Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Lnstallation Of His Royal Highness The Duke Of Connaught As M.W. Grand Master Of England.
THE DUKE ARRIVES . Craft , has proved himself very considerably more than an ornamental Mason . It ss'as as far back as 1874 when the Royal Duke first " saw light , " and he ss-as " raised" on the eve of the Prince of Wales ' s installation as Grand Master .
We then sasv His Royal Highness—the "Junior Master Mason of England , " as he subsequently dubbed himself—occupying a place of honour in the procession , and alongside the throne . From that day forward the Prince co-operated svith Ins Royal brother , the Grand Master , in all the prominent work of
Masonry . In 1877 he was appointed Senior Grand Warden ,,, and at the same time H . R . H . the Duke of Albany—a " bright" and deeply regretted Mason—assumed the rank of Junior Grand Warden , whereby svas added to the annals of the Craft the hitherto unknown and pleasing incident of three
Royal brothers occupying at one and the same time the highest offices in the Grand Lodge of England . In 1886 , the Duke of Connaught was installed Provincial . Grand Master of Sussex , and the year fpllosving , on assuming an important military command , His Royal Highness was further installed District Grand Master of Bombay , thus being chief
of tss'o Provinces . But more svas to follosv , as in 18 91 the Duke svas elected by Grand Lodge a Past Grand Master , a position which had also been conferred on His Majesty the King , some years previous to his election as Grand Master . Add ; o this the circumstance that His Royal Highness has nosv and again practically evinced his warm interest in the
charities by presiding at our Festivals . Such in brief is the Masonic record of our new Grand Master , and truly it is a brilliant record , consummated as it nosv is by his induction to the highest rank and office in the power of the Craft to bestosv .
Shortly after the death of Her Majesty Queen Victoria , it svill be remembered that the King announced his resignation of the position of Grand Master ; but , in order to soften the feelings of regret certain to arise in every part of . the world where English Masonry has its being , His Majesty svas graciously pleased to intimate his assumption of the title of
Protector of the Craft , a resolution sufficient of itself to prove that the Sovereign ' s Masonic sympathies are as warm as ever they svere . The great meeting in the Queen ' s Hall , Langham Place , on the 15 th of February last , ss-as the preliminary step to the
Duke of Connaught ' s election as Most Worshipful Grand Master of England . His Royal Highness svas on that day nominated successor to his exalted brother , in svhich connection it may not be out of place to observe that the proceedings svere not precisel y in conformity svith the " Book
of Constitutions . " In other words , the Grand Lodge seems to have tacitly , or at all events , unwittingly , suspended its osvn laws for the time being . In all probability the peculiarity of the incident has not occurred to the minds of a dozen
members of the Craft ; nevertheless , the act is a record for all time , and having been confirmed bv the deliberate vote ol " Grand Lodge , cannot nosv be interfered svith . Wednesday , July 17 th , 1 9 , svill for many a year to come be looked back to as amongst the memorabilia of English Freemasonry . Iu 1873 , when His Majesty the
present King svas installed as Most Worshipful Grand Master , the total lodges on the roll numbered little more than half the roll that obtains at the close of the tsventv-six
years . 1 he Royal Albert Hall has a seating capacity ot about 7 , 300 . In 18 75 the building was full in every part . On the present occasion , therefore , the problem facing the brethren in charge of the arrangements svas , svith the marvellous increase in lodges considered , how to provide accommodation for those entitled to be present by virtue of
Grand Lodge membership . This , it ss'ill be gratifying to knosv , svas safely and successfully accomplished , principally by the erection of staging throughout the entire gallery space , which enabled at least 2 , 000 more brethren to be admitted , and although , svith the exception of the orchestra
platform , devoted to Provincial Grand Masters and Past Grand Officers , where there svere vacant chairs here and theie , it may be safel y asserted that nearly 10 , 000 Masonssvere present , and that the hall svas full to its utmost capacity . The tropical heat , it may be readily imagined by those not
present , svas severel y felt in the different parts of the hall , though , without doubt , the part just under the vaulted roof , in svhich the staging svas erected , svas the most uncomfortable of any part , and old Past Masters , whom the ill-luck of the ballot for places had relegated to the upper regions , must have been extremely uncomfortable from first to last .
Five o'clock was the hour announced for opening the especial Grand Lodge , two hours later than on April 28 th , 1 875 , svhich was , by the bye , the Grand Festival , on the Wednesday' nearest St . George's Day . With the entrances all around the hall opened at three o'clock and ordered to be closed at four , the continuous streams of brethren
concentrated from all parts of the Metropolis and from the country districts may be guessed . And hosv A'astly different the occasion of their coming , compared with the Grand Lodge Festivals in the early decades of the eighteenth century , when one reads of the brethren assembling at the town house of the Grand Master , and , headed by a band of music , escorting
"His Worship" to one of the City Companies' halls , in svhich a " noble feast" succeeded the business in Grand Lodge .
ARRIVAL OF BRO . THE EARL OF EUSTON . From one point of view the thousands of " light blues " had considerably the advantage of the ' arrangements , inasmuch as after entering the building they proceeded to their seats . Not so the Grand Officers ( Present and Past ) , however .
In accordance svith the nesv order of procession the Past Grand Officers were left to kick their heels in the corridors of the southern entrance for the better part of an hour after admission , ere the word was given for them to form up and
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Lnstallation Of His Royal Highness The Duke Of Connaught As M.W. Grand Master Of England.
