Freemasonry In 1896.

ing of a silver-fitted dressing bag , a well-filled glove case , a handsome purse containing a cheque for £ 150 , and several volumes of her favourite authors , accompanying the presentation with a few graceful words , which were most feelingly acknowledged by her . As for the elections , they were held , asusual , atthe April and October

Quarterly Courts , there being elected 24 from an approved list of candidates at the former , and 19 from one of 27 candidates at the latter . Of the events that have taken place during the year we note that the usual entertainment was given to the children remaining at School during the Christmas holidays , and that the

customary visit to the Crystal Palace was provided by the Festival Stewards . " Ex-pupils Day " was held on the last Saturday in June , when , having regard to the approaching retirement of Miss Davis , there was a larger attendance than usual of those who had been under her charge and who were under such deep

obligations to her for the training they had received at her hands . The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress ( Bro . Sir Walter Wilkin , P . G . W ., and Lady Wilkin ) entertained 150 of the elder girls at the Mansion House , where , as may well be imagined , they thoroughly enjoyed themselves . The School is

now under the charge of Miss Redgrave as Head Governess . For years she has been second in command of the educational staff , and as she is herself a former pupil of her predecessor , there can be but little doubt that she is thoroughly imbued with the spirit and method of Miss Davis ' s system , and will do all in her power to maintain its worthy traditions .

We now give our attention to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , which celebrated its 98 th Anniversary at the Royal Pavilion , Brighton , it being the fourth year in succession that this gathering has taken place at London-on-Sea . The day appointed for the Festival was the 24 th June , when the chair was

taken by Bro . His Grace the Duke of Devonshire , K . G ., Lord President of the Council , Prov . G . M . of Derbyshire . A Board of Stewards , numbering 512 , rallied round his Grace , in order to ensure the success of so important a meeting , and at the proper time the Secretary , Bro . McLeod , P . G . S . B ., had the pleasure of

announcing that the Donations and Subscriptions amounted in the aggregate to £ 18 , 777 I 0 S - > ° f which £ 8391 ios . had been raised by 192 Stewards forming the London section of the Board ; and £ 984 6 by the 312 Provincial Stewards ; the number of Provinces that lent a helping hand , including sundry

" Foreign Stations , " being 32 . The chief constituent items of the Provincial total were the handsome amount of £ 1620 raised by the Chairman ' s Province of Derbyshire ; £ 700 by West Yorkshire ; £ 685 13 s . by Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ; £ 415 lis . b y Berkshire ; £ 4 6 9 7 s . by Hertfordshire ; £ 423 13 s . 6 d .

by Kent ; £ 435 8 s . by West Lancashire ; £ 44 1 16 s . by Staffordshire ; £ 377 by Suffolk ; £ 395 lis . 6 d . by Surrey ; £ 421 is . by Sussex ; £ 4 62 by Warwickshire ; and £ 427 9 s . by Worcestershire . Last year when Bro . Lord Egerton of Tatton , Prov . G . Master of Cheshire , occupied the chair , the Board of

Stewards numbered 533 , and the total announced was £ 18 , 773 I 2 S - 6 d ., which , including the £ 1260 raised by the Province of Kent , to purchase a Perpetual Presentation to the School as a testimonial to Bro . J . S . Eastes , P . G . D ., D . P . G . M .,

and outstanding lists subsequently received and other additions , was ultimately increased to £ 21 , 012 5 s . 7 d . Thus , omitting the amount of the Eastes testimonial , the returns in June last will compare very favourably with those of 18 95 , more particularly if we take into account that the final corrections in the former have

not yet been made , and there is little reason to doubt that the ultimate total for the present year will exceed £ 19 , 000 . The distribution of prizes took place on the day preceding the Festival , Bro . Richard Eve , P . G . Treasurer , being in the chair , while the Duchess of Devonshire gave away the prizes , and in doing so offered a few

kind words of congratulation to the recipients . The annual athletic meeting was held , at the invitation of Bro . G . Everett , P . G . Treasurer , and one of the Vice-Chairmen of the Board of Management , at Kempton Park , on Saturday , the 13 th June , when , as the weather was fine , there was a very strong muster

of the Stewards and friends of the Institution . The boys acquitted themselves themselves well in the various contests , and the prizes which the winners so fully deserved were handed to them b y Miss Everett . As regards the elections , they were held , as usual , at the Quarterly Courts in April and October

respectively , there being elected at the former Court 28 from an approved list of 49 , and at the latter 15 from one of 43 . The number of vacancies originally declared for the October Court was 14 , but as two of the candidates tied for the 14 th place , the

