Masonic Service At Openshaw, Manchester.

. an ages the best of the intellect , culture , and morality of ach successive generation . There would be less reason for despair , more confidence in the future , and greater union in the promotion of the world's best interests , if the true principles of Freemasonry were more fully known and more zealously translated into action . They constitute astriking text , and preach a graphic and impressive sermon , which may be summed up in the poet's glowing

inspira" Thine the needed truth to speak ; Right the wrong'd , and raise the weak ; Thine to make earth's desert glad , In its Eden greenness clad ; Thine to watch as well as pray , Clearing thorny wrongs away ; Plucking up the weeds of sin , Letting Heaven's warm sunshine in . "

Laying The Corner-Stones Of St. Paul's Church, Royton.

LAYING THE CORNER-STONES OF ST . PAUL'S CHURCH , ROYTON .

The ceremony of laying the corner-stones of St . Paul ' s new church , Royton , took place on Saturday afternoon , the 6 th inst . When completed , the new edifice will occupy the site of the old church , which , having been found inadequate to meet the requirements of a large and growing parish , was pulled down to make way for the large and handsome building that is now in course of erection .

At Saturday ' s ceremony the corner-stones were laid with Masonic honours . There was an excellent muster , about 200 Provincial Grand Officers and brethren attending . Headed by the Royton Brass Band the procession moved on to the site of the church , the vicinity of which was filled with spectators . After an address by the sub-Treasurer , Mr . J . A .

KERSHAW , Mr . R . MELLOR presented a silver trowel to Mrs . John Holden , Highlands House , Royton , who had been appointed to lay the first stone . The part he had to do , he said , was a minor one , but still a very pleasant one , and he must express the obligations of the Building Committee to her for having consented to lay the stone .

The stone was then lowered to its place , and Mrs . Holden declared it to be well and truly laid , " in the name of the Father , the Son , and the Holy Ghost . " This done , she placed a . Bible , prayer-book , and three local papers in the cavity of the stone , over which Mr . J . Wild , the architect , then fixed a plate , which stated that the stone was laid by Mrs . Holden on 6 th April , iSSq , and also gave the name

of the vicar and churchwardens . The Masonic ceremony then took place , and was commenced by Bro . Col . LE GENDRE N . STARKIE , P . G . W . Eng ., P . G . M . East Lancashire , who addressed the spectators . This formal address , in which he announced that the brethren had assembled that day in their presence to erect that building to the honour and glory of God , and invoked

the blessing of the Most High upon the undertaking , having been delivered , Bro . the Rev . BIGOE BAGOT , Prov . Grand Chap ., offered a short prayer . Thepresentation of a trowel by Bro . Dr . Lacey to the Prov . Grand Master , with which to lay the second corner-stone , followed . This stone was lowered nine inches , and the first verse of " Prosper the Art" was then rendered , Bro .

Schoheld taking the solo . A bottle containing coins and newspapers was next placed in the cavity of the stone by Bro . J . Allison , P . G . Trea ; ., after which a plate was fixed over the cavity . The inscription on the plate was first read by Bro . J CHADWICK ,

P . G . Sec , and was as follows : " This stone was laid by Colonel Le Gendre N . Starkie , Provincial Grand Master of East Lancashire , and Past Grand Warden of England , with Masonic honours , on the 6 th April , 1 SS 9 . E . T . Wigg , vicar , T . S . Lacey and T . Lees , churchwardens . " After the stone had been further lowered the second

verse of "Prosper the Art" was sung , Bro . Schoheld again rendering the solo . The stone having been lowered to its bed , a mallet was presented by Bro . Dr . Young to the Prov . Grand Master , who then tested the stone in the usual manner , concluding by declaring it " to be prepared and duly laid , and that the Craftsmen had worked well . " This over , he blessed the stone with corn , wine , and oil .

The chant , " Except the Lord build the house , their labour is but lost that build it , " was then sung , and after a short prayer had been said by the Vicar , the "TeDeum" sung , and the benediction pronounced by the Rev . Bigoe Bagot , an impressive ceremony was brought to a close by the singing of the Masonic version of the National Anthem . In the evening a tea meeting tcok place in the Sunday School .

Annual Banquet Of The Henley Lodge Of Instruction.

ANNUAL BANQUET OF THE HENLEY LODGE OF INSTRUCTION .

