Lodge Histories.

their brother . Far be it from me to disparage our own times ; nor will I tbinl less of those , for I know tbey were noble men , within whose breasts beat hearts . filled Avitb charity and brotherl y love . The wine is banished from our boards , but Ave hope that charitj' and brotherly love remains as strong as of old . As we glance over the record , AVC . find death comes among them and takes some brother aAvayancl Ave can almost imagine we hear the wail of the

peni-, tential hymn sounding down through the years , ancl the Master ' s voice saying . " Dust to dust , ashes to ashes , " tbe accacia and tbe silent tear are dropped , and the brethren pass on . The office of Master is filled b y Brother Harris from 1778 to ' 81 ; Samuel R . Trevitt from 1781 to ' 82 ; Elisba Story , 1782 to ' 86 . Then for ten years no record appears . Tbey meet on the evening of April 20 th , 1786 , choose officers

for the coming year , make rules , and close . They meet again February , 1797 , to attend the funeral of a brother . Their work appears to have fallen off from 1783 , so much so that sometimes they meet , but not in numbers sufficient to open a Lodge . Thursday , February 14 th , 1797 , they meet , ancl made choice of officers . Elisha Story is again chosen , and holds office by re-election , or because of no electiontill 1803 . June 121797 the Lod came under the

, , , ge jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of Massachusetts , and received the name " Philanthropic , " AA'hich it now bears . In February , 1780 , the Lodge voted that the ball they then occupied was not convenient , and a committee was appointed to procure one more suitable . Brother Peter Jayne let tbem his assembly rooms as a Lodge room ; upon their furnishing him with sixteen cords of wood per annumas long as tbey continued

, bis tenants . Tbey occupied these rooms from February till October of the same year , when the Lodge was again removed to tbe bouse of Bro . Burdick . Whether the removal was caused-b y the supply of wood falling off tbe record says not .

The festival of St . John ' s Day , 1783 , was celebrated in what they would term , I suppose , ample form . The Secretary lias entered upon bis records even the price to be paid per bead , " 3 s . for the dinner , 6 d . for a bottle of wine more than the first cost , 2 pence for a bowl of punch , 1 pence for a bowl of grog . " Not very temperate , Ave should say , but then this festival came but once a year , ancl if in those days clue restraint was not placed , as it might have been , upon their

appetites , it was upon their passions , which are now more a source of trouble than drinking was then , for by the records we read that words spoken in temper in a Lodge-room were sufficient cause for expulsion . Were this rule adopted in our clays , there would be many a vacant seat in every Loclge . Tbe Loclge , in those cbays , appears to have met once in two weeks , or oftener , if work required it ; they adopted rules which were suspended ba majoritvote

y y of the members present . As an example : on one Lodge night a certain person applied for initiation ; he was balloted for ancl negatived ; twice the same thing occurs ; the application was laid on tbe table till tbe next meeting , and again balloted for ; again a black ball ; the Lodge then appointed a committee "to see what shall be done ; " they report , "suspend tbe 9 th rule ancl admit him" and he was accordingly admittedancl some meetings later the 9 th rule

, , Avas renewed . Let me here state from the records another little incident : two brothers have a disagreement ; after some talk it is agreed to by both that tbe matter be referred to two other brethren ; but one of tbe disputants makes this reservation : " I will leave it to be decided by tbe brothers agreed on , but may hell and damnation seize my soul if I abide by the award , unless it be in my favour . "

As Ave follow the records along , there is plainly seen a rise ancl fall , for a few years on the topmost wave , tbe next in its receding foam , then lost from sight , but soon to appear again . Seasons of prosperity and adversit y follow one another along in quick succession , sometimes calling special meetings for work , then closing because of none . On the first day of January , 1800 , tbe