The Festival Of Monday Last.

outstanding ; in 1876 , as we have said above , £ 9 , 17410 s 6 d , and now , on Monday last , the still greater sum of £ 12 , 656 13 s . That is to say , the support accorded to the

Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution has considerably more than doubled itself in the short space of four years . We shall add nothing more in the way of colouring to this splendid picture .

As regards tho occasion itself , we need say little here . Lord Shrewsbury and Talbot , Provincial Grand Master of Staffordshire , occupied the chair in the unavoidable absence of Prince Leopold . In 1875 , his Lordship gave us a taste of his quality—as the saying is—as a chairman , and

his second Presidency at this Festival was as great a Buccess as , if not a greater success than , his first . He was geniality itself , and it would be an act of injustice to his Lordship if we allowed this opportunity to pass without offering him our tribute of thanks , not only for the

readiness with which ho came forward at the very last moment to undertake a serious responsibility , but likewise for the kindness and ability with which he fulfilled his trust . Nor must we pass unnoticed the signal services of the Board of Stewards . On them devolved the oftentimes unpleasant

duty of canvassing for funds . But they undertook the office spontaneously , and discharged it diligently and with unexampled . energy . In the success of their labours lies their chief reward , but none the less are they entitled to our thanks

and these we tender to them with the utmost cordiality . May succeeding Boards of Stewards be as successful as have been the Stewards at the Festival in 1877 of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution !

Since the above remarks were written , the gratifying intelligence has reached us that , at their monthly meeting on Wednesday , the General Committee were so satisfied with the amount obtained at this Festival , that they then and there resolved upon increasing the number of

annuitants by thirty , namely , fifteen men and fifteen women . Thus , the number of vacancies to be filled at the election in May will bo forty-two , instead of twelve , as stated ; namely , twenty-four on the male , and eighteen on the

female fund . It must be mentioned , however , that this addition is only provisional . If the amount of subscri ptions in future years falls short of the sum just realised , the Committee will be necessaril y unable to provide for the increased number of annuitants .

Seven of the fourteen lists have since been received . These yield a total of £ 167 , so that tho Festival has , already , produced £ 12 , 823 13 s .

Analysis Of The Subscription List.

ANALYSIS OF THE SUBSCRIPTION LIST .

IN accordance with our usual practice , we set before our readers the following analysis of the subscription list . As the total amount subscribed is great beyond all precedent in the history of the Benevolent Institution , so will it be found , on a careful examination of the several items of which the list is composed , that the Festival of

1877 presents certain features which , heretofore , have been wanting in similar lists . The most important of these is the unmistakable evidence it affords that the sacred duty of being charitable is not only becoming every year more and more generally appreciated , but likewise more and more

generally practised . Wo all know full well the difference between appreciation and practice . It is undoubtedly a feather in a man ' s cap when he is able to appreciate a virtue , but his cap is full of feathers when he is advanced enough to practise it . Year after year have the Chairmen

at our different Festivals pointed out to those whom they were immediately addressing , and through them to the Craft universal , that Charity , to be really effective , must be distributed over the widest possible area , that more real good is dono by a number of small subscriptions than by

a few of considerable amount . The meaning of this will be obvious to all our readers . The kindlier feelings of our nature are more thoroughly and more generally aroused when there i 3 a multitude of participants in an act of

charity than when it is the act of a single person . This , of course , is to a certain extent , merely a sentimental view of the case we have in view . No one would ever be so silly as to affirm that a thousand pounds , given by ono jnan , would have less effect in relieving distress than the same sum if contributed by twenty or a hundred men .

Analysis Of The Subscription List.

