Grand Lodge Of Mark Master Masons.

Grand Lodge of Maik Master Masons and wuh his own hand signed every warrant he possibly could . Of course , when he wasoutofthecountry . it was impossible for him to do so . He ( the Earl of Euston ) had now for many years the honour and pleasure of being appointed under him Pro G . Master , and as the brethren ' s Pro G . Master he called upon them now to elect the Prince of Wales Grand Master ; he knew he was not asking too much when he asked them to elect him unanimously .

This having been done , Bro . Major GARRETT , G . D . C , proclaimed the Prince of Wales duly elected M . W . Grand Master . Bro . HARRY MANFIELD ( iNorthampton ) proposed the election of Bro . Alfred H . Bevan as Grand Treasurer .

Bro . FITZROY TOWER seconded . The Earl of EUSTON said there being no other nomination for Grand Treasuier for the eniuing year , he declared Bro . Bevan duly elected to the distinguished office of Grand Treasurer . Bro . ALFRED H . BEVAN , G . Treasurer , thanked the brethren , and said , having the interest of Masonry at heart , he hoped the brethren would not at any time regret having conferred this honour upon him .

The report of the General Board was taken as read , and ordered to be received and entered on the minutes . Bro . R . LOVELAND L OVELAND , Q . C , President , said before the last motion , " That the Report be adopted , " was made , he would like to tell Grand Lodge that since this Report had been passed by the General Board an event had happened which had plunged all the Board in the very deepest

sorrow . Most of the brethren who lived in London would know that his predecessor in office , the late Prov . G . Master of Middlesex , was very suddenly called away to his last home . He was so intimately connected with the Mark , the Craft , wilh the Arch , wilh the Christian Degrees , the Order of the Temple , and the higher Degrees , that all the brethren would know he referred to Bro . Col . Arthur Bott Cook . He was in good

health , although he was a little anxious about himself ; but he was with lhe Masonic brethren up to the last day before he died ; he was wilh them on the Saturday as he passed away on the Sunday . This sad event happened after the Report of the General Board was printed , or the Board would certainly have inserted in it a paragraph expressing their regret . Wilh these few words he would move " That the Report be adopled . "

Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , G . Reg ., Acting Senior Grand Warden , seconded .

The report was adopted . Bro . C . F . MATIER read the following letter from the Earl of Lathom : " 43 , Seymour-street , W ., January 26 th , 1899 . ' •Dear Brother Matier , —On behalf of my family and myself , may I ask

you to convey to all the members of Grand Lodgeof Mark MasterMasonsour most sincere and grateful thanks for their kind and sympathetic resolution of condolence with us in the great sorrow that has come upon us . —I am , dear Brother Matier , yours fraternally , ' •LATHOM . " Grand Lodge was then closed in ample form .

Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.

ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF THE EMULATION LODGE OF IMPROVEMENT .

The annual festival of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement was held on the 24 th ult ., at Freemasons' Hall , when the old lines were adhered to by having an exemplification of the working of one of the lectures , which on this occasion was the First Lecture , and afterwards a supper at Freemasons' Tavern . Year by year the attendance at these meetings increases in number , and at the assembly now noted more than 500 brethren put in an appearance . Bro . R . Clay Sudlow , P . G . Std . ISr ., presided in lodge , and the Right Hon .

the Earl of Dartmouth , Prov . G . M . of Staffordshire , took the chair at the supper , besides attending the l odge . Bro . Edward Cutler , Q . C , P . G . Org ., presided at the organ , and played the following selections as the brethren assembled : Fu ^ ue in G minor (] . S . Bach ) ; Meditation ( Guise de Moncey ) ; Offercury , E fiat ( L Wely ); Andante from Second Symphony ( Wider ) ; Minuet ( Edward Cutler ) and March " Tannhauser " ( Wagner ) . The minuet , which was of the Past Grand

Organist's own composition , set only for the organ , was a most attractive and lively piece ; but the whole selection was admirably chosen , and its performance gave eminent satisfaction . Among the breihren who attended the working were Bros . Edward Letchworth , F . S . A ., G . Sec , Treas . ; James Henry Matthews , Pres , B . of B . Ral ph Gooding , M . D ., P . G . D . ; Charles Edward Keyser , P . G . D . j W . F . Smithson , P G . D . ; R . Horton Smith , Q . C , P . G . Reg . ; Lennox Browne , P . D . G . D . C . ; I E . Le Feuvre , P . G . D . ; Col . J . A . Bindley , P . G . D . ; Ernest M . . Money ,

