The Chronicles of Early Melbourne/Volume 2/Chapter 46
CHAPTER XLVI.
THE BRETHREN OF THE MYSTIC TIE.
SYNOPSIS:— Lodge of Australia Felix. —The Australasian Kilwinning Lodge. —The Australia Felix Lodge of Hiram. —The Lodge of Australasia. —United Tradesmen's Lodge. —The First Royal-Arch Chapter. —Presentations of Medals and Jewels. —Geelong Lodge of Unity and Prudence. —The First Provincial Grand Master. —The First Masonic Testimonial. —Freemasons in 1883. —The Only Lady Mason. — Oddfellowship: Formation of the First Lodge. —The First Medical Officer. —Formation of the Loyal Melbourne Lodge. —Port Phillip Constituted a District. — Opening of the Loyal Melbourne Lodge. — Oddfellows' Statistics in 1851. —First Board of Directors. —Duke of York Lodge. —Smoking in lodge-time Prohibited. —First Oddfellow's Funeral. —Oddfellows' Statistics in 1882-1884. —Panegyric on Dr. Greeves. —Druidism: Arrival of Mr. James Himen. —Formation of First Lodge a Failure. —Its Resuscitation. —Death of Mr. Himen. —Statistics in 1880-1883. —Orangeism: Its Alleged Origination in Port Phillip. —Formation of a Confederacy. —Reported Statistics in 1882. —Origin of the Loyal Orange Institution. —The Protestant Hall. —Laying the Foundation Stone. —Opening of the Building. —Erection of New Hall in 1882.
Freemasonry
HAS been defined as a Moral Order, instituted with the praiseworthy design of recalling to remembrance the most sublime truths in the midst of the most innocent and social pleasures founded on Brotherly Love and Charity. Of its great antiquity there can be no doubt, though its origin is clouded in uncertainty, and the theme is of much grandiloquent conjecture. Some Masonic historians gravely affirm that "it had a being ever since symmetry began, and harmony displayed her charms." They trace it to the building of Solomon's Temple, and it is averred that Mahommetan Architects, in the Sixth Century, brought it from Africa to Spain, as a specific against Christian fanaticism. The period of its appearance in England is matter of disagreement, some assigning it to the commencement of the Sixth Century, and others placing it earlier. In all I have occasionally read on the subject I have found only one writer venturing to disenchant the time-honoured traditions of Masonry by advancing anything like a plain, matter-of-fact statement as to its inception; and in the light of all that has been written and spoken on the subject, it is both instructive and amusing to read the following prosaic assertion from the pen of Dr. Brewer, no insignificant authority as an antiquarian writer:— "Freemasons: In the Middle Ages a Guild of Masons, specially employed in building churches, called " free," because exempted by several Papal Bulls from the laws which bore upon common craftsmen, and exempt from the burdens thrown on the working classes." Such is the definition given in a revised edition of the Dictionary of Reference, and if there be any truth in it, the Papacy in the cycle of time must have had good reason for repenting its favours, for in 1738 Freemasonry was excommunicated by the Pope, and the Roman Catholic Church has since invariably maintained an unswerving position of hostility towards the Order.
If Mr. Brough Smyth can be regarded as an authority, the system is, like the kangaroo, indigenous to Australia, for in his elaborate work on the Aborigines is the following declaration:— "It is believed that they (the Aborigines) have several signs, known only to themselves, or to those among the whites who have had intercourse with them for lengthened periods, which convey information readily and accurately. Indeed, because of their use of signs, it is the firm belief of many (some uneducated and some educated), that the natives of Australia are acquainted with the secrets of Freemasonry." If so, their knowledge must be of the most rudimentary kind, and time has failed to elucidate it on any part of the great Australian continent. However vague and apocryphal may be the various speculations indicated, one thing is certain, that the Freemasonry of civilization was early acclimatized in Port Phillip, for so far back as 1839 (four years after the white settlement of the country) steps were being taken to establish the first Lodge in Melbourne. The Order of Australia Felix was in operation in Sydney, and the necessary Dispensation Warrant was obtained from Mr. George Robert Nichols, the Provincial Grand Master of Australia, and thus the requisite preliminaries were forthwith set in motion. A meeting was held at the Lamb Inn (now Scott's Hotel), on the 6th February, 1840, and a liberal subscription was entered into for the purchase of jewels in Sydney. The date of enrolment is 25th March, 1840, and there were about one hundred members. The place of meeting was moved to the Adelphi Hotel in Little Flinders Street, and the first officially issued carte is thus:—
Lodge of Australia Felix.—No. 474,
W.M., Bro. William Meek; S.W., Bro. Richard Forrest; J.W., Bro. John Pridham Smith; Secretary, Bro. H. L. Worsley; Treasurer, Bro. Thomas Strode. Lodge Room, Adelphi Hotel. The Warrant was dated and signed by the Duke of Sussex, as Grand Master, on the 2nd April, 1841.
Certain paraphernalia were procured from Sydney, and the first Masonic banquet was held on the 24th June, when there was quite a jovial "night of it," and on leaving, the Brethren deposited their regalia in the Adelphi Storeroom, but the place was broken into during the night of the 25th, by some intoxicated rowdies, who knocked everything about, and saturated the various insignia with spilt grog. The Masons, when they heard of this act of desecration, kicked up a row with the landlord (a Mr. Brettargh), on the score of carelessness, and the insecurity of the place. He afterwards paid £28 as compensation for the damage done.
