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CONTENTS . PAGE L EADERThe Girls' School ... ... ... ... ... - 275 Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... ... 275 Analysis of the Returns ... ... ... ••••••27 S Provinciat Grand Lodge of Herefordshire ... ... ... ... 2 S 1 Masonic Notes ... ... ... ... ... •••283 Distribution of Prizes at the Girls' School ... ... ... ... 2 S 4 Consecration of the Stanley Preston Lodge , No . 2600 ... ... ... 2 S 4

Sixth Annual Dinner of the Perseverance Lodge of Instruction , No . 1 743 ... 2 S 5 Grand Officers Royal Arch ... ... -. ' . ... 285 London , Edinburgh , and Glasgow Assurance Company , Limited ... ... 2 S 6 Royal Arch Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 S 6 Provincial Grand Lodge of Forfarshire ... ... ... ... 286 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 S 7 Mark Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 289 Ancient and Accepted Rite ... ... ... ... ... 2 S 9 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... — 2 S 9 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... . 290

The Girls' School.

THE GIRLS' SCHOOL .

The second of our great Anniversary meetings took place at Freemasons' Tavern on Wednesday , under the auspices of the Rig ht Hon . the EARL OF YARBOROUGH , Prov . G . Master of Lincolnshire , and though , as was pretty generally anticipated ,

the donations and subscriptions did not amount to quite as much as was announced last year , the result is eminently satisfactory . The sum actually required will be found to have been exceeded by some £ 3 , , and we take leave to congratulate the noble

Chairman , whose advocacy has been attended with such brilliant results ; the Board of Stewards , but more especially those of them who hailed from his Province in of Lincolnshire , which so loyally seconded his efforts ; the worthy Secretary , Bro . HEDGES , who has

worked so incessantly in order to bring together the Board ; and lastly , the friends of the Institution who have rallied round it to such excellent purpose . The English Craft is greatly indebted to them all for what they have done , and though , at first sight , it may

seem invidious to say so , we think the Chairman ' s Province of Lincolnshire is especially deserving of our thanks . It is not , as we have before pointed out , by any means a strong Province . Moreover , it is an agricultural county , and , as every one knows ,

the agriculturist has been the reverse of prosperous for many a long year . But Its Stewards must have put in some very good work in order to have amassed so large a portion of the general total of contributions . In short , the whole of the proceedings in

connection with this 108 th Festival in behalf of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , both those at the distribution of prizes by the Countess of YARBOROUGH on Monday , and those at

the celebration itself on Wednesday , have been most gratifying , and our senior Masonic Charity will have no reason to be dissatisfied with-the support it receives if it never fares worse than on this occasion .

Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

The io 8 th Anniversary Festival of this Institution was held on Wednesday evening , at Freemasons' Tavern , London . The Earl of Yarborough , Prov . G . M . for Lincolnshire , presided , and he was supported by Bros , the Earl of Euston , Lord Suffield , Viscount Dungarvan , Sir Reginald Hanson , Sir Joseph C . Dimsdale , Richard Eve , George Everett , C . E . Keyser ,

Edward Letchworth . Sir John B . Monckton , Edward Terry , Frank Richard-E ° ii Peter de Lande Long , Dr . J . Balfour Cockburn , Robert Grey , Thomas Eenn , R . Loveland Loveland , Rev . Dr . H . R . Cooper Smith , Wm . Harling Sissons , Lennox Browne , Eugene Monteuuis , Ernest St . Clair , Walter Hopekirk , and a very large body of Present and Past Grand Officers . The company included altogether some 600 ladies and brethren .

Previous to the banquet , the E 3 rl of Yarborough held a reception of the Lincolnshire brethren , and shook hands with each of them . After the banquet the toatts were duly honoured .

Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

The Earl of YARHOROUGH , in proposing the first toast "The Queen , Chief Patroness of the Institution , " said the toast of the Queen was always received with feelings of cordiality , loyalty , and enthusiasm in any assembly of Englishmen , especially of English Freemasons . He might say in a word that the Queen was the noblest of ladies , and the best of women , and he ventured to think that there was nothing that more endeared her to her

people than her family life . A few months ago they were called upon to sympathise with the Queen and one of her daughters over the loss of a Prince by whom she was much beloved , a Prince who took his share in her trials , a Prince who went on an expedition for this country ; and they could only express their heartfelt sympathy with her Majesty and those who were bereaved , and wish the Queen might long be spared to reign over her people .

