INSTALLATION AS GRAND MASTER OF ENGLISH FREEMASONS.
April 28th, 1875.
In the history of Freemasonry there has never occurred an event more memorable, or a scene more imposing than the Installation of the Prince of Wales as Grand Master of English Freemasons, at the Royal Albert Hall, on the 28th of April, 1875. The vast Hall was filled with nearly ten thousand members of the craft, of all ranks and degrees, and in costume proper to their masonic conditions. An open space, in front of the organ, had been reserved for the Grand Officers, and for distinguished visitors, including deputations from various foreign lodges.
The Earl of Carnarvon, the Pro-Grand Master, having taken his seat on the throne, performed the ceremonies necessary for to convert the assemblage into a meeting of the Grand Lodge, and the Minute of the Prince's election as Grand Master having been read and confirmed, Garter King-at-Arms formed and headed a procession to meet His Royal Highness. The Duke of Connaught had already seated himself near the Pro-Grand Master, and had been warmly received; but when the Prince entered the Hall, the vast assemblage rose as one man, and, regardless for the moment alike of Masonic order and of the ceremonies of the craft, greeted him with such applause as even his experience at public assemblages could seldom have heard equalled. The Prince was conducted up the arena to a chair on the left of the Pro-Grand Master, and before seating himself he bowed repeatedly in response to the plaudits of the brethren. He then went through the forms prescribed by the Masonic ritual, and was duly inducted into his throne, the enthusiasm of the assembled Freemasons once again outstripping the proper order of the ceremonial, and finding vent in cheers with which the building rang again.
Garter King-at-Arms, who holds also the high Masonic office of Grand Director of Ceremonies, then proclaimed His Royal Highness in due form, and called upon the brethren to salute him in Masonic fashion. This being done, the Earl of Carnarvon rose from the seat to which he had retired, and, according to ancient custom, addressed the new Grand Master on the duties of his office. He thus concluded his address:—
"Your Royal Highness is not the first by many of your illustrious family who have sat in that chair. It is, no doubt, by the lustre of your great name and position you will reflect honour on the craft to-day; but it is also something to be at the head of such a body as is represented here. I may truly say that never in the whole history of Freemasonry has such a Grand Lodge been convened as that on which my eye rests at this moment, and there is further an inner view to be taken, that so far as my eyes can carry me over these serried ranks of white and blue, the gold and purple, I recognise in them men who have solemnly taken obligations of worth and morality—men who have undertaken the duties of citizens and the loyalty of subjects. I am expressing but very feebly the feelings and aspirations of this great assemblage when I say that I trust the connexion of your Royal Highness with the craft may be lasting, and that you may never have occasion for one moment's regret or anxiety when you look back upon the events of to-day."
The Prince, who was again greeted with loud and prolonged cheering, replied in the following terms:—
"Brethren, I am deeply grateful to the Most Worshipful the Pro-Grand Master for the excessively kind words he has just spoken to you, and for the cordial reception which you have given me. It has been your unanimous wish that I should occupy this chair as your Grand Master, and you have this day installed me. It is difficult for me to find words adequate to express my deep thanks for the honour which has already been bestowed upon me—an honour which has, as history bears testimony, been bestowed upon several members of my family, my predecessors; and, brethren, it will always be my most ardent and sincere wish to walk in the footsteps of good men who have preceded me, and, with God's help, to fulfil the duties which I have been called upon to occupy to-day.
"The Pro-Grand Master has told you, brethren, and I feel convinced, that such an assemblage as this has never been known; and when I look round me on this vast and spacious Hall, and see those who have come from the north and south, from the east and the west, it is, I trust, an omen which will prove on this auspicious occasion an omen of good. The various duties which I have to perform will frequently, I am afraid, not permit me to attend so much to the duties of the craft as I should desire; but you may be assured that when I have the time I shall do the utmost to maintain this high position, and do my duty by the craft, and by you on every possible occasion. Brethren, it would be useless for me to recapitulate everything which has been told you by the Pro-Grand Master relative to Freemasonry. Every Englishman knows that the two great watchwords of the craft are Loyalty and Charity. These are their watchwords, and as long as Freemasons do not, as Freemasons, mix themselves up in politics so long I am sure this high and noble order will flourish, and will maintain the integrity of our great Empire.