The place of meeting was again altered to the Exchange Hotel, in Collins Street, where it continued for a considerable time, and the following extended list of office-bearers acted in 1842:— W.M., Bro. Richard Forrest; P.M., Bro. John Stephen; S.W., Bro. George Were; J.W., Bro. C. J. Sanford; Organist, Bro. William Clarke; Treasurer, Bro. F. L. Clay; Secretary, Bro. William Cohen; Stewards, Bros. John Ensce, J. M. Conolly, and F. S. Dutton; M.C., Bro. James Dobson; S.D., Bro. Henry Watson; I.D., Bro. W. R. Belcher; I.G., Bro. Fredk. Tinton; Tyler, Bro. J. A. Clark. The number of brethren amounted to about 150.
The Australasian Kilwinning Lodge.—No. 337,
Was formed provisionally on St. Andrews's Day, 1841, with the following Provisional Officers:— B. W. M., The Hon. James Erskine Murray; D. M., William Kerr; S. W., Alexander Sim; J.W., James Hunter Ross; Treasurer, Henry Condell; Secretary, John Porter; Clerk, J. M. M'Laurin; S.D., Joseph Anderson; J.D., Thomas Burns; Steward, Peter Inglis; Tyler, J. A. Clark.
An application for a Warrant was transmitted to the Grand Lodge of Scotland, per ship Enmore," in February, 1842, and an interim Dispensation was obtained from the Grand Provincial Lodge of New Zealand. The Warrant was dated and signed by Earl Fitz-Clarence, as Grand Master, on the 6th February, 1843, but the Lodge was not fully constituted until the 13th May, 1844, when the ceremony of Constitution and the Installation of the then R.W.M., Bro. William Kerr, took place. The investment of the officers was performed by Bro. J. T. Smith, and a very short time after beheld "Brothers" Kerr and Smith, two of the most unfraternal enemies in Port Phillip.
The Australia Felix Lodge of Hiram.—No. 349,
Under the Irish Grand Lodge, though its formation was commenced in November, 1841, was not constituted until the 24th June, 1843. when Bro. J. T. Smith was elected Worshipful Master, and ceremonies similar to those above described, in reference to the preceding Lodge, were performed by P.M. Bro. Stephen.
The Warrant, under the sign manual of the Duke of Leinster, as Grand Master, did not issue until the 30th April, 1847. The Lodge of Australasia
Was established in the early part of 1844, and held its meetings at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Little Flinders Street East. It was officered by Bro. C. J. Sanford as Worshipful Master; Bro. F. L. Clay, S.W.; and Bro. F. Hinton, as J.W.
Some years after the United Tradesmen's Lodge, under the Grand Lodge of Scotland, was established at Geelong, through the instrumentality of Mr. George Coppin, who was installed as its first R.W.M.
The first Royal Arch Chapter, styled the Australasian, was constituted on the 7th May, 1844, and was in affiliation with the Australia Felix Lodge. In January, 1845, Mr. Henry Moor (the then Mayor), was elected its principal.
In May, 1842, the Masonic Lodges ordered three gold medals to be presented to Messrs. Henry Fowler, Peter Snodgrass, and Oliver Gourlay, three of the five amateur volunteers who effected the gallant capture of bushrangers on the Plenty, as described on page 351. It was not a nice thing to leave two (not the least meritorious) unrewarded, but a line of demarcation was drawn, so as to include the three named as members of "The Craft."
In August, 1842, the Masons are reported to have purchased, for 600 guineas, a splendid organ, imported from England by Bro. F. L. Clay; and in August, 1846, a magnificent set of jewels (worth over £100) was subscribed for by the members of the Lodge of Australia Felix, as a mark of esteem for their "worthy and dearly beloved brother," P.M. John Stephen.
From Mr. H. Bannister, Secretary of the Geelong Lodge of Unity and Prudence, I learn that the fourth Lodge established in the colony was the Geelong Lodge of Unity and Prudence, No. So, E.C., the Warrant being dated 13th October, 1847, and the building fully erected on the 26th October, 1848, Bro. R. Forrest, who was first S.W. of the Australia Felix, being installed W.M., with William Timms, S.W., Abraham Levy, J.W., Bro. Richard Ocock, P.M., from Melbourne, was the installing officer. The meetings were held in the Royal Hotel. This Lodge is still flourishing, although all the original members have passed away.
The first Masonic Provincial Grand Master in Victoria was Mr. J. H. Ross, of the Scotch Constitution. He was installed in the year 1847.
The second of that Masonic rank was Mr. J. T. Smith, of the Irish Constitution, installed in 1856.
The third was Captain A. Clarke, of the English Constitution, installed in 1857.
It is unpleasant to be impelled by a spirit of impartiality to record that much bad feeling was engendered in the olden time by prominent Freemasons, who, it is to be feared, frequently abused their positions in their respective Lodges to gratify personal animosity generated outside. This was especially the case with Brothers W. Kerr and John Stephen, who, when beyond the jurisdiction of the Tyler were in a chronic condition of hostility to each other. At the Corporation elections, and in the Council, at public meetings, and in the newspapers with which they were connected, they evinced but little of that "Brotherly Love and Charity" upon which the "Moral Order" professes to be founded. Kerr was always not only insinuating against, but openly accusing, Stephen of the grossest immorality, and the manner in which he befouled the name of Bro. Henry Moor in the Argus formed matter not only of comment, but judicial history. Bro. J. T. Smith occasionally jumped into the mire, but the two arch-offenders were Kerr and Stephen, the former the more culpable, as he was usually the aggressor. Matters went so far that Kerr was accused before the Lodge of Australia Felix with having cast certain imputations on the character of Stephen, and, unable to establish them by proof, was (according to newspaper report) subjected to expulsion.
