Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
We arc afraid there is very little that is fresh or material to be added to ihe remarks ss'e have already made in our former articles on the subject of the approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . Still , in the case of all institutions svhich depend chiefly on voluntary subscriptions for the wherewith to carry on their beneficent work , it is thc duty of all their friends and well-wishers , as svell as of their ofiicers and Committees
of Management , to keep on pegging asvay by appealing at frequent intervals both to those whose sympathy has already been , and those ss'hose sympathy may at some future time be , enlisted on their behalf for a support svhich is alsvays needed . In cases of this kind no relaxation in the continuity of appeal is possible or permissible if a
Charity is to be maintained in a state of efliciency . It is time enough to think of giving up asking , svhen a whole series of appeals and addresses has been issued and no response has been forthcoming ; or svhen a sufficient fund has been accumulated to allosv of the Charity being carried on out of its permanent income . But while money is needed and subscriptions and donations
are lo be had for the asking , the necessary steps must be taken in order to secure these voluntary gifts , or the public will not unnaturally come to the conclusion—on the principle that " those svho don ' t ask don ' t want "—that funds are no longer required . And if this is true e . f all institutions which look to outside support , either entirely or chiefly , for their means of maintenance ,
how much more so is it thc case with those which do their work efficiently in return for the support they receive . Thc management of an institution may not be all that is desired , the moneys it obtains ma ) ' not always be spent lo the greatest adv . int . igc , or the Executive may be in loo great a hurry to extend the fielel of their labours before they have made
provision for the rainy day svhich may be expected at some period in ils career . In these cases no reasonable complaint can be made if funds are not alsvays forthcoming , or so plentiful as is desired . But the Institutions , which have been for so many ycars the pride of our Society , are svell administered , the woik lhey accomplish is iccognised
everywhere as excellent , and the permanent income is being slosvly but sleadil ) augmented . Thus the brethren svho give their services as Stesvards for out Masonic Charities may aflirm wilh a clear conscience that whatever contribulions they may be honoured with in response to their appeals will mil only be thankfully received , but faithfully applied lo the purpose for which
they are given . Here , for instance , is our Koyal Masonic Benevolent Institution , which stands committed to a yearly expenditure of not far short of £ ie ) , e * oei . Of this large sum , £ id , unci or thereabouts is devoted to annuities to aged and indigent Masons and the svidosvs of Masons , the Masons being some nn in number and receiving £ 40 perannum each , svhile Ihe
widows are 2411 in number at £ 32 per annum each , together wilh a smaller conlingtnt of widosvs , svhich Uncinates in number from year to year , but may be set dosvn as averaging some 25 , to svhom £ 10 each , being the half of their late husbands' annuities , is assigns ! . 1 annually for a term of five years , unless in the meantime the ) - arc clccteel annuitants on
the hi gher scale . The remaining £ 3000 is expended on thc maintenance of the Asylum at Croydon , and for the purposes of management . On the other hand the permanent income is about , £ 5250 , ihe greater part of which consists of thc interest on an accumulated capital , amounting to £ 120 , 000 , so that as nearly as possible a solid £ 14 , 0011 must be raised annually to
enable the Institution lo pay its way . But as sve have remarked on nearly every occasion on svhich the subject of our Benevolent Institution has been under consideration , a sum of this magnitude lakes a deal of raising , even in prosperous limes anil svhen there have been no especial claims made upon the generosity of the brethren . But the limes are not , just nosv , vcry
prosperous , and two ycars ago an exceptional claim svas made upon English Masons in connection wilh the Jubilee of this Charity . Still the expenditure in 1894 will be about the same as it svas in 1803 , and during the greater part of 18 e > 2 . 'there are I he 450 brethren ¦ ind svidosvs among svhom thc sum of close 011 £ , \ b , ono must be
distribuied in annuities , and there is ihe Asylum at Croydon arid the cost of management to be provided , while the permanent income is neither greater nor smaller I linn it has been since ( lie Jubilee l- ' cstival svas held . Thus the deficit must be made good , and sve sincerel y trust that at the festival which svill be held in Freemasons' Tavern on Wednesday , thc j . Sth 'Pstant , under the presidency of Bro . Col . MONEY , Prov . Grand Master of
The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
Surrey , a fair approach will be made tosvards supplying this deficiency . We are well aware that Bro . Col . MONEY svill bring to bear all his able advocacy in order to secure the attainment of this result . VVe feel sure that he svill be loyally supported in his efforts by thc Province he presides over—as his excellent predecessor svas on more than one similar occasion , anel the other
Stess'ards—of whom we rejoice to say there are noss * , including London and Surrey svith the rest of the Provinces , between 240 and 250—svill assuredly not be sparing in their efforts to ensure thc return of as large a total of subscripiions and donations as is possible in these hard times , when calls for assistance are likely to be more numerous than ever . All these svill
work svith a will , and we hope successfully , not only because svithout money the Institution cannot be maintained at its present level , but because there are some 130 poor old men and women candidates who are seeking election to the benefits of the Charity , svhile the number of vacancies svhich svill be available for competition amongst them at the election in May
next will be by comparison small . 1 hcrefore , the greater the amount r used by voluntary subscription at thc approaching Anniversary , the greater svill be the prospect of the year terminating with a balance in favour of the Institution , and the greater the likelihood that the Committee will feel justified in
creating a fesv additional annuities , and thereby reducing the balance of unsuccessful candidates who will remain after the election is over and carry forsvard their claims till another year . May the effort now about to be made in behalf of our youngest Institution prove successful even beyond our most sanguine expectations !
