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Friday, the 27th February, 1925, was
a historic landmark in the Masonic life of Madras. On
that day His Excellency the Governor of Madras opened
the new Freemasons' Hall and in the evening the Temple
within the Hall was dedicated by the Rt. Wor. District
Grand Master.
THE AFTERNOON CEREMONY
Early in the afternoon Commander -
in - Chief's Road was lined with curious passers - by
whose attention had been arrested by the festoons and
flags decorating the archway of the gate leading of
the new Freemasons Hall, which has for some time, as
it neared completion, attracted admiration for its classical
and dignified simplicity, a particularly pleasing view
of it being seen from Greams Rod across the Coovam.
At 4.45 His Excellency the Governor and Viscountess
Goschen arrived in state, escorted by the Bodyguard,
and were received by the Rt. Wor. District Grand Master
(Rt. Wor. Bro. A. Y. G. Compbell ) and Mrs. Campbell,
and the Wor. Deputy District Grand Master (Wor. Bro.
P. M. Sivangnana Mudaliar). The following Grand Officers
and District Grand Officers were presented to His Excellency
the Governor and Viscountess Goschen :
W. Dewan Bahadur V. Tirumalai Pillai
P. A. G. D. C. P. D. G. W.
W. Sir Arthur Knapp, P. G. D., P. D.
G. W.
W. J. W. Madeley, D. S. G. W.
W. B. V. Krishniengar, D. J. G. W.
W. Rao Sahib C. M. Maduranayakam Pillai,
P. D. G. W.
W. Rao Bahadur B. Mopurappah P. D.
G. W. D. G. Secretary
Bro. Rev. F. W. Stait, D. G. Chaplain
W. Col. R. F. Standage, D. G. Director
of Ceremonies.
Their Excellencies were given seats
on a dais facing an amphitheatre under a tastefully
decorated pandal where were assembled the visitors,
Masons and others. After prayer offered by the Rev.
T. W. Stait, District Garnd Chaplain, the following
statement was made by Wor Bro. Sir Alexander MacDougall,
President, District Board of General Purposes, of the
origin, erection, completion and finance of the building
scheme, praising the work of the architects and the
generosity of the Rajahs of Venkatagiri and Ramnad,
various Lodges and individual contributors to the work
of building the Hall :
The history of Freemasonry in Madras
City is more or less the history of the Lodge of Perfect
Unanimity. Our ancient Brethren were operative Masons
and it is possibly due to this connection that modern
Freemasons always aspire to possess building of their
own. The Lodge of Perfect Unanimity has had several
homes in the city, but eventually settled in the building
on the Mount Road. Other Lodges which were founded from
time to time in the city met in rented buildings in
Vepery. The District Grand Lodge as such had no home
of its own. As years passed, it was felt that a central
home for the Freemasons of the district was necessary
and the Lodges working in the Madras City decided that,
if the District Grand Lodge acquired a building, they
would occupy it for their meetings and pay rent.
The scheme was brought to fruition
in the year 1905 when the District Grand Lodge acquired
the property belonging to the Lodge Perfect Unanimity
for Rs. 80,000. Additions were made to the building
in 1906.
As time went on and with the growth
of Freemasonry, the building was eventually considered
to be inadequate and unsatisfactory for our particular
purpose. Extensive repairs involving a large sum of
money were required to put the premises in satisfactory
condition and it was finally decides, rather than do
this, to sell the property, purchase another site and
erect a more commodious, convenient and modern building.
The Mount Road property was sold for
Rs. 1,35,000. In April 1917, the present site was acquired
for Rs. 35,750.
The Lodge met temporarily in the adjoining
building known as Chesney Hall which was not quite suitable.
It was decided, therefore, to erect temporary premises
which could be utilized afterwards for the Administrative
Offices of the District. This temporary accommodation
cost Rs. 22,000.
The preliminary negotiations for the
erection of the New Temple took time to settle. Messrs
Jackson and Barker's design was finally accepted, contracts
placed, the chief corner - stone was laid by the Hon'ble
the Viscount Willingdon on the 26th February, 1923.
Progress with the building had been very rapid and exactly
two years to a day after the laying of the corner -
stone, His Excellency the Viscount Goschen is opening
the building.
The accommodation consists principally
of two Lodge Rooms on the first floor and two Dining
Rooms on the ground floor ; the subsidiary rooms consist
of an Office and Retiring Room for the District Grand
Master. Robing and other minor rooms in connection with
the Lodge Rooms, Cloak and Service Rooms ; Kitchens
and Stores in connection with the Dining Room.
