed if we were not thankful to them for the hearty manner in which they have entertained us this evening . There is one feature of these gatherings which is of peculiar interest . It is the fact that members of the lodge not only ask their brother Masons to attend these little gatherings , but they also ask those who are not initiated in the mysteries , but who are friends , and also that thev
bring down the ladies , which 1 think is a great feature of the day . We hear about the ladies not being pleased at their husbands being Masons . They think we are an exclusive lot , and certainly we are very selfish to a certain extent . It is , therefore , a pleasant thing to see so many ladies gathered round about us . Not onl y does it make the gathering more pleasurable to us , but it also puts the Craft in better favour with them than it used to be .
( Cheers and laughter ) . In this way we do a doubly good thing : we amuse ourselves ( which is possibly the selfish way of looking at it ) , and we enlist the sympathies of the ladies on our side . I think it is a very important result . Where we have the good wishes of the ladies we are sure to have happiness . ( Cheers and laughter . ) On behalf of the visitors , both ladies and gentlemen , I thank you , Worshipful Master and brother Stewards and Officers , for the
cordial manner in which you have received us to-day , and 1 hope , for my part , that I may receive many other pleasant invitations down here . ( Cheers . ) The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : Ladies and Gentlemen—Bro . Crockford so fully endorsed what I was about to say about the efficiency of the Stewards , that I feel that I have nothing more to add ; I shall not say anything further , otherwise I shall have someone calling out " reef your topsails . "
( Laughter . ) The Stewards have nobly done their duty . I am sure we all sincerely thank them for it , and I feel certain that this toast will be drunk with great sincerity . I shall couple the name of Bro . Kent , P . M ., with it . Bro . Kent is always foremost in doing whatever he can to promote the individual benefit and pleasure of each member of the lodge , as also in upholding its dignity and prestige . I give you the toast of " The Stewards . " You will find a list of them
at the back of the programme , and I will not therefore detain you with repeating their names . They have all done their duty well . ( Loud cheers . ) Bro . Faulkner Leigh then gave Wallace ' s " Yes , let me like a soldier fall , " with truly chivalric spirit and vigour . Bro . KENT , P . M ., then replied for " The Stewards . " He said : Worshipful Master , ladies and gentlemenI
, shall at once dive into the toast that has been just drunk , and to which 1 have to reply . 1 may say truthfully on behalf of myself and my brother Stewards that our labour has been entirely a labour of love ; that we are working and have been working for those whom we do love , and for those whom we shall continue for a long time to love . ( Cheers . ) Poetry says :
" The best charms of nature improve When we see them reflected in looks that we love . " That is the best panegyric that could be passed upon the work of myself and my brother Stewards to-day . ( Cheers . ) The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : The next toast is one that embraces such a wide field that on the present occasion I shall confine my remarks to one important section , viz ., "The Newspaper Press . " You will observe that the toast has
been put as "The Press . " That is too wide to travel over , and therefore I would desire to confine myself simply to one section , viz ., the newspaper press of this country . I am sure I may confidently claim your attention to this subject because it is one of the utmost importance , whilst I briefl y state a few words concerning the work it does for us . We all know that the newspaper press of this country is , comparatively speaking , of modern origin , but to such
importance has it grown that we may now look upon it as the fourth estate of the realm . The services it renders in supplying information , whether of a civil , military , commercial , or judicial character affecting things in our own country , or whether we look upon the work which it does in supplying us with news from other parts of the world , we feel that we are indebted to the press not only for a great deal of information , but also because that uoon
the information so communicated future action is often taken . In giving us these accounts of different events in various parts of the world , it makes us fee ! that we are members of one body , and that the observation is perfectly true that " where one member suffers , all members suffer with it , " and is not only of personal , but of universal application . Without the press what a blank should we not feel as regards the events that are going
on in other countries . Take up the newspapers of to-day and see their full reports of everything which is happening in other countries as well as in our own . I am sure wemust all feel that to the newspaper press we owe a debt of deep gratitude . It does much to break down the isolation which is the bane of countries as well as individuals . We know that it also has an important function not only in giving information tending to form our opinions , but it also tends
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Summer Festival Of The Domatic Lodge, No. 177.
SUMMER FESTIVAL OF THE DOMATIC LODGE , No . 177 .