But one thing must be admitted of the early Freemasons, viz., that they did much collectively and individually to help and sustain the early Charities of the colony. The Masonic procession in laying a foundation-stone was one of those bright sunshiny events of the past, to be lovingly recalled by the few who now remember them; and which even when by chance read of, act like a kaleidoscope shaken before the mind's eye. Such days used to be gala days, and in a small community where spectacular attractions were rare, the variegated glories of the grand turn-out of the Masonic and other associated bodies, with flaunting banners and beating drums, were anticipated with pleasurable expectation and thought over kindly for many a day after.
The First Masonic Testimonial.
From Mr. T. B. Alexander, Frankfurt House, Abbotsford, I am in receipt of the following interesting communication:—"I think Captain George Brunswick Smyth was the first to initiate the formation of a Masonic Lodge in Port Phillip, as I have on my side-board a silver salver embossed with the usual Masonic emblems, and bearing the incription—Presented to Brother George Brunswick Smyth, from the members of the Lodge of Australia Felix, as a mark of fraternal regard. St. John's Day, 27th December, 1840.' I always take great interest in your Chronicles of Early Melbourne, and send you the information, although it may be worthless."
Though personally unacquainted with my correspondent, I recognize in him a respected old colonist gazetted in Kerr's 1842 Directory as a settler at Mount Macedon. Captain Smyth was one of the earliest Territorial Magistrates in Port Phillip, one of the founders of the Melbourne Cricket Club, a member of Committee of the first Port Phillip Jockey Club, and during his brief stay in the province a prominent co-operator in every movement, public and private, projected for the benefit of the then infant community.
The following statement of the position of Freemasonry in Victoria was semi-officially made in 1883:—"It is forty-two years since the first Masonic Lodge was opened in Victoria, viz., the Australia Felix, No. 474, meeting in Melbourne, and chartered by H.R.H. the late Duke of Sussex, 2nd April, 1841, under the Grand Lodge of England. The Lodges in Victoria owing allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England now number seventy. The first Lodge under the Scotch Constitution is the Australia Kilwinning, No. 337, Melbourne. The warrant is dated 6th February, 1843, and is signed by the late Earl of Fitz-Clarence. There are ten Scotch Lodges in Victoria. The oldest Irish Lodge is the Hiram, No. 349, Melbourne, its charter bearing date 30th April, 1847, and granted by the late Duke of Leinster. The number of Lodges in Victoria under the Irish Constitution is fifteen. The two sister Constitutions of Scotland and Ireland, therefore, number twenty-five Lodges, as against seventy under the Grand Lodge of England."
On the inauguration of the Victorian Constitution of Freemasons in the same year, the then numerical strength of Masonic membership in the Colony was estimated at 5000, and the probable annual increase at 500.
The Only Lady Mason.
Though not regularly coming within the scope of this notice, there is one curious incident narrated in connection with Freemasonry, and as many persons may be unacquainted with it, a brief reference cannot be considered altogether out of place here. Masonic membership is supposed to be confined exclusively to the male sex. Like most other kindred Societies it is believed to possess a secret impenetrable to all but the initiated. Daughters of Eve are supposed to be incapable of secret-keeping a fact (if it be true) sufficient in itself to justify their exclusion. There was formerly an Irish Peer known as Lord Doneraile, high up in the mysterious Craft, and Lodge meetings used to be held at his house. His daughter (the Hon. Miss Eliza St. Leger), with the proverbial inquisitiveness of young ladies, after resorting unsuccessfully to every persuasive device of which she was capable, to "worm out" the Masonic secret from her gentlemen familiars, resolved upon a desperate attempt to dodge the sword of the Tyler, clandestinely penetrate the Arcana, and, no matter at what risk, if not to see, certainly to hear and judge for herself. There was an empty clock-case in the meeting-room, and in this Miss St. Leger ensconced herself before the hour of assembling, and patiently bided her time. The Lodge soon after was opened with all due formality, and the solemn rites of the Conclave were proceeded with; but after small progress had been made a titter, a sneeze, or a cough (which, is not known) sounded the alarm that a stranger was concealed somewhere at hand, and an instantaneous search speedily revealed the interloper. She fared, however, much better than Peeping Tom, of Coventry, for his prying rascality towards the kindhearted Lady Godiva, for, if history be veracious, Miss St. Leger was not immolated on the spot, but compelled to submit to initiation as a member of the Craft. She subsequently married a Mr. Aldworth, but whether he was a Mason, and did not need a knowledge of "the secret" from his wife, I know not; or if she divulged it to him or any of her lady gossipers, is a point on which I am equally unadvised.
Oddfellowship.
