Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Candidates For The Benevolent Institution.
THE CANDIDATES FOR THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
A FEW weeks since , in writing on the approaching Elections of the two Educational Institutions of
English Freemasonry , we had occasion to point out that one-third of the candidates eligible to compete at those Elections would have to be sent away , in consequence of the Committees being unable to admit twenty-seven out of the
seventy-four candidates , for want of room to accommodate them , or funds wherewith to maintain them . Since then the Elections have taken place , and although in each case the number of candidates to be admitted was increased on
the day of Election—to twenty-three instead of twenty-two in the case of the Girls' School , and to twenty-six instead of twenty-five in that of the Boys' —it was still necessary to disappoint twenty-five of the candidates who took part in the contests . Thus a number of children were sent
away , some of them deprived of all further right of competing—by reason of their age being beyond the limitwhile the others will in all probability come forward at the Election to be held in October next . The majority of
these twenty-five unsuccessful ones will have this opportunity of competing again within the next six months , so that the disappointment which their friends
naturally felt in the announcement of the result which proclaimed their position on the last poll may be changed to rejoicing within that period , or when the result of the October ballots is announced : but how different all this
to what is in store for the Old People who , from unforeseen calamity or misfortune , are compelled to seek assistance from their brother Masons , or from the brethren of their departed husbands . The election of annuitants of the
Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons will take place on Friday , the 15 th instant , and the contest will not only be very severe , but must of necessity end in disappointment to a very large
number of those who will take part in it . There are oue hundred and eighteen approved candidates on the balloting papers , and only thirty-five declared vacancies to be divided among them ; six of these vacancies , three of each
Fund , being Deferred Annuities , not available until death has removed those who have prior claims on the Funds of the Institution . Eighty-three old people to be sent away from the Institution , unassisted and unbefriended by their
¦ masonic brethren ; not because they are unworthy of receiving assistance—far from that—bnt because the funds of the Institution are not in a condition to warrant the number of annuitants being increased so as to include
them . The ballot paper of the Male Fund has the names of fort y-two candidates , of whom twenty are to be elected as annuitants—seventeen immediate , and three deferredwhile that of the Female branch has particulars of
seventy-Slx approved applicants , for whom there is at present only accommodation for fifteen—three of whom will , as in the ca se of the Male Fund , be Deferred Annuitants . Can Nothing be done to alter this distressing state of affairs ?
* es , but only by supplying such funds as shall warrant the governors and Subscribers pledging the Institution to a still greater amount of annual outlay in the form of flnmties
' than it at present stands committed to . It is rue that the Anniversary Festival of this Institution for * ne current year has been held , and that therefore it is ar dly to be expected any very large amount will be
The Candidates For The Benevolent Institution.
subscribed by the Craft to further swell this year ' s receipts , but it must not be supposed that such a course is impossible . Although the Festival has been held—a grand success it proved ; and although the probable income
of the Institution for the year has been estimated , it is not too late to collect subscriptions , or to make donations , to be credited to the current year ' s income , while it might be possible to secure votes for this year ' s Election on account
of sums to be included in next year ' s Festival returns , provided the amounts were deposited with the Institution . Extra votes may be acquired in this way—votes which will be available for this month ' s Election at a time when ,
by reason of the great competition , every vote will be of service . Those , therefore , who havo decided to support the Old People at next year ' s Festival , and who wish to get an extra year's votes for their money , should seriously consider the advisability of paying in their subscriptions at
once . This year's Festival of the Benevolent Institution was undoubtedly a grand success , and a sufficient amount was then subscribed to warrant the Committee taking
on a large majority , —even if not the whole of those now seeking admission to the benefits of the Charity , — provided the liability of doing so ceased with the
current year , but such is not the case . As we have before said , it is the wish of every subscriber of the Institution that when once an ao-ed brother or
widow is elected he or she may live for years to enjoy the comforts the Institution is able to afford them in the closing days of their lives , and so long as they live
the Institution stands morally committed to pay them their annuities— £ 40 each in the case of the old men , and £ 32 each in the case of widows . It will therefore be
understood that the declaration of an additional vacancy does not mean the expenditure of £ 40 or £ 32 only , but that amount year by year , so long as the recipient may live , and fifteen or twenty years would not be too long to
make calculation for in this respect . Thus , it would not be justifiable—from a purely business point of viewto largely increase the number of annuitants simply because one year ' s income was exceptionally good , nor would it be
expedient—from a charitable point of view—to take on such a number as would cripple the Institution in years to come , or place it in a position such as to render the continuance of its operations a source of anxiety and trouble to
those who , in the future , will be called upon to complete the work being carried on . What is wanted is , a moro general practical recognition , on the part of Lodges and Brethren , of the annual needs of the Institutions . This is more
particularly the case in regard to tho Royal Masonic Benevolent , which may be said to have a stronger claim on Lodges and Chapters for annual subscriptions than the other Institutions , from the fact that the
Worshipful Master of each Lodge and the first Principal of each Chapter annually receives votes direct from that Institution in recognition of its grants from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter . Special votes or
donations must of course always be looked upon as the main support of such a Charity , but promises of annual subscriptions greatly assist in removing that uncertainty which must always attend an Institution which , to a large
extent , relies for its income on spasmodic efforts . We do not think we shall be guilty of egotism if Ave a ? sumo to ourselves the credit of having made propositions which have ultimately proved beneficial to the Institution . One wc
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Candidates For The Benevolent Institution.
