Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Op Improvement.

field , equally well known in the House of Commons , and also for his services in the Craft . Bro . BEACH , in replying , and in proposing " Success to the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , " said it was a great pleasure to preside over such an influential body of Freemasons . It gave him great pleasure to do whatever he could that was for the advantage of

Freemasonry . Sometimes people said to him " I wonder you attend so many Masonic meetings , " but his answer also was " Where there's a will there ' s a way . ' They knew something about dovetailing , and when anyone knew anything of Freemasonry , they knew that other engagements could be dovetailed with Freemasonry , and that time could be found to attend to it . He could

only say that from the first time he was accepted in Freemasonry in the Province of Oxford he had taken very great interest in Masonry there , and he thought he introduced a lodge of instruction . Those who took an interest in Freemasonry should see that its precedents were well carried out , and they could not carry them out better than by seeing that in all parts of the

country the lodges were well and efficiently worked . There was nothing which impressed the neophyte in the Order more than a beautiful working of the ceremonies . This could not be done without some agency , and there must be a great dea ! of trouble taken to instil in those wanting to progress the necessity of attending to work , and the consequence

was that in attending a lodge of instruction able Freemasons were found to put their shoulders to the wheel and set an example in working to others . He could not too much compliment this Emulation Lodge of Improvement upon the manner in which the brethren performed their duty and set an example to the Craft . The Iodge had done much for the advantage of the

Order . The ability with which the various speakers in it had shown what attention should be paid to the ritual and what perfection might be arrived at . He would ask them all whether it was not a healthy sign in Freemasonry that so large a number of brethren were gathered together that evening to see the work thoroughly well performed . In asking the brethren to

drink the toast , he would couple with it the name of Bro . Fenn , a brother well-known in Freemasonry , to whom it was unnecessary further to allude , who had by his ability and knowledge shown he was well qualified to be a Preceptor in this time-honoured lodge . Bro . Tnos . FENN , in replying to the toast , said : R . W . Bro . in the chair , —In former years it was the

custom for the brother , whose duty it was to respond to this toast , to give an account of the origin of this Lodge of Improvement and some justification for our claiming that the ritual it teaches is that which received the authority of Grand Lodge after the Union , and which was ordered to be used throughout the Craft . I have had the honour of representing the Committee

on these occasions for some years , and I followed the custom up to three years ago , when 1 was advised to discontinue it on the ground that the reputation of this lodge was so firmly established , and the excellence of its work was so generally recognised that a repetition of the s . tory was unnecessary . I am , however , this evening about to revert to the old custom for two

reasons , first , because I have been asked to do so by a provincial brother , present here to-night , who is desirous of introducing our mode of working into his province , and wishes to be armed with the means of combating opposition , and secondly , because , while I have a retractation to make , I have a new story to tell , and some further proofs , in support of our claim , to

bring under your notice , which , to my mind , are incontestable . I must premise that at the Union of the two rival Grand Lodges in 1813 the method of working the ceremonies was found to differ materially , and it became necessary that a uniform system should be agreed to , which would be acceptable to both parties to the Union , and which could , without sacrifice of

principle , be universally adopted . In accordance , therefore , with a special provision in the Articles of Union , a warrant was issued for the formation of the " Lodge of Reconciliation , " to consist of an equal number of so-called "Moderns" and "Ancients , " under the presidency of Bro . Rev . Dr . Samuel Hemming . The duty assigned to this lodge was to construct from

the elements of both systems a ritual which should receive the sanction and authority of the United Grand Lodge . Bro . Stephen Barton Wilson , as many of you doubtless recollect , used to relate that the work was interrupted by Dr . Hemming becoming afflicted with mental incapacity , that it was left by him uncompleted ; that the Duke of Sussex appointed Bro .

Williams ( the compiler of the new Book of Constitutions adopted at the Union ) to carry on the work ; that Bro . Williams undertook to do so , on the condition of his being permitted to start de novo from the same elements ; that the work thus completed by Bro . Williams , was approved by Grand Lodge ; and that Bro . Peter Gilkes became the acknowledged teacher of

this work . Now comes my retractation . 1 have frequently repeated this narrative on Bro . Wilson ' s authority , but I have now good reason to doubt its authenticity , so far at least as relates to the ceremonies . The minutes of the Lodge of Reconciliation tell us very little , not one word of , the ritual agreed upon being permitted to be written ; but there is a record of

the names of the members , and of those who attended , and also of its labours having been completed in 1816 . And we find in the written minutes of Grand Lodge of that year that the ceremonies were rehearsed by members of the Lodge of Reconciliation at two special meetings of Grand Lodge , presided over by the Duke of Sussex , and , were after some few alterations , approved and adopted , and that a vote of thanks was given to

Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Op Improvement.