I have frequently asked members of the above Fraternity for a definition of the term, or, in other words, why they were called "Oddfellows," and could never obtain a satisfactory reply. The ordinary individual would simply shrug his shoulders, scratch his head, and say he did not know—perhaps it was because women could not be members; while a knowing one would glibly remark: "Oh, the Institution is as old as Creation. Adam was the first 'Oddfellow,' and we are descended from him." In one sense this was, doubtless, true enough, because, according to the generally-accepted theory, all human kind are the issue of our first parents; but in other respects I can find no sufficient reason to believe that Adam could have been the ovum from which would spring an association so singularly successful in propagating habits of thrift and benevolence, ramifying throughout the civilized globe, and productive of benefits so multifarious. Though Adam was an "Odd"-fellow, it was not for long, and when he was made even by having Eve as an associate, though he never could be said to be under what is modernly known as "Petticoat Government," his spouse soon acquired such an influence over him as to leave it matter of doubt if he possessed the moral courage of withholding from her that Oddfellows' "secret," which is supposed to have often been the cause of serious connubial differences in the married division of the confraternity. Obliged, therefore, to fall back upon myself, I am disposed to regard Oddfellowship as an association of men who combine in some "odd," or out of the confmon, unique, unusual, or peculiar manner, though for a common purpose of mutual benefit. However this may be, Oddfellowship has become a part and parcel of British civilization, and wherever an English-speaking community is planted, it springs up like religion, racing, or cricket-playing, as one of its primitive institutions. So it was with Australia, and especially in Sydney, where Oddfellowship soon took root and flourished, and it was through a . Dispensation from the Australian Grand Lodge there that the Order was transplanted to Port Phillip, where it found a congenial soil, skilful cultivators, and attached adherents. The first meeting on the subject was held in the Port Phillip Gazette office, West Collins Street, on the 25th June, 1840, when P.V. Graham presided. Accordingly there was established, on the 1st October, 1840, at the Adelphi Hotel, in Little Flinders Street,
The Australia Felix LOdge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows,
Having as its primary officers:—Augustus Greeves as N.G.; William Hayes as V.G.; W. J. Sugden as G.M.; Bro. Thomas Strode, Secretary; P.G. Bro. Cooper, Ancient Father; P.G. Bro. Shepperd, S.W.; Bro. J. Massagore, J.W.
These seven persons, with P.G. Hill, may be fairly pronounced the pioneers of the Manchester Unity in Victoria.
The first Initiation Fee was fixed at £5, irrespective of age, with a weekly contribution of one shilling, and the Clearance Money was £2 105. The Brotherhood attending this meeting subscribed £4 each towards preliminary expenses, of which £1 10s. per head was subsequently refunded.
A Dispensation from the Australian Grand Lodge at Sydney was received, and the Lodge was formally opened at the Steam Packet Hotel, on the 7th December, 1840. This hostelry was in Flinders Street, a few yards west of the corner of William Street, kept by the N.G. (Greeves), and here meetings were held on every alternate Monday evening. This Lodge, from its commencement, had a prosperous career. No rival appeared for several years, and it was piloted by Dr. Greeves, a man of considerable ability, and an ardent Oddfellow; indeed, a man who, if he had only displayed as much consistency and steadfastness in political life as he did in promoting the cause of Oddfellowship, would have become a most influential public man. The Oddfellows, like the Freemasons, were valuable acquisitions to the old processional ceremonials, and in all charitable movements played a conspicuous part. They were more practical in their charitable exertions than the Masons, and occasionally celebrated their anniversaries, not only with the usual convivialities, but also marching to church, and leaving an equivalent in the shape of a collection for some benevolent object.
The first appointment as Medical Officer to a Lodge was made in July, 1843, when Dr. Greeves was inducted at a remuneration of 20s. per member per annum. This was afterwards reduced to 15s. and 12s. 6d., utterly inadequate payment for anything pretending to be medical skill.
At a Lodge Meeting held on the 16th July, 1845, the first step was taken to establish a new Branch, under the designation of the Loyal Melbourne Lodge, and the application for a Dispensation bore the signatures of James Woodman, David Lyons, Henry Elms, Matthew Cantlon, and William O'Connell.
The First District
Port Phillip having been constituted a District of the Order by Dispensation from Manchester, in April, 1844, the inauguration took place in the Australia Felix Lodge Room, at the Crown Hotel (corner of Queen and Lonsdale Street), on the 15th October, 1845. A convocation of P.G.s was held for the purpose, and a ballot being taken, showed the following election as its results:— Prov. G.M., A. F. A. Greeves; Prov. D.G.M., Thomas Graham; Prov. C.S., James Woodman.
The application for a Dispensation for the Loyal Melbourne Lodge having been granted, it was accordingly opened on the 15th November. Others soon followed, and at the Port Phillip District meeting in June, 1851, the Manchester Unity could count seven Lodges, and 512 members.
A Court of Appeal
From the District decisions was considered a necessity in course of time, and consequently at the District Meeting of 6th December, 1850, a notice of motion was tabled for the formation of a Board of Directors, or Appeal. The Rules for the government of such Court were discussed and adopted on the 5th March, 1851, and on the ensuing 4th June the Supreme body was thus constituted:— Colonial G.M., P.P.G.M. Greeves; Colonial D.G.M., P.P.G.M. Barber; Colonial C.S., P.G. Ford; Colonial Warden, P.G. Isaacs, and nine members. The Corresponding Secretary was voted an annual salary of £20.
On the 5th October, 1846, there was a grand celebration of Oddfellows, when No. 1 Lodge of the Manchester Unity marched in full regalia to the Church of St. James. They were played thither by the band of the Australia Felix Temperance Society. Parson Thomson was before them with a true Evangelical welcome, and went through the Church of England Service with marked impressement, winding-up with a rather long-winded sermon on Galatians ii., 6. The collection realized £16 38. 8½d., in aid of the funds of the St. James' Visiting Society. The evening wound up with a sumptuous spread at host W. Mortimer's Crown Hotel (corner of Queen and Lonsdale Streets), with P.P.G.M. Greeves as Chairman.