The summer festival of the Domatic Lodge , No . 177 , was held on Tuesday , the 26 th inst ., at the Star and Garter Hotel , Richmond . The weather was unpropitious in a fitful , peevish fashion . One would have thought an April day had got astray among its midsummer brethren , and was not overpleased thereat . Aggravating showers
alternated with almost as exasperating glimpses of brilliant sunshine . The day grew better as it grew older , however , and by the time dinner was over the ladies were able to enjoy the pleasures of the Star and Garter terrace until the ball room was ready for dancing . The showery character of the weather did not damp the gaiety of the gathering whatever it might have done to the grass outside , and the reunion of Tuesday , both in point of enjoyment and of
numbers , was fully the equal of any of its predecessors . The only change which was necessitated in the programme by the uncertainity of the day was that the concert , which enabled visitors to while away a very pleasant hour between three o ' clock , when the guests commenced to arrive , and four , when dinner was served , was listened to indoors instead of on the terrace . A brig ht and cool room on the basement was turned into a very graceful concert room by a
profusionof flowers and shrubs , and there Herr Louis Konig ' s band performed the following programme of music : Russian Parade March , Gavotte in E minor , Mazurka " Rosee du Matin ; " Piccolo solo , "The zephyrs ; " Waltz , " Ehren on the Rhine ; " Melody , " Le Charme ;" Quadrille in French Airs , " Dejazet ; " and Grand March , " Belphegcr . " At four o ' clock dinner was announced , and the guests
to the number of upwards of 150 , proceeded to the spacious banqueting hall of the hotel , where an excellent dinner was done good justice to . Bro . William Herbage , W . M ., presided , and was supported by the following Stewards : Bros . W . M . Foxcroft , S . VV . ; R . Pierpoint , J . W . ; George Everett , P . M ., Treas . ; Thomas Morris , Sec . ; Harry Price , S . D . ; Abel Simner , J . D . ; R . Montague , I . G . ; H . J . Chapman ,
D . C . ; R . Harvey , W . S . ; and by P . Ms . | . Brett , R . Baker , W . F . Smith , J . R . Foulgcr , T . E . Walford , W . ] . Ferguson , P . Kent , | . Willing , J . Buscall , E . White , H . N . B . Sprint , W . Harris , and J . M . Lean , I . P . M . The guests included Mrs . Herbage , Mr . and Mrs . Oakley , Mr . and Mrs . Edmerton , Mr . Alfred Crockford , Miss Cobb , Mr . Hubbard , Miss Gertie Cobb , Mr . Webb , Miss Herbage . Mrs . Pearce , Mrs . Silvani , Mr . and Mrs .
Cobb , Mr . and Mrs . Crockford , Mr . and Mrs . W . T . Herbage , Mr . Faulkner Leigh , Bro . J oseph Wilson , Mdme . Riechelmann , Mdme . Clever , Mrs . George Everett , Mr . and Mrs . G . L . Everett , Mr . and Mrs . John Ambrose , Mr . and Mrs . George Gardner , Bro . and Mrs . Rippon , Bro . and Mrs . Welch , Bros . A . Scard , D . A . Ball , T . Scoborio , H . Perrett , J . Sadler , and others . After grace had been sung , the WORSHII'FUL MASTER
rose to propose " The Health of the Queen and Craft . " He said : It is my pleasant duty to propose the first toast , namely that of the Queen and the Craft . I am sure it needs no words of mine to recommend this toast to you , because her Majesty has gained the sympathies of all classes of society , and we know that wc all deeply respect and reverence her . ( Cheers . ) In all the affairs of the nation , whether it be with troops in Egypt or in presence of
that sad calamity which happened the other day in Sunderland , we all know that the heart of her Majesty beats in sympathy with the tribulations of the nation . Her throne is firmly established where the malice of Fenianism cannot reach , or the force of dynamite injure , namely , in the hearts of her subjects . As regards the Craft , wc that know something of its teaching and working know that it is an institution that from age to age has gone on with
its good work of binding man to man , and breaking down the barriers of prejudice , oppression , tyranny and wrong , and ushering in that reign of peace and goodwill that Christianity was meant to bring amongst men . To prove this 1 may state that only the other day in a Masonic gathering held in aid of a school for the sons of poor Masons , the sum of £ 22 , 000 was collected for the work . ( Cheers . ) Ladies and gentlemen , it is the highest and
brightest glory of the Craft to be engaged in doing works of charity . With the greatest confidence , therefore , I ask you one and all to drink first to the health of the Queen , coupling with it that of the Craft . ( Loud cheers . ) The toast was drunk to musical honours . The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : Ladies and gentlemen , the next toast that 1 have to propose is "The Prince and Princess of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family . "
The Prince of Wales is so much before us , and so greatly esteemed for all the works in which he is always so ready to engage on behalf of the nation , that I am sure his name has only to be mentioned to be drunk with the greatest enthusiasm . ( Cheers . ) As regards the Princess of Wales , there is little 1 can say , because it would be like trying to paint the lily . To the Prince of Wales wc as Masons arc deeply indebted , for he is our Grand Master . He is always
ready to promote the honour and prestige of the Craft . ( Cheers . ) We know the good work he has been lately engaged in as regards the Royal College of Music , and the Fisheries Exhibition , and it was only yesterday that he presided over a meeting as to the desirability of establishing a British School of Arch ; cology and classical studies at Athens . In these works the Prince is ready to give all his time and services for the good of the nation . As regards
