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about to snatch the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious , opened the proceedings in his usual careful manner . Bro . Crowther presented the W . M .-elect to receive the benefits of installation , and the latter assented to all the ancient constitutional questions put to him by Bro . Hatton Sec .

The following is a list of Officers for the ensuing year , who were invested by the W . M ., and addressed by Bros . Holyoak , Siddell , Crowther and Dean Bros . T . C . Noway S . W ., Alfred 0

We have expressed our satisfaction with the work of the Installing Master , and that of the Worshipful Brethren who assisted him , but it would be unfair to neglect a passing mention of the solo , " Be thou faithful until death , " rendered with effect by Bro . F . Ridsdale Bowley P . M . 1213 , and the anthem ( quartette ) , " Behold how good and joyful a thing it is Brethren to live together in unity , " as given by Bros . Pittam , Ward , Bowley , and T . M . Rushworth . Nor must we omit mentioning the fact that the very engaging harmony of this anthem was the special composition of Bro . Thompson Organist , who is an Associate of the College of Organists , and F . G . O .

Hearty good wishes having been expressed by visiting Brethren , Bro . Hargreaves W . M . introduced the name of Bro . Sharp , his predecessor in tho chair , explaining that he was absent that day through a serious bereavement , namely , the death of his wife . After a few touching references by other Brethren it was proposed and unanimously carried that the Secretary be instructed to communicate with him , expressing in feeling terms the sorrow of the Brethren at his sad loss .

Ladies had been invited to participate in the proceedings which were to follow , and Lodge having been duly closed in peace and harmony , tha Brethren retired for the purpose of escorting the members of the fair sex to the Worshipful Master and Mrs . Hargreaves , who held a general reception in the Lodge room . From the enthusiasm displayed on this occasion we cannot help thinking that the newly-installed W . M . will command a hierarchy of respect , not only from his Officers , but from all those who may happily be associated with him during his occupancy of the principal chair .

A banquet had been provided by Miss Brandon , the hall caterer , to which members and visitors alike sat down , numbering over 100 , and to our untutored gastrographic mind , the menu seemed an abundant and satisfactory one , embracing as it did soups " all sprung from the same stock , " fish " from the sands of the sea , where the tide regularly ebbs and flows , " joints of which it was modestly suggested " I need not here dilate on their many excellencies , " ducklings , chickens , and game not ashamed to confess that they ware " cf mature age , " puddings , ices , & c , of which one was " taught to be cautious , " and dessert " the last and greatest trial . "

The various Loyal and Masonic toasts were pleasantly varied by the efforts of a musical septet , consisting of Misses A . Hooson and Sabina Colebourn , Mr . F . T . Lindley , Bros . F . R . Bowley P . M ., W . H . Cradook , J . H . Maccann P . M . and C . H . Thompson Organist and Director . The ladies were in excellent voice , and sang selections from Cowen , Behrend , and other composers with great taste . Mr . Lindley ' s recital with zither accompaniment was a very clever performance , and his humorous song was tastefully selected , while Bro . Cradock ' s song " Revenge " was a marvel of vocalism .

Bro . Maccann , who , by permission of Bro . E . H . Jones , came specially from the Manchester Grand Theatre of Varieties , is an accomplished artist on the concertina , or rather on two concertinas , for he played a couple of those instruments at one time , by way of illustrating a selection composed by Bro . Dan Godfrey ; and be gave various imitations , among others that of a bugle , a brass band , an organette , bells , church organ , & c , which were so full of humorous and contrapuntal expedients that the audience was in a roar of laughter from the beginning to the end .

