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Article Original Correspondence. ← Page 3 of 3 Article Original Correspondence. Page 3 of 3 Article NEW MASONIC HALL AT CHACEWATER. Page 1 of 1 Article NEW MASONIC HALL AT CHACEWATER. Page 1 of 1 Article FREEMASONRY IN INDIA. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
that he may fairly be regarded as requiring assistance in this way only in time of unexpected emergency . Some will perhaps say that my idea of Masonry is a high and somewhat exclusive one , and 1 admit the soft impeachment . It is because I hold so high an ideal that 1 venture to trouble you with these remarks , urging that of our leaders , above all , we ought to expect every effort to maintain what
the petition referred to by " Caution " appropriately calls " tbe distinctive character Freemasonry has hitherto held , " and to express the hope that so far from encouragement being given by Grand Lodge to members who seek to invade our privileges in the manner alluded to by your correspondent of last week , they will set their " foot down " on so much as the suggestion .
Your correspondent , I notice , refers to the Prov . Grand Master recommending the warrant as residing some fifty or sixty miles from the " locus in quo , " and the petitioners against the warrant as embracing representatives of six lodges in the town objecting , including corporate officials whom one can hardly suppose desirous of doing an injustice to brethren whom they find worthy . Would it be too much , under such circumstances , to ask if the Grand Master
of the province made enquiries on the spot before arriving at his decision , and if not , why not , recognising what certainly seems to be a remonstrance worthy of due consideration and weight in such a matter ? I venture also to suggest whether the name of the province and its officers , with the lodges concerned , may not be profitably revealed , if not now at some future time , before it is too late to secure a remedy for what I think is justly comp ' ained of . I am , yours fraternally , SPERO .
WAS POPE PIUS IX . A FREEMASON ? To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — As some of the brethren differ on some occasions , I beg lo take the liberty of asking your answer to the questions below , which I should like to know for
satisfaction not only to myself but also to others : Was the late Pope Pius IX . a Mason ? also , is it in order to propose and initiate a Roman Catholic in freemasonry ? If you would oblige mc with an answer , I should esteem it a favour . Yours fraternally ,
T . R . STEVENS [ i . Pius IX . was not a Freemason . 2 . Yes . —En . ]
NON-MASONIC LECTURES . Tn the Editor if Ihe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — 1 wonder if there isany hope of any of our London lodges inaugurating with the Masonic season of i 8 ; 8-rj lectures at which ladies might be present . Purely Masonic
lectures must be delivered to Masons ; but why not for the nonce give up " shop " and try a little general and open literature ? I am inclined to think the experiment might succeed , and I think it would be a pleasing change from the unceasing round of dinners and toasts . Yours fraternally , OMICRON .
LOCUM TENEMS . To the Editor ofthe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In July last we elected and invested a brother to the office of Inner Guard ; since then this brother has resigned and left the town . Can the W . M . re-elect another
brother as I . G ., or must it be one acting as I . G . until the next installation and investiture erf officers ? I shall be glad if you will reply fully on this point , as 1 cannot find anything in the Book of Constitutions beaiing on this matter . Yours faithfully and fraternally ,
CHESHIRE . [ The W . M . can appoint a " locum tenens " whenever he thinks fit . —ED . ]
MASONIC SOBRIETY The following striking letter from a Mason ' s wife appears in the Corner Stone , New York . We call the attention of our brethren to it : — Dear Sir . —I read a very interesting article in a late issue " Know Thyself , " in which you named every virtue a man and Alason should possess except one , a Mason's
duty to his family . Myhusbandis a Mason , and until he joined a lodgea better husband and father never lived . He has been a member for about two years . For the first six months he was all right , but gradually began to change after that . At first he was satisfied to stay in some liquor saloon , after coming from lodge , for about an hour ; now he seldom
comes home at all on lodge night ; I elo not see him till some time next day , wben he has slept his drunken fit off . He has also joined an association , an off-shoot of the loJge . Their rooms are over a lager bier saloon , whose proprietor gives the rooms rent free for their patronage ; the meetings are generally held in the saloon . My busband is one of its most active members . Every evening
the moment supper is over he dresses , goes to the club , and I do not see him till two or three o'clock next morning , when he comes tumbling up-stairs . He has a clean , comfortable home , nice children , two boys , and I never say a cross word to him , but am always cheerful looking , no matter how sad at heart I may be .
