Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . THE REV . A . B . COOMBE , M . A . The announcement on the 17 th ult . of the sudden death of Bro . the Rev . A . B . Coombe , M . A . Oxon , Prov . Grand Chap lain of West Yorkshire , vvas received by the brethren in Leeds with feelings of the deepest grief . Both as a man and a Mason the late Bro . Coombe possessed in an eminent deoree the qualities vvhich endeared him to all vvith whom

5 ie came in contact , and singled him out as the best type of what a Freemason ought to be . Bro . Coombe was Chaplain of Armley Gaol , Leeds , and on the morning of Saturday , the i 6 lh ult ., he had discharged his duties as usual and to all appearance was in the best of health and spirits . At noon he visited the Church Institute , as vvas his daily custom , to read the papers . Whilst so engaged he vvas

noticed by an official to sink helplessly forward . He was then found to be suffering from an apopleptic seizure , and was as speedily as possible removed to his home , Clarendonroad , in a state of insensibility . He never regained consciousness and died about 24 hours afterwards , to the unfeigned grief of all vvho knew him . Bro . Trevor vvas with him to the last , and vvas of material assistance to the

griefstricken family . Bro . Coombe , who vvas in his 52 nd year , and leaves a widow and five daughters to mourn his untimely fate , first saw the light of Masonry four years ago in the Goderich Lodge , No . 1211 , and succeeded Bro . Canon Bullock as Chaplain . His worth vvas recognised bv the P . G . M . last April , when he was created Prov . Grand Chaplain of the province , succeeding the late Bro . Rev .

Greedbury , 304 , vvho , singular to relate , also died during his year of office . Bro . Coombe vvas Chaplain of 2 S 9 , but though officially connected with these two lodges the tight Leeds lodges in common looked upon him as a member , for he vvas a frequent and a welcome visitor all round . No . where was he a more honoured guest than at No . 2 o 6 g . and just eight days prior to his death he was present at the

regular meeting of that lodge and acted as Chaplain . In responding to the toast of "The Visitors" he remarked that he had but one regret with regard to Masonry , namely , that he had not been initiated 20 years earlier . Bro . W . F . Smithson , P . M ., P . P . G . D ., Chairman of the Charity Committee of West Yorkshire , and W . M . of No . 1211 , held a Lodge of Sorrow on Thursday , the 21 st ult ., the day fixed

for the funeral . The pedestals vvere draped in mourning and each brother wore a sprig of acacia . About 100 brethren vvere present , including Bros . T . W . Tew , J . P ., P . G . M . ; Henry Smith , D . P . G . M . ; Keighley , J . P ., Prov . J . G . W . ; and many Presentand Past members of Provincial Grand Lodge , the W . M . ' s , and a large percentage of the members of the eight Leeds lodges . The

proceedings vvere opened by the singing of that beautiful hymn , " O God , our help in ages past . " Bro . Dr . Smyth , P . G . Chap . England , and vicar of Far Headingley , read the lessons from Ecclesiastes and offered up a special prayer . Ero . Smithson , vvho was deeply affected , then spoke as follows : VVe are called together to-day to mourn the loss of a brother vvho has been suddenly taken away from

us in the very prime of life , and which has caused a most painful shock to all of us vvho knew him so well . It is just four years ago since Bro . Coombe first saw the light of Freemasonry , and from Ihe period of his initiation he has lived and breathed amongst usas a true and faithful brother . He vvasone of the most regularattenders of our meetings and lodges of instruction , ever ready to take a part in our rites

and ceremonies . He was a most sincere and devoted Mason , taking an active interest in everything that tended to the welfare of our lodge and the happiness of its members . He was a frequent and ever welcome visitor to our sister lodges in Leeds , and attend on miny occasions our Provincial Grand Lodge . Some time after initiation he was appointed Chaplain to our lodge , in succession to Bro .