THE DUKE ARRIVES . Craft , has proved himself very considerably more than an ornamental Mason . It ss'as as far back as 1874 when the Royal Duke first " saw light , " and he ss-as " raised" on the eve of the Prince of Wales ' s installation as Grand Master .
We then sasv His Royal Highness—the "Junior Master Mason of England , " as he subsequently dubbed himself—occupying a place of honour in the procession , and alongside the throne . From that day forward the Prince co-operated svith Ins Royal brother , the Grand Master , in all the prominent work of
Masonry . In 1877 he was appointed Senior Grand Warden ,,, and at the same time H . R . H . the Duke of Albany—a " bright" and deeply regretted Mason—assumed the rank of Junior Grand Warden , whereby svas added to the annals of the Craft the hitherto unknown and pleasing incident of three
Royal brothers occupying at one and the same time the highest offices in the Grand Lodge of England . In 1886 , the Duke of Connaught was installed Provincial . Grand Master of Sussex , and the year fpllosving , on assuming an important military command , His Royal Highness was further installed District Grand Master of Bombay , thus being chief
of tss'o Provinces . But more svas to follosv , as in 18 91 the Duke svas elected by Grand Lodge a Past Grand Master , a position which had also been conferred on His Majesty the King , some years previous to his election as Grand Master . Add ; o this the circumstance that His Royal Highness has nosv and again practically evinced his warm interest in the
charities by presiding at our Festivals . Such in brief is the Masonic record of our new Grand Master , and truly it is a brilliant record , consummated as it nosv is by his induction to the highest rank and office in the power of the Craft to bestosv .
Shortly after the death of Her Majesty Queen Victoria , it svill be remembered that the King announced his resignation of the position of Grand Master ; but , in order to soften the feelings of regret certain to arise in every part of . the world where English Masonry has its being , His Majesty svas graciously pleased to intimate his assumption of the title of
Protector of the Craft , a resolution sufficient of itself to prove that the Sovereign ' s Masonic sympathies are as warm as ever they svere . The great meeting in the Queen ' s Hall , Langham Place , on the 15 th of February last , ss-as the preliminary step to the
Duke of Connaught ' s election as Most Worshipful Grand Master of England . His Royal Highness svas on that day nominated successor to his exalted brother , in svhich connection it may not be out of place to observe that the proceedings svere not precisel y in conformity svith the " Book
of Constitutions . " In other words , the Grand Lodge seems to have tacitly , or at all events , unwittingly , suspended its osvn laws for the time being . In all probability the peculiarity of the incident has not occurred to the minds of a dozen
members of the Craft ; nevertheless , the act is a record for all time , and having been confirmed bv the deliberate vote ol " Grand Lodge , cannot nosv be interfered svith . Wednesday , July 17 th , 1 9 , svill for many a year to come be looked back to as amongst the memorabilia of English Freemasonry . Iu 1873 , when His Majesty the
present King svas installed as Most Worshipful Grand Master , the total lodges on the roll numbered little more than half the roll that obtains at the close of the tsventv-six
years . 1 he Royal Albert Hall has a seating capacity ot about 7 , 300 . In 18 75 the building was full in every part . On the present occasion , therefore , the problem facing the brethren in charge of the arrangements svas , svith the marvellous increase in lodges considered , how to provide accommodation for those entitled to be present by virtue of
Grand Lodge membership . This , it ss'ill be gratifying to knosv , svas safely and successfully accomplished , principally by the erection of staging throughout the entire gallery space , which enabled at least 2 , 000 more brethren to be admitted , and although , svith the exception of the orchestra
platform , devoted to Provincial Grand Masters and Past Grand Officers , where there svere vacant chairs here and theie , it may be safel y asserted that nearly 10 , 000 Masonssvere present , and that the hall svas full to its utmost capacity . The tropical heat , it may be readily imagined by those not
present , svas severel y felt in the different parts of the hall , though , without doubt , the part just under the vaulted roof , in svhich the staging svas erected , svas the most uncomfortable of any part , and old Past Masters , whom the ill-luck of the ballot for places had relegated to the upper regions , must have been extremely uncomfortable from first to last .
Five o'clock was the hour announced for opening the especial Grand Lodge , two hours later than on April 28 th , 1 875 , svhich was , by the bye , the Grand Festival , on the Wednesday' nearest St . George's Day . With the entrances all around the hall opened at three o'clock and ordered to be closed at four , the continuous streams of brethren
concentrated from all parts of the Metropolis and from the country districts may be guessed . And hosv A'astly different the occasion of their coming , compared with the Grand Lodge Festivals in the early decades of the eighteenth century , when one reads of the brethren assembling at the town house of the Grand Master , and , headed by a band of music , escorting
"His Worship" to one of the City Companies' halls , in svhich a " noble feast" succeeded the business in Grand Lodge .
ARRIVAL OF BRO . THE EARL OF EUSTON . From one point of view the thousands of " light blues " had considerably the advantage of the ' arrangements , inasmuch as after entering the building they proceeded to their seats . Not so the Grand Officers ( Present and Past ) , however .
In accordance svith the nesv order of procession the Past Grand Officers were left to kick their heels in the corridors of the southern entrance for the better part of an hour after admission , ere the word was given for them to form up and