New Year's Entertainment To The Old People.

As for himself he was very , very modest . Sometimes it caused him to blush to get up and address a meeting ; but when he saw so many sitting down and enjoying themselves , he felt proud to tell all that the last year had been a record year of unprecedented success for the 'Institution . Nearly £ 26 , 000 had been received , an amount that had only been equalled once before—in 1892—when the Institution celebrated its jubilee , and the amount then got was not to be expected every year . He hoped he should have health and

strength to carry on his duties as he trusted he had done ever since he came there 30 years ago . What was the position of the Institution at that time , and what was it now ? At the former period they raised only £ 1800 to pay nnnuities ; they were now paying £ 16400 . The ladies had . £ 15 pound a year each •they had now £ 32 . The brethren had £ 20 a year ; they now had £ 40 . Their rroms then were occupied very differently to what they were now ; there were no ms or coals found for them , and yet the annuitants managed on their . £ 15 and

£ 20 a year . He could not help thinking that with the increase of their annuities some of the ladies and brethren must have filled very large stockings , and if so , he hoped the surplus would be given back to the Institution . Of course , it would not be given elsewhere . He did not know whether any of the annuitants had thought of making him their universal legatee . If they had he would give them his card and address , and he could assure them the amount would be thankfully received and faithfully applied . He might inform

the company that as the present New Year's entertainment was in the year of the Queen ' s record reign , the old folks had had not only the usual quantity of tea and sugar and tobacco presented to them , but through the kindness of Bro . and the Misses Cotter the quantity had been doubled , and a lady who was present . had given to every gentleman annuitant two pairs of woollen socks to keep them warm . He expressed the hope that those who were visiting the Institution now for the first time would go round and see the annuitants' rooms , and afterwards persuade

their husbands or sweethearts to take Stewardships for the next Festival on 24 th February , when , the year being the Queen's record year , one of her Majesty ' s sons , H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , would preside . The Institution required as much assistance as the Girls' and Boys' Schools . The good it did was incalculable . He had the advantage of going all over the country , and there he found it was the talk of the people how comfortably the annuitants of the Masonic Benevolent Institution lived . They said : "Thereis Mr . Jones ; he does nothing ; they

say he belongs to some people they call hod masons or bricklayers , or something ; but he is kept as a gentleman without doing any work at all . " He had been all over England and heard this sort of thing , and he was happy to inform his hearers that the annuitants were very grateful for all they received and their prayer was that Freemasonry might long continue to flourish and that there might always be the money for those who might need a helping hand and that they might always be able to give them that comfort and repose which in their old age they were entitled to .

Bro . Dr . STRONG returned thanks for the toast of " The Chairman , " which was proposed by Bro . J NEWTON , and Bro . T . HASTINGS MILLER read a letter from Bro . J . A . Farnfield , the Treasurer of the Institution , regretting that he was too unwell to attend the gathering . The annuitants and the ladies then retired , the latter paying visits to the residences of the former , while the brethren visitors who had attended to the wants of the diners partook of a separate meal , over which Bro . Thomas Hastings

Miller presided . After the dinner toasts were again proposed , " The Queen" being the first . Bro . T . HASTINGS MILLER proposed "Success to the R . M . B . L , " and said he supposed that to all present and to every Mason wherever he might be the Masonic Benevolent Institution was the first love . Knowing as he did what the Institution was for 27 years he had found that the first Stewardship a brother took up it was for this Institution . That was , to his mind , as it should be , without saying

a word against the kindred Institutions , which he knew were doing wonderful work , For its next festival with the Duke of Connaught in the chair he prophesied a great success ; they all desired and hoped it might be so . They could not be too strong in this Institution . Every year eligible and deserving candidates were coming forward , and the mote that was given , the more ought to be put in . There was a great deal about Stewardships , but who got the Stewards ? Bro . Terry , by his winning way , both in London and the provinces , and what he did was not only for the benefit of the Benevolent Institution , but for Masonry generally .