The design on the building which if
finished internally and externally with fine polished
Madras plaster is based on Greek motifs modified necessary
to suit modern conditions of planning and Indian conditions
of climate. Externally the details has been kept as
simple as possible with a view to adding dignity to
the general appearance and to increasing as far as possible
the durability of the plaster finish. The building relies
very largely for is external effect on the lonic Colonnade
forming its northern elevation. Internally, an architectural
feature has been made of winding staircase which is
semi-circular in plan, forms the entrance to the more
purely Masonic portion of the building and this if emphasized
by framing it between two columns of the Greek Doric
Order.
The Architects who designed the work
and supervised its construction are Messrs Jackson being
responsible for the planning and for the general architectural
designing and detailing of the exterior and interior
of the building ; Mr. H. W. Barker, A. M. Inst. C. E.
F. S. I., besides dealing generally in conjunction with
his Partner with constructional matters, being responsible
for designing the steel work, reinforced concrete work,
water-supplies, drainage and disposal sewage system.
As General Contractor, Mr. K. Raman
Menon, is responsible amongst many other things for
the joinery and fine plaster work, both to the architect's
details. The former portion being of a quality superior
to that usually met with in Madras and the later being
of a type not executed in Madras for many years.
With the exception of certain special
door and window furniture which was obtained in London,
it is interesting to note that the whole of the work
was supplied and erected by Madras firms.
In this connection special attention
may be called to the marble flooring in the Lodge Rooms
by Messrs Lakshmi Ratans, Ltd., to the Bronze Griles,
Metal Masonic Symbols, War Memorial and Opening Ceremony
Tablets executed by Messrs P. Orr & Sons, Ltd. to
the Lodge and Dinning Room furniture be Messrs. Spencer
& Co. Ltd., and to the curved wrought iron railings
to the staircase by Messrs. The Crompton Engineering
Co. Ltd.
The building was first estimated to
cost Rs. 3,15,000 but this was subsequently reduced
to Rs. 2,60,000. The Building Committee have endeavoured
to keep the cost within at amount. Certain extras not
taken into consideration originally have been found
necessary as the work proceeded so that now the completed
building is expected to cost Rs. 2,90,000. Owing to
the world depression during recent years from which
India did not escape, the finding of this large sum
of money has been no light task. We have not been able
to collect the full amount required, but have secured
a very substantial sum. Rs. 78,000 were provided by
the sale proceeds of the old building after the cost
of the temporary structure had been met. Approximately
Rs. 1,40,000 has been subscribed by individual brethren
and Lodges. Rs. 50,000 more will be borrowed from the
Madras Masonic Institution, for which second debentures
on the new building will be issued. On the previous
building htere was a debt of Rs. 65,000 due to the Lodge
of Perfect Unanimity, which was given free of all interest
till the year 1956, while the Benevolent Fund and the
Madras Masonic Institution provided Rs. 22,000 more.
We are deeply indebted to the great
interest in our building which has been taken by many
individual brethren and Lodges. To Wor. Bro. The Rajah
of Venaktagiri our thanks are due, for his very handsome
contribution of Rs. 15,000. The Rajah of Ramnad is also
to be thanked for similar amount. The Lodges worthy
of mention in this connection are the Lodge of Perfect
Unanimity with a contribution of Rs. 18,184 and Lodge
Pitt Macdonald, with a contribution of Rs. 13,035. Individual
donors name will be commemorated on boards specially
designed for the purpose within the entrance to the
building.
We have still to find a few thousand
rupees to complete the building, but with savings anticipated
by the Architect and a few more promises of donations
which will be received very shortly, we hope before
the contractors actually leave the building, all their
bills will have been provided for.
The liquidation of the debt is being
arranged for by increased fees, etc., which will provide
a Sinking Fund. This fund is so arranged that as far
as the present generation can see the building will
be free from debt in the year 1956. We hope, however,
that succeeding generation of Freemasons will follow
the example set by this generation and set their minds
on clearing this debt long before that date.
