Consecration Of A New Lodge-Room At Tavistock.

The Prov . S . G . W . ( Bro . EDVYEAN ) said he was glad to renew his old connection with Tavistock . It was a great pleasure to him to be there once more and see many faces he knew in the long ago , and to congratulate them as Freemasons on beginning a new era in a lodge-room of their own . The Prov . J . G . W . ( Bro . WILSON ) and the Prov . G . Chaplain ( Bro . the Rev . E . A . DONALDSON ) also responded to the toast .

The ACTING PROV . G . MASTER next proposed " The W . M . of Lodge Bedford , Past Masters , and Officers , " and said he was sure they must all feel what an admirable W . M . they had . ( Applause . ) He was sure from what * he had teen they had also an excellent lodge , and he wished them all

prosperity . The W . M ., in reply , said it had been a great joy to preside over their lodge . He hoped they had begun a new era , in which , with the assistance of his dear and esteemed friend Bro . Chapman , the lodge would be well worked . Though they had been at great expense in connection with the new buildings , he was glad to say they had not neglected the Charities . He

hoped that now they had such a worthy temple they would increase both in members and in gifts . In conclusion , the W . M . feelingly alluded to the loss , the lodge had sustained by the death of Bro . W . T . Gill , who took a great interest in their building . Bros . Cranch , Merrifield , and the S . W . also were coupled with the

toast . Bro . J . HILL gave " The Visiting Brethren , " for which Bros . PERCY PEARCE , BOWHAY , and POLLARD responded . - Other toasts were " The Building Committee " and " The Contractor . "

The Freemason In The Foc'sle.

THE FREEMASON IN THE FOC'SLE .

BY WiLtRin KLICKMANN . " The new hand ' s come aboard , sir , " said the mate , putting his head into the state-room . " Came down in a cab , like a passenger for a liner , and sung out for the boy to help his traps down the foc ' sle as if he was a Krujer . "

When the London Pride had been towed out of lable Bay and set on her course , the captain and mate conferred anent the new arrival . " Gives himself airs , you say ? " queried the captain . " I should think so , indeed . He told the men his name was James , not ' Jim , ' and made nasty remarks about his bunk not being too clean . " " Oh , he'll soon get past himself , " returned the other confidently ; but in this he was over sanguine .

Mr . James lamplin had not been on board many hours before his colleagues gave vent to their varied opinions concerning him , his ancestors , his belongings , and all that was his , with freedom and profanity . The cab accident had nettled ihem to begin with , and his fault-finding was irritating .

When Bill ironically suggested his own berth instead of the one assigned to the new-comer , the latter inspected the offer critically , but declined it , on the ground lhat , if possible , it was worse than the other . This aroused the united tnmity of the men , for Bill ' s bunk was specially coveted by them all , in that it was nearest the stove and farthest from the scuttle .

At supper , Mr . Tamplin produced a Cape Argus for a tablecloth , and shifted his tea-can up and down the " Fashionable Intelligence " column as heread , with more apparent relish than he showed for the liquid itself . He finished his meal with the resigned air of a gourmand indulging pro tem . in a biscuit and soda-water diet und er medical advice . The seamen resented

it naturally , but worse was to follow . He lined his berth with sheets of newspaper , to the amazement of the crew , and added a dilapidated mosquito-net amid the sniggers of the boy , and to the imminent apoplectic danger of the cook . When , finally , he removed all his clothes before turning in , and donned a complete suit of pyjamas , the men ' s exasperation reached white heat .

"Boy ! " shouted Bill savagely , " boy , ask the gentleman what time he'd like 'is shaving water , an' if he ' s partic'lar as to the pattern on the mug . " But Mr . Tamplin ' s face was turned to the wall . Secretly the crew of the London Pride could not but acknowledge that the new hand was a person of consequence .