P . A G . D . C . ; James Tertius Collins , P . G . S . B . ; VV . M . Bywater , P . G . S . B . ; Henry Lovegrove . P . G . S B . ; Henry Garrod , P . G . P . ; J . Boulton , P . G . P . ; Walter Martin , P . A . G . P . ; A . C . Spaull , P . G . Std . Ur . ; W . G . Kentish , l' . G . Std . Br . ; William Lake , Asst . G . Sec . ; and Henry Sadler , G . Tyler . Bros . Rushton , acted as I . P . M . ; C . Lewis , P . M . 1706 , P . P . G . D . Essex , was S . W . ; R . [ ,. S . Badham . 21 , J . W . ; E . Letchworth , G . Sec , Treas . j Joseph Russell , P . M . S , P . G . Stwd ., Sec ; G . R . H . Clark , 1965 , S . D . ; Lionel Cooke , 21 o 3 , J . D . ; and J . Collelt Smith , I . G . The workers of the Sections were as follows :

The ist Section ... ... Bro . J . Collett Smith „ 2 nd „ ... ... D . D . West . „ 3 rd „ ... ... ... „ J . F . Roberts . „ 4 th ... ... „ W . R . Bennett . „ sth „ ... ... ... „ Charles Lewis . ,, 6 th „ ... ... ... ,, G . R . II . Clark .

„ 7 th „ ... ... ... ,, T . W . Allsop . AT the work was , as usual , performed to perfection . The Earl of D ARTMOUTH at the close of the wording proposed a vote of tharks to the -vorking brethren . He said no doubt the company had a right to expect when Ihey came to the Emulation Lodge of Improvement that they would find the work effectively and elliciently performed , but he thought it must be

a revelation to some of them that the perfection had been attained which Freemasons alone were able to reach . It had really been ideal ; and it would be no doubt disheartening to some of the brethren if they found they could not do the work so perfectly . They certainly should try with such an example before thum . Bro . R . HORTON SMITH , Q . C , P . G . Reg ., seconded . The exhibition was no new thing to those who had been in the habit of attending ; once seen , once heard , it remained in one's mind , and was an impression that remained for ever—a living proof of the common phrase that example was better than precept .

Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.

The vote was carried unanimously . Bro . R . CI . AY SUDLOW , in acknowledging the vote , said that according to precedent when a cordial vote of this kind was passed , the brother occupying the Master ' s chair , though not himself a working officer , was expected to reply on their behalf . As the mouthpiece , therefore , of the working officers that night he tendered to Bro . the Earl of Dartmouth and Bro . Horton Smith their very hearty thanks for the kind words they had used in putting this vote before the brethren . He knew that each one of the working officers had been most anxious to

maintain the prestige of this lodge for correct and excellent working , and they would esteem very highly the vote which bad bee . i so kindly and unanimously passed . Names of proposed joining members were then taken , Bro . Sudlow previously stating that the joining fee was 2 s . 6 d ., and a small fee was charged each night a member attended . The meetings were every Friday night ( except Good Friday and when Christmas Day fell on a Friday ) in every month of the year except August and September . All the receipts but the working expenses went to the Masonic Charities .

The lodge was then closed , and the brethren adjourned to the Tavern to supper , but on account of the large numbers an overflow supper was given in the drawing-room . After supper the toasts were honoured . The Earl of DARTMOUTH , in giving the toast of "The Queen and the Craft , " said : I rise with your permission to propose the first toast , and that toast , as you naturally will expect , is that of " The Queen and the Craft . " Now , it may

seem somewhat surprising to you thit the Queen and the Craft sh ould be coupled in this connection , because , owing to circumstances over which she had no control —( laughter)—the Queen is unable to be a member of the Craft ; but , at the same time , we know that in the Queen we have our Grand Patroness , and a very generous and hearty sympathiser with all thc good work that the Craft is able to accomplish . In proposing such a toast it is , of course , quite unnecessary for me to detain you at length , but I should like to take this opportunity of just reminding

you that when her Majesty first came to the Throne there were many of a pessimist character who thought that the great burden that was thrown on those young shoulders was too heavy for her to bear . . But the last 60 years have proved conclusively that , though the charm of the woman has never been lost , we have found in that woman a common-sense and ability , a fulness , and a power which many of us thought were a man ' s sole prerogative , and we must not forget that during that long life there has been a lurid light thrown on the every action of that life—a light that most ofus would not like to have thrown on us ; and she has

come brilliantly out of that ordeal , and no one more brilliantly . There are Courts more brilliant , sovereigns more magnificent ; but 1 will undertake to say that throughout the whole history of the world there is no one whose throne is more f . istly fixed in the hearts of the people , and in giving you this toast I think I cannot do better than quote two lines of the poet Pope , whicli I think more clearly than anything I can say show what are the relations between her Majesty and her people" Of human race the wisest and the best .

