Provincial Grand Lodge Of Kent.

felt the company had a fair respresentation of tho Grand Officers , both present and past , before them . Col . Clerke followed . Although invited to the meetings of the Provincial Grand Lodgo of Kent on many occasious , the present was tho first time ho had been able to avail himself

of the invitation . Ho and tho Officers of Grand Lodgo generally were delighted to be present at such meetings as the present . They had 62 Lodges in this district , working nnder a magnificent organization . In point of number of Lodges they stood fourth among the counties of England .

Having under his supervision the work of the various Provinces of England , he was able to form comparisons of their methods of working . In no district was the work better carried out than in Kent , and he congratulated tho members on having such a Provincial Master , just as he

congratulated Lord Amherst on having such a district to rule over . Bro . Eastes gave the next toast , the health of the Provincial Grand Master , Earl Amherst . Thoy were happily assembled that day to celebrate the annnal festitfal of their Provincial Grand Lodge , and , as those present well

knew , he considered it a sort of privilege to be allowed on such occasions to propose the health of their chief . He knew from a long experience that the toast would bo heartily received , as it deserved to be . Lord Amherst had presided over tho district for thirty years , and one and all of the brethren who had worked nnder him had

experienced a happy and pleasant time . Without troubling them with a mass of statistics , he might tell them the Provincial Grand Lodge had met three times in Ashford during those thirty years , first in 1861 , then in 1874 , and to-day , in 1890 . On the occasion

of the meeting in 1861 they had 17 Lodges and 815 members ; in 1874 , 38 Lodges and 1770 members ; and to-day 57 Lodges , with 3300 members . That was satisfactory proof of their progress , and he felt that much of their success was due to the fact that the Provincial Grand

Master never lost an opportunity of coming among them . During the 30 years he had just referred to they had voted some £ 8000 to the three Institutions , irrespective of the thousand guineas collected by the members themselves and

quite apart from their personal donations . These grants from the Lodge funds proper showed an average of between £ 250 and £ 300 a year , and it must be somewhat of a gratification to the . Provincial Grand Master to know that he presided over a band of men who were to be relied on

iu matters of benevolence . Bro . Eastes referred to the fact that their chief would preside at the Anniversary Festival of the Benevolent Institution in February , and hoped the Kentish Masons would rally round him on that occasion . He also spoke of the regret they felt that Earl

Amherst had not taken up tbe Lord Lieutenancy of the county , as thoy considered that he was so eminently qualified for the appointment . At tho last meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge it was known their chief was about to take to himself 5 a wife , and he would now ask the members cordially to drink to the health of the Countess

connection with that of her husband , and to wish them both many years of happiness together , in tho full enjoyment of good health . Lord Amherst replied . It gave him the greatest pleasure to find , year after year , that he

uau not Jost favour in the sight of the Masons of his count y . He accepted their good wishes on his marriage as the hearty recognition of a body of men who had shown a great pleasure in congratulating him iu all his joys and sympathising with him in all his woes . It might have

. "tting that the representative of the Prince of Wales to Masonry should also represent Her Majesty the Queen 1 J j civic matters , but the truth was he was getting to be an ? man i ^ d perhaps a lazy one , and on that account he ad urged that the appointment might he conferred on

-r ™ . e one else , who would in all probability discharge its uuhes with greater satisfaction . He hoped the work j . jausacted in ^ odge that day would enable them to continue loir career in the Province with even greater success than »< j attended their efforts in the past . He was aware they ^ . acte ( * somewhat unconstitutional lines , but was sum

" * r actions had had no detrimental effect on the great ilE ° the ° rder ' GVen if they had beeD ' S 0 to s P ' gal . . Formerl y they asked for subscriptions for purposes f ant y as a right , now they were going to ask it as a

th r •n 0 P ed with equally satisfactory results from that Qa f ? . 'a *Vo ' mt of view . Concluding , he assured them e » i Ti ! ° ^ *" greater pleasure than to continue to give v g 00 cl wishesof the Masons of Kent . , It would him the greatest of pleasure to convey the good