In requesting His Excellency to open
the building and Viscountoss Goschen to unveil the War
Memorial Tablet, the Rt. Wor. District Grand Master
delivered following address
I have only one remark to add to the
statement made by Sir Alexander MacDougall. I have had
the advantage of seeing this building at various stages
of its erection and I have been very much impressed
by the great care and attention to detail which have
been bestowed on it at every stage fby the architects
and by the excellence of the workmanship throughout
the building. I should like, Sir, to take this opportunity
to express publicly on behalf of the Freemasonry of
the district our cordial appreciation and thanks to
the Architects Messrs Jackson and Barker and to the
builder, Mr. Raman Menon, for the ungrudging manner
in which they have devoted themselves to this work and
for the very pleasing results which they have achieved.
I may perhaps say one or two with respect
to Freemasonry especially in this Province. May I quote
certain words prescribed for use at the ceremony of
laying a foundation-stone ? "Although not operative
Masons, we have from time immemorial been associated
with the erection of buildings to the glory of God and
for the service of mankind. We have among us secrets
handed down from generation to generation by which Freemasons
are known to each other and are distinguished from the
rest of the world. Those secretes are lawful and honourable
and are in no way incompatible with our moral, our civil
or our religious duties. Our order has always been distinguished
for loyalty to the throne, for obedience to the laws
and institutions of the country in which we reside,
for good citizenship, for goodwill to all mankind and
especially for charity."
With reference to the first of these
characteristics we welcome Your Excellency especially
as the representative in this Province of His Majesty
the King Emperor and I would ask you, Sir, on behalf
of the Freemasons of the District of madras to convey
our humble duty to His Majesty.
Freemasons under the English Construction
owes much to the active support of members of the Royal
family. At the present time our Grand Master is His
Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught and during the
last few months three Princes have been installed as
Provincial Grand Masters, the Prince of Wales for Surrey,
the Duke of York for Middlesex and Prince Arthur of
Connaught for Berkshire.
Freemasonry is spread over the four
quarters of the world and it forms a strong bond of
fellowship and goodwill between the various parts of
the British Empire and certain other countries, especially
the United States of America. A Freemason is sure to
find friends wherever there is a Lodge under his own
or an allied constitution. In England last year special
measures were adopted to afford a cordial welcome to
Freemasons from Overseas. Here in the Masonic District
of Madras - which includes the States of Hyderabad and
Mysore as well as this Presidency - Freemasonry brings
together in a peculiar manner men of different races,
creeds and castes, who meet in our Lodges and at Masonic
functions with a greater spirit of comradery and good
fellowship than is possible elsewhere. Many institutions
have been inaugurated in recent years with the project
of providing opportunities for persons belonging to
different races in India to meet informally as friends,
but Freemasonry has been working - unostentatiously
and to a limited extent no doubt, but none the lese
most effectively - to the same end for the past century
and a half, for that period has elapsed since the first
Indian Freemason was initiated in this Province. We
have now in this district thirty-three Lodges with a
membership of over 1800 under the English Constitution
besides a few Lodges under the Sister Constitutions
of Scotland and Ireland. We believe established on sound
lines and we hope that this hall in which various Masonic
bodies in this city will meet in future will be "a
building for good men and good deeds and promote harmony
and brotherly love" in our midst.
I will now ask Your Excellency to be
pleased to open the Freemasons' Hall and I will then
invite Viscountess Goschen to unveil the memorial to
those Freemasons of this District who made the great
sacrifice in the War'.
His Excellency replied in the following
terms :
I esteem it a great privilege and honour
that you have invited Lady Goschen and myself to perform
these two ceremonies this afternoon, the opening of
this new Freemasons' Hall and the unveiling of the table
in memory of those Freemasons who made the supreme scarifies
during the Great War. It is the greatest honour in that
you have invited one who is himself not a Mason, and
I assure you that my wife and I deeply appreciate the
compliment you have paid us both. On the other hand,
the fact that I am not a member of your community and
stand, as it were, outside the gate, makes it difficult
for me to speak on such an occasion as this an I come
before you as one not having authority. Your District
Grand Master and Sir Alexander MacDoublall have fortunately
made up for any such defects on my part by giving us
already in their very interesting speeches some account
of Freemasonry and its objects. I say some account,
for we who know nothing of Freemasonry, know that Masons
may not divulge those secrets which have been kept sacred
throughout many generations and by which, in the words
quoted by Mr. Campbell, Freemasons are distinguished
from the rest of the world. We have been told that Freemasonry
claims, as its watch - words, service, co-operation,
loyalty and charity, and a finer ideal no community
could lay before itself. (Cheers)
Let me say here that I gladly the duty
you lay upon me of conveying to His Majesty the King
Emperor the message of loyalty, to which the District
Grand Master has given expression in his speech. Of
co-operation, service and charity, the world never stood
more in need than it does now, and a body of men working
for such ends as these have a great part to play in
promoting peace and goodwill among all classes and creeds.
