FREEMASONRY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4456, 1 July 1875, Page 3

FREEMASONRY.

THE INSTALLATION OF THE PRINCE OF WALES. (From the Yorkshire Gazette.) On Monday, April 27, with fitting and splendid ceremony, the Prince of Wales was installed as Worshipful Grand Master of the Freemasons of England. The history of the craft can afford no parallel to' the event just witnessed. The extraordinary occurrence of the Marquis of Kipon, late head of the order, having on his entrance into the Homan Catholic Church abjured Freemasonry,, was calculated to endorse the prejudice of the Ultrambntanes that the profession of Freemasonry is inconsistent with a life obedient to rehgion and authority. That the Prince of Wales sSoahl accept the office deserted by azealous con--ert is the highest testimony to the merit of the society, and the best answer to its traducers. Great princes have been chiefs of the order before now. The first heir-apparent to the Ehglish throne who was made Grand Mastef was George, Prince of Wales, who was installed in 1790; and that was at a time when a schism existed in Freemasonry, which was then divided into moderns and ancients. The first Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge was his Royal Highness, Duke of Sussex, who was divided, from the succession by Princess Charlotte and several Boyal princes. The present Prince of Wales is, therefore, the first of his rank to rule over the United Grand Lodge. Sir Albert Wood and his assistants have been sorely tried to make the space avail able-'for the demand made upon'it. At first it was thought practicable to have admitted a contingent of brethren from every lodge desiring to he represented, but the applications were so numerous that it was found impossible to give seats to any but those officers whose masonic rank entitled them to be present at Grand Lodges. As the clock pointed to half-past two the assembly sat packed in the Albert Hall, a body of freemasons ten thousand strong, met in secret conclave, cut off by the strictest vigilance from -,11 communication with the outer world- It is difficult to describe in a tangible form the strange splendor of the scene. The vast ceiling was covered by a painted canvas valerium, through an opening from the centre of which the subdued light streamed throughout the painted and arabesqued skylight- The great floor was bisected by a broad line of purple carpet, presented by Mr. Lems, of Watling-street. This carpet was a wonderful specimen of loom work. It had a purple ground, on which were wrought in proper colors the. arms and supporters of the Prince of Wales, alternated with the Prince of Wales’s feathers, and appropriately bordered. At the eastern end of the causeway was placed the master’s throne, surmounted by a canopy of feathers. Both the throne and the gold and purple velvet chairs by which it was flanked, were originally presented to the grand, lodge by his late Boyal Highness the Duke of Sussex. In front of the throne, resting on a velvet-covered table, were the paraphernalia to be used in the ceremony, together with the massive gold plate nsed at the_ consecration, of new lodges. The whole occupied the centre of a magnificent Persian carpet, of great length and beauty of design. Immediately in front of this, and-facing the throne, was a border of azaleas, lilies, and tropical ferns. The remaining thrones or chairs of state and the secretary’s table occupied their proper position in the lodge. Up and down the sides of the carpet or causeway, and stretching across the floor in the form of a cross; sat the past grand stewards, dressed in the crimson collars and aprons of their rank. In a semicircle behind the throne .were placed the grand officers, visitors of distinction, and deputations and representatives from the Grand Lodges of Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, and Denmark. In the remainder of the area of the hall sat packed in order the past-masters of the craft. Then, . looking upwards, were seen, ranged from floor to ceiling, j-ow behind row, and tier above tier, great crowds of jewelled brethren, the greater number of whom were clothed in the collars of Office. Even the topmost gallery, divided into Italian arches, and lit with golden flickering jets of gas, was crowded with master-masons. The maroon-colored decoration of the Albert _ Hall was set off by the masses of blue silk, gave to the building the appearance of a , ‘parterre of