Masons And The Jubilee.

MASONS AND THE JUBILEE .

THE special meeting of the Craft to be held on Monday , at the Albert HaU , to pass a vote of congratulation to Her Majesty the Queen on the completion of her sixty years reign , promises to be one of the most imposing gatherings ever known—not even excepting the installation of H . E . H . the

Prince of Wales as Grand Master , in 1875 . The capacity of the Albert Hall , which is capable of accommodating about 7 , 000 persons , will be taxed to the utmost , indeed we believe

that the authorities of Grand Lodge are unable to meet the demand for tickets , being obliged to refuse applications from many Brethren who desire to attend .

The doors of the Albert Hall will be opened at half-past two , and will be closed an hour later , so as to give ample time for the Brethren to be in their respective places before the actual proceedings of the day commence . It is expected

the Prince of . Wales will be supported by his brother the Duke of Connaught Past Grand Master of England , and by a brilliant array of present and past Grand Officers . This will be the third occasion on which the Prince of Wales has

presided at such gatherings at the Albert Hall since his installation —the two previous events being that in connection with the Jubilee , in 1887 ; and the Centenary Festival of the Girls School , in 1888 .

Staffordshire.

STAFFORDSHIRE .

T JT 1 HE Grand Superintendent of the Province Lieut .-Col . J . A . JL Bindley has received intimation through the Home Secretary of the Queen's gracious acceptance of the address on the occasion of Her Majesty attaining the sixtieth year of her reign , sent by thc Provincial Grand Chapter of Staffordshire .

A Vote From Ireland.

A VOTE FROM IRELAND .

fTIHE following telegram of congratulation was despatched to _ J _ the Queen from the Freemasons of the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Midland Counties , Ireland : —' Private Secretary , Balmoral . The Provincial Grand Lodgo of Freemasons of the Midland Counties of

Ireland , this day assembled at Mountmellick , most dutifully and loyally tender their hearty congratulations to Her Most Gracious Majesty on attaining the sixtieth year of her beneficent reign . E . MIDDLETON SMITH acting P . G . M . T . ROBT . ELY Prov . G . Sec .

( BBPLY ) Buckingham Palace , 4 th June 1897 . The Private Secretary is commanded to express the thanks of the Queen for kind message of congratulation which you have forwarded to Her Majesty . To B . MIDDLETON SMITH ESQ .

Bro . Wm . Short ( of the Derby Allcroft Lodge , No . 2168 ) and friends have kindly arranged to give a musical and miscellaneous entertainment to the pupils at * the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys , on Tuesday next , 15 th inst ., under the direction of Bro . E , D . Cummings . The performance will commence at 2-30 p . m ., and will be witnessed by friends of the Institution , invited by the Board of Management .

Consecration.

CONSECRATION .

— : o : — EALING LODGE .

r j * 1 HE consecration of the Ealing Lodge , No . 2662 , took place 1 _ in the Victoria Hall , Ealing , on Thursday , 3 rd inst . The ancient and impressive ceremony was performed by Bro . Edward Letchworth , F . S . A ., Grand Secretary , who was assisted by Bros . Major-General Gadsden P . G . S . B . as S . W ., E . C . Sudlow P . G . S . B . as J . W ., W . K . E . Bedford P . G . Chap . as Chap ., J . D . Langton P . G . A . D . C . as D . C , and J . M . McLeod P . G . S . B . as I . G .

The following are the Founders and first Officers : —Bros . F . W . Jordan I . P . M . 172 W . M ., T . Kington W . M . 193 I . P . M .,

H . S . Timpson P . M . 1612 S . W ., L . H . Walker J . W ., A . Pooley P . M . 1612 Treasurer , George H . Gabb I . P . M . 1612 Secretary , J . E . Whittle S . D ., J . G . Eden J . D ., T . Crawley I . G ., E . C . Porter P . M . 1612 D . C , D . E . McLeod Steward , S . Thorne and

S . W . Hill Assist . Stewards , H . E . Lancaster Organist , Eichard Cawley , J . E . Francis , A . L . Butters W . M . 2163 , E . Dean , J . Hamilton , G . E . Haines , and George Harrison Tyler . The music was performed by Bros . H . Schartau P . P . G . O .

Middlesex , E . Branscombe P . P . G . O . Surrey , and Wingrove Ives . The Grand Secretary hoped the Lodge inaugurated that day might be the means of promoting the best interests of Masonry , and wished it every success .

The Oration was delivered by the Eev . Bedford , as follows : We are not operative , but Free and Accepted or Speculative Masons . Such is the language wherewith the moral addresses which form so important a part of our Eitual introduce their symbolic teaching , and while I hold with our eloquent Grand

Chaplain to whom w . e listened with pleasure and profit at the Great South London Church last Thursday , that the connection between Freemasonry and the builder ' s art will endure in a measure perennially , that the names of our Grand Lodge founders , Wren—Ashmole—and Wilson , will for ages be held in

honour by those who benefit by their works , and the Craft will feel a lasting and a peculiar pride in the glorious edifices which adorn our land , yet I would adopt in its entirety the description of the Craft as a speculative body , and ask you to spend a very few moments in trying to realise the true force and intention of

the term speculative . That adjective , like its substantive speculation , is now esteemed one of the watchwords of the service of mammon : it conveys the idea of hazards undertaken with the prospect of easy and speedy gain , of that making haste to be rich against which the Eoyal Solomon himself warns us ,

but this assuredly is not its meaning in the Craft , nor did the compilers of our Eitual thus understand the word . To them , the speculative man was one who sought after the fashion of the man of investigation at the present day , to use a speculum , a glass whereby to gain an insight into the hidden mysteries of

nature and science , those problems which vex the restless and stir the thoughtful soul in that reflected light which is the nearest approach to supernatural vision which we can expect in this imperfect sphere , and though we may see as in a glass darkly , for the instruetion of the learned scholar of Gamaliel is derived

from the antique speculum of polished metal , whose reflection was less accurate and clear than that of our modern looking glass , yet if the introspector be true to the intimations which the borrowed illumination will bestow , he may hope in the Grand Lodge above to be brought face to face with the reality , and see ove to eve

with the Father of lights , in whom there is no variableness , neither shadow of turning . We are here to-night that we may dedicate the paraphernalia of a new Lodge , to be set apart for the decorous solemnities of our Masonic meetings . This is well ; yet to the Speculative Mason there is something higher still .

Every detail of our furniture , every word of our ceremonial , every item of our ritual should speak to us of the great All pervading invisible influence which moulds and controls the universe . These holy places made with hands are , as tbe great Hebrew preacher warned his Brethren , " The figures of the true . ' '