In 1846, there was started in Melbourne a branch of the Duke of York Ancient and Independent Order of Oddfellows, and their motto was "Friendship, Love, and Truth," a triad which, certainly, so far as the two first elements were concerned, was occasionally transgressed as regarded the Manchester Unity, with which a spirited, and sometimes rather over brisk rivalry was prosecuted. The most devoted and disinterested adherent of the Yorkists was a Mr. William Clarke, for many years overseer of the Port Phillip Herald printing office; and subsequently landlord of an hotel, known as the Waterman's Arms, in Little Collins Street. He was the first N.G., and the success of the Order had grown into almost a passion with him.
Amongst the early convivial privileges recognized amongst the Oddfellows was that of the use of tobacco, and so much did the cloud-blowing grow into vogue, that it found its way into the more solemn and mysterious rites of the periodical meetings. It was an insinuating influence against which the authority of the Tyler was powerless, and to such an extent did the annoyance grow, as to render it necessary in June, 1847, to promulgate an order in No. 2 Lodge of the Manchester Unity. "prohibiting smoking in Lodge time." At the end of the same year, the rate of mortality was so exceedingly favourable amongst Oddfellows as to have it recorded as a significant fact that during the seven years of its existence in Melbourne, not a single death occurred in the Manchester Unity.
In 1847 there was quite a sensation caused by the Mayor (Mr. Moor) refusing permission to the members of the Manchester Unity to indulge in their customary anniversary procession through the streets. Consequent on an Orange riot which occurred in July, 1846, the New South Wales Legislature passed an Act for the prevention of Party Processions. In the first draft of the Bill as submitted to the Council, Freemasons and Oddfellows were excepted, but on some objection being offered the exemption clause was struck out, so that it was left a question of doubt whether or not the Act applied to such demonstrations. In all probability it did not, but as the Oddfellows made application for the permission, the Mayor (a Solicitor) adopted the safer course, and refused compliance. The consequence was that his impartiality was impugned, and for a short time he was unsparingly censured. The equanimity of the Manchestrians was in no way restored, when a few days after they were mortified by seeing the Duke of York Lodge commemorating their first anniversary in an open pedestrian display with banners, music, etcetera, the pains and penalties of the Party Processions Act notwithstanding. The Duke of York people evaded the difficulty in this way:—They did not ask the Mayor's permission, and the Mayor did not bother his head about any violation of the law, for easy-going, good-natured man, he did not care a dump what they did so long as he was neither magisterially nor officially brought into it. The result was a cause of great crowing and growling amongst the two Brotherhoods.
The first Oddfellow's funeral was witnessed in Melbourne on 20th February, 1848. Deceased was Mr. John Shanks, the keeper of a well-known hotel, called the Royal Highlander. One hundred brethren, wearing white aprons trimmed with black crape, accompanied in procession the corpse to its final earthly resting place. His was the first death for seven and a half years in the Manchester Unity.
According to official returns issued by the Registrar of Friendly Societies, Victorian Oddfellowship at the end of 1882 comprised three main Orders, viz, The Manchester Unity: 156 branches, 14,828 members, and a credit in investments and otherwise of £201,224. The Grand United: 52 branches, 3302 members, and a credit total of £23,263. The Independent: 47 branches, 4753 members, and a credit of £29,244.
In March, 1884, the following authorized statements were promulgated with respect to the two first Orders mentioned:—
Manchester Unity.—Number of members on the books, 15,361, of whom 14,561 are financial, showing an increase on last year of 706 and 636 respectively. Of this number 2746 received 22,209 weeks' sick pay to the amount of £17,410 4s., being an average of one week three days two hours, and £1 3s. 11d. respectively for every member in the Order. The figures for the preceding year were 14,501, of which 13,688 represented financial members. Of this number 2602 were sick for a period of 20,339 weeks, receiving as sick pay £16,145 11s. 6d., being an average of one week two days eleven hours, and £1 3s. 7¾d. respectively. Acquired during the year 1443 by Initiation (16 less than last year); by Clearance, 312 (54 more); total 1755. Lost by death, 159; by arrears, 496; by Clearance, 285 (being 94 more than last year). The wives of 92 members died during the year, being same as last. Gross receipts for 1883, £65,184 7s. 9d.; gross expenditure, £55,472 3s, 8d.; balance, £9712 4s. 1d. Total value of Lodge funds, £209,286 10s. 3d., or an average of £14 7s. 6d. per member, against £14 8s. 4d., when the gross funds amounted to 198,805 14s. 3d. The funds have increased £10,480 15s. 10d.
The Grand United Order.—On 1st January, 1882, they had 3298 members, with assets value £25,832 4s. 1d., and on 1st January, 1884, there were 3690 members, with assets value £29,970 1s. 5½d., showing an increase of 392 members, and in assets of £4137 17s. 4½d. The increase in members is—Melbourne district, 355; Gippsland, 6; Bendigo, 41; Ballarat, 46; and a decrease in Castlemaine district of 56. Total increase, 392; viz., financial 341; unfinancial, 43; honorary, decrease of 2. Increase in funds has been—Melbourne district and Lodges, £1813 13s. 1d.; Castlemaine district and Lodges, £219 19s.; Gippsland district and Lodges, £454 12s. 10d.; Bendigo district and Lodges, £296 13s. 5d.; Ballarat, £989 8s. 6d. During the same period there has been paid for medical attendance and medicine the sum of £7426 6s. 8d, for sick pay £6100 0s. 11d., funeral donations £1434, and for management £2987 15s. 3d., making a total for the four items of £17.948 2s. 10d.
