History Of The Lod Ge Of Emulation, No . 21.

History of the Lodge of Emulation , No . 21 .

( By HENRY SADLER , Sub-Librarian to the Grand Lodge of England . )

A FEW words with regard to the working of the Lodge . It will probably have been observed that several instances are recorded in the preceding pages of attempts on the part of prominent members of the Lodge to establish a Lodge of Instruction under its sanction . The first recorded instance of this kind occurred in 1773 , and is noted on page

72 . Subsequently four similar attempts were made with varied success , the last mentioned being in the year 1821 , but how long this Lodge existed I am unable to state . This , however , will doubtless suffice to evince the keen interest taken by the members in the proper working of the ceremonies in the

earlier stages of the history of the Lodge , which interest I am glad to say has been continued down to the present day . William Henry White , Grand Secretary ,

seems to have been the principal promoter of the movement to establish an Emulation Lodge of

Instruction on the last two occasions referred to—1811 and 1821—and I am emboldened to say , that in my opinion a matter of that nature and of such

importance could not have been in better hands . In support of this assumption I append portion of a rather lengthy letter written some eighteen years ago by the late Brackstone Baker : —

"In 1811 the Lodge of Emulation passed a resolution conveying their thanks to Bro . W . H . White ' for his unremitting exertions in the

interests of Freemasonry and for the indefatigable zeal evinced by him on all occasions , to which this lodge is principally

indebted for its present flourishing state . ' Thus , even at this date , his proficiency in the ceremonies was conspicuous .

" I can bear personal testimony to his being a strict disciplinarian in

the matter of Masonic ritual , for , having been a member of the Lodge of Emulation since 18 55 , I have frequently met him in that lodge ; the last time he attended was two years before his death . I remember his frequent complaints of any slight default in ceremonial observances

such as affixing Masonic Jewels on the right breast of a brother instead of invariably on the left , and , with irritable testiness , threatening to resign his membership if deviations from the strict ritual were persisted in . Among the points he insisted upon were , not only that the W . M .

should perform all the ceremonies of his oflice , but that the outgoing W . Master should instal his successor in the chair he had vacated , and that all the officers he appointed should be well acquainted with their several duties . His instructions as to never extinguishing the

TIIO . S . J . ( iKYI . I . S , Junior iJfticou

lai . MUNi ) root . ! -:. Senior Deacon .

THOS . II . OKY 1 . 1 . S , Oi-giuiisl .

EKSKST TODD , Inner ( iutild .

J . I' . SOMERS , Stnrartl .

OFFICERS OF THE LODGE OF EMULATION , No . 21 .

light of the W . M . are well known , and have often been reprinted . He had been Grand Steward for the lodge , and had filled the chair of the Grand Stewards ' Lodge . It was , therefore , in the order of things that the procedure constantly instilled by him should become traditional customs of the lodge , and thus acquire for the

Emulation a high reputation , which it undoubtedly acquired for exact working . " * In addition to William Henry White ( the Secretary ) , the Grand Master , in 1814 , appointed the Master of the Lodge of Emulation , Robert L . Percy , as a member of the Lodge of

Reconciliation — a Lodge composed of the most skilful craftsmen of the clayformed for the purpose of assimilating the working of

the two previously antagonistic Masonic bodies , and arranging the future ceremonies for the united Societies .

I find also that two members of the Lodge of Emulation attended the meetings of the Board of Installation appointed by the Grand

Master in 1827 ; the object being to arrange and settle definitely the future ceremony of Installation of Master ; they were the W . Master ,

Stephen Clark Norn ' s , Junior G . Deacon in 18 39 , and Frederick W . Bossy , P . M ., Senior G . Deacon in 18 3 6 . My own acquaintance

with the Lodge of Emulation commenced upwards of a quarter of a century ago , when several of the officers were accustomed to attend the meetings of the

Emulation Lodge of Improvement in order to perfect themselves in their working . I am glad to find that this excellent School of Instruction is still

represented in the Lodge of Emulation ; notably so by the present W . Master , and Major R . Leslie S . Badham , who has been a regular and

constant worker therein for many years , and has attained thai highly prized distinction , the silver match-box , presented by R . Clay Sucllow , Preceptor , for perfect working in the Master's Chair . Another remarkable feature of the Lodge of Emulation is that it possesses a Masonic Library , which , although small ,

is of considerable value , by reason of its containing a complete series of the old Constitutions of the Order , a possession which I think it highly probable that , excepting the literary Lodge of the Quatuor Coronati , no other London Lodge can boast of . The Lodge may be congratulated on having preserved its original records for upwards of 150 years ,