He has promised mc so often to change , and then broken his word , that I am discouraged . I once saw in a paper , that Masons' wives should impress on their sons' minds the beauties and virtues of Masonry , but I never can . All his Masonic friends are the same as he is . Why is a drunkard allowed tobc in good standing in a lodge ? A MASON'S WIFE .
Original Correspondence.
LORD LYTTELTON'S MONUMENT . To the Editor ofthe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Many would doubtless like to know the inscription on the " Lyttelton " memorial in Worcester Cathedral , and I do not think I can do much better than send you the enclosed cutting from to-day ' s Birmingham Daily Post . Yours faithfully and fraternally ,
G . PEARCE BALDWIN . August 24 , 1878 .
To the Editor ofthe " Daily Post . " Sir , —As I see a descriptive notice of the Lyttleton memorial monument in your paper of this morning , you may like to add the inscription thereon , which I do not see . I am , Sir , yours faithfully , D . MELVILLE . Witley Rectory , Stourport , August 22 .
" Hoc Monumentum in Memoriam Georgii Gulielmi , Baronis Lyttelton—per xxxvi . annos hujusce Comitatus-Sub Victoria Regina—Prosulis—amici quidam—ex iisinter quos—ut Gloria ? Dei hominumque Saluti inserviretoperose laborabat—lugentes posuerunt .
" Natus Martii xxxi . A . D . MDCCCXVII . -Obit Aprilis xix . A . D . MDCCCLXXV 1 I . " The following is a rough translation of the inscription : " In memory of George William , Baron Lyttelton , for
thirty-six years Lord-Lieutenant of this county , under Queen Victoria , some sorrowing friends , of those among whom he diligently laboured that he might promote the glory of God and the welfare of man , have erected this monument . Bon March 31 , 1817 ; died April 10 , 1876 . "
MICROMETERS . Mr . J . F . M . Pollock , of Longclose Works , Leeds , writes to the Times : Sir , —I see in your review of American inventions at Paris to-day a mention of the micrometer machine used by the Waltham Watch Company for measuring the
1-25 , 000 th of an inch as an extraordinary novelty . Nothing is further from my wish than to depreciate our Transatlantic cousins , but Sir Joseph Whitworth , of Manchester , made a machine to measure the 1-1 , 000 , 000 th part of an inch over twenty years ago , and machines measuring easily 1-30 , 0001 ) 1 of an inch have long been in everyday use for making his standard cylindrical gauges .
New Masonic Hall At Chacewater.
NEW MASONIC HALL AT CHACEWATER .
Alter a long and haul struggle , the Freemasons of Chacewater have succeeded in erecting a hall which does them and their town credit . Many years have elapsed since the . movement was begun , and great difficulties have had to bc overcome . Want of sympathy with the
Craft generally on the part of landowners , coupled with objections more determined than reasonable , did much to delay the carrying out of the proposal , and but for the generosity of Bro . S . G . Moyle it is doubtful whether Chacewater would even now have a Masonic hall . Chacewater is one of those villages in Cornwall which , to use a conventional , yet expressive phrase , have seen better
days . Situate in the midst of a vast mineral district , it enjoyed an amount of prosperity in the more favourable days of Cornish mining — when dividends were frequent and calls rarely heard of , except in the case of a new concern . It was in those palmy days that the Boscawen Lodge of Freemasons was founded . Twenty years have passed since then . Mines have been
knocked , " others resuscitated , only to be " knocked " again , antl the bulk of the inhabitants , or the younger ones , have emigrated . Yet through these vicissitudes the Boscawen Lodge has flourished , and but a handful of members , so to speak , to support it , it now boasts of having on its books the names of more members than any other lodge in the county . Itwas in 1873 that the
lodge passed a resolution declaring the expediency of erecting a Masonic I fall , and negociations were opened for the purchase of three cottages in the main street as a site for the building . The owner , however , wished to insert a clause in the lease reserving to himself the right to have a reading-room in the building for the benefit of his tenantry , the room to be open at all times for their
benefit , and virtually under his control . This the Freemasons considered objectionable . It would , they , argued interfere with that privacy with which Freemasonry should be conducted , and they suggested that they should nominate trustees to control the building . But the owner was inexorable on the point ; and further , he desired that a clause should be insetted in the lease by which he
should have the right to concludi the same at any time , subject to his giving twelve months' notice . This the lodge likewise objected to , and thus the first scheme dropped . Bro . S . G . Moyle , however , soon came forward to assist his brethren , and , as has been said , chiefly through his help the Boscawen Lodge of Freemasons has a hall of its own .
