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Article CONSOLIDATION v. EXTENSION. Page 1 of 1 Article CONSOLIDATION v. EXTENSION. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consolidation V. Extension.
CONSOLIDATION v . EXTENSION .
IT is a fair subject for consideration whether the policy that has been pursued of late years of extending tho benefits conferred by our Institutions is altogether a wise one , or rather perhaps whether it would not be more to their interest to strengthen them permanently instead of
enlarging them whenever the Festival of a particular year is more than usually productive . It is not so very many years since the Girls' School numbered 150 pupils ; the Boys' School has also been largely increased , and tho Benevolent Institution has grown amazingly in the same
brief period . This is undoubtedly matter for the sincerest congratulation . We should like to see it happen that no candidate ever presented himself or herself for tho benefits of one or other of our Charities unsuccessfully , but we dare not hope that this will evef be the case . The number of
applicants is almost always likely to exceed the number of vacancies , and it must bo obvious to any one that some day or other the point must be reached beyond which it will be inexpedient to extend our Charities . Eoughly stated , the normal annual expenditure to which the Craft in
England now stands committed is , taking the two Schools and the Benevolent together , over £ 30 , 000—that is , the interest of one million of Government Stock ; and in addition considerable sums are occasionally expended for building and kindred purposes , so that the amount stated at the
recent meeting as being required annually for these purposes , namely £ 40 , 000 , was by no means exaggerated . Now , if wo take the case of the Girls' School , to which we referred last week , two or three years ago additional accommodation was erected at a cost of some £ 10 , 000 , and
now Lyncombe House is purchased for £ 6 , 500 . We have said the enlargement of the School is a most desirable object , to which no brother would dream of offering the slightest opposition , provided , always , such enlargement is made with due regard to the funds at the disposal of the
authorities . Thus in the case of one of those richly endowed Schools which are so numerous in this country , and of which all Englishmen are so justly proud , the outlay of a few thousands in the purchase of desirable premises or the erection of new buildings would make but slight
differencejin the mean 3 available for future uses ; but it is well for a school which has no endowment , and but a small permanent income arising from invested moneys , to "look before it leaps . " The more we go on husbanding our resources during the present period of highly productive
Festivals the greater the prospect of adding to our investment . The purchase annually of £ 2000 or £ 3000 worthor more or less , as the incomings permitted—of Govern - ment Securities would very soon mount up . Every year , as the interest went on increasing , more and more of the
donations and subscriptions would be available for this purpose , and gradually the ratio between fixed income and expenditure would be more satisfactory . No doubt it is very pleasant to have one ' s name associated with the generous enlargement of an excellent school . When the
inscription on a building declares it was erected in the Consulshi p of Manlius , Manlius naturally becomes an object of admiration to his contemporaries , and he ensures for himself a proportionate amount of honour among those who
will come after him . Yet surely those by whose wise and careful administration a fabric is strengthened and made available for later generations of oecupauts are as worthy of praise as the brilliant Manlius , albeit their labours are conducted silently and without display of any kind . It is
Consolidation V. Extension.
evident wo aro not alone in tho belief that periodical increases in the Girls' establishment are not to be expected too often , except at the risk of endangering the whole structure . We have reached a point at which , in our opinion , we may pauso for a time till we learn for certain that the Institution rests on a sound and enduring basis .
We may anticipate that the approaching leshval , under the presidency of His Eoyal Highness the Prov . G . M . of Oxfordshire and Past Grand Warden of England , will be a great success ; but even if the result should exceed our most sanguine expectations , we trust the good sense of
the School authorities will prevent the policy ot extension from being carried further . Enthusiasm is a very fine thing in its way , but a handsome sum in Government Securities is a reality whose benefits it is impossible to deny . When the fixed income is £ 3000 or £ 4000 , it may
be politic as well as possible to take a step further , and charge ourselves with the duty of maintaining and educating a few more Girls ; but , with due respect to those
who hold a different opinion , we consider the increase latterly of over thirty per cent , in the number of pupils , and the outlay of £ , 16 , 000 for additional premises , is progress enough for the present .
