Craft Masonry.

E . Chapman , W . M . 2190 ; James Percy Fitzgerald , I . P . M . 216 S ; H . Massey , P . M . 619 , P . M . and Treas . 1928 ; Robert D . Cummings , P . M . 216 S ; J . D . Graham , I . P . M . i . S 59 '» Wm . Haml ' yn , P . M . 1622 ; VV . Truman , 597 ; W . Melrose ; C Thompson , 1446 ; and R . Andrews

Medina Lodge . Bro . Austin , the Tyler of the lodge , was also in his place , and was unremitting in his attention . The ladies' banquet Committee were Bros . W . J . Forrest , P . M . ; F . T . Edginton , P . M . ; W . B . Fendick , P . M . and Treas . ; VV . Englefield , P . M . ; R . A . Kirkaldy ,

P . M . ; H . Eslinsr , I . P . M . ; J . H . Price , W . M . ; F . G . Potter , S . W . j W . G . Kent , J . W . ; VV . J . Harris , S . D . ; G . E . Grimes , J . D . j A . A . Barnes , I . G . ; J . Wheatcroft , Stwd . ; W . O . Welsford , A . D . C ; E . L . Berry , and J . H . Moggeridge ; and the ladies' Stewards were Bros . W . B . Fendick , P . M . and Treas . ; R . A . Kirkaldy , P . M . ; J . Wheatcroft , Stwd . ; H . Matthews , E . L . Berry , and J . H . Moggeridge .

All the arrangements were perfect , and reflected the greatest credit on all engaged in making them . The music was performed by Mr . G . A . Turner , Mr . VV . J . Harris , Madame Merton Clark , Mr . VV . Sergeant Lee , M . A . ; Mr . E . L . Berry , Madame Albu , Mr . Arthur Fry , and others . The dinner was beautifully placed on the table by Bros . Pearce and Son , and the VV . M . provided a lovely selection of bouquets for the ladies .

The bouquets and floral decorations were supplied by Messrs . Wills and Segar , of South Kensington . After the banquet the toasts were honoured . The W . M ., in giving the first toast , " The Queen and the Craft , " said all the company knew that the Queen was the daughter of a Princely Mason , she was the mother of a Princely Mason , and the grandmother of a Princely Mason .

To the ladies , he said , the brethren wished them to know that as a woman they honoured the Queen , and as a Sovereign they delighted in her . In giving the toast of "The Prince and Princess of Wales , and the other Members of the Royal Family , " the VV . M . said the Masons generally honoured the Prince of

Wales in another way when they were alone . The Prince was the G . M . of the famous Order , and they honoured him as such , and as the heir apparent to the English throne . They honoured his wife as one of the most amiable and popular ladies in the land , and they honoured the Royal family for the sake of their Oueen .

Bro . Eshng , I . P . M ., in proposing "The Health of the W . M ., " said he was sure it needed no words of his to express the amount of work the W . M . had to take in hand , or had taken in hand , and the able manner in which he had handled it , to bring that meeting to such a successful issue as it had proved . The W . M ., he was given to understand , had managed the whole of the matter

himself ; he was the motor , the promoter , and the Treasurer of the gathering ; and therefore the brethren and ladies would agree with him that the W . M . was deserving of all credit for the way he had brought the company together , the hospitable board he had put before them , and the happiness in which he had caused the ladies and brethren to meet . The W . M . had just whispered in his

ear that that was the first of those meetings in the Emblematic Lodge , and that he hoped it would be the beginning of a series . Whoever followed in Bro . Price ' s footsteps , if they would only bring as many ladies and brethren together as Bro . Price had brought that night , would be sure of a most successful year . The Worshipful Master , in reply , said : Ladies and

Brethren , I thank you very sincerely . Bro . Esling said no doubt the W . M . intended to save time in making so short a speech , but the brethren did not feel disposed to let him off so easily as that . The Worshipful Master said he should have an opportunity of speaking more at length presently ; but he quite expressed

the feelings of _ his heart when he said he thanked the brethren very sincerely . The brethren and ladies then retired to the drawing room for tea and coffee , on the understanding that they were to return after a short interval for the remainder of the toasts and music . On their return ,