The building stands on a site adjacent to that of the old lodge-room , at the rear of the Britannia Hotel . A good substantial building it is , and a valuable adjunct to the village . The only misfortune is that it is almost hid from public view— a fact which is attributable to the difficulty with the landowners . Approached from the main thoroughfare by a small lane , it is flanked on the one sidt by the backs of a row of rather dilapidated houses , whilst
on the other is a dull , heavy-looking chapel , more substantial certainly than picturesque . A little to the front is a range of fields rising to a high altitude . Apart from th ; se drawba : ks , however , it is a structure of much merit , and admirably serves the purpose for which it was erected . The lodge-room is a capicious apartment , larger somewhat than that just consecrated at Redruth . Then there is a convenient ante-room and other necessary
New Masonic Hall At Chacewater.
apartments , whilst underneath these are rooms occupied by the local body of Oddfellows and other societies , as well as providing a long-felt want in Chacewater— a suitable room for concerts and entertainments . The lodgeroom is well battened atri prepared for future decoration , which has , as yet , been carried out only in part . Several articles of furniture have b : cn gi . en by members of the
lodge at home and abroad , and were obtained chiefly through the instrumentality of Bro . Niness , who , with Bro . J . R . Paull , has worked indefatig ably for the benefit of the lodge . It may be added that over th ? main entrance door is a pretty little tablet , the gift of Bro . Juleff ,
of Giampound . At the top is the triangle , and in the centre of it the " All-seeing Eye , " with a scroll bearing the words "May He ever watch over us . " In another scroll , interwoven with the anchor and cross , are the words spes in crucc vtra anchora anim / v , or , " Hope iu the cross is the true anchor of the soul . "
Freemasonry In India.
FREEMASONRY IN INDIA .
The Aryan Lodge , No . 1709 , was consecrated by the R . W . the District Grand Master of Bombay , on the 5 th of March . The following address was delivered by the R . W . the Dist . G . Master : — Worshipful Master and Brethren—I congratulate you
on having arrived at the culmination of your endeavours to form a Hindoo lodge , anel it has given me very sincere pleasure to consecrate it this evening . Since my entrance into Masonry , I have been anxious to see its civilising efforts extended to all races and creeds . From the time of my appointment as head of the Craft under England in this Presidency , my great desire has been to secure the
establishment of a lodge for Hindoos , on the plan which has been found to work so well with regard to our Parsee brethren . In this endeavour , you , Worshipful Sir , have been a most able coadjutor . You have laboured long , and with great patience have overcome the many obstacles in your way . Now that this evening your work has been accomplished , 1 congratulate you heartily on its success .
I not only look upon the establishment of this lodge as an important step towards bringing our Hindoo fellow-citizens into closer connection with their European and Parsee brethren , but I feel sure that the spread of Freemasonry amongst them will help the efforts of the reforming party , and gradually clear away the mists which have ior ages overclouded their religion , while it
will tend greatly to raise and improve them in their moral and social progress . The present movement is a subject of great joy to myself personally , and I feel sure that we have this night taken a step , the wisdom of which will in the future be fully proved . In conclusion I heartily wish the lodge and all its members every prosperity .