The Earl of YARBOROUGH in giving "H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., " said that in the Prince of Wales Masons had as their Grand . Master one who took the deepest and widest interest in the Craft . Du ing his reign Masonry had been distinguished by a vast extension throughout England and the Colonies ; he might also say that it had raised the standard of those who were ranged under its banner . The Princess of

Wales was beloved , and rightly so , on account of the part she took in every good action and every good work , and the rest of the Royal Family were very popular . Hardly a day passed that one did not see some member of the Royal Family connected with some Institution . By doing this they increased the feelings of loyalty the people had towards the throne . The Earl of YARBOROUGH next proposed " The Earl of Lathom , and

the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past . " The Earl of Lathom had taken the place of the Prince of Wales on many noteworthy occasions , and had won the heart of English Freemasons ; he was an old , valued , and esteemed member of the Craft , and not merely a figurehead , because , as they knew , he was always ready to do his duty , and he did it in a most thorough and conscientious manner . With regard to the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past , he ( the Earl of Yarborouerh ) must not—at least

not just at that moment—claim to be a member of that assembly , and he ventured to make one assertion—that it was a very great thing that the members of Grand Lodge kept in touch—it was very necessary that they should keep in touch—with the different lodges throughout the country . He was sure ths lodges of England , Ireland , and Scotland would always have the same respect as they had at the present for the members of Grand Lodge .

Bro . Sir J B . MONCKTON , P . G . W ., acknowledged the compliment , and said that , as one of the Stewards on that occasion , and a member of the House Committee of the Institution , it was with extreme surprise and gratification he saw the Province of Lincolnshire turn out so grandly to support its Grand Master that evening . Their standing by their chief in such a way was one of the most agreeable episodes of an important and interesting occasion . That might not be very appropriate to the toast , but still he said so . On the part of the Grand Officers , he returned thanks .

Lord SUFFIELD , Prov . G . M . Norfolk , proposed " The Right Hon . the Earl of Yarborough , Prov . G . M . of Lincolnshire , Chairman of the day . " He said although to be asked to propose a toast at a short notice usually created some difficulty , on this occasion he could not plead any difficulty whatever . He had the honour and the great pleasure of proposing the Chairman . Lord Yarborough had not been very long known in the

Masonic position he now occupied , but he had been very long known in the country generally , and especially in his own county of Lincoln . It was indeed a great pleasure , as Bro . Sir John Monckton had already said , that they should see so many brethren of Lord Yarborough ' s own county present to welcome him ; it was a pleasure because in his own county a man was best known , and it was a proof of Lord Yarborough ' s merits that he was so

well received and supported by his own county . In the position to which Lord Yarborough had been called , they would all find he would do his utmost and best to carry out the duties of the very considerable province over which he had been called to preside , and the brethren would all most cordially drink his health , and wish him long life , health , and prosperity , and the means to still further advance the cause of Freemasonry .

The Earl of YARBOROUGH , in response , said he wished to thank Lord Suffield and the _ other Provincial Grand Masters and brethren from the very bottom of his heart for the exceedingly kind reception they had given that toast , and to express his gratification and deep sense of feeling towards Lord Suffield for the kind terms he had used concerning him , and he fully appreciated their kind feelings . He was indeed proud to take the chair at

the present Festival , a chair which had been filled by so many distinguished Masons in times past , a circumstance which had resulted in such magnificent contributions to the Girls' School , on behalf of which the brethren had met that evening . He only hoped that the good example set on former occasions might be followed , and that they might have a substantial sum announced in favour of the Girls'School . But before he proceeded further he wished

to say how gratified he was to see , as had been expressed by one or two speakers , so many members of his own province present . No doubt many had come , at great inconvenience to themselves , from a considerable distance from London . He was highly satisfied and deeply gratified . He was also deeply grateful to Bros . Frank Barrett , Beeson Bennett , Rainey , and other Stewards of his province for the way they had worked and carried out the work o