Consecration Of The Wickham Lodge, No. 1924.

the warrant was sufficient to show that the step they had taken was a right one . But as earnest men they wanted more than that . They thought they were doing right in introducing Freemasonry to the St . John's , Brockley District ; but they wished to know whether that was the feeling of the brethren present . The response they had g iven was a sufficient answer and a a oraitfyin" - testimony . They were in a unique position in that

lod" -e . They were starting it entirely away irom tavern influence , because it was wise for lodges so to do . Masonic halls were designed with that object , and he wished all possible success to them . Unfortunately , some of these places were promoted by building speculators , and in course of time failed . The building where the Wickham Lodge met ' was free from debt , was furnished and paid for , and , as one of the Trustees , he was happy to say that permission was given to hold it there . IUU 10 uu « -aa

The lodge was an integral part or me Dunaing . ^ " mey m conduct " themselves respectably , and they mig ht carry on their rites there with all the dignity and proper ceremonial attached thereto . He thought they might congratulate themselves on what had been done , and he and other founders were grateful to the brethren who had attended and conduced to the success of the consecration In conclusion , he thanked the brethren on the kind brotherly feeling that had been shown by so many

friends . . The W . M . next proposed " The Visitors , " coupling with the toast the name of Bro . Leman . Bro . LEMAN responded . On behalf of the visitors he thanked the brethren for the hearty welcome they had given them that day . They could not but feel that the words which the W . M . had used were very apt

and appropriate . He said he was unable to describe the virtues of the visitors . The visitors felt it . Their virtues were many , and it would take a long time to describe them . It was not , however , for the visitors to recite them . They admitted the soft impeachment , knowing how virtuous they were , and what good they strove to do for Masonry , and they thanked the brethren most heartily for receiving them at the consecration of the lodge . They were pleased with the ceremony they were privileged to witness . Some of them had been at consecrations before , conducted by other officers ,

but on no occasion had there been so much of beauty in the ceremony as they had been pleased to see that day . It was not only at Brockley they were gratified ; they had been equally gratified with what they had witnessed and partaken of in that room . He could see that the lodge intented to be a hospitable lodge , and the visitors returned their thanks ; but none the less did they thank them for the excellent music of Bro . Gadsby—music as excellent as any it had ever been their lot to listen to in a lodge . They had also to thank the W . M . for the kind manner in which he had proposed the

toast . The W . M . next proposed "The Charities , " and drew the brethren's attention to the three noble Institutions of the Order . They were supported by the Craft , and were unique in themselves , and could not possibly be compared with any other charities . They collected a very large sum of money in the course of the year , and he believed that in the last twelve

months the amount would not be less than £ 40 , 000 . 1 hey did with this money a very great deal of good . At the same time he would hope that the managers of these large and important associations remembered that it was possible they were at the top of the tide and that those large gifts might from some circumstances be curtailed . It was a great pleasure to work for any of these charities . He had had the pleasure of working for one during the

present year , doing his little best among his immediate friends and his own lodge . It was impossible for better help and greater services to be shown to the ' Stewards than to those who worked for the Institution that was under the immediate charge of Bro . Terry . He was going to ask the brethren to drink success and continued prosperity to the Masonic Charities , and while doing that he was going to take a step which was most hazardous for a first

night . Whether rig ht or wrong to make a collection on such an occasion he should do so , for which purpose he had had a charity maul made , which he presented to the lodge , and he hoped at every meeting it would be used . He would give the toast of " Masonic Charity and the Masonic Charities . " Bro . J AMES TERRY replied . For the first time in the history of the

