Consecration: Piccadilly Lodge.

CONSECRATION : PICCADILLY LODGE .

AN OTHEB addition has this week been made to the Lodges of the metropolis , by the consecration of the Piccadilly Lodge , No . 2550 , on Monday , at the Cafe Monico , Piccadilly Circus , the ceremony of ushering the new Lodge into existence being performed by Bro . E . Letch worth Grand Secretary , who

also installed Bro . F . Arnold P . M . 1624 as the first Master . It is proposed to restrict the membership of the Lodge to forty Brethren , a number that is regarded as the most " workable "

quantity by many Brethren qualified to form an opinion on the subject . We wish the Lodge every success , and a permanent full complement of members of the right description .

Order Of The Secret Monitor.

ORDER OF THE SECRET MONITOR .

THE Consecration of the Champion Conclave , No . 26 , will take place at the Palatine Hotel , Hunts Bank , Manchester , on Monday afternoon at 3 p . m . It is announced that Bro . F . A . Philbrick S . C . P . G . S . E . P . S . E . No . 1 and 2 , Grand Eegistrar of the Craft , will perform the ceremony , with the assistance of Bros .

Japheth Tickle , CO ., P . G . G . P . S . E . No . 8 as C , Joseph Eagdale P . G . C . No 8 as G ., John Marshall P . G . C . No . 8 as Chaplain , W . J . Spratling B . S . G . Eecorder S . R . No . 2 and No . 8 as D . C , and I . I . Pakes G . Visitor P . S . E . No . 5 and No . 8 Commissioning Officer .

There are fourteen candidates for induction , and the first Officers are announced as follow : —Bros . Thos . H . Soholfield

S . B . Designate , Buckley Carr C . Designate , Fletcher Armstrong G . Designate , John Marshall acting as Secretary pro tem . A banquet will follow at 6 p . m . We hope to give full particulars of the Consecration in an early issue of the CHRONICLE .

As bearing on our remarks of last week , under the heading " Free from debt , " we may quote the words of the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of West Yorkshire , at the meeting held at , Halifax , on the 3 rd inst . Bro . Henry Green then called

attention , amongst other matters , to the duty of Worshipful Masters and Treasurers , declaring that as all Lodge subscriptions were due in advance , on the first of January , they were therefore in arrear il not paid on the second . He would not , however ,

draw the line too tightly , but when he told them that out of 4 , 000 Brethren , notwithstanding all that had been previously said , there were last year 235 in arrear , he did hope that Treasurers would exercise more diligence .

West Yorkshire has long enjoyed the reputation of being particularly smart in many of its arrangements , and we think it deserving of a high place in this matter of finance , for with 4 , 000 subscribing members and only 235 in arrear it is probably better off than the majority of other English Provinces .

It is now officially announced that the Earl of Yarborough has been appointed Provincial Grand Master of Lincolnshire , in succession to Bro . Major W . H . Smyth , who has resigned the office , after holding it since 1878 . We announced in our issue of

23 rd ult . that this appointment was likely , and rumour has thus proved correct , despite the contradiction , on "indisputable authority , " that appeared in a contemporary . Lord Yarborough ' s installation will take place at Lincoln , in June next .

Hearty congratulations to the St . Michael ' s Lodge , No . 211 , which will complete its one hundredth year of continuous working in September next , and the members of which propose to celebrate the event by , among other matters ,

endowing the three Principal Chairs as Governors of the Masonic Charities . This is an illustration of that most commendable Masonic spirit which , no matter what the occasion of rejoicing , turns first of all to see what can be done in the cause of Benevolence .

o o o The annual dinner of the old Masonians will take place at Anderton ' s Hotel , Fleet Street , on Thursday , 25 th inst ., at 6 * 30 for 7 p . m ., under the chairmanship of Bro . George Everett P . G .

Treas . Vice-Chairman of Board of Management and Vice-Patron of E . M . I , for Boys , supported by Bro . Jas . Morrison McLeod P . P . S . G . W . Derbyshire Secretary and Vice-President of the Institution . Tickets and information may be obtained on application to Mr . C . P . Q'Doherty , the Hon . Seevetary , at the Hotel .

Devon Masonic Educational Fund.

