Consecration Of The London Irish Rifles Lodge, No. 2312.

CONSECRATION OF THE LONDON IRISH RIFLES LODGE , No . 2312 .

Several leading members of the London Irish Rifles Volunteer Corps being anxious to follow the example of numerous other Volunteer regiments , and have a Masonic lodge attached to the military body vvith vvhich they are associated , petitioned the M . W . G . M . to grant a charter for this object . H . R . H . the M . W . G . M ., vvas pleased to grant the prayer of the petitioners , and the London Irish Rifles Lodge , No . 2312 , vvas duly consecrated on Saturday , the 16 th inst ., at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen-street , W . C , under circumstances which leave no

'doubt of its future success . H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , K . G ., K . P ., the honorary Colonel of the regiment , readily consented to become one of the founders ? nd also to become the first W . M . H . R . H ., however , being absent on official duties in India , nominated Bro . Major C . W . Carrell as Deputy W . M ., in pursuance of the provision made in Art . 131 of the Book of Constitutions . The founders are to be congratulated on having a distinguished member of the Royal Family—who is the Prov . Grand Master of Sussex , and also District Grand Master of Bombay—as their first W . Master .

The consecration and installation ceremonies were performed by Bro . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , Grand Secretary , assisted by Bros . Sir John Monckton , P . G . W ., as S . W . ; Col . James Peters , P . G . S . B . * as J . W . ; Rev . R . W . M . Pope , P . G . C , as Chap . ; Frank Richardson , P . G . D ., as D . C . ; and Peter de Lande Long , P . G . D ., as I . G .

The founders of the new lodge—vvith the exception of H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , W . M . designate—were all present , viz .: Bros . Major C . W . Carrell , Peputy W . M . designate ; Col . J . Ward , S . W . designate ; Surgeon H . R . . Heather Bigg , J . W . designate ; Major R . W . Inglis , Capt . R . S . L . Badham , and Capt . W . Billinghurst .

The numerous gathering of visitors present included Bros . Lord Henry Thynne , P . G . W . ; Lieut .-Gen . Laurie , P . G . M . Nova Scotia ; Gen . Roddey , U . S . A . ; C . F . Matier , P . G . Std . Br . ; Capt . N . G . Philips , P . G . D . ; J . M . Case , P . G . D . ; E . Letchworth , P . G . D . ; C . Martin , P . A . G . D . C ; Dr . W . A . Barrett , P . G . Org . ; F . A . Philbrick , Q . C , G . R . ; Col . G . Haldane , P . G . S . B . ; D . P . Cama , P . G . Treas . ; R . Eve , P . G . Treas . ; Gen . Wolseley , C . B ., P . G . D . ; Major G . Lambert , P . G . S . B . ;

Col . Harding , P . A . G . D . C ; J . C . Parkinson , P . G . D . ; Major-General Hale Wortham ; T . G . Nicholson , J . W . 91 ; C . Coote , 2127 ; G . Bishop , P . M . 231 ; Dr . A . G . Bateman , 149 1 ; J . Sidney Turner , P . M . 1397 ; C . W . Dommett ; Dr . J . H Galton , P . M . 1397 ; W . Bennett , P . M . 1397 ; T . L . M . Rose , 28 ; W . C . Hudson , ' 1706 ; R . C . Arnold , 279 -, E . J . Bell , 1319 ; C . W . C Webb , P . M . 1397 ; E . M . Money , P . M . 28 ; T . McAnally , P . M . 1397 ; W . H . Harper ; T . W . Hanson ,

D . Sutton Shipley , 1706 ; J . Hodges , P . M . 1706 ; Col . James Inglis ; S . Hill , P . M . P . G . Stwd . ; Capt . A . W . Ramsey , 1909 ; J . Lees , 416 ; H . Corstall , P . M . 1934 ; H . Newland , I . P . M . 286 ; R . C Sudlow , P . M . 263 ; G . W . Taylor , 171 ; J . Gawthrop , 1706 ; H . A . Hyde ; J . A . Farlovv , P . M . 28 ; Col . W . Baldwin , P . M . 139 8 ; J . F . Wight , I . G . 142 ; the Hon . W . M . Mainwaring , 23 ; W . E . Chapman ,

