Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.

position , I thank you very sincerely for the toast you have been so kind as to drink to me . Bro . R . F . GOULD , Grand Deacon , proposed " Success and Prosperity to the Lodge of _ Unions , No . 25 C . " The Lodge of Unions and the Emulation Lodge of Improvement stood in the relation of parent and child , and although he was more acquainted with the child than the parent , he was sure all the brethren would acquit themselves of a deep

debt of gratitude by drinking a toast cordially to the worthy and distinguished lodge which had called this lodge into being . He might say that although adopted by the Lodge of Unions , it was not originally called into being by it . New and old lodges of instruction were very plentiful , and brethren were sometimes apt to forget the great services which wefe rendered to Freemasonry in former years by the two lodges of instruction which then existed . It had been

mentioned that the Emulation Lodgeof Improvement was one of the earliest lodges of instruction . There was indeed one earlier , the Lodge of Stability , and it was ' a remarkable fact that both of them were presided over by the best teachers of the time , one was Peter Gilks , and the other Peter Thompson—Peter Thompson preceded Peter Gilks of this lodge by a few years—and it is a most remarkable fact that the success of this lodge , which was at one time imperilled

by being restricted to Master Masons , was maintained by Bro . Peter Gilks moving his opposition that a lodge restricted to Master Masons could not be a success . As to the success which had attended that lodge the brethren would not require any remarks ^ from him . He had to propose success to the lodge which still granted the charter under which this lodge of improvement worked , and to couple it with the name of the oldest Past Master , Bro .

j . A . Farnfield , a name which not only commended itself to the brethren as connected with the lodge , but also as being the son of one of the worthiest brethren they had ever had amongst them . Bro . J . A . FARNFIELD , P . M . 256 , in reply , said , the number of times he had stood up to return thanks for this toast on behalf of the Lodge of Unions would almost induce the brethren to imagine he was the perpetual Master of

the lodge . He was sorry the Rev . James Amos , the present Master , was not present . He ' had a letter from him that morning in which he said he would not be there , and asking him ( Bro . Farnfield ) to return thanks for him . In these days of education the children of parents were apt to forget that their parents did not have the advantages they themselves possessed , and were also apt , perhaps , to sneer at the old man who could not express himself in the grand

language his children did . The Lodge of Unions , therefore , was delighted that the Lodge ol Emulation acknowledged the parent that had adopted it . The Lodge of Unions were not the progenitors of the Emulation Lodgeof Improvement , but merely adopted it in 1 S 31 . Since then it had . grown to be a tolerably good one . He trusted the brethren would pardon him for digressing for a few moments while he referred to the late lamented Bro . John Hervey .

Bro . Hervey was senior P . M , of this lodge , and had been a member of it for many , many years . Royal York Lodge of Perseverance , No . 7 , was his mother lodge , and in No . 356 they had formed a committee , which was to be presided over by Bro . Murton , in order that they might form some fitting tribute to the lasting worth of Bro . Hervey . The brethren would receive a circular ere the year was out with respect to this project , and he trusted the brethren would

pardon his mentioning it . He hoped the lodges under Grand Lodge would respond to that circular , and raise a fund to be appropriated for education or otherwise to the memory of Bro . Hervey , and his long connection with the Emulation Lodge of Improvement . All he could say was that so long as the Emulation Lodge of Improvement grew in his ( Bro . Hervey ' s ) strength , stature , wisdom , and knowledge , so long would the Lodge of Unions rejoice that

they had the proud position of being its foster parent . Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , Grand Deacon , proposed "The Masonic Institutions . " Were he to recount to the brethren the great advantage to the aged and the young accruing from the Masonic Institutions , or the enormous sums collected annually at the festivals of the three Institutions , it would be like telling a thrice told tale . The brethren had heard from the lips of Bro . Fenn in the lodge-room

that this lodge of improvement , which did so much for Masonry in general by inculcating the principles of charity , did not fail in performing charity itself , but contributed very largely to those Institutions . With the large sums collected it was necessary that there should be courts and committees to preside over the Institutions , and to visit tbem , that they might convince the brethren that the money was properly applied . But unless there were officers of

those Institutions , not onl y to collect the money , but perform the duties , it would be impossible the Institutions could be carried on . They ware fortunate enough in each Institution to have a Secretary who thoroughly understood his duties and performed his part , and to their exertions might be attributed the great success which had attended the Institutions . He called upon Bro . Binekes to reply . Bro . F . BiNCKBS , Secretary to the Royal Masonic

