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Article MASONIC PORTRAITS. (No. 61.) ← Page 2 of 2 Article MASONIC PORTRAITS. (No. 61.) Page 2 of 2
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Masonic Portraits. (No. 61.)
who join our Fraternity with the full intention of doing to their utmost ability whatsoever may be required of them . If they are invited to take office , be it never so humble , they do so with a determination to leave no stone unturned in order to make themselves as perfect as possible
m their duties . They would not feel justified in aspiring to a higher and more responsible position in the Lodge until they were well satisfied of their competency to fulfil the inferior . This view they take because , instead of regarding themselves as ornaments to the Craft ,
they hold that a great distinction was conferred upon them when they were received into the Society , and they are resolved to show they were fully worthy of such distinction . To this class belongs the excellent Brother whom , for reasons which will be noted hereafter , we have designated
" A Grand Superintendent . " To have expected that he would range himself in any other class than that of the earnest Craftsman , would have been to render him a serious injustice . He is one who , in all his undertakings , has laboured assiduousl y and earnestly , and in this respect he
may be said to have followed the example of the Great Duke of Wellington , whose maxim through life was that every one should do his duty . Others might adventure themselves in difficult undertakings to win glory and the applause of nations , but , in the opinion of that illustrious
soldier , the only worthy guide for men to follow was " Duty . " This appears to have been the case with our distinguished brother . He has laboured zealously and always to fulfil his duty , and the result is that he has won for himself a substantial position in all the avocations he
has followed . He is the Chairman of one of our greatest and most important Eailway Companies , of a Telegraph Company , and of the Great Eastern Steam Ship , and is a director of the Anglo-American Telegraph Company . Twelve years since a baronetcy was conferred upon him for
his distinguished services in connection with the Atlantic Telegraph Company . During his absence from England , when engaged in laying the Atlantic Cable of 1865 , he was chosen Member of Parliament for the borough of Cricklade , and has been re-elected at the different elections which have
been held since that year . He is not a frequent speaker in the Commons , but there are few , if any , members who are more competent to deal with those questions which concern directly our enormous Railway and Telegraph interests . He is , likewise , or was , one of the Trades Union
Commissioners , and is Deputy Lieutenant of the County in which he resides . That he has successfull y filled the important positions we have enumerated is b ° yond question ,
and equally so that in order to have so filled them he mnst possess mental and business powers of no ordinary calibre . With this experience to guide them , our readers will ] conclude as a matter of course that his Masonic career
is in all respects as distinguished , and there is no doubt the conclusion is a just one . Our worthy brother was initiated in the month of February 1850 in the St . George ' s Lodge , No . 112 , Exeter . In 1853 ho was chosen to fill the chair of the Royal Sussex Lodge of
Emulation , No . 355 , Swindon , of which , in the meantime , be bad become a joining member . During his term of office be initiated , passed , and raised twenty-eight candidates . Such indeed Avas the general estimation in which he was held , not only in his Province , but throughout the Craft
generally , that during this same year he was appointed Deputy Prov . G . Master of Wiltshire , and a member of the Board of General Purposes , while in 1854 the further honour was conferred upon him of re-electing him Master of the Royal Sussex . He was subsequently chosen Master
¦ of the LansdoAvne Lodge of Unity , No . 626 , Calne , of the Britannic , No . 33 , and of the Middlesex Lodge , No . 143 , and during these three Masterships , and his second of No . 355 , he initiated , passed , and raised as many as thirtynine candidates , the total of those he has introduced to one
or other of the degrees being no less than eighty . In 1858 , he was not only elected Worshi pful Master of the Methuen Lodge , No . C 31 , Swindon , but his Provincial services were recognised in Grand Lodge by his appointment to the office of Grand Sword Bearer . In 1868 he
was appointed by the late Earl of Zetland to be the Pro- j vincial Grand Master of Berks and Bucks , and prior to his ' quitting the Province of Wilts , with which he had been prominently connected for so many years , he was
entertained at a banquet at Chippenham , at which Lord Methuen , the Prov . G . Master , presided . On this occasion he was presented with his full regalia as Prov . G . Master , his Wilts brethren having subscribed amongst them about
Masonic Portraits. (No. 61.)