Supreme Grand Chapter.
SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER .
The Quarto , ly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter of Koyal Arch Masons of England svas held on Wednesday evening , at Freemasons' Hall . The Principals' chairs were occupied by Comps . W . \ V . B . Beach , M . P ., Gen . Randolph , and Col . Noel Money , C . B . ; Comp . li . Letchsvorth , G . S . E .,
was in the G . S . K , ' s chair ; Comps . Thomas Fenn acied as G . S . N . ; IVlci ele L . Long , as G . P . S . ; Baron de Ferrieres , as 1 st A . G . S . ; K . ' . Lovel .-iiiil Loveland , as 2 nd A . G . S . ; and there were also present upwards of 1511 Granel Ollicers and brethren , many from ihe Pinsinevs .
After Comp . LETCHWORTH had read the minimis of the November Convocation ,
Comp . J . K . LE FEISKE rose to move "That lhat portion ofthe minules of the last Ouarterly Convocation relating to ihe resolution reducing the period which must elapse before a Master Mason is exalteel to th ; Supreme Degree from 12 months to one month be not confirmed . " I le saiel thai , nolsvilhslanding the agenda papers ss'erc sent out before llu last iN ' uveiubcr
meeting , a 1 nge majority of Koyal Arch Masons in ihe country were quid unaware of ihe proposition thai svas In be brought forsvarel by the * Committee of General Purposes . Of course , if they hael looked at the * paper ihcy would have seen it . Nosv , svith regird to alterations , Comp . Ivnu himself had stated in . Grand Chapter , in most emphatic terms ,
against any alteration svith legard to r .. bing . Al a Liter meeting—last November meeting—Comp . Fenn was present , bit he ssas silent on this proposed alteration , and he ( Comp . Le Feuvre ) IIMII ^ III his silence svas most eloquen * . Me hoped from that fact that Comp . Fenn svould nosv support the present amendment . By the Article of Union in 1 S 1 2
Koyal Arch Masonry svas considered to be an essential portion of pure anil ancient Masonry . F . ver since then 12 months had tei elapse betsveen a brother ' s taking the Third Degree ancl his being exalted in the Koyal A'ch . What had occurred lately to justify an alteration of the regulation svhich hael lasted So years , and could not be proved to be detriment il to the Ortler ?
