Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

fFHERE was a large attendance at the Quarterly General - * - Court of the Subsbribers , held on the 31 st ult ., at Freemasons' Tavern , Great Queen-street , Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Provincial Grand Master for Hants and Isle of Wight presiding . The minutes of the Quarterly General

Court of October having been read , Bro . Richard Evo Past Grand Treasurer said , that before the question was put that tho minutes of the last Quarterly Court be confirmed , ho was deputed by the Provisional Committee to make a statement to the brethren . On the minutes was

a motion for granting £ 350 a year as a pension to Bro . Binckes on his retirement from the office of Secretary . It . had been felt by the Provisional Committee that the Institution ' s money might be saved if that proposition be not confirmed , and ho was entrusted by that Committee

not to press the confirmation of the minutes in that respect . Probably some of the brethren might not be aware that they were going to propose that the sum should be £ 250 a ^ year , but it was not now their desire to make that proposition . He made that statement with a great amount of

pleasure , and it was made in order to bring about a re-union among the Subscribers to the Institution , and to place the Institution on the firm basis of past years , and consolidating the good feeling of all the Subscribers . They wero not going to propose that the £ 250 be granted , and

therefore they withdrew both propositions , while trusting to the generous impulses of Masons to do their utmost for the Institution . They believed tboroughly in the good feeling of the Subscribers andin their liberal desires ' generally , and therefore they did not propose to the Quarterly Court

to givo anything like a pension to Bro . Bmckes . They had propounded a scheme by which they believed that the feeling of the Committee would be carried out liberally , and that they would be able to have placed at their disposal a sum of money whicb they could give to Brother

Binckes . By the next Quarterly Court they hoped every , thing would be settled . He therefore proposed that those minutes be confirmed , with the exception of that part giving the pension to Bro . Binckes . Bro . Jones , as one who proposed that Bro . Binckes ought to resign without

any pension at all , with pleasure seconded the proposition of Bro . Eve that the minutes be confirmed witb the exception of that part referring to the pension of Brother Binckes . The party who led the opposition had gone through a disagreeable course . They had been bitterly charged , and

the outcome of the opposition had brought about a great difference of opinion . However , matters had been now arranged , and therefore he had great pleasure in seconding

the proposition of Bro . Eve . Tbe minutes of the last Quarterly Court were then confirmed , with the exception of that portion proposing a pension to Bro . Binckes . The recommendation of the General Committee that the list

for the election in April should consist of 68 candidates , and that 30 vacancies be declared , was then confirmed . Bro . James Lewis Thomas moved to alter the existing Law No . 71 in the third paragraph thus : — "No Coididate shall be eligible for the office of Secretary unless he be a Master Mason and under the age of fortu-fiise years , & c . "

This motion was intended to widen the field for candidates for the Secretaryship by increasing the age at which they could be accepted from 40 to 45 . He had heard it said there should be no limit at all , but be could not agree with that proposition ; it had also been thought that the rules

should not be altered too extensively , but that an opportunity Bhould be given for selecting good men , which could be done by extending the age from 40 to 45 . Seeing tho marvellous things that were done by men who were really of very old age , they could not say that 45 was at all too old to start at . He could not sit down without

expressing his sincere wish that whoever might be selected to the honourable and onerous post of Secretary of the Institution would do as much justice to it as the present Secretary had done . The motion having been seconded , Bro . Dr . Woodman said he had sent in an amendment to

tbe original motion , but it did not appear on the agenda . His amendment was to do away with the rule altogether , and leave the age unlimited . He thought be might claim

the privilege of bringing it forward now , either as an original motion or an amendment to Bro . Lewis Thomas . He moved that the bye-law be abrogated entirely , and that there should be no restriction whatever as to the age of

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

candidates . It would be easy for tbe Committee to eliminate from a list of candidates those of great age whom they might think incapacitated . After tbe discussion that had taken place on pensions , he could not think there was any objection to the Committee appointing

a man who was capable of doing his work . If they looked to the officers of the State , to the Church , or the law , they saw plenty of people occupying most important positions , and doing their work well when they were of considerable age . A good man might be found at 46 or 47 . Tho

motion having been read by the Chairman , together with the amendment , Brother Scurrab said as it waa in contemplation by the Provisional Committee that the whole of the bye-laws of the Institution should be revised and altered , he would ask the brethren present if they did not think it

would be a wise thing to let the bye-laws remain as they were at present , and in the future go for a thorough revision of the whole of them . Bro . J . S . Cumberland protested against the matter being left an open question . It was all very well to say that old men were aa good as young , but

sometimes it was not so good for an institution of this kind . In an Institution like this they had a right to look farther . If they got an aged man they could only couut on a certain numbor of years being left in him for his

work , but if they brought in a young man they expected a far larger amount of good work . He did not think it would bo well to make the limit 50 , 60 , or 70 ; they might go on as far as 80 . After other expressions of opinion , a division was takon : result : —

For extending to 45 years of age ... ... 108 Against ... ... ... ... 83 Majority in favour ... ... ... ... 25 Bro . Major Dorrant , in rising to proposo tho motion standing in his name , did so with a deop sense of responsibility . Mo moved

"That in consideration of the U years Hoad-Mastorahip of Dr . Morris at the Boys' School , this Court do vote a sum of £ ' 150 in recognition of his valauble services to the Institution . " Every ono would agree with him that the educational condition of the School was in all respects satisfactory . He

took that as bis standpoint , on which ho asked tho Committee to award £ 450 to Dr . Morris . When Dr . Morris became the Head Master he was 43 years of ago ; he was now 56 ; 14 of the best years of his lifo had been spent in the interest of the Boys' School , and he was

sure tho Craft would not begrudge an award such as he now asked them to make to Dr . Morris . They knew tho educational state of the School when Dr . Morris first became Head Master , and they also knew what it was when he left it . The School had made rapid strides . He hoped

and trusted thore would be a large number of supporters of his motion ; it was not an extravagant one , and when the brethren considered it in all its bearings they would

not think it was introduced in an extravagant spirit . Bro . J . S . Cumberland wished to draw attention to the circumstance that the Provisional Committee recommended £ 500 to Dr . Morris in full satisfaction of all claims

Dr . Morris might have upon the Institution , and some of Dr . Morris ' s friends thought that that was not sufficient They proposed £ 750 . They camo before the Provisional Committee , and Dr . Morris said they had given him six months' notice , three months of which would terminate on

the 31 st December , and it was desired that Dr . Morris should go on that date . Dr . Morris came before the Committee and said that he thought that as he had to leave his house on the 31 st December , and the notice would expire on the 31 st March , he ought to have six months' notice from the

1 st January instead of from September . Ultimately he accepted a cheque for £ 255 in full discharge of all claims he might have against the Institution , and he signed a receipt for that cheque . Therefore he ( Bro . Cumberland ) did not see what claim Dr . Morris had upon the Institution .

If the recommendation of the Provisional Committee had been carried out he would have received £ 500 , though his friends thought he could get £ 750 . That , however , fell through , and he took less than the Provisional Committee were prepared to give bim . As the motion of the

pension to Bro . Binckes had been withdrawn he did not see why one gratuity should be paid out of the funds of the Institution when anything of the kind was withdrawn in tho other case . Major Dnrrant's scheme was plausible as far as it went , but he thought it was right they should have all the facts before them .