Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.
lodge , was at once and immediately to become one . The Committee had made provision for meeting that wish by having cards distributed in the room which the brethren would fill up , pay half-a-crown , and be balloted for election next Friday evening . The subscription was 5 s . a year . A shilling had to be paid every night when a member attended , and after all the expenses of the lodge had been defrayed , these dues all went to Masonic Charity .
The lodge was shortly afterwards closed , and the brethren adjourned to supper , but the number of brethren was so great that in addition to the main repast in the large hall of Freemasons' Tavern , two overflow suppers had to be given in other rooms . Lieut .-Gen . J . Wimburn Laurie presided , and at the conclusion of the repast proceeded with the toasts . Bro . Gen . LAURIE , in giving the toast of "The Queen and the Craft , " siid that effusiveness of language was not always a proof ot the depth of feeling , and he should not weary the brethren with a lengthy speech . The first thing the
brethren looked for , and expected , and had a right to expect , was loyalty , and if Masons had a strong feeling it was for two subjects—the Queen and the Craft . It had been his fortune going round the world among the subjects of the Queen to have that toast in Masonic gatherings given as warmly as it could be given in the old country . The most cordial fgelings of Masons wherever they might be found throughout the world under the Grand Lodge of England was for the Queen and the Craft , and they all felt that their lodges were daughters of the Grand Lodge of England .
Bro . Gen . LAURIE , in giving "The M . W . G . M ., H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , " recounted an event which occurred to him about 35 years ago , when he represented the Grand Lodge of England at the Grand Lodge of New York . There were 25 , 000 brethren present , and the Chief of the Police gave up the whole of the big streets to the Masons . Later on—22 years ago—although he was Grand Master of Nova Scotia , he was a Masonic subject of the Prince of Wales ,
who had just then been installed , and filled the gap created by Lord Ripon s resignation . All over the world he was then well thought of , notwithstanding he was untried as a Grand Master . He put it to the brethren , what must the Prince of Wales be thought of now that he was a tried Grand Master ? Masons all owed him a debt of gratitude , and were bound to support him on every occasion especially as he showed the deep interest in the Craft that he now evinced .
Bro . RUSHTON proposed " The Pro Grand Master , the Duputy Grand Master , and the rest of the Grand Ollicers , Present and Past , " introducing the names of Bro . E . Letchworth , G . Sec , Treasurer of the Emulation Lodge , and Bro . Thomas Fenn , P . G . W . Bro . Fenn had been congratulated on the honour conferred on him by the Grand Master at the last meeting of Grand Lodge . The brethren ofthe Emulation Lodge of Improvement felt great encouragement as working Masons
from the presence of the Grand Officers on these annual occasions , and the brethren who worked the Sections must have felt encouraged by what fell from that Past Master in the Craft , Bro . Fenn , when he gave them words of praise for the way in which they did their work that evening . The support given to the lodges by the Grand Officers gave it a status among lodges of this class , and the Grand Officers ' presence at these annual meetings was a proof that , notwithstanding their high rank , they still took a deep interest in its welfare and progress .