It is a moot question with the veteran Oddfellows of the colony as to the individual who had most to do with the introduction of the Order here, though by all accounts it is a tie between Dr. Greeves, and Mr. Thomas Strode, one of the two founders of the Port Phillip Gazette; but if left to my arbitration, 1 should cast my vote in favour of Greeves, for whatever might have been Strode's share in planting the sapling from which spread the mighty tree of the Fraternity that now branches through every part of Victoria, it was the tact, talent, position, and special knowledge possessed by Greeves, in the science of Oddfellow Arboriculture, that promoted the rapid and prosperous growth of the Order, and ensured the great results to be now witnessed everywhere. If posthumous justice be accorded where it is justly due, the name of Greeves should not be forgotten so long as the Manchester Unity lives in the land.
Druidism.
There is not an atom of old Druidical lore to be gleaned from any of the Melbourne newspapers that I have seen, but the following may be relied on as a few particulars of the first efforts to acclimatize such a now popular and deserving Brotherhood.
A Mr. James Himen, who joined the Order of Druids in England in 1839, arrived in Melbourne ten years after, with a Dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Great Britain to establish a branch in Port Phillip. At first he was not successful, but a second attempt in 1850 partially succeeded. The Lodge "Enterprise" was floated at the Waterman's Arms Hotel, in Little Collins Street West, on the 15th July, of which Himen was appointed Secretary, and though he worked hard he was never able to muster more than forty followers, who were thinned by the gold fever of 1851-2 to thirteen. The attendance at the meetings got to be so irregular that there was nothing for it but a dissolution of partnership and a distribution of the fund accumulated amongst the financial members. In 1861 the Order was revived by P.A. Brother Barnard, who was joined by Brothers Himen, Lucas, Mundez, and Williams. They opened at the London Tavern on the 16th April. In 1863 pioneer Himen was Noble Grand Arch of the Lodge, subsequently filled several other offices, and was the recipient of a valuable testimonial. He died at the age of sixty-seven, on the 10th December, 1870.
At the close of 1880 The United Order of Druids numbered 49 branches and 3330 members and on the 31st December, 1883, the following very creditable state of affairs was apparent:—
| Number of members in Victoria, | 5195 | ||||
| Grand Lodge Funds | £9256 | 19 | 2 | ||
| Lodge Funds | 16,872 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Total | £26,128 | 19 | 3 |
The Grand United Druids owe much of their very marked success to their able and untiring Secretary, Mr. James J. Brenan, who has undoubtedly done for the Druids in modern times much as Greeves did for the Oddfellows forty years before, and from neither of the Brotherhoods can the name of either be even nominally dissociated.
Orangeism.
An Orange Confederacy has existed in the colony from an early date, and I include it as a Secret Society, using private signs, under the heading of the "Mystic Tie" because of its passwords, rather than that it is in any manner analagous to either Freemasonry or Oddfellowship. The Church of Rome has persistently set its face against Freemasonry. Oddfellowship was held in almost equal disfavour, though in some Roman Catholic communities it is tolerated; but modern Orangeism, which was unknown at the era of the Battle of the Boyne, which it affects to celebrate, has, especially out of Ireland, been so intolerably offensive, and so incompatible with the growing liberality of public opinion, as to render this short explanation necessary.
Orangeism in Port Phillip is believed to have originated with the inception of the Melbourne Corporation in 1842, to be used as an instrument in influencing the elections. The first Resident Judge (Willis) was said to have been its primary suggestor, though Mr. J. P. Fawkner publicly wrote that it was initiated by Mr. J. C. King (the first Town Clerk), and by Mr. William Kerr (one of the first Aldermen). King commenced legal proceedings against Fawkner, who, to stave off an action for libel, unconditionally apologized, and so far exonerated King. Others traced it to the Rev. Dr. Lang, who had more than once essayed the role of a religious incendiary in Port Phillip; but my impression is that it was imported in the guise of a small rabies from the North of Ireland in the latter part of 1842, by some dozen fanatics who settled down un-quarantined in the then small town. The germs of the contagion so introduced were very weak; the poison was barely preserved by a spark of vitality, and through incessant nursing was kept in a faint flicker until the following year, when the fierce personal antagonism that sprang out of the district general election between Dr. Lang and Mr. Edward Curr blew the flicker into a blaze. An Association was then formed under the grandiloquent designation of "The Grand Loyal Orange Institution of Port Phillip," but soon enlarged into "The Grand Protestant Confederation of Australia Felix." The first meetings were held at what was known as "Yarra House," now the Port Phillip Club Hotel, in Flinders street. It was then for a time in Fawkner's possession, and he lent it to the Brethren as a Liberty Hall; but shortly after, quarrelling in his amusing waywardness with some of the more prominent members, he treated them to a peremptory notice to quit, and they had to clear out, and take up their quarters somewhere else. For a while they put up at the Bird in Hand, an insignificant tavern in Little Flinders street, whence they moved to other hotels until, by a perseverance which deserves credit, they purchased an allotment of land at the corner of Stephen and Little Collins Streets. The Orange Confederation always conducted its proceedings with so much privacy that little of them is to be found reported in the Melbourne journals. Few persons of any recognized social status were ever enrolled amongst its members, though at periods of contested elections, candidates of good position did not disdain to indulge in political flirtation to secure the yellow vote. The affiliated Orangemen, however, stuck manfully to their work, and employed a zeal and indefatigableness well worthy of imitation.
