Analysis Of The Returns.

the total of its subscriptions to the Girls' Institution in May being £ 356 4 s ., raising the total for the year to somewhat over £ 450 . In 1 S 83 it gave the Boys ' a few shillings less than £ 239 , while the year previous it raised upwards of £ 690 . The two lodges represented - on Saturday last have not figured at either of the previous Festivals , for this year , so that 10 , or a moiety of the Derbyshire lodges , have sent Stewards up for someone of the Charities in 1 S 84 . Like ils more immediate Cornish neighbour ;

DEVONSHIRE , considering it can muster half-a-century of lodges , has put in an appearance at all three Festivals for 1 SS 4 ; but the sum total of its contributions is small , a sum of 10 guineas ( £ 10 ios . ) , per Bro . G . Pepprell , making his third consecutive Stewardship for this one year . However , if we turn back to the records of 1883 / we find it raised over £ 317 for the Boys ' , the whole sum _ contributed for the year being £ 595 , while in 18 S 2 it gave £ 565 , or only ' £ 30 less . The total , so far as it is known , for 1884 is £ 75 12 s . At the Benevolent Festival in February ,

DURHAM , which has 30 lodges on its roll , raised £ 121 16 s . ; in May it contributed £ 120 to the Girls ' , and on Saturday it gave a further sum of £ 210 , making a total for the year of close on £ 452 . Its records for the three preceding years read well—in 1883 , £ 265 ; in 1882 , £ 4 . 12 ; and in 1 SS 1 , £ 1024 , which , added to the aforesaid £ 45 2 , increases the total for the quadrennial period to , in round figures , £ 2153 .

Few brethren would have -been surprised , and fewer still would have looked upon it as a subject of reproach , ' had

ESSEX , for once in the way , made its appearance among ' the absentee-provinces . In February last , its eight Stewards , actjng for seven out of its 20 lodges , sent up lists amounting to £ 399 7 s . In May , it ' s Prov . Grand Master , Lord Brooke , M . P ., presided at the Girls' School , and the prov . ince raised an

even £ 1000 . Its total on Saturday , however , was £ 147 os . 6 d ., one of its three Stewards on the occasion—Bro . Richard Clowes—having served as Steward at all three Festivals , and especially distinguished himself on behalf the Girls ' . £ 1546 in a single year is a large sum for an agricultural province , and . must gladden the heart ' of Lord Brooke . Therejs nothing surprising in the fact of '

GLOUCESTERSHIRE being among the contributing provinces . ' Four of , jts brethren acted as Stewards on Saturday , one ( Bro . Vassar-Smith ) , as it appears , independently , and the other three as representatives of two lodges , Foundation , . No . 82 , and Royal Forest of Dean , No . 1067 , and a Chapter , No . 82 . The result of their joint efforts appears in a total of £ 9 8 14 s ., which added to

£ 80 17 s ., given to the Benevolent in February , and £ 429 gs . to the Girls ' School in May , makes for the year a sum total of £ 609 . This' is not so much by about £ 250 as was contributed in 1883 , but more than £ 60 'in excess of what was given the year previous . Still it raises the amount for the quadrennial period 1881-4 t 0 £ 35 ^ 7 , or an average per year of about £ 8923

and the province can boast of only ^ lodges , all told . In May we justly complimented Bro . Vassar-Smith on' the excellent services he has rendered to our Institutions , and the pleasure we experience at finding his name among the present Stewards-is the greater on this very account . ¦ ' The next province in alphabetical order , that of

HANTS AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT , takes the second place in the non-Metropolitan returns , the sum of its eight Stewards' lists being £ 512 is ., making with some £ 373 contributed to the Benevolent in February and £ 295 to the Girls' in May , a total for 1 S 84 of £ 1180 . Last year the Boys' School received £ 375 , the Girls' School , £ 1307 , and the Benevolent , £ 150 , the three contributions amounting

together to £ 1832 . On Saturday the largest individual lists were those of Bro . Capt . Croisdale , Steward for Aldershot Camp Lodge , No . 133-1 , £ 105 ; Bro . Richard Glassppol , Panmure Lodge , No . 723 , £ 99 15 s . ; Bro ' . James Robertson , Royal Gloucester , No . 130 , £ 91 ; Bro . Rastrick , Landport Lodge , No . 1776 , £ 89 5 s . ; and Bro . George A . Mursell , Medina Lodge , No . 35 , £ 76 13 s . Bro . Rastrick . ' s three lists for this year together amount to £ 241 ios ' . Well done , Bro . Rastrick I