Wickham Lodge the toast of "The Masonic Institution" had to be responded to , and he thanked the W . M . very heartily indeed for the kind way in which he had introduced it by giving it as Masonic Charity and the Charities . In those few words was comprehended a very great deal . It meant first of all the Masonic Charities , and also the desire to contribute

whenever the opportunity afforded in support of the Institutions so intimately connected with the Order . In responding to the toast that night , it would be entirely out of place on his part where he to make an appeal in behalf of either of the Institutions , because this was the first day of the lodge ' s existence , and it was a matter of impossibility for them to decide what they should do , whether they should support either of the schools or the old

people . The Girls' School was the senior , and was maintaining , clothing , and educating at the present time 225 girls until they were sixteen years of age . Doing the good that Institution had done for the last ninety-two years , he ventured to think that whenever the day did arrive for the lodge to send a Steward the claims of the Girls' would not be overlooked . He could say the same of the Boys ' . That school was boarding , clothing and educating

23 s boys . That was also entitled to their sympathy and support ; and if they wanted to know what their Institutions had been doing in the way of education , he would refer to the results of the last Cambridge examination , when out of seventeen girls sent up fourteen passed with first class honours , and three came out second best . The Boys' School sent up nineteen pupils , and fifteen gained first class honours , three second , and one honorably

mentioned . On behalf of these Institutions and the thirty-six children then sent up , he ventured to say that there were no scholastic Institutions in this country where all the pupils sent up to an examination came out well . Then , as to the third branch of the Masonic Institutions—the old people ' s Institutionit was impossible for him to give the results of similar examinations ;

but he was able to point to that which was a greater honour—the record of a blameless fife , spent among their fellow-men for years , and when adversity overtook them to have good friends surround them to tell far and wide of good which entitled them to be supported . He hoped whenever relief was needed by such it would be bestowed . The Benevolent Institution had 335 annuitants on its funds , thus entailing an outlay of /' n . Goo annually in

annuities . It was a serious consideration each year where all the money was to come from for the three Institutions . The W . M . had stated that for the current twelve months it would be £ ' 40 , 000 . He ( Bro . Terry ) was afraid it was not so much . . When 1880 terminated the sum announced was about £ " 250 short of £ ' 50 , 000 . This year there had been a great falling off , consequently upon the agricultural depression , and he was afraid when next

Consecration Of The Wickham Lodge, No. 1924.

year came , instead of being able to take on more candidates , they mig ht have occasion to retrench , and to say they had gone as far as they could . He hoped that would not occur ; but he was afraid it would , because they could not always be at the top of the tide ; there must be an ebb and flow ; but when it did take place he hoped it would not be at any great cost . Mi ght he be permitted in this lodge to hope that whenever it was their intention to

support the Institution it might be a systematic support—not a Steward for four or five years with a very large sum , but every year a Steward , to enable these Institutions to look forward to support ? There would thus be more good done than by sending £ ' 200 or £ 300 for four or five years and then suddenly dropping off , which led to this—that the Committees thinking they were going to meet with the same support every year were desirious to take

on as many candidates as they possibly could , and then when they had done so they found , two or three years afterwards , they were not justified in doing it . Then there was a great fall down in subscriptions , and they were obliged to refuse candidates . Again thanking the brethren , he hoped it would not be long before the Wickham Lodge would make its mark in the annals of the three Masonic Institutions .

The W . M . announced that the result of the charity maul being circulated was a subscription of £ 8 18 s . Shortly afterwards he informed the brethren that £ 1 2 s . had been sent up to him , which , he supposed , was for the purpose of making the amount up to £ 10 . " The Health of the Officers " was afterwards proposed , to which Bro . MURTON , S . W ., responded ; and the Tyler ' s toast concluded the proceedings . During the evening the musical brethren charmed the company with some beautiful solos and concerted pieces .

Consecration Of The Fitz Roy Chapter, No. 569.

CONSECRATION OF THE FITZ ROY CHAPTER , No . 569 .

This new chapter , which is attached to the celebrated Fitz Roy Lodge of the Hon . Artillery Company was consecrated on the 21 st inst ., at the Armoury House , Finsbury , by Comp . the Rev . C . W . Arnold , Deputy Provincial Superintendent of Surrey . The ceremony was to have been performed b

y Comp . Colonel Shad well H . Clerke , Grand Scribe E ., but the Excellent Comp . was confined to his house through illness . Comp . Arnold was assisted by Comp . Sir John B . Monckton , as H . ; Comp . the Rev . R . J . Simpson , Past Grand Chaplain , as J . j Comp . James Terry , as D . C . ; Comp . E . Letchworth , P . S . ; Comp . Edgar Bowyer , 1 st A . S . ; and Comp . H . Birdseye , 2 nd A . S .