There is another point to be considered . Those who subscribe so liberally year after year have an undoubted right to insist that the total contributed shall be made as widely beneficial as possible . But they must not lose sight of the fact that by increasing and increasing our liabilities
they to a great extent bind thoso who come after them to maintain the School at a certain strength as well as in a certain state of efficiency , even though the circumstances in which the next generation of Masons may find itself placed"may bo far less favourable . We are now
recovering from a serious and prolonged depression of trade . We have narrowly escaped a formidable and costly war . Is it likely that if we had not so fortunately surmounted these perils , the subscriptions to our Charities would have been on the same scale ? We cannot always reckon on a
continuance of sunshine , and it is our duty to make all the provision we can against a rainy day . We should feel it bitterly if we found some time hence we had undertaken a task it was beyond our strength to continue , and those , on whom the unpleasant alternative of contracting the present
sphere of usefulness of our Institutions devolved , would have just cause to complain of . the impolicy of handing on to them a duty to which their strength had proved unequal . On the other hand , they will have reason to praise us if we leave the permanent financial affairs of our Institutions in
a healthy state , so that whether a rainy day come or no , it may be in their power to maintain intact both their numerical strength and their efficiency . We have been induced to offer these remarks , owing to the dissatisfaction expressed in some quarters at the large expenditure recently
incurred in the purchase of Lyncombe House . Tho purchase is now effected , and the sense of dissatisfaction is no doubt rapidly passing away ; but , for aught we know to the contrary , further , step 3 in the same direction of ill-advised progress may be taken sooner or later . If the next
Festival is an unpreccdently good one , it may be suggested to add to the number of the pupils , and this , however desirable , would assuredly be a most unwise course to recommend . Consolidation , not extension , is the pqlicy for
the time being . We are doing our duty to tho Girls , and there are thoso who hold we have done something more than our duty in respect of premises . Let us now try and give more permanent strengh to the Institutions , tho welfare of which all Craftsmen so desire " to uphold .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Consolidation V. Extension.
CONSOLIDATION v . EXTENSION .
IT is a fair subject for consideration whether the policy that has been pursued of late years of extending tho benefits conferred by our Institutions is altogether a wise one , or rather perhaps whether it would not be more to their interest to strengthen them permanently instead of
enlarging them whenever the Festival of a particular year is more than usually productive . It is not so very many years since the Girls' School numbered 150 pupils ; the Boys' School has also been largely increased , and tho Benevolent Institution has grown amazingly in the same
brief period . This is undoubtedly matter for the sincerest congratulation . We should like to see it happen that no candidate ever presented himself or herself for tho benefits of one or other of our Charities unsuccessfully , but we dare not hope that this will evef be the case . The number of
applicants is almost always likely to exceed the number of vacancies , and it must bo obvious to any one that some day or other the point must be reached beyond which it will be inexpedient to extend our Charities . Eoughly stated , the normal annual expenditure to which the Craft in
England now stands committed is , taking the two Schools and the Benevolent together , over £ 30 , 000—that is , the interest of one million of Government Stock ; and in addition considerable sums are occasionally expended for building and kindred purposes , so that the amount stated at the
recent meeting as being required annually for these purposes , namely £ 40 , 000 , was by no means exaggerated . Now , if wo take the case of the Girls' School , to which we referred last week , two or three years ago additional accommodation was erected at a cost of some £ 10 , 000 , and
now Lyncombe House is purchased for £ 6 , 500 . We have said the enlargement of the School is a most desirable object , to which no brother would dream of offering the slightest opposition , provided , always , such enlargement is made with due regard to the funds at the disposal of the
authorities . Thus in the case of one of those richly endowed Schools which are so numerous in this country , and of which all Englishmen are so justly proud , the outlay of a few thousands in the purchase of desirable premises or the erection of new buildings would make but slight
differencejin the mean 3 available for future uses ; but it is well for a school which has no endowment , and but a small permanent income arising from invested moneys , to "look before it leaps . " The more we go on husbanding our resources during the present period of highly productive
Festivals the greater the prospect of adding to our investment . The purchase annually of £ 2000 or £ 3000 worthor more or less , as the incomings permitted—of Govern - ment Securities would very soon mount up . Every year , as the interest went on increasing , more and more of the
donations and subscriptions would be available for this purpose , and gradually the ratio between fixed income and expenditure would be more satisfactory . No doubt it is very pleasant to have one ' s name associated with the generous enlargement of an excellent school . When the
inscription on a building declares it was erected in the Consulshi p of Manlius , Manlius naturally becomes an object of admiration to his contemporaries , and he ensures for himself a proportionate amount of honour among those who
will come after him . Yet surely those by whose wise and careful administration a fabric is strengthened and made available for later generations of oecupauts are as worthy of praise as the brilliant Manlius , albeit their labours are conducted silently and without display of any kind . It is
Consolidation V. Extension.
