Eminent Masons At Home.

place ; but all that is now passed , and Studholme Brownrigg has long ago settled into the sober-sided Cambridge " old boy , " recalling the reminiscences of his " terms " only when he gets drawn away from the demands of his official position . Mr . Brownrigg is a preacher of much strength , and holds the office of private Chaplain to numbers of Lodges , and to His Grace the Duke of Bedford .

Whenever he is away on his National Society tours he is always ready to take the pulpit , and thus release a fellow member of the Church who , like himself , perhaps , has his hands full of good work and his time of good deeds . The Rev . Studholme Brownrigg will walk with you down the bare corridor to the head of the stairs , up

which some of the highest magnates of the universe have come to consult the Secretary of the National Society . As you lose yourself in the evening blackness outside , and walk back through the Parliamentary heart of this vast Empire , past the Horse Guards , and " The Ship " with all its glories desecrated , over into

Trafalgarsquare with its miserable fountains still spurting its waters into the yellow fog that envelopes the city , you leave within the walls of the National Society at Westminster a man who , silently and singly , does as much good for Freemasonry as any of his contemporaries ever have accomplished .

The Freemasons of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have at their head an enthusiastic and energetic member of the Craft . " An old Parliamentary hand " ( Bro . W . W . B . Beach has had a seat at St . Stephen ' s for more than thirty years ) , he finds time , even when his senatorial duties demand attendance at Westminster , to respond to invitations to visit Lodges in different parts of the province , and

under his genial and popular rule—which has now extended over twenty years—there has been a large increase in the numerical strength of the Craft . Bro . Beach has taken a warm interest in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Masonic Educational and Benevolent Institution , which , though in its infancy , has acquired quite a

respectable reserve , and is now educating six children in good schools near the residences of their relatives , so that the home influence is not lost . Bro . Beach presided at the annual festival of the Institution , which was held at Landport , when , owing to various causes—chiefly the severe ^ weather—the attendance was not equal to what had been looked forBut then Lancasterthe

. Bro . G . F . , " father" of the Institution , and its indefatigable Hon . Secretary , had the pleasing duty of announcing that the Stewards had brought in goodly lists of subscriptions from their Lodges and from individual Masons , the total reaching close upon ^ 450 . Other lists have to be received , and probably the full sum will not be far short of / 500 . Good business !

At the annual meeting of the Ryburn Lodge ( 1 , 283 ) , ' ' ° - Wednesday , the 27 th ult ., at the Masonic Hall , Town Hall street , Sowerby Bridge , the W . M , Bro . Thomas Gaukroger , P . A . G . P ., before installing the W . M . elect , said : Brethren , —Before I vacate this chair and retire from the office of W . M ., and before I instal my successor , there is one little pleasure which I should like to

hive , and that is to present to this Lodge a banner . I determined , on my being made W . M . of this Lodge , to do so , but could not possibly tell what form it was to take , for had this Lodge been consecrated to some patron saint , or nobleman , or country squire , the design would have made itself patent at once , but as for the

Ryburn , the name of a river , I could not tell what to make of it ; so in my difficulty I consulted Bro . Kendall , P . M ., P . P . G . P ., and he at once came to the rescue in his usual way . I left it entirely in his hands to do as he thought proper , and the result will be shown to you immediately . I now have great pleasure in presenting to you ,

Bro . Kendall , as the oldest P . M . of this Lodge , on behalf of the brethren of the Lodge , this banner , hoping it will be accepted and appreciated in the same spirit as its given . Bro . H . B . Marshall , J . P ., C . C ., has accepted the Chairmanship of the Board of Stewards of the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , which will be held next month under th presidency of the Lord Mayor .

The Senior Deacon.

THE SENIOR DEACON .

THERE are no offices in a Masonic Lodge which are otherwise than of great importance in relation to the proper conduct of all its ceremonials , and although the necessities connected with ritual and performance require a subdivision of the officers into principals and assistants , each in his station forms a necessary

strand in that cord of union without which confusion and general disorder would prevail , and the work be jeopardised . Of the principal officers absolutely required by the constitutions of the Order for the purposes of Masonic work , and of the two important auxiliaries not included in the number of principals and assistants ,

we have already treated . And now I approach the task of endeavoring to instruct those who must necessarily qualify themselves for the discharge of higher functions when the promotion which should attend merit is offered for their acceptance . Chief amongst these , as nearest by station to one of the principal chairs in

the Lodge , and , as an occupant thereof , to membership in Grand Lodge , is the Senior Deacon , the medium of communication between the Worshipful Master and his Senior Warden , and whose duty it is to see that all the Master's orders and commands are carefully and correctly conveyed and subsequently obeyed . He should be at all

times sensible that this duty is not one of the least important , and that by a thorough acquaintance with the ritual of the three degrees , a gentlemanly and dignified manner of conducting the candidates through the respective ceremonies , and a ready and courteous reception of those Brethren who honor his Lodge by their

visits , he can make for himself a reputation which will surely advance his further preferment , and greatly enhance the credit and reputation of his Lodge .

I shall not here enter into the question of the institution of the office of Deacon as a necessary complement of working Freemasons in a perfect Lodge . Whether before or after 1776 , it has nothing to do with the present order of things . But it is interesting to know that the Deacons were appointed the immediate deputies and assistants of the respective Wardens , and that the Wardens ' columns

were at that time under the superintendence of the Deacons . It would appear that part of the Senior Deacon ' s duty was to see " that when the Lodge is at labor the column of the Senior Warden is elevated . " Whether or not the control of that emblem is now rightly left with the principal officer in the west , it still remains

a duty of the Senior Deacon to see that a pillar of strength is " in evidence" during work , and that the tracing-board of the Degree is in its proper situation . Indeed , it should be the care of that officer to observe all matters connected with the

arrangement of the Lodge and its furniture , whether previous to commencement of or during labor , so that all things connected with the reception of the Brethren and the performance of the work may be in order . In an old charge , delivered to the Senior Deacon , we read : " You will be attentive to the Master ; careful in introducing visitors , and in accommodating them ;

watchful in preparation ; and although you halt at the door of the Temple , leading rightly those who require it . " This is an excellent summary of a Senior Deacon ' s duties , and needs only the addition of an exhortation to punctuality and early attendance at all meetings of the Lodge to make it perfect . A few words as to

the accommodation of visitors—I have used the argument before , and shall probably do so again and again , and here it is pertinent to the charge I referred to above . The Senior Deacon ' s position is at or near the W . M ., and he should recognise that these words are intended to convey to him that the place of honor allotted to

the chief rulers of the Order and to distinguished visitors is on the immediate right of the W . M . He should in courtesy give place to these , and such courtesy never fails to be observed in favor of the Lodge . So long as the Senior Deacon is near the right of the W . M . he is properly placed to receive commands .

As to the admission of visitors , we have noticed in some Lodges the invariable practice of reception of the visitor by the Senior Deacon ( or in some cases by the Director or Master of Ceremonies )