S . W . 2190 ; W . Lake , P . P . G . R . Cornwall ; H . Paul Monckton , 1150 ; E . C . Hampton ; L . G . Labord , 255 ; W . A . Baskcomb , 2127 ; H . T . Chamen ; Henry Sadler , G . Tyler ; H . F . Sutton , 2127 ; J . C . Nicholls , 66 ; T . Richardson , 801 ; Dr . H . J . Prangley , 397 ; A . Wolton , 1704 ; J . B . Baker , P . M . 33 ; H . Stein , 4 ; and W . W . Lee , 1897 .

The Grand Officers entered the Iodge room in procession , and , the Consecrating Officer having taken the chair and appointed his officers pro tem ., the lodge vvas opened in the Three Degrees . The hymn " Hail ! Eternal , by whose aid" was then sung , and The CONSECRATING OFFICER , addressing the brethren , said : We are assembled here to-day to take part in a very important and impressive

ceremonythat of the consecration of a new lodge under the registry of the United Grand Lodge of England—a ceremony which it is possible many present have never witnessed , and therefore I am sure it will be a matter of great interest to them . Amongst the 335 lodges which are comprised at the present moment in the London area there are several which are intimately associated with the various Volunteer and other military bodies , such as the Fitzroy , Queen ' s Westminster , London Rifle

Brigade , Macdonald , London Scottish , West Kent Volunteers , and others . We also have a large number of bodies such as these in the provinces , and I have onl y just returned from Manchester , where I had the honour to consecrate a lodge much on the same lines , of which Bro . Col . Le Gendre N . Starkie , Prov . Grand Master East Division Lancashire , is the first Worshipful Master . It happens that in one of the most distinguished of our London Volunteer regiments—the

London Irish Rifles—there are a large number of Masons , and they have for some time desired to have a lodge in the regiment , in vvhich they might meet together as brethren and still further cement the friendship formed through their military associations . H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , who i . s Provincial Grand Master of Sussex , and District Grand Master of Bombay , is the honorary Colonel of the regiment , and has kindly consented to accept the position of Worshipful Master of

this new lodge . A petition has therefore been presented , and has been carefull y considered by the M . W . G . M ., with the result that his Royal Highness has been pleased to grant the prayer of the petitioners , and has granted a warrant for a lodge to be formed , to be called the London Irish Rifles Lodge , which vvill practically be especially for the brethren in the regiment , but , of course , vve all know well that , according to Masonic law , the membership cannot be

exclusively restricted to any class of brethren . We are met to-day on this auspicious occasion to give effect to the warrant , and to consecrate this lodge , and I am sure you vvill all share my sentiments when I say that vve hope vve are about to lay a foundation of a lodge which will be built up perfect in its parts and honourable to the builders . I will at once open the proceedings by asking the Grand Chaplain to give us the benefit of prayer .

The brethren of the new lodge were ranged in order , and signified their approval of the officers named in the warrant . The following oration was then delivered by Bro . Rev . R . W . M . POPE , P . G . C , acting Chaplain : Brethren , —In addressing so distinguished a body as the members of the Royal Irish Rifles , I find myself in somewhat of a difficulty . Freemasonryis essentially a brotherhood of peace—your business , brethren , directly connects you with arms ; and yet , when I recollect how many military lodges range under

pur banners , and what special directions are given for them in our Constitutions , I am led to think that there must be more connections with Masonry than I at first supposed . And when I consider a little further , it appears to me to recollect three leading excellences in the Masonic character—secrecy , fidelity , obedience . Brethren , what are these but military virtues ? Secrecy—every soldier on a campaign must know its value and necessity ; fidelity—wh )' , it is the very essence of a soldier ' s life ; obedience—no soldiers of any rank , of any kind , could have any existence without