Bro . C . D . Cheetham P . M . 993 Past Provincial Grand Warden , in responding on behalf of the Provincial Officers , said that the innovation of admittting ladies to the festive board would be better if oftener carried out . He spoke very flatteringly of the ceremony of installation , reverting particularly to Bro . Harris , saying he was proud of his fellow colleague , and of the fact that he had done his work in so admirable a manner , he having satisfactorily proved that he was worthy of the honour which the Provincial Grand Master had bestowed upon him . He was also glad that Bro . Past

Master Siddell would in a fortnight ' s time be numbered among the Provincial Brethren , by being invested with the purple , and he added a tribute to this worthy Officer by saying that no case brought by him before the Board of which he ( Bro . Cheetham ) was chairman , had been refused , and in a measure attributed this success to the excellent advocacy of their Charity Representative . Such panegryic ' s from a source like this may be accepted as highly complimentary to the Wolseley Lodge , for Bro . Cheetham is by no means a " poseur , " nor does he praise work which is merely of a perfunctory or negative kind .

Bro . Harris , on rising to propose the health of the Worshipful Master , said it must be obvious and patent to all present that this was the most important toast of the evening , and he felt his inadequacy to do justice to it . During his connection with the Lodge , which embraced a period of sixteen years , he had never risen to propose a toast with greater pleasure . Since his initiation into the Lodge by him ( the speaker ) the W . M . had been fortunate in getting into office . Still he had been diligent in his work , and the honour

which he had now gained was by sterling ability and downri ght application . He had not only attended to his Lodge , but he had also acted as Secretary to a Lodge of Instruction , and they were proud of him . Bro . Harris then took a pleasing retrospect in connection with the Wolseley Lodge , but in returning to the present time said that this was a red letter day in its existence , and Bro . Hargreaves occupied a splendid position as Master . The Lod ge was in a gratifying position too , so far as regarded finance ; it boasted of

members numbering between sixty and seventy , and was well represented in other ways . In passing , he touched upon the fact that the Prince Edward Lodge , No . 2109 , which held its meetings at Heaton Moor , had sprung from the Wolseley Lodge . With regard to the forthcoming Boys Festival , they would be able to send two representatives to London . Had more time been accorded to Bro . Cheethem he might have spoken at length upon this f estival , and have told them that the Craft would help the Charity by no less a sum than £ 100 , 000 .

The W . M ., who in responding under such circumstances had as many excuses for being prolix as old Burton had for indulging in melancholy , very wisel y restrained any " penchant" he might possess in that direction , and confined himself to a very sensible speech , thinking perhaps that words , like 'he precious perfume of the Bast , are liable to exhaustion . He said he felt deepl y grateful to Bro . Harris for the kind and eulogistic manner in which he had proposed his health , and also for the ability with which he had conducted the ceremony of installation that afternoon . He also felt grateful to the

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Ladies and Brethren for the hearty manner in which they had responded to the toast . When he looked round on that large gathering of good , true , influential men , and such a galaxy of beauty presented by the lady friends , he felt that he might reasonably be guilty of a pardonable pride in having the distinguished honour of presiding over that brilliant assembly . Continuing , he said this was one of the proudest and happiest moments of his life , truly a red-letter day , to which the major portion of Masons aspire .

But it was not his intention to inflict upon them a Masonio speech , for two especial reasons . Firstly , he was afraid that if he were to enumerate the many pleasures and privileges which Masons derive from work and social intercourse , the ladies would be clamouring at the Lodge doors for admittance , with a strong desire to share in those privileges , which would hardly be compatible with Masonic traditions . Secondly , he had an excellent programme before him provided by the musical Brethren and friends , and

this he felt sure would be far more entertaining than a speech . He would therefore content himself by saying that he sincerely hoped he would prove himself to be worthy of the confidence which they had reposed in him , by unanimously electing and installing him into the office of Worshipful Master of the Wolseley Lodge . He assured them that it would be his great aim

always to preserve unsullied the chain which he wore , and prevent it losing any of the lustre imparted to it by his predecessors . It was an old saying and a true one , that " the proof of the pudding was in the eating , " and he therefore hoped that when he might be called upon to surrender the reins of office to his successor , he would be able to do so with the full conviction that he had satisfied and pleased them , and had done his duty .

