Notice Of Meetings.

NOTICE OF MEETINGS .

CONFIDENCE LODGE . No . 193 . — : o : —

THE first regular meeting of the members of this old and popular Lodge , since the installation of Bro . F . Silvester as Worshipful Master , was held on Monday last , at Anderton ' s Hotel , Fleet-street , when there was a very satisfactory attendance , notwithstanding it was an " off-night . " Bro . Silvester presided , sup .

ported by Bros . G . P . Nightingale S . W ., S . Smither J . W ., R . Kershaw P . M . Treasurer , J . Shackell P . M . Secretary ; Past Masters S . Webb , J . Smith , W . A . Cubitt , W . Saint , Walter Wood , and about forty other brethren , with Bro . L . G . Reinhardt Tyler . Lodgo having been opened with the customary formalities , and tho minutes of the last

meeting confirmed , was advanced to the second and third degrees , when Bros . John Lyons and Richard Burden were raised , the ceremony being admirably worked by the Worshipful Master , assisted by his Officers . Bro . C . C . Cramp was passed , this ceremony being also carried out in perfect manner , the working giving ample promise

for the work of the year under Bro . Silvester ' s rule . Several matters of business were transacted of a private , rather thau of a public character , and Lodge was closed amidst the usual harmony and interchange of fraternal amenity . Subsequently the brethren partook of light refreshment and separated at an early hour .

ST . GERMAIN'S LODGE , No . 566 . ON Friday , the 4 th instant , the Lodge of St . Germain's , No . 566 , celebrated the Festival of St . John's ; Bro . Wm . N . Cheeseman S . W . was installed Worshipful Master . There was a large assembly of brethren , including the following Visitors : —The W . D . P . Grand Master Bro . the Hon . W . T . Orde-Powlett , the R . W . P . G . M . of West

Yorkshire Bro . Tew J . P ., Peok P G . Seo ., Hudson P . G . Sec . Durham , Major McGachen P . G . A . D . C , Anderton P . P . G . S . W ., Anderson P . P . G . Supfc . W ., Gardiner P . G . A . D . C . W . Y ., Rev . G . S . Dunbar P . P . G . C . W . Y ., Brown W . M . Eboraonm , Baldwin W . M . St . Cnthbert ' s , Latus Humber , foe , & o . The ceremony of installation was performed

by the D . P . G . M . of the Province ( tbe Hon Lieut .-Col . Orde-Powlett ) , and the lectures wero delivered by Bro . the Rev . H . Greeves P . P . G . C The following Officers were invested : —Bros . R . II . Greeves P . P . G . C . I . P . M ., Barlow S . W ., Major T . Hawdon J . W ., Rev . T . Cheese , B . A ., Chaplain , Hudson Treasurer , Bawling Secretary , Leathern S . D . j Turner J . D ., Mould Org ., Staniland P . M . P . P . G . S . B . Dir . of Cers .,

Eggleshaw I . G ., Webber and Townend Stewards , Pearson Tyler . After the Lodge business was concluded the annual banquet was held at the Londesborough Hotel , where an excellent dinner was served by Bro . Bowman . The chair was occupied by the newlyinBtalled W . M ., Bro . W . N . Cbeesman , and the vice-chair by Bro . T . G . P . Barlow S . W . A very enjoyable and harmonious evening was spent .

FOREST LODGE , No . 1852 . ON Wednesday , 9 th inst ., the members of this Lodge , together with a number of Visitors , assembled at the Town Hall , ' Mansfield , where the Lodge is in future to be held . The occasion was the close of the Masonic year , and tho installation of a Master , in plaoo of Bro . J . II . White , whose year of office then expired . At the last

regular Lodge Bro . A . H . Bonser was elected as Worshipful Master for the ensuing year , and on Wednesday he was installed with solemn Masonic ceremony into the chair . Bro . J . H . White , the retiring Master , acted as Installing Officer , and the ceremony was most efficiently performed by him . The following brethren wero appointed

to office : —Bro 3 . G . G . Bonser S . W ., J . Linney J . W ., Rev . T . W Dolphin P . G . C . Chaplain , T . Savage Treasurer , G . II . Hibberfc P . M . Secretary , R . F . Vallance S . D ., G . B . Beecroffc J . D ., W . F . Sanders Director of Ceremonies , J . W . Fisher Organist , J . Wearing I . G . T . Shelmerdine and Greenwood Stewards , E . Watkin P . G / T . Tyler !

