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Article LADIES' NIGHT OF THE GALLERY LODGE, No. 1928. ← Page 2 of 3 Article LADIES' NIGHT OF THE GALLERY LODGE, No. 1928. Page 2 of 3 →
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Ladies' Night Of The Gallery Lodge, No. 1928.
The company also comprised the names of Mrs . Tarran , Bros . Lord Glenesk , W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . M . Hants and Isle of Wight ; Bro . Richard Eve , P . G . Treasurer , and Miss Norman ; Bros . Canon Ingram , Henniker Heaton , M . P ., W . Scott Gibson , J . A . Arnold , Bro . Recknell and Mrs . Reckneil ; Mrs . Husk , Mrs . Duckworth , Mrs . Perkins , Mrs . James , Mrs . Peachey , Mrs . Lock , Bro . Henry Massey , P . M . ; Mrs . Hurdell , Bro . E . E . Peacock , P . M ., and Miss Peacock ; Bro . C . E . Saunders , P . JL , and Mrs . Saunders ; Mrs .
Ribbons , Mrs . Bell , Mrs . Irvine , Mrs . Robbir . s , Miss Pitt , Mrs . Kirby , Mrs . Emery , Mrs . Bune , Bro . Bettany and Mrs . Bettany ; Bro . Ashenden , Miss Williams , and Miss Ashenden ; Bro . M . Henry and Mrs . Henry ; Bro . Cornwallis Smith ; Bro . Vernon Taylor and Mrs . Taylor ; Bro . Cheesewright , Bro . Templar Saxe ; Bro . H . Archer and Miss Ada Kempton ; Bro . John Proctor ; Bro . R . B . Hopkins and Mrs . Hopkins ; Bro . Fred Russell and Mrs . Russell ; Bro . J . A . Collings ; and Bro . G . A . Ball , Tyler .
The banquet was served under the personal superintendence of Bro . W . A . Wallace , the manager of the hotel , who in the course of the evening was publicly thanked on behalf of the lodge for the completeness of all his arrangements . The proceedings of the evening commenced with a reception by the W . M . and Mrs . Tarran , and the reception committee , and the first 23 brethren above named . The whole party afterwards went to the Masonic Hall and partook of a choice banquet . Mrs . Tarran occupied a seat on the W . M . ' s left , and Lord
Glenesk , Bro . W . Beach , and Bro . Richard Eve , respectively on his right . The dinner was admirably served and was much enjoyed , and when it had been disposed of , a grand vocal , musical , and ventriloquial entertainment was given before the toasts , which were as printed on the menu—only four in number , but an additional one was thrown in at the suggestion of Bro . J . Henniker Heaton , M . P ., who proposed as a separate toast "The W . M ., " who had been previously joined in Bro . Eve's toast "The W . M . and Gallery Lodge . "
Bro . GEORGE TARRAN * , W . M ., in introducing the first toast— "The Queen ar . d the Craft "—said : As brevity in speech-making is the order of the evening on these occasions , and I should be the last to break through that excellent rule , had it been an ordinary year 1 should have contented myself with merely submitting the toast for your acceptance . But this is not an ordinary year . I need , however , only just remind you of the great event in our national history which will within the next four months afford a theme for the noblest thoughts and utterances in verse and prose . On an occasion like this , when we are honoured with
the presence of so many ladies , I would suggest that the toast should be received , if possible , with all the greater heartiness , because the Queen ' s long reign , remarkable as it is from so many points of view , is not the least noteworthy for its splendid vindication of the intellectual power and the administrative capacity of woman , as well as for so much that is best and noblest in a wife , a mother , and , I may add also , a widow . I will conclude with the fervent hope , in which I know you will all join , that the Queen may be preserved in health and strength to celebrate the 60 th anniversary of her accession to the throne .
