The Alfred Newton Lodge At The Mansion House.

The Alfred Newton Lodge at the Mansion House .

r lHHE series of Masonic functions at the Mansion House , I which culminated in the meeting of the Alfred Newton Lodge on the 13 th October , was begun bv Lord Mavor Truscott in 1880 . In April of that year , he was invested as Junior Grand Warden , and he signalised his appointment in

the Craft and his occupancy of the civic chair by not onlv inviting the Most Worshipful Grand Master , the Prince of Wales , to a banquet , but by extending his invitation to upwards of three hundred distinguished brethren in London and the Provinces , including all the members of the Grand

Masters Lodge , No . t , of which he was in that year the Master for the second time . His example was followed in 1882 by the then Lord Mayor , R . W . Bro . Sir " = J . » Wh ' ittaker

TIIK OLD HALL liOO . M . inula I ' rmMli- . (• YUHU / I )

Ellis , who also invited the members of Xo . i Lodge and many distinguished Freemasons . In 188 4 , that popular and genial city magnate , the late Sir Robert Fowler , M . P ., followed suit , and he , too , was supported by a number of Grand Officers no ¦ less distinguished , amongst them Earl Amherst ( then Viscount Hohnesdale ) , Sir Francis Burdett , Sir Michael

Hicks-Beach , each of whom were Provincial Grand Masters . Lord Mayor Staples followed the precedent thus set in 1886 , but it was not until 1890 that a Lodge was summoned to meet in the historic building . In that year Lord Mayor Isaacs was W . M . of the Drury Lane Lodge , and the banquet on that occasion was preceded by the regular Lodge business . Sir Horatio Davis , who was Lord Mavor in 1 X 08 ,

also extended the hospitality of the Mansion House to his brethren , and a great gathering of Masons took place during his year of office . But it was left to the present occupant of the civic chair , Sir Alfred Newton , to make the circle of his masonic duties

complete , by not only inviting the members of the lodge which bears his name , together with a large number of Grand Officers , to partake of his hospitality , but to offer facilities for the holding of a lodge , at which candidates were initiated and the full lodge business gone through . The chair of the Alfred Newton Lodge is this year occupied by the Lord Mayor ' s son , Bro . Harry Kottingham Newton , M . A ., D . L ., who was the first initiate of the lodge , and under a dispensation

from the Most Worship ful Grand Master the meeting was held in the old Ball Room , and , besides the Worshipful Master , there were present : —Bro . A ; J . Naughton , the I . P . M ., and Bros . D . F . Norrington , S . W ., Arthur Stubb , J . W ., and the other officers . Three candidates presented themselves for initiation , viz .: Messrs . F . Newton Husbands , R . J . Renter , and

A . B . V . Tail ' s , and it is only just lo say that the Worshipful Master performed the ceremony in a manner which called forth the commendation of the Grand Officers and all who were privileged to be present . The-banquet was served hi the Egyptian Hall and the usual toasts were proposed and duly honored—those of the ' ' Oueen and the Craft , " and of the " Prince of Wales , " being ,