There were present Comps . Capt . N . G . Phillips ; Peter de Lande Long ; Thomas Minstrell , 1507 j F . Binckes , P . Z . j The Rev . Dr . Morris ( Head Master R . M . I . B . ); E . Letchworth : Frank Richardson ; W . H . Honey j H . Massey , P . Z . 1619 ( Freemason ); and a number of other Companions . The musical portion of the ceremony was performed b y Comps . Hodges , F . H . Cozens , A . Hubbard , and Fountain Meen , under the direction of Comp . Fountain Meen .

After the formal opening of the chapter and the admission of the general body of companions , the Consecrating M . E . Z . said the companions were met that evening for the purpose of consecrating a new chapter—a chapter belonging to a lodge which had been established for a great many years , and he was perfectly certain from what he now saw that the chapter would be carried on as a chapter ought to be worked , with the greatest excellence . He was very sorry to be in the chair instead of Comp . Col .

Shadwell H . Clerke , who had been nominated to consecrate the chapter . On Wednesday lie ( Comp . Arnold ) received a note from him , asking him if he would take his place in the event of his ( Comp . Col . Clerke ) not being able to come , as he was anticipating an attack of illness . He ( Comp . Arnold ) replied that he would hold himself in reserve . That ( Friday ) morning he received a further note , asking him to take the place of

Consecrating Officer . He made those remarks hoping that the companions would attribute to that short notice any imperfections they might find in his work : Reminding the companions of chapter work , he remarked that nothing could be more beautiful than the working of the Royal Arch , and he should be very sorry at any time to cast a slur on that working by not doing it himself in an efficient manner .

The Rev . R . J . SIMVSON , P . G . C ., as J ., after the usual formalities , delivered the oration , in which he said that if he were to nl tempt anything in the shape of a specific dissertation upon Royal Arch Masonry he should probably at once close his remarks , inasmuch as he was in the presence of very many who knew a hundred times more than he did in reference to this particular branch of our ancient Institution . He did not , therefore , propose

to teach them who could teach him , but he proposed to take a subject which was very cognate to their meeting , which was not at all unseasonable to the time in which they lived , and which contained within it three principles which he looked upon as underly ing- the whole fabric of Freemasonry , and not the least the R . A . Degree ; he would call it for the moment not the Triple Tau of Masonry , but the Triple Tail of Society—Liberty , Law , and Light .

. The term Liberty was naturally connected with the old name the Craft bore . With Freemasons , not less than with other children of Adam , the ears tingled with the name of Liberty ; and though it had been said " Oh , Liberty , what is it that has not been done in thy name ? " still it was a sound very sweet to human ears , and one which God Almighty had dearly imprinted on the heart of all those who were born . By nature , therefore ,

man was born free , but inasmuch as we found among tribes and nations where civilisation had not ever yet been able to penetrate the few ruling over themany , and that was no distinct law , except such wild law as might be obtained in such communities , there was continually , as in ancient times , slavery introduced . We knew from history how that had been gradually stamped out , and it was the boast of our own dear country that one of the

greatest blows ever given to that terrible traffic in human flesh was given by this nation , and at a great cost . But it was not onl y the bodies of men that were free , but their consciences , too j and wc all rejoiced at living in a day and a country when and where men might hold in their conscience whatever they believed to be true . So long as it did not interfere with the morals or militate against the safety of society they might , with freedom .

hold what in their conscience they believed to be true . And if there was any one thing more than another which he believed had in ancient and modern limes led to a belief in the G . A . O . T . U ., which Masons loved so strongly , and which , God forbid , they should ever lose it , was the not straining men ' s consciences , and binding them down under spiritual despotism , by which means they were enabled to search that Word in which alone , in this case as in others , true light was to be