INSTALLING MASTER'S SPEECH.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13109, 7 May 1908, Page 8

INSTALLING MASTER'S SPEECH.

In enthroning the Grand Master* ' v ' M.W. Bro. F. G. Jiinr.s aaid:—Yotn[ - ? ' Excellency, in placing "3ou m the chair r* of King ix»k>mon, lam performing the ->' 1 last and most import ant duty that ha» > fallen to* my Tot '-during my term ae. "< Pro. G.M., and I desire to take odv&j*. »< : tago of tire opportunity to express mv P * h-eartfelt .thanks for;: your uniform \ kindness and for the excellent ,and ! 1 valued atlvico you havo on many occa»- ' sions given mc. Tho pleasure with. * ■which your acceptance of office as .-* Grand Master semo two yeans afep *as -<- - received by tho Fraternity throughout * tho Dominion, will -not bo lexcued ab* , ' the present time by your having"under- I taken a further continuance of ita ' duties. "Wo gratefully recognise tie value of tho services tendered- Airing the past two years. . Ttasa services are ,-v ample evidence cf the many sacn6ccs " • you have made, visiting as you have "" oono many lodges in tho Domimoa," * and many times journeying to places I far and away from tho beaten track "■" I in order to .be present at the mony of consecration of some aew :,f lodge. Iα view of tho tune- and atteirtiodi you htive given to the office, ~*"|* we,■ fearwi-that bo soma*.*! your eerfeelings of '.jl of ycur re- AwN ihewai of G.M. It mustTlK be a source tot *"»- your Excellency -tbi note- -the Tentark- "slf able the order displayed since your accession—a d«y gMfr velopment tho most striking in tim *j&mt history of the GTand Lodge, and which ||B£ has materially and financially ed its position. We reoogmeo wiflj * *f«f\ great satisfaction' the oouneel which/|fmj you. have given oil every possiHo oc- ♦Iβ?; casion—-that lodges should' continuo exercise tho creates* possible dasenmi^ , V nation with^regard to thoso seekiag.-il f admission to tlie Order. That these "Sa £ appeals have not been made in vain, ? J| |T ia evidenced by the fact tfcat tho i* ous centres and districts are | in the matter of -the appointment of ; ,j| I Boards of Enquiry, before itbom ■<% character and general desirability the candidates seeking admission muefrJJQfK^ , be _ dealt with ; by experienced .Besii '*'§*/?' Masters. We recognise further tha*is»V since your assumption of > tho duties, of f Grand, Master, tnero hoe been an. 3 creasing attraction to our ranks of-jsp t mem of .c ibetter type §»" tkeao features % fOT ; aji increased influence of the Gram? myt lioage. ajeO'AwlJ awaro of tbfr added digni-ry to out poeitioa Sj < sister Grand Lodges.''|nr tho occupancy *• of tho Grand 31ast<sr*s chair by 'the'JUj ■>* direct representative of the King. every, way, the/period to which I referring is one iSiat can only be view-' crt with the greatest: satisfaction. XokjjfißJ the least feature is-the fact that ing that period eleven new ledges haveflll been opened l ." JL cannot conel'ude [1 brief - remarks witSiout a '< '<- to the proposal as to the - or increasing our Benevolent Fund, 9 proposal which, has stimulated'&"feeJ-;Tli *% ing of healthy\ emulation lodges, and has resulted in sucJi *Sm & great addition to the fund. You -■ minded us that it> was desirable tb»tiiff I? the years of'prosperity which thj< minion has enjoyed, aifd appears. to enjoy, should not pass witihont'oorjlllf preparing for- possible seasons of tressj, -wlien theso funds might j-fich blessing. Indeed, it must v gratifying to you that so much jhjw'ie^^^E , ' suited by tiho appeal in ike sense, but the very discussion of proposals, and the necessity for ata*ii#f||| the position of these funds to ing subscribers'-.has awakened th* mi? tention of the brethren to the tiality of these funds for good. -riPsllißp 1 GRAND MAsipi« M.W. Lord Plunket, after. htf thronement, said:-—'Most right .worshipful, very -norsbipfa],. worshipful brethren, I return, you hearty thanks for. the honour. liS§isS||fS have conferred upon mc in electing?|i||||f«| for a third. time as your Grand tor, and the fact that I was by over 100. of our lodges this yOT;isg|p||Si the lweition is a compliment deeply appreciate. In progress of tlie New Zealand tution during the past year, ire indeed cause for satisfaction pride: Our members* have somo 1200, and eight new lodge* been opened. The reports or my Superintendents.are all of a *»ngum<><|||«s character, and some minor difficultiei to which they had to refer last reports have vanished, or process of disappearing. Indeed, I to chronicle the u'holo course of th» year's events it would bo a history almost monotonous prosperity. ever, one event stands out and that is the euccess which has tendeu the appeal which I ventured X make some two years ago to brethren for substantialiy X the capital account of our Widows Orphaas and Aged Masons Fund. is the successful conclusion of 8 s]>ecial effort which will * mark Grand Jxidge meeting of 1908 as red-lefcter day in the history of the No* '•'sllß Zealand (Constitution, and with feeling* '&|m of mingled gratitude and pride, I tarn to you, my brethren, my tbanM for tho splendid" response you made to my call, and the thanks _abo ot' the'jKJor and necessitous, the wider S and tho orphan. What such benevolence meaiu -is eloquently es- ?.