the Duke of Edinburgh , it was only last week that he contributed avery interestingand highly valuable paperon our fisheries and fishing population , which was read by the Prince of Wales befoc the Fisheries Conference . The Duke and Duchess of Connaught on Saturday last distributed the prizes gained by the students of St . Thomas ' s Hospital , and on the same day the Duke of Albany was presiding in the cause of Charity at the Printers'
Corporation , where he made a most forcible speech . ( Cheers . ) 1 need only mention these as specimens of the noble work in which our princes are engaged in order to recommend this toast ( if it needed any words of mine to do so , which indeed it does not ) to your moit hearty reception . We feel that the nation is honoured in the merits of its princes
and princesses , and therefore 1 ask you to drink with the greatest enthusiasm "The Health of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales and the other Members of the Royal Family . " ( Loud cheers . ) The toast having been enthusiastically honoured , Mdme . Riechelmann sang the old popular favourite "Robin Adair" with great taste and feeling .
Summer Festival Of The Domatic Lodge, No. 177.
The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : I now approach with feelings of the deepest reverence and respect the toast which custom generally places last on the list ; but which we on this occasion have ventured to place after that of royaltynamely , the toast of " The Ladies . " ( Cheers . ) And I think very properly placed ; for are they not Queens ? ( Laughter and cheers . ) Do they not reign over the hearts of all ? ( Renewed laughter and cheers . ) I am sure that
no task comes more genially to me—or I may say could come to any Mason—than that of proposing the health of the ladies . ( Cheers . ) I recollect that on the last occasion , I am sure it was a great pleasure to myself—I do not know whether it was so to other people—to respond on behalf of the ladies , and I took occasion to remind those visitors present , especially the ladies , who , of course , are not Masons , what is the teaching of Freemasonry as regards the ladies .
I will not go over what I said then , because time is short , and we want to be brief ; but I may state that Masonry teaches us to regard them as " God ' s last and best gift to man . " ( Cheers . ) I arm sure we all feel their sweet influences and we all know the great power that they have over us in forming our characters and also in refining and elevating us . I am sure that brilliant as are the gleams of sunshine which we have had this afternoon , lovely and fair as is
that beautiful scene before us of hill anddale covered with the beautiful mantle of green , sparkling as is the river that runs at our feet , I am sure , I say , that brighter and lovelier far are the fair eyes which now beam upon us , more lovely far are their . fair forms , and more sparkling their countenances than anything in nature . ( Cheers . ) I rejoice to feel that we shall with the greatest reverence and respect drink the toast of the ladies as one which is most
welcome to us . In fact it is the toast of the day , and I wish you one and all to regard it as such . The gentleman whom I shall call upon to respond is , I am sure , quite equal to the responsibility . He is well known to many of us , and I am sure that with the greatest confidence I can leave this most responsible duty of replying to this important and pleasant toast , namely , "The Ladies , " in the hands of our friend and visitor , Mr . Hubbard . I ask you to drink with all the
honours "The Health of the Ladies , " coupling with it the name of Mr . Hubbard . ( Loud cheers . ) Bro . Faulkner Leigh then gave Sir Julius Benedict's " Eily Mavourneen , " and was loudly applauded . Mr . HUBBARD : Worshipful Master , Ladies and Gentlemen—The task which has been laid upon me on the present occasion—our worthy Chairman speaks so nicely to you all , that I am sure that you will be all very much disappointed
with what I shall say to you . ( No , no . ) Our worthy Chairman has said that this toast is the toast of the evening and therefore you may imagine that I feel that a very grave task is laid upon me in answering for so many ladies as I see around me at the present time , but as I look upon their faces , and as I see so many happy and beautiful smiles , I begin to feel a little content . If I were to see them looking dull and frowning I should almost imagine that
they were saying to themselves : " We wish the Worshipful Master had chosen some other person to answer for us . " Worshi p ful Master , I am very much pleased indeed to be at a dinner here where there are so may ladies present , because we gentlemen are used to dining in the city where we do not have the pleasure of ladies' society ; and Irecollect once a lady saying to me that she did not believe that any gentleman could do any business in London without
having a dinner . I do not know whether that lady was poetical or not , but I came across a few lines the other day in a newspaper which I will read to you and which so exactly and aptly express the same idea that I think that lady must have written them . They are as follows : " He may live without poetry , music , or art , He may live without conscience and live without heart ,