Court recommended lhat the Board of Management should admit bothof them into the School , and to this recommendation the Board promised to give effect as soon as an opportunity presented itself . Nor must we omit to mention that the results of the

several public examinations , at which pupils from the Institution were entered , have been eminently satisfactory . Of the 32 boys who entered for the Cambridge Preliminary Locals , as many as 30

Freemasonry In 1896.

passed , while in the Locals themselves , the eight entered in the Senior Division passed ; and of the 36 who competed for the Junior Division , two were awarded Second-Class Honours , and seven Third-Class Honours , while 21 satisfied the Examiners . In the Science and Art Examinations , South Kensington , 48

Certificates were granted , namely , 20 First-Class , 15 Second-Class , and 13 passes . - In the Matriculation Examination of the London University , A . J . Copeland was placed in the First Division , while J . L . Heinke , who quitted the School some time ago , has this year been awarded a Scholarship of £ 150 a year for two

years , but renewable for a third year if he passes well , for research in Natural Science . Moreover , the independent Board of Examiners who were invited to examine the whole School , reported very favourably of the educational results obtained , and in particular laid stress on " the tone and demeanour of the

boys" which , in their opinion , "left nothing to be desired . " And by way of encouraging the boys to still further efforts , a sum of over £ 1600 has already been raised , and further subscriptions are being received from time to time towards the establishment of one or more Scholarships , which will be awarded to those who

have displayed exceptional ability in their studies , with a view to enabling them to compete , under more favourable conditions than are at present possible , for the Scholarships , and prizes awarded in the field of higher education . We trust this fund will be steadily augmented in the future , so that more of these facilities

for obtaining the highest education possible may be at the disposal of "Our Boys . " But the great question of questions which has been exercising the minds of the Governors and Subscribers to the Boys' School , and , indeed ,. of the Craft generally , has reference to the proposed remoral from its present site at

Wood Green to one more commodious and more suitable in other respects for such an Institution . In April , 18 92 , the Court of Governors gave authority to the Board of Management to dispose of the estate at Wood Green to the best advantage . In April of the present year it gave the said Board the still ampler

powers to purchase a new site and erect new school buildings thereon . But no sooner had this been done than the Charity Committee of North and East Yorkshire without waiting to ascertain what , if any , steps the Board had taken or proposed to take under the powers thus granted , and without even

consulting Bro . Smithson , their representative on the Board , published an emphatic protest against the scheme of removal . Since then there has been waging in these columns and else \ vhere * a fierce—that is , of course , a Masonically fierce—paper war over the proposal , and though North and East Yorkshire has not made

public , nor has any one as yet been able to discover , the grounds of its protest , we regret to say this paper warfare is still continued . By this we mean no reasonable objection has yet been taken to the scheme on its merits . Thus no one has gone so far as to suggest that the retention of a large School on a

clayey soil is desirable , the nearest approach to anything of the kind being a reminder from one of our correspondents that the clay was there when the site was purchased and the present School buildings erected , and the inference which we are invited to

draw from this fact , that the clay is there still , and will do no more harm than it has done heretofore . No one suggests that Wood Green in the immediate neighbourhood of the School is not overcrowded , or that the premises are commodious . The removal , however , to a better and roomier site will necessitate the

expenditure of a large sum of money , and though everyone is of opinion that what is needed for the purpose will be forthcoming , and though the purchase of a new site at Bushey has been sanctioned by the Court of Governors , the protest is continued in just a few Provinces , though hardly a week now

passes which does not demonstrate that the project is most favourably regarded and will be generously supported throughout the greater part of the English Craft . That is how this question of questions stands at the moment of writing this narrative , but as we have faith in the common sense of English Masons as a

body and individually , we venture to hope that if it be our privilege to write a similar account of Freemasonry for the year 18 97 , we shall have the pleasure of announcing that , all protests having long since ceased , the plans for the erection of the new School at Bushey are progressing satisfactorily .

PROVINCIAL AND OTHER CHARITABLE ASSOCIATIONS .

Under this head , as we have explained in previous summaries , both the Associations which limit their operations to raising subscriptions for the Central Charities and those which have been established for the purpose of hel ping poor brethren or their families either by granting them small annuities or educating their children in the immediate vicinity of their own homes . Among the former may be mentioned the various Associations