Bro . RICHARD EVE , P . G . T ., atthe lequest of the W . M ., proposed "The Worshipful Master and the Gallery Lodge . " He said that in the Masonic world the W . M . could do no wrong , but he thought Bro . Tarran had made a mistake in calling on him to propose that toast , because he was in the presence of a distinguished brother in the Craft , the Prov . G . M . of Hants and the Isle of Wight . He could only suppose Bro . Tarran had called upon him because he had been for so many years at the meetings of their lodge . In that particular he agreed with
the W . M . ; both at ladies' nights and installations he had been there , and he was going to present himself whenever he was asked . The brethren always treated him to a cordial reception , and it was astonishing how visitors liked it , The toast he had to present meant a lot , but he did it with the greatest amount of pleasure . The Gallery Lodge was not the oldest lodge in England ; it was not the youngest ; but when it was started it was launched by men who understood what Masonry was , and who were looked up to by their brethren and fellows . They had upheld
the Order , and there was no lodge held higher position in the Craft than that lodge . He saw his young friends Massey , and Peacock , who was looked upon as a young men . The brethren knew what these brethren were capable of doing ; they knew the lodge would never need the assistance of a Past Master when such veterans as these were in it . But he found the Gallery Lodge could depend on the Worshipful Master and his Wardens . The Worshipful Master was a specimen of good woik . He was present at the Worshipful Master ' s
installation , and at that of his predecessor , and at the installation of nearly all the Worshipful Masters of that lodge . They were brethren who would do credit to any lodge , and did credit to the Craft to which they belonged . He was not going to trouble the ladies with the qualifications of a W . M . ; they did not know what it meant ; but they knew what a good man was ; and the fact that the W . M . s of this year and of past years were all equal to the discharge of their duties , and emulated each other in a desire to
promote the best interests of the Craft , and show the ladies when they came to one of its festivals of what the Craft was made . Only last Wednesday night they saw at Freemasons' Hall a large meeting under the presidency of the Duke of Connaught . The work the brethren did on that occasion was shown bv their getting together £ 18 , 198 for the Institution for Aged Freemasons and for the Widows of Freemasons , and that was only one of the Institutions they were very proud of in the Craft . Many of the ladies had been present at these various
festiva l s—they had told him so , and he would be able to express their feelings with respect to Freemasonry . They would give almost any latitude to their husbands , fathers , brothers , or sweethearts when they went to lodges , who need not present themselves too early that night , because they got absolution for everything . As far as ladies were concerned they endeavoured to vie with the brethren in picmcting the best interests of the Order , and they had always been ready to
be admitted to Freemasonry , especially in this parliament . ( Laughter ) . He could not too fully express the feelings he had in being present in such a distinguished company . There were members of both Houses of Parliament present , ar . d he wished to give this toast with all sincerity . They all desired that the Icr ' ge might uphold the position it had in the Craft , that it might excel in all good vciks , and that it might always be governed by such men as the W . M . and his predectssors . Thc Benevolent-bcx , which had been sent round , yielded £ 3 12 s .
Bro . GEORGE TARRAN , W . M ., said they had maintained the motto Nulli sccur . dtis . He thanked Bro . Eve for the kind things he had said of the lodge , He did not think , however , that Bro . Eve should have said that he ( Bro . Tarran ) had trade a mistake . They treated "The Ladies" as the toast of the evening , ar . d presently he should ask Lord Glenesk and Bro . Beach to propose and respond lo it . He hoped also to have a speech from Bro Henniker Heaton , M . P ., whose presence he regarded as a great compliment . Bro . Henniker Heaton represented
in Parliament his ( Bro . Tarran ' s ) native city . Apart from politics , a more popular member had r . ever sat for a city . Bro . Tarran then proceeded ; I am sure all the brethren of this lodge regard the ladies' night as the most enjoyable of our gatherings during the year . We of the Gallery Lodge cannot be accused of wishirg to keep all our festivities to ourselves . 1 look upon these meetings as a useful and valuable adjunct to our lodge . We live many of us miles apart , and in practically different townships , and consequently seldom meet in large numbers
for social enjoyment . Long may these gatherings continue , and may the year never come when , from any cause , there may be a break in their continuity I ( Hear , hear . ) One of the most pleasing duties of the Mastership during his year of office is to present to the wife of the I . P . M . a memento of her husband ' s year of office . Mrs . Husk , on behalf of the Gallery Lodge , I have much pleasure in presenting you with this bracelet as a souvenir of your husband ' s year of ofiice as Worshipful Master of this lodge .
Ladies' Night Of The Gallery Lodge, No. 1928.