All we mean to say is , that its distribution among many donors proves incontestably that sympathy with distress is spread over a wider surface . There is , however , this undoubted advantage to be gained when a subscription list proceeds from many instead of from a few . Sympathy ,

like most other affections of the human mind , is contagious . When men of moderate means find their modest donations aro not only sought after but appreciated , immediately other men who are similarly circumstanced follow suit , and in the end tho aggregate of these numerous small donations

mounts up to and exceeds the aggregate of a few largo ones . It is , then , with these feelings influencing us , that we express our unfeigned delight at finding that the number of participants in the work of charity on this occasion is greatly in excess of what it has been in former years . Tho

total amount contributed by the Metropolitan District is within a few shillings of £ 6 , 680 , and in this contribution no less than 112 Lodges , or but little short of one-half the number in the whole district , participate . In addition , two Royal Arch Chapters , a Rose Croix Chapter , a Mark Lodge ,

and two individual donors contribute . As our readers are aware , there are forty-one Provincial Grand Lodges under the Grand Lodge of England , together with Beds , the Channel Islands , and the Isle of Man ; that is , in all , fortyfour groups of Lodges outside the Metropolitan District .

No less than twenty-nine of these are represented in the present list , and the aggregate of their subscriptions is a few shillings under £ 5 , 978 . In addition , must be mentioned a contribution of £ 50 from the district of Hong Kong . The following are the Provinces included in the

list . Berks and Berks , with its sixteen Lodges is represented by four Stewards , from four different Lodges , and is entered for £ 173 19 s 6 d . Bristol , with its eight Lodges , has its Provincial Grand Master , the Earl of Limerick , as its representative , and contributes through

him the sum of £ 161 8 s . Under Cheshire there appear eight Stewards , on behalf of five out of its thirty-nine Lodges , the result being a subscription of £ 139 3 s . The Province of Cumberland and Westmoreland has a single representative , namely , from the Union Lodge , Kendal , and

he has been the means of importing into the coffers of the Institution the very comfortable sum of £ 63 . Derbyshire hag one representative for its seventeen Lodges , with a donation of £ 10 . Devonshire , with five Stewards for three of its forty-six Lodges , contributes the handsome sum of

£ 596 0 s 6 d . Dorsetshire and its thirteen Lodges has Bro . Montague J . Guest for its Charity Commissioner . He must have worked hard , for the sum appearing against his name is £ 305 . Four of the sixteen Essex Lodges sent Stewards , and their united efforts resulted in a donation of

£ 113 13 s . Gloucestershire , with fourteen Lodges , contributes £ 28 7 s , by the hands of a single Steward , acting for the Royal Forest of Dean Lodge , No . 1067 , Newnham . Hants and the Isle of Wight , with twenty-nine Lodges , has four Stewards , from four distinct Lodges , £ 171 5 s being

the amount of their joint contributions . Hertfordshire is but a small province , with only ten Lodges . Six of these are represented , and together subscribe £ 155 8 s 6 d . It may be remarked that Kent is invariably an important contributor . This is not surprising , perhaps , for it has

forty Lodges . Ten of these sent Stewards to this Festival , and the extent of their exertions produced £ 478 8 s . A Bolton Lodge is the only one of the eighty-four East Lancashire Lodges which is represented ; but Brother Hine , who occupies a foremost

position in connection with the Provincial Charity Fund , must be taken as doing duty for the whole Province . His contribution , and those of the four Bolton Stewards , amount together to £ 330 5 s . The Western Division of Lancashire has seventy-four Lodges . Seven of these are

represented , by eight Stewards , and subscribe among them £ 149 17 s 6 d . It must be remembered , however , that at the Festival of this Institution , in 1876 , the Grand Master of this Province , Lord Skelmersdale , presided as Chairman , and then the Province supported him magnificently ,

contributing over £ 1 , 500 , or ouly a little short of one-sixth part of the total subscribed . Provincial Grand Master Earl Ferrers represents the ten Lodges of his Province of Leicestershire and Rutland , the amount of his list being

£ 15 8 s . Lincolnshire is an important Province , having within its limits just twenty Lodges . Bro . John Sutcliffe , as Steward of No . 1294 , is down for £ 35 . But the contributions of Lincolnshire are both frequent and considerable , and a breathing space is allowable even in the work of Charity . There are twenty . fonr Lodges in Middlesex