forget-me-nots ; and the light, constantly shifting, caused a hundred varying gradations of color, as through and through, the vast open space there rose, and fell the inarticulate munanrings of ten thousand voices. Many places were still vacant, tint the silent and ready stewards were swiftly marshalling brethren to their marked and numbered seats. At a quarter to three o’clock the great organ, under the skilful hands of Brother Coward, began to throb with sound. Presently the long-drawn notes died away, and nothing v;as heard but the hum of many voices, like the monotonous dragging of the sea along a shingly, shore. Exactly at ’ a quarter-past three a flourish of trumpets was sounded, and again there broke from the organ a melancholy prelude, changing almost immediately into a veritable march of triumph. Slowly, amid the hushed breathing of the great mass of men, there swept up the centre causeway the Grand Stewards of the year, followed by the Grand Pursuivant, Past Grand Organists, Grand Organist, Past Grand Sword Bearers, B. A G. Directors of Ceremonies, Grand Direc--—Jot of Ceremonies, P. G. Superintendents of WorSs7t3>rand Superintendent of Works, PastGrand Deawns, Grand Secretary of German Correspondence, Grand Secretary, President of jfis Board of General Purposes, Past Grand Registrar, Grand Registrar, Grand Treasurer, '■ past Grand Chaplains, Grand Chaplains, Past Grand Wardens, Past Provincial Grand Masters, Hlustrious Visitors (T.E. Highnesses Prince Leopold and the Duke of Connaught), Junior Grand Warden, Senior Grand Warden, and Junior Grand Deacon ; and representatives from the Grand Lodges of Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, and Scotland. After these came the Acting Deputy Grand Master, Grand , Sword Bearer, the W. M. Provincial Grand Master, Senior Grand Deacons, two Grand Stewards. The Grand Lodge was then opened by the M.W. the Earl of Carnarvon, and the minutes of the last quarterly communication as to the election of a M.W. Grand Master and Grand Treasurer having been read and confirmed, the Earl of Carnarvon directed a ci putation of the Provincial Grand Masters, Past Grand Wardens, and Grand Officers to withdraw for the purpose of introducing H.B.H. the Prince of Wales, and they accordingly did so. After a short time a procession was formed and moved up the centre of the hall, the organ playing a processional march, composed for the occasion by Bro. Sir Michael Costa. The following was the order of the procession;—Four Grand Stewards of the year; Grand Stewards ; the gloves and apron of the Grand Master on a cushion, borne by the Master of a Lodge;, the collar and jewel of the Grand Master on a cushion, borne by the Master of a Lodge ; behind came the Grand Director of the Ceremonies (Sir Albert Woods, Grand Secretary), Mr. John Servey (President of the Board of General Purposes), Mr. J. B. Monckton (Grand Registrar), Mr. Mclntyre, G.C. '(Grand Treasurer), Mr. S. Tomkins (Grand Chaplain), Bevs. K. B. Bent and Dr. Simpson, six Past Grand Wardens, and six Provincial Grand

Masters. Then came the Prince of Wales, followed by two Grand Stewards. Having been conducted to the throne, the brethren, bearing the insignia stood behind, whilst all the rest, who had during the procession been standing, resumed their seats, and afterwards a prayer was offered by the Grand Chaplain. Another masonic ceremony was then performed, and the M.W.G.M. was conducted to the right hand of the throne, and the pro. Grand Master, with the insignia of his high office, was eonducted to the chair on the left of the throne. The Grand of Ceremonies then proclaimed the installation by sound of trumpet, and called upon the brethren to salute the Grand Master according to ancient The Earl of Carnarvon then addressed the assemblage in the following words Your Royal Highness, Most Worshipful Grand Master, it has been from time immemorial the custom when any Master of the Craft was placed in this chair, to remind him of the duties that he then undertook ; and though it is unnecessary that I should remind ypiir Royal Highness, who is so conversant until all the affairs of the craft and of the whole of those duties, that our time-honored custom should, not absolutely disappear, it will be my duty to address to you’ a few words on this occasion. Your Boyal Highness knows that Freemasonry possesses many titles to respect, even in the eyes of the outer world. It is first of great antiquity, an antiquity ascending