Provincial Lodges, &C.

-castle . The ceremony then proceeded , the stone having been placed in its bed ancl duly consecrated by the Grand Chaplain ( the Rev . F . Bigge , Stamfordham ) . The elements of consecration were corn , wine , and oil ; after which the Grand Chaplain , offered up the following prayer : — 0 Lord , Thou that inhabitest eternity , and hast raised out of nothing the mighty fabric of this universe , the heavens , the air , the earth , and the sea ; Thou that Ullest the whole and every thing that is-in it , and art Thyself boundless and incomprehensible , look down graciously upon Thy servants who are about to to erect this building to the honour of ThnameLet Th

presume y . y Holy Spirit descend upon it in the blessing of Thy peculiar presence ; Thou that art everywhere , deign also to be with us . Thou that seest and nearest all things , look down from Thy throne of glory , and give ear to our supplications ; and iij at any time hereafter , Thou shalt be moved , in T'by just displeasure , to punish this people for their transgressions , with any of Thy terrible judgments—famine , pestilence , or the sword—yet , if they make supplication and return to Thee , with all theft heart and with all their soul , then hear Thou them , 0 Lord , in heaven Thy dwelling place , and forgive their sin , and remove Thy iudament .

The Grand Master then said , " Having laid this stone , may the grand Architect , who has so kindly blessed us for the proceedings of the day , enable those engaged in the building to complete it , and may it hereafter be preserved from ruin and decay , and be of lasting prosperity . I therefore strew corn on the stone as the emblem of plenty I pour wine on it as the emblem of cheerfulness ; and I annoint it with oil as the emblem of comfort and consolation . " The Grand Master then turning to the entire assembly , addressed it as follows : — " Fellow craftsmen , respected vicar , citizens

of this great and important town , and all who are interested in this day ' s proceedings , if I had a hundred tongues and a hundred voices , I could not express to you sufficiently the probable result of the great events of this day ' s engagements . When men build schools it is impossible to see the end thereof . To a few the end may be unfortunate , but to the many the end must be blessed . The education which the sons and daughters of the labourer , the artizan , the mechanic may receive at school may , in a few cases , have results we do not wish to see , but in the great majority of instances

the result is most harmonizing , not to say divme . But if anything will tend to promote the true design and the prosperity of this school and its kindred ones , which the vicar of this town so magnanimously contemplates , it will be the blessing of heaven which we have invoked this day on our undertaking . I almost invariably have found that out of evil good comes , that is , so long as man does not directly do evil that good may come ; but if I am not mistaken , the very dire plague and grievous sickness winch dessolated so many of the once happy homes of this town last year about

this time , opened the eyes of the ecclesiastics as well as those of the civil authorities , to the alarming destitution of schools and the want of education for your children . I cannot but lament the destruction of valuable lives that pestilence made , but I must rejoiee , as a Christian and as a man , that the rod has not smitten you in vain , that the scourge has produced such nobled-minded efforts to stem and turn the evil tide of ignorance , and misery , its great companion . The mayor and corporation , and the burgesses have been busily employed this day in laying the foundation stone for

another school , but we , in no spirit of sectarian rivalry , have done the same for this school . There are , it is well known , other schools in this town and elsewhere , con - ducted on what are termed liberal principles ; but these schools will be conducted on church ' principles . The scholastic duties within them are designed so that the children shall receive no religious bias or check from their teachers , as the schools are designed to ' teach dogmas of the church , and to bend the thoughts of children to a

great and fixed society , and keep them there . These schools , therefore , will place the simple text of the Bible in the hands of then- scholars , and leave it to their ministers to interpret , or authorize the teachers to interpret , the simple text by formularies anil word of mouth . ' But however different may be the methods in which they proceed , I am' sure that . your mayor and your vicar have both one object in view , which is to promote the welfare of the present and the rising generation , and the glory of God . I may illustrate their respective proceedings b shiin portYou must have

y your ps your . bent 'knees' as well as ' straight planks' ' for a perfect and proper vessel . So you must have the bendings of the church and the straight lines of unfettered religion to perfect the proper proportions of the great social edifice in this land . So you observe there is no rivalry in this day ' s proceedings except the emulation for good purposes .