CHAPTER XXV

‘THE FESTIVE BOARD’
THE etiquette of the table, or in old Masonic parlance ‘ the festive board ’—Brethren are besought not to call it ‘ the Fourth Degree ’— differs in no material degree from the order and rules observed when a number of men meet and dine or sup together upon any occasion.
It is not generally remembered that theo- © tetically all ‘ refreshment’ is under the im- mediate supervision of the Junior Warden “as the ostensible Steward of the Lodge.’
The Worshipful Master will already have announced in Lodge whether the brethren are to dine ‘ in full Masonic clothing ’ or only ‘ officers in collars.’
The duty rests upon the Director of Cere monies to see that the places at the table for visitors and for members are assigned in accordance with their rank in the Craft; allowing, of course, a certain degree of freedom of choice; that is to say, if a dis-
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- umnguished visitor be assigned a place at, or near the top of the table, and if he prefer a lower seat beside the Brother who introduces him, or with whom he may be more or less intimate, his wish would, of course, be com- plied with. On the other hand, it would be bad taste for a Brother who bears no rank of any importance to aspire, on the plea of sitting next to a friend, to occupy one of ‘the chief seats at feasts, lest haply a more honourable man than he come in,’ etc.
Visitors should be ranged in the order of their rank and precedence on the right of the Worshipful Master. The only exception is the Initiate, who, on the night of his Initiation, takes precedence of visitors, Grand Officers included, and sits on the immediate right of the Worshipful Master.
Past Masters of and in the Lodge should be ranged, in the order of their Masonic rank and of their seniority in the Lodge, on the left of the Worshipful Master; the Immediate Past Master being, of course, on his immediate teft (pp. 177, 348, 349).
There is as a rule more freedom trom form and ceremony at the table after the ordinary meetings of the Lodge; still, order and regu- Jarity should not be neglected; rules should
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be observed as far as is compatible with freedom from unnecessary restraint, but they should not by any means be ignored. At Festivals (annual or other) a certain degree of state and ceremony should be
observed, and the ordinary rules regulating | the proceedings on such occasions should be |
even more strictly enforced; and precedence
should be given to rank and station in the |
Craft. * * *
When Grace is said (that is, when it is. not sung), if the Chaplain be present he should say it.
We have a good old Masonic form of “Grace before meat,’ and of ‘ Grace after meat,’ which should not be allowed to fall into disuse. They run thus: ‘ May T. G. A.
O. T. U. bless that which His bounty has_ provided for us. So mote it be’; and ‘ May | T.G. A. O. T. U. give us grateful hearts, and | supply the needs of others. So mote it be.’
* 2 * *
During the meal the Worshipful Master ‘takes wine with the Brethren.’ This opera- tion is sometimes performed in sections; and sometimes the ingenuity of the Immediate Past Master or of the Director of Ceremonies. |
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is responsible for a great variety of excuses for the ‘ taking of wine.’
It is usually: ‘ Brethren, the Worshipful Master will take wine with the Brethren on his left’; then with those ‘on the right.’ On these occasions the Worshipful Master should always stand. He is in the capacity of a host welcoming his friends to his table, and courtesy demands that he should rise. It is perhaps for this reason that he makes these occasions collective rather than in- dividual.
The Brethren, on their part, have an in- veterate habit of ‘ challenging’ each other in the course of the meal; but even in this free and easy habit etiquette prevails.
No one may challenge the Worshipful Master at all. No one may challenge a Grand Officer or superior officer or senior member. He should wait until the superior or senior challenges him.
Of course in the case of a little forgetful- ness or too great absorption of—mind—on the part of the ‘ high and mighty,’ there is nothing to prevent a succession of ‘ nods, becks, and wreathed smiles’ to indicate that the junior is anxious and willing to be challenged.
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In this connection it may be remarked that Officers of the Lodge should be spoken to and spoken of by the name of their Office —e.g., ‘Worshipful Brother Immediate Past Master,’ ‘ Brother Senior Warden,’ ‘Worshipful Brother Treasurer,’ ‘ Brother Inner Guard.’
cd * * *
During refreshment the Stewards should be quietly and unostentatiously active in looking after the comfort and satisfaction .of all the Brethren, but especially of the Visitors, that they may be encouraged to wish to come again
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The custom of proposing certain regular _ toasts, and occasionally of drinking to the | health of any particular Brother or Brethren | who may be present, if not universal, is still general as of old. Numbers of men advocate | the entire abandonment of the practice; and suggest that, as at military mess dinners, one toast only—‘ The King ’—should be given.
