Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected camnmnications . AU Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

CHARITY STEWARDS .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR ANU BROTHER , —Having established , as I hope , conclusively , not only the desirability , but the absolute necessity , of Anniversary Festivals as a means to an end , let mo now address myself to the consideration

ofb . The expenditure of timo aud money by thoso who undertake the duties of Stewards . On this yonr correspondent , " A Steward who has served once , " remarks ( in your number of 24 th Angnst ) : " My principal reason for not putting my namo down as Steward is ihn same as ninny give in this district . It costs too much , both in time and money . " Exactly

the same grounds may be urged for withholding co-oporation in any good work . Whatever is done is worth doing well , and no great object can be accomplished without the expenditure both of time and money . Leaving the outer world , is it—from a Masonic point of view—a " great object" to find means for tho education and maintenance of tho young and aged who by accident or misfortune need

support ? There is not a member of tho Order who will fail to respond in the affirmative ! Then , brethren must be found to organise themselves , and this cannot be done so successfully as by the formation of a Board of Stewards , whose first care is to furnish a fund from which shall be defrayed the entire expenses of the Festival , so that—unlike the majority of charitable institutions outside

Freemasonry—the amount realised may bo placed intact to the credit of the funds of the Institution . Not only is this so , but , as in the instance of the Royal Masonio Institution for Boys , for which I can speak with a knowledge of facts , a sum of £ 550 has been contributed in seventeen years from the surplus of the " Stewards' Fund . " "Within the memory of many of us , when a Board ot * Stewards

comprising forty or fifty representatives was looked upon as large or numerous , the responsibility of a Steward was , admittedly , heavy , involving not only his personal donation , of at least ten guineas ( at thafc time regarded as a matter of course ) , but a contribution to the " Stewards' Fund" of from five to eight guineas , a substantial " expenditure of money , " though perhaps that " of time" was not so

serious as afc present , owing to the comparatively limited area for exertion . At the present day , wheu a Board of Stewards of from 150 to 200 is regarded with feelings of disappointment , the fee payable by each Steward for expenses does not exceed two guineas , and ont of this small amount he receives twenty-six shillings in kind—Dinner Ticket

and Badge—leaving sixteen shillings for other expenses . But as ifc is the hope of reward that sweetens labour , let me recount the advantages now derived by a brother from his " expenditure of time and money" as a Steward , many of them not known to the Stewards of bygono years . Every brother accepting the office of Steward is called upon to

pay a fee—say two guineas—to " The Stewards' Fund , " separate from the funds of the Institution ; from which are defrayed the entire expenses of the Festival , such as printing , postage , mnsic , & c . For this fee , each Steward receives hU Dinner Ticket , value 21 s , and if he present a donation of ten guineas or upicards , one vote for life in addition to the votes to which he may become entitled b y virtue of such donation .

A second Stewardship , accompanied by a similar donation , entitles a brother to two votes for life , in addition to those formerly possessed , and to those to which he may become entitled by virtue of his second donation .

Every Steward at the Anniversary Festival who shall procure donations or subscriptions to the extent of not less than fifty guineas in addition to his personal donation , shall receive one additional vote for life at each election , and , similarly , a further extra vote for everv additional sum of not less than fifty guineas so collected and paid over .

In addition to theso privileges , there is the following , conferred bv the M . W . G . M . afc the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lod ^ o on 4 th June 1873 , for the express behoof of Provincial brethreu , some of whom had complained of " the expenditure of time and money " necessarily entailed upon them as contrasted with Metropolitan brethren : — "Every brother who shall serve the office of Steward at

any Anniversary Festival of any one of the Masonic Charities , as the representative of some Provincial or Conntry Lndire , who shall personally attend such Festival , and shall bring up thereto contributions amounting to not less than one hundred guineas , shall havo the same rights and privileges , as to wearing the Charity jewel or clasps , as if he had himself contributed the snm of ten guineas whilst servin "

such Stewardship . " Here is a great boon , so far as the right to wear the much-coveted " Charity jewel " is concerned , though not givinp voting power , and , in my opinion , somewhat marred by tho conv pnlsory " personal attendance . " It will thus be seen thafc the " expenditure of time and money" is rewarded by tho acquisition of valnabio rights and privileges , with

hononr and distinction , to say nothing of the gratification derived by every well regulated mind from the sense of duty done . Having referred to Stewards of past yean , I will now state that the experience of Festivals in recent years shows that Boards of Stewards now comprise three classes—1 , Those who pay the fee as Stewards , qualify as Life-Governors ,

Correspondence.