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Kent.

wishes of the brethren to his wife . Earl Amhorst next proposed the health of the Deputy of Kent , Brv > . J . S . ICastes . Brother Ea > te 3 had said a great miny kind

things when proposing his health , bat tho .-o kind things would havo been much moro applicable if applied to Brother Eastes himself . It must bo borne in mind that if the Provincial Grand Master was tho

ornamental head of the district the Deputy was tho working boo . He thought it was a lucky day when ho had asked Bro . Eastes to tako the onerous duties of Deputy , and ho had never regretted having done so , neither did he think any one of those present ever had occasion to regrot tho

selection . lb was a great thing for a Provincial Master to have such a Deputy as he had , for he might truly say that no one could possibly have a more sincere or , zealous worker to assist him . Bro . Eastes replied , tendering hia very hearty thanks for the kind way in which he had been

received . He assured them it would give him the greatest satisfaction to be able to continue the work , but ho could not help referring to the fact that aa Kent stood fourth among the Provinces , Lord Amherst stood fourth in the matter of seniority among the Provincial Chiefs . Lord

Leigh ( Warwickshire ) , Lord Methuen ( Wiltshire ) , and tho Marquis of Hartington ( Derbyshire ) , were all older appointed , but none , he felt , could improve on the way that Earl Amherst had conducted the affairs of his district . The brethren of Kent hoped that the Provincial

Master would long be with them in perfect health , and that he might prove the survival of the fittest . It was sixteen years ago that very day that ho had been invested in the office of Deputy Grand Master , and since that day there had been one continuation of happy days for him

among the Freemasons of Kent . He had made a largo number of friends , whom he hoped would remain his friends until the close of his days , and he assured them all that the promotion of the best interests of the Masons of this Province of Kent would always be his especial study . The toast of the Provincial Grand Officers Present and

Past was next given , Earl Amherst remarking there waa no lack of capable'Masons in the district on whom to cbhftr the Provincial honours , indeed the difficulty was rather to make a selection from the many eligible candidates . With the toast was coupled the name of the Senior Warden of

the Province as a Present Officer , and that of Bro . Bird as representing the Past officials . Both these gentlemen replied , and then the Chairman again rose . His next duty was at once a pleasing , and at the same time a painful duty . Pleasing becnuso it was to honour a brother for

whom he had the greatest regard , and painful because they had that day to give lo Bro . Thorpe a testimonial for tho way in which he had discharged the duties of au office ho was no longer able to fill . Bro . Thorpe had a long reputation in Freemasonry . When , years ago , the Lodge under

whoso banner they had that day assembled was proposed in Ashford , Bro . Thorpe worked hard to ensure its success . Not only was he one of the foremost among tho founders , but he was at once chosen as its Treasurer , and had ever since held that important office . He discharged his duties

so well in tho Ashford Lodge that when they in the Pro - vincial Lodge were looking around to find a worthy successor to his father they felt they could not do better than confer the appointment on the son . Bro . Thorpe ' s father had held the office for thirteen years , and had always given

satisfaction , while the samo could be said with equal truth in regard to the son . In the course of time Bro . Thorpe had left Ashford , and gone to live in the country , but he ventured to think the name of Thorpe would ever be remembered in the town where it had always been honoured

and respected . Lord Amherst was perfectly certain that , without showing any disrespect to the present holder of the office , there was not one member of the Province but regretted the day Brother Thorpe had to relinquish tho office of Provincial Treasurer . Last year they all agreed

it was nothing but right that they should unite , and in some tangible form show their appreciation of Brother Thorpe ' s work . A committee had been appointed to carry their wishes into effect , and that committee had chosen the handsome cup ho now had the pleasure of

handing to Bro . Thorpe as a rromeuto of tbo many joins spent as an officer of the Province . Bro . Thorpe had asked them—like the good Mason he was , and having a

loving wifo at home of whom he was very fond—to let some part of tho testimonial tako the form of a presentation for Mrs . Thorpe . Ho ( Lord Amherst ) had the pleasum therefore of presenting to their Past Treasurer n lukui of