Prov. Grand Lodge Of Hereford.

excited no small amount of interest among the inhabitants . This occasion was tho annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in the county of Hereford , whioh was held by command of tho Provincial Grand Master Bro . Sir Joseph Bailey , M . P ., under the

banner of the Kington Lodgo . In its absence from the list of Masonic Lodges , Kington , for a very Jong period , kept company with Bromyard and Weobley , until the 8 th March 1888 , when , through the untiring exertions of Bro . F . R . Tidd-Pratt ( of the Lodge of Harmony ) , a Lodgo was duly

consecrated there , as belonging to the Province of Herefordshire . Bromyard and Weobley are now left the only towns in the county of Hereford without the advantage of a Masonic Lodge in their own circles , but as far as tho larger town is concerned there has already been some talk of

filling tho omission , and the proposed establishment of a Lolge there meets with every encouragement from the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master . The new and youngest Lodge of tho Province is named after the river

Arrow , a stream running through the town and its neighbourhood , the views of which are compared by one directory of the county to " beautiful scenes in foreign lands , or some gorgeous and lovely creations of poesy , bodecked with all tho charms and enchantments conceived

by the bards . " At any rate , while tho members of the Arrow Lodge were executing some preliminary business , which included the initiation of Mr . Samuel Passey and the youngest brother of Sir Joseph Bailey , many of the visitors had a pleasant ramble through the town , and enjoyed its

charming scenery . The visiting Lodges were most hospitably received by their brethren of the Arrow at their quarters at tho Burton House Hotel . A Lodge having been opened , the W . M . of the Arrow , the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Mastor ( Bro . Sir Joseph Bailey ) , preceded by tho banner

of the Province and attended by the Provincial Grand Officers , entered the Lodge , and they wore received with tho customary ceremonial . Tho local Officers vacated thoir seats to the Provincial Grand Officers , and tho Provincial Grand Lodgo was opened in due form and with

solemn prayer . Notwithstanding tho many absences caused by the fashionable complaint of" Russian influenza " and other indisposition , there was a larger attendance than at tho previous Provincial Grand Lodge . The Burton Hall , with its windows darkened , and its interior

decorated with the jewels and furniture of Masonry , made an admirable Lodge . Tho walls had been cleaned , and tho floor , whioh was polished for a ball , was suitably covered with a mosaic carpet . The Provincial Grand Secretary read letters expressing regret at inability to

attend from Bros , the Rev . John Bucklo D . P . G . M ., the Rov . R . Evans P . P . D . G . M ., T . Smith P . P . G . S . W ., the Rev . D . Seaton P . P . G . Chaplain , 0 . Shellard P . P . G . S . W ., John Bodenham P . P . G . Registrar and P . G . A . D . O ., and others . The number of brethren present from each

Lodge was stated as follows : —Palladian ( 120 ) , Hereford , fourteen ; Vitruvian ( 253 ) , Ross , four ; Bastnor ( 751 ) , Ledbury , two ; Royal Edward ( 892 ) , Leominster , six ; Arrow ( 2240 ) , Kington , twenty-two ; total attendance from the Province , 40 . The Provincial Grand Treasurer

( Bro . H . 0 . Beddoe ) presented the accounts for the period since the last Provincial Grand Lodge . It appeared that tho receipts amounted to £ 105 , which included a balance of £ 65 17 s 4 d brought from the previous year ; and that tho payments made for charitable and incidental expenses

amounted to £ 14 ; leaving a balance in his hands of £ 91 6 s 6 d . In compliance with a petition presented by Bro . Beddce , from the Palladian Lodge , a grant of ten pounds was unanimously made to the daughter of a deceased Hereford Freemason , to whom five pounds had

recentl y been voted by tho Province . A sum was also voted for the Right Worshipful Master to present to any of the Masonic Charitable Institutions ho might choose to select , by which ho would obtain additional votes . The Provincial Grand Master then received a report from each

Lodgo , stating the number of members and various facts concerning its management . Provincial Grand Secretary Bro . W . Earle read the report of the Herefordshire Masonic Charit y Association , of which he is Hon . Sec , to the effect that the amount of subscriptions received since

August 1878 , when the Association was inaugurated , anS remitted to the Masonic Institutions , was as follows : — Jo Bojs' School , £ 241 10 s j Girls' School , £ 204 15 s ; the fuud for aged Freemasons , £ 115 10 s ; and the kindred fund ior thoir widows , £ 131 5 s ; making a total of £ & Jo ; which gavo aa averago of £ 63 a year for cloven years .