The W . Master addressed the brethren as follows : — Right Worshipful Sir and Brethren—On so importint an occasion as the present , unique in the annals of our Order , I trust I may be pardoned if I offer a few remarks . This evening you have kindly assisted at the consecration of the " Aryan " Lodge , an event which marks a new era in Freemasonry , and which cannot fail to strike the
reflective observer as one of deep significince . Hindus , it is true , have ere now been enrolled under our banner , but hitherto only in a few isolated instances . To-night , however , has witnessed the foundation of the first Hindu lodge —a remarkable example of the universality of our brotherhood , an honourable testimony to the value of our most cherished principles , and a sure sign of the vitality and
increasing prosperity ol our ancient institution . Nor docs the present meeting afford a subject of less interest when viewed in its moral and social aspects with regard to this lodge in particular . The designation we have selected appears to me a peculiarly happy one , inasmuch as it recalls to mind a great historical fact , which the science of comparative philology teaches . Long
prior to Ihe dawn of history—at a time concerning which we have no records save those that the affinities oflanguige , myth , . ml custom inco ltestably furnish— the ancestors of our native brethren migrated southwards from the en lie of their race in Central Asia , and extended themselves by slow degrees throjghout the length and breadth of this great peninsula . Similar
migrations of their kindred proceeded from the same centre towards the West , as far as the Atlantic sei-biard , and gave rise to those Europe 111 States whose noble mission it has been to spread the light of civilisation in every quarter of the gUib ; . Thus th ; BtaUvnius of the " Aryan " Lodge , whom we this day welcome as our brethren , are members like ourselves— Parses as well as
Europeansof that great Aryan family , to which belong the Kelt , Greek , Roman , Persian , Sclav , and Teuton . On this occasion , also , we celebrate the success of a movement carried out , with a courage deserving of our sincerest sympathy and admiration , by a small band of earnest reformers , in face of the severest social penalties . 'I ' he
happiest auguries as to the future may , I think , be found in the fact that these brethren are foremost in education and enlightenment among the vast Hindu popjlation of which they form a part . Never , I venture to say , has Freemasonry achieved a nobler Iriumph : for these brethren , who were born in the chains and darkness of Polytheism , whose traditional caste and creed are the most exclusive and
conservative the world has ever known , have now voluntarily identified themselves with an institution which abhors and forbids aU political and religious dissensions , which inculcates unswerving obedience to the government by law established , and requires subscription to but one article of faith , expressed by the ancient Sanskrit formula adopted by this lodge as its motto , Ekam era . adrit iyam— " There is One , no second . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Original Correspondence.
that he may fairly be regarded as requiring assistance in this way only in time of unexpected emergency . Some will perhaps say that my idea of Masonry is a high and somewhat exclusive one , and 1 admit the soft impeachment . It is because I hold so high an ideal that 1 venture to trouble you with these remarks , urging that of our leaders , above all , we ought to expect every effort to maintain what
the petition referred to by " Caution " appropriately calls " tbe distinctive character Freemasonry has hitherto held , " and to express the hope that so far from encouragement being given by Grand Lodge to members who seek to invade our privileges in the manner alluded to by your correspondent of last week , they will set their " foot down " on so much as the suggestion .
Your correspondent , I notice , refers to the Prov . Grand Master recommending the warrant as residing some fifty or sixty miles from the " locus in quo , " and the petitioners against the warrant as embracing representatives of six lodges in the town objecting , including corporate officials whom one can hardly suppose desirous of doing an injustice to brethren whom they find worthy . Would it be too much , under such circumstances , to ask if the Grand Master
of the province made enquiries on the spot before arriving at his decision , and if not , why not , recognising what certainly seems to be a remonstrance worthy of due consideration and weight in such a matter ? I venture also to suggest whether the name of the province and its officers , with the lodges concerned , may not be profitably revealed , if not now at some future time , before it is too late to secure a remedy for what I think is justly comp ' ained of . I am , yours fraternally , SPERO .
WAS POPE PIUS IX . A FREEMASON ? To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — As some of the brethren differ on some occasions , I beg lo take the liberty of asking your answer to the questions below , which I should like to know for
satisfaction not only to myself but also to others : Was the late Pope Pius IX . a Mason ? also , is it in order to propose and initiate a Roman Catholic in freemasonry ? If you would oblige mc with an answer , I should esteem it a favour . Yours fraternally ,
T . R . STEVENS [ i . Pius IX . was not a Freemason . 2 . Yes . —En . ]
NON-MASONIC LECTURES . Tn the Editor if Ihe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — 1 wonder if there isany hope of any of our London lodges inaugurating with the Masonic season of i 8 ; 8-rj lectures at which ladies might be present . Purely Masonic
lectures must be delivered to Masons ; but why not for the nonce give up " shop " and try a little general and open literature ? I am inclined to think the experiment might succeed , and I think it would be a pleasing change from the unceasing round of dinners and toasts . Yours fraternally , OMICRON .