£ 100 for that purpose . The exalted office to which he was then appointed has been held by him for ten years-His administration of the Province has been attended with results most satisfactory to the interests of the Craft . The
number of Lodges and members has been doubled , and whereas , previous to his appointment to the post nothing was done by the Province as such towards any of our great central Charities , it now takes a leading part in contributine- to the needs of these Institutions . This is due to
his exertions entirely , for almost his first act Avas to take measures for organising a scheme for raising' contributions , and during his tenure of office , Berks and Bucks , both as a Province and by the impetus given to private subscription , has figured liberally and most regularly at our Charitable Festivals .
Such have been the services of our hero in Craft Masonry , but they are far from being the sum of his achievements . Is ho not Grand Superintendent of Royal Arch Masonry in his OANOI Province ? and does ho not figure in the list of
those distinguished brethren who have taken the Mark , Templar , and High Degrees ? But to give particulars . In 1851 , he was advanced to the Mark Degree , in the Bon Accord Lodge , in the Metropolis , and subsequently held various offices . The same year he Avas exalted to the Royal
Arch Degree , in St . George ' s Chapter , No . 112 , Exeter , and received tho Knight Templar Degree in the Rongemont or Union Encampment , No . 39 , Exeter . In 1852 he took the Rose Croix and Ne Plus Ultra degrees in Exeter , and that of G . E . K . K ., 30 ° and intermediate degrees in London . In
1856 he Avas installed First Principal in Moriah Chapter , No . 9 , and during his tenure of office exalted three candidates , while as Z . of the Wiltshire , No . 355 , he exalted not less than ten candidates . In 1858 he Avas appointed Grand Sword Bearer in Grand Chapter , holding this post of distinction in
the Arch concurrently with the same office in Grand Lodge or Craft Masonry . In 1861 , he Avas elected First Principal of the Britannic Chapter , No . 33 , and lastly , and b y Avay of putting the Keystone to the Arch of his reputation and the distinctions ho had attained , he was , in 1875 ,
installed as Grand Superintendent of the Provincial Grand Chapter of Berks and Bucks . It should further be mentioned that he has personally conducted the ceremony of consecration in the case of the following Lodges , namely , Methuen Lodge , No . 631 , formerly of Swindon , but
since migrated to Taplow , Bucks ; Canonbury Lodge , No . 657 , London ; Wiltshire Lodge of Fidelity , No . 663 , Devizes ; and Lodge of Concord , No . 632 , TroAvbridge . As regards the part he has taken and the interest he has exhibited in connection Avith our Institutions , it is necessary
Ave should point out that in 1852 he served on the Select Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , and that in 1855 he served on the Committee of the Institution for Girls . Ho is a Life Governor of these Schools , and has served one Stewardship for each of them ; Avhile as
regards the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , he is a Vice-President , and took the chair at one of its Festivals . Thus in all respects he has fulfilled his duties scrupulously and conscientiously . The Provincial interests entrusted to h ' s care and superintendence have been Avell AA'atched over
and promoted . As a Lodge officer , he has done his Avork admirably , and in a manner Avhich has secured him the love and approbation of all Avho have been associated or brought into eontact Avith him . As a Mason pure and simple ,
he has handsomely fulfilled the obligations he contracted during the ordeal of initiation ; he has extended the right hand of felloAvship to his brethren , and has freely bestoAved that assistance which the necessitous of our Order or their
orphanchildrenhave stood in need . Hehastakena prominent part in the government of tAvo of our three Institutions , Avhile , if we VICAV him in his Parliamentary and business capacity , we see him still devoting all his experience and the poAvers of his able mind to carefully superintend and guide
the interests of important raihvay and other companies . Rightly under these circumstances have Ave named him A Grand Superintendent , for has he not discharged that duty ? is he not UOAV discharging it , both in his civil and Masonic capacities ? Shall anything be said of his private
worth ? No ; let the curious in these matters visit , any of the Lodges in his present or former Province , and they Avill learn immediately Avhat wo might , yet do not consider it expedient to say of him in the columns of a public journal .
All Ave need do is giA e utterance to a Avish—and Ave do -so in all sincerity—May the day be very far distant indeed when his place in Parliament , in public or private life , and in Masonry , shall knoAV him no more !