into the sphere of immemorial tradition. Secondly, it is known and practised in every country, in every clime, and in every race of civilised men; and lastly, in this country above all,_ it has associated itself with human sympathies and charitable institutions. (Cheers.) Let me say further, that whilst it has changed its character in some respects,it has lost nothing which can claim the respect-of men, (Cheers.) -Formerly through the dim periods of the middle ages it carved its records upon the public buildings, upon the tracery of the mediaeval windows, on the ornamentation of palaces. Now it is content to devote' itself to works of sympathy and charity. In them it finds its highest praise and reward. Let ine draw one further distinction.. No one will say that it is an invidious one. In some other countries it has been unfortunately the lot of Freemasonry to find itself allied with faction and intrigue—with what I may call the darker side of politics. In England it has been signally the reverse. (Cheers.) The craft here has allied itself with social order, with the great institutions of the country, and above ’all with monarchy, the crowning institution of all. (Cheers.) Your Boyal Highness is not the . first by many of your illustrious family that have sat in that chair. It is, no doubt, by the lustre of your, great name and position you will reflect honor upon the craft to-day. But it is also something to bent the head of such a body as is represented here. (Cheers.) I may truly say that never in the whole history of Freemasonry has such a Grand Lodge been convened as that on which my eyes rest at this moment, and there is thus the further and inner view to be taken that .far as my eye can carry me over these serried ranks of white and blue and gold and purple, I recognise in them men who have solemnly undertaken obligations of'worth and morality, men who have undertaken the duties of citizens and the loyalty of subjects. (Cheers.) , I am but expressing, though feebly, the feelings and the aspirations of this great assemblage when I say that I trust that the connection of. your Boyal Highness with the craft may be lasting, and that you may never have occasion for one moment’s reuret or anxiety when you look back upon the events of to-day. (Cheers.) • His Boyal Highness the Prince of Wales, on rising was received with great applause. He said Brethren, I am deeply grateful to the Most Worshipful Provincial Grand Master for the excessively kind words he has just spoken, and to you, brethren, for the cordial reception which you* have given to them. It has been your unanimous wish, brethren, that I should occupy the chair as your Grand Master, and yon have this day installed me. It is difficult for me to, find "words adequate to express my deep thanks for the high honor that has been bestowed upon me, an honor which has been bestowed on several members of, my family, and it will be always my most ardent and sincere wish to follow in their footstep—(Hear, hear)—and by God’s help to fulfil the duties of that high office to which I have been called to-day in the same , manner a? those who have preceded me. The Provincial Grand Master has told you, brethren, and I feel convinced it is so, that such an assemblage in Grand Lodge has never been known ; and when I look round me in this vast spacious hall, and see those who have come from the north and- the south, from the east and the west, it is, I trust, an omen of good. (Hear, hear.) The various duties _ I have to perform in my position, I am afraid, will not enable me so frequently as I could wish to attend to my many , duties connected with the craft; but you, brethren, may be sure that whenever I have the time I shall do my utmost to maintain the high position in which the craft now is, and to do my duty by it and my duty by you on every possible occasion. (Hear, hear.) It would, brethren, I feel sure, be useless for me on such an occasion to recapitulate anything which has been so ably told by the Provincial Grand Master relative to Freemasonry. Every Englishman knows that the two national words, I may say, of the craft are loyalty and charity. (Applause.) Those are their watchwords, and as long as they never mix themselves up with politics, so long, I am sure, will this great and ancient order -flourish, and maintain the integrity of the throne- and of our great empire. (Hear.) I thank you once more, brethren, for your cordial reception of me to-day, and I