Lodge Riddrie Glasgow No.1340

THOMAS MILNER
(R.W.M. - 1938 - 1939

Bro. THOMAS MILNER, member of Lodge Progress, No. 873, was affiliated to Lodge Riddrie on 26th September, 1928. In 1929 he took office as Architect. For the next three years he was Junior Chaplain, then occupied the offices of Inner Guard, Junior Deacon, Junior Warden, Senior Warden, and Substitute Master. He was installed as Master on 23rd November, 1938, by Bros. James Purves, P.P.G.S.W., and D. M. Kerr, both Past Masters of Lodge Riddrie.
As Bros. D.  M. Kerr and L. H. Campbell had been invited to be Installing Masters at Lodge St. John Kilwinning, Kirkintilloch, No. 28, Bro. Milner took a large deputation to Kirkintilloch in support.
We had a visit from Lodge Caledonian Railway, No. 354, headed by the Master, Bro. A. S. Wright, when the office bearers of that Lodge worked a Third Degree.
At the Divine Service the Choir led the praise and rendered an anthem.
The loss of founder members through death was very serious this year, Bros. James M. Gray, George Thaw, Sam Millar, J. Cramb, H. Fitzgerald, W. Arnott, M. Phillips, George Donaldson, and J. W. Spence passing away.
Our first Secretary, Bro. Archibald Russell, who had taken up practice as a doctor in Preston, was granted a demit to join Lodge Preston, No. 333 (English Constitution), and the brethren wished him success and happiness in his new abode.
A seat, which was also a cupboard, was erected in the ante-room for the convenience of the Master, who would be able to keep articles of entertainment ready for any emergency.
Bro. Sir Alex. B Swan, D.L., LL.D., Provincial Grand Master, headed the Annual Visitation from P.G. Lodge.
In the course of his remarks, Bro. Swan said : “The comfort and cleanliness of your halls and the beauty of the furnishings in contrast to the dingy quarters of P.G. Lodge make me eager to press on with my scheme for a new Masonic Temple––worthy of Glasgow–– in the centre of the city.”  He congratulated Bro. Stark on the excellent way in which he kept the Lodge Minute Book and, especially on this occasion, the matter and writing of his annual report, which could be taken as a model by any secretary in the Province.
Provincial Grand Lodge celebrated its bi-centenary in February, 1939.The City of Glasgow gave on 5th February, a reception in the Municipal Chambers to about fifteen hundred brethren of the Craft and their partners of the opposite sex. Lodge Riddrie was represented by Bros. Thomas Milner, Councillor James S. McNeill, D. M. Kerr, L. H. Campbell, W. Steele, W. R. Stark, and George S. Dick.. A programme of music and dancing was carried through under the chairmanship of the Right Honourable The Lord Provost of Glasgow, who in welcoming the guests said : “ The order had a very illustrious history during these two centuries. Many of its members had been leading citizens, but all its members had been worthy citizens and had made a very notable contribution to the progress of Glasgow between 1739 and 1939. The present members of the Order were just as enthusiastic in well-doing as the founders. That would always be characteristic of an Order which was founded on the principles of justice and morality, and with regard to orderly progress in society.”
The Most Worshipful Grand Master Mason, Bro. Sir Norman A. Orr Ewing, replied, thanking Lord Provost Dollan on behalf of the members of the Craft in Scotland, and the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, Sir Alexander B. Swan, expressed the thanks of the Freemasons of the Glasgow Province for the hospitality extended to them.
The following day , Sunday 5th February, about nine-hundred brethren attended a commemoration service in Glasgow Cathedral.
The sermon was preached by Bro.  The very Rev. Lachlan Mclean Watt, D.D., LL.D., who took for his text words from the general Epistle of James (Chapter 2 and the latter part od verse 20) “Faith without words is dead.” We would like to quote the whole sermon, but must be content merely to let you have the conclusion :
“ Some fight for a printed book
And some for a printed creed ;
But the faith that lives is the faith that gives
Love, warm, to a brother’s needs.”
That is our ideal. Our quest, and our practice. And to-day we ask God to keep us still steadfast in such service, staunch as our fathers were before us, following their example.
There is one way for it––the Road of Service, compassion and brotherhood, that leads through the very heart of Love Divine–– the Right of Way of every soul that truly seeks the high places where the faithful wait. Love evermore endures.
Freemasonry–– the aristocracy of true democracy––stands for that and, besides that, centuries are nothing. Eternity is its gauge. And through it , life gets into tune with love. And God’s will lives among men.
Let us, therefore, keep true to those activities, and vindicate before the world the things in witness of which our fathers stood steadfast–– Fraternity, Equality and Service––the threefold cord by which man binds himself and his fellows to the living love of God. 
“When the cup of my joy runs over,
Ere the glow of its spell depart,
Let it flow with loving fulness
To a brother’s empty heart.
And, when his days are sombre
With constant clouds of grief,
About, for his care’s relief.”
May that be written on our hearts as the note of our life and service.
The Old Testament lesson was read from Isaiah XXXV. By Bro. Sir Norman A. Orr Ewing, and the new Testament lesson from Corinthians was read by Bro. Sir Alex. B. Swan.
We have attended many religious services that stirred the blood ; in churches and meeting places, both here in Scotland , in Ireland. England and the Continent, not forgetting the Grand Lodge bi-centenary service in St. Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, or the consecration service in St. Enoch’s Hogganfield Church––both of which were memorable occasions. But we think that when that great body of men stood up in Glasgow’s ancient cathedral and opened the service with the eighteenth paraphrase to that grandest of all psalm tunes. “Glasgow,” we had reached the sublime in our experience of public worship.
The bi-centenary celebrations were brought to a close on Monday, 6th February, when a banquet was held in St. Andrew’s Halls.