Amongst the Visitors present on the occasion were Bros . Field 1434 Neale 402 , Pfungst Grand Masters ' , Tomasson 402 , Barlow 1435 * H . Bonser 460 , Webster 1493 , Spalding 1909 , Rev . Hardy 202 si Greenhalgh 402 , Munro St . Andrew's , Marx 1909 , Schofield , Cupit ' Briddon 1028 ; Ashworth 1663 , Turner 402 , Kidd , Cotnyn 411

Burrows 1794 , & c . A banquet was afterwards held at tho Swan Hotel , to which most of the above mentioned brethren sat down . The menu was of a richerchd character , and one of the best prepared in the town . Tbe menu and toast list made a small book , and , as a characteristic of the Worshipful Master , the dishes and toasts were

interwoven with lines of music ancl words a propos to each . A pleasing feature of the ceremony was tho presentation to the Lodge by Bro . C . J . Neale of the minute book and warrant of the old Forest Lodge , No . 840 , of which Bro . Col . Thomas Wildmau was Worshipful Master , and Bro . C . J . Neale Secretary . The possession aud interest

of these records are greatly valued by the brethren of the resuscitated Forest Lodge , and their gratitude was immediatel y evinced by a proposition of the Worshipful Master ' s being unanimously adopted—that Bro . C . J . Neale be made au honorary life member of the Forest Lodge .

PBUDENCE LODGE , No . 2069 . rpHE monthly meeting of this Lodge took place on the 12 th inst ,, J- at the Masonic Hall , Great George-street , Leeds . The W . M ., Bro . 0 . L . Mason P . M . P . P . G . Treasurer , was supported by the following Officers and mfimhers : —Bros . Tli < Sn ™ n , r P iu T > C < m tJU t 1

O - ^ - •- ~ - •~ ... J L . . JX . X . \ J . \ JllHU ., Tudor Trevor P . M . S . W ., W . Watson P . M . J . W ., Rev . H . Butler as Chaplain , Robert Abbott Treasurer , C . Middleton Secretary , J . Scott Young S . D ., J . J , Fretwell J . D ., M . W . Jameson I . G ., Tom Atkinson

Notice Of Meetings.

Dir . of Cers ., Bntterworth and Melling Stewards , R . Craig P . M . P . P . G . D ., B . S . Bailey , Smithson , Cryer , Robinson , and L . Howard Organist . This day hVl been fixed for the official visit of Alfred Lodge , No . 308 , and the invitation had been accepted by a large number of the brethren of that Lodge . The Worshipful Master

Bro . Councillor Burns , was unavoidably absent , but he was represented by Bros . McQuat , Batt Secretary , J . Sutcliffe J . W ., Stallard P . M . Treasurer , Musgrave , Thompson , J . B . Jowett S . D ., Thrippktou I . P . M ., aud others . The Deputy Provincial Grand Master of West Yorks ( Bro . H . Smith ) was present , and received tho salutation due

to his exalted rank . There wero many other Visiters present , who had been attracted to Prudence for the purpose of hearing W . Bro . T . B . Whytehead P . M . 1611 P . P . G . S . W . North and East Yorks deliver a lecture on Freemasonry . Mr . Harris Regbie Abbott— 'the son of the popular Treasurer of the Lodge—was impressively

initiated into tbe mysteries of the Craft by the Worshipful Master , who was assisted by Bros . Watson , Smyth , and Trevor . Bro . Whytehead then gave an admirable address upon " Masonry from an Archaeological Point of View . " He said , —Before beginning to say anything upon the particular subject I chosen to address you upou , I should

like to make a few remarks generally upon Freemasonry as an Institution , and upon its present position . We seom to live in what may be described as the halcyon or golden days of Freemasonry . Never was there a time , certainly within the historic period , when Freemasonry was so prosperous , or numbered amongst its members

so many men of high rank in life , and when so many of them were active members of the Craft . It is a remarkable fact that this should be so , because in these days every Institution is liable to criticism , and in fact I know of no human organisation whioh is not now subject to strict examination and concerning whioh it is not asked