thank you for having come such immense distances to welcome me on this occasion. I assure you ‘ I shall never forget to-day. (Great applause.) At the conclusion of his Boyal Highness’s reply, the march from Eli was performed on the organ, and the brethren forming the deputations from the Grand Lodges of Scotland, Ireland, and Sweden, and the representatives from the Grand Lodge of Denmark were introduced to his Boyal Highness. The Grand Master next appointed the Earl of Carnarvon Provincial Grand Master, which was the signal for another burst of cheering. After a flourish of- trumpets, the. Earl .of. Carnarvon was pro-, claimed and saluted according to ancient form. Lord Skelmersdale having been appointed Deputy. Grand Master, was also duly installed and proclaimed. The next duty was. the appointment of the Grand Wardens and grand officers for the- ensuing year, who were severally invested with the insignia of their offices, and saluted as the customs of the order direct, as follows ; —The Marquis of Hamilton, Senior Grand Warden;, the Lord Mayor, Junior Grand Warden; the Rev. James Simpson, D.C.L., and the Bev. Spencer Eobt. Wigram, Grand Chaplains ; Samuel. Tomkins, Grand Treasurer ; riEneas 'J. Mclntyre, Q.C., Grand Registrar ; John Hervey, Grand Secretary ; Ernest Emil Wendt, Grand Secretary, German Correspondence ; Mantague J. Guest aud William Speed, Senior Grand Deacons ; Robert Gray and Frederick P. Morrell, Junior Grand Deacons ; Fredk. P. Cockerell, Grand Superintendent of'Works ; Sir Albert W. Woods, Garter, Grand Director of Ceremonies; Samuel G. Homfray, Assistant .Grand Director of Ceremonies ; B. AVoodman, Grand Sword Bearer; Wilhelm Kuhe, Grand Organist; JohnWright; Grand Pursuivant; Eleazer P. Albert, Assistant Grand Pursuivant; and Charles B. Payne, Grand Tyler. His Boyal Highness the Grand Master then announced that Bro. Sir A. Woods was authorised to take the rank and wear the clothing of P.J.G.W.; and Bro. Feun, of P.S.G.D., in acknowledgment of ,their services in the proceedings of the day. (Cheers.) Bro. Sir H. Costa was likewise authorised to wear the clothing of P.J.G.W., and Bro. Thos. Cubitt of P.G. Pursuivant. The names of the brethren returned by the lodges appointed grand stewards for the year ensuing having been presented for the approval of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, the Grand Lodge was closed in ample form, and as the strains of the great organ once more filled the mighty hall, the procession was re-formed, and his Boyal Highness, now Worshipful Grand Master, was conducted hack to his room, and the ceremony ended. Those masons who beheld the ceremony can never forget it whilst

memory lasts, there are certain points in the ceremony, the picturesque aspect of which it is impossible to describe. The banquet, which was held at the Freemasons’ Tavern in the evening, was a most sumptuous one. The Grand Master, was received by the Grand Stewards and the President. Among these present were H.B.H. the Duke of Connaught, Lord Skelmersdale, the Marquis of Hartington, &c. The Duke of Manchester, in proposing the health of the Princess of Wales, said that it was not necessary to praise her as they all admired her. The Duke of Connaught, the youngest Master Mason in England, proposed the health of the Grand Master, and in doing so expressed a hope that he and his royal brother would prove themselves no less worthy of the craft than their predecessors, the Duke of Sussex aud the Duke of Kent. In reply, the Prince of Wales, after returning his most grateful thanks to the Junior Master-man of England—(laughter)—for the way in which lie had proposed the toast, said that this was the first time he had had the honor of j: reriding at the Grand Festival, and he was very grateful for the land reception of that night. He hoped that the brethren would never regret the choice of their Grand Master, and he begged to assure them that orf all occasions he would try his utmost to do his duty in the position iu which the brethren had placed him. The following members of- the York Lodge, No. 236, were present at the ceremony ; —Bro. S. Maltby, AVAL ; Bro. AVm. Lawton, P.M. ; Bro. E. Davison, P.M. ; Bro. Wm. Cowling, P.M.; Bro. J. Todd, P.M. ; Bro Aid. March, P.M. ; Bro. G. Balmford, P.M. ; Bro. the Bev. W. ATilentine, Chaplain; Bro. C. D. Barstow, J.AV. ; Bro, J. Terry (the Lord Mayor) ; Bro. Ward, P.G.P. J Bro. T. B. Whytehead (representing Prince of AVales, No. 1338; New Zealand.)