it"There ' s not to reason why . " And so the way is opened to me to speak of three wider virtues—those which are indeed the grand principles of the Craft—brotherl y love , relief , and truth . I can conceive no closer tie of fellowship possible than that which must be found between comrades in arms—men who fight side by side and shoulder to shoulder . And if

it is possible to dignify the Victoria Cross , the only one thing that would glorif y that most illustrious decoration , dear beyond all others to Englishmen , is that it has been given so often for the saving of life upon the battle-field—relief indeed of tbe very noblest kind . And for truth what can I say except that this , without doubt , is the crowning virtue of a soldier" I could not love thee , dear , so much , Loved I not honour more . "

Consecration Of The London Irish Rifles Lodge, No. 2312.

And so , brethren , wide and noble as these virtue are , I find I can pass into a sphere that is wider and nobler still , for I observe in Freemasonry three thoughts that are grander even than them—our duty to our Queen , our country , and our God . To our Queen , wherever the English language is spoken , every Masonic heart must answer to this thought ; to our country , it is impressed upon our newest Masonic recruit upon the night of his initiation ; to our God , it is written broadl y

on every page of our Masonic ritual . There is high authority for the statement that " a three-fold cord is not quickly broken ; " and so I ask you to-night to take as your leading ideas a three-fold cord , vvhich is made of nine Masonic strandssecrecy , fidelity , obedience ; brotherly love , relief , truth ; our duty to our Queen , our country , and our God . It only remains for me to express my heartiest wish

that from this lodge may spring a long and illustrious roll of names , and , above all , that there may rest upon it the blessing of Almighty God—the blessing of Him who is in the best and truest sense the God of Battles and the Lord of Hosts , and yet who is at the same time the Father of every true and just brotherhood , the Lord Eternal and the Prince of Peace .

The ceremony was then proceeded vvith , and the lodge duly dedicated and constituted . The GRAND SECRETARY read Art . 131 of the Book of Constitutions , and also a letter from H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , nominating Bro . Major C . W . Carrell as the Deputy W . M ., whom he duly installed into the chair .

Bro . Major R . W . Inglis vvas unanimously elected as Treasurer , and the following officers invested : Bros . Col . J . Ward , S . W . ; Surgeon H . R . Heather Bigg , J . W . ; Major R . W . Inglis , Treas . ; Capt . R . S . L . Badham , S . D . ; Capt . W . Billinghurst , J . D . ; Dr . Bateman , Sec . ; E . M . Money , I . G . ; and Banks , Tyler . The usual addresses were delivered by the Installing Master .

On the motion of the DEPUTY W . MASTER , seconded by the S . W ., the Consecrating Officers were unanimously elected honorary members of the lodge , and the Grand Secretary was presented with a founder ' s jewel as a souvenir of the event . The GRAND SECRETARY returned thanks for himself and colleagues , and several propositions for initiation and joining having been received , the lodge vvas formally closed .

The brethren subsequently enjoyed an excellenfbanquet at Freemason ' s Tavern , at the conclusion of which the customary toasts received due notice . In giving " The Queen and the Craft , " the DEPUTY WORSHIPFUL MASTER said that all loyal Englishmen and Irishmen were sure to be enthusiastic in the reception of that toast , lt mattered not whether Englishmen or Irishmen , they all respected her Majesty , and he would not say much in her favour , for she had impressed herself upon all the nationality over whom she had control .

The DEPUTY WORSHIPFUL MASTER next gave " H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., " and said he would not dwell upon his Royal Highness ' s many good qualities , because they were so representative a gathering of FVeemasons that they all knew his good works both in and out of Masonry .