Vice-Presidents , etc ., in virtue of a personal donation , and collect nothing . 2 . Those who pay the fee as Steward , make no personal donation , and collect amounts moro or less considerable . 3 . Those who pay the fee as Steward , qualify by a personal dona , tion , and collect moro or less largely . And , there are those , not suffi

ciently numerous to be classed , who pay tho fee as Steward , and do nonght beyond . I forbear from comment on theso different classes . I do not contrast class with class , because I concede most fully tho right of independent individual action , and because I admit most gratefully that the aggregate benefits to our Institutions aro worthy of all

admiration , and thafc any critically comparative analysis would nob only be ungraceful but censurable . My only object in these letters—necessarily diffuse , exceedingly commonplace , but , I hope , not altogether unpractical—is to afford some material for a fair and full consideration from every point of view of all tho points involved in tho important question , " How

can the interests of the Masonic Institutions bo best maintained , and tho present support increased P I am anxious to prove that the present machinery , in the shapo of Festivals and Stewards , is the best that can be devised . I want to see tho ranks of Stewards largely recruited from the brethren of wealth and influence who have held , and are holding , themselves aloof . I want to convince brethren who

aro doubtful or hesitating thafc " timo aud money " must bo expended in labouring for those who cannot aid themselves , that such " expenditure " should not only not bo grudged , bufc cheerfully undertaken by thoso who can legitimately incur it without detriment to themselves aud their connections , if they aro in any respect imbued with a proper sense and value of their initiatory obligations . No one than myself is moro intimately acquainted with tho

exacting and arduous duties devolving upon onr Anniversary Stewards . I havo served the office at six different Festivals—twice before , and four times since the tenancy of my present office—and have acted as Secretary of the Board of Stewards at Eighteen Anniversaries . Whatever sacrifice is involved is simply a sacrifice of self—a duty and a pleasure in the cause of the poor and distressed of the household of faith .

I refrain from doing more than alluding to the complaint of expenditure in connection with the personal attendance of a Steward at the Festival , because thafc is entirely optional , only given when convenient , or perhaps when a visit to tho Metropolis may be looked upon as an agreeable change from the quiet monotony of country life . Still less can I consider the question of expense involved in

the compliance with tbe desire of a wife to accompany her husband on his visit as Steward . To Masons especially , with tho characteristio gallantry of the Order , the association on all possible occasions with those who , we are told , " share our troubles , aud double our pleasures , " must be productive of such unmixed gratification as to exclude the possibility of entertaining considerations of so sordid a

nature . In addition to the subject matter of my succeeding communication , I shall have to ask space for insertion of my views as to a more extended and comprehensive support to our Charities than they afc present enjoy . I am , Dear Sir and Brother ,

Yours faithfully and fraternally , FREDERICK BINCKES . London , 9 th September 1878 .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I am pleased to see by your last issue that Brother Fred . Binckes has taken this matter into consideration , and that he promises to give other of his ideas on the subject . I fully agree with him in his opening paragraph , —That any discussion

is sure to be beneficial to the Charities . I had hoped to have given you my views on some of the questions raised , but , at present , I have not time to devote to the task . May I ask tho favour of a portion of your space for a letter next week ? Yours fraternally , ALPHA .

Investment Of Grand Lodge Funds.

INVESTMENT OF GRAND LODGE FUNDS .

To the Editor O / T HE FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . 12 th September 1878 . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —It affords me very great gratification—as I ventured to suggest tho samo alteration a few months ago—that our Grand Lodge has determined henceforth to invest its funds in the Bank of England , as is done by the Ecclesiastical and Charity

Commissioners , so that proper security will bo given against losses through contingencies ; but whilst we may celebrate the song of mercy , wo must also lament the solemn dirge of woo , in the recent mortality of so many distinguished Masons . Tho deaths of Bentlcy Shaw of Yorkshire , arid Sir Frederick Williams of Cornwall , of John Sufccliffo of Lincolnshire , and of William Cowling of York , nofc to mention

others , are very appalling . Their demise idmonish ns to set our honse in order , for wo too , that survive , must die and nofc live . Of William Cowling we may state , without fulsome flattery , thafc he was the Prince of Masons at York . By him I was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason , advanced into Mark Masonry , and exalted

into the Companionship of the Royal Arch . I admired his lofty Masonic talents , always equal to any emergency , either as S . G . W ., to givo place to the Lord Mayor of York , in tho Grand Lodge , or to perform any other of the lower and various offices of Masonry . Of him , it may be lamentably recorded , " multis iile bonis flebilis , nccidit . "

lourstrmy and fraternally . DANIEL ACE , D . D , Laughton Vicarage , Gainsborough ,