The annual banquet of the above lodge took place at the Three Crowns Hotel , North Woolwich , on Tuesday , the 9 th inst ., Bro . C . H . Canning , W . M . of the mother lodge , presiding , supported by the following brethren : Bros . J . Savage , I . P . M . ; E . West , P . M ., P . P . S . G . D . Herts ; A . T . 'ves . P . M . ; C Jolly , P . M ., Sec . ; B . Curtis , J . D . ; J . Glading , I . G . ; j . Delo , D . C ; J . Palmer , M . Kaul , S .

f > ° w , W . Baker , S . Ward , and C . Davidson , of 1472 ; W . L ° ng and S . Smith , of 700 ; and others . the banquet , which was superbly served by Bro . W . Richardson , having been enjoyed , the usual loyal and wand Lodge toasts were honoured . Bro . SAVAGE , in proposing " The Health of the W . M ., " said that Bro . Canning had been for the last six years , at 1 ----- u > u , v ^ ciAiiilllg iiuu u *~\ , tt A < fciiv * IUJ I , » A jrv , uiiJj uv the

of ° ?* * ^ est an < * mosl : earnest supporters lodge * ' '" struction had ever had , and he ( Bro . Savage ) felt very Proud of being in a position to propose the health of so , v ° j ; % a . Mason . ihe toast having been drunk heartily , , ro . CANNING assured the brethren that he hardly knew ii ? ¦ ° ' "k them sufficiently for their genial reception of . 1 --- »*•» .. ... I ,,.. aui . ii . iEiii . i _| r 11 / 1 iii ^ u g & uiai i ^^& pLiL'i . ui

' « e toast . He had to thank the Henley Lodge of Instructor " h ' S Masoaic knowledge , for he felt that if it had att " ^ tnat > principally , he should never have lode the proud P oslt , on o £ Master of the mother Lod next toast was that of " Success to tne Henley Cu f ° ^ ' truction , " coupled with the name of Bro . Paid \ - ' Secretary ° f ¦ '» and '" proposing it , the W . M . he h % i !^ 1 com P " ent to Bro . Curtis for the earnest zeal office p ' ayec * ' carrying out the duties attached to his

Annual Banquet Of The Henley Lodge Of Instruction.

Bro . CURTIS , in response , said he found the position a very pleasant one , thanks to the hearty support of the brethren , and was well repaid by the knowledge that they appreciated his services . The lodge was in a most prosperous position , and had a good balance in hand for the cause of Charity . The W . M ., in proposing the toast of" The Preceptors , "

said they all knew that without a Preceptor a lodge of instruction could not be carried on , and it very seldom fell to their lot to be without one or more present at any one of their meetings . He referred feelingly to the late illness of Bro . West , their oldest and much esteemed Preceptor , and trusted the day would be long before that worthy brother would be ill again . He also spoke highly of Bro .

Ives' services as Preceptor , and concluded by asking them to * drink the toast heartily . Bro . WEST , in response , thanked the brethren for their great kindness , and , although he had not been able to attend their instruction meetings for the last three months , his heart had been with them , and with returning health he trusted to be with them again .

Bro . IVES said , as a Preceptor , he was very pleased to participate with Bro . West , P . M ., in the work of the lodge . Most of his own Masonic knowledge he had gained from Bro . West , and he followed his working , and tried to teach it to those who attended the lodge . He complimented Bro . Curtis upon his proficiency , and augured , from what that brother did in the lodge of instruction , a season of good working when he assumed the chair . He strongly

advocated the claims of the lodge on the younger Masons who were aspiring for office , and hoped to see those who tried succeed . Bros . DELO and BAKER responded for " The Auditors , " and Bro . J OLLY for "The Masonic Press . " " The Health of the Host" was drunk and responded to , and some excellent singing and reciting enlivened the proceedings .

Grand Lodge Of New York.

GRAND LODGE OF NEW YORK .

The New York Herald gives the following characteristic account of the final wiping out of the debt so long existing in the Grand Lodge of New York : " Freed from debt after 50 years of debtor servitude ! " Led out of the wilderness of their financial bondage by their good shepherd , Grand Master Frank R . Lawrence . " No wonder that the Freemasons of New York State

are rejoicing , and no wonder that they are making preparations for a grand and enthusiastic jubilee to celebrate their emancipation . " This great event in the history of New York Masonry will take place on April 24 , at eight p . m ., when 717 Masonic lodges scattered throughout New York State will join in a simultaneous jubilee .

