Untitled Article

cause of charity * to support an institution devoted to the education of the children of Freemasons—a proof that the country was not suffering from the effects of the war . To what , he would ask , were they indebted for that state of things ? They were indebted for it to the army and navy of Great Britain . It was to the martial glory of the former that they were indebted for their present flourishing condition , and it was the navy of England by which their commerce was protected and that of the enemy injured . He , therefore , hoped that they would now join with him in drinking " Success to the Army and Navy . " The toast having been received with great applause ,

Bro . Cooper , Prov . G . M . of Kent , said that the W . M . had intrusted him with the gavel , and he was quite sure they would agree with him that he was making a very good use of his temporary authority in proposing to them the " Health of the M . W . their Grand Master . " He knew that he was proposing to them the health of a Brother who had the good of Freemasonry at heart , and that he was speaking to an assembly of Brethren who felt grateful to those who , either in their own persons or in the persons of their ancestors , had conferred benefits upon the Order . ( Hear . ) In the chairman of the evening they had . not only the Earl

of Zetland , but the representative of a long line of his ancestors who had been distinguished as Masons ; for both his father and his grandfather had been Pro-Grand Masters of * England , ' and they all knew that his late Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex , who had the fullest confidence in theMasonic virtues of the present peer , nominated him to the same high office . He should not detain the Brethren further , but conclude by calling on them to drink the "Health of the Right Hon . the Earl of Zetland , the Chairman of the evening , and Most Worshipful Grand Master of England . " The toast having been most cordially responded to ,

The Earl of Zetland , M . W . G . M ., begged the Brethren to accept his grateful thanks for the kind manner in which they had received the toast of his health . It was with great satisfaction that he felt himself able to be present on that occasion , as he had very much feared that domestic affliction would have precluded him from that gratification , and he had actually sent his excuses to the Board of Stewards . Happily he found that circumstances had occurred to relieve him

from that difficulty , and he could only say that he was presiding most unexpectedly , for he had not been aware previously to his entering the house that his excellent friend and Brother , the Earl of Londesborongh , who was to have presided , had been obliged to absent himself on account of severe illness ( hear , hear ) ; and he had just received from that excellent Brother a letter , in which he stated that he was labouring under a severe attack of influenza . Under these circumstances , finding that the stewards wished him to undertake the office of chairman , he at once

complied with their desire , trusting that the Brethren , in their forbearance and kindness , would make every allowance for his want of preparation , and hoping that the charity might not suffer in any way from the change in the programme . Bro . Cooper had been kind enough to allude to the part which his ( Lord Zetland ' s ) ancestors , both father and grandfather , played in Masonry , and on that point he had to say that he felt it to be a great honour and a great satisfaction that his family should

have been so identified with the Craft . It had ever been his object since he first joined the Order to do everything in his power to carry out the noble and blessed principles of Masonry , and he thought he might say that owing to the kindness which he had received from his Brethren in every part of the kingdom , Masonry , but more especially the Masonic charities , had flourished since he had been called upon to fill the high office in the Order which he at present occupied . This

increasing prosperity was an earnest that the great objects which they had in view with repect to those charities would be fully carried out , and he had no doubt but that the result of the present festival would materially advance them . He would again thank them for the kindness with which they had received him , and in conclusion begged leave to drink all their very good healths . ( Great applause . ) The M . W . G . M . again rose and said , that he had now a toast to propose which could not but be gratifying to tlie Brethren . They were all well aware of tlie high Masonic merits of the Deputy Grand Master , the Earl of Yarborough ( hear , hear ) , and those of them who were connected with the management of the Boys' School knew how important were the services which he had rendered that