Freemasonry In 1900.

Centenary had been celebrated only 12 months previously , the contributions to the Girls' and Benevolent Institutions being - very largely increased to upwards of £ 21 , 000 and £ 20 , 000 respectively , while tbe Boys' School , naturall y enough , had lo

content itself with just a trifle over £ 9000 . This year there has been , in spite of the circumstances we have referred to , a substantial increase in respect of all three Charities , the Girls ' School lakiiiL' the lead with a total of Returns lo its 1 rath

Festival amounting to upwards of £ 23 , 000 , and the Benevolent Institution being well up with not far short of £ 22 , 300 , while the Boys' School obtained support lo the extent of about

£ 6 , CJOO , the sum announced by the Secretary al the Festival being £ 16 , 874 ' 4 * 2 t ** ^ , - ', cn Nvc 'UIVC ; L » "; i , u * total ol more than £ 62 , 000 distributed among our Central Institutions , to sav 110111111 " ' of the sums raised for the Alark Benevolent Fund

and Provincial Charitable Institutions , and the subscriptions , now exceeding £ 10 , 000 , lo the South African Masonic Relief Fund , inaugurated b y Graud Lodge on the : recommendation oi H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . Alaster . The Royal Alasonic Benevolent Institution was ^ as usual , lhe

lirst lo hold its Anniversary Festival , the day hxed for the celebration being Tuesday * , the 27 th February , while- the chah was occupied by the Rig ht Hon . Lord Addington , Prov . Grand Master for Buckinghamshire . The Board of Stewards which supported his lordship comprised 600 ladies and brethren , and

the amount they together raised , which was announced at the Festival itself as £ 20 , 220 16 s ., was ultimatel y increased to £ 22 , 298 ( js . Towards this grand total London , with 26 9 Stewards , contributed £ 12 , 773 ] 9 - > while the Provinces , wilh 231 Stewards , were responsible for £ 9524 ios . The London

tola ! included 30 lists , ranging irom £ 100 upwards , the highest of all being that of Bro . David Aloss , of the Friars Lodge , No . 1349 , for £ 5 83 10 s ., the next in order being those of Bro . W . S . Bunting , Old Boys' Lodge , No . 2500 , for £ 273 ; Bro . Benj . Stocker , Hi g h Cross Lodge , No . 754 , for £ 26 4 12 s . ;

Bro . Allred Cocks , Sincerity Lodge , No . 174 , for £ 231 8 s . 6 d . ; Bro . Edwin George , Marquess of Ripon Lodge , No . 148 9 , with £ 227 6 s . 6 d . ; ancl Bro . Robert ( "large , New Concord Lodge , No . 613 , with £ 204 15 s . In the compilation of the : Provincial total of £ 9524 ios ., there were 32 of the 4 6 Provinces

ancl sundry Foreign Stations that assisted , lhe highest contributing Province was West Yorkshire , which raised £ 1800 , Buckinghamshire , which provided the Chairman , being returned for £ 1495 ios ., and Essex for £ 13 81 is . 6 d . Among the other Provinces we note Hertfordshire , with £ 5 66 14 s . ; Suffolk , with

£ 518 15 s . ; and Sussex , with £ 409 ios . This result , which could hardly have been looked for after the splendid total of 18 99 , was something lo be especially grateful for , and the Committee of Alanagement lost no time in p lacing on record its sincere thanks lo the Chairman and his Board of Stewards for

live success of their efforts in be-half of the Old People ' s Institution , the thank . *? in the case of the Chairman taking the form of an illustrated Address on vellum , in album form , which was formall y presented by the Secretary , Bro . James Terry , to his lordship at the annual meeting of the . Prov . Grand Lodge ol

