Masonic Festival In Brussels.

MASONIC FESTIVAL IN BRUSSELS .

From some notes which have been kindly placed at our disposal by certain T 7 fflish brethren who were present at a grand banquet given to Bro . Pierre Tempels , f Brussels , on the 23 rd ult ., we are enabled to present our readers with what we , may be regarded by them as an interesting picture of a Belgian Masonic Festival at the present time of writing .

In Belgium , as most persons are aware , there exists a sharp division of political timent Detween the Clericals and the Liberals , and this cleavage is reflected in the lodges . Recently , the former party has got the upper hand , and their predomiance in the Senate and Chamber has , not unnaturally , operated to the prejudice f the latter , especially in a Masonic point of view , since it is almost entirely from those who are adherents of the Liberal party that the recruits are drawn who fill it > the gaps in , and swell the ranks of , the Freemasons .

In a country , therefore , where the minds of a vast majority of the population in a condition of moral thraldom , where the Papal influence has lately acquired new lease of power , and where men of moderate opinions carefully abstain from doing anything that may tend to embroil them with either of the political parties , it rarely happens that any prominent official so far possesses the courage of his opinions as to publicly avow an interest in , and to participate in Masonic fellowship with , a class of persons to whom even the rites of the Church are denied b y the priests whose office it is to administer them .

Bro . Tempels , however , is a brilliant exception to the almost general rule , and there can be little or any doubt that his sturdy independence as a high official on the Civil Staff of the Army has contributed not a little to the affectionate respect with which he is regarded by the general body of Belgian Freemasons . Not , indeed , that the claims of Bro . Tempels upon the gratitude and esteem of his brethren are exhausted b y the preceding reference , for it is in the capacity of a sagacious ruler of capitular Masonry during the past six years that this distinguished brother displayed the qualities which , in the opinion of those most

competent to judge , amply justified the compliment paid to him by so large and representative a body as were assembled in the Grand Hall of the Lodge and Chapter "Des Amis Philanthropes , " Brussels , on the 23 rd ult . Some of the English brethren , from whose notes these particulars are extracted , were not members of what are familiarly termed the " Higher Degrees , " and therefore took no part in the opening feature of the Festival , which was a meeting

of the Rose Croix Chapter " Des Amis Philanthropes , under whose banner all the proceedings of the evening were conducted . The preliminary business having been disposed of , the chapter was lowered to the Third Degree , and the visitors of distinction—including many members of the A . and A . S . R ., 33 , who had been present throughout the entire proceedingswere admitted in procession—the guest of the evening bringing up the rear—and saluted by the Belgian Masons in a manner peculiar to brethren in the 18 ° .

Shortly afterwards , a general move took place , and the chapter , with its guests , marched slowly to the Grand Hall , where the banqueting tables had been set out , the National Anthems of Belgium , England , Holland , and France being played in succession as the brethren advanced to their seats .

At the upper end of the Hall , on a slightly elevated plane , was a hi gh or cross table , and in the body of the room were three long tables arranged lengthways with the Hall , and at right angles to the dais . The brethren seated at the cross-table were as follows : In the chair , Bro . De Vergnier , M . W . S . of the chapter ; on his right , Bros . Desmond , Grand Master of French Masons ( under the title of President of the Council of the Order ) ; Van

Humbeeck , Dep . Sov . Grand Com . of the Sup . Council of Belgium , Past Grand Master , & c , formerly Minister of Public Instruction ; Van Osenbruggen , Sov . G . Com . of the Scottish Rite in the Netherlands , member of the Second Chamber of the States-General ; R . F . Gould , P . G . D . England , W . M . of Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 2076 ; Couvreur , Past G . Master of G . O . of Belgium , formerl y Vice-President of the Chamber of Representatives ; Baron Creutz , Rep . of the G . L .

of Sweden at the G . O . of the Netherlands ; G . W . Speth , Sec . of Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 2076 , London ; Mace , Member of the French Senate ; Buls , Burgomaster of Brussels ; and G . Jottrand , G . Chancellor of the Sup . Council of Belgium , Ex-Deputy to the Chamber . On his left : Bros . P . Tempels , President of the Court of Military Justice , retiring M . W . S . of the chapter , and the guest of the evening ; H . D . Sandeman , G . Sec . Gen . Sup . Council of England

; Rev . F . Lieftink , G . Orator cf the G . O . of the Netherlands , member of the States-General ; E . Reisse , Dep . Grand Master ( G . M . Adjoint ) of the G . O . of Belgium ; Capt . J . Van Lelyveld , G . Dir . of Cer . of the G . O . of the Netherlands Verhoogen , Sec . of the Chapter Union and Progress , Bruxelles ; Van Meinen , Orator of the Chapter Amis Philanthropes , Bruxelles ; Berge , W . M . Union and rrogress ; Prince de Looz Coriwarem , of Liege ; Cohen , of Brussels ; and

Pans , De Paesse , and Marinx , of the chapters at Charleroy , Mons , and Ghent , respectivel y . I he three long tables in the body of the hall were presided over by Surveillants , and about 75 brethren were seated at each , or some 225 in all ; among them being tii 1 ° ^ ^ ng l ' Masons from Antwerp , who were readily distinguished b y ne colour of their aprons . Members of the 18 th and Superior Degrees wore the ashes of their respective ranks , but the officers and members of foreign Grand ' private lodges who attended as Craft Masons were attired in the ordinary egalia of their respective trades .

