History Of The Emultion Lodge Of Improvement, No. 256.——(Continued).

-write his name therein as donor , with the date on which the presentation was made . " On the 5 th of April , 1861 , a letter was read from Bro . Arttis to Bro . Fenn , in which he tendered his resignation ¦ as Secretary and apologised to the brethren for his recent neglect of his duties , expressing a doubt as to his being able

to attend on Friday evening for some weeks to come . " Bro . S . B . Wilson expressed his regret that the Lodge should be deprived of the valuable services of Bro . Arttis . He called the attention of the brethren to the' able manner in which Bro . Arttis had discharged the duties of Secretary

for a period of five years and a half , and gave notice of his intention , at some future meeting of the Lodge , to propose that a testimonial be presented to him . " The resignation of Bro . Arttis was accepted with regret , and his letter was ordered to be entered on the minutes of the lodge .

" Bro . Fenn was requested to undertake the duties of Secretary until the next usual period of election in October next . " Bro . Arttis had had not attended the lodge regularly for several months , the weekly minutes having been written by

various brethren , but chiefly by Bro . Fenn . On the 10 th of May a letter was read from the Hon . Secretary of the " City of London Freemasons' Club , " to the purport that the committee of the said club had deputed certain brethren to attend the lodge and explain the objects and present position of the club .

The deputation , consisting of F . J . Sharp , W . AI . of Eastern Star Lodge ; E . D . Rogers , P . M . of Kent Lodge ; and C . Southall , J . W . Temple Lodge , explained the nature of the proposed club and solicited the co-operation of the brethren . " Bro . S . B . Wilson approved of the objects of the club ,

but did not- consider the deputation had given sufficient details of the proposed scheme to enable him to recommend it to the favourable consideration of the lodge . " In the minutes of the 12 th of July an unusual incident is recorded , affording indisputable evidence of the zeal of the

committee in those clays to uphold the good working of the lodge . " After some discussion on the working of the W . AI . on the previous Friday evening , it was proposed , seconded , and carried unanimously , that the usual words ' ably worked '

should be erased , and the words ' gone through' substituted . The minutes of the last lodge , with this alteration , were then unanimously confirmed . " On the 26 th July it is recorded that : " The Committee of General Purposes having , in accordance with the notice of

motion given by Bro . S . B . Wilson on the 5 th instant , taken into consideration the rescinding of Bye Law No . 5 , and reported favourably thereon . Bro . J . Pike proposed , Bro . Alurton seconded , and it was carried unanimously , that the said Bye Law No . 5 be from this time rescinded . "

The following is the Bye Law referred to : " That any brother accepting the office of Alaster and not attending to discharge his duties within a quarter of an hour after the time appointed for opening the Lodge shall pay a fine of two shillings and sixpence in aid of the general fund unless a written excuse shall be received from him within the time last named . "

Another unusual event occurred on the 16 th of August , which is thus recorded : " A sufficient number of Brethren not being present to form a Lodge , the meeting stood adjourned until Friday in the ensuing week . " So far as I have been able to learn this is the only instance of the kind in the annals of the lodge , the brethren therefore who

. attended on that memorable occasion deserve honourable mention . They were Bros . Pike , Alurton , Daly , and Rice , the Tyler . On the 27 th of September the Committee of the previous year was re-elected , and on the 4 th of October Bros . Hervey

and Fenn were elected Treasurer and Secretary , respectively . At the same meeting a vote of thanks was ordered to be recorded on the minutes to Bro . Arttis for the able manner in Avhich he had discharged the duties of Secretary .

On the 1 st of November the R . W . Bro . viscount Holmesdale , P . G . Alaster for Kent , visited the lodge , and was proposed to become a member by S . B . Wilson , which proposition , it is scarcely necessary to add , was carried unanimously , or that the ballot at the next meeting was in the affirmative .

On the 22 nd November " A letter was read from the Grand Secretary informing the Lodge that the Board of General Purposes had granted them the gratuitous use of the Hall and Temple for their Annual Festival on the 29 th hist . A vote of thanks to the Board of General Purposes was

ordered to be recorded on the minutes . " At the same meeting a sum of ( I \ Q guineas was voted towards the cost of a jewel to be presented to Bro . Arttis , the late Secretary . The Festival for 1861 , held on the 29 th of November ,

was a distinct success in point of numbers , eighty-six members who wrote their names plain enough to be read by the Secretary , and five others whose names , he states , were illegible , together with upwards of 100 visitors being present .

s / jiti £ <» i- d & itt , *^^ / 6 ? .- /{^ y / se , s

S . B . Wilson worked the second , third , fourth , and fifth sections of the Second Lecture and the third section of the Third Lecture , assisted by the following brethren : —Charles A . Alurton , F . Dolhnan , Thomas Fenn , Henry Empsonand

, Frederick Alead . Twenty-live brethren having been proposed as members , the usual vote of thanks was passed to the workers , as well as a special vote to Bro . Richard Spencer for his handsome present of a box of working tools , with the name of the lodge

engraved thereon . Viscount Holmesdale had intended to preside at the banquet , but owing to the death of a relative his lordship was unable to be present , and his place was taken , almost at the last moment , by Richard W . Jennings , Past Grand Director of Ceremonies , subsequently appointed Past Grand