" In this city 15 S Masonic lodges will celebrate . Sixtyfive of them , mustering over 3000 members , will meet in the Temple , at the corner of Twenty-third-street and Sixthavenue , while the remaining 93 lodges will meet at their respective lodge rooms in various parts of the city . " Grand Master Frank R . Lawrence recently issued the following encyclical letter , to be read in all the lodges in the

State of New York . " In this letter Grand Master Lawrence states that he has the unbounded pleasure to announce that the indebtedness of the Masonic Hall and Asylum fund has been completely discharged . " ' The great task is done , The last dollar is paid . We are free ' . ' writes the Grand Master .

" At the last meeting of the Grand Lodge , in June , 1 S 88 , itwasdetermined that in case this happy consummation should be attained before the next annual communication , to be held in June next , the event should be fittingly commemorated , and the Grand Master was empowered to carry out such arrangements as would tend to its due and appropriate celebration .

"It was with this object in view that April 24 th was finally set apart as a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing . Entire discretion is left to all as to the form of exercises which are to be held , but it is suggested that they be , so far as circumstances permit , uniform in character and embracing appropriate addresses , music and ' above all , ' says Grand Master Lawrence , 'the offering up of out

devotions to the Giver of every good and perfect gift . ' " The proceedings , it was also suggested , should commence promptly at eight o ' clock in the evening , and the following should be the general order of exercises Prayer , singing ' Old Hundred , ' reading an address from the Grand Master ( to be forwarded to the lodges in due season ) , such addresses and musical and other exercises as may be arranged .

" A handsome bronze medal , commemorating the jubilee and its occasion , two and a half inches in diameter , suitably inscribed , and enclosed in a plush lined morocco case , has been struck and may be obtained upon proper application to Grand Secretary Edward M . L . Ehlers . " Craftsmen of distinction all over the State are expected to address the many hundred simultaneous meetings which

will be held , and a memorial volume is to be published in which the prominent portions of the proceedings will be reproduced . "The history of the release of the Masonic fraternity of New York from debt is a record of a determined praiseworthy struggle made under the leadership of Grand Master Lawrence . The latter undertook what seemed to be the

almost hopelesstask of wiping out about 500 , 000 dols . remaining of this wearisome indebtedness of 50 years . In spite of many discouragements , and in . the face of the prospect of almost certain and crushing failure , the Grand Master led the faithful lodges out of the wilderness , and to-day the New York fraternity stands firm and prosperous , entirely free from financial burdens .

" The present Grand Lodge of Masons of the State of New York originated as a Provincial . Grand Lodge ( in England ) in 1781 , it became independent in 1783 . Masonry , however , was known in this country so far back as 1730 . "In this State the first Masonic lodge of which there is any record is St . John ' s Lodge , No . 1 , established in this

city in 1757 . The exact location of the first altar of this lodge is not known , but is supposed to have been situated in a private parlour of one of the once famous downtown coffee houses . St . John ' s Lodge was then known as " St . John's Lodge , No . 2 , " under the British register , and so remained up to the formation of the independent Grand

Grand Lodge Of New York.

Lodge , which facts clearly show that there must have been another lodge in this country in 1757 . "In this historical lodge ( St . John ' s ) now holding its meetings in Masonic Hall , is the Bible upon which Washington was sworn into office as the first President of the United States , and the oath ot office was administered to him on this same Bible by Chancellor Robert R . Livingston , at that time Grand Master of the Masons of the State of New York .

There are over a million Freemasons scattered over the world , and of this number about 550 , 000 reside in the United States . In New York State there are about 75 , Masons who are members of lodges . This brings us back to the history of Masonry in our midst . "Robert R . Livingston , elected in 17 S 5 , was for 16 consecutive years the Grand Master . Jacob Morton succeeded

him in 1 S 01 , and was in turn succeeded by De Witt Clinton in iSo 6 . He was Grand Mister for 14 years , and finally gave way to Daniel D . Thopkins , afterwards Governor of the State and Vice-Pfesident of the United States . Stephen Van Rensselaer , one of the old * patroons , ' was Grand Master from 1825 to 1830 , in which year he was succeeded by General Morgan Lewis , also a Gavernor of the State of New York . "

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . W . B . COLLIER , P . M . ion . On Monday afternoon , the 15 th inst , the remains of the late Bro . W . B . Collier , district superintendent of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway , were consigned to earth in St . Luke ' s Churchyard , Cheetham , Manchester . The great personal esteem in which Bro . Collier was held was amply manifested by the large number of colleagues , railway employes , and personal

friends in other walks of life who attended the funeral , and by the hundreds of persons who assembled in the burialground to witness the obsequies . Among those attending on the occasion were Mr . John Maddock , superintendent of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway ; Mr . S . J . Nicholson , assistant superintendent ; Mr . C W . Bayley , audit accountant ; Mr . B . Shaw , goods manager ; Mr .