Thc princip le of the old regulation lay in a considerable amount of delay occurring between the Craft and the Koyal Arch Degree . For instance ' , one rule was that three years must elapse betsveen the fonn ling of a lodge anel the granting that lodge a charter for a Koyal Arch Chapter , the reason being that unless a lodge had existed three years it could not hase three installed
Masters to take the Three Principals ' chairs in thc chapter . It had been stated that the princip le underlying the present proposed aheraiiai was dial the Koyal Arch might the better compete svith the Mark anil other Degrees . Hc thought that they should compete svith the Mark Degree on altogether
different grounds ; for instance , in the disposal of Grand 'Chapter funds lie coultl not help suspecting that the present svas thc first step tosvards ihe abolition of the Royal Arch Degree altogether —( no , no ) ; he svould use the svord absorption in the Craft . He thought three months-instead of the proposed one nionlh svoijld be better .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
We arc afraid there is very little that is fresh or material to be added to ihe remarks ss'e have already made in our former articles on the subject of the approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . Still , in the case of all institutions svhich depend chiefly on voluntary subscriptions for the wherewith to carry on their beneficent work , it is thc duty of all their friends and well-wishers , as svell as of their ofiicers and Committees
of Management , to keep on pegging asvay by appealing at frequent intervals both to those whose sympathy has already been , and those ss'hose sympathy may at some future time be , enlisted on their behalf for a support svhich is alsvays needed . In cases of this kind no relaxation in the continuity of appeal is possible or permissible if a
Charity is to be maintained in a state of efliciency . It is time enough to think of giving up asking , svhen a whole series of appeals and addresses has been issued and no response has been forthcoming ; or svhen a sufficient fund has been accumulated to allosv of the Charity being carried on out of its permanent income . But while money is needed and subscriptions and donations
are lo be had for the asking , the necessary steps must be taken in order to secure these voluntary gifts , or the public will not unnaturally come to the conclusion—on the principle that " those svho don ' t ask don ' t want "—that funds are no longer required . And if this is true e . f all institutions which look to outside support , either entirely or chiefly , for their means of maintenance ,
how much more so is it thc case with those which do their work efficiently in return for the support they receive . Thc management of an institution may not be all that is desired , the moneys it obtains ma ) ' not always be spent lo the greatest adv . int . igc , or the Executive may be in loo great a hurry to extend the fielel of their labours before they have made
provision for the rainy day svhich may be expected at some period in ils career . In these cases no reasonable complaint can be made if funds are not alsvays forthcoming , or so plentiful as is desired . But the Institutions , which have been for so many ycars the pride of our Society , are svell administered , the woik lhey accomplish is iccognised
everywhere as excellent , and the permanent income is being slosvly but sleadil ) augmented . Thus the brethren svho give their services as Stesvards for out Masonic Charities may aflirm wilh a clear conscience that whatever contribulions they may be honoured with in response to their appeals will mil only be thankfully received , but faithfully applied lo the purpose for which
they are given . Here , for instance , is our Koyal Masonic Benevolent Institution , which stands committed to a yearly expenditure of not far short of £ ie ) , e * oei . Of this large sum , £ id , unci or thereabouts is devoted to annuities to aged and indigent Masons and the svidosvs of Masons , the Masons being some nn in number and receiving £ 40 perannum each , svhile Ihe
widows are 2411 in number at £ 32 per annum each , together wilh a smaller conlingtnt of widosvs , svhich Uncinates in number from year to year , but may be set dosvn as averaging some 25 , to svhom £ 10 each , being the half of their late husbands' annuities , is assigns ! . 1 annually for a term of five years , unless in the meantime the ) - arc clccteel annuitants on
the hi gher scale . The remaining £ 3000 is expended on thc maintenance of the Asylum at Croydon , and for the purposes of management . On the other hand the permanent income is about , £ 5250 , ihe greater part of which consists of thc interest on an accumulated capital , amounting to £ 120 , 000 , so that as nearly as possible a solid £ 14 , 0011 must be raised annually to
enable the Institution lo pay its way . But as sve have remarked on nearly every occasion on svhich the subject of our Benevolent Institution has been under consideration , a sum of this magnitude lakes a deal of raising , even in prosperous limes anil svhen there have been no especial claims made upon the generosity of the brethren . But the limes are not , just nosv , vcry
prosperous , and two ycars ago an exceptional claim svas made upon English Masons in connection wilh the Jubilee of this Charity . Still the expenditure in 1894 will be about the same as it svas in 1803 , and during the greater part of 18 e > 2 . 'there are I he 450 brethren ¦ ind svidosvs among svhom thc sum of close 011 £ , \ b , ono must be
distribuied in annuities , and there is ihe Asylum at Croydon arid the cost of management to be provided , while the permanent income is neither greater nor smaller I linn it has been since ( lie Jubilee l- ' cstival svas held . Thus the deficit must be made good , and sve sincerel y trust that at the festival which svill be held in Freemasons' Tavern on Wednesday , thc j . Sth 'Pstant , under the presidency of Bro . Col . MONEY , Prov . Grand Master of
The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
Surrey , a fair approach will be made tosvards supplying this deficiency . We are well aware that Bro . Col . MONEY svill bring to bear all his able advocacy in order to secure the attainment of this result . VVe feel sure that he svill be loyally supported in his efforts by thc Province he presides over—as his excellent predecessor svas on more than one similar occasion , anel the other
Stess'ards—of whom we rejoice to say there are noss * , including London and Surrey svith the rest of the Provinces , between 240 and 250—svill assuredly not be sparing in their efforts to ensure thc return of as large a total of subscripiions and donations as is possible in these hard times , when calls for assistance are likely to be more numerous than ever . All these svill
work svith a will , and we hope successfully , not only because svithout money the Institution cannot be maintained at its present level , but because there are some 130 poor old men and women candidates who are seeking election to the benefits of the Charity , svhile the number of vacancies svhich svill be available for competition amongst them at the election in May
next will be by comparison small . 1 hcrefore , the greater the amount r used by voluntary subscription at thc approaching Anniversary , the greater svill be the prospect of the year terminating with a balance in favour of the Institution , and the greater the likelihood that the Committee will feel justified in
creating a fesv additional annuities , and thereby reducing the balance of unsuccessful candidates who will remain after the election is over and carry forsvard their claims till another year . May the effort now about to be made in behalf of our youngest Institution prove successful even beyond our most sanguine expectations !