1 he Worshipful Master said : I have now to submit to you the toast of the evening— "The Ladies . " Now , brethren , my opportunity is coining . I refrained from speaking to you some time ago , but I am now going to speak to you . VVe are honoured for the first time in the history of this lodge with the presence of ladies , and , although there has been some little diffidence in the minds

and hearts of some of our dear brethren whom we have the greatest respect for , I am sure they will cave in to-night , and say it is the right thing . I ask you to submit like men , and say we have done the right thing to-night . I am sure you will admit that we have onl y begun what we hope to continue . I am confident that whoever follows me in the position I hold in this lodge during the present year it will

be my great pleasure to support them as the brethren have supported me on this occasion . My Immediate Past Master rather over-estimated what I have done in this matter . It is true to some extent that it has been a oneman business , but I have been very valuably assisted by the brethren of the lodge j several of the Past Masters have given me invaluable assistance . You can

understand a thing of this kind cannot be arranged by one man who has other things to attend to ,-but they have asssisted me , and I am happy to say that the affair has reached the summit of my ambition . We had only this room to fill , and we filled it . Our Bro . Pearce , whom I am glad to see here , did not offer to take the walls out , and we have packed the room as closely as it was comfortable to pack it , and we must apologise to the ladies for

not giving them more room . VVe are delighted to welcome you , ladies , in this Emblematic Lodge . I , as the Master , and in the name of the lodge I say " God bless you . " We are glad to see you here to-night . We are not permitted to tell you those little secrets we have . But there is just something ! would tell you , and that is that we are taught by our beautiful ritual in Freemasonry that the Almighty , as His last best gift to man , created woman .

" Under His forming hands a creature grew , Man-like , but different sex j so lovely fair , That what seemed fair in all the world , seem'd now Mean , or in her summ'd up , in her contained . * * * * * On she came , Led by her Heavenly Maker , though unseen ,

Craft Masonry.

And guided by His voice . * * * * * * * * * Adorn'd With what all earth or heaven could bestow To make her amiable . * * * Grace was in all her steps , heaven in her eye , In every gesture dignity and love . Now , ladies , this is pure andsimple as 1 giveit you , word for

word , in the very beautiful ritual of Freemasonry , and you see , although I am afraid some of you have not given us the credit of having the adoration for you that we really have , we are taught—the very tenets of the Craft teach us —and if I dared tell you more , I could convince you , surely , that no Mason who fulfilled the vows he undertakes when he is made a Mason , could be a bad husband , a bad father ,

a bad son , or a bad citizen . If we are bad , ladies , it is not what we are taught in Freemasonry , and I am hound on this occasion to disavow that this is Freemasonry . It has occurred to me , ladies , that we should convey to our wives and our sweethearts , that we , in Freemasonry , are taught to love and adore them j we are taught that they were given to us as God ' s best gifts . Ladies , as such we esteem you ,

and I am speaking the feeling of every true Mason present when I say that , whatever you may think of our secrets , it is not possible that we can have you in the lodge , but I hope this evening we have inaugurated an annual meeting where we shall all welcome our wives , our sweethearts , and those we love and honour and are dear to us . As long as I am associated with this lodge I shall use every effort to stand

by the brethren who stand by us . I see by the Senior warden smiling that this thing is good for another year . Our Bro . Potter is really a ladies' man , and he told me tonight that he should repeat the occasion . I do not know whether he will , to-night , give you an invitation for next year , but I know he feels we have done the right thing . Bro . Wartenberg , in reply , said he believed the W . M .

had inaugurated that evening a millennium that would lead to the good of Freemasonry in general and the love which the ladies ought to show to that Fraternity . He believed the ladies owed more to Freemasonry than to anything else . The main objects Freemasonry had in view were those of brotherly love , relief , and truth , and all the virtues that could be inculcated in human nature . The ladies were the

very first to aid those things , and the more they asked the ladies to assist in Masonic meetings , and the more they taught them what they did and what they knew , the better it would be for Masons . That was the first meeting of Freemasons with ladies present that he had attended , and he hoped London and provincial lodges would take it up . Bro . Lawson , P . M . 913 , who ' was also called on by the

W . M ., said during the past 10 years or so he had proposed and responded to many toasts , but never on any occasion had he approached a toast with the same diffidence as the present one . When he approached the Bridge House Hotel , what struck him was the extreme care the Master and officers had taken for the pleasure of the ladies—firstly by supplying beautiful flowers , secondly by the right royal

banquet , and lastly by the excellent words of the W . M . Consequently his task was comparatively easy , inasmuch as the ladies must have felt that the Emblematic Lodge had taken the right step , and that success was indeed assured . He felt he was uttering what was in the heart of every lady present when he expressed their hearty appreciation and sympathy with the VV . M . on that initial step he had taken .

During the short adjournment , several ladies had mentioned to him how they had enjoyed themselves , and they hoped to partake of the lodge ' s hospitality again . The Worshipful Master next proposed " The P . M . ' s and Officers , " thanking them for their great assistance . Bro . Potter , S . VV ., in reply , said he had been delighted with the meeting , and if he had the honour of being elected

to the chair the VV . M . now so well filled , he should like to have a night such as they were now spending . He feared he should not have so successful an evening , because the W . M . was essentially a ladies' man . To the ladies he said he hoped the brethren would have the pleasure of meeting them again within the year .