I trust that under God's providence, this new hall which
I am about to open, will serve a noble purpose and help
the Freemasons of Madras to go on and proper in the
work they have set before themselves. (Cheers.)
Sir Alexander MacDougall has given
us a most interesting account of the efforts which have
brought about the erection of this building and we have
been reminded that it is just two years ago since the
foundation - stone was laid on this spot by my predecessor.
Let me congratulate the Architects, Messrs Jackson and
Barker, the Contractors and all concerned both on the
result of their labours and on the promptitude with
which they have completed the work. I have not yet been
privileged to see over the building but from what I
have seen and still more from what I have heard, I believe
they have good reason to be proud of their work. We
can see from this spot the lonic columns which grace
one side of the hall, and I understand that the spirit
of the Greek temple, so far as climate conditions and
the strict requirements of Masonry permit, has been
preserved throughout the exterior design. I look forward
in a few minutes to making a closer inspection of the
building, which I feel confident is a welcome addition
to the City of Madras and of which one and all may well
be proud.
I spoke just now of what I hoped might
be the future of this hall. May I for a moment dwell
on the past. In a few moments Lady Goschen will unveil,
and I can assure you, with a sympathetic and understanding
heart, a memorial to the Freemasons of Madras who gave
their lies to their country in the Great War, and what
gallant band they were, or rather I would say, what
a gallant band they are for they are among those who
in a short time have fulfilled a long time and are completing
now the work they began here on earth. We who are assembled
here to-day need no memorial to them, for they will
ever live in our hearts and in our memory. But you have
placed this memorial here in order that generations
yet to come who may read of these passages can read
their names and think with gratitude of those who kept
free for us our great heritage. we do not think of them
to-day with feelings of grief or mourning, but of pride
and comfort, pride in their courage and heroism and
those characteristics which made us love them so well,
and comfort in the thought that they now rest in peace
and happiness. But surely this should not be our last
tribute to them. They won the War not only by their
courage and heroism, but by their spirit of self-sacrifice
and brotherhood. They died that we might lie and we
must so live that their memory shall not die. we must
strive to capture that spirit of self-sacrifice, comradeship
and fellowship in the sure and certain knowledge that
this is the tribute to them which they would most desire'.
(Loud applause).
These important preliminaries over,
His Excellency and Viscountess Goschen followed by the
whole audience proceeded to the door of the Hall, where
Bro. Raman Menon, the builder, had the honour of being
presented to His Excellency, who then examined the plan
of the building. The Rt. Wor. District Grand Master
handed the key to His Excellency who opened the door
and declared the Freemasons' Hall to be open. A fanfare
of trumpets greeted this announcement. The eager audience
surged forwards into the building, and assembled upstairs
in the verandash, while His Excellency was shown various
rooms in the Hall.
THE WAR MEMORIAL
At the head of the grand staircase
is the War Memorial Tablet, dedicated to the memory
of those madras Masons who fell in the Great War. Viscountess
Goschen unveiied this Tablet after speaking to the audience
in moving words.
Their Excellencies visited the whole
building with the Rt. Wor. District Grand Master acompanied
by the architects, and after this all the guests were
entertained at tea in the grounds, by Wor. Bro. Nawab
Salar Jung Bahadur, P.D.G.W.
With the departure of Their Excellencies
amid cheers the afternoon function closed.
DEDICTION OF THE TEMPLE
Later in the evening, at 8:30 p.m.,
took place the stately and solemn ceremony of the Dedication
of the Temple by the Rt. Wor. District Grand Master,
Rt. Wor. Bro. A. Y. G. Campbell, C.I.E., V.D., I.C.S.,
assisted by the following brethren:-
W.Bro. P. M. Sivangnana Mudaliar ...as
S.W.
W.Bro. V. Tirumalai Pillai ...as J.W.
Bro. Rev. H.N.Bridge ... as Chaplain
W.Bro. Col. R.F. Standage ...as D. of C.
W.Bro The Hon'ble Sir Arthur Knapp ...as I.G.
After an address by the Dedicating
Officer prayer was offered, and the President of the
District Board of General Purpose (Wro. Bro. Sir A.
MacDougall) gave a short account of the history of the
Hall.