, Banquet having duly progressed through its first stage , the dessert was P aced on the table , and , the hall being properly tyled , the PRESIDENT rose / and in Th h . eecn ° * reat eloquence proposed the first toast , " King and Fatherland . " the ' c ng heen dul y honoured , the parUe was given to the GRAND MASTER ' of Aft if ? NIES ' wn 0 s P ° ke from the lower end of the hall , in the King ' s name , subi ^ puding to the benefits which the King believed the Craft conferred upon his 1 J . S in Pfeneral . and nrnmiclnff thpm prmtinnpd nrntpptinn h & incictpr ! nnnn flip

c C y w h'ch he expected from them in return . Grasping a brimming bumper of drinlf ^ t ^ ' ^ conc luded with the words— " I , as representing his Majesty , now e « ipti d ^ welfa e and health of my faithful subjects of the Belgian Craft , " shivp ' j ¦ £ ' ' n due f ° rm , and dashed it violently to the ground , where it was » erea int 0 atoms .

> n thp f ,, RESIDENT next proposed the Supreme Rulers of the foreign brethren present a nd th p - 0 rder : " Her Majesty the Queen of England , the King of Holland , standin K esident o £ the French 'Republic . " Thus far , all the brethren remained without * ' ^ P ? resumed their seats , which , for the most part , they retained the asse ^ " ' ' ^ ' save * * P urpose of honouring a toast , or of addressing may be ' t ^ e eptions to this general rule were the brethren seated on what Surveillo , rmed tne outer circle of the body of the hall , or in other words , the

ment and / , P resided over the three tables arranged longitudinally in the apartnearest t tk kretnren to their right and left , whose places at the banquet were terfti them - i ? VV 0 Walls oi tne r 00 m - Thus , the Vice-Presidents , as we should either cas '" S land and the brethren on their right and left , whose backs in speeches \ yf ™ nearest to the wall , remained standing throughout the various st ated or 1 " rema ^ nder of those present retained their seats , except as above feeti ' Unlfi ss the word was given that all present were expected to rise to their

Masonic Festival In Brussels.

To assist the- Chairman ( or President ) in the discharge of his onerous duties , our Bel g ian brethren resort to an expedient that we might do well to introduce into this country . The high , or cross-table , as with ourselves , is intended for the superior officers of the Masonic body giving the entertainment , who , together with the visitors of distinction , face the body of brethren sitting as it were below the salt . But in Belgium two brethren at least sit at the cross-table with their backs to

the body of the hall . These are Stewards or aides decamp to the Presiding Officer , and their places at the banquet we are endeavouring to describe were exactly opposite to those of the brethren on the immediate right and left of the Chairman , which gave that functionary an uninterrupted view of the meeting over which he was presiding , while at the same time seating within easy earshot a couple of

vigilant Craftsmen , who succeeded to admiration in discerning and rightly interpreting the sli ghtest hint from the chair . These brethren were constantly on the move , and it was quite- a rare occurrence to find them both seated at the same moment , Conspicuous above all , was their attention to the visitors , whose glasses they inspected at ever-shortening intervals , and replenished according to the carrying capacities of the representatives of the various foreign nationalities .

The PRESIDENT then rose and proposed " The Health of the Guest of the evening , Bro . P . Tempels . " At every mention of his career , as an official of the State , as a foremost man in literature , science , jurisprudence , politics , or as a Mason who had devoted his best energies to the purification of their system , to a revision of their ritual and to the consolidation of their relations with foreign jurisdictions , the orator was greeted and encouraged . by enthusiastic cheers . At a given

signal the excellent portrait of Bro . Tempels , destined , for the hall , was unveiled , and the cheering renewed . The President then turned to Bro . Tempels and pinned upon his breast the handsome jewel voted to him by the two Rose Croix Chapters of Brussels , and folding him in a close embrace kissed him upon both cheeks . The cheering here became deafening , and the greafmajority of those present left their

seats to clink classes with the hero of the hour . Quiet , being at length restored , Bro . Tempels , in a speech of much force and considerable humour , replied at some length , but , as our correspondents are not skilled in the art of stenography , we can onl y give a condensed sketch of an address which we are assured would well merit being reproduced in its entirety .