The W . M . introduced Bro . Dean to the company , stating that he had something of importance to say to them . Bro . Dean at the onset stated that it was his pleasing duty that evening , and on behalf of the Brethren , to recognise a Past Master . The members had contributed a sum among themselves ( and he emphasised the fact that

no amount had been taken from the Lodge funds ) , in acknowledgment of excellent services rendered by Bro . Hatton , and the latter would receive from him a very handsome present in the shape of a gold watch . Though this was a recognition of past services , yet it did not follow that they were about to lose his assistance in the Lodge , where they hoped to see him for many years performing his accustomed duties . The watch bore the following inscription :

Presented to BRO . J . HATTON P . M . by the Brethren of the Wolseley Masonic Lodge , No . 1993 , after fifteen years of faithful services as Secretary . 7 th May 1898 . In conclusion Bro . Dean said he felt honoured in having to discharge the duty of presentation , and hoped that in the future Bro . Hatton would have pleasant reminiscences of his connection with the Lodge , and of his association with the Brethren .

Bro . Hatton said he did not know how to thank the members of tha Wolseley Lodge for their valuable present , of which he had not the remotest knowledge before that moment . Strange to say they had hit upon the thing which of all others he required the most . Bro . Crowther intimated that he had had a paper put into bis hands conveying the intimation that " these were happy moments , " an expression which seemed to be the motto of the evening . Well , there was a good deal of

truth in the saying , for those were happy moments for some people . It was his pleasure and duty to perform a similar function to the last , this time in connection * with Bro . Harris , for , in commemoration of his twenty-fifth year as a member of the Craft , the Brethren had purchased for him a gold medal , which was intended as a pendant for his watch chain , and he had very great pleasure in handing to him this small token of esteem . The token bore the following inscription :

Presented to BRO . W . HARRIS P . M . P . P . G . A . D . C . by the Wolseley Lodge , No . 1993 , in' commemoration of his twenty-fifth Masonic anniversary . 10 th February 1893 . Bro . Harris , in reply , said this was one of those occasions when one had as it were a marble in the throat , being unable to find words by which to

express what was intended to be said . Ho then commenced a speech which we must admit was couched in enjoyable argot , and imbued with a rich vein of humour . Amongst other things he stated that the Brethren seemed to have had an intuitive knowledge of what he required , and had presented to him just the right thing . Some years ago , when located at the old King Street rooms , the Brethren had presented to him a gold pencil case and a diamond pin , and also a small Past Master ' s jewel . In these matters he seemed favoured , and it led him to believe that no one was better thought of

than himself in the Lodge , where he would admit he had spent some of the happiest moments of his life . In conclusion , he thanked them for their great kindness . The W . M . rising once again , said he regretted that the opportunity of pinning a Past Master's jewel on the breast of the I . P . M . was denied him , but his auditors were probably aware that Bro . Sharp was absent from this meeting on account of a severe bereavement . The duty would therefore be postponed until a future occasion . The inscription on the jewel was as follows :

Presented to BRO . WILLIAM SHARP P . M . by the Brethren of the Wolseley Lodge , No . 1993 , for past services . May 1898 . Brother Crowther proposed the health of the Visitors , to which Brother McGregor responded .

Bro . Holyoak proposed the health of the Ladies , saying this was one of the principal toasts of the evening . He could not , however , understand why he was called upon to perform the duty . Perhaps it was because he was a bachelor , and did not know much about Ladies . He was very pleased to see them present , gave them a cordial welcome , and asked for a hearty response to his toast .

Bro . Rushworth , St . John Lodge , No . 32 o , Salford , responded in a very humorous speech , as follows : —Worshipful Master and Brethren . It is with the greatest pleasure that I arise on behalf of the Ladies to respond to the toast of their health , which has been so eloquently proposed and so enthusiastically received . In identifying myself with them to-nighfc , may I , in the first place , congratulate you , Worshipful Sir , upon having attained the high position which you now occupy , and in the second place , may I thank the Brethren generally for the hospitality they have so liberally bestowed upon us . We mete out to you a full measure of sympathy , that at your