Hastings Lodge.

Master the . M . W . Bro . H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , and . of the Deputy Provincial Grand Master the Right Hon . Sir William T . Marriott , Q . C , P . G . D ., the ceremony of Consecration was carried out in an impressive manner by the Very Reverend E . R . Currie , D . D ., Dean of Battle ,

P . G . Chaplain P . Prov . G . Chap ., who was assisted by many Provincial Grand Officers , the Wardens chairs being occupied by Bros . A . Lloyd P . P . S . G . W ., and W . Dawes P . P . S . G . W .

. On the termination of the Consecration ceremony , Bro . T . Trollope P . P . G . W . P . G . D . installed Bro . G . Randall P . M . 40 P . P . A . G . D . C . as Worshipful Master of the new Lodge , and he appointed and invested his Officers for the

year . , . . Several propositions for initiation and joining members were made and accepted . The Lodge having been closed the Brethren adjourned to the Castle Hotel , where they sat down to an elegant banquet , under the presidency of the newly-installed Worshipful Master .

The customary Loyal and Masonic toasts were duly honoured , and as Brother the Very Rev . Dean Currie had but a few minutes to stay before leaving to catch his train , the Worshipful Master opened the toast list by proposing

the Consecrating Officer , Worshipful Brother the Very Rev . Dean Currie P . G . C P . P . G . C . He spoke briefly and in highly eulogistic terms of the admirable manner in which Brother Currie had carried out the ceremony .

Brother Currie , in responding , said it had given him great pleasure to have had the opportunity of being present , and that he appreciated the honour of being asked to conduct the Consecration ceremony in the unavoidable absence of Sir W . T . Marriott . They would all have warmly

welcomed H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught had he been able to come , but they well knew the many . important engagements which occupied his time . Thanking Brother T .

Trollope P . G . D . for carrying out the duties of Installing Master so efficiently , he spoke in appropriate terms of the admirable arrangements made for the consecration by the Founders of the Lodge . He wished the new Lodge every

success . Bro . A « E . Young proposed the Officers of Provincial Grand Lodge Present and Past . The Provincial Grand Secretary eulogised the Founders

of . the Lodge for the faultless manner in which they had made the preliminary arrangements for the day ' s function , and replies were also given by Bros . Jenkins and Cave-Brown-Cave .

The toast of the Worshipful Master was given by Bro . W . T . Jordan I . P . M ., who spoke in complimentary terms of the excellent work shown by the W . M . in his Masonic career , and heartily wished him a happy and prosperous year .

The W . M ., who met with a very enthusiastic reception , expressed his . ' warm appreciation of the high honour conferred upon him , and his determination to do his utmost to promote the prosperity of the Lodge and the happiness of the Brethren .

The consecration of the Alfred Newton Lodge , No . 2686 , will take place at the Town Hall , Kings Road , Chelsea , S . W ., to-day ( Saturday ) . The ceremony will be in the capable hands of Bro . E . Letchworth , F . S . A ., Grand Secretary , and will commence at 4 . 30 . Bro . Alderman

Alfred James . Newton P . M . is the Worshipful Master designate , and Bro . A . J . Naughton the Senior Warden . We hope to next week record the satisfactory commencement of this Lodge , and that its future may be one of unalloyed prosperity .

The Fifteen Sections

THE FIFTEEN SECTIONS

WILL he worked at the Friars Lodge of Instruction , No . 1349 , on Thursday next , 10 th inst ., at the " Aldgate Distillery , " Whitechapel High Street , commencing at 7 p . m ., when Bro .. David Moss P . D . G . S . B . Johannesburg will preside , supported by Bros . B . DaCosta P . M . 1349 as I . P . M ., L . A . DaCosta P . M . 1349 Preceptor of the Lodge as S . W ., Henry Harris W . M . 1349 as J . W ., and I . Davis I . G . 1349 as Secretary . The Sections will be worked by the following Brethren :

First Lecture—Bros . S . B . Lothein 205 , I . Richmond I . G . 205 , J Abrahams S . D . 1349 , M . DaCosta S . W . 1349 , B . DaCosta P . M . 1349 , I Goulston S . 1349 , W . Yetton sen . P . M . P . Z . 933 and 1349 .

Second Lecture . —Bros . H . M . Pollock 2501 , 3 . Oxley P . M . 2411 , N . Isaacs 1349 , H . Goldman D . C . 1349 , B . Stewart P . M . 2411 . Third Lecture . —Bros . C . N . Fox P . M . 1349 , L . A . DaCosta P . M . 1349 Henry Harris W . M . 1349 .