We know how thoroughly you entered into his successful labours on behalf of the lodge , how you assisted him in promoting the success of the ladies' night and the picnic , as well as those meetings at which ladies are not present . We know , many of us , how that cheerful temperament which it is your happiness tJ possess has never failed you , and how it has cheered and supported him—in fact , I have always looked upon you as a striking illustration ofthe fact that the cheerful optimism of the Mark Tapley order is not confined to the male sex . Your husband and I
have been friends for many years , and I can say of him , as I know you can , too , " Always the same . " I need not tell you , the jewel he wears and the bracelet which you wear testify to the fact that he occupied the chair of this lodge worthily and well . I will only add , on behalf of the lodge , our best thanks to you for what you have done for the lodge and for the support which you so cheerfully
rendered to your husband . It is only those who have occupied or who occupy the chair who can thoroughly realise the calls it makes upon the Master ' s time , and the value of the co-operation which a wife can render to her husband during his year of Mastership—Long may you live in health and happiness to wear this memento and to be a worthy help-meet to him alike in days of cloud and days of sunshine . ( Hear , hear . )
Mrs . HUSK , replying in person , said : Ladies , W . M ., and Brethren , —I beg to thank you most heartily for the handsome present you have thought fit to give me . Whenever I wear this band of gold it will remind me that my husband has presided over the Gallery Lodge and of the many happy hours I have spent with him . ( Chsers . ) Bro . GEORGE TARRAN , W . M ., said : Brethren , I make no apology for bringing before your notice the effort we are making to get the son of our late Bro . H .
J . Sanderson , into the Boys' School . I can say without revealing any secrets that one of the noblest principles of Masonry is that in the midst of our pleasures we do not forget the sad and the bereaved . I am standing here to-night in the place of our late Bro . Sanderson , and , therefore , I make a most earnest appeal to every lady , as well as every visiting brother , to help us in securing the success of this case . In order to accomplish this we must increase the votes we procured last year tenfold . This cannot be done without hard work and we need all the help we can get . I will ask our Bro . Robbins , the Treasurer of the Benevolent Fund ,
to say a few words in support of my appeal . It has been my pleasure to invest Bro . Robbins with a collar as a recognition of his office . It is only right that I should repeat in the presence of so many visitors what I have said before to the members of the lodge . Bro . Robbins has rendered this lodge immense services in the cause of charity and in the self-sacrifice which has led him to forego his claims for higher office in order that he may carry out his useful work . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) He is working on behalf of this case with his accustomed energy , and I am sure you would like to hear a few words from him . Bro . Robbins is a practised and eloquent speaker . ( Cheers . )
Bro . ALFRED F . ROBBINS , Treasurer of the Benevolent Fund , in response to the W . M . 's call , said it would ill become him to dispute for a moment the ruling of the W . M . of the lodge in summoning him to say a few words on that occasion on behalf of the son of a late member of the lodge . Everyone who knew Bro . Sanderson took to heart what had been said ; but it was desirable that the visiting brethren and the ladies and the members of the Gallery Lodge should know how it stood with regard to the case , in the hope that when they realised it ,
as the Committee realised it , they would endeavour to give it success . The case they were presenting was the case of Sanderson , an orphan , and he presented it with the more pleasure that night because one of the hardest workers for the Boys' School was present in the person of Bro . Eve , who perhaps more than any man had sustained the reputation of , and worked hard for , the Institution . There were many of those present who knew Bro . Sanderson and how he worked ; there were many who knew and admired Mrs . Sanderson , his wife , now his widow , and
whose admiration had been stimulated and strengthened by the calm courage with which she faced the irretrievable loss which bereaved her of her husband . It was for that case he pleaded—forthe boy ; for Mrs . Sanderson herself he had no need to plead , she bad passed through her bereavement with courage . But they , who were in a precarious profession , who did not know from day to day what the whim of an editor or proprietor might desire , had to look elsewhere for help , and they recognised the aid they were not able to obtain . In the case of Sanderson , the father ,
he was only 35 years of age ; he was stricken with mortal illness which took him from the brethren when he was on the high road to distinction in that lodge—not by his own fault was it , but by the fact that he worked for the public , and in his case he was stimulated by the desire to do the best he could for those around him . They had a claim upon thc consideration of their brethren in Masonry , for they in the Gallery Lodge were adopting the principle , and would continue to act upon the principle , that heaven helped those who helped themselves . They who had
helped for years the great Masonic Institutions were continuing to do so , because the W . M . would be Steward this year for the Girls , and therefore they appealed as much as they could tor assistance in that deserving case . He might be asked whether it was necessary , or even desirable , to bring a sad subject before a gathering of that kind , but he thought they were entitled to do so to show their lady friends tbat great essential secret of Masons which bound together men of the world to practise works of Benevolence . There was not one among them who knew upon
whom the stroke might fall next , for , as the W . M . had reminded them , he sat that night in the chair that Bro . Sanderson would have sat in , and another who would have followed him if ha also had not succumbed to a disaster more irretrievable , if possible , than death . When they saw those cases around them , when they did appeal to ladies and visitors to assist them in the work of getting the votes of the brethren , they did it to show that Masonry was not a matter of feasting and gaiety , not only a meeting for good fellowship , but to bind the brethren together , a
Society which succoured the helpless , which assisted the indigent , which sustained the widoiv and the fatherless , and which , without those great principles of benevolence and mercy , would well deserve to die out of the world which maintained it . Bro . GEORGE TARRAN , W . M ., said he would now ask Bro . Lord Glenesk to propose the toast of "The Ladies , " and Bro . Beach to reply on their behalf . Lord Glenesk had early that day presided at the annual meeting of the Newspaper
Press Fund , and they knew he was always doing much good in rendering assistance to those who were in distress , and next Saturday he would take the chair at a dinner of the Society for Correctors of the Press . He was sure he could not place the toast in abler hands than Bro . Beach's to respond . Bro . Beach had for nearly 40 years represented the same constituency in the House of Commons , and next to Mr . Villiers , was , he believed , the father of the house .
