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  • The Masonic Illustrated
  • Nov. 1, 1902
  • Page 19
  • History of the Emulation Lod ge of Improvement, No . 256.——(Continued).
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The Masonic Illustrated, Nov. 1, 1902: Page 19

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    Article History of the Emulation Lod ge of Improvement, No . 256.——(Continued). ← Page 2 of 3 →
Page 19

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History Of The Emulation Lod Ge Of Improvement, No . 256.——(Continued).

gatherings , especially at banquets , as an Afghan Prince , until the imposture was exposed and his real name and character made known , the ultimate result being compulsory retirement from public life for a period of eighteen months . The Festival was held , as usual , on the last Friday in November , Bro . Fenn again filling the Chair of W . Master ,

and working the Sections of the First Lecture , assisted by Bros . J . Gordon Langton , I . G . No . 9 6 ; H . Bue , S . D . No . 1820 ; A , Fyson , No . 176 S ; J . Truman Tanqueray , S . D . No . 1965 ; W . G . Kentish , W . M . No . 1293 ; R . A . Zeederberg ; and R . ¦ Clay Sudlow , W . M . No . 1965 .

The attendance on this occasion appears to have been considerably smaller than it had been in recent years , numbering only 201 all told . Only 18 brethren were proposed for joining . The Rev . Ambrose W . Hall , M . A ., Past Grand Chaplain , presided over the subsequent proceedings .

1883 . Several important changes were made during this year . Bro . Charles A . Murton , P . G . Deacon , after 26 years of zealous work on behalf of the Lodge , signified his desire to retire from the Committee , and a cordial vote of thanks to him was recorded on the minutes for the valuable services he

had rendered to the Lodge for so many years . Bro . Robert Clay Sudlow was elected a member of the Committee in the place of Bro . Murton , thus commencing that long and active career of usefulness in the leadership of the Lodge , the value of which , to his younger brethren , cannot possibly be over-estimated .

THOMAS FEXX , PAST GRAND DEACON ( 18 TB ) . Bro . William Smallpeice also resigned the office of Secretary , after having served the Lodge in that capacity for eight years , during which period he was rarely absent

from his post at the weekly meetings , and as the Lodge then met all the year round , the office of Secretary entailed considerably more labour than it does in the present day . Bro . Smallpeice received the thanks of the Lodge for his services as Secretary , but no mention is made of the

presentation of a jewel , as had invariably been the case with former Secretaries . On the 5 th of October Bro . Francis K . Spaull , P . M . of No . 1768 , was elected Secretary for the ensuing year .

From time immemorial the Tyler ' s fee had been Three Shillings each meeting ; on the 16 th of November , on the motion of the Treasurer , and bj- the recommendation of the Committee , it was increased to Five Shillings , a change of some slight interest to one individual . A disastrous fire having occurred on the 3 rd of May ,

which partially destroyed the Grand old Hall , it was in course of restoration at the period of the Annual Festival , consequently the brethren assembled in the " Crown " room at the Freemasons' Tavern for the lodge business . The sale of tickets had necessarily been restricted owing to limited

accommodation , the number present therefore was unusually small , only amounting to 16 9 , including 71 visitors , 32 of whom were proposed to become members . Bro . Thomas Fenn presided in the Lodge , with Bros . R . C . Sudlow and W . A . Dawson as Wardens .

The Second Lecture was worked by the following brethren : —Bros . F . T . Bennett , No . 211 ; J . T . Tanqueray , S . W ' . No . 1965 ; Albert Marvin , W . M . No . 1768 ; J . T . Black , No . 156 4 ; and G . F . Marshall , No . 9 6 . The Hon . Mr . Justice Prinsep , District Grand Master for

Bengal , presided at the banquet . In the course of the evening several length }? speeches were delivered , some of which , at all events from the writer's point of view , might have been curtailed with advantage , especially so to those brethren living out of town .

