Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS id ; Consecration ut the Huiley Chapter , No . 1472 166 Freemasonry at Lincoln , A . n . 1732-43 167 A New Masonic Temple 167 Review—Second Notice 168 First Festival of the Grand Masters' Lodge

of Instruction 169 Annual Supper of the Covent Garden Lodge of Instruction , No . 1614 16 9 CORRESPONDENCEGreat Priory of Canada and Scotch Templars 171 Frecmasonrv in the Colonies 171 The Queen " and Craft 172

CORRESPONDE . \* CE ( Continued ) Old Warrants ,, 172 The Masonic Week at Kidderminster ... 172 Reviews 172 Notes and Queries 173 RKI ' URTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS- — Craft Masonry 173

Instruction 177 Royal Arch 177 Mark Masonry 178 Knights Templar 178 Masonic Week at Kidderminster 178 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 178 Masonic and General Tidings 179 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 179

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Q UITE one third of the interval between the recent Benevolent Festival and that of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls in May next has been bridged over , and it is high time we took stock of the circumstances which will affect the latter celebration . To begin with , there are , in round numbers , 240 girls in the School , and we shall not be far out if we set down the regular annual

expenditure as £ 10 , 000 . In the next place , the Executive found it necessary , in the interests of the School , to purchase , in the autumn of last year , an adjacent piece of land , for which the high price of £ 5706 was asked , and as a matter of course had to be paid . Since then it has been found necessary to erect new gates , lodges , and boundary wall , at a cost which it is estimated

will amount to £ 1300 , thus raising the exceptional expenditure which has recently had to be incurred to £ 7000 . Per contra , the permanent income of the Institution , consisting of interest on invested money ( General and Sustentation of Building Funds ) , and the grants by Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , might be set down at £ 1700 ; or if we include music fees and other

small receipts we may place the certain income for the year at about £ 2000 , while Grand Lodge has generously voted a special £ 1000 towards the cost of the land referred to above , * This gives us a total of £ 3000 towards an expenditure for the year , as already described , of £ 17 , , so that the one source we must look to for the unprovided difference of £ 14 , 000 is the

Festival that will take place on the 19 th May next esnuing . The question naturally arises—Is there any reasonable prospect of the required sum being forthcoming , so that when the School authorities come to make up their accounts they shall find themselves in the happy position of being able to make both end meet ? Let us turn the matter over carefully at once * . it will

be comparatively little good to postpone doing so till the I ' estival is within measurable distance of being held . It is generally known that R . W . Bro . General B ROWNRIGG , P . G . M . Surrey , has kindly undertaken to preside as Chairman . This is a duty which our respected brother has undertaken once already , namely , at the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent

Institution in 1883 , with very considerable success , the total of the subscriptions being upwards of £ 13 , 000 . This is encouraging . A zealous and experienced Chairman is a most important desideratum at those gatherings , and here we have one who , we may be certain , will only be too anxious to repeat , and , if possible , surpass his former triumph . Then , happily , this

zealous and experienced Chairman has at his back a province which is loyal both to its chief and to our Charitable Institutions , and we may be sure that Surrey , which raised at the aforesaid Benevolent Festival of 18 S 3 , over £ 900 , will not be satisfied wilh a lower , or even with an equal , sum of contributions . It is stronger now as regards the numberof lodges on its roll than it

was three years since , and the total of its subscriptions will , no doubt , be commensuratelygreater . Thisisaiiotherencouragingfeature , whichwecannot help regarding with satisfaction . But though a sound and zealous Chairman , with a loyal province to assist him may do much , it is beyond their combined strength to raise so formidable a sum as £ 14 , 000 . We must

trust principally , therefore , to the Board of Stewards , which up to the present time musters some 75 Provincial and 115 London brethren , or together 190 , the Surrey brethren who have sent in their names as Stewards being , of course , included in the number . Now , at the very fair all-round average of £ 50 per Steward , the total of these 190 Stewards' lists will yield some

, £ 9500 , and there will still remain between now and the 19 th May next the somewhat large figure of £ 4500 to provide somehow , just in order that the Governing Body of the Girls' School may be able , as we have said , to make both ends of their year's account meet . Well , two months soon pass ; but there is time enough , if the interval remaining is well employed , to raise the

necessary funds , and we cannot too strenuously urge upon our readers to spare no effort in order that this consummation may be realised . We have laid all thc circumstances before our readers in the plainest language possible , and the point at issue , whether the required £ 14 , 000 shall be forthcoming or not , rests with them and the Craft generally . We know well enough the amount can be raised , and we hope it will .