Bro . Lord GLENESK , in proposing " The Ladies , " said it was now the turn for the gentlemen . He did not know whether the room was tyled , or whether they had furious guardians with lethal weapons inside or outside the door , such as had been described to them . He believed there were more charitable ones now . The ladies now knew something of the secrets of Freemasonry ; they learned that when distinguished men like the W . M . occupied the chair of King Solomon , the very first thing he did was to keep all the ladies to himself ; he drank with them , and did not give the others a chance . People were always saying their toast was
the most important ot the evening ; he said more than that—that it was the most important in the country . The ladies had won their victory in the House of Commons by 71 majority in favour of themselves , and on Monday they would come up to the House of Lords . He hoped they would do as well there . But it was a lormidable thing where the ladies were marching on now ; they would have them invading the secrets of Masonry . If they were invited and came forward , there was nothing they would not do belore the end of this century . He should say that in order to please the ladies , he should like to be full of revelation . That was not quite so easy , and so he was afraid that however great his desire was
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ladies' Night Of The Gallery Lodge, No. 1928.
The company also comprised the names of Mrs . Tarran , Bros . Lord Glenesk , W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . M . Hants and Isle of Wight ; Bro . Richard Eve , P . G . Treasurer , and Miss Norman ; Bros . Canon Ingram , Henniker Heaton , M . P ., W . Scott Gibson , J . A . Arnold , Bro . Recknell and Mrs . Reckneil ; Mrs . Husk , Mrs . Duckworth , Mrs . Perkins , Mrs . James , Mrs . Peachey , Mrs . Lock , Bro . Henry Massey , P . M . ; Mrs . Hurdell , Bro . E . E . Peacock , P . M ., and Miss Peacock ; Bro . C . E . Saunders , P . JL , and Mrs . Saunders ; Mrs .
Ribbons , Mrs . Bell , Mrs . Irvine , Mrs . Robbir . s , Miss Pitt , Mrs . Kirby , Mrs . Emery , Mrs . Bune , Bro . Bettany and Mrs . Bettany ; Bro . Ashenden , Miss Williams , and Miss Ashenden ; Bro . M . Henry and Mrs . Henry ; Bro . Cornwallis Smith ; Bro . Vernon Taylor and Mrs . Taylor ; Bro . Cheesewright , Bro . Templar Saxe ; Bro . H . Archer and Miss Ada Kempton ; Bro . John Proctor ; Bro . R . B . Hopkins and Mrs . Hopkins ; Bro . Fred Russell and Mrs . Russell ; Bro . J . A . Collings ; and Bro . G . A . Ball , Tyler .