Bro . Hemming , so that there can be no doubt that it was Dr . Hamming ' s work that was adopted , and not Bro . Williams ' s . It is also on record that Dr . Hemming constantly attended Grand Lodge until 1821 , frequently acting as S . W ., so that his mental incapacity must have occurred long after the ritual was settled . Some light has been thrown on the story by

a letter from Bro . Broadfoot , which our indefatigable Sub-Librarian , Bro . Sadler , has brought to light , a copy of which he was good enough to send me two days ago . Bro . Broadfoot was one of the members of the Lodge of Reconciliation , and the founder of the Stability Lodge of Instruction , and it is clear from this letter that the story must have referred to the lectures

which vvere not settled for some time afterwards , for he says Bro . Hemming , after arranging the first lecture , could not be induced to go on with the second and third , and his mind after some time becoming enfeebled , he ( Bro . Broadfoot ) was obliged to arrange them himself . These were not our lectures , but those practised at the Lodge of Stability . This is corroborated by the

fact that Bro . Peter Gilkes , in 1819 , brought a complaint before the Board of General Purposes against Bro . Broadfoot and others for working unauthorised lectures . The Emulation Lodge of Improvement was founded in 1823 , and was shortly after joined by many eminent working Masons who had been members of the Lodge of Reconciliation or had attended its meetings ,

notably Bro . Edwards Harper , Grand Secretary , who had acted as Secretary to the Lodge of Reconciliation , and Bro . Peter Gilkes , who had attained the highest eminence as an instructor , and who afterwards became Preceptor of this lodge , and continued to hold that office until his death in 1833 . He was succeeded by his friend and pupil , Bro . Stephen Barton Wilson , who

presided over the lodge until his death in 1866 . It was from him many now living received their instruction in Masonry , and we have frequently heard him say , and he has repeated it from this place , that while admitting having made a few additions to the lectures , he had made no alteration whatever in the ritual taught him by Bro . Gilkes , which he always told him was the exact

work of the Lodge of Reconciliation which he had been authorised by that lodge to teach . That Bro . Gilkes was so authorised , I can now give you the further proofs with which I have recently become acquainted . They consist of two letters only , but they appear to me to settle the question without a doubt . 1 must tell you that at the Union two Grand Secretaries were

appointed , one of whom had been Grand Secretary of the " Modern , " and the other of the " Ancient " Grand Lodgo . Bro . W . H . White was one , and Bro . Edwards Harper the other , the former acted as Treasurer , and the latter as Secretary of the Lodge of Reconciliation , and attended all its meetings . The first letter is to be found in Bro . Sadler ' s " Notes on the

Ceremony of Installation , ' a book which specially commends itself to all who are interested in this lodge . It is from Bro . White , and is dated in 1843 . He says : "In reply to your letter enquiring whether any alterations have been made in the ceremonies ot initiation , & c , since the late Peter Gilkes was in the country , I beg to say ( without

knowing at what period that visit took place ) that no alterations have been made since the Grand Lodge formally approved and decided on them in the year 1816 . Bro . Gilkes was fully Master of all the Ceremonies , and , I believe most strictly observed them . " The next letter I found in an interesting history ol Freemasonry in Shropshire , by Bro . Graham , and it is ,

perhaps , more conclusive than Bro . White ' s , having been written as far back as J 818 , two years after the Lodge of Reconciliation had completed its labours , lt is from Bro . Edwards Harper , who was , you will bear in mind , not only Grand Secretary , but Secretary ol the Lodge of Reconciliation , he says— " in referring you to Bro . Gilkes , I mentioned he would

instruct you in the correct method adopted since the Union . It is quite useless to enquire of me ' which is correct' ; more I cannot say by this mode of communication . " This letter was discovered by Bro . Graham pasted into a blank page ot an 1815 edition of the Book of Constitutions , and Bro . Graham ' s conjecture respecting it is obviously correct . He

says— " it evidently refers to some changes in ritual , which cannot be written of , which were settled by the Lodge of Reconciliation after the Union . " You will observe that the oral tradition by which the ritual reaches the present generation from the Lodge of Reconciliation comes through only Bro . Gilkes and Bro . Wilson , many of Bro . Wilson ' s pupils being still alive .

It is important to bear in mind that these two brethren were both possessed of a remarkably retentive memory ; that they were in constant communication with each other , and were continuously engaged in working and teaching in the same lodge and in the presence of each other , so that it is impossible to believe they could have varied the work by inadvertence . Having therefore

established the authority of Bro . Peter Gilkes , S submit we have proved our case . It is a characteristic of Freemasonry which is perhaps worthy of note , because it does not seem to exist , at least to the same extent , in any other institution that at all times and in regular succession men have been found who , without unseemly canvas , have been noiselessly selected by their fellows

and as it by general consent recognised as leaders , men who , in this lodge week after week and year after year , out of pure love of Masonry , give up their time to its teaching without remuneration or the expectation of reward , save only that of the approval at these annual gatherings of the distinguished Grand Officers and eminent leaders in the Craft who are wont to honour us with their presence and support . For my-

Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Op Improvement.

self , I have no longer the right to pose as one of the Committee , having for some years ceased by reason of my many Masonic engagements and my increasing years to take any other part than that of a consulting member , but in returning you thanks in the name of the Committee for your cordial reception of this toast , I may , I am sure , say that they fee ]

greatly gratified at seeing themselves supported by so large a number of Grand Officers this evening , and their gratification is enhanced by being presided over by one of the oldest , of the ablest , of the most popular ; aye , I will add with a certainty of an echo from the hearts of you all , one of the most beloved of our

Provincial Grand Masters . I am sure that Bro . Sudlow nnd the other active members of the Committee arc fully sensible of their responsibility for the maintenance in its integrity of the great trust to which they have succeeded , and that they highly appreciate your good wishes as a recognition of their past , and as an incentive to future exertions .

Bro . the Rev . R . J . SIMPSON , P . G . C , proposed " The Lodge of Unions , " under which the Emulation Lod ge of Improvement works . Bro . G . BOOTH HEM ING , P . M . and Sec . 256 , replied , and said when that toast was proposed for acceptance , he was rather at a loss to know whether he was a father or a mother , or represented a father or a mother , but

whichever he was , the Lodge of Unions took it as a great honour to be either father or mother of a grand institution such as the Emulation Lodge of Improvement . The members present were very small in number , but they were good as regarded work , and although the Lodge of Unions had many brethren well known in Masonry , yet he was sorry to say that through

illness they were not at the present meeting , and for that he offered apologies . Among these was Bro . Farnfield . He ( Bro . Heming ) therefore had the rather difficult , but at the same time pleasurable , task of replying to that toast , and he offered his best thanks for the way it had been proposed and drunk . Bro . C . E . KEYSER , J . G . D ., proposed "The Masonic

Charities , " and said he could not tell thebrethren what an honour he felt it to bring before that great assembly that time-honoured toast , lt was one he felt that should be peculiarly honoured on that occasion , for he was in the presence of those brothers who were doing their utmost to perfect their great Masonic work ; and , as they knew , one of the chief points of Masonic work

was in introducing gentlemen to ths Craft to do their best to instil into their minds the principles of the Order , and , as they knew , the principles of the Order were founded on three great virtues—Brotherl y Love , Relief , and Truth—it was , therefore , only right that on such an occasion as this they should give full honour to the brotherly kve , relief , and truth , which was the

essence and foundation of their existence , and which they showed in their most practical way by the manner in which they maintained their three great Masonic Charities . It was a matter of no small credit to the Craft , and one which they might fairly boast about that although , as Masons , they contributed to Charities outside Masonry , they could raise among themselves

, the sum of about £ 50 , 000 a year to relieve the wants of those who were especially connected with it . It was hardly necessary in thatgreatassembly to point out what they were doing with regard to the Masonic Charities , but he would say that two days ago they celebrated the Festival of the Benevolent Institution , over which he

had the extreme honour to preside . That Institution only had its foundation in 1842 , but it had so far grown as to be so greatly supported by the Craft that it was now able to give pensions to no less than 463 aged Masons and widows . To do that they had to raise annuall y a large sum . Last year they got no less than £ 69 , 000 , the largest sum ever contributed on one

occasion to any one Charity , and it was only natural that it was expected by everybody that so large a contribution as that would bring a reaction this year . Some brethren thought that if only £ 5000 was announced it would do well . He was glad , however , to say they got £ 8300 , and he sincerely hoped that , in order that mi

they ght not have to trench on the funds of the Institution which were invested , when all the lists came in it would amount to £ 10 , 000 . Then came the Girls' School , an admirably-conducted Institution , the Festival of which was next in order . As one who had had the privilege of going down to that School , and knowing the Committee who looked after its

interests , and seeing the influence in the School , lie could say it was entitled to the utmost support of every member of the Craft . It was maintaining 270 children , daughters of Freemasons , and anyone who had the opportunity of meeting those children would acknowledged that their time at the School must be the pleasantest of their lives . The whole tone of the

Institution was so admirable that it must commend itself to every member of the Craft , and he would appeal to the brethren to keep it up in the fullest sense , which could only be done if the brethren subscribed £ 12 , 000 every year . With regard to the Boys' School , he was proud to be a member of the Committee of that Institution . It had 2 f > 8 boys now in itand required

, as much to keep it going as the Girls . It had passed through a crisis , but it had an excellent Committee and an admirable Secretary . The Board of Management were doing everything in their power to meet tin " wishes of the Craft , and to make the tone of the Boys '

School equal to the tone which existed in the Girls ' - He appealed heartil y to the brethren not to relax in their support of this School . Bro . J . M . MCLEOD , Sec . R . M . I . B ., responded , a" ' said that the Chairman had said everything which l ' would have said with regard to Ihe Charities . The