Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
History Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement, No. 256.——(Continued).
labour of love—labour more arduous and exacting than is generally supposed . It may not prove uninteresting if I to-night mention , and in a very few words deal with , a criticism that now and again is given expression to in connection with our mode of conducting the business of the Lodge . You might reasonably imagine , in view of the fact
that this Lodge has been in existence for nearly 80 years , and that absolutely no material change has been made in its aims or in its methods during this long period , that nothing like criticism would have a place . But , as I have already hinted , such is not quite the case ; our critics say that the
Past Masters of the Lodge—and I believe I am considered the greatest culprit—are unnecessarily severe in requiring absolute perfection in the working of our ceremonies ; they do not recognise , in other words , the necessity of our interrupting
W . ALFRED DAWSON , P . A . G . D . C , Member uf the Committee , 1 SHI-1890 . a brother in his work if the mistake made is a trivial one . Now , let me say at once if this were an ordinary Lodge
of Instruction , or even a regular Lodge , I should cordially agree with and heartily endorse the criticism .. It is not necessary—and in many cases it is impossible—in a Lodge of Instruction to correct every verbal slip , and in a regular Lodge nothing , in my opinion , can be more unfortunate than
to hear , as one often does , corrections given to the W . M . Surely it is inadvisable to say a word unless the mistake is a serious one , and likely , if uncorrected , to lead to disaster . Interruptions at once suggest to the candidate , for whom after all the ceremony is being performed , that the speech of the Master is not altogether out of the abundance of his heart , and the impression which might
otherwise be secured is to a very great extent lost . But applied to the Emulation Lodge of Improvement the criticism is not a just one , and for this reason : It must always be borne in mind that our system of working , adopted and approved by the United Grand Lodge soon after the union , is virtually a standard , and if a standard is
to be of any real value , it must be absolutely unaltered and unalterable . I will not , brethren , press this point , because I am quite sure it will be at once conceded . It therefore behoves the Past Masters of this Lodge to guard most jealously this system of working from any change , and we
have the satisfaction of knowing that while we maintain the traditions of this Lodge , while we are faithful to the very important trust committed to our care , we at the same time are very helpful to every brother who comes to our meetings . "
1900 . No change was made this year in the Committee or the executive officers . The Annual Festival on the 2 nd of March was , we believe , a record meeting , upwards of 300 brethren being present , 112 of whom were proposed as members . A probable reason for this large gathering may be found in the fact that the Earl of Warwick , Dep . Grand
Master , had consented to preside at the banquet , but almost at the last moment was prevented by illness , and his place was ably filled by Lt .-Col . A . R . Mark Lockwood , M . P ., Past S . G . Deacon , his Lordship ' s Deputy in the Province of Essex . The sections of the Second Lecture were worked by Bro . R .
Clay Sudlow , as W . Master , Bro . W . G . Kentish acting as I . P . M ., and Bros . Charles Lewis and George Rankin as Wardens . The following brethren answered the questions in the various sections : —
1 st by Bro . J . H . Jenks , I . P . M . No . 8 , P . G . Steward . 2 nd „ ,, W . R . " Bennett , P . M . No . 1965 . 3 rd „ „ Major R . L . S . Badham , No . 21 . 4 th „ „ Charles Lewis , P . M . No . 1706 , P . P . G . D . Essex . 5 th „ „ T . W . Allsop , P . M . No . 88 , P . P . G . D . C . Bucks . At the close of the work Bro . Col . Lockwood , who said
it was the first time he had witnessed the working of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the brethren who had worked the sections . The motion was seconded by Bro . Thomas Fenn , P . G . W . who said that having formerly occupied the position held
that evening by Bro . Sudlow he might perhaps be allowed tobe a judge of the work , and in that capacity he could say that during his long experience he did not recollect having seen the work clone more perfectly . Every word of it came back to him ; it was absolutely correct .
The motion was unanimously carried , and Bro . Sudlow briefly acknowledged it . After the closing of the Lodge the brethren adjourned tosupper . The number was so large that in addition to the Great Hall of Freemasons' Tavern , the Crown Room had to be utilised for the accommodation of the company .
The usual toasts having been given and responded to in due order , the V . W . Bro . Edward Letchworth , Grand Secretary , Treasurer of the Lodge , proposed " The Chairman . " Whether as a soldier , a legislator , a sportsman , or a Mason , Col . Lockwood had won the esteem and respect of those who had been fortunate enough to be brought in
contact with him , and on behalf of the Committee of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , he tendered his warmest thanks to him for presiding that evening . Col . Lockwood warmly thanked the brethren for their cordial reception , and then proceeded to the toast of
" Success to the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , " prefacing his remarks by a sympathetic allusion to the illness of the Earl of Warwick and expressing a hope that his lordship might soon return to our shores completely restored tohealth .
Then followed a brief sketch of the history of the Lodge ,, with which our readers are doubtless familiar , and a referenceto the munilicient support given by it to the charities of the Order .