Sam , said Mr . Tamplin , on the third day of their acquaintance , " you seem to have more sense than the others . Do I look as if I was one of you ?" " No , Jim—James , I mean—you oughter be on the bridge , so to speak , or maybe in dock "—( Tamplin started violently at the word , used in all innocence)— " as ' arbour-master . "

" Well , well , Sam , when you call the Prince of Wales—or King Edward , as he now is— ' brother , ' like I can , p ' rhaps you'll understand me better . " " Lor ' , sir ! you don ' t mean ter say you an' the R'yal Family are " Others of the crew gathered round open-mouthed . "Yes , " said Mr . Tamplin simply , " we meet on common ground as members of one society . "

" P ^ aIoes ? " '" quired the boy , but it was loftily ignored by James . ' Foresters , I suppose , " said the cooki anxious to show his versatility of knowled ge . ' ' Better than that , " was : he answer . " There ' s a Nodfellows' ' all down Wapping way—it ain ' t that , I suppose ?;' queried another . " N ° . 't isn ' t , " said James , " but it ' s more than all of ' em put together . i ma—I m a Freemason ! "

The men looked incred JIOUS , and Tamplin went on : . . Yes , a Freeirason . I may tell you the King of England is proud to join us , and more than half the nobility . We drop all rank when we ' re in oage , and are just 'Brother Rothschild , " Brother Tamplin , ' or ' Brother Ldward ( that ' s the King ) , as the case may be . " Ihe ensuing silence was relieved bBill .

y - > k „ L T y . P ardon > sir , for my rjde remarks when you first come TiT \ - 8 hter h 3 ' seed you wa ? a cut above us . " Ihe I < reemason smiled , and produced a shilling . m „ u- fuj ps „ ? e cook could S et us a littlts so .-ncthing from the mate , as it ' s my birthday , " he said , persuasively . ' VI- IT * f « . ljUMJJV 1 , IJf |

the h * | WaS ma £ ical * Subsequently Sam was overheard admonishing iHUr , WItlla sma " P'ece of rope , for what might have been treasonable utterances on the part of the youngster . •un -Jc ' * * * !? "d spade be blowed ! " said Sam ( whack , whack ) . " Dyou with b ;™ r u , 1 ° ' Wales alwavs carries his shovel and trowel around whack ™ h k ) l ° l ° unbelievin £ liule cusses 'ike you ? " ( whack ,

The Freemason In The Foc'sle.

The victory was complete , and the new hand laid himself out to be agreeable . He told yarns more or less improbable of his wealthy friendsall Freemasons ; and how he , James Tamplin , beginning as a shoeblack , had risen until he was never hard up for a shilling to get a little something if he felt faint .

Saturday arrived , and with it came Tamplin's turn at brass-polishing holystoning , and other amenities of sailor life . " Bill , " said the new hand confidentially , " Bill , I ' m in an ' ole . Here ' s this bit of brass-cleaning to be done . I want to do it , mind you ; yet it's against the rules of my Lodge to polish brass on Saturday afternoons . They're very partic'lar . Of course , I shouldn't like anything unpleasant with the skipper . D ' you think a twist of tobacco would—er ? "

" Certainly , James ; I ' m sure it would . Sam'H be only too pleased to take on a bit o' polishing for you , won't you , Sam ? " " Ye—es , " said that gentleman , uneasily , being uncertain as to the destination of the tobacco : but Bill , with an absent-mindedness that

deceived no one , bonded the black twist in his own trousers pocket . Later it appeared that mast-scraping was another profession denied Mr . Tamplin by the rigid tenets of his lodge , and the long-suffering Sam assured the mate that to be slung up to the mast in a rope chair was the height of his ambition .

The men ' s curiosity regarding Freemasonry at last overcame their discretion . With a fine show of reluctance Tamplin assured them that not even a man-o ' -war , with all the guns in the Navy , could extort the secret from him . Yet that night , in a moment of weakness , he confided to the crew of the London Pride , having previously put the boy on deck , that the real secret of Freemasonry was the payment of pensions , up to ten shillings a week , to all deserving members . " But why is it such a secret ? " asked Bill , incredulously .

" Well , " admitte d Mr . Tamplin , " it ' s a beautiful scheme whereby a married man always has a little pocket-money unbeknown to his missis . If you look at it in that light . I think you'll agree there ' s a good deal < in it . " They did ! " An' where does the money come from ? " queried another .

