The Provinces And The Charities.

BOYS' AND GIRLS' SCHOOLS ( UNITED ) . ? ic . r *§ "i ic - *§ No . PROVINCE . 2 § > £ •§ £ j- rj J

• i Yorkshire , West , I ' ... ... G 6 440 S 67 39 3 Gloucestershire , 2 ... ... 14 S 75 C 12 . V 6 3 Dorset , 3 ... ... ... 13 7 3 55 v S 4 Sussex , 7 ... ... •¦• 24 1162 48 ^ 6

5 -Warwickshire , 4 ... ... 3 ° ' 377 4 ° ' 3 - ( Kent , 15 ... ... ... 45 2015 45 * 5 0 ( . Oxfordshire , 6 ... ... 9 403 45 * S Staffordshiie , 10 ... ... 23 939 41 „ 9 ' 9 Worcestershire , 9 ... ... H 447 4 ° } 3 To S . Wales , East , 11 ... ... 15 553 37 c 11 Wilts , 12 ... ... ... 10 354 35 i- 6 12 Bristol iS ... ... ... S 2 S 0 35 3

13 Surrey , 9 ... ... 22 764 34 ..- 5 14 Hants and Isle of Wight , 13 ... 35 1197 34 T II 15 Somersets ... ... ... 22 73 S 33 ' ; - 12 16 "Lincolnshire , 16 ... . ... 20 65 S 33 14 17 -Berks ' and Bucks , 17 ... ... iS 570 31 J 4 iS : . Durham , 15 ... ... ... 26 803 31 10 . 19 Leicester and Rutland , 19 ... 10 306 30 J 2 . - > o Northumberland , 23 ... ... 20 609 30 V - 3

21 Essex , 22 ... ... ... 19 549 29 4 22 Lancashire , Last , 20 ... ... 91 2561 28 } 24 23 Monmouthshire , 26 ... ... S 206 25 ' ? 6 24 Norths and Hunts , 21 ... ... 9 227 « - 25 ^ 4 05 S . Wales , West , 27 ... ... 9 21 S 24 } 5 26 Herts , 24 ... ... ... 14 307 22 1

27 Middlesex , 25 ... ... ... 31 f > 53 2 i-j- 5 2 S Cheshire , 29 ... ... ... 3 < i 719 20 S 29 Suffolk , 2 S ... * ... ... 20 3 S 5 ig ' 7 30 Cumberland and Westmoreland , 31 ... 19 347 iSi 5 3 1 Hereford , 32 ... ... ... 4 7 . 5 I Si o 32 Norfolk , 36 ... ... ... 16 2 S 9 1 . "•*' , 5 33 Derbyshire , 34 ... ... ig 314 i ^ y 3 14 Yorkshire , N . and E ., 30 ... 27 451 lfil- 7

35 N . Wales and Salop , 35 ... ... 26 403 15 V 6 3 6 Lancashire , W ., 39 ... ... St 1206 15 6 37 Notts , 33 ... ... ... 13 19 ' 14 J 2 3 8 Devon , 37 ... ... ... 50 5 62 nj- 11 39 Cornwall , 3 S ... ... ... 2 S 292 10 . V 1 40 Beds , 40 ... ... ... 5 50 10 o 41 Cambridgeshire , 41 ... ... 4 3 g gf 2 42 Channel Islands , 42 ... ... 12 So C . V o 43 Isle of Man , 43 ... .. 3 000

,, gS 29 , 203 21 288 jr — — — — XH Xii Isf-s-lil ^ S 3 * - £ > £ . 5 _ ^ fi- 2 & . * - ¦ c . c - « u c-

Masonic Insurance.

MASONIC INSURANCE .

The North-Western Alasonic Aid Association is still progressing in its successful career . From a late assessment notice we quote the following remarks of the Secretary : " Our association increased in membership 226 last month , and is steadily growing . We entered this new year with 9126 members in all the divisions . I believe this is double the membership of any other Masonic Association in the world , although there are a large number of excellent

Alasonic Associations scattered over this country , all of which have our hearty God-speed in their work . Our fame has become very widely extended , and applications are offering from all quarters of the globe . We have recently been urged to accept risks in Honolulu , Sandwich Islands . Although assured that the climate was one of the best , and that the proposed applicants are American citizens residing there , we have felt constrained lo decline

them , as we must stop somewhere , and the difficulties of proving up deaths or of investigating any matters which might require it , at so great a distance , would be too great . We could hardly protect the Association against possible imposition , with a membership belting the earth . We have a great and beneficent Institution , but we cannot open our doors to the whole Alasonic world , much as we might like to do so . "