The Worshipful Master next thanked Bro . Berry for his exertions . Bro . Berry had been a positive slave , working for everybody ' s comfort but his own . He also thanked the ladies and brethren who had so kindly entertained the company by their vocal and instrumental performances . The Tyler ' s toast closed the proceedings .

Royal Arthur Lodge ( No . 1360 ) . —At the usual bi-monthly meeting of this lodge , held at the Prince of Wales Hotel , Wimbledon , on Wednesday , the 21 st inst ., Bro . J . Hoey , VV . M ., presented Bro . John O'Connell , P . M ., P . G . O . Surrey , with a massive embossed and engraved silver salver , on which was inscribed the following : "With fraternal regards from Bro . J . Hoey , P . M ., VV . M .

Royal Arthur Lodge , to Bro . P . M . John O'Connell , P . G . O ., as a token of esteem , and in remembrance of his eminent service as Installing Master , at Wimbledon , March , 1 S 90 . " Bro . O'Connell was installed VV . M . of his mother lodge—the Ewell—on the 24 th inst ., at the Sun Hotel , Kingston-on-Thames , the ceremony being skilfully and impressively rendered in a full lodge by his predecessor in the chair , Bro . H . H . Room , Provincial Grand Secretary Middlesex .

Barnato Lodge ( No . 2265 ) . —A regular meeting of this flourishing young lodge was held at the Cock Tavern , Highbury Station , on Monday , the 19 th inst . In the unavoidable absence of the W . M ., Bro . M . J . Jessop , Bro . C . F . Hogard , P . G . Std . Br ., took the chair , and was supported by Bros . T . Honey , P . M . 1017 , as S . W . j E . J . Acworth , P . M ., as J . W . j J . Joel , Treas . j and M . De

Leeuw , Sec . Amongst others present were Bros . A . Levy , D . of C . ; Wright , Org . ; I . B . Joel , I . G . ; J . H . Gluckstein , Stwd . ; Whiteway , R . Baker , P . M . iSS ; J . Bamberger , S . Abraham , H . Lewis , H . Warner , G . Harwood , H . I . Barnato , R . Warner , and others . Visitors : Bros . G . Toff , 917 ; W . Beard , P . M . 101 ; I . Myers , iSS ; Curtis D'Alton , R . M . Coffin , L . M . Myers , P . M . 1017 ; VV . VV . Morgan , P . M . 211 ; J . L . Mather , P . A . G . D . C ; and

F . Binckes , P . G . S . B . After preliminaries had been fully observed , Bros . Harry J . Lewis and Solomon Abraham were passed , and Bros . Whiteway and Polak were raised . Bro . Hogard conducted the ceremonies with his usual impressiveness and gave the traditional history in the Third Degree . Bro . M . J . Jessop having now arrived took the chair and Bro . E . J . Acworth , P . M . 1612 , & c , was elected W . M . for the ensuing year j

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Bro . Joel , the Treas ., was unanimously re-elected Treas ., and Bro . Walkley re-elected Tyler . Bros . H . 1 . Barnato and T . Honey were elected members of the General Purposes Committee . The President , Bro . R . Baker , and Vice-President , Bro . H . I . Barnato , of the Benevolent Fund were reappointed , while Bros . T . Honey , Hugo Warner , L . Kool , and Gluckstein were elected members in accordance

with the by-laws . Amongst other matters of business transacted was an arrangement to make a slight change in the wording of some of the by-laws , by which the meeting in the month of September will be held in October . Bro . De Leeuw intimated that he had undertaken to serve as a Steward at the next Festival of the Boys' School , and the lodge agreed to head his list with a grant of ten guineas .

On the proposition of Bro . C . F . Hogard , acting I . P . M ., the Past Master ' s jewel ofthe lodge was unanimously accorded to Bro . M . J . Jessop in slight recognition of his valued services , both as a founder and first Secretary , and as W . M . during the past year . Another gratifying feature of the evening was the recognition given by the brethren to the services rendered to the Craft by Bro . F ' rederick Binckes , P . G . S . B ., on whom was conferred the dignity of honorary

membership of the lodge as a testimony of the members to his long and faithful services as Secretary of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys during a period of nearly 30 years . A similar compliment was also paid to Bro . J . Lawrence Mather , P . A . G . D . C . At the banquet which followed , the usual loyal and complimentary toasts were given . Bros . Curtis D'Alton , J . Honey , and others contributed to the harmony of the evening .

