Obituary.

the direction of Bro . Alfred Gaul : " I am the resurrection and the life , " and " I know that my Redeemer liveth , " being rendered very effectively . On the entrance to the church , Bro . Beaumont played a voluntary on the organ . Psalms xxxix . and xc . having been sung by the choir ,

Bro . Rev . W . B . Bi-amwell Smith read , iu a very impressive manner , the lesson from the fifteenth chapter of the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians . The procession having been re-formed , the body of the deceased was then borne from the edifice ( Bro . Beaumont playing Handell ' s " Dead March " on the organ ) , and deposited in a deep grave , on the south-west side of the

church , the members of the Craft forming a circle round the place of interment . The concluding portion of the service was performed by Bro . Smith , and the responses were given by the choir . The funeral arrangements , which were satisfactory , were under the immediate superintendence of Mr .

Fulford ; and the musical portion of the service under that of Bros . J . A . Beaumont and Alfred Gaul . Rarely does it fall to the lot of any one to record a course in Freemasonry so remarkable as that of the lamented brother over whom the grave has now closed , and whose loss is deplored , not only by the fraternity in the town and province in which he laboured , but by more

distant members of the Order extending over a wide circle , for , regular as he was for some years in daily attendance at the principal Masonic rooms in Birmingham , perhaps no brethren resident elsewhere visited any of the several lodges assembling there without becoming acquainted with him , and appreciating his zeal , his extensive knowledge , his readiness to assist in any capacity , whether in discharging the higher official duties in the absence of either of the officers , in acting as I . G . j or even Tyler in case of necessity , or in promoting

the personal [ comfort and happiness of members and guests . At the social board he was the last to take his place , nor would he do so until ample provision was made for every one present , and even then to the neglect of himself . His care and supervision seemed to be constantly exercised . Moreover he was ever ready to instruct junior members of the fraternity , and to give an

opinion on knotty Masonic questions either of ritual , of discipline , or of a constitutional character , which was generally founded on deep thought and sound judgment . His mind was in fact a most extensive repertory of Masonic knowledge and experience , for his memory was as extraordinary as his other faculties . To use the words of another writerwho has in a local

, publication commented on the recent sad event which has cast a gloom over the whole district : —• " By the Masonic body in general throughout thc province of Warwickshire , and the provinces adjacent , he will be mainly appreciated for his precise and signal skill in each and every part of tho rituals of Cratt and Royal Arch Masonry . He was thoroughly conversant with the

letter of the ceremonies and lectures ; and very many members of the Masonic fraternity will be eager to join in acknowledging gratefully and cordially that they were mainly indebted to the late Bro . Bedford for the knowledge they have acquired of the rites and ceremonies ( as also of the didactic and scientific arcana ) of Freemasonry . When it is considered that the deceased had to learn

after he himself had attained the age of fifty-three years all that he so ably and efficiently taught the junior members of the brotherhood , they should feel in his example a strong provocative to urge them to carry out to its fullest extent their knowledge of our ritual and text-lore , so that in due course the liberal arts and sciences may reallreceive us that needful stud

y among y to which we have , again and again , by solemn charges been directed . " There are other points in the Masonic character of our departed brother which are eminently worthy of notice ,

commending themselves as exemplars to such , of whom it is to be hoped there are many , as would desire to follow iu his footsteps . Among these characteristics may be mentioned his extreme modesty and freedom from ostentation . While ever ready to communicate knowledge and to give an opinion when called upon , he

never intruded an expression of it unless sought , and when once he had definitely made up his mind , he was prepared to argue the matter and to give sound reasons for his decision .

Again , how o ten do we find cases where , from some imagined slight in being passed over in appointments to office or places of distinction , brethren are loud in their complaints of injustice , and in fits of indignation throwup all connection with the specific bodies at whose hands they conceive themselves to have suffered wrong , steps which in cooler moments they afterwards regret .

It is possible to point out instances in the early portion of the career of our late brother , where his merits were cast into the shade and neglected in favour of others of less distinction ; yet he set a bri ght example of temper , patience , and perseverance , still held on his course undis turbed by petty jealousy , and as a result , in the end reaped all the honours that could be bestowed upon him ,,

obtaining the good-will , sympathy , and respect of all honourable men and Masons . The preceding observations cannot but lead to a conviction of the truth of the statement with which they commenced , that Bro . J . H . Bedford ' s career has been specially remarkable , which will be further corroborated by a more complete detail of the labours which he undertook , and of the lodges with which he was connected . To the junior members cf the Craft it affords a most instructive and useful lesson , which should stimulate

them to make ( as they nave , been charged ) a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge , as he truly did , for either to receive or impart it was his constant delight , the one equally with the other . The writer of this memoir was on intimate terms with the late brother for some years before either of them , were admitted into the Order . Though still actively

engaged in Masonic labours in another sphere , he has himself long ceased to be a member of the province to which Bro . Bedford belonged , owing to a change of residence about ten years ago , and removal to a great distance . This renders it difficult for him to obtain specific information ; nevertheless , he cannot hesitate or refuse to obey the call which has been made upon him , and

thus " to pay this last sad tribute of respect to departed merit , '' but , under the circumstances alluded to , he must claim indulgence if he fails in any respect " faithfully to discharge the sacred trust" confided to him . Admitted himself as a Mason in January , 1848 , he immediately , after having been raised to the third degree , introduced his friend into the Orderand assisted at his initiation

, in the following April , in St . Paul ' s Lodge , 43 . He differed in opinion from Bro . Bedford in one respect , considering it desirable for a Mason to confine himself to one lodge , and in every way to advance itsinterests .

Accordingly we find our late brother joining the Athol Lodge in 1849 , probably with a view to extend its efficiency , since it was at that period at rather a low ebb . Before the termination of his first year of connection with the Craft , he and others became anxious to establish a correct form of ritual in the several Birmingham lodges , in which there had hitherto been considerable

divergence , and it was very difficult for young Masons to acquire knowledge , owing to an unwillingness to diffuse it too commonly displayed on the part of a few of the leading men of the time . With this view Bro . Honey , a skilled member of the Emulation Lodge of Instruction in London was invited to Birmingham , there to remain several months , in order to communicate the entire routine of ritual in all departments , and thus was laid the foundation of that exact