At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar

of about 1800 ; a silver snuff-box presented to the lodge by Lord George Bentinck when J . W . in 18 43 ; a line old Book of Constitutions dating back to the close of the eighteenth century ; the banquet ticket issued for the centenary celebration of No . 88 in 1854 , and a number of other valued possessions of the lodge . <© <© o

Shortly after half-past five the brethren repaired to Great St . Mary ' s Church , where a special service was conducted . A large number of ladies had previously assembled and helped to swell the congregation , which otherwise would have been limited almost entirely to members of the Order . The brethren wore their full regalia . The sermon was

preached by the Rev . Carey Crump , and in the course of his remarks the Rev . brother gave some interesting particulars of the lodge history .

o < j > © " Originally constituted in London on 29 th March , 1754 , the ' Scientific' Lodge was removed to Cambridge seven years afterwards , and has ever since been honourably associated with the annals of this centre of intellectual light

and learning . Doubtless the lodge has from time to time experienced fluctuations and vicissitudes ; but we may be rightly proud of its almost unbroken records and its long roll of Masters and officers . Most of these have long ago been received into the cold bosom of the grave . Their doings for

the most part belong to the dusty past of libraries and bookworms . But , I ask , have they therefore no claims on the practical living , thinking , high-pressure-working members of to-day ? Are we to just leave the dead past to bury its dead ?

Must we regretfully admit that there is neither good nor force , hope nor inspiration to be derived from it ? Far from it brethren ! Such an idea were alien to the spirit of our ancient Institution . And the present has need of such a stimulus . To-day , as we lay the record of another 50 years beside that of its preceding century , there is scope for the

animating power of the past . Those marauding Moabites are no strangers to us . They have their counterparts in the carking cares and ceaseless struggles of daily life . They keep us in a condition of constant anxiety and chronic restlessness . Oftimes they rob us of peace and press us sorely .

Shall we not then gladly welcome that inspiration which the past history of our lodge can furnish ? For its members it has been the embodiment of those grand principles which underlie our Craft . "

«© < s > ¦© The " Ladies' Night" of the Gallery Lodge , No . 1928 , was held last month at the Criterion , Piccadilly . The Gallery Lodge is the only press lodge in the Craft . The W . M ., Bro . Henry Lewis Bell , presided , and presented to Mrs . George

Robbins , wife of the Immediate Past Master , a handsome watch-bracelet in recognition of the great services rendered to the lodge by Bro . Robbins as W . M . during the past year . About no of the brethren , with ladies and visitors , were present at the banquet , which was followed by an excellent musical entertainment .

© * < s > The Ahlershot News , apropos of the laying of the foundation stone of the Soldiers' Institute by Sir Augustus Webster , thus describes the popular Provincial Grand Master of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight . He is just a few days

over 40 years of age . He is the eighth baronet , and he succeeded his father in 1886 . Two years before that he was lieutenant in the 2 nd Battalion Grenadier Guards , and subsequently he retired as captain . Sir Augustus is a handsome man , with an olive complexion and close curling hair , tinged with grey . He has a rich , deep voice , and a most dignified and impressive way of performing the Masonic ritual .

The Masonic banquet given on the 29 th March to Bro . Sir Henry Thoby Prinsep , retiring Grand Master of Bengal , was a fitting tribute to greet personal worth , administrative excellence , and unbounded tact in the government of the

lodges in Bengal , which he leaves in an exceedingly prosperous condition after over a quarter of a century ' s rule . © <©> o The District Grand Master was supported on his right by Lord Kitchener , District Grand Master of the Punjab ,

and on his left by Wor . Bro . Cruikshank , on whose left sat Mr . Justice Burkitt who had journeyed all the way from Allahabad .

o © © Bro . Cruikshank , in proposing "The Health of the District Grand Master , " remarked that in order to understand and appreciate the value of R . W . Bro . Prinsep ' s services to Masonry in Bengal , it was necessary that they should have

some knowledge of the extent and nature of the work that he had clone , the difficulties he had encountered and overcome , and the splendid success that had crowned his labours . With regard to the extent of the work , he would remind them that for the last 26 years R . W . Bro . Prinsep had

administered the affairs of the District Grand Lodge of Bengal with hardly a break in the continuity of his administration . In the years 1878 and 18 97 , when he did not hold the actual position of District Grand Master , he ruled the district for a great part of the time as Deputy District Grand

Master . But , as many of them knew , the work of the present District Grand Master had not begun and ended with the rule of the District Lodge only . Bro . Prinsep had been a member of seven lodges in the district , two of which he founded—that he had filled the Eastern chair of three of

them , in one instance no less than four times . In the Royal Arch Degree Bro . Prinsep had held the office of Grand Superintendent almost contemporaneously with that of the District Grand Mastership , and he had filled the First Principal ' s chair in two chapters of the Order .

© <©> © After giving in detail an account of the many and great services rendered to Freemasonry in India by Bro . Prinsep , Bro . Cruikshank said that Sir Henry Thoby Prinsep was not only the foremost Mason in Bengal , but he was also an

honoured servant of the Crown and a distinguished citizen of Calcutta . His career in the public service had been characterised by rapid promotion culminating in the high appointment which he adorned , and from which he was now about to retire . His public services had been acknowledged

by the honour of knighthood , which was conferred upon him in 18 94 , and by the Order of Knight Companion of the Indian Empire , which had been conferred upon him quite recently , while the estimation in which he was held by the Government , by the bench , the bar , society generally , had been manifested to him in various ways .

© © © In the . course of an exhaustive speech covering much ground of Masonic interest , Bro . Prinsep dwelt on what he considered the peculiar attractions of Freemasonry in that country . In other parts of the world , and especially

in highly-civilised places like England , Freemasonry was apt to be constituted by clubs or members of the same grade of society and of the same habits . In India it was otherwise . He himself could speak with the greatest satisfaction that from the earliest days when he became a Freemason

in i 860 to the present time , he had found the greatest satisfaction in meeting and knowing brethren who but for Freemasoury would not have been found even an object of interest and would be absolutely unknown . Even in India the essence of Freemasonry was that not only different classes but men of different creeds and colour could meet on terms of equality and friendship .

« 3 > © © " The Health of the District Grand Master of the Punjab " having been proposed , Lord Kitchener , in reply , paid a warm tribute of praise to Bro . Prinsep , and expressed a hope that some one would arise among them to carry on the principles of Masonry as worthily as he had done .