Our "School For Scandal."

OUR "SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL . "

ACT II . OUR very good Brother in the Masonic journalism of this country , whose eccentricities a few months since won for him the title of the Joseph Surface of our little world , has had another and seemingly a very strong attack of virtuous

indignation , and devotes a considerable portion of his last issue to a Sheridian sermon on the backslidings of a " a paper professing to be representative of English Masonic opinion " which has " so far forgotten what is due to Masonry , to

journalism , and to itself , as to charge the management of one of our great central Institutions with the perpetration of a ' job' " Then follows an extract from our issue of the 17 th ult ., so that of course we must recognise ourselves as the erring

paper and take the scathing criticisms of our Brother to ourselves , after which we are told "it is almost needless to add that the body against which this alleged charge is laid is , as the context shows , the Board of Management of the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys . "

Here , Brother Joseph , we must at once join issue with you ; we never said the Board was perpetrating a job , nor did we ever entertain such an idea , but we have no hesitation in expressing our view that the Board is being led astray in

this particular work ; and although the Craft may never learn the prime mover in what we still regard as an unfortunate investment , we should very much like just a couple of minutes " behind the scenes , " to see who is pulling the wire . It is a

very different thing to be the perpetrator of a " job" oneself , and to be the victim of one on the part of others , but distinctions such as this are generally overlooked by self

appointed moral censors of the Joseph Surface order , although their existence is well known , and is fully considered by calm unbiassed thinkers ere they form their own opinion .

To say we argued that the members of the Board of Management of the Boys School were personally perpetrating a "job" is so utterly absurd as to be undeserving of refutation at our hands , and we can imagine the Brethren on the Board

do not thank our contemporary for appointing itself their champion on this occasion , then putting such a construction on our words as it has done , and afterwards giving publicity to its silly ideas . We are known to most of the members of the

Board , and feel there is no necessity to further explain ourselves so far as they are concerned ; doubtless many of them , viewing last week ' s effort of our contemporary , are repeating the oft uttered prayer , " preserve us from our friends , " and we

sincerely sympathise with them . We regard each member of the Board as a straightforward , honest man of the world ; but even with such personal reputation they would by no means be the first who , as a collective Board , were led

astray , and even made to agree to actions in a corporate capacity they would not dream of individually ; they have the confidence of their constituents , and no doubt those who , like ourselves , disagree with their present policy , will bow to the inevitable and join in furthering the future interests of the

Our "School For Scandal."

Institution in its new home . For ourselves , we should have preferred to let the whole matter rest , because we recognise that opposition to the scheme" in its present form is so much waste of energy , but we still entertain the idea that the Craft will not

have many years to wait—providing the proposal to remove to Bushey is carried out—ere they have reason to regret the acquisition of this particular site as an improvement on the existing property at Wood Green .

Bedfordshire.

BEDFORDSHIRE .

THE annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge was held at the Town Hall , Dunstable , on Thursday , 29 th ult ., when the Provincial Grand Master Lord Arnpthill occupied the chair , supported by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master Dr . Prior and other Provincial Officers .

After the reports of the various Lodges in the Province had been submitted and the other business concluded , the Provincial Grand Master appointed his Officers for the ensuing year . There were about sixty Brethren present . A banquet was afterwards held at the Sugar Loaf Hotel .

Gloucestershire.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE .

rf ^ HE annual Grand Lodge this Province was held on JL Tuesday of last week , at the Lansdowne Hall , Stroud , and was attended by representatives of all the Lodges in the Province , nearly 200 Brethren being present , under the presidency of the Rt . Hon . Sir Michael E . Hicks Beach , Bart ., M . P ., Provincial Grand Master , who was attended by his Deputy Bro . B . V . Vassar-Smith P . G . D .

The meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge is usually held in Whit-week , and it was originally appointed for Whit Tuesday in the present year , but the conditions then prevailing at Gloucester appeared to make a postponement of the assembly expedient ,

and the fixture was accordingly held over until Autumn . The first business , after the Lodge had been opened in accordance with ancient custom , was the reading and confirmation of the minutes of the last regular meeting , on the 5 th June 1895 .

Bro . Bruton , as Prov . G . Treas ., presented his report . It showed a balance for disposal of £ 74 6 s . Its adoption was moved from the chair and carried . The report of the Charity Committee of the Proviuce ( presented by Bro . Sumner Secretary )

was also satisfactory . Two candidates from Gloucestershire had been elected to the Boys School in October last , and the Province had contributed a total of £ 1 , 116 to the Masonic Charities during the year .

A report on a scheme of Operative Masonry was the next subject for consideration . A Committee , consisting of the heads of the Lodges and Chapters of the Province , with the principal Officers of Prov . G . Lodge , and three or four other Brethren , had been appointed at the meeting of Prov . G . Lodge last year , upon

the motion of the D . P . G . M , in accordance with a very general feeling that the time had come when the Province , which had of late years confined itself almost exclusively to charitable work , might undertake some work of Operative Masonry , such as had already marked stages in the history of Prov . G . Lodge . The

beautiful reredos in the Cathedral , the Lady Chapel at Tewkesbury Abbey , and windows in the Parish Church at Cheltenham , were marks of Masonic liberality in this direction . The Committee was formed to choose and carry out some further

work of restoration on behalf of the Province . Prom the report now presented it appeared that the Committee had met at Gloucester in October last , and having approved the proposal to undertake some special work and indicated the Cathedral as its proper object , had nominated a sub-Committee , consisting of