Freemasonry In Torquay.

was seriously indisposed , and therefore unable to attend , so that the Deputy G . M . the Rev . John Huyshe laid the foundation stone . He was supported on the occasion by Bro . Dennis Moore Prov . Grand Secretary , Bro . C . Laidman Prov . Grand D . C , the Prov . Grand Wardens , the

Chaplains , as well as many other distinguished Brethren in the Provinces . After the ceremony there was the usual Masonic banquet , and in looking over the toast list I was very much surprised to find a toast that ought not to have been given , if it really was given , as stated in

the newspaper report . It ran as follows : " Bro . Lawrence V . Palk , the donor of the site of the New Masonic Hall . " Most of us know in St . John ' s Lodge that Bro . Lawrence V . Palk was not the donor of the site ; that

we have paid the ground rent ever since the building was erected , and that at the present time , through the kind forethought of our W . M . Bro . T . A . Blackler , the agreement has been made fco purchase fche site on which fche building stands .

It will be interesting here to supplement some important details connected with the erection of this building , that have been kindly supplied to me by Bro . Col . Appleton , who was the architect of the Masonic Hall , and who is also one of the trustees . It appears that the building

committee consisted of Bros . Dr . C . Paget Blake , R . N ., E . Appleton , Briscoe Hooper , and W . Webber , so that I think we may safely concede to these worthy Brethren the honour of having provided us with these important premises . The contractor was Mr . John Harvey , of

Melville House , Torquay , better known in those days as Melville Harvey . Bro . Appleton had been for some time previous to the erection of the Masonic Hall an enthusiastic student of Ruskin ; he therefore brought the

fruit of the skill he had acquired into his plans for this building , and this explains how we gofc " the porch , fche dormer , and the tessellated pavement ; , " so distinctly marked as a feature of our Masonic Hall . The

tessellated pavement was the gift of Mr . Herbert Min ton , of Stoke-upon-Trent . The Bible , square , and compasses that are carved over the door , at the entrance to the

Hall , was fche gift and workmanship of our old Masonic veteran , Bro . John Sharland , one of the founders of the Lodge , whose death is recorded in the minutes of 4 th June 1866 . ( To be continued . )

Centenary: Lodge Of Hope, No. 302.

CENTENARY : LODGE OF HOPE , No . 302 .

A LODGE of Emergency was held on Monday , the 7 th inst ., at the Bradford Church Institute , and was attended by a large number of Freemasons from the Lodges of Bradford and district . The Centenary Warrant from the Grand Lodge of

England was presented by the Right Worshipful the Provincial Grand Master the Rt . Hon . W . L . Jackson , M . P ., who expressed his great regret that his Parliamentary duties would compel him to leave immediately after the presentation , so that he was obliged to ask the

Lodge to somewhat alter the course of the proceedings . He then addressed a few . words to the Lodge , in the course of which he spoke of the high character of the Lodges of Bradford , and of their great liberality , and expressed the hope that every individual member of the

Order in Bradford would do his best to uphold the reputation which their Lodges now enjoyed . He considered the fact that the Worshipful Master of the Lodge of Hope ( Bro . John R . Armitage ) held the highest position in the Provincial Grand Lodge , that of

Provincial Grand Senior Warden , was sufficient testimony to the opinion the Provincial Grand Lodge held of the several Lodges of fche town . The Provincial Grand Master also presented centenary jewels to several of the Brethren of the Lodge of Hope , and afterwards

printed copies of a short history of the Lodge were distributed amongst the Brethren . During the course of the proceedings the anthem , " Behold how good and joyful a thing it is , " was sung , the solo being taken by Bro . W . Nichols .

Altogether 120 Brethren attended the Lodge . These included thirty-six Prov . G . Officers . Among those in the body of the Lodge were Bros . J . T . Last , C . Woodcock , A . W . Pullin , C . Skidmore , J . P ., W . T . McGowen ,

Centenary: Lodge Of Hope, No. 302.