In proposing The Grand Officers , the DEPUTY WORSHIPFUL MASTER said that was an important toast . They were very much honoured that evening vvith the presence of so many Grand Officers . He was quite sure that as they had such a large gathering it must be a very good sign of prosperous times in the future , for if the Grand Officers came to help them that day at the consecration they vvould no doubt repeat their visit . There was a goodly array of Grand Officers

and as they were so well knovvn he did not think it desirable to read their names , but all Freemasons knew the great debt of gratitude they owed them . The Grand Officers , unfortunately , had some unpleasant duties to perform at times , and the late inquiry , at which two or three of those present assisted , vvould evince that they had unpleasant

as well as pleasant duties to perform . All the Craft felt that the Committee , of vvhich he thought Bro . Philbrick was in charge , had brought to a successful issue and terminated an unpleasant inquiry . He should call upon Bro . Lord Henry Thynne to respond , and felt sure the members of that lod ge would try and give as hearty a welcome as possible to the Grand Officers .

Bro . Lord HENRY THYNNE , P . G . W ., said he rose with great diffidence to respond to the toast so kindly proposed by the W . M . He would say one thing . The duties of Grand Lodge had been of the most pleasing nature , but the duty cast upon him of responding was a very onerous one . They would always find wherever they went that there were bees and drones , and he was sorry to say he was a drone and saw many busy bees , and felt shy at responding when he saw around him such Masons as Bros . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , Sir J . Monckton ,

Parkinson , Philbrick , and others who had done more for Masonry than almost any other brethren . But he was sure they vvould all agree that it was vvith great pride and pleasure they saw such a grand opening of that lod ge . He had been a great many years a Mason , and had watched with pleasure the way in which Masonry had progressed during the last 20 years . He thought they could all congratulate themselves on the prosperity of Masonry , and rejoice with the founders of that new lodge . He thanked them for the kind way in vvhich they had drunk the health of the Grand Officers .

The DEPUTY W . MASTER next gave " The Consecrating Officers , " and said it was unnecessary for him to say that the members were pleased at the Grand Secretary and the other officers attending to consecrate the lod ge . He thought they had much to be thankful for in the goodly array of Consecrating Officers .

The ceremony as worked b y the excellent Grand Secretary must have been very touching to those vvho had not seen it before . The perfect manner in which the work vvas done showed the great interest they took in Masonry and the great ability they possessed for the positions they occupied . He was sure they could not have had the ceremony performed in a better manner .

Bro . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE , Grand Sec , said the toast vvhich the Deputy W . Master had been kind enough to propose was a very flattering one , and he vvas sure that the brethren standing around him were equally anxious as himself to thank the Deputy W . Master for the kind terms in vvhich he had been good enoug h to thank them for the services they had been able to give that night to the lodge in performing the important and necessary ceremonies of consecration and

installation . He could only say on behalf of his colleagues and in his own name that those services had been given with the greatest possible pleasure . He could not too highly speak of the assistance he always received from the various distinguished Grand Officers vvho were good enough to assist him , and without whose able help his small services would be of little avail . That ni ght he had been ably assisted , and he thought they might , flatter themselves that they had carried on the

ceremonies decently and in order . Those who had assisted him were distinguished in Masonry , and deserved their best thanks for having come there and given up various engagements in order to attend . They had not been idle in the way of ceremonies , for most of them had only just returned from Manchester and therefore in the last 36 hours had travelled 400 miles and consecrated two lodges . They could sincerely say it had been a labour of love , and they felt they had started a

lodge which had a large field of work in the future , and it would be the fault of the members if they did not make their mark . A distinguished bod y like the Lond ° Irish " . Rifles must have many good men who , unfortunately , had not seen the Masonic light , and from whose eyes they hoped the bandage would soon be withdrawn by the subtle wiles of the Deputy W . M . In a very few years they

should find that the lodge had in its ranks the best men of the regimes-Having thanked them for the high honour paid the Consecrating Officers , he would pass on , and ask the brethren standing round him to take their seats whilst he proposed a pleasing toast . It was a little complicated , for they would find the next toast was "The Worshipful Master . " As they were aware , th 6 lodge had the proud distinction of having as its Worshi pful Master H . R- tf- , Duke of Connaught , vvho holds the unique position of being Provincial "ran