DEVON MASONIC EDUCATIONAL FUND .

rriHE annual meeting of subscribers was held on Tuesday , 2 nd I inst ., at the Freemasons' Hall , Plymouth . Brother F . B . Westlake , a Vice .-Patron of the Institution , presided during a greater portion of the meeting , and , having then to leave , his place was taken by Bro . C . S . Stebbing , also a Vice-Patron .

The Treasurer ' s report showed that the net value of the Fund to the end of 1894 was £ . 1 , 484 13 s 9 d . Four children were elected on the Fund , viz ., the daughter of a deceased member oi Lodge Charity , who headed the poll with 926 votes ; a daughter

of a deceased member of St . Aubyn Lodge , polled 699 ; a daughter of a deceased member of Lodge Erme , 549 ; and a daughter of a deceased member of Lodge Harmony , No . 372 , 481 votes . There are now twenty-three children receiving the benefits of the Fund . .

The Treasurer , Secretary , and Assistant Secretary were re-elected , and thanked for their services , and the Finance and General Purposes Committees were elected for the ensuing year . Bro . C . Mutten P . M . and Charity Steward of 1550 had given notice of his intention to move the adoption of a bye-l & vv

giving the Committee discretionary power to reject nominations of candidates from Lodges , which did not subscribe to the Educational Fund . Brother Mutten was , however , unable to attend the meeting through family affliction , and wrote a letter , in which he explained that his resolution was not primaril y

directed against Lodges which did not contribute to the funds of the Institution , but rather sought to make clear that which for some time had been in dispute , namely , ' the right of the Committee to refuse to accept nominations if in their opinion the circumstances justified them in so doing . Since he gave notice

of his motion , the Hon . Solicitor to the fund had been invited to give his opinion as to the power conferred by the existing byelaws , and a reply having been received which definitely set the question at rest he did not propose to carry the matter any further , and would therefore withdraw his motion .

The letter of Bro . J . Brewer , referred to by Bro . Mutten , and a further letter from the Provincial Grand Secretary on the same subject having been read , it was resolved , after full discussion , that the whole of the bye-laws should undergo careful revision .

Bros . Allsford and Stanbury were re-elected Auditors , and the meeting concluded with the usual vote of thanks . — " Western Morning News . "

Not long ago we were present at a sort of " Experience Meeting , " where several Brethren who have been members of the Fraternity for many years gave their testimony as to the charm and benefits of Freemasonry . They told of friendships formed ,

of social occasions enjoyed , and of important lessons learned , which were so many items to be entered on the credit side of the Masonic organisation . Most certainly there are gifts and

privileges attaching to our membership in the Ancient Fraternity which ought not to pass unfelt , and for which , sometimes , we should make grateful acknowledgments . — " Keystone . "

A bazaar held in connection with Lodge Plantation , No . 581 ( Scotch Constitution ) , brought in gross returns amounting to £ 2 , 070 , which yielded a net sum of £ 1 , 420 . It was pointed out that although the expenditure had been large , it was necessary , and without it the result could not have been so satisfactory .

Five thousand shares having been taken up in the Masonic Hall Company , Limited , the directors , says " The Mallet " in " Glasgow Evening News , " feel sufficient confidence in the ultimate success of the undertaking to justify them in going on with the building on the site in West Eegent Street , Glasgow .

"A Sprig Of Acacia."

"A SPRIG OF ACACIA .

r TlHE funeral of Bro . John Walker , of the Criterion , Eetford , 1 _ took place on the 2 nd , at the Eetford Cemetery . The deceased was a Past Master of the Vernon Lodge , Past Principal of the E . A . Chapter , and a Past Provincial Officer of Nottinghamshire . A large number of Brethren attended the funeral , and all

the principal shops of the town were closed . At the grave-side , after the chief mourners had retired , the Freemasons passed by the head of the grave , and cast sprigs of acacia on the coffin . There were numerous beautiful wreaths and Masonic devices .

THE death is announced of Bro . John Eosewarne , of Hayle , who was the oldest Past Master of the Cornubian Lodge , of that town and in his youthful days was well-known for the interest he showed in the Graft . The deceased , who was eight-one years of age , leaves a widow .