The Benevolent Festival.

THE BENEVOLENT FESTIVAL .

THB Jubilee Festival of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution has resulted in a success far beyond the most sanguine expectations of the Craft , a sum close upon £ 60 , 000 having been contributed in answer to the Special Appeal made in connection ¦ with the auspicious occasion . Words fail us when

we attempt to express gratification at this noble result , but happily the picture put before the Craft on Wednesday needs no embellishment , the grand result— £ 60 , 000—being in itself enough to attract the admiration and attention of the world , while it will remain for all time a brilliant memorial to the Masonic Order , and a tangible proof of the sincerity of the sentiments with which its members are

actuated . The total announced by the Chairman on Wednesday—the Eight Honourable the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , Deputy Grand Master of England , himself proclaiming the result—was £ 59 , 593 15 s , made up of London contributions £ 27 , 543 5 s , and

Provincial £ 32 , 050 10 s . This was not only the largest total ever received at a Festival , but also topped the record in the matter of number of Stewards who worked to secure it , the total announced on the occasion being 1471 as compared with 1464 who supported the Chairman of the Centenary Festival of the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Girls , which it will be

remembered was held under the presidency of the Grand Master His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales . We are not yet able to give full details of the amounts , sent up from the different Lodges and Provinces represented at the Festival , but hope next week to publish the usual list of Stewards and the amount of their respective lists . Meanwhile , the

accompanying summary , made up to six p . m . of the day of the Festival , will interest our readers , and give a fair idea as to the distribution of workers and the help rendered by different districts . It will be noticed the total of these figures is £ 57 , 905 4 s , which was the result of the Jubilee up to six p . m . Two hours later , when the Chairman announced the result , the total had swollen to £ 59 , 593 15 s , or a gain of

* lb 88 lis , collected virtually at the table from the Stewards who , it is fair to believe , had previously done what seemed to them their very best to make the Festival a success . This additional amount is in itself sufficient to prove that the gathering together of the Stewards at the Festive Board , which is sometimes condemned as undesirable , is in reality good policy , and may be productive of most beneficial results . SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTIONS .

( To G p . m . , f tho day of the Festival ) . T , No . of Stnwards Amount ^ ? °° ;•• 017 26 , 517 0 0 West Yorkshire .... ... 133 3 , 555 Q 0 & asfc Lancashire ... ... 54 -J 086 12 0 Warwickshire ... '" 79 Q Q 62 3 0

The Benevolent Festival.

Surrey 36 2 , 024 15 0 Essex ... 42 1980 5 0 Cheshire .. 72 1700 0 0 Hertfordshire 27 1446 3 6 Kent 37 1335 3 0

Hants and Isle of Wight ... 28 1278 2 0 Middlesex 34 1225 7 0 Sussex ... ... ... 29 1177 0 6 Derbyshire ... ... 41 981 14 0 Snffolk ... ... ... 23 963 10 0

West Lancashire ... ... 33 902 8 6 Cornwall 11 776 15 0 Devonshire ... ... 6 690 3 6 North and East Yorkshire ... 7 674 8 0 Berkshire 22 635 14 6

Lincolnshire ... ... 12 577 18 0 Somersetshire ... ... 6 491 15 0 Wiltshire 11 476 9 ; 0 Shropshire ... ... 13 470 . 0 ., 0 Norfolk ... 3 431 5 0

Dorsetshire ... ... 7 393 ; 15 0 Leicestershire and Rutland ... 4 388 10 0 Staffordshire ... ... 10 365 5 . 0 Oxfordshire 13 296 . 0 0 Channel Islands ... ... 1 241 10 ' 0

North Wains 7 216 8 ' 0 Cambridgeshire ... ... 5 201 3 ' 6 Durham ... ... 4 189 0 0 Buckinghamshire ... ... 15 186 18 0 South Wales East ... 1 180 0 0

Worcestershire ... ... 7 157 10 0 Bedfordshire ... ... 3 113 8 0 Northants and Hnnts ... 8 107 8 0 Northumberland ... ... 1 105 0 0 Nottinghamshire ... ... 2 105 0 0

Jersey ... 1 63 0 0 Cyprus ... 2 59 17 0 Gloucestershire ... ... 3 31 10 9 Monmouthshire ... ... 2 21 0 0

South Wales—West ... 1 21 0 0 Herefordshire .... ... 1 2 0 0 Cumberland and Westmoreland 1 Isle of Man ... ... 1

Checking the above figures we find the amount is virtually correct as given in the summary , but the number of Stewards casts up to 1481 , instead of 1471 as announced . This is a matter which does not materially affect the result , inasmuch as it shows the possibility of an improvement , and in any case cannot exhibit any falling off . We can only again

express our pleasure—and we know our utterance in this respect will be fully endorsed throughout the country—at the splendid result as here shown . Those who had the fortune to be present at the Festival have good reason to congratulate themselves on witnessing one of the grandest sights ever known

in connection with the Order . We have seen enormous Masonic gatherings elsewhere , notably at the Eoyal Albert Hall , at the Brighton Pavilion , and at the Crystal and Alexandra Palaces , but the general appearance of Covent Garden Theatre on Wednesday fully entitles it to rank with anything that has gone before , and the executive are deserving of the very