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Portraits. (No. 61.)
who join our Fraternity with the full intention of doing to their utmost ability whatsoever may be required of them . If they are invited to take office , be it never so humble , they do so with a determination to leave no stone unturned in order to make themselves as perfect as possible
m their duties . They would not feel justified in aspiring to a higher and more responsible position in the Lodge until they were well satisfied of their competency to fulfil the inferior . This view they take because , instead of regarding themselves as ornaments to the Craft ,
they hold that a great distinction was conferred upon them when they were received into the Society , and they are resolved to show they were fully worthy of such distinction . To this class belongs the excellent Brother whom , for reasons which will be noted hereafter , we have designated
" A Grand Superintendent . " To have expected that he would range himself in any other class than that of the earnest Craftsman , would have been to render him a serious injustice . He is one who , in all his undertakings , has laboured assiduousl y and earnestly , and in this respect he
may be said to have followed the example of the Great Duke of Wellington , whose maxim through life was that every one should do his duty . Others might adventure themselves in difficult undertakings to win glory and the applause of nations , but , in the opinion of that illustrious
soldier , the only worthy guide for men to follow was " Duty . " This appears to have been the case with our distinguished brother . He has laboured zealously and always to fulfil his duty , and the result is that he has won for himself a substantial position in all the avocations he
has followed . He is the Chairman of one of our greatest and most important Eailway Companies , of a Telegraph Company , and of the Great Eastern Steam Ship , and is a director of the Anglo-American Telegraph Company . Twelve years since a baronetcy was conferred upon him for
his distinguished services in connection with the Atlantic Telegraph Company . During his absence from England , when engaged in laying the Atlantic Cable of 1865 , he was chosen Member of Parliament for the borough of Cricklade , and has been re-elected at the different elections which have
been held since that year . He is not a frequent speaker in the Commons , but there are few , if any , members who are more competent to deal with those questions which concern directly our enormous Railway and Telegraph interests . He is , likewise , or was , one of the Trades Union
Commissioners , and is Deputy Lieutenant of the County in which he resides . That he has successfull y filled the important positions we have enumerated is b ° yond question ,
and equally so that in order to have so filled them he mnst possess mental and business powers of no ordinary calibre . With this experience to guide them , our readers will ] conclude as a matter of course that his Masonic career
is in all respects as distinguished , and there is no doubt the conclusion is a just one . Our worthy brother was initiated in the month of February 1850 in the St . George ' s Lodge , No . 112 , Exeter . In 1853 ho was chosen to fill the chair of the Royal Sussex Lodge of
Emulation , No . 355 , Swindon , of which , in the meantime , be bad become a joining member . During his term of office be initiated , passed , and raised twenty-eight candidates . Such indeed Avas the general estimation in which he was held , not only in his Province , but throughout the Craft
generally , that during this same year he was appointed Deputy Prov . G . Master of Wiltshire , and a member of the Board of General Purposes , while in 1854 the further honour was conferred upon him of re-electing him Master of the Royal Sussex . He was subsequently chosen Master
¦ of the LansdoAvne Lodge of Unity , No . 626 , Calne , of the Britannic , No . 33 , and of the Middlesex Lodge , No . 143 , and during these three Masterships , and his second of No . 355 , he initiated , passed , and raised as many as thirtynine candidates , the total of those he has introduced to one
or other of the degrees being no less than eighty . In 1858 , he was not only elected Worshi pful Master of the Methuen Lodge , No . C 31 , Swindon , but his Provincial services were recognised in Grand Lodge by his appointment to the office of Grand Sword Bearer . In 1868 he
was appointed by the late Earl of Zetland to be the Pro- j vincial Grand Master of Berks and Bucks , and prior to his ' quitting the Province of Wilts , with which he had been prominently connected for so many years , he was
entertained at a banquet at Chippenham , at which Lord Methuen , the Prov . G . Master , presided . On this occasion he was presented with his full regalia as Prov . G . Master , his Wilts brethren having subscribed amongst them about
Masonic Portraits. (No. 61.)
