Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.

nd the room he might <^ y every one present was a r ° " mber , but if not he could only hope those who were "' r would send in their names for joining . He had 1 ° i the honour of belonging to it for 30 years . The rhairman spoke also of 30 years membership , and the 1 t speaker , one of the most revered Masons

throught the Craft , had done the same . That carried him ( Bro . Mead ) back to the time that he worked side by side 1 ; th him . All that he had learned in Masonry he 1 arned from the Emulation Lodge of Improvement , j deeply grateful he felt to the Emulation for it . And if he felt deeply grateful to the Emulation , must

, not feel more grateful to the Lodge of Unions , the health of which he now asked the brethren to drink with all enthusiasm as children and grandchildren should-Bro . G REENWOOD , W . M . 256 , replied . The Lodge 0 { Unions was exceedingly gratified at being connected

with this lodge of improvement , and the brethren of it were g lad to find it doing such good work . On behalf 0 f the Lodge of Unions he begged to thank the brethren . Bro . Sir J MONCKTON proposed " The Masonic Charities . " On Wednesday evening they had a great

Festival , but they had to remember that while they sped the parting they must not forget to welcome the coming guests . They must not let the magnificent performance of the Old People on Wednesday unduly handicap the little Boys or the little Girls . The Girls' Institution was founded first , and the Boys' not long after .

Those Institutions expected something to be done for them . They could not expect . £ 60 , 000 , but they did expect something decent and just at present indeed handsome , and he sincerely trusted they would not be disappointed . The Masonic Charities were the pride of the Craft .

Bro . J . MORRISON MCLEOD responded . After the excellent manner in which the Chairman had placed the toast before the notice of the brethren , very few words were needed further to commend it to their consideration . Referring to what had happened in the current week , when the Craft bestowed so large a portion of

its benevolence on the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , a real red-letter day and a new record were established—a record which it would be hard to beatand one in which every Mason throughout the length and breadth of the land must be proud to have had a share in making . As regarded the Masonic

Institutions , he always had said , and he still maintained , that so long as the management of those Institutions commended itself to the brethren ' s approval , so long would the generosity of the Craft be shown as it had been during that week . They believed all their Institutions were well managed ; they courted the fullest enquiry ;

and it was the brethren s own fault if they did not make that enquiry : if they did not have that enquiry the Institutions could not expect a continuance of excellent gifts . Let them search out the Institutions , Ihe records of what they were doing , and the more they did so the more pleased they would be with the

result . He was certain the Institutions would never want assistance . As regarded the Girls' School , whose Festival would take place in May next , under the Royal Chairmanship of the Duke of Connaught , the brethren would not lack in their efforts to make it a success . On behalf of the Boys' Festival later on , which would

be held under the presidency of a distinguished statesman , Sir Michael Hicks-Beach , he might say that the poor Boys—poor in their financial funds as they had wen ( or some years past—he was sure would not suffer at the hands of the brethren , but that they would do all they could to support the management , which was certainl

y democratic , consisting of brethren from all parts of the kingdom . When they considered what they had been taught regularly for years past , and from what they had seen now of the excellent ordering and the good work of these two Institutions , no more words were needed from him to commend to every brother of the » , " *• *« V . V . IM . IIV . HVI vv , vvgij uiviilici v > i mi ; Lod

ge of Emulation the trying to emulate that work "y aiding the great work the Institutions were doing , and give them the full measure of their support . Bro . SAMUEL POPE , Q . C ., P . G . D ., proposed "The forking Brethren . " Every brother looked to the mulation Lodge of Improvement to give them the

most perfect model of all Masonic ceremonial ; and in ° respect , as it appeared to him , had this influence en more advantageousl y employed than in shorten-S and condensing the after-dinner speeches at I conic entertainments . In proposing the toast of "TL 1 .. — .. » ... 1 ¦¦ ivt V ^ W 3 Mi £ lim VVJrlBL Ul

whirl ' n ng Officers , " they had illustrated that care rr had said at the commencement of a eiJv faci , it y . ° f expression , and of intelligent his f ' - 10 " 1 VIasoni < : truth . Speaking for himself , duot ' . " if" '" Masonic "t « al he could hardly say was ... Constitutional timiditvwhirh harl Upon . rivon

't wa ° mi ' ' Lod ge of Improvement to correct . upon ^ S ° , time since he felt nervous when called looked C a s P eech > and therefore he might be luestin t " J ° some ex'ent as an authority upon the , on ot efficiency with which duties were performed ni ght ? (' nClpal worki "g ofncers of this lodge that heard ill SOme years of experience , after having s ° rts o i- ° [ s P eeches , after having listened to all 'oiW ™" tatl 0 n from the pulpit , at the bar , in Masonic Wne ' ver h ! i Where ' he c 0 " ld on | y S th ,: re b , ) t he '" Mlipcnn > ceremonia ' performed with greater ni-i : / . '" nce i With erealpr rlicilnntnnw ... ItV . oil th » M"iiwuiijairuil niv