At the expense of repeating ourselves , we may mention , but incidentally , that

HERTFORDSHIRE isa regular contributor , though there are only 12 lodges on its roll . In February it exerted itself-most successfully on behalf of Bro . Terry ' s Institution , its eight Stewards acting for seven lodges and a chapter , making up amongst them a total of over £ 362 . In May it contributed little short of £ 56 , and ndw it has done a good turn for Bro . Binckes by swelling his

total to the extent of £ 32 ios ., making in all for the current year about £ 470 . This is not so much very less than it effected in 1 S 8 3 , when the sum of its contributions was only a trifle less than £ 500 , while in 1882 it more than doubled this . In short , the efforts of the last . three years have sufficed to enrich our three Charities to the extent of some £ 2000 , the bulk finding its way into the treasury of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . If

• we can find it in our heart to make any suggestion at all in the face of so splendid a bill of health as this , it is merely to suggest that Hertfordshire should distribute its chief favours among the three Charities , turn and turn about , so that all may benefit as nearly as possible to about the same extent . However , the Province invariably does so well that if may justly claim to be left tb' pursue that course which seems to it best . Turning to the Province of

KENT , ' with its array of some 50 lodges and an excellent organisation , we find among the chief canons of its Masonic faith is a generous and uniform support of our Charities . Kentish Masonry is like Kentish cherries , ruddy and plump , and is evidently thoroughly imbued with the spirit of goodfellowship . It comes down with its dust heartily , after the manner of men who

not only do what they m & in , but mean what they do likewise ; For instance , it began'the year with a liberal subsidy to the Benevolent Institution of over £ 271 . ' In May it ' followed this up with a ditto very nearly twice repeated in aid of the Girls , the amount of its subscriptions being close On £ 562 . On Saturday the labours of its Stewards resulted in an addition of something

like £ 500 . to the funds ol the Boys bchool—the exact figures were £ 498 15 s . —making a total for the . year of £ 1332 , less by a few shillings . This is a fair specimen of its ordinary contribution , but in 1883 , when its respected P . G . M ., Viscount Holmesdale , presided at Bro . Binckes's big Festival , it raised for him £ 2316 , and for the whole . some £ 2700 . The above

Analysis Of The Returns.

£ 49 8 15 s . included a handsome . donation from the funds ofthe province and £ 294 lrom the joint representatives of thc Peace and Harmony Lodge , No . 199 , Dover , Bro . E . Lukey ' s list amounting to £ 220 ios ., and Bro . Rev . V . S . Vickers's to £ 73 ios . For '

LANCASHIRE ( EAST DIVISION ) , which , numerically , is the most considerable of our provinces , 8 of its 93 lodges were represented by 14 Stewards , the aggregate of whose lists ' reached £ 241 IDs ., '' Bro . Edmund Ashworth , P . M . of the Social Lodge , No . 62 , Manchester , leading the way . with £ 73 ios . This swells the total for the year to £ 1247 . Last ' year it figured at the Boys' Festival for £ 2100 ,

while the other Institutions were not sent empty away when they made their annual appeals for assistance . We have heard it rumoured lhat Bro . Col . Starkie , its P . G . M ., may very possibly take the chair at the next Festival of the Girls' School , in which case we look for a second edition of what was done a few years since ( in 1879 ) , when the same brother kindly performed a similar office for the Benevolent , and the province backed him up to the extent of something like £ 3500 .

LANCASHIRE ( WEST DIVISION ) is second in point of the number of its lodges only to its eastern neighbour , but there is 110 appreciable difference between the two as regards the services they render to our Institutions . They are both regular supporters of them , and on occasions they play a conspicuous , if not the leading , part at these festive gatherings . On Saturday 12 of its members , acting for 8 lodges ,

accumulated amongst them £ 184 16 s . In May it helped the Girls with £ 316 2 s ., and in February it did a similar good turn for the-Benevolent , the sum of its Stewards' lists reaching £ 230 ios . These thrce ^ amounts give a total for the year of £ 731 , as against £ 813 in 1883 , and irrespective of the generous support which , like East Lancashire , it accords to thc local Masonic Institute .