£ 100 for that purpose . The exalted office to which he was then appointed has been held by him for ten years-His administration of the Province has been attended with results most satisfactory to the interests of the Craft . The
number of Lodges and members has been doubled , and whereas , previous to his appointment to the post nothing was done by the Province as such towards any of our great central Charities , it now takes a leading part in contributine- to the needs of these Institutions . This is due to
his exertions entirely , for almost his first act Avas to take measures for organising a scheme for raising' contributions , and during his tenure of office , Berks and Bucks , both as a Province and by the impetus given to private subscription , has figured liberally and most regularly at our Charitable Festivals .
Such have been the services of our hero in Craft Masonry , but they are far from being the sum of his achievements . Is ho not Grand Superintendent of Royal Arch Masonry in his OANOI Province ? and does ho not figure in the list of
those distinguished brethren who have taken the Mark , Templar , and High Degrees ? But to give particulars . In 1851 , he was advanced to the Mark Degree , in the Bon Accord Lodge , in the Metropolis , and subsequently held various offices . The same year he Avas exalted to the Royal
Arch Degree , in St . George ' s Chapter , No . 112 , Exeter , and received tho Knight Templar Degree in the Rongemont or Union Encampment , No . 39 , Exeter . In 1852 he took the Rose Croix and Ne Plus Ultra degrees in Exeter , and that of G . E . K . K ., 30 ° and intermediate degrees in London . In
1856 he Avas installed First Principal in Moriah Chapter , No . 9 , and during his tenure of office exalted three candidates , while as Z . of the Wiltshire , No . 355 , he exalted not less than ten candidates . In 1858 he Avas appointed Grand Sword Bearer in Grand Chapter , holding this post of distinction in
the Arch concurrently with the same office in Grand Lodge or Craft Masonry . In 1861 , he Avas elected First Principal of the Britannic Chapter , No . 33 , and lastly , and b y Avay of putting the Keystone to the Arch of his reputation and the distinctions ho had attained , he was , in 1875 ,
installed as Grand Superintendent of the Provincial Grand Chapter of Berks and Bucks . It should further be mentioned that he has personally conducted the ceremony of consecration in the case of the following Lodges , namely , Methuen Lodge , No . 631 , formerly of Swindon , but
since migrated to Taplow , Bucks ; Canonbury Lodge , No . 657 , London ; Wiltshire Lodge of Fidelity , No . 663 , Devizes ; and Lodge of Concord , No . 632 , TroAvbridge . As regards the part he has taken and the interest he has exhibited in connection Avith our Institutions , it is necessary
Ave should point out that in 1852 he served on the Select Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , and that in 1855 he served on the Committee of the Institution for Girls . Ho is a Life Governor of these Schools , and has served one Stewardship for each of them ; Avhile as
regards the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , he is a Vice-President , and took the chair at one of its Festivals . Thus in all respects he has fulfilled his duties scrupulously and conscientiously . The Provincial interests entrusted to h ' s care and superintendence have been Avell AA'atched over
and promoted . As a Lodge officer , he has done his Avork admirably , and in a manner Avhich has secured him the love and approbation of all Avho have been associated or brought into eontact Avith him . As a Mason pure and simple ,
he has handsomely fulfilled the obligations he contracted during the ordeal of initiation ; he has extended the right hand of felloAvship to his brethren , and has freely bestoAved that assistance which the necessitous of our Order or their
orphanchildrenhave stood in need . Hehastakena prominent part in the government of tAvo of our three Institutions , Avhile , if we VICAV him in his Parliamentary and business capacity , we see him still devoting all his experience and the poAvers of his able mind to carefully superintend and guide
the interests of important raihvay and other companies . Rightly under these circumstances have Ave named him A Grand Superintendent , for has he not discharged that duty ? is he not UOAV discharging it , both in his civil and Masonic capacities ? Shall anything be said of his private
worth ? No ; let the curious in these matters visit , any of the Lodges in his present or former Province , and they Avill learn immediately Avhat wo might , yet do not consider it expedient to say of him in the columns of a public journal .
All Ave need do is giA e utterance to a Avish—and Ave do -so in all sincerity—May the day be very far distant indeed when his place in Parliament , in public or private life , and in Masonry , shall knoAV him no more !