Analysis Of The Subscription List, R.M.B.I.

ANALYSIS OF THE SUBSCRIPTION LIST , R . M . B . I .

AS regards our Charitable Institutions , the year 1879 has opened most auspiciously . We wore fully pi'epared to hear Bro . Terry announce a list not greatly , if afc all , in excess of last year ' s contribution . We pointed out in the week preceding the Festival of onr youngest Institution that the circumstances of the time were not

favourable , while it was well known there was widely-prevalent distress in the Province whose Grand Master had so kindly taken upon himself the duties of chairman on the occasion . We were , therefore , the more agreeably surprised when a result was announced which not only

transcended tho most sanguine hopes wo had permitted ourselves to form , but likewise far exceeded anything which had ever previously been done afc a Festival of any of our Institutions . There is no don . bfc . this brilliant success is clue to the zeal and energy of the East Lancashire

Stewards , who , to the number of seventy-nine , supported their Prov . G . Master to tho extent , as stated by Bro . Terry , of just £ 3 , 542 , though , as will be seen hereafter , our figures do nofc exactly tally , and including a certain sum yefc to be received , represent very nearly £ 200 more than he has

given the Province credit for . There is only one instance in which an individual Province has achieved a greater feat , and that was in the year I 860 , when a supreme effort was made to clear off the mortgage on the Boys' School building , and Bro . Binckes was able to announce afc the

Festival of that Institution that East Lancashire , led by the late Bro . Stephen Blair , its G . Master , with the magnificent donation of a thousand guineas , and supported by the Prov . G . T odge to the extent of 500 guineas , and Bros . Callender and Wiko with one hundred fruineas

each , contributed £ 3 , 885 , the thirty-five other Stewards raising among them 2000 guineas . Thus East Lancashire has been surpassed at this Festival only by itself ten . years since at another Festival , and there is no other Province in the country which can proudly point to two

such unprecedented achievements as the contribution in 1869 to one of our Institutions of £ 3 , 885 , and in 1879 of £ 3 , 738 7 s Gd , according to our reckoning—to another . But the Prov . G . Master of East Lancashire was also loyally supported by the Metropolis and twenty-nine other

Provinces , who among them , gave in round figures £ 10 , 000 . We congratulate our R . W . Bro . Lieut .-Col . Starkie on a success so brilliant , and we trust , if this is an earnesb of the influence he is able to exercise , that we shall find him

again assuming the responsibilities of a chairman at other of onr Festivals . Wc also congratulate East Lancashire particularly , and the Craffc generally , on the result of the gathering , and Ave trust the Chairman and his Board of

Stewards will not regard it as idle flattery if we affirm that never were votes of thanks , such as wero passed to them by the Committee of the R . M . B . I . on the day after the Festival , more richly deserved . Wc now proceed to our customary analysis .

The grand total as announced b y Bro . Terry in the course of the evening of the 12 th instant , when the toasfc of Prosperity to the Institution had been given , was stated as £ 13 , 875 10 s 6 d , with fifteen lists outstanding . We have

cast and re-cast the figures as they appeared in onr columns last week , and we find they amount ti £ 13 , 726 lis 6 d . There is , however , a sum of £ 400 which Bro . Terry took credit for , but which was not included in the list , for the very important reason that it had not bden received , It has ,

however , been definitively arranged that tho £ 400 in question shall find its way into the coffers of the R . M . B . I . as soon as ifc can bo forwarded , so that , according to onr calculation , the amount of Bro . Terry ' s list must be stated as £ 14 , 120 lis 6 d , and there are other lists yet to come .

However , the figures wo propose dealing with are thoso which appeared last week , and the sum of these , as wo have stated already , is £ 13 , 726 lis 6 d , Londonbeingans \ verable for £ 6 , 153 9 s , and tho Provinces for £ 7 , 573 2 s ( Id . London was represented by 115 Stewards , three of whom

were unattached , while 106 represented 102 Lodges , and the remaining six as many Chapters . As thero were at tho timo ten lists still to be sent in , the £ 6 , 153 9 s is the aggregate of the lists of 105 Stewards . Of the component parts of this sum , the following are tho most considerable . Bro . T .

J . Barnes , tho ablo Preceptor , who acted as Steward for the Doric , No . 933 , has outdistanced all his Metropolitan brethren , having won the place of honour in the commonest of canters with £ 325 10 s . Bro . Clement Brcdcn , who was Steward for the Merchant Navy , No . 781 , comes second

with the goodly amount of £ 178 , and then close together appear Bro . Robbing of University Lodge , No . 1 , 118 , with £ 157 10 s , and Bro . , T . Freeman , of The Great City , with £ 151 2 s . The two next , also very close together , are Bro . G . T . H . Seddon , of Sincerity / No . 174 , with £ 135 10 s ,

and Bro . F . Brown , of tho Loyalty , No . 1607 , with £ 134 ISa lid . Bro . W . W . Medcalf , of Mizpah , No . 1671 , figures well with £ 120 15 s . Afc his heels is Bro . Joseph Stock , of the Perfect Ashlar , No . 1178 , with £ 118 3 s Gd , and then well together , Bro . Thos . Goode , of Finsbury Park ,

No . 1 , 288 , with £ 116 ; Bros . A . L . Annett , of the St . James Union , No . 180 , and John A . Rnckcr , of Prince of Wales , No . 259 , each with £ 115 10 s ; Bro . K . R . Murchison , of the Friends in Council , No . 1383 , with ; 6113 18 s ; Bro . J . L . Mather , of tho Islington , No . 1471 , with

£ 113 8 s ; Bro . Robert H . Halford , of tho United Strength , No . 228 , with £ 112 Is ; Bro . G . M . Felton , of the Cripplegate , No . 1613 , with £ 111 6 s ; Bro . J . W . Robinson , of the Royal Commemoration , No . 1585 , with £ 110 14 s ; Bro . John G . Stevens , acting independently , with £ 110 ; Bro

Charles Dairy , of Faith , No . 141 , with £ 107 10 s ; Bro . ' Rev . Dr . Bretfcc , of the Aldersgate , with £ 106 lis Gd ; Bro . J . H . Sonthwood , of tho John Hervey , No . 1260 , with £ 105 ; Bro . W . Maple , of tho Canonbury , with £ 100 16 s ; and Bro . W . IT . Bateman , one of two Stewards

representing Fortitude and Old Cumberland , with £ 100 . As the other Steward , Bro . A . H . Lilley , had a list of fifty guineas , and Comp . Joseph Clever , of the Prudence Chapter , No . 12 , one of thirty guineas , this old Lodge has worthily borne out its reputation as a liberal subscriber to

our Charities . Of young Lodges , the Anchor , No . 1704 , was represented by Bro . J . Bagofc Scriven ; All Saints No . 1716 , by Bro . John Dennis ; King ' s Cross , No . 1732 , by Bro . W . M . Stiles ; and the Sfc . Leonard , No . 1766 , consecrated only last year , by Bro . W .

Bcesley , whoso list , though it amounted to £ 40 8 s only , must bo looked upon as a fair commencement . Tho East takes the lead among tho Metropolitan Lodge ? , but Wesfc , South and North are well represented . It is a resulfc thafc is eminently satisfactory when we find 102

London Lodges represented , and that nofc only do our oldest Lodges uphold their fame as supporters of our Institutions , bufc likewise that their youngest sisters imitate

tho laudable example thus set them . Of thoso that were unrepresented , many of course have figured at other recent Festivals , while others will do yeoman service at that ( if the Boys ' or Girla ' School , Of those who are as in-