" Why does this exist ? Freemasonry has been criticised , but that is no new thing in the history of Freemasonry , for in the last century we find it has beeu subjected to very frequent and virulent attacks . About tho year 1730 these attacks began to be made with exceediug rancour ; we have in existence works published at

that time purporting to expose the secrets of Freemasonry , and endeavouring to throw ridiculo upon the whole Organisation . Cartoons to the same end were published between that and the end of the century . For a long time it seemed as if Freemasonry was likely to suffer from these persistent attacks . Those attacks , however , were

nothing to thoso made upon the Craft in America at the time of the so-called abduction of Morgan . At that time such a dead set was made against Freemasonry in America , from the highest down to tho lowest in the Republic , that candidates were run for Congress upon the anti . Masonic ticket , and so violent

and fierce wero tho onslaughts made upon tbe Order that in many parts of America it was absolutely unsafe for any one to be known to be a Mason . What has been the consequence of this ? As I have already said , in Great Britain our Order is more prosperous than ever , yet great as thai ; prosperity is it is nothing compared to its

condition in the United States . I moan in regard to the numbers enrolled nnder our banners , and the great amount of time , labour , and money spent upon it by the brethren across the Atlantic . At the same timo ifc i 3 not always when an Institution is most popular that ifc is most prosperous . Yet , as I havo said , its prosperity is

great . Still ' . ve every now and ag > iiu find people saying " What does Freemasonry do ? You meet and dino , and it is true you have some Charities . We also meet and dine , but wo havo none of this tiri 3 el and jewelry you wear . We enjoy our dinners quite as much a 3 you do , we have onr Hospitals , and Almshouses , aud Charitable

Institutions innumerable , but we do not make any fuss about it as yon do about Freemasonry . What is the meaning of all this Masonio fuss ? The reply I generally make to such inquiries is this . In the first place I deny thore is any fuss or parade . As a rule Freemasons do not parade . Our leaders aro not in favour of any out door show , and wlu-n these

demonstrations tako place thoy aro generally spoaking of suc ' i a character as not to invite criticism from outsiders . The best answer to make to those critics is to tell them that if they wero Maionfl they would know more about it ; there are points in Freemasonry which no outsider can appreciate , especially the poiut that we moot ;

men in Masonry who 3 e names we should othervviso have boon ignorant of . That may be said of other organisations , but the friendships made under the banners of our Order are of a different character altogether to tho friendships mado under other circumstances . Some of my most treasured friendships have besn made in a Masonic Lod ^ e , and

[ trust I shall ever be able to look back with intense pleasure to the honest regard I have acquired from many men whom I shoul I never have known had I not been a Mason . Still there are critics inside Freemasonry . There are many Institutions at the present moraejt that aro more in danger from internal criticism than from attack

from the outside , and I am not sure that this is not in some measures the case with Freemasonry . We are careful in the matter of candidates , and only receive them after we are satisfied that they aro fit and proper persons to be made Mason 3 ; we even get as initiates men of considerable attainments and high offices .

These come into our Lodges , and hear our beautiful ceremonies and thoroughly agree with the teaching therein enunciated , but after a lime they lose their freshness . It is to be remembered that Freemasonry was founded afc a time when learning and literature were afc a low ebb , when few people could do more than read and write , and when general

knowledge was confined to the few . Now all this is changed , and it is from the intelligent brother we have the most to fear . Unless we can retain tho interest aud regard of the most cultivated of oar brethren , we as an Order shall not be as prosperous in the future as we have been in the past , and it is for that reason I believe that something more should be attempted iu our Lodges than tho mere

ritual of the Order . Not that I would wish to throw the slightest discredit upon ritualism . If we can , however , introduce into the Lodges anything outside the usual working which may interest intelligent Masons we shall have a far better chance of retaiuino the continued respect and regard of those for whose opinion wo certainly had tho most esteem . This Lodge ( Prudence )