History Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement, No. 256.——(Continued).

History of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , No . 256 . ——( Continued ) .

( By Bro . HENRY SADLER , Sub-Librarian to the Grand Lodge of England ) .

• j OQK The opening of the year 18 95 witnessed several important changes in the executive of the Lodge . At a numerously attended meeting on the 4 th of January , 58 members and visitors being present , Bro . R . Clay Sucllow announced Bro . Thomas Fenn ' s resignation of the office of Treasurer , and alluded to the immense services that

distinguished brother had rendered this Lodge during a period of nearly 3 8 years . Time would not allow him to enumerate those services , nor was it necessary that he should do so , but he was sure every member of the Lodge would realize the loss it had sustained . It followed , as a matter of

v . v . . UEACH , M . P ., PROV . GIIAND MASTER FOR HANTS AXfi ISLE OF WIGHT , Chairman of the 3 u' * lieal hi 1 S 1 W . course , that it was necessary to appoint a successor to Bro . Fenn in the office of Treasurer , and he ( Bro . Sudlow )

felt happy in being able to announce that another very distinguished brother , well known to most Freemasons , the V . W . Bro . Edward Letchworth , Grand Secretary , had signified his willingness to accept the office . It gave him , therefore , now great pleasure to propose that brother for

the Treasurership . Bro . F . T . Rushton seconded the proposition , which was formally put to the Lodge and carried by acclamation . Bro . Francis R . Spaull being in indifferent health retired from the Committee of General Purposes , and was

succeeded thereon by Bro . William G . Kentish , who relinquished the office of Secretary after seven years' service , and Bro . Joseph Russell , P . G . Steward , P . M . of the British Lodge , No . 8 , was elected in his place . On the nth of January Bro . Sudlow gave notice that at the next meeting of

the Lodge he should move " that a sum not exceeding Ten Pounds be voted from the Funds of the Lodge to defray the cost of a suitable Address to be presented to the V . W . Bro . Thomas Fenn , Past President of the Board of General Purposes , as an expression of the high esteem in which he is held by the members and of their appreciation of the

valuable services rendered by him to the Lodge . " This motion was unanimously agreed to on the 18 th of January . The Annual Festival was held on the 22 nd of February , W . Bro . R . Clay Sucllow in the chair of W . M . ; W . Bro . Frederick T . Rushton , P . G . Steward , acting as I . P . M . ; and Bros . W . H . Kirby and W . P . Fuller sat as Wardens .

The First Lecture was worked as follows : 1 st Section by Bro . M . B . Evans , S . D . 8 ; 2 nd Section by Bro . D . D . West , W . M . No . 108 ; 3 rd Section by Bro . E . P . Debenham , P . M . No . 1479 , P . P . G . Reg . Herts ( in place of Bro . H . S . Wellcome , P . M . No . 3 and W . M . No . 2397 absent through

, , illness ) ; 4 th Section by Bro . S . G . Budd , S . W . No . 1 S 1 S ; 5 th Section by Bro . W . H . Kirby , P . M ., Sec . No . 1965 ; 6 th Section by Bro . Charles Lewis , S . W . No . 2508 ; and the 7 th Section by Bro . J . C . Mortimer , No . 889 . All the work was excellently performed .

Bro . Viscount Dungarvan proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the working brethren . He said he had long taken a great interest in Freemasonry , but that night he had for the first time experienced what the charms of Masonry really were . Bro . C . E . Keyser seconded the motion , remarking that

though all the brethren present were workers in the Craft they had had an especial treat that night , and that they would go away with a better knowledge of the work than they had before .

Bro . R Clay Sudlow acknowledged the compliment , and said it had been a matter of anxiety to the working brethren to maintain the prestige of the Lodge for correct working . For himself he must say he was very grateful to them . The lodge was then closed , and the brethren adjourned to supper , under the presidency of Viscount Dungarvan

Prov . G . Alaster for Somerset . As usual the meeting was largely attended , and resulted in the acquisition of about fifty new members . In proposing the toast of " The Emulation Lodge of Improvement , " the Chairman said it would be presumptuous in such a Mason as he was to dwell on the

Masonic history of those he saw around him ; but at the same time he might say he had learned , perhaps not so long ago , that which most of the brethren knew , that for more than 70 years the Emulation Lodge of Improvement had expounded

to the Freemasons of England the true ritual of Freemasonry . Nothing was perfect under the sun ; but as nearly perfect as mortals possibly could be were those brethren who had performed the work that night . They had achieved a great success . He knew that the Emulation Lodge of Improvement was very liberal to the Charities , as doubtless next week would

find . But apart from that , that Lodge was one whose fame , when he mentioned the names of Bros . Peter Gilkes , Stephen Barton Wilson , Charles Murton , A . A . Richards , Thomas Fenn , and last but not least , Bro . Sudlow , would be handed clown from generation to generation , and he was sure they

would accord the toast a hearty welcome . They had had that evening food of two kinds—food for the mind and food for the body , and both foods had been of the very best , and he asked the brethren to give the toast a most hearty welcome .

Bro . R . Clay Sudlow , in responding to the toast , adverted at considerable length to the recent changes in the executive of the Lodge , paying a high tribute to those brethren who had retired from the positions they had held for so many years , and concluded by saying : " He understood that some disappointment was caused to their Provincial Brethren last

year because he made no reference to them when speaking of the influence exerted by that Lodge . It was a fact that the Emulation system was being rapidly adopted by the