THE FREEMASONS AND THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE.
June 13th, 1887.
Her Gracious Majesty being the chief patroness of the Order of Freemasons, and of the Masonic charities, it was deemed fitting that an address should be presented to her on the occasion of her Jubilee. Accordingly, the Prince of Wales, with the Duke of Connaught and Prince Albert Victor, and a vast company of officers and members of the Order, representatives chosen by lodges in different parts of the empire, assembled in the Royal Albert Hall on the 13th of June, 1887. The number present was about 7000. No such scene has been witnessed since that day, twelve years before, when the Prince was installed as Grand Master of English Freemasons. The procession which received the Grand Master and conducted him to the throne was a magnificent affair. The assemblage, we are told, although "tyled," was not held as a lodge. The business of the meeting being opened, his Royal Highness the Grand Master said:—
"Brethren,—This is, I think, one of the greatest gatherings of Freemasons I have ever seen, with the exception of the occasion when, after election by the craft, I received the honour of installation as your Grand Master. It is most gratifying to me, as I feel sure it will be to the Queen, that so large a gathering has assembled here to-day to do her honour on the fiftieth anniversary of her reign—the Jubilee of her accession. This gathering will be a proof to her, as it is also to me, of the great devotion and loyalty of the craft to the Throne—a devotion and loyalty which have ever animated the Free and Accepted Masons of England. We are here, brethren, as you are aware, for the purpose of moving an address to the Queen, congratulating her upon having attained the fiftieth anniversary of her reign. You are well aware that my ancestors—some of them former Sovereigns of this nation—did much in support of Freemasonry, and, though they well knew it to be a secret society, they were well assured that it was in no wise a dangerous one. Among our tenets of motives 'loyalty' and 'philanthropy' stand out prominently, and we are proud of the fact. I assure you, brethren, that it is most gratifying to me to receive so large, important, and influential a gathering as this to-day, and I am rejoiced that in the many events which are to be the signs of the people's rejoicing at the Jubilee of the Queen, this meeting, at the Royal Albert Hall, of the Free and Accepted Masons of England will be first on the list. I will now call upon Grand Secretary, Colonel Shadwell E. Clerke, to read the proposed address, and then our worshipful brother the Earl of Carnarven will move its adoption."
The Address and the Speech were on the same lines as most of the Jubilee addresses, but of course with special reference to the loyalty and the devotion of Freemasons. The great company having chanted the National Anthem, the ceremony of giving Jubilee honours was performed, among the numerous recipients of which were the Maharajah of Kuch-Behar, the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Francis Knollys, Sir Philip Cunliffe Owen, and Sir Charles Warren.
The Grand Master announced that the amount paid by the members that day amounted to upwards of £6000, the whole of which would go to the Masonic charities for children and the aged, under the rules of the Order.
June 17th, 1887.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by Prince George and Princess Louise of Wales, went on the 17th of June, 1887, to lay the foundation stone of a central building for the "National Refuges for Homeless and Destitute Children." There are many institutions in London for similar objects, but this charity is one of old standing, and one of the most important and best. It was established in 1843 under the patronage of Lord Shaftesbury, in Great Queen Street. The income of the Society was only £180 in the first year, and all that could be attempted was to shelter and teach a few poor children in a "Ragged School," open two evenings a week. The efforts of Mr. W. Williams, the Secretary, and zealous coadjutors, were successful in gradually increasing the operations of the Society, till, in the year of the Queen's Jubilee, the Committee had the satisfaction of managing seven industrial homes, in town and country, with more than 1000 children, and two training ships, the Chichester and the Arethusa, with an annual income of about £20,000. The good work in its various departments continues to prosper. All this and more was stated in an address by the Earl of Jersey, Chairman of the Reception Committee. Among the friends of the Society who had witnessed its progress, and helped it from the beginning, was Mr. John MacGregor, the founder of the Shoe-black Brigade, and the chief helper of the Secretary in bringing the Chichester to its high excellence as a training-ship.
The ceremony was performed in a tent erected on the site of the new Home, in Shaftesbury Avenue, close to the once notorious Seven Dials. The building is intended to provide shelter for 100 homeless boys, a home for 35 working lads, a club for "old boys" trained in the institution, and the central offices of the Society. After the address had been read, the Prince of Wales thus spoke:—
"Lord Jersey, Ladies, and Gentlemen,—In thanking you for the address which you have just read, allow me to express to you, and to this great assemblage, the very great gratification it gives both the Princess and myself to be here to-day, to take part in so interesting and what I may also call a most important ceremony. You are well aware of the deep interest and solicitude we take with regard to all classes of the community in this great Metropolis, but we claim that we take especial interest in what concerns the well-being and the welfare of the working classes and of the poor of London. It is therefore a great gratification to us that I should be afforded the opportunity to-day of laying the foundation stone of a home to be called 'The Jubilee Memorial Home,' in commemoration of the fiftieth year of the Queen's reign, and, at the same time, I rejoice to think that this building is to be named 'The Shaftesbury House,' as a memorial of the great and distinguished philanthropist whose loss we must always and shall ever deeply deplore. Most sincerely do we hope that this home may be the means of bringing many of those waifs and strays always existing in so great a metropolis as ours; we trust, too, that they may have such an education and training that, as they grow older, they may be able to go out into the world honest and respectable citizens, and have an opportunity of gaining their livelihood. I thank you again, Lord Jersey, for this address, and assure you that it gives us the greatest pleasure to be here to-day."
The stone was then well and truly laid, and his Royal Highness was presented with the trowel. A paper was laid by the Prince upon the stone, and Lord Jersey announced the gift of £50 from his Royal Highness, £30 from Sir Robert Carden, and other donations. "God bless the Prince of Wales," and the "National Anthem" were then chanted. The Royal party left amidst enthusiastic cheering. A large number of the boys from the country homes were present, and from the training-ships in their sailor costumes.