GOOD TEMPLARISM.

Evening Star, Issue 3314, 3 October 1873, Page 3

GOOD TEMPLARISM.

The papers to hand by this mail give account of the annual sessions of the Grand Lodges of Good Templars. We cull the following particulars from the report of the meetings of the Grand Lodge of England as affording evidence of the remarkable spread of the Order in that country. The meetings were held in Bristol. Preparatory sermons were preached in many churches and chapels on the Sunday. On Monday there was a precession, attended by about 7,000 persons, and a fete in the Zoological Gardens, at which about 12,000 persons were present. The proceedings on the Tuesday were inaugurated by a well-attended prayer meet ing at seven a.m. At half-past nine the Grand Lodge was opened, when about 2,000 persons received the fourth degree, there being nearly another thousand there who had already received that honor. These represented 3,100 lodges throughout England, with a membership in good standing of 183,982, Mr Joseph Mai ins, Grand Worthy Chief Templar, presided, and in the course of his address stated, amongst other items of interest, that the membership of the order in England included 892 ministers of religion. These included Primitive Methodists, 205 ; Independents, 135 ; Wesleyana, 125 ; Baptists, 95 ; Methodist Free Church, 79 ; Bible Christians, 49 ; Church of England, 30 ; Presbyterian, 22 ; Methodist Mew Connexion, 21 : Calvanistic Methodists, 14; miscellaneous bodies, 95 ; Home missionaries, 25. The financial statement showed that the gross receipts amounted to L 22,824 Is, and that the net profit for the year was L 3.515 4s 4.sd. The amount received for capitation tax was L 3,228 9s for charter fees. L 1,746 4s 4d ; for trade supplies, L 5,459 0s The Grand Worthy Chief Templar receives a salary of LSOO a year, and the Grand Worthy Secretary, L 350. .