Our Schools And Grand Lodge.

OUR SCHOOLS AND GRAND LODGE .

WE mentioned last week , quite incidentally , that we thought it would be as well if Grand Lodge contributed more liberally towards the support of our Girls ' and Boys' Schools . We admitted that it was quite in the order of things that , as the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution was mainl y the offspring of Grand Lodge , it

was the unquestioned duty of the latter to extend towards it such support as it deemed necessary . There is , also , a further reason why the Benevolent should receive every possible pecuniary encouragement from Grand Lodge , viz ., that by providing annuities for our aged and indigent

brethren and their widows , it relieves , to a considerable extent , the pressure on the funds of the Lodge of Benevolence . But , while we most readily and unreservedly admit that the Benevolent is fully entitled to all the support it receives , we see no reason why Grand Lodge should not behave with

something like a corresponding liberality to the other two Institutions . We noted , in passing , that in the year 1839 , Grand Lodge compounded , as it were , for its previous contributions to each School , by agreeing to pay annually the sum of £ 150 . Grand Chapter has followed this good

example by an annual contribution to each of ten guineas . On the other hand , the Benevolent is in receipt from these sources together of no less than £ 950 , namely , £ 800 from Grand Lodge , and £ 150 from Grand Chapter . In other words , this latter Institution enjoys an annuity which is

about three times as much as the annuities enjoyed by the other two Charities . Let us now particularise the grants which have been made from time to time by Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter respectively to the Schools and the Benevolent .

The Royal Masonic Institution for Girls had received from Grand Lodge , up to the year 1838 inclusive , contributions amounting in the aggregate to £ 3 , 580 . Our figures , be it remarked , are taken from an official source , namely , the " Freemasons' Calendar and Pocket Book for

1881 . " In 1839 , a 3 already pointed out , it had granted to it an annual contribution of £ 150 , and this amount it still continues to receive , in the face of the two important facts , that the number of pupils is largely in excess of what it was in the year the grant was made , and that the funds at the disposal of Grand Lodye have also increased

amazingly . In the year 1842 , the sum of £ 500 was voted to the Fund for Repair of Building ; and in 1854 , a further £ 350 to the Building Fund . In 1856 , a grant was made of £ 1 , 000 . Thus in the last forty-two years the Girls ' School has received from Grand Lodge £ 6 , 300 , being the aggregate of the annual grants ; £ 850 for the Building and

repair of Building Funds , and £ 1 , 000 , making a total of * 8 , 150 , or an average of rather less than £ 200 per annum . From Grand Chapter it has received grants

amounting to £ 2 , 300—namely , £ 500 in 1868 , £ 500 in 1873 £ 500 in 1874 , £ 500 ( Consols ) in 1878 , and £ 300 in 1880 , together with the annual vote of £ 10 10 s , which . in 4-l , „ j p .. -i . .. - _ J m the event of its

having been continued for the same Period , represents £ 441 , thus raising the contributions of ^ rand Chapter to £ 2 , 741 , and the total from both sources to £ 10 , 891 . Including contributions before 1839 , « ie Boys' School has had altno-flt . W .-R 14 , 4 , 71

IftS ? ° yal Maaonic Institution for Bovs , up to the year «»» , had received from Grand Lodge contributions amounting m the aggregate to £ 3 , 533 . In 1839 was voted ww annual sum , still continued , of £ 150 . This gives for

Our Schools And Grand Lodge.

the forty-two years £ 6 , 300 , as in the case of the Girls School . Other and special grants are as follow : —In 1853 , £ 500 to Fund for Repair of Building ; in 1854 , £ 350 to Building Fund ; and in 1856 , £ 1 , 000 to ditto , or £ 1 , 850 towards Repair and Building Funds . The total from Grand

Lodge for the forty-two years is , as m the case of the Girls 'School , £ 8 , 150 , and with contributions before 1839 , £ 11 , 683 . From Grand Chapter it has received £ 2 , 800 , namely , £ 1 , 000 in 1867 towards Building Fund ; in 1873 , £ 500 ; in 1874 , £ 500 ; in 1878 , £ 500 Consols ; and in

1880 , £ 300 , together with the Annuity of Ten Guineas , amounting , for say forty-two years , to £ 441 . This gives a grand total from both sources of £ 14 , 924 . Thus Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter between them have given to our Boys' and Girls' Schools , from first to last , £ 29 , 395 , viz . — Grand Lodge in all £ 23 , 413 , and Grand Chapter £ 5 , 982 . The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution was established in 1842 , when Grand Lodge voted an annual Grant

of £ 400 . In 1849 was added the ' Widow ' s Fund , and Grand Lodge voted £ 100 per annum . The latter was further increased by £ 100 per annum in 1855 , and by another £ 100 in 1858 , making a total to Female Fund of £ 300 per annum . In 1858 the Male Fund received a further Grant of £ 100 per annum , making a total of £ 500

per annum , or for the two funds together , £ 800 . The aggregate of these several Annuities for the periods over which they have been granted , amount to £ 25 , 300 , or an average per annum of as nearly as possible £ 666 . Its special Grants have been as follow : £ 500 to Fund for Repair of

Building in 1850 , when the Masonic Asylum , Croydon , and the Benevolent Institution were amalgamated , and in 1854 , £ 350 to Building Fimd , making together £ 850 ; in 1856 , £ 1 , 000 and £ 500 to Widows' Fund , or together , £ 1 , 500 , making a total from Grand Lodge of £ 27 , 650 . In 1847 ,

Grand Chapter voted £ 100 per annum , which m 1849 was increased by £ 35 to Widows' Fund , and by a further £ 15 to same Fund in 1856 . These several annuities , amounting now , as in 1856 , to £ 150 , have yielded altogether £ 3 , 545 . Its special grants have been—in 1868 , £ 500 and £ 500 to

Widows' Fund ; in 1873 , £ 500 ; in 1874 , £ 500 ; in 1878 , £ 500 ( Consols ) , and £ 500 ( Consols ) to Widows' Fund ; and in 1880 , £ 300 ; in all £ 3 , 300 , making a total of £ 8 , 845 . Putting Grand Lodge ' s and Grand Chapter ' s contributions together , we find they amount to £ 34 , 495 ,

or £ 5 , 100 more than the Schools have received altogether . Having regard to the number of years which each Institution has existed , we find that the Girls' School , founded in 1788 , has received from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter an average per annum of over £ 157 . The Boys '

School , founded in 1798 , has received £ 182 per annum ; and the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , founded in 1842 , over £ 907 per annum . Now , as we said last week , we do not wish that Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter

should apportion its annual grants equally among all three Charities . We fully recognise that its own offspring , the Benevolent , of which it has so much reason to be proud , should receive the largest amount of contribution . But

so vast a disproportion between it and the Schools should not be continued any longer . There should be the same liberality of spirit displayed towards all three Institutions , and if Grand Lods-e converted its annual £ 150 to each

School into £ 500 , and Grand Chapter its annual ten guineas to each into £ 50 , the Schools would benefit very materially , while tho funds of Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter would scarcely feel the additional burdens thus cast upon them . We trust the subject will be taken up