It may well be doubted if the abolition, or even “he partial abandonment of the: custom, or the serious curtailment of the lists of toasts which we have been accus-
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tomed to find upon the programmes of our Festivals, would be acceptable to any but a very small minority of the Members of the Craft. The custom of giving toasts and of drinking healths at social gatherings, _ dinners, etc., in our own houses, is happily “a thing of the past; but with Masons the case is different. We profess to be, and we are, very properly tenacious of ‘ The ancient - Landmarks of the Order.’ The custom of toasts at our festive meetings is so old as to have become a social landmark—it should. not be lightly abandoned, or tampered with to any serious extent.
Some of the peculiar Masonic toasts are said to have been ‘revived’ in 1719 by Dr. Desaguliers, who was then Grand Master.
The forms will necessarily vary to some extent in different Provinces or Districts, or even in neighbouring Lodges; but in their main features and in their order of sequence there is no great variation.
Even in the same Lodge some difference is generally made between the number of toasts given at an ordinary meeting and those included in the list intended for an In- stallation dinner, or an Anniversary, or any other special occasion.
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At the ordinary meetings of the Lodge, it is not expected that the full complement of toasts shall be given, although, even then, a certain routine should be observed, such as: ‘The King and the Craft’; ‘ The high dignitaries and the Rulers of the Order, supreme and subordinate’; ‘The Worship- ful Master,’ and some others at discretion, and in accordance with the probable dura- tion of the sitting.
The list of toasts, however, should not be cut down to poor dimensions upon extra- ordinary occasions, such as Festivals, Instal- lations, and so on, when large numbers—~ — members and visitors—are expected to be present.
Where so great a variation of practice is
certain to exist in different Lodges and —
different Provinces, one feels some degree of hesitation in even suggesting, and much more in dictating for general adoption, any programme of toasts.
The following is culled from programmes recently used at Installation and Anniver- sary banquets:
1. The King and the Craft.
2. The Most Worshipful Grand Master, His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught
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and Strathearn, K.G., KT., K.P., etc., etc., etc. [See note on p. 384 as to smoking.]
3. The Most Worshipful Pro Grand Mas- ‘er, the Lord Ampthill, G.C:S.F3-G.¢.LE,; the Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master, the Right Honourable Thomas Frederick Halsey, and the rest of the Grand Officers, Present and Past.
4. Brother (name, and titles, if any). Right Worshipful Provincial (or District) Grand Master of (insert the Province or District).
5. Brother (name and rank), Very Wor- shipful Deputy Provincial (or District) Grand Master, and the Provincial (or Dis- trict) Grand Officers present and past.
6. The Worshipful Brethren of London Rank (instead of 4 and 5; see p. 410).
7. The Worshipful Master
7a. The Initiate.
8. The Visiting Brethren.
8a. The Joining Member.
9. The Immediate Past Master, the In- rtalling Master, and the other Past Masters of and in the Lodge.
70. The... Chapter, No: ois.
zz. The Masonic Charities.
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12. The Treasurer and Secretary.
13. The Senior and the Junior Warden, and the other Officers of the Lodge.
14. Prosperity to the Lodge (name), Number. ....
15. All Poor and Distressed Masons (wherever dispersed over the face of Earth and Water, etc., etc.). (See Charge after third section of first Lecture.)
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It is, perhaps, unnecessary to remind the responsible reader, that no Masonic toast should be proposed, honoured, or acknow- ledged unless the Banqueting Room be “ close tyled.’
When about to propose the Toasts, the Worshipful Master, or the Brother whom he has deputed, or whose duty it is to propose the Toast, after satisfying himself that the Lodge is ‘close tyled,’ usually inquires (seated) of the Wardens: ‘ Brother Senior and Junior Wardens, how do you report the glasses under your respective Columns ?’ and, having been assured by them that they are ‘all charged in the West, Worshipful {Master],’ and ‘all charged in the South, Worshipful [Master], he calls upon them to rise, saying, ‘ Principal Officers upstand-
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ing!’ so that, in effect, the Toast is pro- posed by the three Principal Officers, ‘ the Worshipful Master, and the Senior and Junior Wardens.’
These formule are not employed for the Toast of ‘ The Officers,’ or for the ‘ Tyler’s Toast.’