THE CANDIDATES FOR THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
A FEW weeks since , in writing on the approaching Elections of the two Educational Institutions of
English Freemasonry , we had occasion to point out that one-third of the candidates eligible to compete at those Elections would have to be sent away , in consequence of the Committees being unable to admit twenty-seven out of the
seventy-four candidates , for want of room to accommodate them , or funds wherewith to maintain them . Since then the Elections have taken place , and although in each case the number of candidates to be admitted was increased on
the day of Election—to twenty-three instead of twenty-two in the case of the Girls' School , and to twenty-six instead of twenty-five in that of the Boys' —it was still necessary to disappoint twenty-five of the candidates who took part in the contests . Thus a number of children were sent
away , some of them deprived of all further right of competing—by reason of their age being beyond the limitwhile the others will in all probability come forward at the Election to be held in October next . The majority of
these twenty-five unsuccessful ones will have this opportunity of competing again within the next six months , so that the disappointment which their friends
naturally felt in the announcement of the result which proclaimed their position on the last poll may be changed to rejoicing within that period , or when the result of the October ballots is announced : but how different all this
to what is in store for the Old People who , from unforeseen calamity or misfortune , are compelled to seek assistance from their brother Masons , or from the brethren of their departed husbands . The election of annuitants of the
Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons will take place on Friday , the 15 th instant , and the contest will not only be very severe , but must of necessity end in disappointment to a very large
number of those who will take part in it . There are oue hundred and eighteen approved candidates on the balloting papers , and only thirty-five declared vacancies to be divided among them ; six of these vacancies , three of each
Fund , being Deferred Annuities , not available until death has removed those who have prior claims on the Funds of the Institution . Eighty-three old people to be sent away from the Institution , unassisted and unbefriended by their
¦ masonic brethren ; not because they are unworthy of receiving assistance—far from that—bnt because the funds of the Institution are not in a condition to warrant the number of annuitants being increased so as to include
them . The ballot paper of the Male Fund has the names of fort y-two candidates , of whom twenty are to be elected as annuitants—seventeen immediate , and three deferredwhile that of the Female branch has particulars of
seventy-Slx approved applicants , for whom there is at present only accommodation for fifteen—three of whom will , as in the ca se of the Male Fund , be Deferred Annuitants . Can Nothing be done to alter this distressing state of affairs ?
* es , but only by supplying such funds as shall warrant the governors and Subscribers pledging the Institution to a still greater amount of annual outlay in the form of flnmties
' than it at present stands committed to . It is rue that the Anniversary Festival of this Institution for * ne current year has been held , and that therefore it is ar dly to be expected any very large amount will be
The Candidates For The Benevolent Institution.
subscribed by the Craft to further swell this year ' s receipts , but it must not be supposed that such a course is impossible . Although the Festival has been held—a grand success it proved ; and although the probable income
of the Institution for the year has been estimated , it is not too late to collect subscriptions , or to make donations , to be credited to the current year ' s income , while it might be possible to secure votes for this year ' s Election on account
of sums to be included in next year ' s Festival returns , provided the amounts were deposited with the Institution . Extra votes may be acquired in this way—votes which will be available for this month ' s Election at a time when ,
by reason of the great competition , every vote will be of service . Those , therefore , who havo decided to support the Old People at next year ' s Festival , and who wish to get an extra year's votes for their money , should seriously consider the advisability of paying in their subscriptions at
once . This year's Festival of the Benevolent Institution was undoubtedly a grand success , and a sufficient amount was then subscribed to warrant the Committee taking
on a large majority , —even if not the whole of those now seeking admission to the benefits of the Charity , — provided the liability of doing so ceased with the
current year , but such is not the case . As we have before said , it is the wish of every subscriber of the Institution that when once an ao-ed brother or
widow is elected he or she may live for years to enjoy the comforts the Institution is able to afford them in the closing days of their lives , and so long as they live
the Institution stands morally committed to pay them their annuities— £ 40 each in the case of the old men , and £ 32 each in the case of widows . It will therefore be
understood that the declaration of an additional vacancy does not mean the expenditure of £ 40 or £ 32 only , but that amount year by year , so long as the recipient may live , and fifteen or twenty years would not be too long to
make calculation for in this respect . Thus , it would not be justifiable—from a purely business point of viewto largely increase the number of annuitants simply because one year ' s income was exceptionally good , nor would it be
expedient—from a charitable point of view—to take on such a number as would cripple the Institution in years to come , or place it in a position such as to render the continuance of its operations a source of anxiety and trouble to
those who , in the future , will be called upon to complete the work being carried on . What is wanted is , a moro general practical recognition , on the part of Lodges and Brethren , of the annual needs of the Institutions . This is more
particularly the case in regard to tho Royal Masonic Benevolent , which may be said to have a stronger claim on Lodges and Chapters for annual subscriptions than the other Institutions , from the fact that the
Worshipful Master of each Lodge and the first Principal of each Chapter annually receives votes direct from that Institution in recognition of its grants from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter . Special votes or
donations must of course always be looked upon as the main support of such a Charity , but promises of annual subscriptions greatly assist in removing that uncertainty which must always attend an Institution which , to a large
extent , relies for its income on spasmodic efforts . We do not think we shall be guilty of egotism if Ave a ? sumo to ourselves the credit of having made propositions which have ultimately proved beneficial to the Institution . One wc