Bro . H . RICHARDS , Dist . G . M ., Transvaal , in responding , said he must ask the brethren to bear with him for a very few minutes while he endeavoured to respond for the toast which had been so eloquently given and cordially received . He laboured under two disadvantages ; he had a cold , and he was in the unhappy position of having to make a speech . Why the toast had been placed in his hands he could not say ; possibly it was because he came from a district of which very little was known and very little had been heard . ( Laughter . ) If it
had been not known to the brethren and not heard , it would not be long before it was known and heard—the district of the Transvaal . ( Hear , hear . ) As far as Masonry was concerned it had been advancing by leaps and bounds . When he went there in 188 9 there were two lodges there ; now there were 15 under the English Constitution alone . The Dutch had their lodges , the Scotch had theirs , the Irish had theirs ; but English , Dutch , Scotch , and Irish , worked together with perfect harmony and cordiality , and he looked to Masonry in the
Transvaal as a great thing in the future , because he believed that where Masons had been made there was good government . The Transvaal Lodge in Pretoria was one which used to do its work amidst the roars of guns in the fight between Boers and British . He had now only to say how much he appreciated the Emulation work . It had been a revelation to him ; he had come to the Emulation Lodge of Improvement ; he had seen its work , and he was lost in admiration of it , of the perfect harmony that ran
throughout the whole of it ; it was a great credit to the brethren . If during the remainder of his stay in this country he saw no more Masonic working , he should feel himself well repaid for a 6000 miles journey by the working he had seen in the Emulation Lodge of Improvement that night . Bro . E . LETCHWORTH , G . Sec , Treasurer of the lodge , then rose , and said he gladly availed himself of the position he had the honour to hold as Treasurer of that lodge , to submit to the brethren the next toast ; it was a very important one and one that he felt sure would receive at the hands of the brethren a most
cordial and hearty welcome ; it was the health of the distinguished brother , and he might say his old friend , who had , with such ability and geniality , presided over their festival that night ; and on behalf of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement he begged to tender him their warmest thanks for the honour he had paid them . The name of Gen . Wimburn Laurie was respected no less on the other side of the Atlantic than it was on this side . For many years—he did not know how many—General Laurie presided over the
Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia , and at the present moment he was representative in the Grand Lodge of England not only of the Grand Lodge of New York , but of the Grand Lodges of other States of America . Last year the Grand Master was pleased to grant him the rank of Past Grand Warden of England , and he ( Bro . Letchworth ) had now the great pleasure to communicate a fact known to only two in that hall—that within the last few hours the Grand Master had appointed General Laurie to the ofiice of Provincial Grand Master of South
Wales ( Western Division ) . The lodge most heartily congratulated him on the great and high honour conferred upon him , and they wished him long life , health , and prosperily in the position which he would so ably fill . The toast was drunk with the greatest enthusiasm . Bro . General LAURIE , in replying , said he had entered his name that evenii . g for election as a member of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , but he did not know whether they would accept him or not next Friday night . However , he
would assume they would not blackball him , He desired , in the first place , to thank the brethren most cordially for the kind reception given to him personally , and also for the reception they had giver , the announcement of the honour conferred upon him by the . VI , W . Grand Master- an honour which he had only heard of that evening . Naturally , as regarded personal work , he had presided over lodges elsewhere , and had seen a great deal of all sorts of Masonic work ; and he felt sure that in the jurisdiction to which the Prince of Wales had appointed him
he should see nothing superior to what hc had just seen . No doubt they had all heard the story of the man who was dying , and who was told he must forgive his enemies ; and he replied that he had none , for he had killed them all . ( Laughter . ) He was sure they would have nothing but good work in South Wales . However , " 'Tis not in mortals to command success , " all they could do was to deserve it , He would try to deserve it . So much for the toast so kindly proposed and so heartily received , His duty was now to propose a toast about which he felt a little difficulty— " Success to the Emulation Lodge
Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.
of Improvement . " He need not ask the members of the lodge to drink success to the lodge , or to wish success to the lodge ; he saw they were determined the lodge should succeed if all the members were influenced by the same spirit as that which influenced those who had worked that night and the brethren who listened that ' night . Could there be any doubt the Emulation would succeed ? They knew it had succeeded . It was one of the great factors in the progress of English Masonry , which was seen by the work done , he would not say in the
Emulation Lodge alone , but which had been done very largely by the Emulation Lodge . If he had had a feeling in the past , it was that he never wanted to hear work done parrot-like ; he never wanted to hear word-for-word repetition . He had never seen it in the Emulation Lodge until that night , but as soon as he had seen the work ot that lodge and other lodges , he saw there was a great deal in teaching the work word-for-word , because there was no question about it . He would take the 80 odd lodges in the jurisdiction he had presided over . There he
advised them not to restrict themselves to one single use of words , but to express what they meant . It was all very well ; the Master and Wardens first did it correctly , but the next lot took up what they thought their predecessors meant , and so on ; others took up the same line , and in 15 years he found it was hard to keep them to the point ; they wandered away from it . ( Laughter . ) There was a great deal in the Emulation system , and he thought they were on the right track in being so rigidly particular in the precise use of words as they were .