English Freemasons In The Holy Land.

ENGLISH FREEMASONS IN THE HOLY LAND .

A PBOVINCIAL Grand Officer , who was present at the Lodge held in King Solomon ' s Quarries , Jerusalem , on 3 rd February , has supplied us with the following description of what he claims to be one of the greatest Masonic events of the / century : — On the 20 th of January a large party of Freemasons gathered

from all parts of the United Kingdom and travelled from London to Marseilles by special train . At Marseilles they embarked on the " Midnight Sun , " en route for the Holy Land . The object of the expedition was to pay tribute at the shrine of King Solomon , whose name must always occupy a prominent place in the Masonic

ritual . Discussions have from , time to time arisen in the Masonic journals as to whether King Solomon was or was not a Freemason , and those discussions have disclosed the fact that there is no historical evidence of his ever having seen the inside of a Lodge . Why , then , it may be asked , do modern Masons accord him such

honourable recognition in their ritual ? The answer is easily given . To them King Solomon typifies that great principle of wisdom without which no earthly plan can mature- —wisdom , strength , and beauty to conceive , to execute , and adorn . King Solomon has been seized upon as the wisest of mankind and made to stand sponsor for Freemasonry , and this out of deference to the Oriental

conception of wisdom . This conception is altogether foreign to our Occidental and modern habits of thought , aud is based for the most part on witty and soul-searching epigrams . As a Mason King' Solomon has therefore no veritable existence , but as a type of wisdom he embodies one of the greatest principles of human life . -

There was a time when every Masonic writer unhesitatingly affirmed that Freemasonry was first organised in the Temple of Solomon , and Freemasonry became so closely connected with the known facts of Temple history that the House of the Lord at Jerusalem has been the foundation-stone of Masonic symbolism .

To the Mason , therefore , everything of history , of tradition , of myth , of relic or of scene touching the Temple erected by Solomon , Isreal ' s greatest king , on Mount Moriah , in the city of Jerusalem , in the year of the world 3000 , is of peculiar and fascinating interest . . . .

. This statement of the position held by King Solomon in the traditions of Freemasonry will explain the eagerness and interest which the members of the Graft on board the " Midnight Sun " displayed when , under the guidance of the Ven . Archdeacon Stevens P . G . C . of Essex , and the Eev . G . J . Martyn Past Grand Chaplain of England , they sailed for Jaffa .

Unfortunately a dispensation for the holding of a Lodge by the party in King Solomon ' s Quarries was not secured , and two gentlemen who came out specially to be initiated into the mysteries of the Craft on that interesting spot had to return disappointed . On the night before we arrived at Palermo , the Masons on board the " Midnight Sun " held a meeting to discuss the situation , when the following resolutions were passed : —

1 . That the'Brethren shall assemble in King Solomon ' s Quarries at Jerusalem" on a day and at a time to be fixed by the Committee hereafter nominated , after each member had been vouched for and proved to be a Mason . " 2 . That the Senior Brother then present shall be called to the chair .

3 . " That the principles and tenets of the Masonic Order shall then be discussed , with special reference to the building of King Solomon ' s Temple . 4 . That a resolution shall be proposed tendering to our Most Worshipful Grand Master our most respectful , sincere , and ¦ hearty fraternal greetings , and wishing him long life and happiness .

5 . That such resolution be forwarded to the M . W . G . M . by telegram . 6 . That minutes of the assembly be formulated and signed by each Mason taking part in the cruise . 7 . That the minutes in question be afterwards printed , and a copy be given to each Brother as a memento of this most

interesting event in his Masonic career . A Committee to carry these resolutions into effect was then elected , consisting of the following Brethren , viz . : —The Eev . C . J . Martyn Past G . C ., the Ven . Archdeacon Stevens P . G . C , Colonel Newton , S . A . Bell , T . Pickering , E . Eobinson , and S . Pegler . The Eev . Canon Ingram was asked to act as Secretary .

The Worshipful Master and Officers of the Boyal Solomon Mother Lodge , No . 293 , Jerusalem , however , came to the rescue of the English Brethren , and on Thursday afternoon , 3 rd February , held a regular Lodge meeting in the Quarries , to which they

invited the Masonic visitors . An historic occasion truly—an occasion that must live in the memories of all who took part in the proceedings . Exactly opposite the Grotto of Jeremiah , one hundred paces east of the Damascus Gate , and nineteen feet below the ground , there is an entrance through the foundation of the city