LOCUM TENEMS . To the Editor ofthe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In July last we elected and invested a brother to the office of Inner Guard ; since then this brother has resigned and left the town . Can the W . M . re-elect another
brother as I . G ., or must it be one acting as I . G . until the next installation and investiture erf officers ? I shall be glad if you will reply fully on this point , as 1 cannot find anything in the Book of Constitutions beaiing on this matter . Yours faithfully and fraternally ,
CHESHIRE . [ The W . M . can appoint a " locum tenens " whenever he thinks fit . —ED . ]
MASONIC SOBRIETY The following striking letter from a Mason ' s wife appears in the Corner Stone , New York . We call the attention of our brethren to it : — Dear Sir . —I read a very interesting article in a late issue " Know Thyself , " in which you named every virtue a man and Alason should possess except one , a Mason's
duty to his family . Myhusbandis a Mason , and until he joined a lodgea better husband and father never lived . He has been a member for about two years . For the first six months he was all right , but gradually began to change after that . At first he was satisfied to stay in some liquor saloon , after coming from lodge , for about an hour ; now he seldom
comes home at all on lodge night ; I elo not see him till some time next day , wben he has slept his drunken fit off . He has also joined an association , an off-shoot of the loJge . Their rooms are over a lager bier saloon , whose proprietor gives the rooms rent free for their patronage ; the meetings are generally held in the saloon . My busband is one of its most active members . Every evening
the moment supper is over he dresses , goes to the club , and I do not see him till two or three o'clock next morning , when he comes tumbling up-stairs . He has a clean , comfortable home , nice children , two boys , and I never say a cross word to him , but am always cheerful looking , no matter how sad at heart I may be .
He has promised mc so often to change , and then broken his word , that I am discouraged . I once saw in a paper , that Masons' wives should impress on their sons' minds the beauties and virtues of Masonry , but I never can . All his Masonic friends are the same as he is . Why is a drunkard allowed tobc in good standing in a lodge ? A MASON'S WIFE .
Original Correspondence.
LORD LYTTELTON'S MONUMENT . To the Editor ofthe " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Many would doubtless like to know the inscription on the " Lyttelton " memorial in Worcester Cathedral , and I do not think I can do much better than send you the enclosed cutting from to-day ' s Birmingham Daily Post . Yours faithfully and fraternally ,
G . PEARCE BALDWIN . August 24 , 1878 .
To the Editor ofthe " Daily Post . " Sir , —As I see a descriptive notice of the Lyttleton memorial monument in your paper of this morning , you may like to add the inscription thereon , which I do not see . I am , Sir , yours faithfully , D . MELVILLE . Witley Rectory , Stourport , August 22 .
" Hoc Monumentum in Memoriam Georgii Gulielmi , Baronis Lyttelton—per xxxvi . annos hujusce Comitatus-Sub Victoria Regina—Prosulis—amici quidam—ex iisinter quos—ut Gloria ? Dei hominumque Saluti inserviretoperose laborabat—lugentes posuerunt .
" Natus Martii xxxi . A . D . MDCCCXVII . -Obit Aprilis xix . A . D . MDCCCLXXV 1 I . " The following is a rough translation of the inscription : " In memory of George William , Baron Lyttelton , for
thirty-six years Lord-Lieutenant of this county , under Queen Victoria , some sorrowing friends , of those among whom he diligently laboured that he might promote the glory of God and the welfare of man , have erected this monument . Bon March 31 , 1817 ; died April 10 , 1876 . "
MICROMETERS . Mr . J . F . M . Pollock , of Longclose Works , Leeds , writes to the Times : Sir , —I see in your review of American inventions at Paris to-day a mention of the micrometer machine used by the Waltham Watch Company for measuring the
1-25 , 000 th of an inch as an extraordinary novelty . Nothing is further from my wish than to depreciate our Transatlantic cousins , but Sir Joseph Whitworth , of Manchester , made a machine to measure the 1-1 , 000 , 000 th part of an inch over twenty years ago , and machines measuring easily 1-30 , 0001 ) 1 of an inch have long been in everyday use for making his standard cylindrical gauges .