The banquet was served under the personal superintendence of Bro . W . A . Wallace , the manager of the hotel , who in the course of the evening was publicly thanked on behalf of the lodge for the completeness of all his arrangements . The proceedings of the evening commenced with a reception by the W . M . and Mrs . Tarran , and the reception committee , and the first 23 brethren above named . The whole party afterwards went to the Masonic Hall and partook of a choice banquet . Mrs . Tarran occupied a seat on the W . M . ' s left , and Lord
Glenesk , Bro . W . Beach , and Bro . Richard Eve , respectively on his right . The dinner was admirably served and was much enjoyed , and when it had been disposed of , a grand vocal , musical , and ventriloquial entertainment was given before the toasts , which were as printed on the menu—only four in number , but an additional one was thrown in at the suggestion of Bro . J . Henniker Heaton , M . P ., who proposed as a separate toast "The W . M ., " who had been previously joined in Bro . Eve's toast "The W . M . and Gallery Lodge . "
Bro . GEORGE TARRAN * , W . M ., in introducing the first toast— "The Queen ar . d the Craft "—said : As brevity in speech-making is the order of the evening on these occasions , and I should be the last to break through that excellent rule , had it been an ordinary year 1 should have contented myself with merely submitting the toast for your acceptance . But this is not an ordinary year . I need , however , only just remind you of the great event in our national history which will within the next four months afford a theme for the noblest thoughts and utterances in verse and prose . On an occasion like this , when we are honoured with
the presence of so many ladies , I would suggest that the toast should be received , if possible , with all the greater heartiness , because the Queen ' s long reign , remarkable as it is from so many points of view , is not the least noteworthy for its splendid vindication of the intellectual power and the administrative capacity of woman , as well as for so much that is best and noblest in a wife , a mother , and , I may add also , a widow . I will conclude with the fervent hope , in which I know you will all join , that the Queen may be preserved in health and strength to celebrate the 60 th anniversary of her accession to the throne .
Bro . RICHARD EVE , P . G . T ., atthe lequest of the W . M ., proposed "The Worshipful Master and the Gallery Lodge . " He said that in the Masonic world the W . M . could do no wrong , but he thought Bro . Tarran had made a mistake in calling on him to propose that toast , because he was in the presence of a distinguished brother in the Craft , the Prov . G . M . of Hants and the Isle of Wight . He could only suppose Bro . Tarran had called upon him because he had been for so many years at the meetings of their lodge . In that particular he agreed with
the W . M . ; both at ladies' nights and installations he had been there , and he was going to present himself whenever he was asked . The brethren always treated him to a cordial reception , and it was astonishing how visitors liked it , The toast he had to present meant a lot , but he did it with the greatest amount of pleasure . The Gallery Lodge was not the oldest lodge in England ; it was not the youngest ; but when it was started it was launched by men who understood what Masonry was , and who were looked up to by their brethren and fellows . They had upheld
the Order , and there was no lodge held higher position in the Craft than that lodge . He saw his young friends Massey , and Peacock , who was looked upon as a young men . The brethren knew what these brethren were capable of doing ; they knew the lodge would never need the assistance of a Past Master when such veterans as these were in it . But he found the Gallery Lodge could depend on the Worshipful Master and his Wardens . The Worshipful Master was a specimen of good woik . He was present at the Worshipful Master ' s
installation , and at that of his predecessor , and at the installation of nearly all the Worshipful Masters of that lodge . They were brethren who would do credit to any lodge , and did credit to the Craft to which they belonged . He was not going to trouble the ladies with the qualifications of a W . M . ; they did not know what it meant ; but they knew what a good man was ; and the fact that the W . M . s of this year and of past years were all equal to the discharge of their duties , and emulated each other in a desire to
promote the best interests of the Craft , and show the ladies when they came to one of its festivals of what the Craft was made . Only last Wednesday night they saw at Freemasons' Hall a large meeting under the presidency of the Duke of Connaught . The work the brethren did on that occasion was shown bv their getting together £ 18 , 198 for the Institution for Aged Freemasons and for the Widows of Freemasons , and that was only one of the Institutions they were very proud of in the Craft . Many of the ladies had been present at these various
festiva l s—they had told him so , and he would be able to express their feelings with respect to Freemasonry . They would give almost any latitude to their husbands , fathers , brothers , or sweethearts when they went to lodges , who need not present themselves too early that night , because they got absolution for everything . As far as ladies were concerned they endeavoured to vie with the brethren in picmcting the best interests of the Order , and they had always been ready to
be admitted to Freemasonry , especially in this parliament . ( Laughter ) . He could not too fully express the feelings he had in being present in such a distinguished company . There were members of both Houses of Parliament present , ar . d he wished to give this toast with all sincerity . They all desired that the Icr ' ge might uphold the position it had in the Craft , that it might excel in all good vciks , and that it might always be governed by such men as the W . M . and his predectssors . Thc Benevolent-bcx , which had been sent round , yielded £ 3 12 s .