Bro . TEMPELS begged most sincerely to thank the last speaker for his too partial appreciation of his little book " Les Francsmacons , " and for his generous praise of any benefit he had been able to render to the Craft in Bel gium . He trusted his efforts in both directions had been , successful , but he must decline to take all the credit to himself . For his own part , he would take that opportunity of thankinc several brethren for the great assistance they had always rendered him ( the speaker

here mentioned several by name ) . As for his treatise , he would like to reinforce the arguments he had used ; but the time and circumstances were perhaps not quite fitting . Masons should ever have before them the claims of intellectuality and the perfecting of their morals , but they acknowledge also the existence of certain hours when all other thoughts give place to the sweet pleasures of friendship , hours of delight when , assembled round the hospitable board , they forget the world outside

the charmed circle , with all its cares and misery , injustice and strife , and give up their very souls to the fascination of fraternal converse ; when joy blossoms amidst the flowers and crystal , and where sound sense more often prevails " than i n great orations and heated polemics . He then took up his parable against political discourses in lodge , and against empty and sterile declamation . " They remind hie , " said he , "of that would-be dame spirituelle , of whom it was said that when she had perpetrated

a DOM . mot-o-n an emetic , she was surprised not to find herself purged . If at table we are not always great philosophers and statesmen , we are at least always honest philosophers and men of common sense . When we show our friends the bottom of the bottle , we also offer them the depths of our hearts . " Reverting to the Rose Croix Chapter , Bro . Tempels then described its work : To undertake only such studies as each one might ptosecute fruitfully , to enter upon them seriously , without

foolhardiness , without prejudice , and to guard against the possibility that any incident of their work should disturb the harmony which should exist amongst all Masons . Thechapters in Bel gium enforced fidelity to this twofold rule ; he trusted that the lodges would soon return to a like course [ the orator here alluded to the unfortunate line of conduct for some time pursued by the lodges , from which it is the desire of the older Masons to wean them ] . Between the two rites ( Scotch and modern French )

there was only a difference of method and a difference of age . We ( i . e ., the Scottish Masons ) are the veterans , our role is that of a compensated balance . The younger Masons , with their youthful vigour and ardour , are the main-spring . Wanting the balance , the main-spring would unwind itself to no purpose ; wantin « the spring , the balance would be useless . After alluding to the life and activity in the chapters , Bro . Tempels made an eloquent appeal to the Grand Orient of the

Netherlands , represented by its Grand Officers at that table . He thanked the various illustrious guests individually for the honour they had done him by their presence . Turning to Bro . Desmond , Grand Master of France , he said that no one could be better placed than he was for appreciating the grandeur of the role played by the Craft , and the beneficial influence it was capable of exerting , if faithful to the Old Charges , in a country where political passions ran so hi gh , and

irritated one set of citizens against the other to the point almost of endangering the public weal . He thanked Bro . Sandeman and the Supreme Council of England ; Bro . Gould , Past Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge , W . M . of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , the learned historian , whose great work had created a new epoch in the study of Masonic antiquity ; and Bro . Speth , the courteous and indefatigable Secretary of this same lodge of the Quatuor Coronati , the fame of which fiad

encircled the globe . "In every country , " he continued , "lodges are necessaril y coloured by the national temperament , and the circumstances of their surroundings ; but I maintain that all Masons should ever turn their faces to England , as to the paternal roof , just as believers in our faith lift their eyes to the East , whence came their hope and their ideal . On the other hand , those who have remained in their father ' s house should remember , more than is often the case , the younger

members of their family who have left its shelter . Every mark of sympathy on the part of the Grand Lodge or Supreme Council of England would be a powerful encouragement on the Continent ; every verdict pronounced by them on the conduct of Continental Masons would have a salutary influence , so long as the admonition recalled the spirit of the Old Charges , i . e ., liberty and tolerance dominating party or national quarrels . " * Bro . Tempels remarked that some three weeks back

he had been fortunate enough to be present at the annual meeting of the Grand Masters of Germany , and had been a witness to the elevation of their ideas and aspirations . Many of those illustrious brothers had decided to be present that evening , but the melancholy death of the Emperor had prevented their attendance . The Grand Master of Switzerland also was debarred from being with them b y illness . " If , " he said , " a mere feeling of amity has been sufficient to almost

assemble around this board a great number of the heads of European Masonry , I am assuredly justified in hoping before my death to see such a re-union in the interest of the Craft universal . That day would be the starting point of a new epoch in the history of the Craft , one in which its universality would be affirmed in spite of parties and nationalities . I have no great faith in those numerous assemblies called ' convents , ' but I believe we should not be disappointed in expecting valuable