T'd . UllPati t , « . | uu the Purnr , t that rhetoric which was desirable for officers thuf L enforcin g the truth , as the working Bro , K ' . jght discharged their duties . He heard as "ne of it ° ^ discla » m that he was to be regarded " ofncers . He ( Bro . Pope ) protested . He

Annual Festival Of The Emulation Lodge Of Improvement.

thought if it were not for the influence which Bro . Fenn had so consistently exercised upon the councils of the Emulation Lodge they would not be in the proud position they were in , and they would not find in their working members so efficient exponents of Masonic ritual as they did . But he was not going to transgress the rule that had been laid down , and he therefore

simply asked the brethren to drink the health of the working officers of the Emulation Lodge , and to thank them most sincerely for the real treat they bad afforded the brethren in the good way they worked the Sections . Bro . KIRBY replied . They had done their best to give instruction and satisfaction to the brethren who heard them . They met week by week and took

instruction . Notably Bro . Sudlow , who was there every Friday evening at his post giving the instruction which he had received on earlier occasions from those brethren who were known to them , and were revered by them as members of the lodge . They had been presided over that night by Bro . Thomas Fenn , an eminent brother , a most excellent President of the Board of General

Purposes , who had many years presided , and was the head and front of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement . Bro . W . G . KENTISH , Sec , acknowledging the toast of " The Stewards , " proposed by the CHAIRMAN , who said the Stewards had a large amount of responsibility , but they carried out their duties admirably , which was no light matter , said that among the thousands ranged

under the banner of Masonry there were a great number , and most of them had found that though they could not aspire to be Royal Solomons , or Hirams King of Tyre , or Hirams Abit , yet that they had associated as Masons with the name of Adoniram , and had had him in view in Masonry . That was what most of them must be . They had heard that he was one of the

hardworking superintendents of hewers of wood and drawers of water , and that he did his duty in the position to which he was called , and thereby attained eminence among Freemasons . That was open to all of them to do in a lesser or a higher degree in Freemasonry . He had now only—and he should not like to sit down without doing so—to most cordially thank all the brethren

who had sent in their names as Stewards for this festival . He thanked them in the most cordial manner possible for the success of that evening , and he only hoped , if he was spared , to have the same success on another occasion . These festivals came round most

awfully fast , but he hoped the brethren would afford him the same support as they had done that evening . He thanked the Chairman for the kind manner in which he had spoken of the Stewards' services , and he could assure him it had been a pleasure to them to render them .

The Tyler ' s toast closed the proceedings , which throughout were most enthusiastic and enjoyable . On leaving the chair , Bro . Sir John Monckton was greeted with " For he ' s a jolly good fellow , " most heartily sung by all present .

The Recent Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE RECENT FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

The following new lists or additions to lists have been received since the publication of our Special jubilee Number , namely :

Lodge LONDON . £ s . d . G . Stwds . Bro . R . Bevridge , P . G . D ., additional 1 1 0 ( raising his list to £ 32 1 is . ) S 7 Bro . E . VV . Nightingale , W . M ., new list ... 54 12 o 101 „ J . M . Fleirg , additional 3 3 . 5

( raising his list to £ 52 10 s . ) 19 S „ VV . Webber , new list 52 10 o ( transferred from Unattached ) 907 „ VV . B . Heagerty , W . M ., additional ... 090 ( raising his list to £ 242 1 is . ) 105 G ,, James Boulton , additional 5 5 o

( raising his list to £ 130 9 s . ) 1150 ,, F . VV . Coles , additional 12 9 0 ( raising his list to £ 162 9 s . ) 132 S „ J . L . Thomas , additional 5 5 0 ( raising his list to £ 52 10 s . ) 13 ( 16 „ R . P . Walkden , additional 550

( raising his list to £ 21 . ) 171 S „ Colonel Wilde , additional 5 5 o ( raising his list to , ( , ' 25 4 s . ) 1744 „ W . M . Stiles , additional _ 11 06 ( raising his total to £ 79 5 s . 6 d . ) 1901 Bros . W . Mills and J . Lightfoot , additional 10 10 o ( raising joint list to £ 220 10 s . ) 2012 Bro . F . Browne , new list 20 10 0 239 S „ M . Angel and C . R . Ellis , additional if > o 0

( raising their joint list to £ . 2 . ' 6 . ) Chapter 753 Comp . C . H . Kempton , new list 70 17 0 ( transferred from Lodge No . 12 S 7 . ) Unattached Miss Strong , additi > nal u 10 o

( raising her list to £ i S . ) 274 13 0 Less 1704 Bro . W . H . Bailey ( Vice-Pat . ) , P . P . G . R . Staffordshire { see also Staffordshire ) 10 10 0

( reducing his list from £ 31 10 s . to £ 21 . ) London , net additions 26 4 3 o LONDON . Unattached Bro . E . S . Norris „ John Whitehead

