Page 67 - Amo Amass A-muse is some of the fruit of a lifetimes love of Freemasonry - the Lodge of Nine Muses No. 235

ON ASCENDiNG ThE ChAiR FOR ThE ThiRD TimE

RETHREN OF THE NINE MUSES and our guests,

BTonight, you have done me the greatest honour of my Masonic career, to be
Master of my dear Mother Lodge for the third time. To me, this is a greater honour
than anything our Grand Lodge can give me because, dare I say it, Grand Lodge is an
administrative body where as the Work of Masonry is done in Lodges.
This is the beginning of our bicentenary year according to our Warrant although
strictly speaking we started Work on the 14th January, which is the new year’s day of
the Russian Church, and it is probably from that country that our name was copied. It
is right that we should look back for a moment in gratitude to those devoted Brethren
of our Lodge who first made it an instrument for good in a world of animosity and
also to those who prevented it from being destroyed during reorganisation and set it
upon the quiet, peaceful and happy course that it travels to this day.
To me personally comes the thought that by stretching out my hands to clasp those
of the past, it only requires five of us to form a chain back to our foundation. Starting
with our famous founder, the Chevalier RUSPINI, who died in 1813, he links with
Sir William RAWLINS who joined us in 1805 and was the main influence, together
with Thomas HARPER, in preserving the Lodge during a difficult time until his
death in 1838. In that year Brother CLAYTON was initiated. He subsequently
twice became Master of the Lodge and presented to us our ivory Gavels. This period
terminated in there being but five active members in the Lodge who held it until
Brother Walter WEBB joined in 1873. He was Master during our centenary year and
as Secretary raised our Lodge to a very high level. He was still the leading light when
I was initiated in 1919, retired in 1927 and died only in 1938 at the age of 95.
It is even of greater importance this year that, armed with the knowledge of and
pride in our past, we should re-dedicate ourselves to Brotherly Love, Relief and
Truth. In this age, when so much evil is masquerading as good, with the help of
the Exhortation and Charge to the Initiate and our Brotherhood let us strive to live
happily and respected and so die without fear, regretted.
For over one hundred years now, we have been limited to thirty active members.