Bro . J AMES TERRY , in acknowledging the toast , said he was very much impressed by the Chairman ' s kindly observations , and to get rid of the personal part of them , he at once sincerely thanked him for his brotherly expressions . He hoped in years to come to repay them by a repetition of the conduct which for 32 years had met with the unabated and unbroken confidence of the subscribers to the Institution . During the past year the Benevolent Institution had received the highest amount given to it with the exception of its Jubilee year . In all

branches it had made progress . He announced £ 20 , 000 as the ultimate result of the Festival . It had been about . £ 19 , ; but the lesser sum was accounted for by sums having been placed on the lists which came through associations and these amounts , about £ 2000 , had not yet been drawn . The dividend account of the Institution had also been increased . Last year they invested for both funds nearly . £ 9000 ; the Institution paid its way , and had a balance at the end of the year 1896 , after investing about £ 9000 , nearly £ 2000 to commence the new year .

Therefore , he thought , they might congratulate the Institution on the position it had attained in 1896 . He hoped that on February 24 th , the Festival would prove eminently successful . It was a proud thing for the Queen to have 1 record reign ; it was also a proud thing for a son of the Queen to consent to preside over the festival of this Institution in that year . Sussex , of which the Duke of Connaught was Provincial Grand Master , was waking up to the fact that it should make a great effort . He had reason to believe from a confidential communication

that it would not be behind . The number of Stewards compared with what it was thistimelast last year was something like 15 less ; but it was now 245 , and to-morrow at the meeting to elect officers he hoped it would be found they had 400 stewards . The candidates for the annuity unfortunately increased in number year by year . There would be 115 at next election . Vacancies created by death were eight men and 11 widows , and it was a serious concern for the Committee as to what steps should be taken to relieve so large a number of candidates when there were so few

vacancies . A year ago five extra men were placed on the list ; in 1892 there were 25 men and 25 widows who were still on the funds . With 115 candidates , all over Co years of age , some approaching 70 , it was a serious consideration for the Committee whether they could afford to put on additional annuitants . He could not anticipate what the Committee would decide , but he would ask such of the Committee as were present to bear in mind the question whether they could not reduce the number of candidates and the number of vacancies . That the

Institution had a strong hold on the minds of the brethren of the northern parts of England was unmistakeable . There they were convinced that this Institution was the one for them to support . Children in those provinces were kept by their own Institutions and in West Lancashire annuitants were allowed . £ 20 a year until they got elected on the Benevolent Institution . He had not much more to say ; thisannual statement of his had sometimes been called his manifesto . He

hoped the Duke of Connaught would visit the Institution prior to his chairmanshi p ; he should try to get him to do so , and if he did they would have the advantage of hearing from his Royal Highness the following night something to show the good the Institution was doing . He ( Bro . Terry ) had already said that 32 years ago the Institution raised . £ 1600 a year ; it raised now £ 18 , 000 . There Were onl y 8 7 annuitants 32 years back ; there were now 475 . The increase in the

New Year's Entertainment To The Old People.

annuities he had already mentioned . The Secretary of one of the other Masonic Institutions ; a friend of his , claimed that his Institution was the most progressive of the three . He ( Bro . Terry ) said in the presence of members of the Comnittee of the Benevolent Institution that if there was an Institution which was progressive during the last 30 years it was the Benevolent Institution . It was the youngest and it had endeavoured to progress on a firm basis . Of courseits invested

, capital was larger than that of the Boys' or the Girls' Institutions , but that was only reasonable . They had not to lay out . £ 100 , 000 on building , or , £ 30 , 000 , or £ 40 , 000 on a memorial hall . Out of £ 60 , 000 got at the jubilee festival , £ 50 , 000 was invested , and consequently the Benevolent Institution was able to take on an additional 50 annuitants . It had never called for any withdrawal of a portion

of the capital that had been invested since the Institution was established . When asked for his advice as to the best thing to do , his inswer had always been that they should see that they had sufficient funds to pay with , without trenching on the investments . He trusted that they would never have to call upo n investments . Bro . T . HASTINGS MILLER responded to the toast of "The Charities ; " and Bros . J . G . STEVENS and W . HORTON to that of " The Official Staff . " In the evening there was a charming entertainment .