We understand that the Association takes risks from Alaine to California , throughout most of the Northern States and Territoiies , but accepts none from the Southern States , and , as will be seen by the above , declines lo go beyond our own country . This decision will , doubtless , meet the approval of the members . This whole question of who shall be deemed acceptable for membershi p is one of paramount importance , and one which may well

receive the careful consideration of the Board of Management of every institution of this kind . The qualification for admission to the North-Western arc , so far as we know , the following : 1 st . The applicant must be an affiliated Alaster Alason not more that fifty years of age . 2 nd . He must pass a careful medical examination , showing him to be in a first-class p hysicalcondilion and free from tendency to disease , as shown by his past history and the history

of his family , which must show freedom from taint of hereditary disease . 3 rd , He must be a man of good habits . 4 th . He must reside in a healthy and tolerabl y accessible locality ; and 5 th , his occupation must not be extrahazardous . All these things are essential , and theircareful observancccannot betoohighl y commended . The Association has now been in operation six years and eight ¦ months , and thc average yearl y cost of insurance has been as follows—viz ., for members aged Dols . Dois .

21 1030 , 5 . 61 per 1000 , per year , since July 1874 : 31 ,, 4 ®> o . oy ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 41 J , 4 ° * - o . oy ,, „ ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 49 » 55 > 9 * " 3 >> >< » " » >> w r ° vei " 55 * n-93 ¦> ,, •> , ¦• W e find that the average rales of the regular insurance companies foi 1000 dollars insurance , one year , are as follows , viz .: for persons aged

twentytwo to thirty 20 . 70 dollars ; those aged thirty-one to forty 27 . 01 dollars ; those aged forty-one to forty-eight 37 . 46 dollars ; those aged forty-nine to ntty five 52 . 09 dollars ; those aged fifty-six to sixty-five 90 dollars for 1000 dollars insurance , one year . Thus showing that the cost in the North-Western Masonic Aid Association of Chicago has been , for nearly seven years , considerabl y less than one third the rates of the life insurance companies , and leaving no doubt as to the cause of the wide popularity and the remarkable growth of the Association .

Royal Masonic Instituion For Girls.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUION FOR GIRLS .

The monthly meeting of the General Committee of the Subscribers to this Institution was held on Thursday afternoon at Freemasons' Hall , when there were present jBros . Colonel Creaton , G . Treas . ( in the chair ) , John A . Rucker , A . J . Duff Filer , George Bolton , E . H . Finney , James Peters , Thomas Massa , A . H . Tattershall , Joshua Nunn , James F . Corben JH .

, . Matthews , Arthur E .-Gladwell , C . G . Brown , Peter de Lande Lon < r , R . B . Webster , and H . Alassey ( Freemason ) . & After the minutes had been read and confirmed , the Chairman was authorised to sign cheques , and the meeting was brought to a conclusion , a vote of thanks being passed to thc Chairman .

Masonic History And Historians.

MASONIC HISTORY AND HISTORIANS .

BY AIASONIC STUDENT .

F have read , as all must do , . with deep p leasure my friend Bro . Gould ' s able paper in the last Freemason under this heading . And , as he appeals to me " nominatim , " I send a few lines to the Freemason . 1 . As regards the " Master Alason " and the " chair of the lodge , " & c , I am inclined to accept Anderson ' s statements . Such was the " idea " and " belief" of my lamented Bro . E . W . Shaw , who often , in years ago , " discoursed " to me on the point , and if that be so , much of the obscurity

attendant on thc Third Degree would be explained . We must remember that so far wc have built up our statements , as regards Degrees , & c , on a confused medley of " ritual evidence alone , " and then " aU the ritual evidence is late eighteenth century . " So far we know nothinowhatever of the customs of the lodge at Warrington , or of the lodge which met ( teste Ashmole ) in Basinghall-street in 1682 . The earliest evidence we have is the Sloane MS ., in 1716 , the AIason ' s

h . xnmuiiition , in 7723 , and Grand Mystery , in 1724 ; and we can only take them for what they are worth , which , on the whole , is not a great deal , for various reasons , nor can they be depended upon . And where then else can we go for evidence ? This is the " crux " we have to deal with today , and on this point must depend to a very great extent the "turn " which Masonic history for some time must take . 2 . I am very sorry that I cannot agree , and never shall , I fear , with the

