Installation Meeting Of The Drury Lane Lodge, No. 2127.

and impressive ceremony rendered in the most faultless and perfect manner , and Bro . Neville may be safely trusted to maintain the traditions and high standard of this famous lodge . At the banquet which followed , the Worshipful Alaster , in proposing the toasts , was commendably brief , but none

the less effective . The toast of " The King , Protector of the Order , " was enthusiastically received and , as might be expected , the singing of the National Anthem was most effective . The toast of " The Grand Officers " was responded to by

Bro . Sir Henry Isaacs , P . G . W . and a Past Master of the lodge , in his best vein of humor . He concluded by saying that he was proud to be a member of Grand Lodge , and it was . a pleasure to be attached to a body of legislators when those for whom they legislated did not grumble and

find fault . Bro . Barlow , Grand Treasurer , and Bro . James Fernandez , P . A . G . D . C , also responded .

In proposing the toast of " The Charities , " the Worshipful Master remarked that if any brother wished more fully to know the work

of the Craft , he knew of no better way than by a visit to one of their Institutions . They would all remain as corner '

stones to the good work fulfilled by the united efforts of the Craft , and when they were all " no more" he trusted the

good work- would still be carried on . The toast was acknowledged by Bro . J . M . AIcLeod , Secretary

of the Royal Alasonic Institution for Boys , who paid a tribute to the charitable instincts displayed by the new

Worshipful Alaster , and trusted he would continue in the career of good work he had started on . Although more

particularly interested in one Institution , he was ready to plead the cause of the others , and in view of the approaching Festival of the

Benevolent Institution , he appealed to their generosity on behalf of that fund in order that old and distressed Alasons might go to their graves blessing the clay when they entered the Craft . Bro . J . H . Barnes , as acting I . P . M ., proposed the toast of " The Worshipful Alaster . " He said that had they more

time he could spend a lot of it in eulogising Bro . Neville . He ( the speaker ) well remembered the pride and joy he felt when two years ago he sat in that chair . He remembered the additional pleasure he felt in being elected Master of that lodge . Therefore he could easily understand the feelings

of anybody else in the same position . They were nothing in that lodge if they did not have a human moment ; and they had a very human moment that night . They had in their P . M . —their good old friend , Bro . Henry Neville—one who had initiated their present Alaster—and who had been

present at a previous initiation long before . He thought they would all understand that under those circumstances there were two very happy hearts that night . A loving ,

BRO . A . G . NEVILLE .

lovable son of a loving , lovable father , was presiding over them for the ensuing year , and he ( the speaker ) wished him long life , health , and happiness to enjoy it and many years after . He was not going to wish him a successful year of office , because that would be to write themselves down idiots . They in Drury Lane Lodge knew a good thing when they

saw it , and that he would have a successful year the members themselves could vouch for . He wished him a happy year of office ; a successful one was absolutely ensured . The Worshipful Alaster , in response , thanked the brethren in hearty terms for the way they had received the

toast , and Bro . Barnes for the kind way he had proposed it . At the time when he was initiated by his father—and he was a perfect Worshipful Alaster—it seemed to him that embodied in the Order was a religion ; that there was a power in that religion , in that simple faith to work for all good ; and this

was what commended Alasonry so strongly to him . It was a proud position to occupy the chair in that lodge , and he could assure them that he would endeavour to do his work

so as to merit their approbation . The Worshipful Alaster then gave " The I . P . M . and Past Alasters , "

and in referring to Bro . Lablache ' s illness said there was every reason to believe that he would soon be with them again .

He coupled with the toast the names of Bros . Henry Neville , Oscar Barrett , Harry Nicholls Gerald , Maxwell , and J .

H . Barnes . Bro . Neville , in a moving speech , said he felt bound to make somewhat of a paternal

response , for he certainly felt so happy that words failed to express the gratification of his heart . When the present

Worshipful Alaster was quite a little " lewis , " he was very desirous of becoming a Mason , and as soon as he came of age he was

initiated in his father ' s dear old lodge—Drury Lane . He could assure the brethren that it gave him great delight to see his son occupying the chair which would lead

him to the distinction of having his name placed with those of such an illustrious character on the banner of the lodge given for that purpose . Everything in his life had been good , it had been a perfectly honourable , upright , and blameless life , a life without a lie , cheat , or fraud of any kind ,

and that in his ( the speaker ' s ) opinion should be the sort of man to be a Alason . To the toast of "The Visitors , " Bro . Manuel , Preceptor of the Logic Club of Instruction , replied , and he said that the Drury Lane Installation was one of the happiest times

that visitors had in their experience . They had only to look at the memories , the associations , and history that clustered round its name , to know that it had much to commend it to their consideration . Bro . Barnes and Bro . Maxwell also replied .

Other toasts followed , and the brethren whose professional engagements permitted them to remain , spent the remainder of the evening listening to some excellent music rendered by members of the lodge and others .