"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—never!"
The Prince resumed his seat amid loud cheers, which were long continued. His Royal Highness spoke with a perfect elocution which rendered every syllable audible to the whole of the vast assemblage; but when (adds the reporter of the scene) in conclusion, he uttered a manifest impromptu in saying that the reception which had been accorded to him, and the spectacle which he witnessed, were things which to the last day of his life he "should never forget—never!" there was just so much tremor of his voice as seemed to show that even the trained self-possession of Royalty was somewhat shaken, as indeed it well might be, by the magnitude and the splendour of the spectacle.
At the conclusion of the Prince's address the march from "Eli" was performed upon the organ, and then, a telegraphic address of congratulation from the Grand Lodge at Genoa having previously been read, deputations from the Grand Lodges of Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, and Denmark were successively introduced. The Grand Master next appointed the Earl of Carnarvon to be Pro-Grand Master, Lord Skelmersdale to be Deputy Grand Master, and the Marquis of Hamilton and the Lord Mayor to fill two chief offices in Grand Lodge. The nomination of the Lord Mayor appeared to give especial pleasure to the brethren, and his Lordship, as he took his official seat, was greeted by loud and prolonged applause. The other grand officers were then appointed, and at five o'clock the Lodge was formally closed. The Prince was conducted to his retiring-room by a procession of the principal brethren, and the assembly dispersed.
In the evening there was a banquet in the Freemasons' Hall, in Great Queen Street, which was thronged as it was never thronged before. The Prince of Wales, Most Worshipful Grand Master, presided; on his right being the Duke of Connaught, and on his left Lord Skelmersdale, the Deputy Grand Master. Distinguished officers and members of lodges from all parts of the United Kingdom were present.
The Grand Master proposed the health of "The Queen," in these words:—
"Brethren, the first toast I shall have the honour to propose to you this evening is one which I know will require as few words as possible, as it is always drunk with enthusiasm at all great meetings of Englishmen, more especially at meetings of the craft. I propose 'The Health of Her Majesty the Queen, the Patroness of our Order.'"
The Duke of Manchester, in proposing the health of "The Princess of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family," said: "We have for the first time among us as Most Worshipful Grand Master, the eldest son of Her Majesty, and his brother, the Duke of Connaught, whom we all highly esteem and love as the sons of a father whose memory we all so fondly cherish, and whom we so much regret."
His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught responded, and proposed "The health of the Most Worshipful the Grand Master."
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales replied:—
"Brethren, I beg to return my most sincere and my most grateful thanks to the Junior Master Mason of England for the kind way in which he has proposed my health, and to you, brethren, for the cordial manner in which you have received it. This is the first time, brethren, that I have had the honour of presiding at the grand festival. I can assure you I am very grateful for your kind reception of me this evening, and I sincerely hope that we may have the pleasure of meeting together on these festive occasions many, many long years to come. I shall never forget, brethren, the ceremony of to-day and the reception which you gave me. I only hope that you may never regret the choice you have made of your Grand Master. Brethren, I assure you on all occasions I shall do my utmost to do my duty in the position in which you have so kindly placed me.
"Before sitting down, brethren, I have a toast to propose, which I feel sure you will all drink with cordiality, and which to me is a specially gratifying toast—that is, the health of our illustrious brother the King of Sweden and Norway. It affords me especial pleasure to propose this toast, as seven years ago I became a member of this craft, initiated by the late King, the brother of the present one. Thereby I consider I have a more special interest in Sweden; and I hope that the Grand Lodges of Sweden and of England may always be bound together in goodwill and fraternal feeling. Our illustrious brother the King has been especially pleased to send over five distinguished brethren to take part in my installation. Therefore it affords me special gratification to drink to the health of one who I know is such a keen Freemason at heart, and so keen an Englishman, that he has frequently visited our shores. Most cordially and heartily do I call upon you, brethren, to drink to 'The health of our illustrious brother the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Sweden, His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway.'"
Count Salcza responded, and, speaking in French, he passed a high eulogium on Freemasonry, and expressed his great gratification at the magnificent ceremony that had been witnessed in the afternoon, laying especial stress upon the Masonic good feeling between Sweden and Great Britain. He spoke of himself as feeling that he stood among friends and brothers, and he thanked them for their cordial reception.
