The Chairman For Next Year's Boys' Festival.

THE CHAIRMAN FOR NEXT YEAR'S BOYS' FESTIVAL .

THE announcement -we made last week , and wbich has since been flashed through the length and breadth of the country , to the effect that the Deputy Grand Master of England , the Right Hon . the Earl of Lathom , would preside at next year's Anniversary

Festival of the Eoyal Masonic Institution lor J 3 oys , has been received everywhere with the liveliest satisfaction . If we except the Grand Master himself , there is probably no more popular member of the Masonie Order in this country at the present time laci oi nis

xnan ljorci jjannom , ana me mere name being so prominently associated with next year ' s Festival of the Institution for Boys is almost sufficient to ensure its success , and it is quite safe to predict a

satisfactory outcome from his presidency . It is notonly with his personal ability and influence that the Deputy Grand Master will support the Charity on whose behalf he has promised to preside , —he is the head of the largest Masonic Province of the country ,

and it is fair to assume that the brethren he rules over in West Lancashire will make special efforts to support their chief in his good work . Already the Provincial Grand Lodge has voted a sum of four hundred guineas in support of the Chairman , and if

this has been done in the ruling Lodge of the district , we may reasonably expect co-operation from nearly all the subordinate ones—and they number upwards of one hundred . It is not too much to expect that West Lancashire Masons will subscribe among themselves

an amount lor next year s celebration as large , 11 not larger , than has ever before been sent up to one of our Charity Festivals from an individual Province , and the general result of the Festival may prove of so satisfactory a character as to remove all cause for

anxiety as to the future of the Boys' Institution , and start it once more on the high road to prosperity . We must not omit to congratulate the new Secretary of the Institution on the successful issue of his first special appeal on behalf of the Charity he is now so intimately associated with . It is certainly one

of the most pleasing signs of the times that Brother McLeod should have so able a President for his first Festival , while the many promises of support he has secured in other quarters will materially add to the general success of the event which is now being looked

iorward to with such pleasurable anticipation . As soon as the result of the election of the new Secretary was made known we felt that success for the first Festival under his charge was certain , the exceptionally strong support he secured at tlie outset proving him to be a great favourite , and it being but

iair to argue that those who placed him in his responsible position -would not forsake him , bufc would make a special feature of supporting him in the early days of his work . We have , then , two most favourable features which will co-operate in securing success for

The Chairman For Next Year's Boys' Festival.

the Boys' School Festival of 1891 , and we think it quite safe to anticipate the realization of our fondest hopes on behalf of " Our Boys " during the summer of next year .

At present the list of brethren who have given in their names as Stewards for the Festival is naturally somewhat small , but it is sufficiently strong to compare favourably with past years , and we need hardly

say there is ample room for numerous additions . Now that so distinguished a Craftsman has promised to preside , there should be a struggle for early enrolment on the Stewards' list , for be it remembered

those who commence to canvass the soonest have the best chance of ultimately securing a substantial amount on their lists . We are convinced Bro . McLeod

and the authorities of the Institution will do all that lies in their power to help brethren willing to act as Stewards , and Ave cordially invite the Craftsmen of England to do their best to reciprocate .

Making Use Of Freemasonry.

MAKING USE OF FREEMASONRY .

SOME brethren in the Isle of Man appear to have been very much annoyed afc the way in which the name of Freemasonry has been associated with some proposed undertaking in their midst . It will be in the memory of

our readers that a week or two since announcement was made to the effect that the Earl of Lathom would pay an official visit to the Island , for the purpose of presiding at a Masonic ceremonial . A little later came the news that the

visit had been postponed , on some technical excuse . The secret has since leaked out , and now we are told by an Isle of Man paper that throughout the proceedings the Earl of Lathom must have been deceived , else he would never have consented to associate Freemasonry as

prominently as he did with the work to be performed in the Island . This is not all , for our contemporary concludes with the observation : " If the proposal that Manx Freemasons should take part in the ceremony is persisted in , ifc is likely to lead to a serious disruption in the Insular Masonic body . "

Those who best know the Deputy Grand Master of England will have no fear that he will persist in a course " likely to lead to a serious disruption ; " and it may safely be urged that if Lord Lathom has erred on this occasion he has done so through excess of desire to render help

wherever it is needed , or even asked for . The leaders of tho English Craffc can never be accused of making use of Freemasonry in order to advocate private interests , but we imagine that in these matters they are but human , and are as likely to be led astray as others . They are even more

liable to err , from their prominent position in a society whose main object is to help others , which compels them to listen to appeals and to do a great deal more for the good of the cause than thoy would ever dream of doing without the special chums of Brotherhood . The Craft will readil y concede that Lord Lathom is not the one to bo blamed in

this matter , and no doubt the wholo subject will be allowed to peacefully drop , the only persons likely to feel permanent annoyance being those who must evidently havo desired to make use of Freemasonry in the furtherance of