It is a custom in certain Lodges for all the members of the Lodge to stand while the Toast of the Visitors is being proposed.
* oo * *
It is no uncommon thing to find on pro- grammes of Festivals and other occasions ‘The King’ as the first toast, without any reference to ‘ The Craft ’;.this is wrong.
In the united toast, we express at once our loyalty to the Throne, and our rever- ence for ‘our ancient and honourable Fra- ternity.’ ‘The King and the Craft’ is the original and very ancient form among Free- masons; whereas ‘The King’ alone is the form used at ordinary meetings in the outer world. We should retain the combined form by all means; and we should do so whether the reigning Monarch is or is not a Freemason.
Similarly, full Masonic Honours should be given to the combined toast. A circular
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issued in 1g1I to Masters of Lodges on this subject concludes with the expression of the Pro Grand Master’s hope ‘ that the ancient form of toast “‘The King and the Craft” will be generally retained.’
* * * *
‘Visitors may be present whose rank socially or Masonically may entitle them to special mention and a separate toast. No hard- and-fast line can be or should be attempted to be drawn upon the subject. All that has been aimed at above has been to give a good, useful, practical programme, fairly comprehensive, and not wearisome.
With regard to ‘the honours’ after the Toasts in Provincial Lodges, the following have been obtained from a very efficient Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies, and are those which generally obtain in the Provinces—
The King and the Craft
AS sey £3 tLMESIO The M.W. Grand Master
The M.W. Pro G. Master ... Pe Hie The R.W. Dep. G. Master .. Sad, ae The Grand Wardens ae Siilestaies The Rest of Grand Officers ohms ha ey S: The R.W. Dist. or Prov GoMaster (33 The R.W. Dep. Prov. G. Master (in
chair) Ae.
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‘The Festive Board’ The W. Dep. Prov. G. Master (not in
chair) | ’ : -. 3 times 3 The Prov. G. Wardens te “roar. S The Rest of Prov. G. Officers EER gsr 3
N.B.—When any of the foregoing are grouped, the Honours given are those to which the highest Officer of the Group is entitled.
The W.M. oe ee oe 3 ry) 5 The P.M.s ‘ BY a OG
N. B.—Occastonally the’ W.M. and P.M.’s toast is honoured with twenty and one—or Running Fire.
Visitors and Brethren generally tre HUSt EES
They appear to have been well arranged, and are fairly proportioned to the individual rank of the several subjects of the various toasts. There is no authoritative rule and no universal custom. The Worshipful Master ~ and the Director of Ceremonies must always arrange the programme either in accordance with precedent in their Lodge or at their own discretion.
The ‘ Fire,’ after the Toasts in London Lodges, is usually restricted to the P. L. R.
This is often imperfectly given, owing to want of observant attention on the part of those who copy it from those who know; or, still worse, to the misfortune of copying it
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from those who do not know the ecole) correct method; which is—
PLR PES sae aL Ras onesies three:* (Snisoh EF Ac\eem2. o(Sn oti eAL) 1.23. (Sneot BA \radeats.:
The ‘ Fire’ after the Tyler’s Toast is some- times given with what is called ‘ silent fire.’ This is utterly wrong in principle. It is not a funeral. It is a toast to poor and dis- tressed Freemasons, who may yet, and we all hope they may, find a relief from all their sufferings. So they are entitled to the same _ joyous ‘ open fire’ as the rest of us.
* * * *
On Anniversaries or Installation banquets as a rule each toast is followed by a song or glee, or some musical performance. These are within the province of the Organist, and whatever may be arranged is set forth— each piece in its proper place—in the Pro- gramme. If the songs, glees, etc., be well selected, with some care as to their appropri- ° ateness to the toasts which they respectively follow, and if they be fairly well rendered, the entertainment as a whole will be suc- cessful and enjoyable, at least, let us hope, to the majority—to those who desire to be happy themselves, and, if it be in’ their
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power, to communicate happiness to their Brethren.
In some Lodges a custom exists for the Worshipful Master to propose the first toasts. He then calls upon some Past Master or Senior Warden or the Junior Warden to propose the next. After these have been duly honoured, various Brethren selected by the Worshipful Master (assisted perhaps by the Director of Ceremonies) are requested to propose certain of the remaining toasts; these being allotted to the several speakers according to their special fitness for the duty; derived, it may be, from an intimate knowledge of the subject of the toast with which each speaker is entrusted; or for other good and sufficient reasons.