Canon Bullock , vvho is now an acting Warden , and whose unavoidable absence to-day ( he being engaged in the conduct of a Mission in the South of England ) I much regret . Last April Bro . Coombe vvas appointed to the high and digified position of Grand Chaplain of this province b y the P . G . M . He died vvith those honours upon him , ever zealous to the true cause of Freemasonry . He ,

indeed , showed us by a good and bright example the truest and highest principles of our Brotherhood . Not only this lodge , but the Craft in this province has lost a good and faithful brother , and an upright Mason . His quiet and unobtrusive manner , on all occasions ; his kindheartedness to all brethren who came in personal contact vvith him , endeared him to all , and for some time his death will cause

an irreparable blank in our midst . It has , however , pleased theG . A . O . T . U . to take him from us . May some of those excellent qualities and estimable virtues vvhich he possessed when living fall upon us and teach us to practise more and more those first great piinciplesof our Order vvhich adorned nis character in so marked a degree- It is most gratifying to us of Goderich Lodge to find here on this sad and

' solemn occasion the Prov . G . M ., his Deputy , and so many officers and brethren , to pay this last sad tribute to our departed brother . Let us all fervently pray that on leaving this lod ge below he has ascended to the Grand Lodge above , where the world ' s Great Architect reigns for evermore . The hymn "Solemn strikes the funeral chime" vvas then sung , lollowed by the Dead March . Bro . Townsend , P . M ., P . P . „ -J _ W ~ . . . . . . . . . . . U . » . . . .. WW .. W , . . . . . . .. » . .

. V ? -u - > presided at the harmonium with his accustomed ability . too . the Rev . T . C . Smyth , D . D ., LL . D ., then delivered the funeral oration , as follows : It does seem to me a mysterious dispensation of Providence that I , vvho am 15 ^' VJ ° ' than our c ' ear de P artecl '" Other , should be "lied upon to pronounce his funeral oration . I have but ! ' sick bed in order to perform this sad duty , but , brethren from the love I bear to our late brotherand the

, , flection I bear to our noble Order , 1 could not refrain from e > ng here and availing myself of the opportunity of W"g the last sad tribute of respect to departed worth . oth k if reqU ? ntiy said t 0 the Prov * G * Master and t 0 to m t £ I ' '' often been a source of great surprise than - h ' asonry does not flourish more in this kingdom bv I l !> t C i ? * America the members are numbered y tens OI th 0 U .- * anrl <* :. tvhilcf hut-., tlipv ^ ir » rtnlw r . „ mka . . . l

fort- t ? When ' bear in mlnd what a mighty engine limitprt L ° Fraternit y might be and ii , in spite of its soften - nu , mbers - '" cementing all classes ol society and Prised ? £ ? ° al 1 as P er'ties of opinion , I am much surbeen » n < ? t floui " - sh to a greater extent . It has Which i 1 . sat'sfaction to me in the lodge to so " t S ( Prudence * No * 2 o 69 ) t ° see ward t * u ¦ my own profession coming fort 0 be initiated into the Order , because I do

Obituary.

feel that especially to the clergy Freemasonry may prove of great and lasting benefit in softening down the asperities of theological views vvhich may and often do arise when conflicting opinions are held . I am free to confess that there is a danger to the clergy in this respect , a danger lest they should fall into narrow-mindedness from working in particular grooves , and from the fact that they are

looked up to and deferred to on account of their education and position . Freemasonry , it seems to me , helps to counteract this by giving enlarged ideas and a higher appreciation of the benefits of benevolent toleration . So vvas it , as you well know , with Bro . Coombe . All vvho possessed the great privilege of acquaintance with him can never forget the large-heaitedness and geniality which he

possessed in an eminent degree , and which form so conspicuous a feature of our Order . For , brethren , even upon this solemn occasion , I cannot refrain from alluding to the social element , vvhich is no unimportant feature in Freemasonry . Our meetings at the festive board are sanctioned by the volume of the Sacred Law , which tells us— " Go your way , and eat the fat and drink the sweet vvith a

merry heart , at the same time bearing tn mind and acting up to the principle of temperance in all things , vvhich all should bear in mind , particularly we Freemasons . It is a melancholy pleasure to me to know that probably one of the last—if not the very last—lodge which Bro . Coombe visited was Lodge Prudence , of vvhich I have the honour to be a Past Master . I was not

present on that occasion , but I am informed by those who were that he displayed those kindly feelings of harmony and goodwill which ever characterised him both in the lodge and out of it . Though he had only been admitted into our Order four years he had heartily from the first grasped the grand truths of Freemasonry—those truths which teach generosity , a feeling of sympathy with

suffering , a love of peace subordinate only to a love of freedom , the glorious principle of a vast philanthropy embracing all nations and views , that Charity vvhich is the very copestone and crown of our noble Order , and which shall endure for ever and when all human dignities shall have vanished awav . As the VV . M . has remarked , Bro . Coombe vvas chiefly knovvn by a quiet performance of his duty , and by