In November, 1882, the then position of Victorian Orangeism was thus authoritatively stated by a Melbourne journal: "As years rolled on, new Lodges were established in the city and suburbs, and the old building becoming too small for their requirements, rooms had to be hired at the Temperance Hall and at various other places. Lodges have been also formed in many of the up-country towns, and two or three places, such as Cheltenham, have now Protestant Halls of their own. At present there are 73 Lodges in the colony, and the total number of their effective or paying members is about 4,000, of which nearly 2,000 are in Ballarat alone. It is claimed, however, that there are at least 80,000 Orangemen in the colony who are not attached to the Order. Presiding over all the Lodges is a Grand Lodge, which holds half-yearly meetings at Melbourne, Ballarat, Sandhurst, Castlemaine, and Geelong in rotation, and to this Grand Lodge the minor Lodges pay capitation fees to meet the general expenses." That this notice is saturated with exaggeration to an absurd extent admits of no reasonable doubt.
In connection with this subject I may mention that through a sincere desire to be as correct as possible in data for the compilation of this sketch, I addressed a courteously written application to the Orange Secretary for the facts connected with the early Orangeism, and which he might consider himself justified in supplying; but I was denied the courtesy of even an acknowledgment of the receipt of my letter; a marked exception to the manner in which similar applications for information had been received in other quarters.[1] However, what the Secretary would (or rather perhaps could) not give, has been obtained through a more authentic medium, for one of the staunchest Orangemen in the colony has placed at my disposal a curious MS. tract. It was prepared by a veteran "true blue," a resident at Richmond, and one of the three or four still amongst us who assisted at the birth, and aided in the nursing and bottle-feeding of a bantling whose evil instincts always dominated its professedly good intentions. In a spirit of fair play I append the document in extenso without even taking an exception to a few somewhat inelegant expressions dropped into the dish as a condiment:—
"A Short Account of the Origin of the Loyal Orange INstitution in Melbourne."
"In the year 1843 an election took place for the return of a Representative to the Sydney Legislature, Melbourne returning one member. Two candidates stood for election, viz.: Mr. Henry Condell, a brewer, and the first Mayor of Melbourne; and Mr. Edward Curr, better known as 'Circular Head' Curr; the former was a Protestant, the latter a Roman Catholic, who was defeated by a large majority.
"The defeat so enraged the Catholic party that a mob of them, low ruffians, assailed the Protestant party with sticks and stones, breaking their doors and windows, and endangering the lives of the inmates. Amongst those who suffered the greatest damage were Mr. H. Frencham and Mr. J. Green, both auctioneers. The latter was prepared for the mob, and when his premises were attacked he fired on his assailants, wounding some of them. This repulse had the effect of causing the mob to retreat out of the range of fire. The firing brought quickly into action a troop of mounted black police, under the command of Captain Dana, who charged the mob in gallant style, making them fly in all directions; but he was allowed to carry off the wounded, two of whom were taken to the doctor. The scene of this engagement was in Elizabeth street, opposite the present Telegraph Office. Captain Dana and his black police did good service in restoring order, for he patrolled the town the whole night, dispersing the Catholic mob wherever they assembled. Mr. Green was brought up at the police office for firing, but was honourably acquitted.
"Up to this time a kindly feeling had existed between Protestants and Catholics. Open voting at elections then existed, so that each party knew how the other voted, and the conduct of the Papists at this election so aroused the Protestant party to action, that they resolved to band themselves together for mutual protection, and to resist in the future the lawless conduct of the Popish mob. Accordingly a meeting was convened by a few Orangemen from Ireland, to be held at the Pickwick Hotel, Swanston street, kept by a Mr. Paterson. The meeting was well attended, presided over by Mr. Alderman Kerr, and a resolution was carried unanimously that a Loyal Orange Lodge be formed on the same principles as the Lodges of Great Britain and Ireland. A Lodge of about forty members was so constituted, and although most of the men had been members of Orange Lodges in Ireland, only one could produce a certificate, (and that one was Henry Frencham), which bore the name of his father as a Deputy Master
"The first Worshipful Master was Mr. Adolphus Quin, Mr. William Kerr, Treasurer, and Mr. J. C. King, Town Clerk, Secretary pro tem. New members were continually being added to the roll of loyal men, and the new Institution went on well until a split in the ranks occurred, owing to a difference of opinion respecting the designation of the Lodge. Several members thought the name 'Orange' was not acceptable in a new country, much variety of opinion existed, and the numbers being nearly equal, a split was the result. Accordingly the Grand Protestant Confederation of Australia Felix was formed on the 12th May, 1843, as a Benefit Society, but in every other respect the same as the Orange Lodge. A copy of the Rules is in the possession of the writer, which will be given to the Orange Institution if so desired. The most friendly feeling existed between the two Lodges, and after some considerable time elapsed a re-union took place, which has continued to the present day. Shortly afterwards the Royal Arch Purple Order was established, chiefly by James Hyde and others; the records will give the names of all."
This transcript corroborates, in certain respects, my own version of the infancy of the organization. In a former chapter on the "Elections to the New South Wales Legislature," the battle of Elizabeth Street was much more impartially described. But I am willing to make allowance for partisanship, as
"All looks yellow to the jaundiced eye."