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

The Quarterl y Court of the Governors and Subscribers of this Institution was held on Thursday last , at Freemasons' H ill , Bro . J . H . Matthews , President of the Board of Benevolence , in the chair . There were also present Bros . A . VV . Duret , Henry A . Tobias , T . W . Whitm irsh , H . M is-iey , C . H . Webb , E . M . Money , Hugh M . Gordon , and F . R . W . Hedges , Secretary . After the minutes of the Court of October Sth , 1 S 9 6 , had been read andverified , the summaries of minutes of the General Committee for the quarter had been read for information , the following recommen lation of the General Committee was adopted :

'" That the six eligible Candidates remaining from the last Election , together with the 23 whose Petitions have been this day approved , be placed upon the List of Candidates for the April Election , and thit 20 Vacancies be decltred . " It was announced that the receipts of the Institution for th : yeir i . 8 j 6 were over £ 19 , 664 . A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

•The regular meeting of the Council , due to be held on Christmas Day , was postponed to Friday , the ist inst ., as provided for by the Laws . Bro . George E . Fairchild , P . A . G . D : C , was unanimously voted to the chair , and amongst those present were Bros . Dr . Mickley , Dr . Kempster , Jas . Stephens W . A . Scurrah , Geo . Corbie , J . Glass , H . A . Tobias , T . 1 . Bird , J . Leach Barrett , W . H . Saunders , W . S . Emden , and J . M . McLeod , Secretary .

After the usual routine business on the report of the Petitions Committee , 17 cases were accepted and the List for the Election in April was closed with 60 Candidates for 21 Vacancies .

Several resolutions expressing approval of the action in moving the School to Bushey were reported from Provincial Grand Lodges and other bodies . It was also reported that the Province of North and Etst Ridings of Yorkshire had again nominated Bro . W . F . Smithson to be its representative on the Board of Management , and Bro . the Rev . W . Whittley was likewise nominated on behalf of the Province of Devonshire .

Much gratification was expressed at the announcement by the Secretary that the income of the Institution for the year just closed had reached the sum of £ 23 , 603 23 . —that being the third largest total in its history . In the report of the Board of Management it was announced thit Bro . Rowland Plumbe , the Grand Superintendent of Works for the year , had been appointed Consulting Architect to the Board in the mitter of the erection of the new Schools at Bushey .

Funeral Of Bro. Deputy Salmon.

FUNERAL OF BRO . DEPUTY SALMON .

There was a large attendance at the Chingford Mount Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon , at the funeral of the late Bro . Deputy Salmon . The coffin was covered by over 60 wreaths , including tributes ot respect from the Alderman of the Ward , the Corporators of the Ward , Mr . C . M . Roche ( the vestry clerk of St . Stephen ' s , Colemin-street ) , Bro . Ex-Sheriff Hand , and the churchwardens and sidesmen of St . Andrew ' s , Stoke Newington . Among those present at the graveside were the Rev . J . W . Pratt ( vicar of St . Stephen , Coleman-street ) , Mr . F . F . Mackenzie

( the Superintendent of Epping Forest ) , Mr . James Gannon ( the Keeper of the Guildhall ) , Bro . Alderman Bell , Captain Alfred , C . C , Bro . Gabriel Lindo , C . C , Mr . H . H . Thompson , C . C , Mr . T . J . Woodrow , C . C , Mr . H . T . Gordon , C . C , Mr . G . J . Woodman , C . C , Mr . C . W . illington , C . C , a deputation of Masons , Mr . St . John K . Roche , Mr . S . Walker , Mr . Joseph Benson . Mr . W . H . West , Mr . A . Bell ( Superintendent of llford Cemetery ) , Mr . Montagu , and the chairman ( Mr . Randall ) , and a deputation of the officials of the United Kingdom Railway Servants' Association .

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