Institution for Boys , said his task that evening was a very easy one , and he could discharge it in very few and brief words . All of them , he was sure , were exceedingly pleased and very much delighted and gratified at the enormous success which for the last few years had attended the various Institutions connected with the Order . This year he hoped they would announce a larger amount of success than in any previous year . They looked back upon the past with

feelings of a large amount of pride ; they were satisfied with what was done in the present . At the same time they were sanguine that in the future they should have nothing to regret . He believed their Institutions were growing day by day , as the Craft was increasing , rapidly . They knew at the same time that coincident with the increase of the Craft the demands on the Institutions were increasing , which were only to be met by a correspondingly increasing

generosity . The Secretaries of the Institutions , who worked week b y n-eek ,. month hy month , and year by year among the brethren , were always glad to embrace the opportunity of expressing their acknowledgments for that support , and he was sure on an evening like . this , when the toasts were compressed into a small

space , they were glad an opportunity had been found for drinking success io the Masonic Institutions , which had been proposed by one of the members of the House Committee of the Girls' School—one of those brethren who knew the merits of all the Institutions—to give the Secretaries an opportunity to thank the brethren for the response ihey had given to appeals for support from time to time .

Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.

He thanked the brethren on behalf of the three Institutions . Bro . H . J . P . DUMAS , Past Grand Deacon , proposed "The Committee , " and , in doing so , said the W . M . when committing the toast to him had not noticed that he ( Bro . Dumas ) was one of those brethren to whom the toast proposed thanks . He ( Bro . Dumas ) was obliged to take up the position of a man of whom Buhver Lytton spoke when

he said , " If a man did not think well of himself , who the deuce should ? " As one of the Committee , he could appreciate the exertions made b y those brethren to bring about a successful meeting . He hoped the exertions of the Committee had conduced to that success ; and he believed those efforts had been such as to mark an epoch in the records of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement . He trusted that future Committees would do their work as well as those

brethren had done in the year 1 SS 0 . He assured the brethren it was a great deal to do to bring about a successful meeting like that . Bro . W . H . SMALLPEICE , in response , said he thanked the brethren on behalf of the forty Stewards , nearly all of whom were present , for the very kind way in which they had appreciated the services of the Committee . The duties of the Stewards , of course , devolved very much upon the

Secretary ; but he could not get such a gathering as they had that night without such assistance as one could always command from the brethren nominated as Stewards . Very few of them but took a very active part in it . They sold the tickets and paid for them ; they helped to arrange the tables , and helped in all the work of the evening ; and on

their behalf he begged to thank the brethren must heartily . At the same time , allow him to express to the lodge his thankfulness for the very great assistance he had had from them , especially Bros . Dawson and Kentish , without whom he could hardly have got through the ivorkl The Tyler ' s toast , given by Bro . SADLER , brought the proceedings of this very successful evening to a close .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Leicestershire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF LEICESTERSHIRE .

On Friday week there was a great gathering of the "brethren of the mystic tie" in Loughborough , the local lodge , the Howe and Charnwood , No . 1007 , being honoured on the occasion of their annual festival with a meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge for the Province of Leicestershire and Rutland . Great additional interest was

given to the gathering , too , from Ihe fact that the W . M . elect about to be installed was the highly esteemed Bro . General Burnaby , M . P ., who for . the past year had occupied the office of-S ' . Wi of the lodge , held at the Bull ' s Head Hotel . _ ;•• - . . ; , - The meeting" was . upon this occasion held in the Victoria Roorm . at the -Town Hall ; and the Craft lodge was opened by . Bro . R . L . Gibson , the retiring W . M . ,, Bro .

General Burnaby ,-M . P . j being in the chair of the S . W ., and Bro . Benjamin'Wood in that of the J . W . Amongst other brethren present of the Craft and Provincial Grand Lodge were Bro . the R . W . the Right Hon . the Earl Ferrers , the Provincial Grand Master ; W . Bro . George Toller , jun ., Deputy P . G . M . ; Bros . E . F . Mammatt , P . M ., P . S . G . W . ; the Rev . Clement E . Danby , P . G . C ; the Rev . John Bird , P . M ., P . P . G . C . ; R . Waite , P . M .,

P . G . T . ; S . S . Partridge , P . M ., P . G . Sec . ; T . Macaulay , P . M ., P . G . D . C ; Captain J . G . F . Richardson , P . M . 1560 , P . G . S . B .-, F . Grant , P . P . G . S . D . ; John Hunt , P . M ., P . P . G . A . D . C ; R . W . Carson , P . M . 50 , P . G . S . of Works ; H . Nicholson , P . P . G . Org . ; W . Vial , P . M ., P . P . G . Org . ; the Rev . S . W . Wigg , P . P . Chap . N . and H . ; the Rev . W . Langley , P . M . 50 and 1130 , P . P . G . S . W . ; F . Amatt , P . M ., P . P . G . S . D . ; J . D . Bennett , P . M ., P . G .

