Quarterly Communication Of Grand Lodge.

Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge .

A QUARTERLY Communication of Grand Lodge was held at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen Street , on Wednesday , December 2 nd , and was presided over by Lord Amherst , Pro Grand Master . The newly appointed Deputy Grand Master was also present , and after the opening of Grand Lodge and the reading of the minuteshe was formally

, inducted into the office . The next business was the nomination of a Grand Master for the ensuing year , and the pleasant duty of proposing His Roj-al Highness fell to the lot of W . Bro . Castle , K . C , I . P . M . of the Quatuor Coronati LodgeNo . 2076 who briefly but effectively performed the

, , task , adding a few words of sympathy with the Grand Master on the illness of his eldest son , Prince Arthur , who , at Krugersdorp , was serving his country so well as his father was now doing , and expressing a hope that he might soon be well and able to resume his duties .

The nomination of a Grand Treasurer then followed , and Bro . George Frederick Edwards was nominated by Bro . Lewis Ferguson . Bro . Edwards , he said , was a P . M . and Treasurer of the William Preston Lodge , No . 766 , in which he was initiated many years ago , and had succeeded in

obtaining the affectionate regard and estimation of the brethren . Of the Royal Arch , he was P . Z . of four chapters , and had held office in the Province of Kent . He was a

member of two City Companies , was a large subscriber to the Masonic Charities , and has made the ladies of his family Life Governors of all the Institutions , as he himself was . He ( Bro . Ferguson ) had the privilege of nominating him as Grand Treasurer , and he recommended him as the brother best qualified to serve the office .

Bro . Thomas Frazer nominated Bro . Fitzherbert Wright , J . P ., P . P . G . W . Derbyshire , for election as Grand Treasurer . Bro . Wright had been Prov . G . Registrar , and a consistent supporter of the Charities for thirty years . He was , therefore , a brother not without merits , and he had the support

of all the Masons of his province . He had the greatest possible pleasure in nominating him for the office , for which he was eminently qualified ; and if he was elected it would redound to the honour and welfare of the Craft . Earl Amherst having informed the brethren that the

M . W . Grand Master had been pleased to reappoint V . W . Bro . James Henry Matthew's as President of the Board of Benevolence , Bro . Matthews was reinvested , and congratulated by the M . W . Pro Grand Master . Lord Amherst then declared Bro . David Dixon Mercer duly elected Senior Vice-President , and Bro . Henry Garrod , Junior Vice-President of the Board .

The President of the Board of General Purposes , Bro . Loveland-Loveland , K . C , moved the recommendation embodied in the report , and in doing so said that it was made with the simple purpose of eliciting from Grand Lodge the brethren ' s opinion as to how Grand Lodge should in future be able to accommodate the large number of brethren

that wished to take part 111 their deliberations . He was glad to see so great a number of brethren present that night , because it showed that there real )} ' was some need for means to be taken by which all those who wished to come should be comfortably seated and remain to take part in the proceedings . Before the opening of Grand Lodge , he had had the

opportunity that evening of seeing the G . Superintendent of Works , and he said the floor would comfortably hold about 600 . There were about 30 , 000 Masons who possessed the privilege of entering that room , and he had been told by the Grand Secretary that there were on an average about fifty

new lodges every year , thus entitling 150 additional brethren , over and above what they had , to attend Grand Lodge , every year previously ; so that when they had to make provision for those who were able to come now they must look forward to those who with the new lodges were entitled to be present . Therefore , to relieve the situation , the Board had

passed a proposition , that in the year 1906 , Masters and Past Masters only should be entitled to be present ; the Wardens would have to wait , the Senior Warden one year , add the Junior Warden two years . If that was passed , in 1906 they would then have accommodation for something like 150 or 200 ; but he saw from a return of the scrutineers

, that in 18 97 there was an average Warden ' s attendance of 21 7 , and in 1900 something over 130 or 140 ; so that when it came to figures they had 130 each year more than could be provided for . The situation could not otherwise be relieved than by interfering with the capacity of Freemasons' Hall , and

that would give them another seventeen feet ; and the only other way was by building a new hall . One or two brethren had said to him in talking the matter over , " Very soon you will be wanting the Albert Hall . " However , at present the scheme proposed by the Board was the only scheme they had , and the Board sought the brethren's opinion on it .

The proposition was seconded by Bro . Arthur Blenkarn , Vice-President of the Board . The Pro Grand Master urged that a decision on such a great and vital question should not be come to hurriedl y , and suggested that this portion of the report of the Board of General Purposes be referred back to them , and be brought

up for reconsideration at the next meeting of Grand Lodge , a suggestion which was readily adopted . The Grand Registrar then introduced the motion , of which he had given notice , that the price of tickets for Grand Festival should not exceed one guinea each , which motion was carried .

The Grand Registrar then mentioned the subject of the increase in the number of Grand Steward ' s Lodges , and the short discussion which ensued resulted in a resolution to increase the number by one , it being understood that the lodge in question was one that had previously , through some

technical neglect , been deprived of its privileges . No further business of importance was transacted and Grand Lodge was closed in ample form .

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