Supreme Grand Chapter.
SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER .
The Quarto , ly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter of Koyal Arch Masons of England svas held on Wednesday evening , at Freemasons' Hall . The Principals' chairs were occupied by Comps . W . \ V . B . Beach , M . P ., Gen . Randolph , and Col . Noel Money , C . B . ; Comp . li . Letchsvorth , G . S . E .,
was in the G . S . K , ' s chair ; Comps . Thomas Fenn acied as G . S . N . ; IVlci ele L . Long , as G . P . S . ; Baron de Ferrieres , as 1 st A . G . S . ; K . ' . Lovel .-iiiil Loveland , as 2 nd A . G . S . ; and there were also present upwards of 1511 Granel Ollicers and brethren , many from ihe Pinsinevs .
After Comp . LETCHWORTH had read the minimis of the November Convocation ,
Comp . J . K . LE FEISKE rose to move "That lhat portion ofthe minules of the last Ouarterly Convocation relating to ihe resolution reducing the period which must elapse before a Master Mason is exalteel to th ; Supreme Degree from 12 months to one month be not confirmed . " I le saiel thai , nolsvilhslanding the agenda papers ss'erc sent out before llu last iN ' uveiubcr
meeting , a 1 nge majority of Koyal Arch Masons in ihe country were quid unaware of ihe proposition thai svas In be brought forsvarel by the * Committee of General Purposes . Of course , if they hael looked at the * paper ihcy would have seen it . Nosv , svith regird to alterations , Comp . Ivnu himself had stated in . Grand Chapter , in most emphatic terms ,
against any alteration svith legard to r .. bing . Al a Liter meeting—last November meeting—Comp . Fenn was present , bit he ssas silent on this proposed alteration , and he ( Comp . Le Feuvre ) IIMII ^ III his silence svas most eloquen * . Me hoped from that fact that Comp . Fenn svould nosv support the present amendment . By the Article of Union in 1 S 1 2
Koyal Arch Masonry svas considered to be an essential portion of pure anil ancient Masonry . F . ver since then 12 months had tei elapse betsveen a brother ' s taking the Third Degree ancl his being exalted in the Koyal A'ch . What had occurred lately to justify an alteration of the regulation svhich hael lasted So years , and could not be proved to be detriment il to the Ortler ?
Thc princip le of the old regulation lay in a considerable amount of delay occurring between the Craft and the Koyal Arch Degree . For instance ' , one rule was that three years must elapse betsveen the fonn ling of a lodge anel the granting that lodge a charter for a Koyal Arch Chapter , the reason being that unless a lodge had existed three years it could not hase three installed
Masters to take the Three Principals ' chairs in thc chapter . It had been stated that the princip le underlying the present proposed aheraiiai was dial the Koyal Arch might the better compete svith the Mark anil other Degrees . Hc thought that they should compete svith the Mark Degree on altogether
different grounds ; for instance , in the disposal of Grand 'Chapter funds lie coultl not help suspecting that the present svas thc first step tosvards ihe abolition of the Royal Arch Degree altogether —( no , no ) ; he svould use the svord absorption in the Craft . He thought three months-instead of the proposed one nionlh svoijld be better .