J . D . ; C . J . Wilkinson , P . M . 1391 , P . G . P . ; G . Clifton , P . M . 1391 , P . P . G . S . D . ; F . J . Baines , P . M . 523 , P . P . G . S . D .,- Thomas Worthington , P . M . 50 , P . P . G . S . D . ; A . Chamberlain , W . M . 1391 , P . P . G . Org . ; J . C . Duncombe , P . M . 4 66 , 126 . 5 , P . P . G . J . W . ; Thos . W . Carson , P . P . G . S . W . ; Joseph Young , W . M . 523 , and Benjamin Moore , P . M . 1391 , P . G . iStewards ; A . James , P . P . G . S . B . ; Major Millican , P . M . 523 , P . P . G . S . W . ; S . Cleaver , P . M . 279 ;

J . W . Smith , P . M . 279 , P . P . G . P . ; J . Vaughan , 279 , P . M . 86 ; the Rev . F . II . Richardson , I . P . M . 1500 ; J . F . L . Rolleston , W . M . 1560 ; G . Oliver , 523 ; J . Jessop , 279 ; C . Oliver , 1391 ; T . B . Laxton , 1391 ; A . Balmforth , P . M . 779 ; Jos . W . Barber , W . M . 50 ; S . J . Simpkin , 50 ; K . Taylor , P . M . 523 ; R . Michie , J . D . 279 ; Henry Eagle , I . G . 523 ; H . J . Marshall , 279 ; W . M . Randall . 270 : Sidney Harding . 4 « : T . Wriirht . S . W .

1391 ; Thos . Dunn and James Tanser , T y lers ; J . Harris ; CBast ; W . Faire , 279 ; Haines Walker , Tyler 1007 ; W . R . Bryan , 102 and 251 ; J . F . Hodson , 1007 ; W . L . Emmerson , 523 ; Albert Stretton , 15 C 0 ; George Odell , 523 ; W . Wilkinson ; J . Wiggins , S . D . 1330 ; W . H . Chamberlain , 523 ; W . Martin , J . W . 1330 ; William A . Burnaby , I . G . 1560 ; Edgar Taylor , S . W . 523 ; William 1391 otners

nream , 523 ; j . neaa , j . vv . ; ana . The preliminary business of the Craft lodge having been disposed of , the officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge were admitted , and Earl Ferrers , having taken the chair , proceeded in a very effective manner to perform the ceremony of installing Bro . Gen . Burnaby in the chair of the Howe and Charnwood Lodge , and Bro . Burnaby in his turn afterwards appointed and invested his officers for the

ensuing year . The remaining business , both of the Craft and Provincial Grand Lodges , was then disposed of in due form . At the close of the day's business , which occupied several hours , the brethren sat down together at a grand banquet at the Bull's Head Hotel , where Air . Widnall served up as usual a capital repast . In the early part of the proceedings the Provincial Grand Master occupied the chair , and

his lordship remained till compelled to leave to catch his last train , when Bro . Toller , the D . P . G . M ., and afterwards Bro . General Burnaby , the newly-installed W . M ., in turn presided . There was the usual list of Masonic toasts , including , of course , "The Health of the R . W . Bro . the P . G . M ., and of Bro . General Burnaby , " and it is hardly necessary to say that they were each and all drunk with

much enthusiasm . In responding to the compliment paid to himself , the new W . M . referred to the interest he felt in the future progress of the Howe and Charnwood Lodge , and announced that no fewer than seven brethren from Leicester lodges had that evening offered themselves as joining members . During the evening Bro . T . B . Laxton , of the Commercial Lodge , 1391 , charmed the company with his exquisite

rendering of two of his favourite songs , which were rapturously applauded . Bro . J . Jessop , 729 , and a number of the Loughborough and other brethren also assisted in the musical part of the proceedings , and altogether a very delightful evening was spent .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . JOHN WHITWELL . It is with sincere regret that we announce the death of Bro . John Whitwell , M . P . for Kendal , who died on Sunday last at his residence , Bank House , Kendal , of inflammation of the lungs , brought on by a severe cold . Bro . Whitwell was for a number of years past a prominent and active member of the Masonic body , whether as regards the Craft

in general , or Cumberland and Westmorland in particular . He was initiated into Masonry in Union Lodge , No . 129 * Kendal , and in due course passed the chair of W . M . His first " purple " honour was that of Provincial Registrar , at the hands of Bro . F . L . B . Dykes , when that gentleman held a Provincial Grand Lodge at Cockcrmouth , in 1 SG 5 . On the death of Bro . Dykes , and the appointment of his

successor , the present Earl of Bective , M . P ., by the late Earl of Zetland , Bro . Whitwell received the office of Deputy Provincial Grand Master , and it is safe to say that in no other Province or District under the English constitution has there ever been a more faithful , assiduous , or enthusiastic Deputy—one whose services and time were always freely at the disposal of his brethren of Cumberland

and Westmorland . Colonel Whitwell was also a Past Grand Warden of England , having been appointed to the distinguished honour during the latter years of the Marquis of Ripon ' s regime as Grand Master of England . With the other branches of Masonry the deceased gentleman was likewise closely identified . He was a P . Z . of Kendal Castle Chapter of Royal Arch Masons ; Second Chief of the