Prov. Grand Lodge Of Hereford.

The report also reminded tho brethren that a copy of the account , together with a strong appeal for an increase of tho fund , had been issued . Having already appointed and invested tho Provincial Grand Treasurer , the Provincial Grand Mastor now proceeded to appoint and invest his Officers for the ensuing year , as follow : —

Bro . Charles Rootes 333 ... ... Senior Warden C . J . Saxby 852 ... ... Junior Warden Bev . Thos . G . Baillie ... Chaplain Thos . ILiudford 338 ... ... Registrar Wm . Earle 120 ... ... Seoretary John Marchant 120 ... ... Senior Deacon

E . Maddsson 751 ... ... Junior Deacon R . Williams 2240 ... ... Supt . of Works O . Edwards 892 ... ... D . C . W . R . Stafford 892 ... ... A . D . C .

F . S . Collins 338 ... ... Sword Bearer F . R . Tidd-Pratt 2240 ... Pnrsnivant C . A . Stephens ... ... Tyler B . Cnllwick W . M . 120 ... ^

F . G . Minolt 338 ... ... [ 0 , , W . T . Sale W . M . 892 ... ^ Stewards E . F . Mitchell S . W . 2240 .. J The Provincial Grand Master said that as Freemanonry

was so essentially a Charitable Institution , he was influenced in making his selections of Provincial Grand Officers to a great extent by the fact whether or not they wero subscribers to one or more of the Masonic Institutions . The Provincial Grand Master appointed the next

Provincial Grand Lodge meeting to be held at Hereford , under the banner of the Palladian , No . 120 , the mother Lidgo of the Province . Tho Deputy Provincial Grand Master Bro . Piper reported that in compliance with the promise ho had made in the last Provincial Grand Lodge ,

he had visited the Lodges in the Province in order to secure uniformity of Masonic ritual , and that on the whole he was well pleased with the manner in which the work was carried out , but he pointed out one or two minor matters which he ventured to recommend should be as

strictly performed as other and more important things . The banquet was served afc four o ' clock , in an adjoining largo room , by host Parmeter . The toasts of the Queen and the Craft , and H . R . H . the Prince of Wales Most Worshipful Grand Master having been duly honoured ,

Bro . Sir Joseph Bailey proposed the health of tho Grand Officers present and past , observing that he regretted that he himself was the only Grand Officer present . Bro . Piper gave the health of the Right Worshipful Sir Joseph Bailey , M . P ., Provincial Grand Master of

Herefordshire , and in speaking of the Province , said he looked upon its successful progress as being in a great measure owing to the valuable though unassuming excellence of the Provincial Grand Secretary Brother Earlo . The Rt . Wor . Provincial Grand Master proposed the

Lodges in the Province , and took the opportunity of congratulating Bro . F . R . Tidd-Pratt on the marked success which had attended the exertions of himself and those

associated with him in establishing the Arrow Lodge , which he observed had every appearance of a very prosperous future . Bro . Sir . Joseph Bailey and many of the visiting brethren from a distance had here to leave for their trains .

Bro . F . R . Tidd-Pratt , who then took the chair , subsequently proposed the Masonic Charities . This toast was acknowledged by both Bros . Rootes and Earle , the latter remarking that the proceedings of the evening had shown not only in theory but in practice the charitable zeal of the

Province , and concluding with the recitation of the lines which were written by Eliza Cook in 1848 , and spoken at the Masonic Festival in aid of their Asylum for poor

and aged Masons , and the re cram of which was that " Man to be Godlike must be more than just . " Other toasts followed , and a pleasant and profitable evoning was brought to a close with the Tyler ' s toast .

It is announced that , the Prince of Wales has appointed Sir Stafford Northcote to bo Provincial Grand Master of the Mark Masons of Devonshire .

On Monday , the 10 th inst ,, the members of tho Stour Valley Lodgo , No . 1224 , met at the Temporanco Hotel , Sudbury , where a dinner was provided , presided over by Bro . Cuthberfc Quilfcer , M . P ., whon occasion was taken to present to Mrs . Jennings , the proprietress , a sum of money aa a mark of rospoct and goodwill .