It is important, however, to be noted that the Brother whom the Worshipful Master deputes to be the proposer of any Toast is entrusted for the time being with the Wor- shipful Master’s gavel. This symbol indicates that the Toast is being proposed by and with the authority of the Worshipful Master, and it is intended to be as great a compli- ment as if proposed by the Worshipful Master himself. .
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Immediately after the toast of the Grand Master permission is given to the Brethren to smoke; then, and not till then, cigars and other means and appliances for the enjoy- ment of the nicotian weed are brought into requisition. :
No apology can be needed for the mention of tobacco in connection with the symposia of our Order, the habit is so generally, indeed universally, practised at our meetings. Still less need we hesitate to allude to the subject in these days, when, from the lordly club or social gathering in which princes occasionally disport themselves, down through all grades—to the working men’s political or social club—‘ smoking concerts ’ are, as our American cousins would aptly say, in ‘ full blast.’
* * % *
Some mention must be made of the speeches of the Brethren in proposing the various toasts; and of the replies (returning thanks) of those whose healths—either singly or in connection with others—have formed the subjects of the personal toasts.
A considerable amount of ridicule is cast upon the quality of post-prandial oratory.
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The kind, the manner, and the quality of the speeches one hears at the table at Masonic meetings differ, perhaps, quite as much as the speakers themselves differ the one from the other, and as the toasts vary in importance, and in general or individual interest. It is, therefore, clearly impossible to lay down rules for general adoption.
One hesitates to go so far even as to hint at, or to make the slightest suggestion upon, a subject so varying in all its sur- rounding circumstances as a list of toasts must necessarily be, comprising, as it does, subjects of the highest dignity and of world- wide interest down to subjects of local interest, and so on. Who shall prescribe— with any hope of even partial success—rules. or suggestions for their several introduction in speech ? .
A Demosthenes is not born every day. Nevertheless, among the members of our Order we may occasionally meet men capable of investing common subjects with the charm of their own fancy, affording an intellectual fedst to their hearers. From such men we do not expect brief utterances—we should be disappointed with a short address—we expect something above the average in
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quaritity as well as in quality, and generally we are not disappointed.
Except from men of superior attainments, and of unusual facility and happiness of expression, long speeches upon well-worn topics, such. as the routine toasts given at our meetings, are a weariness of the flesh; they should be studiously avoided. - There are, however, certain toasts, such as the health of the Worshipful Master, particu- larly if by the performance of the duties of the lower Offices, and during his Mastership, he have shown exceptional zeal and ability; in such a case a moderately lengthy address is not only permissible, but is ceninemtly desirable.
Again, the toast wishing ‘ Success to the Masonic Charities’ is one that demands much more than a brief introduction. It is very desirable that at least ‘ once in every year’ the members of the Lodge should learn, from some well-informed Brother, the excellent, the beneficent work, which year after. year our various Charities are engaged in performing. Some well-selected, and not too minutely-detailed statistics, may well be given upon such occasions. The dit
and figures thus produced tend to wee 386
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the virtue of Charity in the best possible way—namely, by convincing the Brethren that the various Institutions are conducted with care and efficiency, that the large revenues are carefully administered, and that the results bear in all cases a full pro- portion to the means employed.
In many Provinces, every Lodge elects yearly a member, whose duty it is to attend to all matters connected with the Charities, both Metropolitan and Provincial, so far as the interests of his own Lodge are con- cerned. In the Provinces alluded to, there are Charities, educational and otherwise, the benefits of which are restricted to the Pro- vinces in which they exist; and the Brother mentioned is the representative of his Lodge upon the Central Committee of the Province, which conducts the affairs of the Institu- tion. In the case also of an application to the Board of Benevolence in London, the same Brother goes to the meeting of the Board, to support the application, and to answer the searching questions which are always, and very properly, asked before the application is decided upon.
In many Lodges the same Brother is re- elected year after year, with the good result
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that he becomes as a rule thoroughly well versed in the working of the Charities, and so is able to render eminent service to the Lodge. Who, then, can be a more ‘ fit and proper person’ to propose the toast of ‘ The Masonic Charities,’ or perhaps, better still, to respond to the toast? In the latter case some Brother, selected for his fitness for the duty, might dilate at reasonable length upon ‘the distinguishing character- istic of a Freemason’s heart — namely, Charity,’ in the abstract; and the Charity Representative would follow with such mcderate detail of the results of the benefi- cence of the Craft as will interest and not weary his hearers.