evident wo aro not alone in tho belief that periodical increases in the Girls' establishment are not to be expected too often , except at the risk of endangering the whole structure . We have reached a point at which , in our opinion , we may pauso for a time till we learn for certain that the Institution rests on a sound and enduring basis .
We may anticipate that the approaching leshval , under the presidency of His Eoyal Highness the Prov . G . M . of Oxfordshire and Past Grand Warden of England , will be a great success ; but even if the result should exceed our most sanguine expectations , we trust the good sense of
the School authorities will prevent the policy ot extension from being carried further . Enthusiasm is a very fine thing in its way , but a handsome sum in Government Securities is a reality whose benefits it is impossible to deny . When the fixed income is £ 3000 or £ 4000 , it may
be politic as well as possible to take a step further , and charge ourselves with the duty of maintaining and educating a few more Girls ; but , with due respect to those
who hold a different opinion , we consider the increase latterly of over thirty per cent , in the number of pupils , and the outlay of £ , 16 , 000 for additional premises , is progress enough for the present .
There is another point to be considered . Those who subscribe so liberally year after year have an undoubted right to insist that the total contributed shall be made as widely beneficial as possible . But they must not lose sight of the fact that by increasing and increasing our liabilities
they to a great extent bind thoso who come after them to maintain the School at a certain strength as well as in a certain state of efficiency , even though the circumstances in which the next generation of Masons may find itself placed"may bo far less favourable . We are now
recovering from a serious and prolonged depression of trade . We have narrowly escaped a formidable and costly war . Is it likely that if we had not so fortunately surmounted these perils , the subscriptions to our Charities would have been on the same scale ? We cannot always reckon on a
continuance of sunshine , and it is our duty to make all the provision we can against a rainy day . We should feel it bitterly if we found some time hence we had undertaken a task it was beyond our strength to continue , and those , on whom the unpleasant alternative of contracting the present
sphere of usefulness of our Institutions devolved , would have just cause to complain of . the impolicy of handing on to them a duty to which their strength had proved unequal . On the other hand , they will have reason to praise us if we leave the permanent financial affairs of our Institutions in
a healthy state , so that whether a rainy day come or no , it may be in their power to maintain intact both their numerical strength and their efficiency . We have been induced to offer these remarks , owing to the dissatisfaction expressed in some quarters at the large expenditure recently
incurred in the purchase of Lyncombe House . Tho purchase is now effected , and the sense of dissatisfaction is no doubt rapidly passing away ; but , for aught we know to the contrary , further , step 3 in the same direction of ill-advised progress may be taken sooner or later . If the next
Festival is an unpreccdently good one , it may be suggested to add to the number of the pupils , and this , however desirable , would assuredly be a most unwise course to recommend . Consolidation , not extension , is the pqlicy for
the time being . We are doing our duty to tho Girls , and there are thoso who hold we have done something more than our duty in respect of premises . Let us now try and give more permanent strengh to the Institutions , tho welfare of which all Craftsmen so desire " to uphold .