He may live without friends ; he may live without books , But civilised man cannot live without cooks . He may live without books . What is knowledge but grieving ? He may live without hope . What is hope but deceiving ? He may live without love . What is passion but pining ? But where is the man that can live without dining ? "
( Laughter . ) Now , gentlemen and ladies , we are living in an age of progress , and ladies , I think , are progressing as much as anything of our day . We have ladies now on School Boards , and I dare say you all saw the other day in the newspapers that one famous lady was elected as Chairman on one of the committees . ( Laughter . ) I wondered greatly as to how the worthy members of the committee would address this lady . I suppose they would have to
say "Mrs . Chairwoman . " ( Laughter . ) Gentlemen , I need not I am sure remind you , after our worthy Chairman has done so , of how much we owe to the ladies . From our earliest days , when noise and screams took the place of reason with us , they fondled and took care of us ; and when we are boys who is there who does not profit by his
mother ' s love and his mother ' s advice ? and when we get older and enter into the state which commenced with our first parents in the Garden of Eden—then , when the husband goes to town , sometimes hearty and in good spirits because stocks are up , and when he comes home dull and cross and irritated because stocks are down—who is it that
can then comfort and cheer him ? Who is it , when she sees the black cloud lowering , can show to the husband the beautiful silver lining ? Who , but his wife ? ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , I shall not detain you much longer , but I will finish with a little anecdote that I heard the other day from an Admiral in the Navy . He said he had once on board a ship a chaplain who was very zealous and preached very long sermons .
He , therefore , went to the chaplain and said to him " My crew does not like such very long sermons ; won't you try to limit yourself to a quarter of an hour ? " The chaplain said : "Mr . Captain , you have your duty to perform in your department of the ship , and I have my duty to perform in my department of the ship . I cannot perforin my duty without giving to the crew my firstly , secondly , thirdly , and lastly . " ( Laughter . ) On the following
Sunday the chaplain began to preach , but when he had got to secondly the captain looked at his watch , and finding the quarter of an hour was up , cried out to the crew " All hands reef the topsail , " which put an effectual end to the sermon . ( Laughter . ) As I do not want such an end to my speech , I shall conclude it by thanking the Worshipful
Master for the kind way in which he has proposed the toast , and to you gentlemen for the kind way in which you have drunk it . ( Cheers . ) Madame Clever then gave " Jock o' Hazeldean , " and was warmly applauded . The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : Ladies and gentlemen , I
Summer Festival Of The Domatic Lodge, No. 177.
wish time would permit us to do justice to the next toast , which is one for " The Visitors . " I am sure we members of thelodge all feel highly honoured that our festival should be graced with the presence of so many visitors . We feel that without visitors we should be like a garden without flowers . 1 am sure I rejoice in being the mouthpiece of the lodge to wish them one and all a hearty welcome . ( Cheers . ) I need not go through the list of visitors . All of us have
here friends whom we deeply respect , and I feel sure that I can appeal to every member of the lodge to drink this toast with the greatest enthusiasm , coupling with the name of the visitors that of one of our most respected friends , one who has honoured our lodge with his presence on many occasions , and who has been always willing to support us in our efforts to advance the cause of charity—I refer to Bro . Crockford . ( Loud cheers . )
Bro . Joseph Wilson then gave a graceful rendering of Moir's song , " Best of all . " Bro . CROCKFORD : Worshipful Master , ladies , and gentlemen , as our Worshipful Master has given us the hint that brevity is to be the order of the day , as there are other speeches to follow , I shall be as short as I can . The gentleman who spoke for the ladies just now had evidentl y a great weight on his mind , and thought he had a great deal
to do . I have not , although I have a double duty , and have not only to speak for the ladies , but for the gentlemen . Still , comparatively it is an easy task , for , as has just been remarked by the Worshipful Master in trying to get on to the next toast , the Stewards have done their duty so admirably that the gathering has been one of great pleasure to all here . I am sure the Worshipful Master has been most cordial in his attention , and so have all the members of the
lodge to all the visitors ; and we would be ungrateful indeed if we were not thankful to them for the hearty manner in which they have entertained us this evening . There is one feature of these gatherings which is of peculiar interest . It is the fact that members of the lodge not only ask their brother Masons to attend these little gatherings , but they also ask those who are not initiated in the mysteries , but who are friends , and also that thev
bring down the ladies , which 1 think is a great feature of the day . We hear about the ladies not being pleased at their husbands being Masons . They think we are an exclusive lot , and certainly we are very selfish to a certain extent . It is , therefore , a pleasant thing to see so many ladies gathered round about us . Not onl y does it make the gathering more pleasurable to us , but it also puts the Craft in better favour with them than it used to be .