Bro . GEORGE TARRAN , W . M ., said they had maintained the motto Nulli sccur . dtis . He thanked Bro . Eve for the kind things he had said of the lodge , He did not think , however , that Bro . Eve should have said that he ( Bro . Tarran ) had trade a mistake . They treated "The Ladies" as the toast of the evening , ar . d presently he should ask Lord Glenesk and Bro . Beach to propose and respond lo it . He hoped also to have a speech from Bro Henniker Heaton , M . P ., whose presence he regarded as a great compliment . Bro . Henniker Heaton represented
in Parliament his ( Bro . Tarran ' s ) native city . Apart from politics , a more popular member had r . ever sat for a city . Bro . Tarran then proceeded ; I am sure all the brethren of this lodge regard the ladies' night as the most enjoyable of our gatherings during the year . We of the Gallery Lodge cannot be accused of wishirg to keep all our festivities to ourselves . 1 look upon these meetings as a useful and valuable adjunct to our lodge . We live many of us miles apart , and in practically different townships , and consequently seldom meet in large numbers
for social enjoyment . Long may these gatherings continue , and may the year never come when , from any cause , there may be a break in their continuity I ( Hear , hear . ) One of the most pleasing duties of the Mastership during his year of office is to present to the wife of the I . P . M . a memento of her husband ' s year of office . Mrs . Husk , on behalf of the Gallery Lodge , I have much pleasure in presenting you with this bracelet as a souvenir of your husband ' s year of ofiice as Worshipful Master of this lodge .
Ladies' Night Of The Gallery Lodge, No. 1928.
We know how thoroughly you entered into his successful labours on behalf of the lodge , how you assisted him in promoting the success of the ladies' night and the picnic , as well as those meetings at which ladies are not present . We know , many of us , how that cheerful temperament which it is your happiness tJ possess has never failed you , and how it has cheered and supported him—in fact , I have always looked upon you as a striking illustration ofthe fact that the cheerful optimism of the Mark Tapley order is not confined to the male sex . Your husband and I
have been friends for many years , and I can say of him , as I know you can , too , " Always the same . " I need not tell you , the jewel he wears and the bracelet which you wear testify to the fact that he occupied the chair of this lodge worthily and well . I will only add , on behalf of the lodge , our best thanks to you for what you have done for the lodge and for the support which you so cheerfully
rendered to your husband . It is only those who have occupied or who occupy the chair who can thoroughly realise the calls it makes upon the Master ' s time , and the value of the co-operation which a wife can render to her husband during his year of Mastership—Long may you live in health and happiness to wear this memento and to be a worthy help-meet to him alike in days of cloud and days of sunshine . ( Hear , hear . )
Mrs . HUSK , replying in person , said : Ladies , W . M ., and Brethren , —I beg to thank you most heartily for the handsome present you have thought fit to give me . Whenever I wear this band of gold it will remind me that my husband has presided over the Gallery Lodge and of the many happy hours I have spent with him . ( Chsers . ) Bro . GEORGE TARRAN , W . M ., said : Brethren , I make no apology for bringing before your notice the effort we are making to get the son of our late Bro . H .