Duke Of Fife Lodge ( No . 2345 ) . —The second regular meeting of this lodge was held on Wednesday , the 21 st inst ., at the Alexandra Hotel , Clapham Common , S . VV ., when there were present Bros . S . Cochrane , P . M ., I . P . M . 3 , W . M . j VV . W . Westley , P . M ., W . M . 13 S 1 , S . W . j J . Gilbert , acting J . W . j R . Steele , Treas . j C . Woods , Sec . j J . Andrews , S . D . j A . Harvey , J . D . j J .

Langdon , D . C . j E . Beaven , I . G . j J . Lyell , Stwd . j C Patrick , P . M ., Tyler j A . Robertson , T . Morris , G . Harrison , J . Mitchell , J . Balcombe , A . Caink , P . M . j H . Mitchell , E . A . Lavender , C . J . F . Shannaw , A . Lawrence , and Hadley . Visitors : Bros . R . Greenwood , P . M . 1641 , and F . Roberts , 1216 . The minutes of the last meeting were read and

confirmed , and Bros . Harrison , Hadley , Lavender , and Lawrence were passed . A vote of sympathy with Bro . Folkard , J . W ., in his sickness was unanimously passed . A hearty vote of thanks was recorded to Bro . Cochrane , VV . M ., for a Bible , tu-o . Robertson , for a Tyler ' s sword , and Bro . Poole , the ashlars , which each had so kindly presented to the lodge . A similar vote of thanks was given to

the officers for presenting the collars and jewels of their respective offices to the lodge . The Secretary read the bylaws as amended by the Grand Secretary , and these bylaws , as amended , were unanimously adopted by the lodge . Apologies for unavoidable absence were received from Bros . G . Everett , I . P . M ., and Winny , Org ., both of whom were away from home . Bro . Roberts , 1216 , was proposed as a

joining member , and a candidate was proposed for initiation at the next meeting . After the brethren had partaken of a substantial repast , the VV . M . proposed "The Queen and theCraft . " Hesaid all Englishmen were loyal , and particularly showed their loyalty on that day ( 21 st May ) , but Masons excelled all others in their loyalty .

The Worshipful Master proposed " H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., " and " The Grand Officers , " which were enthusiastically received . Bro . Caink , P . M ., in proposing "The VV . M ., Bro . Cochrane , " said that he had known him from the time he

first became a Mason , and he could only say how much he congratulated the lodge on having such a good W . M ., one who could not be surpassed by any one who could hold the office . He only hoped that the Duke of Fife Lodge would never get a worse Master , for then they would be extremely fortunate .

In response , the Worshipful Master thanked Bro . Caink for the very kind words he had spoken . True , the lodge was new , and there might be some rough corners to wear off , and some shortcomings , but they would soon be remedied . He wanted that to be one of the very best lodges in London , and would do all in his power to bring it to that position .

In proposing The Visitors , " the Worshipful Master heartily greeted them to the lodge . They had Bro . Greenwood , P . M . 1641 , who had done good work in Freemasonry , and Bro . Roberts , 1216 , who would , he was glad to say , soon be one of themselves . They should be always glad to see visitors present , and trusted always to see some . Bro . R . Greenwood , P . M . 1641 , said that he had been

anticipating that some more prominent brother might respond for that toast , for he knew there were many such resident in the neighbourhood . He , however , had been incited by Bro . Andrew ' s recitation to " do his duty , " and he would . It gave him very great pleasure to be present that evening . He was very intimately connected with the Secretary , and had watched the formation of the lodge with

great interest . There certainly was no apology needed for the working of the lodge . It was admirable , and all should be congratulated for the way in which they had performed their duties . It augured well for the lodge that the brethren should give up time to systematically attend a lodge of instruction . He was particularly impressed by the easy style of the W . M . Not knowing his profession , he could only

say that , if he were a doctor , he proceeded in the same quiet way as if he were amputating a leg ,- if he were a barrister , as if conducting a good case . The S . VV ., Bro . Westley , had already made his mark in Freemasonry in South London . The J . W . pro tem . did equally well . The S . D . was known all over South London j and so on with the

rest of the officers . The Secretary was a man who attended to details . Although not very old in Freemasonry , the speaker had often consulted him in Masonic matters , and obtained sound advice . The Treasurer had shown that evening that he carefully attended to the pecuniary interests of the lodge . That was his first visit , but he sincerely trusted that it would not be the last .

Bro . Roberts , 1216 , said that Bro . Greenwood had said all he would have said , and he would be satisfied in thanking them , and saying how glad he was that he should soon be a member of the lodge . The Worshipful Master next proposed "The Officers , " eulogising them for their capable and earnest working . It