After the Royal toast we had the speech making.
The first toast, “The Grand Lodge of Scotland,” was proposed by Bro. Sir Alex. B. Swan, P.G. Master of Glasgow Province.
Bro. Brig.-General Sir Norman A. Orr Ewing, Bart., D.S.O., A.D.C., V.L., Most Worshipful Grand Master Mason, replied.
Next the toast, “The Corporation of the City of Glasgow,” was proposed by Bro. Sir Iain Colquhoun of Colquhoun and Luss, Bart., K.T., D.S.O., L.L., LL.D, Past grand Master
The Right Hon. The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Patrick J. Dollan, replied.
The toast of the P.G.L. of Glasgow was proposed by Bro. Sir Norman A. Orr Ewing, and replied to by Bro. Sir Alex. B. Swan.
“Our Guests and Sister Provinces” was proposed by Bro. James Murray, J.P.,P.G.M. Depute, and replied to by Bro. The Right Hon. Viscount Traprain.
Bro. The Right Hon. The Earl of Lauderdale proposed the toast of “Daughter Lodge’s” which was replied to by Bro. John N. McArthur, I.P.M., Lodge Glasgow St. John, No. 3bis ; Bro. Duncan Ewart, Master, Lodge St. John, Whiteinch, No. 683 ; and Bro. John Bernard, Master of Lodge Western, No. 1346.
In conclusion, the toast of “The Chairman” was proposed by Bro. J. S. M. Grieve.
During the banquet we had orchestral music, and, later, the speeches were interspersed with songs from Bros. W. A. Ferguson, Elliot Dobie, and Robert Allan.
The table card, a white card about twelve inches by ten inches, with “1340” in P.G. Lodge’s bright green, was kept by the Lodge Historian, Bro. D. M. Kerr. He secured on it the signatures of Bros. Sir Iain Colquhoun, Lord Traprain, Dr. L. Maclean Watt, Sir A. B. Swan, W Stevenson Cochran, and J. S. M. Grieve. The brethren of Lodge Riddrie who were present. And who also signed the card, were Bros. T. Milner, Master ; James Purves, James Fraser, J.P., D. M. Kerr, L. H. Campbell, G. K. Stewart, W Steele, Thomas Munro, W. R. Stark, G. S. Dick, Harold F. Gray, Jack Steele, Dan MacPherson, and Alex Robertson.
We were not able to start our meetings after the summer recess, as on 6th September a circular was issued from P.G. Lodge which instructed that the P.G. Master requires all Regular Meetings to be cancelled until further notice.
On 3rd September the country was once again at war ; Britain keeping her word to Poland to come to her aid if attacked by another power ; but, before the end of the month Warsaw had surrendered to the Russian hordes who drove in at the back of the Poles, already fighting hard  to keep the German invaders at bay.
On 22nd September permission was granted for the resumption of our meetings, and it was agreed that we resume on 11th October, and carry on thereafter as laid down in the Bye-laws. The recommendation requiring the wearing of evening dress was waived for the duration of the war, but it was hoped the principle office-bearers would dress for Installation and P.G.L. Visitation.
Only 15 meetings were held this year, at which 10 intrants were received into the Lodge.
To write of social events after the foregoing is something of an ante-climax, but we tried to keep things up to standard and, in partnership with the “Bohemians,” carried through a concert in the City Hall.
The Lodge Golf Championship Cup was won by Bro. Claude Coggan and the Dick Cup for the Spring Meeting by Bro. George Pirie.
So ended a very hectic Masonic year.