Ross , assistant engineer ; Mr . D . Norman , assistant secretary ; Mr . Swinburne , assistant engineer ; Mr . J . Lees and Mr . J . Kay , of the solicitors' department ; Mr . R . Bolland and Mr . S . Leech , of the superintendent ' s office ; Mr . J . Sharpe , superintendent of railway police ; Mr . C . Mackay , locomotive superintendent ; Mr . J . Atherton , permanent way ; Mr . Copeland and Mr .

Winterbottom , goods department ; Mr . J . Howarth and Mr . J . Davies , carnage department ; Mr . J . Lee , Manchester , Sheffield , and Lincolnshire Railway Company ; Mr . J . Bent , superintendent of county police ; Mr . J . H . Sedgwick , stationmaster of Victoria ; Mr . S . Smith , chief train clerk ; Mr . W . Evans , Lime-street , and Mr . J . Ingham , Exchange Station , Liverpool ; Mr .

Leighton , Perth ; Mr . Carter , Southport ; Mr . Taylor , Wigan ; Mr . Terry , Bolton ; Mr . Corbett , Chorley ; Mr . Latchford , Seaforth ; and many other railway stationmasters from far and near . Among other friends were Mr . R . Mellor , Royton ; Dr . Drummond , Mr . J . Scott , Mr . Wood , Mr . J . C . Emerson , Mr . J . Lord , and some Masonic brethren , Bro . Collier being a P . M . of the Craft . Our

departed brother was universally respected in the Province of East Lancashire , where he was so well known , and especially by the brethren of the Richmond Lodge , ion , Manchester , where he passed the chair . We regret we have no list of the Freemasons who were present at the interment of Bro . Collier , whose age is not announced , but whom we believe to be about 45 . The funeral procession was headed by about 50 stationmasters ,

inspectors , guards , and porters , all in uniform , and after them came friends in ordinary attire , the whole company on foot numbering about 220 . Behind the hearse were 10 carriages , containing the mourners , who where for the most part relatives of the late Bro . Collier . Eight travelling inspectors bore the coffin from the church to the grave , and after the body had been lowered an immense number of beautiful floral wreaths were deposited in and about the grave . BRO . SIMON STEEL .

Freemasonry in Asia Minor has suffered a very serious loss by the death , on the 19 th inst ., at Smyrna , of Bro . Simon Steel , aged 63 . Since his arrival in that city , in 1 S 62 , he had been a zealous , and latterly the chief supporter of the Homer Lodge ( E . C ) When Masonry was more flourishing , he was D . S . G . VV . of the District Grand Lodge of Turkey and Egypt . He was , besides , a member

of the Supreme Council of the 33 ? , Prov . G . M . for Western Asia of its Symbolic Council , Dep . G . M . of the Mark Grand Lodge , G . J . ot the Grand Chapter , H . P . of the R . A . Chapter of Smyrna , a member of the Order of High Priests , & c . He had been more than once W . M . of the Homer Lodge . An Hungarian , noble by birth , he was captain in the Army of Independence , and , on its defeat ,

held the same rank in the Turkish Army . Serving in the British Army during the Crimean campaigns , he made the acquaintance of Gordon , whom he accompanied in the Boundary Commission to Armenia . On retiring from the Foreign Office service , he held many important appointments , as that of Agent in Turkey of the Council of Foreign Bondholders . He was Consul-General for Liberia , and also held the Knighthood of the Mediidieh of the fourth

class , and other decorations , and the Crimean medals , according to the roll of honour , by P . L . Simmonds . He was a worthy companion of Gordon's , a man of high character , and ever zealous in Charity , and all Masonic works . Being an accomplished linguist , Bro . Steel performed the ceremonies of various rites in that polyglot country , notonlyin English , but in German , French , Italian , Turkish , Greek , Magyar , & c , and thus propagated the light of Masonry among the nationalities of the East .

Bro . Sir John Bennett strongl y urges British workmen to profit to _ the utmost by the unprecedented opportunities for acquiring information that will be afforded by the Paris Exhibition , and for this purpose proposes tha t visits should be arranged by all trades unions and leaders of the working classes .