G . C . Gamble , J . Davis , A . V . Hammond , J . Moser , Dr . Mossop , Dr . Herbert White and Dr . Chas . Forshaw ( F REEMASON ' CHRONICLE ) .

In the evening a banquet was held at the Great Northern Victoria Hotel . The chair was occupied by Bro . John R . Armitage Worshipful Master of the Lodge of Hope and Provincial Senior Warden .

Bro . Henry Smith P . G . D . of England , in replying for the Grand Officers said the Grand Master ( the Prince of Wales ) had signed Warrants for a thousand Lodges since his installation in 1875 , and during that time about three-quarters of a million had been subscribed to the Masonic Charities .

The next toasfc was the Provincial Grand Master of West Yorkshire Bro . the Right Hon . W . L . Jackson P . M . 289 , M . P ., in giving which the chairman said that he had been in close correspondence wifch Bro . Jackson

during the past week , and he knew from his letters how anxious Bro . Jackson had been to attend on this occasion and at what expense of personal trouble and inconvenience he had come to Bradford that afternoon .

In proposing the Deputy Prov . G . M . and the Prov . Grand Officers , the chairman referred to the fact that Bro . Smith was the oldest member of the Lodge of Hope , having belonged to it forty-two years . Bro . Wilson P . P . S . G . W . responded .

Bro . Henry Smith gave Success to the Lodge of Hope , No . 302 , and the health of the Wo ' rshipful Master . The Chairman , in responding , said that , as age went in Masonry , the Lodge of Hope was young . Masonry had existed no one could tell how long , but in Bradford

it had been proved that it had existed about 200 years . The Lodge of Hope was , in fact , quite a " fin de siecle " institution . He hoped it would become a still more powerful body in the future . Ifc had been the highest in the province , and for a while it was apparently under a

cloud . When he was asked to occupy the position that he held that night it was with very mixed feelings that he responded , but he was very proud that he should be deemed worthy of holding the position . He went on to remark that Bro . James Ambler , who was present , was

grandson of the first Master of the Lodge of Hope . His own maternal grandfather , after whom he was named , had been four times Worshipful Master of the Lodge . He believed that altogether this relative held oflice twelve times in the Lodge of Hope . As to himself , he had the

pleasure of saying that he had been a Mason for thirty years during the sixty years of his life . During the time he had been a Mason there had been thirty Masters , and he believed that in that time only Bro . Gott and himself

had been twice Masters of the Lodge , and out of twentyeight Masters thirteen had gone and others had removed . He had every confidence that the Lodge , whose centenary was that day being celebrated , would continue to flourish .

Bro . W . T . McGowen proposed the Visitors . He said thafc there was a good deal of antiquity about Freemasonry . There were many things about it that were exceedingly curious and quaint , but there were also many things about it that were admirable . We lived in

wonderful times . So a recent opera showed , the writer of which had included the song " Down with the churches , down with the steeples ; down with the princes , down with the peoples , " aud afterwards " Down with every blessed thing . " He would sing a song , the effect

of which should be that whatever might go wrong , might the Lodge of Hope always go right . A man could nofc live without some social pleasures , and it was a delightful thing to be able sometimes to cast aside all the troubles and dissensions of life and meet with some friendly

spirits , go through quaint old ceremonies , and above all find them flavoured with the delicious feeling of goodwill towards all men , and charity for the suffering . In this age the only thing that seemed to be settled was that everything should be settled on the principle of

topseyturveydom . But there was nothing topseyturvey about the Lodge of Hope . Whatever their politics , let them fight away out of doors ; whatever their reli gious views , let them stick to them ; but saints and sinners ,

whatever their faith , whatever their politics , they could shake hands across the table and say " Brother . " So long as men thought fit to act in the spirit of brotherhood there could be nothing but good coming from the Lodge of Hope . He had been amongst their charitable