Before calling on the Chaplain for
his address, the Rt. Wor. District Grand Master made
the following remarks :
Bro. President and Brethren who have
subscribed towards the cost of this building, we have
all had an opportunity of examining this building this
afternoon and I am sure that we all appreciate that
our donations have been well and worthily applied. I
congratualate you, Brethren, most cordially on the consummation
of your ambition and more particularly Bro. President.
I congratulate all those who have been concerned in
the execution of the scheme; I know, that you have devoted
yourslves whole-heartedly and unsparingly to this work
and that your labours have been heavy, but it must be
a source of pleasure to you that you have fully earned
the gratitude of your brethren and have fully earned
the gratitude of your brethren and have carried out
their desires in a most admirable manner.
Bro. Architect, few Brethren are given
such an opportunity as you have had in connection with
the erection of this Freemasons' Hall and Bro. Barkerr,
no one could have made a better use of that opportunity
than you have. Our thanks and our congratulations are
specially due to you and the builders and all who assisted
you in design and execution of this scheme. You have,
I know, devoted yourself to it fully and ungrudgingly
and it is clear to us that with you it has been a labour
of love. The design is admirable, the details have been
most carefully worked out and executed and the workmanship
is in every respect of the highest order. You have indeed
succeeded in attaining what I conceive must be the highest
ambition of a Freemason who is an architect, the erection
of a Masonic edifice, perfect in its parts and honourable
to the builder. I congratulate you.
Bro. the Rev. H. N. Bridge delivered
the following oration:
To-day is a great historic landmark
in the Masonic career of all Madras Freemasons.
We achieve to-day the completion of
a great work - the product of much enthusiasm, strenuous
efffort and generous giving on the part of the Lodges
and Brethren of this Presidency.
We meet to-day to witness and to take
part in the stately ceremonial of the solemn dedication
of this temple of Splendour and Beauty.
To-day is a day that we shall never
forget.
The spectacular side of this solemn
ceremony will be engraven on the tablets of our memories
while life shall last.
But the memories of this day will go
far deeper than the more visualizing of the stately
scenes that we have witnessed for, first and foremost
- it is a day of great thanksgiving and our hearts are
filed with joy and gladness that the work is complete
and that the Temple is built and then for us, too, it
is a day of great pride and honour. Pride in this wonderful
Temple in its dignity, its beauty an its perfection.
And honour - that we ourselves are
permitted to be hereto witness and to share in the solemn
ceremony of its dedication.
And so, Brethren, I have anxiously
asked myself, during many days - what should be the
key-note of this brief oration to-night and it seems
to me to be simply this:-
As we are have to-day to witness and
to take part in the dedication of this temple - so -
let it also be for us a day of the re-dedication of
ourselves to the truest principles and highest ideals
of our Masonic order.
What manner of men ought we to be -
What should be the quality of our Freemasonry - to be
worthy of this glorious Temple ?
The more splendid the building - the
shrine of nor mystic rites and ceremonies, the more
excellent should be the superstructure of our own individual
life and character.
The world outside knows nothing of
our mystic rites and ceremonies.
The world outside judges masonry by
the lives of masons.
An eminent Masonic writer has said
:
"I would not give much for your
Freemasonry
unless it can be seen
Lamps do not talk but they shine
A lighthouse sounds no drum, it beats no gong
And yet, far over the water its friendly spark is
seen by the mariner.
So let your actions shine our your Freemasonry
Let the main sermon of your Life be illustrated
by your conduct,
And it shall not fail to be illustrious."
Brethren - assembled as we are to-day
to rejoice in the completion of the building of this
Temple - let us remember that we are all of us - builders
- every day we live. Builders - for ourselves of our
own lives and characters -- and builders for posterity
for those who shall come after.
The other day in a Masonic publication
I came across an "Ode to the builders of a Masonic
Lodge."
It may perhaps not be out of place
to quote it here.
"An old men, going a lone highway
Came at the evening, cold and grey
To a Chasm - vast and deep and wide
The old man crossed in the twilight dim
The sullen stream had not fear for him
But he turned when safe on the other
And built a bridge - to span the tide
'Old men,' said a fellow pilgrim near
'You are wasting your strength when building here
Your journey will end with the ending day
You never again will pass this way
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide
Why build you this bridge at even-tide?' "
The builder lifted his old grey head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come, "he
said
"There followeth after me to-day,
A youth - whose feet must pass this way
This chasm - which has been a nought to me
To that fair - haired youth may a pit-fall be
He too - must cross in the twilight dim
Good friend - I have built this Bridge for him."