«*: X pressed by a distinguished Irish Grarid-Chaplain,.-Bishop Crozier, in these words:—"l , havo seen liow Masonry * J /B has softened for men the «B and oempetition of social and bueme» f »| life. I have soeir how it has helped _j.* to dry tie ecolding tears of hopeless sorrow, how it has relieved ■wants of the sore distressed, how i* has cheered tho sad room of sickness* how it has smoothed tho pathway *° P ' the tomb, and when the spirit «** $M returned to God who gave it, has ttH- *2ffl lowed the brother's corpse to bis l* earthly resting place. Xor has>thut f&& bexn\ all. . I have seen the love 8n ™ > "-S|l tenderness of tho Masonic brother tak- 4< ing the place of the father who a *?^- gone, and holding out a ready hano Jii&fiß to guide the tottering IOOv- 1 ZMm steps of th& orphan childreß cast -upon the Fitherhood . *" t God." Brethren, if in 6uch a. e^i*~:: «%3SBL you continue to support thi& fund you wero doing before our special ***'" tort was made. your ordinary annuß ' donatious, combined ~n tth xhe sum now secured, should enable Beard of Benevolence I o deal watteMß^^W

must, of course, accompany gener- , osity. but the unhappy potfition in ,"* jjjjii that Board has from time to - * time found iteelf of having to refuse " cenuine calls, or to give less than was i ' really required, is one, thanks to your BiuntficeiKX". not liiit-iy to Trouble it ' for fioro° time to couie. Another grati- --- tying leaiure in connection with the acsncial f>o.»i£ioi2 oi the Grand Lodg'j " [ should like to call attention to. it niigbt naturally have been expected that a roiult of tho special campaign , j or O ne branch of our funds would have temporarily diverted money from the other two. * It k, therefore, satisfactory to uoto that both the General • '"' Fund " l: :i^L * Fund at Benevolence have been increased more this past year than in the year beiore, and 1 feel sure you will join with mc in acknowledging that for tins steady progress wo croc- a debt to those able and energetic - officers of Grand Lodge who have devoted so much time and thought to our finaaci.il well-being. go far 1 have spoken of out incroasi jjjg numbers and our largely increasing funds, but thtee aLono would not be sufficient "reasous for concluding ' that all was well witn us, and I, thurefon'. *"m to the vital question —what sort of an example of Freemasonry are tLo senior bretiiien displaying, and vhat idoais of our craft are they placing bcioro the junior members of our V • Constitution? This is a matter which ' is much harder to reckon than pounds, ehUliuss and pence, or tuo number on our rolls, and I can, thereiore, only give my personal opinion, found<<d u r ion visits to lodges, eon vocations with local and private iniormation obtained through my " Grand Superintendents. .1 am sattofiou , however, that there is a genera 1, ' distinct and increasing wave ot feeJiW towards making Masonry in this territory far more than a mero.fraterS; 60dal and charitable organisation. \Luch greater care is now being excicUed in ascertaining.a candidates character before admitting him withm tho porch, 'lhe reproach that our Scial evenings gave the ho to the Spte we professed caJi but seldom ' SS be made, and the number or JSng Masons\who are not content «ith accepting Freemasonry merely as syltem of morality veiled aad illustrated by sym- - Sb » buWho «c proud to tlmk of ??abo ava-meane towards living a • upright life, bound to others " by the cement of brotherly Jove, self discipline and self sacrifice, is a most • kSil *or our future WSk breUren, careless ones, and even bad on«s there must be vi every community, but if the majority of a Jodse are determineid to encourage and honour those.who set a high example, eren though that majority fear they canr-ot attain to it themselves, tho weak will be strengthened, the carelees interested, and the bad improved. Brethren, I trust that yon will not misinterpret the laet remanke of mine. lam not endeavouring to " ask you to copy mc in cultiva-ting such lofty ideals, nor am I suggesting that our beautiful ritual