New Masonic Hall At Chacewater.
NEW MASONIC HALL AT CHACEWATER .
Alter a long and haul struggle , the Freemasons of Chacewater have succeeded in erecting a hall which does them and their town credit . Many years have elapsed since the . movement was begun , and great difficulties have had to bc overcome . Want of sympathy with the
Craft generally on the part of landowners , coupled with objections more determined than reasonable , did much to delay the carrying out of the proposal , and but for the generosity of Bro . S . G . Moyle it is doubtful whether Chacewater would even now have a Masonic hall . Chacewater is one of those villages in Cornwall which , to use a conventional , yet expressive phrase , have seen better
days . Situate in the midst of a vast mineral district , it enjoyed an amount of prosperity in the more favourable days of Cornish mining — when dividends were frequent and calls rarely heard of , except in the case of a new concern . It was in those palmy days that the Boscawen Lodge of Freemasons was founded . Twenty years have passed since then . Mines have been
knocked , " others resuscitated , only to be " knocked " again , antl the bulk of the inhabitants , or the younger ones , have emigrated . Yet through these vicissitudes the Boscawen Lodge has flourished , and but a handful of members , so to speak , to support it , it now boasts of having on its books the names of more members than any other lodge in the county . Itwas in 1873 that the
lodge passed a resolution declaring the expediency of erecting a Masonic I fall , and negociations were opened for the purchase of three cottages in the main street as a site for the building . The owner , however , wished to insert a clause in the lease reserving to himself the right to have a reading-room in the building for the benefit of his tenantry , the room to be open at all times for their
benefit , and virtually under his control . This the Freemasons considered objectionable . It would , they , argued interfere with that privacy with which Freemasonry should be conducted , and they suggested that they should nominate trustees to control the building . But the owner was inexorable on the point ; and further , he desired that a clause should be insetted in the lease by which he
should have the right to concludi the same at any time , subject to his giving twelve months' notice . This the lodge likewise objected to , and thus the first scheme dropped . Bro . S . G . Moyle , however , soon came forward to assist his brethren , and , as has been said , chiefly through his help the Boscawen Lodge of Freemasons has a hall of its own .
The building stands on a site adjacent to that of the old lodge-room , at the rear of the Britannia Hotel . A good substantial building it is , and a valuable adjunct to the village . The only misfortune is that it is almost hid from public view— a fact which is attributable to the difficulty with the landowners . Approached from the main thoroughfare by a small lane , it is flanked on the one sidt by the backs of a row of rather dilapidated houses , whilst
on the other is a dull , heavy-looking chapel , more substantial certainly than picturesque . A little to the front is a range of fields rising to a high altitude . Apart from th ; se drawba : ks , however , it is a structure of much merit , and admirably serves the purpose for which it was erected . The lodge-room is a capicious apartment , larger somewhat than that just consecrated at Redruth . Then there is a convenient ante-room and other necessary
New Masonic Hall At Chacewater.
apartments , whilst underneath these are rooms occupied by the local body of Oddfellows and other societies , as well as providing a long-felt want in Chacewater— a suitable room for concerts and entertainments . The lodgeroom is well battened atri prepared for future decoration , which has , as yet , been carried out only in part . Several articles of furniture have b : cn gi . en by members of the
lodge at home and abroad , and were obtained chiefly through the instrumentality of Bro . Niness , who , with Bro . J . R . Paull , has worked indefatig ably for the benefit of the lodge . It may be added that over th ? main entrance door is a pretty little tablet , the gift of Bro . Juleff ,
of Giampound . At the top is the triangle , and in the centre of it the " All-seeing Eye , " with a scroll bearing the words "May He ever watch over us . " In another scroll , interwoven with the anchor and cross , are the words spes in crucc vtra anchora anim / v , or , " Hope iu the cross is the true anchor of the soul . "
Freemasonry In India.