And so then - to-day - with the good
hand of the great Master Builder upon us - we are building
our Temple - building our Lodges - and fashioning and
shaping and moulding and building our own lives and
characters. And we are building not only for ourselves
- but also for those who shall "come sfter".
And Brethren - we own an enormous debt
to posterity - and it is a debt which Freemasonry can
help to pay.
We all know that this poor old-battered
world has gone through sad and tragic days of wr, and
blood and tears, and even to-day-after yers of so-called
peace - nations and peoples are still at daggers - drawn
and in a state of upheaval and great unrest.
Brethren - what is wrong with the world,
it seems to me that the issue narrows down to first
two factors.
The lack of mutual trust and goodwill
- and the lack of matual sympathy and brotherly love.
If nations and peoples would only just
trust each other a little more - and exercies a little
more sympathy and kindness and goodwill - then all these
unhappy problems might be solved.
Brethren - Freemasonry stands for sympathy
and brotherliness and goodwill.
Freemasonry - if rightly applied and
truly lived will go a long way towards binding up the
wounds and healing the sores of a perplexed and distracted
humanity - to-day, and in the days to come.
For are we not all pledged by the sacred
rites of the mystic tie to the practice of religion
and morality - to truth and love.
"The crest and crowning of all
good
Life's final star - is brotherhood.
So, Brethren, believing and trusting
as we do - with all our hearts - in the Almighty and
most loving Father of us al, humbly striving to mould
and fashion our lives in accordance with the divine
plan of the great Architect of the Universe, inspired
by the true Masonic spirit and the highest ideals of
our Order, and earnestly applying our Massonic principles
- outside the Lodge as well as in, let us go forward
trom this Temple to-day with renewed courage and with
rekindled hope and love to nobly strive for the honour
of Freemasonry and the happiness of mankind.
"Question not but live and labour
Till your goal be won
Helping every feeble neighbour
Seeking help from none.
Life is mostly forth and bubble
Two things stand like stone
Kindness in another's trouble
Courage in your own."
At the close of the ceremony the Dedicating
Officer said :
'Brethren, before the Lodge is closed
I have one or two announcements to make.
You will, I am sure, be glad to learn
that I have received a telegram of congratulation on
the completion of this building from Rt. Wor. Bro. Buckley.
As many of you know, he took a great interest in the
scheme and did all in his power to further it as District
Grand Master. We appreciate very much his kindly message
to us.
This scheme owes its successful completion
to many Brethren. I believe that it would be in accordance
with your wishes that I should use my powers as District
Grand Master to reward by advancement in Masnic rank
those who have been most conspicuous in their devotion
to its execution. Some indeed I cannotso reward for
they have already as high rank as or higher rank than
I can confer, and we can only now express our gratitude
by recalling their names such as Bro. Sivangnana Mudaliar,
Bro. Smythe, Bro. Padday, Bro. Vernon and Bro. Tirumalai
Pillai, all formerly Presidents of the Board of General
Puroses. But there are so many others who have rendered
excellent service that it is impossible to mark oiur
appreciation of them by the conferment of rank now,
but their services will, I am sure, be not forgotten.
The names of the principal donors and of the stewards
responsible for collecting funds in Lodges are suitably
recorded in the building.
I propose to confer the rank of Past
District Senior Grand Warden on four brethren,viz. Bro.
Sir Alexander Mac Dougall, the indefatigable President
of the Board of General Purposes, Bro. Barker, the Architect,
to whose skill and devotion we owe so much, Bro. The
Rajah of Venkatagiri, whose generous donation greatly
encouraged us at a time when we were despondent of finding
the funds neccessary for a suitable building and Bro.
Standage, who as Director of Ceremonies has done so
much to enhance the dignity of the proceedings of the
District Grand Lodge and was responsible for the ceremonies
connected with the laying of the foundation-stone of
this building as well as for the ceremonies to-day.
I will at once invest Bro. MacDougall and Bro. Barker,
but I cannot actually confer other past ranks until
the District Grand Lodge meeting to-morrow.
Bro. Director of Ceremonies, you will
now present Bro. MacDougall and Bro. Barker for investiture.
Wro. Bros. Sir Alexander MacDouigall
and H.W. Barker were then conducted by the District
Grand Director or Ceremonies to the Dedicating Officer,
who invested them with the collar and jewel of a Past
District Senior Grand Warden.
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