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WE must congratulate our East Lancashire brethren on the very favourable character of the report just issued of their " Systematic Masonic Educational and Benevolent Institution . " Both lodges and brethren support this local Charity cordially , its funds are well administered , a very appreciable amount of educational and other relief is provided during the year , and

last , but not least , the property of the Institution is slowl y but surely increasing . If we compare the Treasurer ' s Statement of Account for the past year with that for 1 SS 4 we shall find , no doubt , that the donations and subscriptions show a somewhat considerable diminution ; but this seems to be due rather to accident than to any decrease in the liberality of the brethren

the amount paid in between the audit and the publication of the report being quite £ 120 more than in 1884 . The donations and subscriptions for 1885 amounted to £ 985 , and the interest on investments to £ 210 , as against £ 1590 and £ 183 respectively in 1884 . The expenditure is thus made up—Grants in relief to 12 brethren and widows , Sec , £ 112 ; for the education of

26 children , £ 261 ; relief in small sums by the Almoner , £ 54 ; purchase of £ 500 stock , £ 495 ; management , £ 124 ; it being explained that this last item is unusually large , owing to the occurrence of certain items , which will not appear in future years . These amount together to close on £ 1044 , the balance remaining at bankers on the day of audit being £ 569 15 s . 1 id . As

regards investments , they amount to £ 5803 , as against £ 5303 at the close of the year 1 SS 4 . Thus , taking the account as a whole , the year 1 SS 5 has been one of steady progress , and the outlook for the current year seems equally

promising . Indeed , having regard to the fact that the Institution was established only as recently as 1875 , its financial position leaves very little to be desired , and as long as the management is so carefully ordered , there is the strongest possible likelihood of its remaining so .

* * * IN the Freemason for January 23 rd we drew attention to a paragraph in a New Zealand paper respecting the attendance of a brother in open lodge " attired in the magnificent regalia of one of the higher branches of the Craft , " and we asked for particulars , hoping that the report was in error .

In the New Zealand Freemason , now received , for January 19 th , it is evident that there is no doubt of the accuracy of the statement , the Editor evidently knowing the brother who committed such an act of folly . The " leader" on the subject in the pages of our Antipodes namesake utters no uncertain sound , and , were we less pressed for space , we should like to

reproduce it in its entirety . The Editor characterises the most unfortunate act as " silly display , " blames the Master for permitting such a " reprehensible proceeding , " for , though "there cannot be the slightest justifiable objection to any brother taking as many of the Higher Degrees as he desires , he must not associate his fancies practically with Craft Masonry , " all of which , we

" steadfastly believe , and are much gratified to find that the New Zealand Freemason speaks out so emphatically on such a violation of the Scottish Constitutions , as it has many times before on other subjects . We congratulate the Craft on having such an excellent advocate of pure and ancient Freemasonry " at the other end of the earth , " and fraternally desire for the Editor all the success that his valuable services deserve .

* Wf . cannot do better than again draw attention to another * ' reprehensible proceeding , " which often , we regret to state , takes place in English lodges , especially in some Provincial Grand Lodges . We allude to the wearing of "jewels" on the breast , which are not recognised by the Craft

Grand Lodgeof England . Howevermuch we may value and appreciate ihe " Mark" and other additional Degrees , Masters of lodges should rigidly object to any such decorations being worn at Craft meetings , as not only contrary to the Book of Constitutions , which they have pledged themselves to obey , but in violation of the laws and customs of the Mark Grand Lodge and othcr Bodies working the additional Degrees .

# * AFTER the voluminous report of thc Kidderminster Masonic Exhibition , which appeared in the Freemason of last week , we need not state that it was a great success , and yet it is well to emphasize the fact , because other provinces should follow in the wake of Worcestershire . We feel assured

that there are several Provincial Grand Lodges which could , by the exercise of a little tact , labour , and zeal on the part of their Provincial Grand Secretaries , induce brethren to lend their collections for exhibition , notably East Lancashire , North and East Yorkshire , Bristol , and Devonshire , say ,

at their annual meetings , and thus form an attractive feature in their programmes . Bro . GEORGE TAYLOR , by dint of sheer perseverance and never flagging interest , has managed to secure by far the largest number of Masonic works , medals , and other curios , that have ever become the