It is some time since we had the pleasure of including LINCOLNSHIRE among the contributories at our Anniversary Festivals , and Bro . R . J . Tozer . the W . M . of the Pelham Pillar Lodge , No . 792 , Grimsby , is to be congratulated on having set his brother members of the province so good an example . In the theatrical world a great fuss is usually made when an old

and justly popular actor is about to appear on the scenes of his former triumphs . But we are concerning ourselves with the Masonic , ' not tbe theatrical , ^ 'orld just now . We shall therefore dispense with the fuss , firstly , because supporting our Institutions is a duty , we all owe to the Craft , and must fulfil some time or other , and secondly , because we feel our Lincolnshire brethren must prefer to resume their old functions quietly , and as though there had been . no break in the continuity of their performance . * .

MIDDLESEX next claims our attention . Three of its 32 lodges and the-chapter all . tchcd to a fourth sent up Stewards , and amongst them they have handed in the respectable total of £ 156 16 s ., Bro . Fidler , W . M . of the Enfield Lodge , No . 1237 , taking the lead with between £ 80 and £ Si . Had Comp . Marshall , of the Royal Hanover Chapter , No . 1777 , Grand Treasurer , been

included in the provincial portion of the returns , thc sum of the Middlesex contributions would have been £ 261 16 s . However , it is our business to analyse what is placed before us , not to classify it first and then analyse it , so we leave thc Grand Treasurer in London , where he mostly is , and where in this instance he has been assigned a place , more especially as Middlesex

can afford to accept the lesser total , its contributions being as generous as they are regular . Last year it raised some £ 616 , and in 18 S 2 £ 1212 . This year . its aggregate reaches within half-a-crown of £ 725 , making a total for the three years of £ 2553 , and a very good total , too , which nobody can deny . A " circootious " or any other route will land us safely enough in

MONMOUTHSHIRE , where a very pretty picture is presented to our view—a small province , mustering only eight lodges all told , . with a list of contributions amounting to £ 307 13 s . For this we have to- acknowledge our indebtedness to Bro . Capt . S . G . Homfray , a Past A . G . D . C ., and the Deputy of Bro . Col . Lyne , P . G . M . Naturally a small district cannot be always dispensing moneys ,

but Monmouthshire , when it does come forward , has a knack of doing the thing handsomely , this present performance and last year's subscription to the Girls of £ 236 being the latest illustrations in point . As Captain Fluellen might sayi " Inteet , these are fery goot' lists" for so small a constituency . " ¦ The alphabet , if not the printed list of Stewards , takes us next to Bro . Sir W . W . Wynn's province of

NORTH WALES AND SALOP , three of whose 27 lodges , by as many Stewards , make up a subscription of ' £ 185 17 s ., the list of Bro . the Rev . R . Jackson , S . W . of Audley Lodge , No .. 18 9 6 , Newport , Shropshire , including byjfar / the greater portion of this sum , namely , £ 143 17 s , In May its total was £ 70 , with some odd shillings , and it was entered for a small amount at the Boys' Festival in 1883 , but in 1882 it exerted itself more successfully , the total of its contributions being £ 537- _ '

. NORTHANTS AND HUNTS , With its 10 lodges , figures for £ 215 5 s ., Bro . H . J . Atkins , G . S . Warden of the province , representative of two out of the three Northampton lodgesthe Pomfret , No . 3 60 , and the Eleanor Cross , No . 1764—being the Steward , who has so well upheld the fame of the brethren in this district . Last year .

it gave its undivided attention to the Benevolent Institution , and the year before it did a similar service for the Girls' School . In fact , the rule with this province—and a very excellent rule it undoubtedly is—is to give each Institution its turn and concentrate its strength for the time being in aid of it . There are many less effective ways than this of doing good service . Turning northwards , we come to

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE , Which works bravely and apparently in the manner of . Norths and Hants , at least to the extent of concentrating its strength for particular occasions . ' Thus in 1883 . it raised £ 190 for the Benevolent , and then it rested . In February it again helped Bro . Terry to the extent of £ 142 14 s . 6 d ., one return being unaccounted for . In May it rested again , and on Saturday

returned to the charge with a total of £ 23 1 ios . 6 d ., of which we presume Bro . Toplis ' s list of £ 141 13 s . may be taken to represent the contributions of thc province generally , while the other Stewards , Bro . Isaac Davis , as representative of thc Newstead and De Vere Lodges , Nos . 47 and 1794 respectively , and Bro . Marx , of Carnarvon , No . 1909 , may be supposed to have confined their attentions to those lodges . VVe confess to a feeling of disappointment in connection with