We cull the following from the address of Bro . J . C . Parkinson , Past Grand Deacon , in proposing the toast of the " Working Officers of the Evening , " as being worthy of perusal and preservation : — " Speaking as an old working officer of the Lodge , as a Mason of 25 years' standing , and as a member of this Lodge

for more than 20 years , it gave him profound gratification to be able to congratulate the brethren present and the Craft at large upon the unimpaired efficiency of this great Masonic Institution . And looking back on that lapse of time to which he had referred , it seemed to him on anniversaries of that sort

that it was fair to himself , and fair to those by whom he was surrounded , fair to those to whom the ) 7 might hope in some sort to give an example , or at all events to point a moral , to ask oneself what was the outcome of the long period , of the great absorption of time and of other forms of

expenditurewhat was the outcome of 25 years of Masonic , life ? First , Masonic life taught minutely and intimately the advantages and the working of constitutional government . Secondly , it enabled the brother who entered the Craft to at once feel the enormous advantage of association—the great boon of rubbing

shoulders with his fellows , of ascertaining where he was , and what he was , in his own little world , perhaps of lessening his self-esteem , or of increasing his confidence . Thirdly , it gave the inestimable boon of all the reverence and knowledge of one of the most beautiful rituals that had ever been created since language was formed .

He would ask ( hem to picture to themselves a youth or young man belonging to no public school , having the advantage of no university education , belonging to no powerful family , having no strong connections and few friends ; such a

man entering a Masonic Lodge , from the moment of becoming a Master Mason and knowing his brethren , from that moment that friendless young man had opportunities whicli would have been denied him by the circumstances of life , and become a possessor of those great advantages which his

fellows in the struggle of life had from family , education , or other circumstances . In that sense Masons were deeply indebted to their Order for a training and education which fitted them in a great measure for the battle of life . Coming to the last point—the great advantage of maintaining pure

and unsullied that beautiful ritual which had been handed down to them , and which he prized and cherished as one of his most valued privileges—they all knew one of the greatest of living orators owed much of his power over his fellow citizens to his close and intimate study of the Sacred Volume . Next to that Sacred Volume , as a mere matter of literary style —and he put it no higher—next to the Sacred Volume and

“The Masonic Illustrated: 1902-11-01, Page 19” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 8 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mil/issues/mil_01111902/page/19/.
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Untitled Article 1
Freemasonry in the Argentine Republic. Article 2
The Abercorn Lodge, No. 1549. Article 4
The Province of South Wales (Eastern Division). Presentation to the Deputy Provincial Grand Master. Article 5
Royal Masonic Institution for Boys . A Visit to the New Schools at Bushey. Article 6
The Restoration of Tewkesbury Abbey. Article 9
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London and the Craft. Article 10
At the Sign of the Perfect Ashlar Article 11
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Consecration of the Berries L odge, No . 2928. Article 14
St. Bride Lodge, No. 2817. Article 15
The London Welsh Lodge, No. 2807. Article 15
New Century Lodge, No. 2860. Article 16
Consecration of the Coronation Lodge, No. 934 (S.C.) at Tangier. Article 17
History of the Emulation Lod ge of Improvement, No . 256.——(Continued). Article 18
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

History Of The Emulation Lod Ge Of Improvement, No . 256.——(Continued).

gatherings , especially at banquets , as an Afghan Prince , until the imposture was exposed and his real name and character made known , the ultimate result being compulsory retirement from public life for a period of eighteen months . The Festival was held , as usual , on the last Friday in November , Bro . Fenn again filling the Chair of W . Master ,

and working the Sections of the First Lecture , assisted by Bros . J . Gordon Langton , I . G . No . 9 6 ; H . Bue , S . D . No . 1820 ; A , Fyson , No . 176 S ; J . Truman Tanqueray , S . D . No . 1965 ; W . G . Kentish , W . M . No . 1293 ; R . A . Zeederberg ; and R . ¦ Clay Sudlow , W . M . No . 1965 .

The attendance on this occasion appears to have been considerably smaller than it had been in recent years , numbering only 201 all told . Only 18 brethren were proposed for joining . The Rev . Ambrose W . Hall , M . A ., Past Grand Chaplain , presided over the subsequent proceedings .

1883 . Several important changes were made during this year . Bro . Charles A . Murton , P . G . Deacon , after 26 years of zealous work on behalf of the Lodge , signified his desire to retire from the Committee , and a cordial vote of thanks to him was recorded on the minutes for the valuable services he

had rendered to the Lodge for so many years . Bro . Robert Clay Sudlow was elected a member of the Committee in the place of Bro . Murton , thus commencing that long and active career of usefulness in the leadership of the Lodge , the value of which , to his younger brethren , cannot possibly be over-estimated .