PROVINCES . BERKSHIRE . 15 ( 16—Joint list , additional o 10 o ( raising the total to £ 158 . )

The Recent Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

DEIHIVSHIRF .. Unattached £ s . j . Bro . Thos . Roe , M . P ., new list 10 10 o ,, T . C Eastwood , new list 10 10 o „ H . H . Briggs 10 10 o „ F . G . Leich 10 10 n

DURHAM . Unattached Bro . C . S . Lane , new list 10 10 o Mrs . C . S . Lane , additional 10 10 o ( raising her list to £ 26 5 s . ) ESSEX . Chapter 1437 Comp . F . A . White , new list 5210 0

( transferred from Lodge No . 907 , London ) . Lodge 200 5 Bro . A . G . Hayman , additional 110 ( raising his list to £ 32 us . ) 2256 ,, J . J . Briginshaw , additional 5 5 ° ( raising his list to £ 93 19 s . 6 d . ) HANTS AND ISI . K OF Wir . iir . 1 . 52 ., VV . Farrance , additional 10 10 0

( raising his list to £ 100 12 s . ) 694 „ Rev . H . K . Cooper-Smith , D . D ., additional 1 1 0 ( raising his list to £ 79 16 s . ) HERTFORDSHIRE . 2331 » Capt . H . E . Fraser , additional ... 750 ( raising his list to £ 110 5 s . )

KENT . S 74 » A . T . Simpson , new list , 15 15 o 1692 „ Isaac Sanders , new list 30 o 0 LANCASHIRE ( EAST DIVISION ) . 221 ,, VV . H . Brown , new list 21 o o 645 Bros . Griffith Gotz and Middleton ... 21 o o

( raising their joint list to £ 84 . ) Unattached Bro . J . H . Sillitoe , additional 550 ( raising his list to £ 15 15 s . ) MIDDLESEX . 2381 ,, VV . H . Lee , new list 10 10 o

NORTHUMBERLAND . „ CPulman , additional ... ^ Sg 5 o ( raising his list to £ 105 . ) OXFORDSHIRE . 357 „ R . E . Baynes , new list 31 10 o

SUFFOLK . 936 „ VV . H . Hall , new list 27 16 6 SURREY . 2234 „ E . Miles , new list 33 o o 426 3 6 Less DERBYSHIRE . 731 „ A . Woodiwiss 10 10 o

( reducing his list from £ 63 to £ 52 10 s . ) Provinces—net additions 414 13 6 Grand Total—additions 67 S 16 6

NEW STEWARDS . The names of the following brethren have been added to the list of Stewards , viz . -.

PROVINCES . Lodge CHESHIRE . 425 Bro . Alfred Sharpe DERBYSHIRE . 3 S 3 » F . J . Roe 2355 1 , H . B . Atkinson 2 355 >> G . A . Thorne

ESSEX . 102 4 „ Edmund Goivers , P . M ., P . P . G . O . ,., LANCASHIRE ( EAST DIVISION ) . 29 S ,, Thomas Oakden > 723 )• !• Urmston

2320 „ C . E . Colhngwood 2320 „ Jas . Frost 2 3 20 „ W . H . Sadler WARWICKSHIRE . 502 „ A . J . Lawrence 1333 > Dr . ' Mears

YORKSHIRE ( NORTH AND EAST ) . 1 S 4 S „ VV . Lennard YORKSHIRE ( WEST ) . 827 „ J . Fox 1239 » . J- P- Hewitt 1 3 11 „ W . H . Hampson 1311 „ J- R- Hargreaves 1462 ,, Charles Dunstan

Pearl Life Assurance Company (Limited).

PEARL LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY ( LIMITED ) .

The annual report and statement of accounts which the directors were in a position to lay before the annual meeting of shareholders , which was held at the company's offices , London Bridge , E . C ., on Friday , the 19 th ult ., disclose a very satisfactory rate of progress during the past year . The number of new policies issued was 431 , 911 , and

the amount of annual premium inccome derived therefrom , , £ 191 , 911 Ss . fid . The total income for the year was £ 320 , 405 lis . 4 ld ., while the premium income on policies in force on the company ' s book in December last amounted to £ 343 > 9 i + ! 9 S - id . The claims paid during the year were 2 o , oS 5 in number , and £ 146 , 029 6 s . io } d . in amount ,

making the total thus paid since the establishment of the company , £ 9 83 , 819 15 s . The Life Assurance Fund has been increased by £ 20 , 332 14 s . 4 / , d ., to £ 284 , 131 12 s . , jcJ ., inclusive of the paid up capital . Under these circumstances the directors recommended that a dividend of 10 per cent , be paid , and the report and recommendation were unanimously adopted .

Ar01105

pit CO "PILANTRA , " Pile Cure . Immediate relief I ILLO and a permanent cure guaranteed . Sample Free . Postage 3 d . —Address , THE GEDDES MANU - FACTURING COMPANY , 249 , Hi g h Holborn , London ,