Freemasons' Hall, Dublin, & The Grand Officers Of Ireland.

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the pillars , are life-size portraits of Grand Officers , just as in the Grand Lodge-room in London . The place of honour over the Throne is given to the portrait of our Great Grand Master , Augustus Frederick , Duke of Leinster , who presided over the Irish Craft for the unprecedented and unequalled period of sixty-one years . He served

in his high office from 24 th June , 1813 , till his lamented demise , 10 th October , 18 74 , when he was succeeded by his Grace , James , first Duke of Abercorn , K . G ., father of the present Grand Master . The Most Worshipful Grand Master , J AMES , SECOND DUKE AXD ELEVENTH EARL OK ABERCORN , Knight of the Most

Noble Order of the Garter , holds a separate and distinct Peerage in each of the Three Kingdoms , and can lay claim to the Dukedom of Chatelherault in the Peerage of France . His Grace has an hereditary claim of long standing on the Craft , for he is the lineal descendant and representative of that Lord Paisley , who , in 1725 , presided over the infant Grand Lodge of England . His Grace was initiated as Viscount

Hamilton , in the Apollo Lodge , No . 357 , Oxford , and affiliated to the Grand Master ' s Lodge , Dublin , when the first Duke became Grand Master . In his turn , the present Duke passed the Chair of the Grand Masters' Lodge , and was elected Grand Master in 1886 . No Grand Master has ever been more popular , for no Grand Master has ever spared

himself less in furtherance of the Order . A story is told of the fourth Lord Kingston , the International Grand Master of England and Ireland , posting with incredible diligence from his Irish Seat , in order to take part in the Quarterly Communication of 25 th November , 1729 , in London . His Grace of Abercorn fairly equalled this

display of fraternal zeal during Her Majesty ' s recent visit to Ireland , when the Grand Master travelled from a remote corner of the sister Island , in order that his Grand Lodge might be suitably represented before his Sovereign , and , being recalled by imperative duties , travelled brick the whole distance by return train and boat service . And in this

country where the Lady Freemason nourished , fine may be permitted to pay grateful tribute to Her Grace the Duchess , who Iras never let slip any opportunity of helping the charitable organizations of the Craft , which appeal so irresistably to her Grace ' s sympathetic nature . The post of Deputy Grand Master of Ireland has no exact correlative in other jurisdictions , for the responsibilities and

duties that attach to the office in Ireland are elsewhere split up between three or four Grand Officers . There is no prospect of such a partition in Ireland , for our R . W . Bro . SIR J AMES CREED MEREDITH , LL . D ., has shoulders broad enough for the load . His career in Freemasony has been of the most distinguished . Initiated some thirty years ago in the famous

Lodge No . NXV , the Duke of York ' s Lodge , Bro . Meredith had hardly passed the Chair—no Brother can hold Grand Office in " Ireland till he has served as Worshipful Master of some Lodge on the Register of Ireland—than he was elected to the office of Grand Inner Guard , and from that day to this he has served without intermission as a Grand Officer

of Ireland . His extraordinary financial ability enabled him when Grand Treasurer to render inestimable service to the Craft , ; tnd since he was appointed Deputy Grand Master he lvas discharged the duties , not to the satisfaction only , but to the admiration of his Brethren . No man of our day has been more prominent in the administrative circles of the Irish

capital , and he has proved himself more than equal to his multifarious responsibilities . Quite recentl y , his Brethren took advantage of the recognition of his public services , when Her Majesty conferred on him the honour of Knighthood , to present him with a life-size portrait , which now graces the Grand Lodge-room ; and the portrait was accompanied by

the presentation of a tiara and suite of diamonds , of quite exceptional value and brilliancy , to Lad y Meredith , whose grace and beauty had so often gilded the charitable work of our Fraternity .

W . Bro . HENRY ERASMUS FLAVELLE , the representative of one of those old Huguenot families who have so long made their home in Dublin , was initiated in 1872 . He comes of old Masonic stock ; his father left behind him a name respected among Dublin Freemasons . He was appointed to a junior post in the Grand Secretary's Office in

1875 , and having passed the Chair of his Lodge , No . 93 , the Shamrock Lodge , in 1877 , he was promoted to the responsible position of Assistant D . G . S . He so discharged his duties that on the resignation of Worshipful Brother Archibald St . George , in 18 9 8 , he was unanimously elected Deputy Grand Secretary . Trul yhe had served

, a long apprenticeship . As long as zeal , ability , and integrity are held to be qualifications for Grand Office , the Freemasons of Ireland may consider themselves fortunate beyond the common in being represented by the fraternal courtesy and indefatigable zeal of the present Deputy Grand Secretary .

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