Grand Lodge Of Mark Masters Of England And Wales,

they would not have leisure to listen to the G . M . ' s oratory , but he might inform them that the G . M . had continued to the benefit of the Mark Degree at all times , and hy coming forward that evening and shewing nil the energy he professed , ho had displayed that energy especially . Drunk with cheers . The M . W . G . M . begged to thank the . D . G . M . and the company , and said it was with great pleasure he had presided on that

occasion , the first of its kind that had been held he believed in Masonry . The brethren of the Mark Degree had been accustomed to show people the way in Masonry , and he hoped they had led the way in introducing- ladies to the banquet table . As the G . M . was very dependent on his officers ; he would propose "Thehealth of the D . G . M ., who had done an immense deal for country Masonry as well ns for London . Sir E . Lechmere : As time was very short be would onlsay

y he thanked the company cordially . They had bad many good things put before thcm-ihat ni ght , but he thought the best things had been said by the ladies , and he hoped that on future occasions they might hear their voices in an oratorical as well as a musical sense . Bro . Hearuo proposed "The Grand Officers , " and the toast having been drunk-, Bro . John Udall responded . The W . M . G . M . proposed "The Grand Mark Benevolent

Fund . " The toast was drunk enthusiastically , and Bro . Binckes read a list of subscriptions amounting to about £ 80 . The M . W . G . M . proposed " The Ladies , " and referred to the legend of the lady who had hid herself in an eight-day clock in a Masonic lodge to obtain the secrets . The ladies had nowemerged from the clock and they told us that the dial of time , so far at any rate as regards Mark Masonry , pointed to the hour of

success . That was owing to their kind presence and support . They all knew that when onee a lady took up an object of affection she stuck to it with tbe greatest tenacity , and he hoped that the ladies having taken up the Benevolent Fund would stick to it , and that they would enlist not only ladies but gentlemen too in its favour . He hoped with Bro . Meggy that another time they would sit down more unanimous than they had that evening . Bro . Henly responded .

_ The M . W . G . M . proposed " The Stewards . " He begged particularly to mention the name of Bro . Rosenthal ! , Bro . Sabine , Bro . Meggy , and Bro . Binckes , and would call on the latter to reply . Bro . Binckes : R . AV . G . M ., Ladies and Brethren , —I rise to return thanks on behalf of a very small body of brethren who have greatly contributed to a gigantic failure—of course , sir , you will not take my words literally . Inmjust quoting what was

said would ho the case if a few sanguine Mark Masons banded themselves together for the purpose of inaugurating a festival for their benevolent fund , and the question was asked , bow would it answer ? I , for myself never had any doubt of its success . Friends , so called , chose to question the possibility of that success . Now , in rising to respond on behalf of a failure ( I am speaking now in a Pickwickian sense ) I must say that if ever a success was achieved under a first experimentthat success

, has been achieved by us to-night . I take no credit for myself ; I ask no credit for Bro . Meggy ; I ask no credit for those few brethren who arc-stewards this evening ; but we felt—a very few of us , that in the Mark degree there was an essential vitalitythat if we held ourselves out to inaugurate a festival of this kind we would make that festival a success . Well , sir , success has an abstract notion attached to it , and a relative comparison . If the

we compare number this evening with the numbers received at onr charity festivals and the results achieved there , it will be said by some that this is a failure . The Mark Degree numbers within itself a certain number of sincere , honest , able , earnest Masons , who are imbued I believe most honestly and sincerely with a thorough appreciation of the value of the degree with which they are associated , and who are determined with

honesty and without rivalry of any other degree , to make the merits of the Mark Degree known throughout the world . We have found there is one thing wanting- —we have had no Benevolent Fund . We have applied to our lodges ; we asked our lodges to consent to have their members , I do not like to say "taxed" —but to have their members consent to a small sum per cent , being put aside for the purpose of founding a fund out of which a Mark Mason in distress , his widow , or his children , could be properly relieved . So large a minority objected to that , that Grand Lodge in its discretion ( and I think perhaps wisely taking into consideration the magnitude of that

