The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

THIS , the oldest of the three Masonic Charitable Institutions , is now preparing for the celebration of its annual Anniversary Festival , the event being fixed for the 13 th May next , when , under the presidency of Sir

Walter W . Burrell , Bart ., M . P , R . W . Provincial Grand Master of Sussex , the usual banquet will be held , and ifc is hoped as large , or even a larger sum will be subscribed than has ever been announced in connection with tliis

Institution . We have so recently referred at length to ihe several candidates who are seeking admission to the School that we do not feel it necessary to say much now in regard to them , but may mention that the number of those who

have been passed as eligible is in advance of those who can be admitted to the extent of twenty-five per cent ., or , in plain figures , there are thirty candidates going to the

poll to-day of -whom seven must be sent away unsuccessful , There are many who will . say , this is a most satisfactory state of affairs ; and so it is , were it nofc the case that the friends of each of these seven children are reallv

in distress—are perhaps brought down by misfortune to such a state that they do not know how they will even feed these seven orphans until another election comes round , and they have another chance of receiving relief

from the brethren of the Mystic Tie . Seven candidates out of a list of thirty to be sent away . Is that all ? Yes , that is all on this occasion , and light as it may seem to those who have never had to ask for assistance , ifc means anxiety and sorrowful hearts to most of those who are

associated with the seven unfortunate ones . And why is it necessary to send these seven away ? Simply because the funds of the Institution they desire to enter are nofc in such a flourishing condition as would warrant the

executive taking them on to the establishment . A very small contribution from each Mason who is in a position to give it would alter this state of affairs , and a very small reo-ular

subscri ption from each would enable the School to be kept up to a similar state of usefulness . May we ask from our readers as much as they can afford in furtherance of the objects of our Girls' School .

So far we have spoken of those who will to-dav seek admittance to the School . Thirty girls in all ; to twentythree of whom food , clothing , and education will be guaranteed until they reach the age of sixteen . No small

undertaking , as many who have children of their own can testif y ; but what is this in comparison with the total that JS being done by the Institution ? We speak of a brother WlfV . -..-... i . . . . . . - cnuciren

ti . -D g as navmg a large family ; to-day tbe Royal Masonic Institution for Girls will take to itself three such large families , and yet they will , p ? . to s P > DC - among the number of cmidren alread y resident in the Institution at Battersea

t those twenty-three children find their way 1 . ° ilae School there will be two hundred and forty-one g-ws to be cared for , and everything provided for them by of the to

^ -e supporters Institution . Ancl this work has be wL- , , - n ° fc for the current year only , but continuously , He the amount of money required for it has—except a mparativel y small income arising , from invested

funds—, Provided year to year ty voluntary donations . How u , ' therefo -e , depends on the efforts of brethren who aaertake the office of Steward ifc is easy to imagine . The

very existence of these two hundred and forty-one girls may be said to depend on what is done , as it would be found impossible even to discharge existing obligations on what the Institution already possesses .

This year the School has the benefit of the advocacy , as Chairman of its Festival , of a Provincial Grand Master who is respected , nofc only in his own district , but throughout England . One who will do his best personally , and will

urge others to do the same . But even if he and every brother in his Province give to the besfc of their ability it cannot be expected they will provide more than a moiety

of what is required . To secure anything like the total we should like to see , exertions will have to be made in every part of the kingdom , and that , too , without any delay . At the present time , the number of brethren who have

accepted the office of Steward is below that at the cor

responding date last year , and this , notwithstanding the fact that the Festival takes place a week earlier than it did then , thus giving the executive shorter time in which to induce brethren to come forward . Mere numbers ,

however , are not everything ; a small number of Stewards may produce a greater total than a large one , but ; to do so it is necessary that one or a few of their number shonld

represent one or other of the premier Provinces ; Provinces which , if they do make an effort , aro as good for their thousands as ordinary ones are for hundreds , but this year we are afraid no such fortune is in store for the Girls' School .

It is true that most of the districts into which Masonic England is divided are doing something , but few of them , outside the Chairman ' s own county of Sussex , can be said to be making a supreme effort . They are doing their work

quietly but surely , collecting that regular flow of money which is so useful , but which , in face of the extraordinary calls which are made on the liberality of the Institution ,

has to be supplemented by occasional extraordinary liberality on the part of brethren , and we almost ; doubt if this regular method of working will produce such an amount of as will relieve the managers of the Institution

from anxiety during the coming twelve months . At present , we believe , the North of England—Durham , Northumberland , Cumberland , and Westmoreland—is unrepresented among the Stewards . Is it too late to secure a

brother to represent this large district r To represent it and work it in such a manner as shall call forth a grand total from the Northern Counties . It is certainly not too late for something to be done , and we feel sure that

anything would be better than that so large a part of the country as is here referred to should remain quiescent . There are other districts at present unrepresented , bub we

are not in a position to refer to them other than geneially . Any one who thinks he can do something towards raising the funds needed for the work of the Girls' School for the

current year should place himself in communication with the Secretary of the Institution , who , we venture to think , will have no difficulty in pointing out a method of exercising such energies .

The Chairman of the year—Sir W . W . Burrell—will , we understand , pay a visit to the Schools on Tuesday , the 21 st instant , and we believe most of tho Sussex Stewards will be there to meet their chief . Much good may come from this visit if the visitors are pleased with what they

see , —and it can hardly be imagined they . vill nofc be pleased . But with what additional encouragement Sir Walter would undertake his duties if he knew that the number of brethren who would supplement his exertions was