The Girls' School.

THE GIRLS' SCHOOL .

WE need hardly remind onr readers that Wednesday is the day fixed for the celebration of the eighty - ninth Anniversary Festival of this Institution . Lord Suffield , Provincial Grand Master of Norfolk , will preside , and as there is a strong muster of- Stewards for the occasion , we doubt not that brethren will muster in force , and

support the School in a manner commensurate with its merits . We repeat , we need hardly do more than remind our readers of the close propinquity of so auspicious an event . Indeed , we should offer no remarks whatever , only there are one or two matters which apparently call for some notice .

We are anxious that this Festival should be an unprecedented success , for two reasons in addition to those which ordinarily commend themselves to all well-wishers of the School . In the first place , this will be the first occasion of the President's appearance before the London Masonic

public since his installation as a Prov . G . M . It is desirous on these occasions that the Provinces and the metropolis should work together in the most complete harmony . The School , though located in the vicinity of London , is open

to the whole country . It is one of three noble monuments the Craft has erected to Charity . It is the oldest of the three . It offers home comforts and a liberal education to the daughters of indigent or

deceased brethren . Its benefits , we repeat , are diffused throughout the whole country — we might , also , go the length of saying , throughout the whole empire , or , at least , so much of it as , in Freemasonry , acknowledges the sway of our Grand Master . When then a Provincial

Magnate takes the chair at one of its Festivals , the Metropolis must recognise the compliment paid by the Provinces to an Institution located near London , while the Provinces themselves must seethe necessity for handsomely supporting one of their own most favoured leaders . In this

particular instance the necessity is more obvious still . It is we believe the first occasion of Lord Suffiekl ' s presidency at any festival . It is the duty , therefore , of the whole

English Craft—and a duty we feel they will cheerfully discharge — to reciprocate the feelings which have prompted his Lordship to undertake so considerable a responsibility .

There is , however , another and a still weightier reason why the subscription list should far exceed that of any previous Festival . The authorities of the School have undertaken the grave task of considerably enlarging it , so considerably , indeed , that when the new premises are

complete ,-the number of pupils to be educated will be , in round numbers , one-third as great as at the beginning of last year . It is intended to provide for over fifty more pupils , so that when the roll is complete there will be two hundred girls being clothed , fed , and educated ,

instead of one hundred and fifty . In order to carry out this scheme , a sum of about ten thousand pounds will have to be expended . This is equivalent to , nay , in excess of , the annual income of the Institution . As no such schemp of extension could have been undertaken without the

approval of the whole body of governors and subscribers , it clearl y becomes the business of these latter to see that the funds of the School are in nowise diverted from their ordinary channels . Moreover , with an additional charee for

the maintenance of the new pupils , tho disbursements will necessaril y be increased . This increase will be permanent as well as considerable , and thus there will have to be raised a still more liberal amount oi'benefactions . A special outlay

The Girls' School.

of money is easily met by a special subscription , but the measures recently adopted point to a large permanent addition to the annual expenditure on the part of the School , as well as to the subtraction of a very heavy sum from monevs presently available . This being , then , the very

first Festival , since tho enlargement of the School was taken in hand , it is important that the Craft throughout the whole conntryshould opentheirpursesmoreliberallythanever . Tho Masonic public has , in fact , endorsed the action of the School authorities . Moreover , the Masonic public will reap all the

benefit of such action . Our argument , therefore , is unanswerable , that the Masonic public must contribute in proportion to the increased responsibilities of the School . It will likewise augur well for the future , if the Fraternity responds heartily

on this occasion . The subscriptions at the festivals of our several Institutions havo very properly shown an increase which has been annually progressive . It behoves us to see that this increase is maintained , especially under the circumstances we have just delineated .

Thus have we enumerated the special reasons which , in our judgment , necessitate a heavier list of contributions on Wednesday next . We doubt not the same has occurred to our readers as well as to ourselves , but none the less is it our duty to give them all the prominence we can . Many

may think we are but repeating ourselves , when we offer these or similar remarks on each recurring anniversary . Still , though it is inevitable to a certain extent that we should be constantly harping , so to speak , on one string-, it will be universally admitted that it is a very admirable string to harp upon .

We do not know there is very much to add to the remarks we have already made . Last year the Festival yielded over £ 8 , 200 , with a few lists at the time outstanding , or about £ 1 , 000 in excess of the sum contributed in 1875 . This year " onr Girls " should

command as much as " our Patriarchs " did in February . Considering the increased strength of Freemasonry , no one of our Festivals should produce an aggregate less than it requires five figures to represent . One thing , however , we may mention . If ever there is a difficulty in properly

disposing of the Funds of Grand Lodge , we do not know how better they could be disposed of than by increasing the annual contributions to our three Charities . It may be the Craft will never permit an appeal to be made to it in vain , where one of these institutions is tho subject of

the appeal ; but it occurs to us that Grand Lodge would set an excellent example by enlarging its dole , now that the need for its enlargement is so obvious . Moreover , it would afford a splendid stimulus to the Craft generally to surpass all previous efforts , when it was seen that Grand

Lodge itself was resolved on outdoing itself . Having said this much , it only remains for us to add that Bro . Little has a strong working Board of Stewards , who , we feel assured , will do their utmost to secure for him the same good fortune . May he and they experience as splendid a

success on Wednesday as did Bro . Terry who commenced this year so auspiciously ; for the sake of Lord Suffield , who will preside , and the Institution whose anniversary will be celebrated , as well as for the honour of Freemasonry in general ! We commend these remarks to the notice of our

readers , and trust they will be accepted in the same kindly spirit in which they are offered . Wars and rumours of wars are not generally promotive of Charity , but we doubt

not that , in spite of the troubled aspect of the political world and the general depression caused thereby , the Craft in England will liberally support an Institution which has achieved so much .