counts for little, or our social and convivial meetings need disconraeement. I do not claim to rank witn those earnest Masons who, in increasing numbers, are setting us so much more noble an. ideal of the meaning of our craft, but I do ask you to join with mc in honouring them, and welcoming their efforts to raiso our ideals of Freemasonry, 'Kte in them is the leaven which will raise • ■ a lodge- in honour ajjioJigst its folio we, secure the best members,, advance the • , craft, and exalt our ponstitution. Aβ - ,* to our pleasant social meetings, I confidcr that without them Freemasonry would have lost half its usefulness and tiha.rm. At .them, wo learn to know fach other bettor, to strengthen our .'" feeling of brotherhood, to rub off our individual shaqj corners, aJid to re~ •', ,'gaiti cenfidence in any of out brethren ' -;wHli whom we may not have been on ' "rtruly Maeonic terms of goodwill. -V rAnd aow there is another subject "'*, 'to which I invite your attention. It I, ? -j-\h cm© which was Ably dealt with by "' ' -\vij immediate predecessor in thia Most- Worshipful Brother Bur- ' -T'ton, and I need, therefore, not enlarge rt~ ' upon -it,"but os- I ;ftar "little haa yet (v heon done tv his admira.blo ■* advice, I would bring the matter before you again. .The number of unattached brethren made in Now Zealand is very large; it has even been calculated at nearly half of the subscribing members iai the Dominion. Doubtless .1 considerable >proi>ortion, of these wore men who ought n«ver to have entered our doors—some, who became 3lftsons .through mere cariosity, and " others who drifted away from the territory, but I. am convinced there must Ire a fair number—l lyiow there are eoeno—who left Masonry because tihey ' ' wore disrated and disheartened, by .; the irdifferejit manner in which the brethren of their lodge acted up to their principles. To regain such members is ' ~ worth much, trouble-, end I heartily command a crusado' in t2ia>t direction to - ' the brethren of ray Constitution, and - , 1 venture to suggest it to my brottere ', of tho oWer lodges- If you can aeeure. fiuch uaatladied, brethren should t&ey rejoin a ledge, they will find a much better .ejMrib and tone than prevailed in tie past, you will gain iruuiy *of them. If you cannot, tJion it is • ■ en rely time to* set about reformi^on in your own lod^e. <• . And now, if I nave not weaTied you, " I should like to say a few words re- ' garddng the subject of our rela tions with other Constitutions in New land. Yei.r after year an exaepora.ting pcßition has pxeeeinted iiteelf, .always , leading to- a deplorable- detriment of 1 tlie craft in outsiders j find always to and rocTiminaitions ourselv«». It is witi deep eai;sfoctaon I am able to record tihat, for /- Aha moment at any rate, we are,, at peace, and moro than t«hat—on a more ' . really fraternally mutual understanding Tihan wo have been for many years v post. Long may it continue. Our ■fcuffthy correspondence witi tie Grand . iJodge ctP Scotland and Right Worshap- , firt Bro. FowJds'e intervipw with tiicsn lead us to Siope that we aire be- ' ginning to set better eyo to eye. As > to tie Grand Lodge of England, a satisfactory conipromieo has, in Auckland, broughi us togoti!ie>r again, I *ni in hopes thi<t a similar arrangev na>nt may 'be mado throughout New Zealand. Regarding EngJisih lodges . which desire to join out Constitution we aro still in considerailo difrieultiee. t Wit I am in constant correspondence with our representative. Lord Onslow, ' tt&o is placing oiar position before tlicir Giand Lodge, and I hope wo may coon obtain a definite statement as to the circumstaiicce under wiieh they will ' Permit \ lodge, to raise or i."e-introduco ■tie question of transference^— a subject - wtich. has caused much. mis«.pprelionaon and bitterness. Regarding Ire*md, my mot&er Gra.nd Lodge, I can proudly state we always have be*in on iba best and most friendly terms. In conclusion. I wish, on beJialf of myself and my Grand Lodc:e, to warmly welcome Very "Worsbip-ful Bro. Fielding. Grand Ghiplain, to the Grand Lodge of New Soutih WaJes. has been eoeciaMy deputed by his Exc(4leocy, Sir Harry Rawson. thoir Gxdnd MasteTj ; O repreectit ham and tbrai ait . py installation. This fraternal courtesy is, I can assure Bro. highly appreciated by oar Grand I wish «i'-ualiy to exp-ress our pleasure Rod satie faction at .having this ceremonial graced by tho p-i-es-ence of the •DJsinct or Provd-ncial ■ Grand of tihe ol'Jor cent*: bat ions , in tihus urovinco. ,'Jlicir presence is one more happy ev<Mit to be- r.dded to the prosperous ci>eiiing of a new year in the history of the Grand Lodge of Nc-w Zealaud.