Province ; and a Past Grand Olhcer of the Grand Chapter of England . He was advanced to the Degree of Mark Master in Cumberland Lodge , No . 60 , Carlisle ; was a P . M . of Kendal Lodge , No . 193 , Kendal ; Deputy Prov . Grand Master ; and a Past Officer of England . He was , moreover , a P . S . of Kenlis Conclave Red Cross Knights ; No . 20 , Kendal ; Chief Intendant General of Cumberland

and Westmorland , and a Past Grand Chamberlain of the same Order . In a sentence , Colonel Whitwell ' s Masonic career was throughout one of the most self-denying and emulative character , and whoever may be called upon to succeed him will assume the important office with the con ^ sciousness that his predecessor was one of the worthiest and brightest exponents of the principles and tenets of

Masonry . Col . Whitwell ' s was oneof the best known figures in Parliament and he frequently took part in the debates , especially upon votes of supply . He represented Kendal for over twelve years , having been first elected member in November , iSGS . Bro . Whitwell was born on the 6 th September , 1811 , and having received an excellent training in Kendal , he finished his instruction at the Friends'

Boarding School at Darlington , where his uncle , the late Edward Pease , resided . During his busy life Bro . Whitwell had been an active commercial man , making two well-known businesses which have been very successful , in 1 S 36 he married Anna , daughter of the late Mr . Wm . Maude , of Hooton Grange , Yorkshire , by whom he had two sons and three daughters . One of these daughters , Anna Maria ,

is the sole survivor , tiro . Whitwell lost his wife in 1 S 4 S and remained a widower until his death . For thirty years he belonged to the Society of Friends , but for many years has been a member of the Established Church . He was also a supporter of the Volunteer movement and at the time of his death occupied the position of Lieut .-Colonel in the Westmorland Volunteers . Bro . Whitwell was a staunch supporter of the Masonic Charities .

BRO . ALDERMAN MARCH , OF YORK . # We regret to announce the ; death of Bro . John March , o ( York , which took place somewhat suddenly at his residence in that city , on Friday , the 26 th ult ., in his seventythird year . Bro . March was one of the oldest members of the York Lodge , No . 23 O , having been initiated on the 19 th November , 1 S 49 . From the time of his initiation he took

a warm interest in the lodge with which he was associated , and after having served the minor offices , was elected to the Worshipful Master's chair in December , 185 S . He was also one of the trustees of the Masonic Hall in York , towards which he was a liberal subscriber , and ever ready to identify himself with any movement having for its object the good of Freemasonry . Bro . March was also a member

of the York City Council , in the proceedings of which he took a very active part ; he entered the Corporation in 184 S as Councillor , since which time he has sat continuously in the chamber , being at the time of his death , with the exception of Bro . Sir J . Meek , P . M ., P . P . G . S . W ., the oldest member of the Corporation . In 1 S 71 he was elevated to the aldermanic bench , and in 18 73 served the office of

Lord Mayor . During his mayoralty the installation of the Earl of Zetland , the present popular Provincial Grand Master of North and East Yorkshire , took place in the city of York , under the auspices of the York Lodge , when Bro . March placed at the disposal of the province the state rooms of the Mansion house , and the ancient Guild Hall in which the ceremony was performed . On the occasion Bro .

March was appointed to the office of Sen . Provincial Grand Warden , amidst the warmest expressions of approval from a large concourse of brethren . Bro . March was greatly esteemed by a wide circle of friends , and by his lamented death the York Lodge and the Province of North and East Yorkshire have lost one of its most venerated and respected members , and the city of York one of its most valued

citizens . The funeral of Bro . March took place at York Cemetery on Tuesday last , his remains being followed to the grave by the Lord Mayor and Corporation , the Mag isstrates , and a large number of prominent citizens . Amongst the brethren who attended to pay their last tribute of respect to their departed brother were Bros . W-

H . Gainforth , W . M . ; R . W . Hollon , P . M . ; Sir J . MeeK , P . M . ; Rev . J . E . M . Young , P . M . ; Wm . Lawton , P . M-i R . Davison , P . M . ; J . Todd , P . M ., Treas . ; G . Balmfordi P . M . ; S . Maltby , P . M . ; F . Rawling , P . M . ; A , Buckle , P . M . ; J . B . Whytehead , P . M . ; J . Sykes Rymen . J . W . ; G . Kuby , Sec ; Alderman Jos . Terry , Alderman " Brown , Alderman W . Varey , E . Oates , M . Varvill , J Wilkinson , ( town clerk , ) 1 . S . Camidge . T . Hopk" » '