his unobtrusive worth . Are there no lessons to be learned from that ? I think there are very many , both to those vvho perform duties and occupy positions in the fierce glare ol the world ' s opinion and the world's observation , as well as those who occupy positions little known and often little appreciated . As in the lodge the W . M . and the Wardens occupy the supreme position and the Deacons

inferior posts , followed by the brethren whose duties are more humble , yet vve cannot but feel that all are equal in Freemasonry , that each performs his allotted task , which makes the successful whole . Stone and timber from Ihe forests of Lebanon and the quarries of Zaredatha formed the splendid temple at Jerusalem , vvhich owed its existence to the master mind of Hiram Abiff . In the Litany

of the Church of which I am a humble minister vve pray constantly against sudden death . Rightly , I believe , has that clause been inserted in our beautiful Litany , because , amid the temptations and trials of business and the turmoils of this world , vve are so often engrossed that we are not always prepared for the sudden call to eternity . From what vve know of our dear brother ,

he was ready to receive his wages at the Master ' s hand . He was an exception to most of us , and we firmly believe that his life vvas squared upon the principles of moral truth and virtue , and that his faculties vvere used to the glory of God and the good of mankind ; that he had answered the great end of life , and had learned to look upon death as the end of a conflict and the entrance to a

better world . In that sacred volume vvhich we all prize , we are told that the Judge of the world shall come in His glory vvith His holy angels . Then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory , and before him shall be gathered all nations . He shall separate them one from the other . He shall divide the sheep from the goats , and shall set the good on His right and Ihe bad on His left hand . Permit

me to call your attention to one particular clause of His address to the good— "Come , ye blessed , fori was in prison , and ye visited me . Then shall they say , Lord , when wast thou in prison , and vve visited thee ? And the King shall answer , Verily I say unto you , inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren , ye did it unto me . " These words are particularly applicable to the

case of Bro . Coombe , inasmuch as he bore pity and consolation to many a sin-stricken soul in Armley Gaol in the course of his daily ministrations . The law , the army , the arts , and the sciences had had their victories , and had been carried to the distant parts of the earth by men whose conspicuous labours have made England glorious wherever the sun rises and sets . But , as Milton says , " Peace hath her victories

as well as war . I here are the quiet positions as well as the brilliant ones , and I humbly hold that the man who sets the good example in quiet duties well performed , as our brother did , who leaves the bright example for others to copy , will pertorm as noble a vvork as any in a more exalted position , and equally with them help to make the world better than he found it . Bro . Trevor , P . M . 2069 ,

who watched with unremitting care by the death-bed of Bro . Coombe , conveyed the heartfelt gratitude of the survivors to the brethren , and especially thanked thebrethren of 1211 and 289 for their beautiful floral remembrances . The Prov . G . M ., Bro . Tew , J . P ., P . G . D ., gracefully spoke of the many excellent qualities of the deceased , and said he was there also to represent the Magistrates of the West

Riding of Yorkshire . The brethren then formed in procession to the house of the deceased , and afterwards to all Souls' Church , where the first part of the service ua * . performed by the Rev . Cecil Hook and the Rev . Dr . Smyth . As the coffin passed through their ranks the brethren cast their sprigs of acacia upon it as the last tribute of respect

to one whom they sincerely loved in life and deeply mourned in death . The cortege then proceeded to the Cemetery , where the remains were laid in their last resting place , the closing scene being witnessed by the Governor of Armley Gaol and all the officers who could be spared from duty .

BRO . DAVID KINNEAR . Bro . David Kinnear , a well-known citizen of Edinburgh , died at his residence , 1 , Athole crescent , on the 27 th ult , Bro . Kinnear vvas about 70 years of age at the time of his death . He went to Edinburg h in the year 1 S 43 , starting business as a stockbroker there when the railway craze was at its height . He subsequently became an accountant , in which capacity he was frequently appointed trustee on

Obituary.

sequestrated estates . In those days such appointments were eagerly sought after and afterwards judically competed for , and Bro . Kinnear joined keenly in those competitions . For many years he was a member of the City Parochial Board , ultimately becoming Chairman of that body—a position which he held for a period of five years . He was an enthusiastic Freemason , and long a member of Grand Committee of the Grand Lodge of Scotland . In

1 S 77 , he vvas appointed Cashier to Grand Lodge . At the time of his appointment the affairs of Grand Lodge were in a very unsatisfactory condition , but by his labours and those of Bro . D . Murray Lyon , the G . Sec , the Grand Lodge has been placed on a firmer basis than it ever vvas before . He vvas a P . M . of Celtic Lodge , Edinburgh . Bro . Kinnear was greatly respected by all with whom he became connected , and vvill be held in affectionate remembrance by a large circle of friends .