Following out that idea , he only hoped they would continue to show the same intense interest in the lodge , in the first place as a pattern lodge to the whole jurisdiction , and that they would continue to influence the whole of the lodges as they were largely interested in influencing them that day . He could not go into the history of the lodge , but he knew a good deal , and he tried to educate himself ; but what he had got up to they knew , which was much more important ,
and he was not going to travel over it again ; he was dealing , not with their history , not with what they had done in the past , but with what they were , doing in the present and what they would do in the future , that is to say , that they would be a great factor in the prosperity of the lodges on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England . The toast was honoured with a most hearty reception .
Bro . R . CLAY SUDLOW , P . G . Std . Br ., acknowledging the toast , said : R . W . Bro . in the Chair and Brethren , —That my name has been coupled with this toast instead of the name of our Treasurer , Bro . Letchworth , is due entirely to his courtesy in desiring that I should enjoy that privilege as the oldest member now on the Committee . It therefore devolves upon me to give expression to our thanks for the cordiality with which you have received the toast of " The Emulation Lodge of Improvement . " I am not able to say for how many consecutive
years these festivals have been held , but I believe that they date back for a very considerable period ; and yet their popularity seems rather to increase than to diminish as the years go by . When you remember that in the very nature of things it is impossible for us to bring out of our treasury anything in the way of novelty , that our work alternates year by year between the First and Second Lectures , the question very naturally arises , —Why is it that the interest in these functions is so fully maintained ? It is true that we always have a very
distinguished Mason to preside over us , and we are particularly fortunate in our chairman this evening . It is also true that we are usually favoured with the presence of a large number of Grand Ofiicers , and very highly we appreciate their continued encouragement and support . But we must look further for an explanation of these splendid gatherings , and I venture to think that it is found in the fascination that Masonry possesses for those who have given any thought at all to its grand principles and teachings , and in the exceptional opportunities
which these festivals afford of listening to the enunciation of those principles in the beautiful language of our lectures . And , brethren , if our festivals are successful , the same remark certainly applies to our weekly meetings . It is becoming more and more widely recognised , the immense advantage there is in first of all becoming qualified for the work , then passing through the various offices in this lodge . I really do not know of anything so useful to a Masonic student who has thoroughly studied the ritual in one
or other of the lodges of instruction teaching our system , than to go through a finishing course at the Emulation Lodge of Improyement . A Mason who has done that successfully may with every confidence undertake the duties of any office vvhich he may be called upon to perform in his lodge . Brethren , in my student days Bro . Fenn invariably occupied the Past Master ' s chair , and it was nothing short of an ordeal to essay any work under the keen eye and ear of that great master ; and although the pupil has been the Past Master for now 14 years , I am not sure that he has altogether lost the
feeling of awe inspired by that distinguished brother whom we are so very glad to welcome among us to-night , I am told , brethren , that this ordeal is not less severe in the present day , and I am very glad if such be the case , because , on the one hand , the examination , so to speak , would be of noreal benefitunless it be a very stiff one , and , on the other hand , if laxity were to creep in , the present Committee would not be worthily fulfilling the very responsible trust that has been committed to them—a trust , brethren , that they hope to preserve absolutely intact until the time comes when they must hand that trust over to their successors . ( Cheers . )
Bro . THOMAS FENN next said 1 R . W . Brother in the Chair and Brethren , — The toast that has been entrusted to me is that of " The Lodge of Unions , " under which this Emulation Lodge of Improvement has now worked for 6 7 years , and during the whole of that time this toast has never been omitted , except on one occasion , and that was the first year of my Secretaryship . ( Laughter . ) I was * iew to my duty , and did not understand supplying the Chairman with the toasts of the evening . I thought Bro . Stephen Barton Wilson , who sat next to me ,