" From Brother Rothschild , of course . But you mustn't ask too many . questions . My Lodge might say you knew too much already . I'll tell you what I'll do , though . There's no reason why you shouldn't have a Lodge of your own aboard lhis ship . It's a fine thing , partic'Iy when a man wants to give up sailoring , to have a good steady income ashore . " And with sundry

innuendoes Mr . Tamplin worked on the imaginations of those honest sailormen until they vied with one another in relieving the Freemason from his night watches and other labours , in order that he might lie in his bunk and think out his plans . For him the cook selected the freshest-looking biscuit he could find , and likewise reserved the tenderest corner of junk , when it was possible to differentiate .

" There's only one thing I see in the way of a lodge , " said Tampling musingly one day , " and that is the deposit . Every Freemason puts down a deposit of five pounds to begin with , like a savings bank , and -you can have it out at the end of a year . You see , " he went on , " these millionaires have such fine ways of investing money that five hundred per cent . —if you know what that means—is quite easy . " Nobody did know , but they all agreed that Free masonry was a wonderful thing for helping deserving

men . The London Pride was duly berthed in the London Docks , and it was a comparatively simple matter for Mr . Tamplin to take charge of five pounds out of each man ' s wages ; and he left the ship to deposit the guarantee fund with Brother Rothschild .

When Mr . Tamplin entered the private bar of " The Bag o' Nails , " Poplar , he was quietly followed by two men , who took a languid interest in his doings . Finally one of them addressed him by a name which may have been his baptismal name , but it certainly was not James , and added a surname that did not coincide with " Tamplin . " At this juncture a small youth squirmed into the bar and listened to the conversation .

" Look here , Watson , " said the interrogator again , " let s get to business . If you want details , I'll begin when you were first-class steward on board the Kimberley Castle . Berth 47 lost a gold watch and a jewel case , I fancy ? Then there was No . 22—old gentleman , very fussy about his

early morning tea and toast , you remember—pocket-book , wasn ' t it ? After that you changed to the Matabele . The door of berth No . 17 was always locked , but they left the porthole open at night . A walking-stick with a hook on the end makes a capital fishing rod , eh ? " The Freemason collapsed .

" Please , sir , " interposed the boy , " what about the thirty pound he ' ve just taken from our men ? " The youngster ' s "further explanations were so interesting that he was persuaded to relate them at the nearest police station to the inspector on duty , who entered ihe charge and Ikewise took care of the money . " Better cut away to your ship and tell your captain , " said the detective to the boy ; but the latter hung back .

" I say , mister , is it all gammon about im ( nodding in the direction of a closed door ) " being a Freemason ? " Thc ofiicer chuckled . " Your friend's a very old hand , " was his only comment . . — Windsor Mamieinc / or " J . uly .

Instruction.

Instruction .

HORNSEY CHAPTER , No . S- ; o . A meeting was held on the lOlh instant , at the Prince of Wales Hotel , Eastb > uinctcrrace , Bishop ' s-road , Paddington , W . Present : Comps . H . Foskett , M . E . Z . 1 S 5 , M . E . Z . ; A . F . Hardvment , | . 14 SJ , H . j R . N . Lirter , II . ISO , J . ; II . Ddhane , P . Z . S 90 , P . P . G . P . S . Essex , S . E . ; W . J . Lews . S . N . Soo , 173 , S . N . ; H . Foskett , Syo , Treas . j II . J . Dunawiy , 59 , P . S . ; W . Hillier , P . Z . S 34 , ist A . S . ; J . Bailey , I ' . Z . 1602 ; F . Marchant , P . S . 890 ; and E . Stevens , 7 __ .

Ihe chapter having been opened , the minutes ot the last convocation were read and conlirmed . Thc ceremony of exaltation was rehearsed , Comp . Marchant being the candidate . The M . E . Z . having risen as usual , " Hearty good wishes " were accorded , and the chapter closed .

Mr . George Edwardes will re-open the Apollo Theatre next month with the new musical version of " Kitty Gray . " The new cast will include Miss Edna May , Miss Eric Green , Mr . Mau-ice Farkon , and Mr . G . P . Huntley .