Freemasonry In 1900.

malic Masonic Educational and Benevolent Institution , also occupies a foremost place amongst the Provinces which mainlain these local Charities . It was lo the generous initiative of the late Col . Le Gendre N . Starkie , Prov . G . Master , that the Province is indebted for its foundation , and during all the years

that he ruled the Province he did all in his power to promote its welfare , lie : presided at the one ancl only Festival lhat was ever held in its behalf , when a sum of ^ , 4000 vvas subscribed lor its maintenance , and but for the absence in South Africa of his successor in office—Bro . the Lord Stanley , M . P . —a second

Festival would have been held in the summer , when it was hoped thai such a sum might have : been raised as would have allowed the Governing Body of the Institution , not only to increase its funds , but also lo devote 1550 guineas out of the proceeds to the purchase of a Perpetual Presentation to the

Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution as a memorial lo their late chief . But we understand the project will be carried out when the Prov . G . Alaster is once again in ICngland . Cheshire has two such Institutions—an Educational , which has clone admirable service during the- 35 or more years it has been established ,

and a Benevolent Institution , which owes its foundation to Earl Egerton , Past Prov . G . M . W esl Yorkshire started such an Institution a few years since , while Devonshire has lor a long lime maintained in a state , of efficiency ils ICducalional and Annuity Funds . Durham has for many years had an Educational

Fund , and a vear or two since founded ils "Hudson Benevolent Fund . " Other Institutions of a similar character exist in Dorsetshire , Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , North and ICast Yorkshire , Warwickshire , and it may be in other Provinces as well , and , what is mosl gratifying

is the I act of their being all most loyally ancl generously supported without , as far , al all events , as our past experience goes , lessening lhe amounts subscribed to the Central Charities . Three of these : organisations held high Festival during the year—the triennial F ' cstival in aid of thc North and East Yorkshire

ICducalional Fund , at vvhich the Marquess of Zetland , Provincial Grand Master , presided , producing a total of donations and subscriptions amounting to £ 1054 . 'Fhe first FY-stival of the Warwickshire Benevolent and Pupils' Aid Fund , which was held in the grounds of Stoneleigh Abbey—the' seat of the

venerable-Lord Leigh , Provincial ( irand Master—on the 3 rd Jul }' , produced ! the large' total of ^ , ' 3155 ; and in Sepli'inbiT , al the : annual Festival , at Blackpool , of the West Lancashire Alpass Institution , a sum of /[ 1243 vvas subscribijd . In addition Io these , however , there are a number of Charily Associations organised and maintained

b y Provinces and other bodies for the purpose of affording facilities to brethren to become Life : Governors or Life Subscribers of the Central Charities by gradual payments . To this class belong the Associations in Cambridgeshire , Staffordshirewhich did such excellent service at lhe lime of the Boys'

Centenary , and in May , when the F . arl ol Dartmouth , Provincial Grand Master , occupied the chair at the Girls' School Festival —• Shropshire , North Wales , & c , while the Associations organised

from time to time by many of our Lodges eif Instruction in London do equally effective work in their several districts . Were the materials available' for showing in the aggie-gale what these' two classes of Masonic Charitable : Associations have accomplished , vve have no doubt the amount would prove considerable .

BOARD OF BENEVOLENCE . The following are the- number ol cases relie-ved and the amounts distribute-d aniomj * them month bv month by the : Board

April , 25 cases with £ 785 ; May , 37 cases with £ 1070 ; June , 2 \ cases with { , ' 570 ; July , 13 cases with £ \ to ; August , 17 cases with / . 420 ; September , 13 cases vvith £ 3 60 ; October , 38 cases with . £ 1015 ; November , 26 cases with £ " ] 2 o ; total for th ,. whole period 302 cases relieved with sums amounting in tht

which is charged vvith the administration of our Grand Lod <*\; Fund of Benevolence during the period from ist December , 18 99 , to 30 th November , igoo , namely : December , 18 99 , -, ( , cases relieved with £ 700 ; January , 1 9 , 20 cases with £ 525 ; February , 2 i cases vvith £ 830 ; March , 3 8 cases with £ 113 * - ;