would look after that duty , but , strange to say , it was not looked after , and that toast was omitted fo _ r the first time . I recollect I had to write a very abject apology to the Lodge of Unions for that omission . I took upon myself the responsibility of that omission , and prayed for forgiveness . I am happy to say the apology was accepted and ordered to be entered on the minutes . I think I ought to tell you we are not a child of the Lodge of Unions , but we are the adopted child , for ,
before the Lodge of Unions adopted us we were under No . 7—a lodge which was then called the Lodge of Hope . But about 1830 , the Lodge of Hope seemed to have fallen into some difficulties , and they transferred their warrant to the York Lodge of Perseverance which is now No . 7 . I have no doubt the Royal York Lodge of Perseverance , although very glad to accept the high number in the calendar , were a little averse to undertake the responsibility of fathering or mother ing this Emulation Lodge of Improvement ; but I have reason to think they have
many times regretted their refusal to take that duty . On the other hand I venture to think that the Lodge of Unions are proud of their adopted child , and if they are not proud of it they ought to be . Well , brethren , we have worked together very amicably without any friction whatever now for 6 7 years , and I hope and trust we shall be united in the same harmony until time shall be no more , ( Hear , hear . ) It is usual to couple the name of the Master ofthe Lodgeof
Unions with this toast , but , with his permission I shall couple the name of Bro . Farnfield with it , because , at the present day he is the worthy son of a worthy father who was initiated in the Lodge of Unions , and who was a member of it for over 50 years , and Secretary oi it , I believe , for more than 40 , and who during that time was an honoured worker of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement . ' have in my papers some notes in the handwriting of Bro . Farnfield referring to the lectures of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement sufficient to prove that hc
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.
lodge , was at once and immediately to become one . The Committee had made provision for meeting that wish by having cards distributed in the room which the brethren would fill up , pay half-a-crown , and be balloted for election next Friday evening . The subscription was 5 s . a year . A shilling had to be paid every night when a member attended , and after all the expenses of the lodge had been defrayed , these dues all went to Masonic Charity .
The lodge was shortly afterwards closed , and the brethren adjourned to supper , but the number of brethren was so great that in addition to the main repast in the large hall of Freemasons' Tavern , two overflow suppers had to be given in other rooms . Lieut .-Gen . J . Wimburn Laurie presided , and at the conclusion of the repast proceeded with the toasts . Bro . Gen . LAURIE , in giving the toast of "The Queen and the Craft , " siid that effusiveness of language was not always a proof ot the depth of feeling , and he should not weary the brethren with a lengthy speech . The first thing the
brethren looked for , and expected , and had a right to expect , was loyalty , and if Masons had a strong feeling it was for two subjects—the Queen and the Craft . It had been his fortune going round the world among the subjects of the Queen to have that toast in Masonic gatherings given as warmly as it could be given in the old country . The most cordial fgelings of Masons wherever they might be found throughout the world under the Grand Lodge of England was for the Queen and the Craft , and they all felt that their lodges were daughters of the Grand Lodge of England .
Bro . Gen . LAURIE , in giving "The M . W . G . M ., H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , " recounted an event which occurred to him about 35 years ago , when he represented the Grand Lodge of England at the Grand Lodge of New York . There were 25 , 000 brethren present , and the Chief of the Police gave up the whole of the big streets to the Masons . Later on—22 years ago—although he was Grand Master of Nova Scotia , he was a Masonic subject of the Prince of Wales ,
who had just then been installed , and filled the gap created by Lord Ripon s resignation . All over the world he was then well thought of , notwithstanding he was untried as a Grand Master . He put it to the brethren , what must the Prince of Wales be thought of now that he was a tried Grand Master ? Masons all owed him a debt of gratitude , and were bound to support him on every occasion especially as he showed the deep interest in the Craft that he now evinced .