The Protestant Hall
Was founded on the 5th April, 1847, (Easter Monday) when the laying of its first stone was effected with all the formalities and éclat characterizing the origin of certain public buildings. At 3 p.m. a considerable number of persons assembled to witness the interesting ceremonial, and the occasion was graced by a large proportion of ladies. The proceedings were commenced by depositing in a large cavity cut in the under stone, a capacious bottle, amongst the contents of which was a parchment scroll thus inscribed:—
The
Foundation Stone
of the
Protestant Hall and Schoolroom
Erected by the Orangemen of Australia Felix, with the assistance and co-operation of their fellow Protestants,
Was Laid
On the 5th day of April, Anno Domini, 1847, in the 10th year of the reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty Victoria,
Queen of Great Britain and Ireland,
By
William Kerr,
Provincial Grand Master of the Orangemen of Port Phillip.
| WM. KERR, |
|
Trustees. | |
| S. MATHEWS, | |||
| R. LUMSDEN, | |||
| LEWIS JOHN MICHEL, | |||
| ROBERT MEREDITH, Architect, | |||
| JAS. GIRVAN, Secretary. | |||
The bottle also enclosed several coins of the then and late reigns, and one of the reign of William the Third, copies of the Melbourne Argus of 3rd April, the latest number of the Sydney Sentinel (newspapers) the Protestant Gathering, and the Protestant Warning, metrical effusions of a Mr. W. E. Hammond, a clever versifier, and Attorney's clerk, who was known as the Poet Laureate of Orangeism in Melbourne; also the Rules of the Orange Institute, a Prospectus of the Hall, and impressions of the Seals of the Grand Lodge and the several private Lodges, with other documents of various descriptions connected with the occasion. The P.G.M., assisted by Messrs. Mathews, Michel, Quin, Lumsden, and W. Hinds, went through the usual formula, and the stone was pronounced to be "well and truly laid." Mr. Meredith, the architect, next exhibited a plan of the future building, and its handsome appearance and goodly proportions elicited rapturous cheering.
The P.G.M. Bro. Kerr addressed the assemblage in a lengthy and interesting oration, and thus concluded:—
"Friends and Brethren,—We have this day laid the foundation of a building, within the walls of which it is intended to provide the rising generation with the blessings of a sound and liberal education, which shall afford in all time coming a rallying point for the defenders and supporters of the Protestant Faith, and a stronghold for the maintenance of Civil and Religious Liberty to all classes of Her Majesty's Subjects. May the Grand Architect of the Universe, of His kind Providence, enable us to carry on and finish the work we have now begun, and may He preserve it from decay and ruin to thelatest posterity."
A hymn was sung and the Doxology followed, after which the Rev. A. M. Ramsay, a Minister of the Presbyterian Church of the Province unconnected with the State, invoked the blessing of Almighty God on the day's work, and very fervently prayed for the prosperity of an undertaking having for its object the spread of education and the maintenance of pure and undefiled religion. A collection was made in aid of the Building Fund, and £26 1s. contributed. The National Anthem was then chanted, an explosion of "Kentish fire" followed, and the proceedings, which were distinguished by good order and much enthusiasm, wound up with three cheers for the Queen.
On the 24th April, 1848, (also Easter Monday) the building was formally opened with a very successful ball, at which 400 persons attended.
On the 15th August in the same year another very agreeable re-union took place. The principal room, a fine spacious apartment, was tastefully decorated. Three fine chandeliers swung from the ceiling, and a gorgeous star illuminated with lamps, surmounted by a crown and the Royal monogram V.R. The floor was fantastically chalked by a Mr. Lightwood with the arms of the province in the centre, and "Advance Victoria" in a scroll underneath. The attendance was numerous, several of the visitors adopting fancy costumes, amongst the most remarkable of which were those of Dr. O'Toole, the Lass o' Gowrie, Flower girls, Italian peasants, and bandits. There was a sprinkling of Masons and Oddfellows in regalia, and there were the two Misses D., who were pronounced to be the evening belles. A Mr. Easeman conducted the orchestra, dancing commenced at 9.30, the supper was sumptuous, and there was not a single drawback to mar the universal satisfaction imparted.
And so as one year disappeared to be replaced by another, the Hall continued to be the arena of many pleasant festive fore-gatherings and public meetings, as well as a convenient rendezvous for religious celebrations and demonstrations. For more than thirty years the Protestant Hall fulfilled the purpose of its projectors so effectually that in January, 1882, the old building was removed with the intention of substituting a more suitable edifice. The new hall was accordingly proceeded with, and it is a creditable architectural achievement. Its estimated cost was about £6000, and the subjoined description is compressed from a Melbourne newspaper:—
"The foundations are of bluestone, and the superstructure is in brick cement. The building is two- storied, and in the Italian style of architecture. The lower windows are arched, and neatly relieved by pilasters with insticated basements. The upper windows are headed with square pediments, with trusses and enriched panels, and between them are pilasters in the Corinthian style. Surmounting all are a large modillioned cornice and balustrade, and from the corner springs a tower 70ft. high, with a mansard roof and a platform enclosed in an ornamental iron railing. The interior of the ground floor is divided into a number of rooms appropriated to various purposes. A stone staircase leads up to the hall on the first floor—a capacious apartment 70ft. by 42ft. and 24ft. high. A platform has been erected at one end, and a gallery at the other. The building is expected to be self-supporting, for the rents for the use of the hall and the meeting-rooms will bring in a considerable annual revenue."
- ↑ It is only just to the Secretary to add that he afterwards disclaimed any discourteous intention towards the Author.—Ed.