His Royal Highness the Grand Master then said:—
"Brethren, we are honoured here this evening by the representatives of the Grand Lodges of Scotland, of Ireland, and of Sweden, and I feel convinced that you will all drink with me most cordially and most heartily to their health. The Grand Lodge of England is always most desirous of being on the best possible terms with the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland. Although separate through having other Grand Masters, still those three Grand Lodges may consider one another more or less as one. I have great pleasure in proposing the health of my noble friend and brother, Lord Rosslyn, as representative of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and I cannot forget the kind reception I met with at Edinburgh some years ago when he was Deputy Grand Master, and I received the rank of Patron of Scotch Freemasons at the hands of the late Earl Dalhousie. It also gives me great pleasure to propose the health of the representative of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, coupled with the name of Brother Shekleton, Deputy Grand Master. I have also the great privilege of being Patron of the Irish Grand Lodge, which honour I also remember, a few years ago, receiving from the late Duke of Leinster, who was the popular Grand Master of Ireland at that time, and the reception I met with I shall not easily forget. As the representative of the Grand Lodge of Sweden it affords the great pleasure to couple with this toast the name of the Admiral on my left. As my earliest associations in Freemasonry have been with the Grand Lodge of Sweden, I know when I address those gentlemen I see before me they will appreciate the pleasure it affords me in proposing this toast. Brethren, I give you the toast of 'The Grand Lodges of Scotland, Ireland, and Sweden, coupled with the names of Lord Rosslyn, Brother Shekleton, and Admiral Oscar Dickson.' I also include in this toast all the other Grand Lodges."
The toast having been drunk, Lord Rosslyn said:—
"Most Worshipful Grand Master and brethren, the honour that your Royal Highness has done the deputation of the Grand Lodge of Scotland is warmly appreciated by them. I am glad, indeed, to have the opportunity after so many years' connexion with the Grand Lodge of Scotland—no less than twenty-five years—of congratulating the craft of England and your Royal Highness also, upon the most magnificent scene I have ever witnessed in my life.
"I am glad also to think that the splendour, and, I must add, admirable management of the display to-day, does not quite efface from your Royal Highness's recollection, the scene upon a similar scale which we endeavoured to offer you when we had the honour of having your name as Patron of the Scottish craft. Your Royal Highness has been good enough to say that you have not forgotten the occasion. I can assure your Royal Highness no Scotchman will ever forget it, and I can speak on behalf of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, with which I have been so long connected, having served every office in it, from Junior Deacon up to Grand Master, having been not quite a holiday Freemason, but worked my way from the ranks up to the position I have the honour to hold now.
"His Royal Highness has this day told us what the duties of Freemasonry are, and there is no doubt he has summed them up in two words—loyalty and charity—which includes mercy, a quality that has been described by the greatest of poets as becoming 'the throned Monarch better than his crown.' There can be no doubt that under the auspices of the Most Worshipful Grand Master the Grand Lodge of England will flourish, and will continue to be a standard for Masonry all over the world."
Brother R. W. Shekleton, Deputy Grand Master of Ireland, spoke of the loyalty of Irish Masons, who are, he said, "remarkable for fear of God, fealty to the Sovereign, love to the brotherhood, and friendship to all classes and creeds."
Brother Admiral Oscar Dickson returned thanks in the name of the Swedish Grand Lodge for the honour conferred upon them.
The Most Worshipful Grand Master then proposed the toast of various Grand Officers and Brethren, according to custom. Sir Erasmus Wilson replied for the Stewards, whose special duty it was, with the aid of their good Brother Francatelli (the Master Cook), to see to the humble but necessary ceremonies consequent on our sublunary existence; or, in the beautiful words of our Ritual: "to lead them to unite in the grand design of being happy and communicating happiness."
As long before as the 1st of December, 1869, the Prince of Wales had been received, at Freemasons' Hall, as a Past Grand Master, at a meeting of the United Grand Lodge of England; and in a brief speech replied to the address delivered by Lord Zetland, who was at that time Grand Master.
One of the first appointments made by the Prince of Wales as Grand Master was that of Colonel Shadwell Clerke, to the Secretaryship of the Grand Lodge of England, an office the duties of which he performs with great efficiency and courtesy.