This subject has been here somewhat fully discussed, because Charity being, as it were, the watchword of our Order, the younger Brethren should learn that it is no -unmeaning cry, no ‘sounding brass or tinkling cymbal,’ but a substantial reality - among us; that we do minister to the relief of ‘our poor and distressed Brethren, and their widows, and their helpless orphan chil- dren’; that all is done without degrading the recipients, and without wounding their self-respect; that, judged by results, our
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Charities are the best managed and the most successful organizations in existence; that, with scarcely an exception, the scholars who have passed through the Boys’ and the Girls’ Schools respectively have done credit to the Institutions, and in some in- stances have achieved eminent success in their after-life; and that the closing years. of life are rendered comfortable and happy for many an aged Brother, and many an otherwise unprovided for and hopeless widow. Having the knowledge of these good works of our Order imparted by ‘ one who knows,’ “the best feelings of the heart may be awakened to acts of Beneficence and Charity,’ to the lasting advantage of our Charitable Institutions, and to the realiza- tion on the part of the givers of the fact that in very deed ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
There may be other occasions, such as the presence of a visitor of distinction, or the presentation of an address, or a testimonial (a jewel, or something of the kind), as an acknowledgment of eminent services ren- dered to the Lodge, when something more than a hasty and perhaps ill-considered address is required of the speaker. A very
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nice discrimination is necessary in treating these subjects; the speaker is required to avoid, on the one hand, excessive laudation, manifestly beyond the merits of the re- cipient, and, on the other hand, the equally manifest falling short in the expression of appreciation of those merits, and in giving utterance to the sentiments of those of whom he is the mouthpiece.
A difficult task, generally, is that of re- plying to the toast of one’s own health, or of expressing one’s grateful feelings as the recipient of the testimonial mentioned, whatever form it may take. There is always the initial difficulty of having one’s self as the topic upon which to dilate.
We should never cease. to be natural in our utterances; ‘ the tongue, being an index of the mind, should utter nothing but what , the heart truly dictates,’ and if our utter- ances bear the stamp of truthfulness, if they have the ring of the true metal, be they the utterances of a novice or the well- © rounded periods of a practised speaker, they will not fail of their full effect upon the hearers.
A good old custom, in general use some years ago, is now perhaps less observed than
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it formerly was; but on every occasion when there is an Initiation, immediately after the newly initiated Brother’s health has been duly proposed, the Loving Cup should be circulated, and the Entered Apprentice’s Song should be sung as a matter of course; indeed, the Brethren should as soon think of omitting the Charge as of foregoing the E. A.’s Song, with its chorus and the cordial hand-grasps all round during the singing of the last verse. All the older Brethren, and certainly the majority of the younger genera- tion, would consider the ceremony incom- plete without the good old song.
(Full notes on the Entered Apprentice’s Song will be found in the Appendix, p. 453.)
THE SECRETARY’S TOAST.
One interesting toast which is of remote origin and rarely heard, is one proposed occasionally by the Secretary.
To enable it to be proposed properly the Brethren must arrange themselves all seated, if not in a circle, in a conveniently con- tinuous chain, which may for this purpose be deemed to be an irregular circle, as it is requisite that each Brother should be in
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immediate whispering contact with a left- hand neighbour.
The Secretary commences by whispering _ to his left-hand neighbour the words, ‘ The Secretary’s toast’; and each Brother in turn whispers the same words to his left- hand neighbour, until in due course the Secretary is reached. He then starts the whisper similarly, ‘What is it?’ and that question is passed round the table. In exactly the same whispered way the fol- lowing phrases are circulated
‘ There’s no harm init!’
‘The Mother of Masons.’
‘ Who is she ?’
“No... .’ (the No. of the Lodge).
Then, in an audible voice, this message is sent round:
‘ Glass lip high.
Then the order is similarly pulled
‘Drink.’ [And, as each Brother passes on the command, he drinks.]
Then the Secretary, in a loud tone, says:
‘Drink all, and all drink.’ [And simul- taneously all the Brethren drink, and (theoretically) drink all—+.e., to the last drop.]
The ‘fire’ is correspondingly unique
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The Secretary commences with a single knock, and that single knock is passed round the table one after the other until it has made three complete circuits.
a hen, lede by. ther secretary. allsthe Brethren ‘fire’ three times rapidly, and raising the firing glass high in the air, finish with one tremendous volley.
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