FREEMASONRY IN INDIA .
The Aryan Lodge , No . 1709 , was consecrated by the R . W . the District Grand Master of Bombay , on the 5 th of March . The following address was delivered by the R . W . the Dist . G . Master : — Worshipful Master and Brethren—I congratulate you
on having arrived at the culmination of your endeavours to form a Hindoo lodge , anel it has given me very sincere pleasure to consecrate it this evening . Since my entrance into Masonry , I have been anxious to see its civilising efforts extended to all races and creeds . From the time of my appointment as head of the Craft under England in this Presidency , my great desire has been to secure the
establishment of a lodge for Hindoos , on the plan which has been found to work so well with regard to our Parsee brethren . In this endeavour , you , Worshipful Sir , have been a most able coadjutor . You have laboured long , and with great patience have overcome the many obstacles in your way . Now that this evening your work has been accomplished , 1 congratulate you heartily on its success .
I not only look upon the establishment of this lodge as an important step towards bringing our Hindoo fellow-citizens into closer connection with their European and Parsee brethren , but I feel sure that the spread of Freemasonry amongst them will help the efforts of the reforming party , and gradually clear away the mists which have ior ages overclouded their religion , while it
will tend greatly to raise and improve them in their moral and social progress . The present movement is a subject of great joy to myself personally , and I feel sure that we have this night taken a step , the wisdom of which will in the future be fully proved . In conclusion I heartily wish the lodge and all its members every prosperity .
The W . Master addressed the brethren as follows : — Right Worshipful Sir and Brethren—On so importint an occasion as the present , unique in the annals of our Order , I trust I may be pardoned if I offer a few remarks . This evening you have kindly assisted at the consecration of the " Aryan " Lodge , an event which marks a new era in Freemasonry , and which cannot fail to strike the
reflective observer as one of deep significince . Hindus , it is true , have ere now been enrolled under our banner , but hitherto only in a few isolated instances . To-night , however , has witnessed the foundation of the first Hindu lodge —a remarkable example of the universality of our brotherhood , an honourable testimony to the value of our most cherished principles , and a sure sign of the vitality and
increasing prosperity ol our ancient institution . Nor docs the present meeting afford a subject of less interest when viewed in its moral and social aspects with regard to this lodge in particular . The designation we have selected appears to me a peculiarly happy one , inasmuch as it recalls to mind a great historical fact , which the science of comparative philology teaches . Long
prior to Ihe dawn of history—at a time concerning which we have no records save those that the affinities oflanguige , myth , . ml custom inco ltestably furnish— the ancestors of our native brethren migrated southwards from the en lie of their race in Central Asia , and extended themselves by slow degrees throjghout the length and breadth of this great peninsula . Similar
migrations of their kindred proceeded from the same centre towards the West , as far as the Atlantic sei-biard , and gave rise to those Europe 111 States whose noble mission it has been to spread the light of civilisation in every quarter of the gUib ; . Thus th ; BtaUvnius of the " Aryan " Lodge , whom we this day welcome as our brethren , are members like ourselves— Parses as well as
Europeansof that great Aryan family , to which belong the Kelt , Greek , Roman , Persian , Sclav , and Teuton . On this occasion , also , we celebrate the success of a movement carried out , with a courage deserving of our sincerest sympathy and admiration , by a small band of earnest reformers , in face of the severest social penalties . 'I ' he
happiest auguries as to the future may , I think , be found in the fact that these brethren are foremost in education and enlightenment among the vast Hindu popjlation of which they form a part . Never , I venture to say , has Freemasonry achieved a nobler Iriumph : for these brethren , who were born in the chains and darkness of Polytheism , whose traditional caste and creed are the most exclusive and
conservative the world has ever known , have now voluntarily identified themselves with an institution which abhors and forbids aU political and religious dissensions , which inculcates unswerving obedience to the government by law established , and requires subscription to but one article of faith , expressed by the ancient Sanskrit formula adopted by this lodge as its motto , Ekam era . adrit iyam— " There is One , no second . "