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CONTENTS . UADBR- PAGE The Approaching Boys'School Centenary at Bushey ... ... 211 A Short History of Freemasonry ... ... ... ... ... 212 T HE C RAFT ABROADGrand Lodge of Western Australia ... ... ... — 213 Annual Supper of the Rose Lodge of Instruction , No . 1622 ... , ... 215 MASONIC

NOTESThe School Elections ... ... ... ... ... 217 Monthly Meeting of Committee of Management of the Benevolent Institution ... ... ... ... - ... 217 South African Masonic Relief Fund ... ... ... ... 217 Science , Art and the Drama ... ... ... ... ... 218 Devon Masonic Educational Fund ... ... ... ... ... 2 ' 9 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 210 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... — 222 P OETRYEpithalamium ... ... ... ... ... ... 222

The Approaching Boys' School Ceremony At Bushey In Herts.

THE APPROACHING BOYS' SCHOOL CEREMONY AT BUSHEY IN HERTS .

It may not be amiss , in view of thc approaching visit to Bushey of the Duke of CONNAUGHT , K . G ., M . W . Past G . Master , acting for the Prince of WALES , K . G ., M . W . G . M . anel President , for the purpose of laying the corner stone of

the new Buildings now in course of erection for the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , to recall the circumstances connected with the performance of a similar ceremony in respect of the present School premises at Wood Green . In doing this ,

wc have no idea of instituting a comparison between the two events . When the present School was commenced some 37 years ago there were 70 boys on thc establishment , now there are four times as many . Then thc School had no pretensions

to anything like a recognised position among our scholastic institutions ; now it is in thc front rank of the middle-class schools in the United Kingdom . Then it was regarded as a bold—b y not a few , indeed , as a rash—venture to spend some

£ 20 , 000 in the erection of new buildings large enough to accommodate 100 boys ; now it has been determined to expend £ 100 , 000 in building a new home for the Institution that shall be large enough to house 400 , and that , if occasion should arise

may be still further enlarged . Last of all , on the 12 th May next a Prince of the Blood , who has been a member of our Society for upwards of a quarter of a century , and who will , as we have said , represent his brother , the M . W . G . Master and

President of the Institution , will lay the stone in the presence of a far more numerous gathering of the brethren . Thus the event , which is only a few weeks distant , is likely to prove as much more brilliant and imposing than its predecessor , as the

School is larger and more capable than it was of doing its work efficientl y . Still there must necessarily be much in common between the two ceremonies , particularly in the matter of preparation , and , therefore , if onlv to show by way of contrast

the importance of the Institution as compared with what it was at the time referred to , it will be useful to state briefly what happened when the corner stone of the present School was

laid " with full Masonic honours" b y a distinguished Grand Officer and supporter of the Institution , who has long since been gathered to his fathers .

It was on Saturday , the Sth August , 1 K 6 3 , in the 27 th year of the reign of her Most Gracious Majesty , and the 65 th of the foundation of the Institution , that the lirst stone of the present building at Wood Green was laid " in the presence of the

Officers and Members" of the United Grand Lodge of England ( speciall y summoned for the occasion ) and numerous Members of the Craft" by R . W . Bro . ALGERNON PERKINS , Past G . Warden , it being intended that the premises should accommodate

The Approaching Boys' School Ceremony At Bushey In Herts.

100 boys , and that the cost of erection should not exceed £ 15 , 000 . The Earl of ZETLAND , M . W . Grand Master , having given his sanction for the holding of a Special Grand Lodge , and temporary structures having been erected at a cost of £ 350

for the accommodation of the guests , the day opened with a series of athletic sports , prizes amounting in value to £ 5 being awarded to the boys who acquitted themselves best .. Three military bands , including that of the ist Life Guards , were

engaged for the occasion , while prominent among the spectators were the pupils of our two Masonic Schools . When the ceremony—which was carried out in strict accordance vvith ancient usage—was over , the guests were entertained at a banquet .

and then followed an amusing entertainment by Bros . TOOLE and PAUL BEDFORD—not improbably their popular Pauli-Toole-itechnic business—while , in addition , a number of ladies

and brethren handed in purses containing sums ranging from 5 to 25 guineas , and amounting , in the aggregate , to about £ 1500 , which in those clays was a no inconsiderable contribution to the funds of the Institution .

As regards the preliminary arrangements for the ceremony on Saturday , the 12 th May , it will havc been seen from the advertisement which appeared in our columns last week , that so far as it has been possible to make them , . the Board of

Management—so far as it depends upon their efforts—are striving their hardest to ensure the success of the function . It is earl y yet to form an opinion as to the completeness and suitability of the arrangements , though from past experience we

have no doubt they will be admirably carried out . But from the circular issued three things appear to have been settled —( 1 ) there will be no collection ; ( 2 ) a Military band will be engaged ; and ( 3 ) tickets— " in number not exceeding 2500 "—will be issued ,

at £ 1 is . each , in response to applications which . may have been made by Tuesday , the ioth inst ., and which will entitle the ladies and brethren holdin *? them to ( irst-class return fare between

Euston and Bushey , seats to view the ceremony , and luncheon with light wines . We learn further from a " Preliminary Announcement , " issued by the Provincial Grand Secretary of Hertfordshire to the brethren of the Province that " a Provincial Grand

Lodge will be held on the Site of the New Masonic Schools at Bushey " on the appointed day ; " that a special portion of the dais has been allotted to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Herts ; " but that " no member will be admitted to witness

the ceremony , " unless he has applied and remitted the fee of one guinea for a ticket "to Bro . J . M . MCLEOD , as therein directed , on or before April ioth . " What arrangements may be in contemplation for the general body of

brethren who may not need to travel by special trains between Euston and Bushey , or to partake of luncheon in the marquee , but who may be desirous of witnessing so interesting and impressive a ceremony as that of laying the corner stone of a new

Masonic School— -performed , as it will be , by the brother and representative of his Royal Highness the M . W . G . Master—does not as yet appear . Moreover , we fully recognise that there must be some sort of restriction as to llu * issue of tickets of

admission to view the ceremony . What we lad to see is that the authorities of the Boys' School , who will have charge of the general arrangements for the comfort and convenience of those

who may attend the function , and are , therefore , entitled to make such restrictions as may appear necessary and expedient , should impose a charge of one guinea on such brethren as have the right " of attending the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hertford-