Bro . RUSHTON proposed " The Pro Grand Master , the Duputy Grand Master , and the rest of the Grand Ollicers , Present and Past , " introducing the names of Bro . E . Letchworth , G . Sec , Treasurer of the Emulation Lodge , and Bro . Thomas Fenn , P . G . W . Bro . Fenn had been congratulated on the honour conferred on him by the Grand Master at the last meeting of Grand Lodge . The brethren ofthe Emulation Lodge of Improvement felt great encouragement as working Masons
from the presence of the Grand Officers on these annual occasions , and the brethren who worked the Sections must have felt encouraged by what fell from that Past Master in the Craft , Bro . Fenn , when he gave them words of praise for the way in which they did their work that evening . The support given to the lodges by the Grand Officers gave it a status among lodges of this class , and the Grand Officers ' presence at these annual meetings was a proof that , notwithstanding their high rank , they still took a deep interest in its welfare and progress .
Bro . H . RICHARDS , Dist . G . M ., Transvaal , in responding , said he must ask the brethren to bear with him for a very few minutes while he endeavoured to respond for the toast which had been so eloquently given and cordially received . He laboured under two disadvantages ; he had a cold , and he was in the unhappy position of having to make a speech . Why the toast had been placed in his hands he could not say ; possibly it was because he came from a district of which very little was known and very little had been heard . ( Laughter . ) If it
had been not known to the brethren and not heard , it would not be long before it was known and heard—the district of the Transvaal . ( Hear , hear . ) As far as Masonry was concerned it had been advancing by leaps and bounds . When he went there in 188 9 there were two lodges there ; now there were 15 under the English Constitution alone . The Dutch had their lodges , the Scotch had theirs , the Irish had theirs ; but English , Dutch , Scotch , and Irish , worked together with perfect harmony and cordiality , and he looked to Masonry in the
Transvaal as a great thing in the future , because he believed that where Masons had been made there was good government . The Transvaal Lodge in Pretoria was one which used to do its work amidst the roars of guns in the fight between Boers and British . He had now only to say how much he appreciated the Emulation work . It had been a revelation to him ; he had come to the Emulation Lodge of Improvement ; he had seen its work , and he was lost in admiration of it , of the perfect harmony that ran
throughout the whole of it ; it was a great credit to the brethren . If during the remainder of his stay in this country he saw no more Masonic working , he should feel himself well repaid for a 6000 miles journey by the working he had seen in the Emulation Lodge of Improvement that night . Bro . E . LETCHWORTH , G . Sec , Treasurer of the lodge , then rose , and said he gladly availed himself of the position he had the honour to hold as Treasurer of that lodge , to submit to the brethren the next toast ; it was a very important one and one that he felt sure would receive at the hands of the brethren a most
cordial and hearty welcome ; it was the health of the distinguished brother , and he might say his old friend , who had , with such ability and geniality , presided over their festival that night ; and on behalf of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement he begged to tender him their warmest thanks for the honour he had paid them . The name of Gen . Wimburn Laurie was respected no less on the other side of the Atlantic than it was on this side . For many years—he did not know how many—General Laurie presided over the
Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia , and at the present moment he was representative in the Grand Lodge of England not only of the Grand Lodge of New York , but of the Grand Lodges of other States of America . Last year the Grand Master was pleased to grant him the rank of Past Grand Warden of England , and he ( Bro . Letchworth ) had now the great pleasure to communicate a fact known to only two in that hall—that within the last few hours the Grand Master had appointed General Laurie to the ofiice of Provincial Grand Master of South
Wales ( Western Division ) . The lodge most heartily congratulated him on the great and high honour conferred upon him , and they wished him long life , health , and prosperily in the position which he would so ably fill . The toast was drunk with the greatest enthusiasm . Bro . General LAURIE , in replying , said he had entered his name that evenii . g for election as a member of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , but he did not know whether they would accept him or not next Friday night . However , he
would assume they would not blackball him , He desired , in the first place , to thank the brethren most cordially for the kind reception given to him personally , and also for the reception they had giver , the announcement of the honour conferred upon him by the . VI , W . Grand Master- an honour which he had only heard of that evening . Naturally , as regarded personal work , he had presided over lodges elsewhere , and had seen a great deal of all sorts of Masonic work ; and he felt sure that in the jurisdiction to which the Prince of Wales had appointed him
he should see nothing superior to what hc had just seen . No doubt they had all heard the story of the man who was dying , and who was told he must forgive his enemies ; and he replied that he had none , for he had killed them all . ( Laughter . ) He was sure they would have nothing but good work in South Wales . However , " 'Tis not in mortals to command success , " all they could do was to deserve it , He would try to deserve it . So much for the toast so kindly proposed and so heartily received , His duty was now to propose a toast about which he felt a little difficulty— " Success to the Emulation Lodge
Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.
