Stone-Laying At Accringon.

STONE - LAYING AT ACCRINGON .

SAIURDAY , 25 th ult ., was a day of much importance to . ihe church people of the parish , S . Mary " Magdalen ' s , seeing that for then was fixed the ceremony of laying the fqund-ition and corner stones of what is to be trie Parish Church . Unfortunately for the success of the event it rained for the greater portion ofthe ..,, afternoon , and although there were plenty- of people on the site

, " ¦ ¦ the ceremony lost much of its pieturesqueness ; and , where there should have been a pretty display ofharmohising colour , lent to ¦ the scene by the many-hued , attire of scores of Jnter ; este < d . . lady " , watchers , and the regalia ' of the . Freem . asons who took part ,, ihere . - ¦ W fi ^ t «•] gloomy sea of upshot , umbrellas ,, upon-which , the rain

... pattered with untiring persistency . The Freemasons , headed by . jfche . Reed . Band , , mj 5 , rohed , in procession from the Lodge Room , Hargreaves Arnis , tothe Church , i * ?^ . . ** 1 * 3 ! ceremony of laying ' the foundation ^ with by Canon Rogers , the function being made aa . shor , t " as possible on account of heavy rain .

The ecclesiastical fimctiqn over , the Masonic ceremony waa . proceeded with , Bro . Arthur Appleby Acting Prov . Grand Master being' called upon by the Vicar to lay the corner-stone . The

ceremonies were directed by Bro . Walter Packman Prov . G . D . C . - Bro . Appleby , was . authorised to . perform the Masonic ceremonial , by special permission from Colonel Le Gendre N .- Starkie , ' Prov . . Grand Master .

The ceremony , a , somewhat elaborate , one , was followed with .. much interest . First there was aflourish of trumpets , and-then ,, Bro , . Appleb y ^ addressed those assembled , in the termsof the old Masonic formula . Prayer by the Rev . W . D ; Firth , of . Patricroft

, Proy . Grand Chaplain followed . As the , corner-stone was lowered , the Masonic' choir , sang " Prosper . the . Art , '' ,. B , ros .-. Tyack ,. and Clough giving the solo , " When the Temple ' s ^ , stone . " The . usual bottle having been placed . jn the cavity , the . igscj-iptionf . upon the plate , provided tip cover it was . fead by , the Proy Grand . Secretary . •It was ••' ¦ ¦¦ '

This corner-stone , was laid with solemn formalities by - ' BBO . ARTHUR APPLBBT , Master Mason Acting Eight Worshipful Provincial Grand Master , . by permission of COL . LE GENDBE N . STABKIE Prov . G . Blaster Bast Lanes .

25 th June 1898 . Brother E . Welch W . M . presented a trowel to the Acting Prov . G .. Master , and as the stone was lowered to its bed tbe choir sang " Excelsis . " Then the plumb , level , rule , and square were . presented to Bro . Appleby , each of which he used upon-the stone

; declaring it to be well and truly laid , and pronouncing the work of the Craftsmen true and skilful . The mallet having been presented , Brother Appleby " tested the stone , " and said : "In the name of the great Architect of the Universe , I declare this stone to be well , and truly laid , and . may He look down with

benignity upon our undertaking , and crown the edifice of which we , have , this afternoon laid : the foundation stone , with ., ev . ery success . " The . choir having sung '' Glory to God on High , " the stone was . blessed with corn , wine , and oil . The next part of the ceremonial was the handing , of the plans , to < the Grand

, , Superintendent of Works , who , haying examined them , returned i them to Brother Appleby , . and he , in turn , .. placed them in ^ the hands' of the , Architect , charging him to . proceed , with . the erection of the edifice without loss of time . Another flourish of trumpets followed , and , the ceremony concluded with . prayer by the Provincial Grand Chaplain .

Archdeacon Rawstorne proposed a vote of thanks . to Bro . Appleby . The presence of Mr . Appleby and his Masonic Brethren had added very greatly to the impressiveness and . solemnity , of the service , and the interest of the large crowd around ' that . platform showed how much Mr . Appleby' action was appreciated .

: They would have wished , had it been within their power , to have brighter weather , but the fact that rain had fallen , only showed the eagerness and determination of the people of that neighbourhood to see the ceremony . It was his prayer that God would bless the

building of that church , that no accident would happen to those engaged upon it , that God ' s blessing would rest upon tho administrations ' offered in it , and that it would bring many souls nearer to God , and be a blessing to the neighbourhood . Hearty cheers were given for Mr . and Mrs . Appleby .