Buckinghamshire . Nor was this all . The Committee , when it found thai the Board of Stewards was more numerous than il had ever been before except in the Jubilee year , without even wailing lo learn the result , determined to still further augment

the number of annuitants on the Funds and having created live additional Male annuities and three for Widows in 18 99 , reversed the figures and added three Alale and live' Widow annuities lo the numbers on the ICslablishnvent , thereb y raising the former lo 2 io , and the latter lo 253 . This act gave the utmost satisfaction ,

and when the annual general meeting of Governors and Subscribers was held on Friday , the 18 th May , the Report of the Committee , in whicb the im ; rease was announced , met wilh a most cordial reception and was adopted uciit con ., and ordered to be entered upon the minutes . 'I'he result of this will be more apparent

il we mention that at the elections , which took place at the said meeting , 20 instead of 17 men and 29 instead of 24 were returned a . s successful , the number of candidates being for the : Alale Fund 46 , and for the Widows' Fund 59 . We must go back very many years in order lo lind so large a proportion of the

applicants elected upon the two Funds . There is very little more lor usto say . Lord Addington , just before the Festival , and his Board of Slevvarels later in the year , paid the customary visit to the Institution at . Croydon , ancl both his lordshi p and the latter

expressed their entire satisfai'liem vvith what they saw iu evidence ot the care bestowed upon the annuitants in residence there and the health and happiness thev seemed lo enjoy . The New Ye-ar and Summer entertainments were also held as usual

and gave infinite pleasure lo the Old People , while other entertainments , organised b y private individuals or b y lodges , were given and helped lo make the lives of the inmates bri g hter . Grand Lodge also voted the customary grant of £ 70 to provide the residents wilh fuel during the winter , and the Supreme

Council , 33 , gave them its customary present of tea and tobacco . In short , the Institution has fared prosperously during the year , and we trust lhat in the future it may be our privilege to write as encouragingl y both of the good vvork that is being done b y the Institution and the generous support that is given to it b y the Craft in general .

'Fhe Royal Alasonic Institution for Girls next claims our attention . 'Fhe work it has accomplished has been of thc

' . nn : :. * :. | 'A *; I * . MHI . higlii'st character , while the generous support il has received both Irom ( he town and country loelges has been commensurate with its services . Its 112 th Anniversary Festival was held under the presidency of tin- Right Hon . the Earl of Dartmouth

cm Wednesday , the 16 th Alay . A Board of Stewards composed of 7 O 3 ladies and brethren loyally seconded his lordshi p ' s advocacy , and to such good purpose that the Secretary had the supreme satisfaction of announcing a total of Donations and

Subscriptions amounting lo £ 23 , 037 5 s . Gd ., or , in round figures , £ 2000 more- than the handsome total of the preceding year . Towards this result London , with a contingent of 300 Stewards , contribule-d £ 10 , 458 7 s . Gd ., while the Provinces—3 7 of which , with a few Forei gn Stations , look pari in the celebration—wilh

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THESURGICALAIDSOCIETY. Chief Offices-.--SALISBURY SQUARE , FLEET STREET , E . C . rniiiiiDum '— 'mK mcJirr nux . THK - HAUL OV AUKHDKKN , G . L- . M . U . This Society was e'siablished in 18 ( 5 * 2 to supply Trusses , I'Mastie Sluekings , Ai-tiiiei . il Limbs , we ., and eve-i-y other description nf nieeLanieal support to the 1 'our , without limit as to locality or disease . Water Beds and Invalid Carriages and Couches are Lent to the Afflicted . II pi-ovules au ' iiinsl impish ion by ivipiiriu < r the certilicale- of a Surgeeni ic each ease . li y special grants if insures that every deserving applicant shall ree . e-ivu prompt assislanee . OVER 320 PATIENTS ARE RELIEVED EVERY WEEK . Annual Sul'seriiitioii of CO Id <> ) •. , -,, , . Fife Kiib . sr --i |* * i . ' » oi * U : > : > ii 5 ' '''' I'll ** l " iwu m-oniioemlatio ,,, per annum . CONTRIBUTIONSAREEARNESTLYSOLICITED. Huulurs-. Messrs . 13 AUCLAV et Co ., Lrn , , * 3-l , Lombard Street . ltLCUAUl ) 0 . TltKSlDDELt , Secrdani . i FF 2