( Cheers and laughter ) . In this way we do a doubly good thing : we amuse ourselves ( which is possibly the selfish way of looking at it ) , and we enlist the sympathies of the ladies on our side . I think it is a very important result . Where we have the good wishes of the ladies we are sure to have happiness . ( Cheers and laughter . ) On behalf of the visitors , both ladies and gentlemen , I thank you , Worshipful Master and brother Stewards and Officers , for the
cordial manner in which you have received us to-day , and 1 hope , for my part , that I may receive many other pleasant invitations down here . ( Cheers . ) The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : Ladies and Gentlemen—Bro . Crockford so fully endorsed what I was about to say about the efficiency of the Stewards , that I feel that I have nothing more to add ; I shall not say anything further , otherwise I shall have someone calling out " reef your topsails . "
( Laughter . ) The Stewards have nobly done their duty . I am sure we all sincerely thank them for it , and I feel certain that this toast will be drunk with great sincerity . I shall couple the name of Bro . Kent , P . M ., with it . Bro . Kent is always foremost in doing whatever he can to promote the individual benefit and pleasure of each member of the lodge , as also in upholding its dignity and prestige . I give you the toast of " The Stewards . " You will find a list of them
at the back of the programme , and I will not therefore detain you with repeating their names . They have all done their duty well . ( Loud cheers . ) Bro . Faulkner Leigh then gave Wallace ' s " Yes , let me like a soldier fall , " with truly chivalric spirit and vigour . Bro . KENT , P . M ., then replied for " The Stewards . " He said : Worshipful Master , ladies and gentlemenI
, shall at once dive into the toast that has been just drunk , and to which 1 have to reply . 1 may say truthfully on behalf of myself and my brother Stewards that our labour has been entirely a labour of love ; that we are working and have been working for those whom we do love , and for those whom we shall continue for a long time to love . ( Cheers . ) Poetry says :
" The best charms of nature improve When we see them reflected in looks that we love . " That is the best panegyric that could be passed upon the work of myself and my brother Stewards to-day . ( Cheers . ) The WORSHIPFUL MASTER : The next toast is one that embraces such a wide field that on the present occasion I shall confine my remarks to one important section , viz ., "The Newspaper Press . " You will observe that the toast has
been put as "The Press . " That is too wide to travel over , and therefore I would desire to confine myself simply to one section , viz ., the newspaper press of this country . I am sure I may confidently claim your attention to this subject because it is one of the utmost importance , whilst I briefl y state a few words concerning the work it does for us . We all know that the newspaper press of this country is , comparatively speaking , of modern origin , but to such
importance has it grown that we may now look upon it as the fourth estate of the realm . The services it renders in supplying information , whether of a civil , military , commercial , or judicial character affecting things in our own country , or whether we look upon the work which it does in supplying us with news from other parts of the world , we feel that we are indebted to the press not only for a great deal of information , but also because that uoon
the information so communicated future action is often taken . In giving us these accounts of different events in various parts of the world , it makes us fee ! that we are members of one body , and that the observation is perfectly true that " where one member suffers , all members suffer with it , " and is not only of personal , but of universal application . Without the press what a blank should we not feel as regards the events that are going
on in other countries . Take up the newspapers of to-day and see their full reports of everything which is happening in other countries as well as in our own . I am sure wemust all feel that to the newspaper press we owe a debt of deep gratitude . It does much to break down the isolation which is the bane of countries as well as individuals . We know that it also has an important function not only in giving information tending to form our opinions , but it also tends