Contents.

CONTENTS .

L EADERS- PAGH * West Lancashire Educational Institution ... ... ... ... ' ^ S Freemasonry in Western Australia ... ... ... ¦••^ 5 / - _ -,., „ -,,, ilnn nf the Alfred Newton Lodge . No . 2 GS 6 ... ... ... 126

Consecration of the St . Michael Le Querne Lodge , No . 26 97 . „ ... 127 Consecration of the Arcadian Lodge , No . 2696 ... ... ... 12 S Grand Imperial Conclave ... ... ... ... ••¦ > 2 S Provincial Grand Chapter of Lower Ward of Lanarkshire ... ... 12 S The Recent Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... 129 Craft Masonry — ¦•¦ — — I 2 9

M ASONIC NOTESConsecration of the St . Michael Le Querne Lodge , No . 2697 ... ... 131 Consecration of the Alfred Newton Lodge , No . 26 S 6 ... ... ... 131 Consecration of the Arcadian Lodge , No . aCyG ... ... ... 131 Centenary Festival of the Friendly Lodge , No . 230 , Jamaica ... ... 131 Meeting of the Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent

Institution ... ... ... ... .. •••131 Third Annual Ballot the Fellowship Lodge , No . 2535 ... ... ... . 132 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 132 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ' 35 Obituary ... ... ... •¦••¦• ¦••¦•¦ ' 35 Our Portrait Gallery ... .,, ... ... ... ... 135 Lodges and Chapter of Instruction ... ... ... ... i . v > Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 136

West Lancashire Educational Institution.

WEST LANCASHIRE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION .

We gladl y avail ourselves of the opportunity of referring at length to the work done by the West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution during the past year . A couple of years hence the Charity , which was established-in 1850 , will be celebrating

its Jubilee . During thc period of its existence it has rendered valuable assistance in providing education for thc children of the poorer ancl deceased members of the Craft . From a statement at page 68 of this Report it appears that from 1 S 50 till thc close

of US 97 its receipts have amounted to £ 60 , 134 , t' 10 principal items being , Donations and Subscriptions amountingto £ 31 , 093 ; proceeds of Masonic Balls , / I 8236 ; interest on Invested Capital ,

£ 20 , 780 . The expenditure during the same period is £ 35 , 891 , of which £ 33 , 282 has been expended on the children , and £ 2109 for Printing , Stationery , Postages , and other small incidental

expenses ; thc average yearly outlay in the former case being a fraction over £ 708 ; and in the latter somewhat less than £ 45 . I lie balance remaining to the credit of the Institution is ¦ £ 2 4 > 743 , of which £ 133 1 represents thc present value of sundry presentations to different scholastic Institutions ; £ 22 , 928 the

amount ol invested capital ; and £ 484 the cash in Bank . Thus during the 47 years that have elapsed the Institution has received on an average nearly £ 1280 per annum ; has expended for the children and expenses of management together £ 753 per annum ; '"id has invested or otherwise standing to its credit over £ 526

per annum . Ihis is splendid work to have accomplished in this limited period , and our West Lancashire brethren must be \\ ell satisfied , considering the amount of good whir . lt this Educa'onal Institution has thus been the means of dispensing among ; 11 1 "I too u > c children of their deceased and indigent members .

rro m the Secretaries' Report for 18 97 , we gather that the ) e'ir in question compares somewhat unfavourably with that of 'Is predecessor . The total income was less b y £ 513 than in •£ •^ 96 ; the annua ] ball having yielded upwards of £ 200 less ; the

. 1 aUon s and subscriptious £ 181 less ; and the interest on ^ vested capital about £ 8 5 less . On the other hand , there has -en an excess of expenditure as compared with 18 9 6 , of nearly *' 39 ; the 173 children on thc several Funds of the Institution , the

' " < nine who have been presented to other Charities , having - aether rr \ f r •- cost x . 1573 ; while the working expenses amount to •/7- In explanation as to a part of this reduction of income . p .., •. m tliat ;) o grant was received during the year from 1 rovinrii ] C 1 r 1 dl Lrrand Lodge , and that the Donation from Provincial

West Lancashire Educational Institution.

Grand Chapter was less than in 1896 by five guineas . The children on the several branches of the Institution are , as we have said , 173 in number , of whom 112 are on the Education Fund ; 48 on the Combined Fund ; and 13 on the Advancement Fund ; the nine that have been entered

on presentation at other Institutions , raising the total number benefiting to 182 . The worst feature in the Report is the statement to the effect that as many as 56 lodges have made " no return , " or in other words , have done nothing for the

support of the Charity , the number of lodges on the roll of the Province being 118 . Thus , the duty of maintaining the Institution—at all events during 18 97— devolved on 62 or only a few more than one half of the lodges on the Provincial roll , and

what of necessity enhances the feeling of regret which the Secretaries express in their report is that from sundry of these 56 lodges which have done nothing during the year , there are as

many as 23 children which have been benefited educationally at a cost of close on £ 182 . Wc have no desire to see anything in the nature of a Dr . and Cr . account , as between an Institution of this kind and those who contribute towards its

maintenancethat would not be Charity ; but ifc is difficult to imagine that none of these lodges—which we imagine must be composed of the same class of members , that is to say , of men in reputable circumstances , as the other 62 lodges in West Lancashire—can have found themselves in a position to support this Charity .

As for the falling oif in income to which thc Report calls attention , it is just possible that the establishment of the Victoria Jubilee Institution by the Province may have had something to do with it ; and possibly the lodges and brethren may have it in

contemplation to make a great effort in respect of the Boys' School Centenary . Be this as it may , we trust there will be a greater all-round support during the present

year than there appears to have been in 18 97 , for this , if for no other , reason that there is no local Institution of its kind that we have any knowledge of that docs its work better or more satisfactorily .

Freemasonry In Western Australia.

FREEMASONRY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA .

It is greatly to be regretted that any differences should have arisen between Bro . Sir GERARD SMITH , Past G . Warden of England , and our brethren of the English Constitution in the Colony of Western Australia , and still more is it to be regretted

that publicity should have been given in the Colonial press to the existence of such differences . It is bad enough to learn through private sources of information that her Majesty ' s representative in one of our Colonies , himself holding high rank in

the Grand Lodge of England , has had some unpleasantness with the local Craft , but it is far worse when we lind it recorded in an influential paper such as the European Mail , that a person of this exalted position has been " at loggerheads" with the

brethren , and has " taken the extreme course of making public his grievance against the brotherhood . " While , however , we are of opinion that Bro . Sir G . SMITH would have exhibited a wise discretion had he kept his differences private , we feel bound to

state that he had good grounds for dissatisfaction with the course pursued by the Masonic authorities in the Colony of which he is the Governor at the recent dedication of the new Masonic

Hall in Perth . When sometime ago the foundation-stone of this Hall was laid , the brethren appear to have felt that the proper person to perform the ceremony was Bro , Sir GERARD SMITH .