THE FROG REUS OF FREEMASONRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6003, 12 February 1881, Page 7

THE FROG REUS OF FREEMASONRY.

I. 11.11. the Prince of Wales was the guest •eeently of the Lord Mayor, who is Junior .Varden of the English Masons, at a banquet it the. Mansion House. Replying to the toast >f his health the Prince said :—lt is thirty fears since the Grand Master of England and ;he Grand Lodge have been entertained here, md it is particularly gratifying to them, as t is X assure you, my Lord Mayor, to me, to lave been entertained by you during your Mayoralty as a member of the Grand Lodge tself. You have been kind enough to allude ;o the foundation stone of Truro Cathedral. 1 believe I am right in saying that such a ccrenony has not before taken place in the annals >f Masonry—viz., the laying of a founda;ion stone with Masonic honours. I can mly say how gratifying it was for me to perorm that ceremony, and to have been so well nipported oil that occasion by the Grand liodge, who came from a very long distance ;o be present at it. I only trust that the cathedral may be completed before many •ears are over and that it may be a credit to he county in which it is built, and to the craft vho were present, and who took part in the ntercsting ceremony. You, my Lord Mayor, iave especially taken great interest and conern in it, having started a fund which I trust icfore your present year of oiiice is over may lecome still more largely increased, and I I'ould note that as £5,000 or £6,000 are leeded for the choir of the cathedral, that um before long may be found. With regard o Masonry I have always been retrieved with he greatest possible kindness oil the occasions when X came amongst you. I regret hat the many duties I have to perform do lot enable me to see so much of my brethren as should like, but of one thing you may be ssured, that I shall always take the deepest I lit crest in everything that concerns the welare of the craft. I have felt that interest . rom the day I became one of you—(cheers)— I ,nd I hope to do so to the day of my death. Cheers) Brethern, I think we have every eason to say that the craft has flourished, hat lodges are increasing year by year, and . hat Masons are being initiated in great and ncreasing numbers. When my lamcuted ;rand-unele, who was your Grandmaster, died n 1844, there were not more than 500 lodges, [here are now 1900. There are upwards if 400 in foreign countries, but still under my urisdiction, and as many as 10,000 Masons iave been made every year during the last ;en years. Then again, our craft lias cspeiially gone fortli into the world as the greatest :liaritable society that exists. VV e have iceii charged with being a secrct society, lie great tenet of the craft is that we do lot mix in politics or anything that may be letrimental to the country. We ma.y say iliat the three great charitable institutions, liose which maintain and educate the loys and girls of Masons, and maintain the >ld and decayed Masons and their widows, ire the three principal charities which are supported by all the Masons of this country ; md I think I am not wrong in stating that mnually the sum subscribed to these charilies amounts to more than £40,000. That ipeaks enough for the name which I trust we iave got for charity, and which I hope we ihall always keep. (Cheers.) Before sitting lown I wish to express the pleasure it gives ne, as I know it does the Lord Mayor—and I mi'sure it does also to the Masons here present —to have the honour of the presence of a •elative of the Princess of Wales's family lere to-day. In Sweden I was first initiated nto Freemasonry. On my return to Dennark I was first received in a lodge, and I ihall always look upon my connection with freemasonry as being a binding link between Sweden, Denmark and England. (Cheers.) Sir, I thank you once more for the kind way n which you have received my health, and L thank you, sir, for the great and high compliment you have paid me and the Grand Lodge of England. (Loud cheers.) —Standard.