Her people blessing ; by her people blessed . ( Cheers . ) Bro . the Earl of DARTMOUTH , in proposing- the next toast , said : I rise with out loss of time to propose to you the next toast—that of our '' M . W . G . M ., H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . " Perhaps among the miny benevolent actions of her Majesty the Queen one of those the most gratifying to Freem isons is the fact that she has presented us with our M . W . Grand Master . ( Laughter . ) Nothing I

can say can add anything to what we already know abaut H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . I am q uite sure that no one who has occupied the very important position of the Grand Master of Freemasons in this country has ever done more for promoting the interests of that great Brotherhood than has his Royal Hi ghness . Those of us who have had the opportunity , as we have had in Staffordshire , of welcoming his Royal Higheess and seeing the distinguished manner in which he

performed any duty he is called upon to perform will agree with me when I say no one could more fitly occupy the post of Grand Master . ( Hear , hear . ) It is not for me to dilate to-night on his many good qualities , but I would a-ik you to join with me in drinking " Long Life , Good Health , and continued Success to H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . Grand Master . " The toast having been honoured ,

Bro . RUSHTON , P . M ., proposed "The M . W . Pro Grand Master , the R . W . Deputy Grand Master , and the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past . " He said , at this festival last year it was my privilege to propose the toast of " The Grand Oliicers . " Since then the first one on the list has gone ; death has removed from our midst the I ' ro G . Master , who , under the successive titles of Lord Skelmersdale and Lord Lathom , has stood at the head of the Grand Officers during the Masonic career of the greater number of us in

this room . No doubt the brethren who have been substituted for the two principal places will do their work in Grand Lodge as well as he did who is now gone ; but we cannot be unmindful of the services he has rendered to the Craft so many years , and it would ill become us to allude to this toast without a passing mark to his memory . The Grand Officers have supported this festival on this occasion as well as on occasions past . We are grateful to them for the countenance they give to our festival ; they give them a quasi official character which we are grateful for . We number among our body several distinguished Grand

Officers , and I venture again to remind you , although it is guite unnecessary , the principal executive officer of the Craft is Treasurer of the Emulation Lod ge of Improvement . We are proud to have him in that position . To-night you should know the R . W . Provincial Grand Master for Staffordshire has been good enough to honour us by presiding over our meeting , and has made a sacrifice . I shall call upon Col . Bindley , P . G . D ., to reply , he has been Deputy to the Provincial Grand Master for Staffordshire , and therefore 1 think that Province will feel that we are not forgetting the acknowledgments due to him for urging the Provincial Grand Master to preside over us .

Bro . Col . BI . MM . UV , P . G . D ., Dep . Prov . G . M . Staffs ., in reply , said : The few words I have say I will say as quickly as possible because you do not want long speeches on an evening like the present . It is a great pleasuie and honour to have my name coupled with the toast , but I feel like a minnow among whales —there are greater men to my right and left who would do it better ; but I should feel ungrateful if I did not respond . The Grand Oflicers are no doubt very grateful for the loyalty and the great support they have from the Craft , and while there is that unanimity and kind feeling among them long will it prosper , and I

hope it will . I cannot think we have had a more beneficent reign . I think at the present time we are singularly fortunate in the Grand Oflicers who are in permanent places to guide and direct us in the provinces when we want direction . Having said so much I think I should be taking up too much time if I said more , but I ought , perhaps , to utter a word of sympathy and thought on those who have gone before . Lord Lathom has been with us in Staffordshire on mo'e than one occasion , and we love to think of him as one of the mast kind and genial of man . No doubt those who have been raised in rank consequent upon his death are deserving of their preferment .

Bro . E . LKTCHUOKTH , G . Sec , Treasurer of the lodge , next said ; Bros . Grand Officers and Brethren , as Treasurer of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement the { , 'reat privilege devolves upon me to propose the next toast , and I can assure you 1 regard this privilege as a very great privilege , it is to ask you to drink the health of a very distinguished brother who has done us the great honour oi