1717 theory ot freemasonry , and the development of the Degrees from 1717 to 1723 . The existence of the Sloane ATS . is , undoubtedly , in my mind , fatal to any such hypothesis , and though every attempt has been made to lower its date ; yet three " facts " are patent to all experts—the one is , that its verbiage is not eighteenth century verbiage , and as clearly seventeenth century ; the second is , thai it is a "transcript " from another MS ., and not an

original MS . in itself ; and the third is , lhat though the paper mark is not conclusive as to 1716 , it is a most fair presumption that it is not , and cannot be , - much later than that date . But this is a point which can alone be settled b y experts ; and though I have heard conflicting views as to its "archaisms , " I have never listened lo any about its not being early eighteenth century . I will , however , if Bro . Gould desires it , submit the MS . to thc judgment of Mr . Bond , of the British Museum , than whom no better or safer authority can exist .

3 . I quite agree with Bro . Gould as to all that Sir G . C . Lewis says , but must beg here to observe that , while I fully endorse all such " canons " of "historical criticism , " I object most respectfully to his present position "in toto , " inasmuch as he is practically and dogmatically settling , to my mind , on confessedly imperfect evidence what is still really and truly " in lite " and " sub judicc . "

A New Masonic Temple.

A NEW MASONIC TEMPLE .

A new Masonic Temple was dedicated b y the Craft at Oakland , California , on Washington ' s birthday , February 22 nd , Bro . the Hon . Samuel C . Denson , M . W . Grand ATastcr , presiding , assisted by his Grand Ofliccrs . The Freemasons of San Francisco and vicinity participated , and the procession was large and imposing . The oration was delivered b y Bro . Marcus D . Boruck , W . M . of Mount Moriah Lodge , No . 44 , of San Francisco . In the evening a grand banquet and reception were given . The new

temple cost 75 , 000 dollars , and is imposing in appearance . We take the following description from the San Francisco Call of February 24 th : "The temple is a beautiful , solid-looking , and elegantly-finished threestory structure , and a great ornament to the cit )' . The Twelfth-street front is of pressed brick , with sandstone finish , ornamented with vases , Alaltese crosses and pillars . The entrance is a heavy Gothic portico of polished Penryn granite , supported by pillars of the same material in black , the letter

G being over the gateway , above which and over the stairway is erected the main tower , finished square , having Gothic windows and with fleur-de-lis ornamentation for the apex . The sub-tower is at the north end , on the Washington-street side , presenting a neat contrast . Near the centre is the sharp-cut roof tower , with gable , facing the street , adorned with crosses in circles , and all around the building are pinnacles and peaks handsomely

arranged . On the Washington-street side are five niches , two in front of the first , two on the second , and one on thc upper floor , bearing beneath them the inscriptions , ' Prudence , ' ' Justice , ' ' Temperance , ' ' Fortitude , ' and 'Charity . ' These , it is intended , shall be replaced b y stone statues . "Kevsione .

According lo the Keystone , St . John ' s Day , the 24 th June , 1 SS 2 , will be the 150 th anniversary ( the sesqui centennial ) of the first meeting of a Grand Lodge in America ; and this took place at the Tun Tavern , Water-street , Philadelphia , on that day , 1732 . The following newspaper account of the event is quoted by the Keystone from Benjamin Franklin's newspaper , the Pennsylvania Gazette of the date , Monday , 2 itn

June ( , 1732 : Philadelphia , June 26 . —Saturday last , being St . John ' s Day , a Grand Lodge of the Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons was held at the 'iun Tavern , in Water-street , when , after a handsome entertainment , the Worshipful W . Allen , Esq ., was unanimously chosen Grand Master of this Province for the year ensuing ; who was pleased to appoint Mr . Wm . Pringle , Deputy Master . Wardens chosen for the ensuing year were Thomas Boude and Benjamin Franklin . "

Ihe sixty-two victims of the Nice disaster consist of thirty-six Frenchmen ( twenty-five of them natives of the province ) , twenty Italians , four English , one German , and one of unknown nationality . ) Three were boys under twelve , nine youths between twelve and twenty-one , four girls , and twenty-four male and female adults .