THOMAS FEXX , PAST GRAND DEACON ( 18 TB ) . Bro . William Smallpeice also resigned the office of Secretary , after having served the Lodge in that capacity for eight years , during which period he was rarely absent

from his post at the weekly meetings , and as the Lodge then met all the year round , the office of Secretary entailed considerably more labour than it does in the present day . Bro . Smallpeice received the thanks of the Lodge for his services as Secretary , but no mention is made of the

presentation of a jewel , as had invariably been the case with former Secretaries . On the 5 th of October Bro . Francis K . Spaull , P . M . of No . 1768 , was elected Secretary for the ensuing year .

From time immemorial the Tyler ' s fee had been Three Shillings each meeting ; on the 16 th of November , on the motion of the Treasurer , and bj- the recommendation of the Committee , it was increased to Five Shillings , a change of some slight interest to one individual . A disastrous fire having occurred on the 3 rd of May ,

which partially destroyed the Grand old Hall , it was in course of restoration at the period of the Annual Festival , consequently the brethren assembled in the " Crown " room at the Freemasons' Tavern for the lodge business . The sale of tickets had necessarily been restricted owing to limited

accommodation , the number present therefore was unusually small , only amounting to 16 9 , including 71 visitors , 32 of whom were proposed to become members . Bro . Thomas Fenn presided in the Lodge , with Bros . R . C . Sudlow and W . A . Dawson as Wardens .

The Second Lecture was worked by the following brethren : —Bros . F . T . Bennett , No . 211 ; J . T . Tanqueray , S . W ' . No . 1965 ; Albert Marvin , W . M . No . 1768 ; J . T . Black , No . 156 4 ; and G . F . Marshall , No . 9 6 . The Hon . Mr . Justice Prinsep , District Grand Master for

Bengal , presided at the banquet . In the course of the evening several length }? speeches were delivered , some of which , at all events from the writer's point of view , might have been curtailed with advantage , especially so to those brethren living out of town .

We cull the following from the address of Bro . J . C . Parkinson , Past Grand Deacon , in proposing the toast of the " Working Officers of the Evening , " as being worthy of perusal and preservation : — " Speaking as an old working officer of the Lodge , as a Mason of 25 years' standing , and as a member of this Lodge

for more than 20 years , it gave him profound gratification to be able to congratulate the brethren present and the Craft at large upon the unimpaired efficiency of this great Masonic Institution . And looking back on that lapse of time to which he had referred , it seemed to him on anniversaries of that sort

that it was fair to himself , and fair to those by whom he was surrounded , fair to those to whom the ) 7 might hope in some sort to give an example , or at all events to point a moral , to ask oneself what was the outcome of the long period , of the great absorption of time and of other forms of

expenditurewhat was the outcome of 25 years of Masonic , life ? First , Masonic life taught minutely and intimately the advantages and the working of constitutional government . Secondly , it enabled the brother who entered the Craft to at once feel the enormous advantage of association—the great boon of rubbing

shoulders with his fellows , of ascertaining where he was , and what he was , in his own little world , perhaps of lessening his self-esteem , or of increasing his confidence . Thirdly , it gave the inestimable boon of all the reverence and knowledge of one of the most beautiful rituals that had ever been created since language was formed .

He would ask ( hem to picture to themselves a youth or young man belonging to no public school , having the advantage of no university education , belonging to no powerful family , having no strong connections and few friends ; such a

man entering a Masonic Lodge , from the moment of becoming a Master Mason and knowing his brethren , from that moment that friendless young man had opportunities whicli would have been denied him by the circumstances of life , and become a possessor of those great advantages which his

fellows in the struggle of life had from family , education , or other circumstances . In that sense Masons were deeply indebted to their Order for a training and education which fitted them in a great measure for the battle of life . Coming to the last point—the great advantage of maintaining pure

and unsullied that beautiful ritual which had been handed down to them , and which he prized and cherished as one of his most valued privileges—they all knew one of the greatest of living orators owed much of his power over his fellow citizens to his close and intimate study of the Sacred Volume . Next to that Sacred Volume , as a mere matter of literary style —and he put it no higher—next to the Sacred Volume and

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