aggregate to £ 8540 . Comparing these with the figures forthe corre'sponding period of 1898-9 , when 2 S 5 cases were ; relieved with £ 77 60 , vve lind lhat there has been an increase ol 17 in the number of cases and of £ 7 80 in the total distributed . During the corresponding 12 months of 18 97-8

therewere 355 cases relieved with £ 9470 * , in 18 9 6-7 there were 33 ^ ' cases relievi'd with . £ 9000 ; ancl in 1895-6 , 352 cases relieved j with £ 8532 . 'Fhe Returns ( or these live years serve to convey 1

an excellent idea of the work entrusted to the Board . Thea- j can be little doubt that the petitions which are brought before- j it are carefully looked into , and each of them dealt with j according to its merits . Al the same time , while it is

generally allowed that the Board is economical in dispensing the funds at its disposal , il is equally recognised that economy is no ( the sole consideration which weighs wilh it , and that where the claims of the petitioners show them to be worthy o ! substantial help , such help is ungrudgingly rendered . Our monthly reports of the Board ' s doings make this very clear .

MASONIC LITERATURE . The contributions to our literature during the year have not i been many in number , but of their merits it is well nigh impossible lo speak too highly . Bro . Dr . W . J . Chetwode Crawley , Past G . Deacon of Ireland , has al length completed thc task Inset himself some five or six years ago of throwing such

additional light as was possible upon the early history of Freemasonry in the jurisdiction of which he is a distinguished member by publishing the third and concluding Fasciculus ol his " Caanentaria Hibernica . " Hitherto the story of the rise and development of Masonry in Ireland has been a most obscure

one , thc leading idea being that Lord Kingston having presided as Grand Master over the Grand Lodge of England crossed over ; lo Ireland shortly after his vacation of that ollice , and out of such materials as he found to his hand organised the Grand Loelge of Ireland , and was himself installed as its lirst Grand

Master , the date ordinarily assigned to these events being llii ' year 1 730 . But Bro . Crawley , by his indefatigable researches , has been able lo show that there was a Grand Lodge of Ireland already established in Dublin in 1725 , and what is of s ' ill greater importance , that the existence of Freemasonry \ va .- a

matter of common knowledge—at all events among 1 iu * graduates and undergraduates of Trinity College , Dublin—as far back as 16 S 8 . 'Thus the whole face of early Irish ? dase .: ii ** development has been altered , and if Bro . Crawley has a nrnd lo prosecute his labours still further , we may reasonably h > : >¦*

that he vvill be successful in dispelling more of the obscurity in whicli the establishment ofthe Craft in Ireland has been envelop d-In our review ol the Third Fasciculus shortly after ils publi ¦ a-

liem a few months since , we drew attention lo ils principal contents , among which let il suffice if we mention here m * reproduction of Spratt ' s Constitutions of 1751 , and a list of : ' ¦ ¦ Grand Oflicers of the Grand Lodge of Ireland from 1725 10 10 0 .

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KINGS COLLEGE HOSPITAL, LINCOLN'S\MFIELDS,W.C, In the immediate neighbourhood of many thousands of the poor .

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HELPisGREATLYNEEDED, The Hospital doors air open FREE tlsiy and night to all AVIIO IM ' ! its aid . 7 , <> S 7 cases of accident were ( Tented last year . Thero are Special Departments for Diseases of the tiye , Ear , Thr- "'• and Skin . Tlie annual Expenditure , wit 11 careful economy , is over £ 19 , 0 Cl ' t while flic annual Income from Endowments is about £ 2 , 51 '^ leaving the Hospital in need of Voluntary Contributions to il 11 ' amount of nearly £ 17 , 000 every year . HBLPXJSTOGrOO^ AND TO GET OUT OF DEBT . Subscriptions and Donations will be gratefully acknowledged . ^ VI . BROMLEY , W *"" ' "