The Service In St. Paul's Cathedral.

The Service in St . Paul's Cathedral .

l f ^ £ pS | jl | T greatly to be regretted that the arrangements lEH E § S ! ma ( je ^ commemorating the 200 th anniversary of f ' Pll HsH *' ° P ' S ° f *^ - Paul ' s Cathedral for public | ; Ej § ffS worship should not have proved adequate to the : tJ [< i ^~ g >) li occasion and it is not surprising that many letters should have been addressed to the daily press or

brought to our own notice by aggrieved brethren who either endured serious inconvenience in entering the Cathedral or were

unable to obtain the admission to which they were entitled . To all these , however , Bro . Archdeacon Sinclair , Past G . Chaplain , who was Chairman of the Chapter Committee entrusted with the preparations , has addressed a full and ample apology , and under these circumstances it appears to be just and proper that we

should give over our grumbling and accept the apology 111 the same kindly spirit in which the Archdeacon has tendered it . However , if the gathering did not prove so successful as regards

WKST KROXT OF ST . PAl'l . ' S CATHEDRAL .

arrangements as those other Masonic celebrations in the Royal Albert Hall , for which the Craft itself has been responsible , there can be no doubt as to the grandeur of the spectacle which the mastenvork of Sir Christopher Wren presented on Thursday thc 2 nd December , when between 5000 and 6000 members gathered

within its portals for the purpose of offering their prayers and thanksgivings to the Most High in commemoration of the opening of the Cathedral and of showing their respect for the tradition that Sir Christopher Wren himself and those entrusted with the

carrying out of his plans were members of our great Fraternity . The question whether the architect of our great Metropolitan fane was a member of our Fraternity or not in its modern " accepted" sense is not one that can properly be discussed within the narrow limits of an article . There are . those who

swear by tne tradition and take it for gospel , and there are those who reject it on the ground that there is no direct evidence of his having been received into tlie Order . Our own opinion is that though it is undoubtedly true that positive and direct evidence of his having been an accepted

The Service In St. Paul's Cathedral.

Mason is unfortunately not forthcoming ; the probabilities are strongly in favour of his having been one and a member of the old Time Immemorial Lodge of Antiquity . Be this as it may , the tradition is one which no brother need find serious fault with , nor do we imagine it will ever cease to be associated with the fortunes of the Craft .

We have said the spectacle which the Cathedral presented on this memorable occasion was a splendid one , and we need hardly add that the proceedings , as Bro . Archdeacon Sinclair lias assured us , were conducted with all that decorum by which large Masonic gatherings are at all times distinguished . The

service , too , was of a special but appropriate character , while the Bishop of London ' s sermon founded on the text— - "The house that is to be bnilded for the Lord must be exceeding magnificat , of fame and of glory throughout all countries "—was in every

way a masterpiece of eloquence . The offertory , however , considering the vastness of the congregation , was comparatively a small one , amounting to but little more than £ 800 , and we must hope that this will be supplemented by such other contributions as will perm . it of a section of the work of decoration being

carried out under the direction of Sir William B . Richmond , K . C . B ., R . A ., being done which shall be worthy of our ancient and honourable Society . Bros , the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of the City of London , accompanied by the Aldermen and members of the Court of

Common Council , attended by the officers of the Corporation , were present in State , entering in a procession by themselves and being conducted to the seats reserved for them , while the Masonic procession , which entered almost immediately after the civic dignitaries , was composed entirely of Present and Past

Grand Officers , the following being a list of the most distinguished among the Present and Past G . Officers who attended on the occasion , namely : Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . Master of Hampshire and the Isle of

Wight , who , in tlie unavoidable absence of the Pro and Deputy G . ' Masters , represented the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . Master ; Bros . Col . Lyne , Prov . G . Master Monmouthshire ; T . F . Halsey , M . P ., Prov . G . M . Hertfordshire ; C . J . Egan , M . D ., Dist . G . Master South Africa ( E . D . ); Rear Admiral A . H , Markham ,