of Improvement . " He need not ask the members of the lodge to drink success to the lodge , or to wish success to the lodge ; he saw they were determined the lodge should succeed if all the members were influenced by the same spirit as that which influenced those who had worked that night and the brethren who listened that ' night . Could there be any doubt the Emulation would succeed ? They knew it had succeeded . It was one of the great factors in the progress of English Masonry , which was seen by the work done , he would not say in the
Emulation Lodge alone , but which had been done very largely by the Emulation Lodge . If he had had a feeling in the past , it was that he never wanted to hear work done parrot-like ; he never wanted to hear word-for-word repetition . He had never seen it in the Emulation Lodge until that night , but as soon as he had seen the work ot that lodge and other lodges , he saw there was a great deal in teaching the work word-for-word , because there was no question about it . He would take the 80 odd lodges in the jurisdiction he had presided over . There he
advised them not to restrict themselves to one single use of words , but to express what they meant . It was all very well ; the Master and Wardens first did it correctly , but the next lot took up what they thought their predecessors meant , and so on ; others took up the same line , and in 15 years he found it was hard to keep them to the point ; they wandered away from it . ( Laughter . ) There was a great deal in the Emulation system , and he thought they were on the right track in being so rigidly particular in the precise use of words as they were .
Following out that idea , he only hoped they would continue to show the same intense interest in the lodge , in the first place as a pattern lodge to the whole jurisdiction , and that they would continue to influence the whole of the lodges as they were largely interested in influencing them that day . He could not go into the history of the lodge , but he knew a good deal , and he tried to educate himself ; but what he had got up to they knew , which was much more important ,
and he was not going to travel over it again ; he was dealing , not with their history , not with what they had done in the past , but with what they were , doing in the present and what they would do in the future , that is to say , that they would be a great factor in the prosperity of the lodges on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England . The toast was honoured with a most hearty reception .