The Chairman included in his remarks a dissertation on Secret Societies , and their doings in bygone days , which ,, though undoubtedly interesting , forms no part of our history ,, and concluded as follows : —But what was the end of all these societies ? They perished and fell away ; and for this reason—the principles they worked on were wrong ; they
were principles of bloodshed and of working against the laws of the land ; while Masonry—a great guild founded on principles of religion and virtue—remained , and ever would remain , as long as she followed her present course , a great instrument for good in the world . It was only when
men were initiated and began to know the work Masonry carried on that they fully appreciated the duties of Freemasonry . Long might that Craft llourish , long continue to increase , and , intimately connected with it , long might the Emulation Lodge of Improvement continue to llourish and to set the standard of excellent working . ( To be Continued ) .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
History Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement, No. 256.——(Continued).
labour of love—labour more arduous and exacting than is generally supposed . It may not prove uninteresting if I to-night mention , and in a very few words deal with , a criticism that now and again is given expression to in connection with our mode of conducting the business of the Lodge . You might reasonably imagine , in view of the fact
that this Lodge has been in existence for nearly 80 years , and that absolutely no material change has been made in its aims or in its methods during this long period , that nothing like criticism would have a place . But , as I have already hinted , such is not quite the case ; our critics say that the
Past Masters of the Lodge—and I believe I am considered the greatest culprit—are unnecessarily severe in requiring absolute perfection in the working of our ceremonies ; they do not recognise , in other words , the necessity of our interrupting
W . ALFRED DAWSON , P . A . G . D . C , Member uf the Committee , 1 SHI-1890 . a brother in his work if the mistake made is a trivial one . Now , let me say at once if this were an ordinary Lodge
of Instruction , or even a regular Lodge , I should cordially agree with and heartily endorse the criticism .. It is not necessary—and in many cases it is impossible—in a Lodge of Instruction to correct every verbal slip , and in a regular Lodge nothing , in my opinion , can be more unfortunate than
to hear , as one often does , corrections given to the W . M . Surely it is inadvisable to say a word unless the mistake is a serious one , and likely , if uncorrected , to lead to disaster . Interruptions at once suggest to the candidate , for whom after all the ceremony is being performed , that the speech of the Master is not altogether out of the abundance of his heart , and the impression which might
otherwise be secured is to a very great extent lost . But applied to the Emulation Lodge of Improvement the criticism is not a just one , and for this reason : It must always be borne in mind that our system of working , adopted and approved by the United Grand Lodge soon after the union , is virtually a standard , and if a standard is
to be of any real value , it must be absolutely unaltered and unalterable . I will not , brethren , press this point , because I am quite sure it will be at once conceded . It therefore behoves the Past Masters of this Lodge to guard most jealously this system of working from any change , and we
have the satisfaction of knowing that while we maintain the traditions of this Lodge , while we are faithful to the very important trust committed to our care , we at the same time are very helpful to every brother who comes to our meetings . "
1900 . No change was made this year in the Committee or the executive officers . The Annual Festival on the 2 nd of March was , we believe , a record meeting , upwards of 300 brethren being present , 112 of whom were proposed as members . A probable reason for this large gathering may be found in the fact that the Earl of Warwick , Dep . Grand
Master , had consented to preside at the banquet , but almost at the last moment was prevented by illness , and his place was ably filled by Lt .-Col . A . R . Mark Lockwood , M . P ., Past S . G . Deacon , his Lordship ' s Deputy in the Province of Essex . The sections of the Second Lecture were worked by Bro . R .
Clay Sudlow , as W . Master , Bro . W . G . Kentish acting as I . P . M ., and Bros . Charles Lewis and George Rankin as Wardens . The following brethren answered the questions in the various sections : —
1 st by Bro . J . H . Jenks , I . P . M . No . 8 , P . G . Steward . 2 nd „ ,, W . R . " Bennett , P . M . No . 1965 . 3 rd „ „ Major R . L . S . Badham , No . 21 . 4 th „ „ Charles Lewis , P . M . No . 1706 , P . P . G . D . Essex . 5 th „ „ T . W . Allsop , P . M . No . 88 , P . P . G . D . C . Bucks . At the close of the work Bro . Col . Lockwood , who said
it was the first time he had witnessed the working of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the brethren who had worked the sections . The motion was seconded by Bro . Thomas Fenn , P . G . W . who said that having formerly occupied the position held
that evening by Bro . Sudlow he might perhaps be allowed tobe a judge of the work , and in that capacity he could say that during his long experience he did not recollect having seen the work clone more perfectly . Every word of it came back to him ; it was absolutely correct .
The motion was unanimously carried , and Bro . Sudlow briefly acknowledged it . After the closing of the Lodge the brethren adjourned tosupper . The number was so large that in addition to the Great Hall of Freemasons' Tavern , the Crown Room had to be utilised for the accommodation of the company .
The usual toasts having been given and responded to in due order , the V . W . Bro . Edward Letchworth , Grand Secretary , Treasurer of the Lodge , proposed " The Chairman . " Whether as a soldier , a legislator , a sportsman , or a Mason , Col . Lockwood had won the esteem and respect of those who had been fortunate enough to be brought in
contact with him , and on behalf of the Committee of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , he tendered his warmest thanks to him for presiding that evening . Col . Lockwood warmly thanked the brethren for their cordial reception , and then proceeded to the toast of
" Success to the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , " prefacing his remarks by a sympathetic allusion to the illness of the Earl of Warwick and expressing a hope that his lordship might soon return to our shores completely restored tohealth .
Then followed a brief sketch of the history of the Lodge ,, with which our readers are doubtless familiar , and a referenceto the munilicient support given by it to the charities of the Order .
The Chairman included in his remarks a dissertation on Secret Societies , and their doings in bygone days , which ,, though undoubtedly interesting , forms no part of our history ,, and concluded as follows : —But what was the end of all these societies ? They perished and fell away ; and for this reason—the principles they worked on were wrong ; they
were principles of bloodshed and of working against the laws of the land ; while Masonry—a great guild founded on principles of religion and virtue—remained , and ever would remain , as long as she followed her present course , a great instrument for good in the world . It was only when
men were initiated and began to know the work Masonry carried on that they fully appreciated the duties of Freemasonry . Long might that Craft llourish , long continue to increase , and , intimately connected with it , long might the Emulation Lodge of Improvement continue to llourish and to set the standard of excellent working . ( To be Continued ) .