minority ) did not persist in the rule . We then made an attempt to get assistance ( without intending to make any reference to politics , I may say , ) by trying tbe voluntary system , and Grand Lodge out of its very great kindness voted a sum of £ 50 . That sum of £ 50 was the sole nucleus we had for our fund , and by the demands made upon it by little and little it has heen really exhausted . You remember , sir , occupying the

distinguished position you do , the observation I made in Grand Lodge at our last meeting . Those observations were not without their effect . This festival has been the first organised to see what the voluntary principle would do . And now , sir , I dare say , many may ask why could not £ 80 have been added to the fund of Grand Lodge of Mark Masons of England for the purpose of relieving our brethren in distress without assembling at a festival like this ? And this recalls to my mind

connected as I am with many of our great charities , an observation made by the late Duke of Newcastle , when I had an interview with him about taking the chair at one of them , — " How is it , Bro . Binckes , that these large amounts of assistance—more especially connected with Masonry—cannot be obtained unless a certain number of brethren with a certain number of ladies are brought together to consume a large amount of bad wine aud eat very had dinners ? " "Well" I said'Tour Graceit is

, , , this , I suppose ; the genius Anglicanus—if I may use the termruns in the direction of festivity . " Now , I am satisfied of this , that we hardly made an attempt to organize this fund by a specird appeal to our lodges , that having been refused ; we have succeeded when we have fallen back on the voluntary principle and endeavoured to enlist private contributions . We then found , to our great delight—and , when I say " our , " I mean , ladies and gentlemen , to include the gentleman who occupies the

distinguished position of our Worshipful Grand Master , and who has made this first attempt to assist our benevolent fund—that we having como here to-night , some 53 of both sexes—to my intense delight aud my intense satisfaction , and , I am sure , with the delight and satisfaction of my Brothers Meggy , Udall , and Rosenthal , who have also aided us—that we have , by au expenditure of 50 guineas , added £ 80 to our Benevolent Fund . Has our evening been expended in vain ? ( No , no . ) We have done this . We have brought together a large number of distinguished

Masons , with those of the softer sex attached to them by the nearest and dearest associations ; we have proved , I think , to the outer world that we can enjoy ourselves in a legitimate manner , as none but Masons probably can do ; and we have banded ourselves together for a holy object . Charity is that holy bond that has brought us together this evening . Have we failed iu our scheme ? ( No . ) Now , M . W . G . M ., I appeal to you if this was not made an experimental meetingthis was to

; be tbe test as to tbe sincerity of Mark Masons— -whether we could support a festival of this kind and make it a successful festival . NQW , sir , on behalf of the Board of Stewards—and this is why I hope you will not fancy my observations not altogether inappropriate—I would say , in the first place , you have met in a room not altogether appropriate or fit for so large a company ; in the secondIdo not believe that our brethren of tbe

, Board of Grand Stewards ever thought we should have numbered 40 , aud if we did , we thought we should liE _ ve achieved a success . The question was whether we should meet 45 . We have met to-night 53 . Had we known it , we would have provided for the large number elsewhere . We had not faith enough — even Bro . Meggy himself—in the Mark Masons and their ladies to assist in increasing their charity funds ; but I believe

most sincerely this—we ought to take a hint from it ; it if : a lesson we shall profit by ; and , distinctly understand this , that if we had known the numbers had been going to be so large we should not have met at the Mitre Hotel to-night . We shall never meet again here , for the simple reason that the host has not the accommodation we shall require . I see now that this is established as an annual success . I say this first meeting is a

great success . I appeal to you whether you have not enjoyed yourselves . We have combined the pleasures ofthe table with the society of the ladies , and wo think ire may naturally congratulate ourselves , as , in addition to enjoying ourselves , we have been adding a larger amount of money to our fund than we can possibly spend in the next 12 months ; and then I look forward to the time with leasurewhen we shall meet in

p , largely increased numbers , and this will always be a red-letter day in Mark Masonry . But , ou behalf of the Grand Stewards , let me ask your kind indulgence and consideration for any- ' shortcomings you may have noticed . We thought that 40 would have been collected here . Nearly 60 have sat down at this table ,