Bro . R . CLAY SUDLOW , P . G . Std . Br ., acknowledging the toast , said : R . W . Bro . in the Chair and Brethren , —That my name has been coupled with this toast instead of the name of our Treasurer , Bro . Letchworth , is due entirely to his courtesy in desiring that I should enjoy that privilege as the oldest member now on the Committee . It therefore devolves upon me to give expression to our thanks for the cordiality with which you have received the toast of " The Emulation Lodge of Improvement . " I am not able to say for how many consecutive
years these festivals have been held , but I believe that they date back for a very considerable period ; and yet their popularity seems rather to increase than to diminish as the years go by . When you remember that in the very nature of things it is impossible for us to bring out of our treasury anything in the way of novelty , that our work alternates year by year between the First and Second Lectures , the question very naturally arises , —Why is it that the interest in these functions is so fully maintained ? It is true that we always have a very
distinguished Mason to preside over us , and we are particularly fortunate in our chairman this evening . It is also true that we are usually favoured with the presence of a large number of Grand Ofiicers , and very highly we appreciate their continued encouragement and support . But we must look further for an explanation of these splendid gatherings , and I venture to think that it is found in the fascination that Masonry possesses for those who have given any thought at all to its grand principles and teachings , and in the exceptional opportunities
which these festivals afford of listening to the enunciation of those principles in the beautiful language of our lectures . And , brethren , if our festivals are successful , the same remark certainly applies to our weekly meetings . It is becoming more and more widely recognised , the immense advantage there is in first of all becoming qualified for the work , then passing through the various offices in this lodge . I really do not know of anything so useful to a Masonic student who has thoroughly studied the ritual in one
or other of the lodges of instruction teaching our system , than to go through a finishing course at the Emulation Lodge of Improyement . A Mason who has done that successfully may with every confidence undertake the duties of any office vvhich he may be called upon to perform in his lodge . Brethren , in my student days Bro . Fenn invariably occupied the Past Master ' s chair , and it was nothing short of an ordeal to essay any work under the keen eye and ear of that great master ; and although the pupil has been the Past Master for now 14 years , I am not sure that he has altogether lost the
feeling of awe inspired by that distinguished brother whom we are so very glad to welcome among us to-night , I am told , brethren , that this ordeal is not less severe in the present day , and I am very glad if such be the case , because , on the one hand , the examination , so to speak , would be of noreal benefitunless it be a very stiff one , and , on the other hand , if laxity were to creep in , the present Committee would not be worthily fulfilling the very responsible trust that has been committed to them—a trust , brethren , that they hope to preserve absolutely intact until the time comes when they must hand that trust over to their successors . ( Cheers . )
Bro . THOMAS FENN next said 1 R . W . Brother in the Chair and Brethren , — The toast that has been entrusted to me is that of " The Lodge of Unions , " under which this Emulation Lodge of Improvement has now worked for 6 7 years , and during the whole of that time this toast has never been omitted , except on one occasion , and that was the first year of my Secretaryship . ( Laughter . ) I was * iew to my duty , and did not understand supplying the Chairman with the toasts of the evening . I thought Bro . Stephen Barton Wilson , who sat next to me ,
would look after that duty , but , strange to say , it was not looked after , and that toast was omitted fo _ r the first time . I recollect I had to write a very abject apology to the Lodge of Unions for that omission . I took upon myself the responsibility of that omission , and prayed for forgiveness . I am happy to say the apology was accepted and ordered to be entered on the minutes . I think I ought to tell you we are not a child of the Lodge of Unions , but we are the adopted child , for ,
before the Lodge of Unions adopted us we were under No . 7—a lodge which was then called the Lodge of Hope . But about 1830 , the Lodge of Hope seemed to have fallen into some difficulties , and they transferred their warrant to the York Lodge of Perseverance which is now No . 7 . I have no doubt the Royal York Lodge of Perseverance , although very glad to accept the high number in the calendar , were a little averse to undertake the responsibility of fathering or mother ing this Emulation Lodge of Improvement ; but I have reason to think they have
many times regretted their refusal to take that duty . On the other hand I venture to think that the Lodge of Unions are proud of their adopted child , and if they are not proud of it they ought to be . Well , brethren , we have worked together very amicably without any friction whatever now for 6 7 years , and I hope and trust we shall be united in the same harmony until time shall be no more , ( Hear , hear . ) It is usual to couple the name of the Master ofthe Lodgeof
Unions with this toast , but , with his permission I shall couple the name of Bro . Farnfield with it , because , at the present day he is the worthy son of a worthy father who was initiated in the Lodge of Unions , and who was a member of it for over 50 years , and Secretary oi it , I believe , for more than 40 , and who during that time was an honoured worker of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement . ' have in my papers some notes in the handwriting of Bro . Farnfield referring to the lectures of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement sufficient to prove that hc