J . Sanderson , into the Boys' School . I can say without revealing any secrets that one of the noblest principles of Masonry is that in the midst of our pleasures we do not forget the sad and the bereaved . I am standing here to-night in the place of our late Bro . Sanderson , and , therefore , I make a most earnest appeal to every lady , as well as every visiting brother , to help us in securing the success of this case . In order to accomplish this we must increase the votes we procured last year tenfold . This cannot be done without hard work and we need all the help we can get . I will ask our Bro . Robbins , the Treasurer of the Benevolent Fund ,
to say a few words in support of my appeal . It has been my pleasure to invest Bro . Robbins with a collar as a recognition of his office . It is only right that I should repeat in the presence of so many visitors what I have said before to the members of the lodge . Bro . Robbins has rendered this lodge immense services in the cause of charity and in the self-sacrifice which has led him to forego his claims for higher office in order that he may carry out his useful work . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) He is working on behalf of this case with his accustomed energy , and I am sure you would like to hear a few words from him . Bro . Robbins is a practised and eloquent speaker . ( Cheers . )
Bro . ALFRED F . ROBBINS , Treasurer of the Benevolent Fund , in response to the W . M . 's call , said it would ill become him to dispute for a moment the ruling of the W . M . of the lodge in summoning him to say a few words on that occasion on behalf of the son of a late member of the lodge . Everyone who knew Bro . Sanderson took to heart what had been said ; but it was desirable that the visiting brethren and the ladies and the members of the Gallery Lodge should know how it stood with regard to the case , in the hope that when they realised it ,
as the Committee realised it , they would endeavour to give it success . The case they were presenting was the case of Sanderson , an orphan , and he presented it with the more pleasure that night because one of the hardest workers for the Boys' School was present in the person of Bro . Eve , who perhaps more than any man had sustained the reputation of , and worked hard for , the Institution . There were many of those present who knew Bro . Sanderson and how he worked ; there were many who knew and admired Mrs . Sanderson , his wife , now his widow , and
whose admiration had been stimulated and strengthened by the calm courage with which she faced the irretrievable loss which bereaved her of her husband . It was for that case he pleaded—forthe boy ; for Mrs . Sanderson herself he had no need to plead , she bad passed through her bereavement with courage . But they , who were in a precarious profession , who did not know from day to day what the whim of an editor or proprietor might desire , had to look elsewhere for help , and they recognised the aid they were not able to obtain . In the case of Sanderson , the father ,
he was only 35 years of age ; he was stricken with mortal illness which took him from the brethren when he was on the high road to distinction in that lodge—not by his own fault was it , but by the fact that he worked for the public , and in his case he was stimulated by the desire to do the best he could for those around him . They had a claim upon thc consideration of their brethren in Masonry , for they in the Gallery Lodge were adopting the principle , and would continue to act upon the principle , that heaven helped those who helped themselves . They who had
helped for years the great Masonic Institutions were continuing to do so , because the W . M . would be Steward this year for the Girls , and therefore they appealed as much as they could tor assistance in that deserving case . He might be asked whether it was necessary , or even desirable , to bring a sad subject before a gathering of that kind , but he thought they were entitled to do so to show their lady friends tbat great essential secret of Masons which bound together men of the world to practise works of Benevolence . There was not one among them who knew upon
whom the stroke might fall next , for , as the W . M . had reminded them , he sat that night in the chair that Bro . Sanderson would have sat in , and another who would have followed him if ha also had not succumbed to a disaster more irretrievable , if possible , than death . When they saw those cases around them , when they did appeal to ladies and visitors to assist them in the work of getting the votes of the brethren , they did it to show that Masonry was not a matter of feasting and gaiety , not only a meeting for good fellowship , but to bind the brethren together , a
Society which succoured the helpless , which assisted the indigent , which sustained the widoiv and the fatherless , and which , without those great principles of benevolence and mercy , would well deserve to die out of the world which maintained it . Bro . GEORGE TARRAN , W . M ., said he would now ask Bro . Lord Glenesk to propose the toast of "The Ladies , " and Bro . Beach to reply on their behalf . Lord Glenesk had early that day presided at the annual meeting of the Newspaper
Press Fund , and they knew he was always doing much good in rendering assistance to those who were in distress , and next Saturday he would take the chair at a dinner of the Society for Correctors of the Press . He was sure he could not place the toast in abler hands than Bro . Beach's to respond . Bro . Beach had for nearly 40 years represented the same constituency in the House of Commons , and next to Mr . Villiers , was , he believed , the father of the house .
Bro . Lord GLENESK , in proposing " The Ladies , " said it was now the turn for the gentlemen . He did not know whether the room was tyled , or whether they had furious guardians with lethal weapons inside or outside the door , such as had been described to them . He believed there were more charitable ones now . The ladies now knew something of the secrets of Freemasonry ; they learned that when distinguished men like the W . M . occupied the chair of King Solomon , the very first thing he did was to keep all the ladies to himself ; he drank with them , and did not give the others a chance . People were always saying their toast was
the most important ot the evening ; he said more than that—that it was the most important in the country . The ladies had won their victory in the House of Commons by 71 majority in favour of themselves , and on Monday they would come up to the House of Lords . He hoped they would do as well there . But it was a lormidable thing where the ladies were marching on now ; they would have them invading the secrets of Masonry . If they were invited and came forward , there was nothing they would not do belore the end of this century . He should say that in order to please the ladies , he should like to be full of revelation . That was not quite so easy , and so he was afraid that however great his desire was