Consecration Of The Mid-Surrey Lodge, No. 3109.

Consecration of the Mid-Surrey Lodge , No . 31 09 .

r pHE above lodge was consecrated at the Masonic Hall , I Sutton , on Wednesday , May 24 th . The ceremony was performed by R . AV . Bro . Sir Thomas Bucknill , Provincial Grand Master for Surrey , assisted by Bros . J . D . Langton , the Deputy Provincial Grand Master ; Frank Richardson , G . D . C . ; The Rev . Canon ChildeLL . D ., P . G . Chaplain ;

, T . S . Cookes , P . P . G . AV . ; J . W . Sanderson , Prov . G . AA ' . ; AV . H . Mailer , Prov . G . D . C ; and R . J . AYarcl , P . P . G . Treasurer . After the ceremony of consecration , which was most impressively rendered , Bro . George Rowland Blakes was

installed as the first AA ' orshipful Master . At the subsequent banquet the Worshipful Master , in proposing the toast of " The Grand Officers , " coupling with it the name of Canon Childe , said he wished to thank the Canon for his oration and for his able assistance at the Consecration . Bro . Frank Richardson , whose presence they all valued so much , he should refer to later on in another toast .

Bro . the Rev . Canon Child e , LL . D ., said they would forgive him for being reminiscent , but he had

been brought up to be more ornamental than useful , but he soon discovered that as pure ornament he was something

of a failure , and in accordance with the teachingof the Craft he endeavoured to make himself useful . There was a

good deal of truth in the adage that " a child should be seen and not heard , " but the AA ' . M . had called him from

that lethargy which would have , perhaps , more befitted a proper digestion of the excellent things put before

them , to respond to the toast oi the Grand Lodge . Amongst the representatives of Grand Lodge were many

of eminence—Bro . Bucknill , oi whom the county was justly proud ; Bro

Richardson , whose good work they had seen ; and others whom , when he saw them around him , he was struck dumb , and felt it better to again retire into the ornamental . The useful work of the Craft was left to the Grand Officers , who , depend upon it , never failed them when required .

The AV . M . said the next toast was ( fiat of "The R . W . Prov . Grand Master of Surrey , " who followed a long line from the worthy Bro . Thomas Parker in George III . ' s reign . The founders had nearl y all spent their lives in Surrey , and , although onl y Masons of a Surrey lodge of two hours '

standing , knew Sir Thomas in other places , and vied with the oldest lodge in the province in their regard for their l ' rov . G . M . This was the first Masonic function he had attended since his terrible accident , and it was also the lirst lodge he had consecrated . Sir Thomas Bucknill would take tlr ; chair at the ne : ; t Girls' School Festival . He Dusted

the province would loyally support him , and especiall y this , the newly-formed Mid-Surrey Lodge . It was the most sincere

BRO . SIR THOMAS lil'CKN ILL , PROV . GRAND MASTER OE SCRREY .

method by which they could thank him for coming there tha night . Sir Thomas , in his genial way , had written to a brother saying that he had fallen on the thickest part of him—his head . All would agree that he had fallen on the strongest part of him , and that the province was fortunate in having so strong and popular a head to rule over them .

Sir Thomas Bucknill , Prov . G . M ., said that having a bad cold and a hoarse voice , thev must excuse him if he sounded worse than he felt . Let him begin by contradicting a statement of the Canon ' s . There was no such thing as judicial eloquence , and they must not expect it that night . If any

K . C . possessed a claim to be eloquent , he found he lost it immediately on going on the Bench , for they must not appear eloquent to the jury , and certainly not to the person against whom they decided . But he would like to be eloquent that night . He felt like it , but his voice

would not allow him . He should like to say a few words about those who were absent . One was the rector of the place —Bro . Turner . They all loved him ; he had known him

for a quarter of a century , and how fortune had seemed to frown on : him ! How undeserving he seemed to be of

it , and how patiently and cheerfully he had borne it ! He had had his sight taken from him by

cataract , and after an operation—with thanks to the G . A . O . T . U . —he was recovering . In

Bro . Charles Tyler they had a man of herculean courage . He hoped he had carried out their wishes when he

had sat down that evening and told Bro . Tyler the resolution that had been passed in the lodge about him . A short

letter , written under somewhat difficult circumstances , might , he hoped , give him some pleasure when he received it . In his o w n experience ,

and he believed he had been pretty bad after his recent accident—nothing gave him greater pleasure than the letters of those who had written to his wife and to him wishing him a speedy recover } ' . He had been delighted with the event of that evening . The consecration of a new lodge had

been the occasion of some nervousness , and he had some misgivings indeed as to whether it was ever coming off . He had heard of bridegrooms who had been found wanting when the lime came to come up to the scratch , and lie , for the time , had felt extremely like one . If it had not been

for Bro . Richardson and his own Provincial Officers giving him their time , he did not think he could ever have " faced the music . " The result had been what it had been , and he now felt like a young three-year old , afraid of nothing , and should now expect lo go about the country consecrating and constituting new lodges . He was pleased to sec with

them the Deputy Grand Master of South Australia . Me was a K . C . by profession , and they should lake it as a compliment