Bro . Appleby , in responding , said he felt that some explanation was due from him , though whether he should first offer it to the ancient and honourable body of Freemasons he saw before him , or to the lay element assembled there , he was at some difficulty to say . He need hardly tell them that the position he ied there that

occup day in connection with the Masonic function did not descend to him as a right ; he was there only by privilege , as deputy of the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master Colonel Starkie . He saw around him those who had given much . more of their time and thought in furtherance of the interests of Masonry than ht had , but he would yield to no one in his desire

Stone-Laying At Accringon.

to further whatever , might be considered the higher teachings of Masonry—whatever might be said to tend to the brotherhood of man and to charity ; whatever might appreciate what was good , and what might help aud sympathise with those who were in need or who were unfortunate : To the larger lay element he hardly knew , . what justification he could offer for having appeared

before , them that afternoon , unless it might be said that interest and association might justify him to some extent .. His own parish , they would not forget , adjoined theirs , and naturally he was interested in anything that would conduce to their success . But further than that , , the first years of his school'life were spent within a very few yards of the spot upon which they were then

standing . It was in school near that place that he first competed with his fellows in books , and in that very field he played his earliest games—those games which now entered so largely into our national character ; aud they would readily understand , therefore , that many happy-associations clustered round that very . spot . ¦ ' He was pleased to be there , and proud of the

position in which , he had been placed . After the double ceremony they had ., had---the religious ceremony , and he hoped he might say the impressive ceremony of the Masonic ritual , it would be superfluous and presumptive of him to speak of the objects , aims , and hopes of those who were erecting that building . He hoped their new Church would indeed conduce to the spread of true

religion in . that , district , and-that clergy and people might ever work harmoniously together , and whilst recognising the differences which , unhappily , but perhaps inevitably , existed , he hoped they would at all events seek to minimise them , for he was sure they were not vital . He trusted the services to be . held in that church would , be conducted with unanimity , with enthusiasm , and above

all with reverence , and that the clergy and the people would strive to work harmoniously together with those of other religious denominations , and so join in that common struggle in which they ought all to be engaged , against infidelity and against vice , and promote the highest teachings and tbe noblest aims of that

good and common Christianity which they ' all professed , as well as the highest innerests of the church , the foundation atones ot which they had just laid , and which was afterwards to be dedicated : iq ., St Mary Magdalen . \ He thanked : them for their vote of thanks .

Thei proceedings concluded with the National Anthem , and the Freemasons re-formed and marched back to the Lodge Room , Hargreaves Arms , where the Provincial Lodge was closed by Bro . Appleby . Altogether . there were 126 Masons in the procession , many of them Provincial Officers . The corn , the wine , and the oil , were , carried by Bros . E . Welch W . M . 462 , Joseph Gronshaw W . M . 1145 , Rd . Pickup W . M . 1519 ; two Past Masters Bros . D .

0 . Dewhurst 462 , and Anderton 1175 carried the mallet and trowel ; the inscribed plate was carried by Bro . Ormerod P . M . and Sec . 462 ; . the Senior and Junior Wardens ' -columns by Bros . CWilmore P . M . 1519 and . H . Ramsbottom P . M . 1145 . i Eight boys , sons . of . local Masons , were in the procession , carrying the Volume . ofthe Sacred Law . They wore white surplices and blue skull caps .

The collections at the stone laying ceremony amounted to £ 71 , included in this sum being a £ 20 note placed upon the plate by Canon Rogers . In addition Bro . Arthur Appleby handed the Vicar a cheque for £ 50 ; and Miss Blackburne sent five guineas , Mr . J . W . Bridge two guineas , and Miss Garter a guinea . — " Acerington Observer . "

Church Services.

CHURCH SERVICES .

THE members of two of the local Lodges—Lights , No . ' 148 , and Gilbert Greenall , No . 1250—paid their annual visit to St . Paul's Church , Warrington , on Monday evening ,. 20 th ult . Prior to the service a procession was formed at the Infant Schools , Kendrick Street , and the processionists , numbering about forty , marched to the church . The clergy present were

the Rev .. C . C . . Bluett , M . A ., Past Provincial Grand Chaplain of West Lancashire , who was the preacher , and the Revs . H . V . Pigot , B . Percival , J . J . Langham , and J . Brierley . Prior to the sermon , the anthem , "Ye that stand in the house of the Lord , " was very efficiently rendered by the choir , Mr . E . 'Wilkes

presiding at the organ . The Rev . C . C . Bluett said that when he accepted the invitation of the Vicar to come and speak to them that evening his great difficulty was to selecc a text which in itself would interest , would instruct , and would impress all present . The

text he had chosen would , he thought , bear out the desire of his heart , and it would be found in the eleventh chapter of that deeply interesting and instructive book , the Book of Job , and the 7 th verse . " Canst thou by searching find out God ? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection ? "

He said those words were uttered in long ages past , long , long before the Christian era , and they seemed to point to the instinct inherent in every man called into the world , manifesting