The Theatres.

THE THEATRES .

We do not intend to quibble about a name , but vve think Bro . Wilson Barrett vvould have done better to have called his new drama " The Old Times " rather than "The Good Old Times , " for there nothing in the play which would make one say that the days it depicts were good . However , in collaboration with Mr . Hall Caine , author of "The Deemster , " Bro . Wilson Barrett has put

on at the Princess's one of those highly-interesting dramas vvhich only make one reciprocate Bro . Wilson Barrett ' s own wish to have a house of his own again . Its dialogue and plot are not equal to "The Silver King , " than vvhich no finer drama has ever been written , but it brings back to our recollection the plavs vvhich the popular lessee produced at the Princess ' s ii his earlier days , such as "The

Lights o' London " and " The Romany Rye . The present piece deals vvith the days when transportation to Tasmania , or Van Diemen's Land , as it was then called , was the punishment for nearly all crimes . We shall not , in the short space at our disposal , give the story , for to follow it closel y through the five acts vvould be more than we are permitted to do , and

we hope many of our readers vvill go and see The Good Old Times " for themselves . They vvill be amply rewarded , for the chief players—Bros . Wilson and George Barrett , and Miss Eastlake and Mr . Lewis Waller—are seen at their best . We must say , for ourselves , vve much prefer Bro . Wilson Barrett in melodrama to Shakesperian pieces , though he may not feel this a compliment . Bro .

George Barrett ajain has all the cream of the comedy part , and right well he knows how to make his speeches hit vvith his audience . The scenery would do credit to the Lyceum stage . There is in one act a panorama of Tasmanian scenery , vvhich alone is worth going to see . True it stoos for the time the action of the p ' . ay , but the

spectators are well rewarded by the beautiful pictures presented to them on canvas . VVe sincerely hope that Bro . Wilson Barrett may , by his latest achievement , do so well that he may once more settle down in London in a theatre all his own , and reproduce scrne of his old , yet still popular , pieces , and produce many new ones as g'ood . "The Good Old Times " is good enough for a long and prosperous career . # * $

Bro . Augustus Harris has astonished every one by hh action in sending "The Armada" out in the provinces as it was produced at Drury Lane . It vvould have been thought that the battle scene between the English and Spanish ships vvould have been impossible to have shown away from Drury Lane , or to carry about from town to town ; but with Bro . Harris nothing is impossible . To

start the tour the drama has been played at the Grand , Islington , for two weeks , and with a company not inferior to the original one . Miss Maud Milton is now the heroine , and in her capable hands the part loses ) nothing ; in fact , vve think it is a pity she did not play it originally . Bro . Victor Stevens succeeds Bro . Harry Nicholls , and if not quite as droll is quite as lively . Miss Edith Kenward is

the Spanish girl in the place of Miss James , and again shows her talents , which we were of the London piess amongst the earliest to notice . We are sure her friends in the provincial towns where she is well known will applaud her highly for her rendering of her new character , and vve hope it may not be long before Bro . Harris adds her to his London company . If he does he

will not regret it . It goes without saying that "The Armada" vvill have a prosperous career in the towns for which it is booked . The next two weeks " Hands Across the Sea , " from the Princess's , will be played at the Grand , vvhich is one of the most beautiful and comfortable of the

London theatres . In its present form it is equal to the newest West-end house . The plays are always good , and lately one of the most successful pantomime seasons has been brought to a close . The Grand has for its acting manager ihe very popular Mr . H . A . Freeman , vvho has done so much to make it what it is .

* * " Uncles and Aunts " is still running at the Comedy , and will continue to do so until Easter , when a new piece is arranged for production . Owing to Bro . Penley , it has worked up to a big success , and we venture to remind our readers that their opportunities of seeing "Uncles and Aunts" are diminishing . The other night we noticed Bro . Viscount Wolseley and a large party in the stalls enjoying the harmless fun which it contains .

Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

FINAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF STEWARDS . The final meeting of the Board of Stewards at the recent

Festival was held at 1-reemasons' Hall yesterday ( Thursday ) under the presidency ef Bro . Sir Lionel Darell , when the accounts were examined , passed , and ordered to be settled . Votes of thanks to ihe Chairman for presiding and to the various oflicers of the Board were unanimousl y agreed to , and the Board was dissolved .