Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS— fAGE West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution ... ... ... 147 The Masonic Vagrant ... ... ... — ' 47 Provincial Grand Chapter of Cambridgeshire ... ... ... ... 14 S Royal and Select Masters ( Annual Meeting ) ... ... ... ... 14 S Ladies'Night of the Sir Walter Raleigh Lodge , No . 243 2 ... ... 14 S

West Smithfield Chapter , No . 1623—Ladies' Banquet and Soiree Dansante ... 149 Annual Supper of the Rose Lodge of Instruction , No . 1622 ... ... 149 Presentation to Bro . W . A . Scurrah , Grand Standard Bearer ... ... 150 Ladies'Night of the Wellington Lodge , No . 548 ... ... ... 151 The Old Masonians ... ... ... ... 15 ' Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 152 Mark Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 153 MASONIC

NOTESDeath of Bro . J . H . Sillitoe , P . G . Std . Br . ... ... ... 155 Consecration of the Skelmersdale Chapter , No . 165 S ... ... ... 155 The School Elections" .. ... ... ... ... 15 s The Queen ' s Diamond Jubilee ... ... ... ... 155 Guy's Hospital Re-endowment Fund ... ... ... ... 155 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 156 Reviews ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 156

The Recent Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... 156 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 G Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 159 Cryptic Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 159 Lodges and Chapter of Instruction ... ... ... ... ... 159 Guy ' s Hospital Re-endowment Fund ... ... ... ... 159 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 159 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... iuo

West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution.

WEST LANCASHIRE MASONIC EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION .

We are indebted to the courtesy of tlie Hon . Secretaries of this Institution for -a copy of their report for 18 9 6 , and save as regards one particular , which will be noticed hereafter , there can

be no question that the past year has been a successful one . The Institution was founded in 1 S 50 , and during the 47 years that have since elapsed has been liberally supported , while its affairs have been administered in such a manner as to secure

that greatest of all desiderata , efficiency combined with economy From its foundation there has been received towards its maintenance a total sum of £ 58 , 272 12 s . 5 d ., being at the rate of nearly £ 1240 per annum , the principal sources of income being

donations and subscriptions amounting to £ 30 , 285 14 s . id . ; Proceeds of Masonic Balls , £ 7955 2 s . Sd ., and Interest on invested capital , £ 20 , 006 15 s . 8 d . The sum paid on account of the children who have been admitted to the benefits of the

Charity is £ 31 , 708 16 s . iod ., while the payments for printing , postages , & £ ., amount to £ 2032 6 s . rod ., the average annual expenditure being in this respect slightly less than £ 43 5 s . The present amount . ' of invested capital , together with the cash in

hank is £ 23 , 709 iSs . gd ., while the present value of certain presentations to Institutions , which have been purchased from time to time is returned at £ 1451 Ios . The Statement of Account for the past year shows a total on the receipt side

including the balance brought forward from previous account , of £ 88 9 12 s . 2 d ., and the sum of £ 300 , being part of a mortgage repaid , to £ 3564 14 s . 6 d ., of which £ 149 8 os . 6 < 1 . took the form of . donations , subscriptions , and proceeds of annual ball , while the

interest on stock reached £ 841 is . iod . The expenditure , including £ 1000 invested with the Preston Corporation , reached £ 2413 2 s . gd ., of which £ 1313 5 s . gd . was paid for education , clothing , & c , of the children on the foundation ; and £ 9 8 17 s .

for printing , postage , & c , and fireproof safe ; the balance in bank at the close of the account being £ 1151 lis . gd . But to the sum just mentioned as having been expended for education , & c , of the children , must be added the proportion of cost for

the year of eight presentations amounting . to £ 120 16 s . Sd ., so that the total sum disbursed on the children amounted , in fact , lo £ ' 434 2 s . 5 d . There were in all 198 children in receipt of the benefits of the Institution during the past year , namely , 119

West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution.

on the Educational Fund , at a cost of £ 673 6 s » 7 c ! . ; 46 on the Combined Fund at £ 509 19 s . 2 d ., and 25 on the Advancement Fund at £ 130 ; while the remaining eig ht were in sundry Institutions on presentation at the cost of £ 120 16 s . 6 d . The solitary cause for dissatisfaction with the Report of the Honorary

Secretaries is that there are , unfortunately , as many as 50 lodges which have made no return , and what enhances our regret at this abstention from any support during the past year is that they have amongst them on the Institution 30 children costing £ 151 15 s . 2 d . It is difficult to imagine that these 50 lodges are so

differently constituted from the other 6 5 lodges in the Province as to be unable to contribute at least a portion of the amount expended on their children . Some of them , no doubt , may have had a more than usually unproductive year , while others may have been under the necessity of

incurring a heavier expenditure than usual . But , even when we have made allowance for these contingencies , it is still a problem which we shall not attempt to solve , why so considerable a proportion of the lodges in the Province have done nothing during the past year for this most deserving Charitv . A former

Grand Master once said something to the effect that a large subscription to one of our Charitable Institutions was a credit only to those lodges and brethren that contributed , but not to those who abstained from contributing . Similarly , the credit

for maintaining the West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution belongs to the 65 lodges which subscribed towards its maintenance , no portion of this credit appertaining to the 50 lodges that did nothing .

We notice that the Honorary Secretaries conclude their report by making a " special appeal to all to mark this year of Victorian Jubilation by some characteristic effort on behalf of this Institution . " We heartily wish success to this appeal , not only because it is right that so auspicious a year as this of the Queen ' s

Diamond Jubilee deserves to be marked in some special manner , but also because it will perhaps encourage some of the 50 lodges which did nothing last year to redeem such credit as they may have lost by proving themselves doubly generous in their subscriptions to their Educational Institution .

The Masonic Vagrant.

THE MASONIC VAGRANT .

It has been suggested that the English Mason is rather partial to being victimised in a small way ; that he looks upon the impostor as a kind of practical joker ; and that when he has got over the first feeling of having been " done , " he is inclined to

laugh at the dirty trick that has been played him , and consoles himself with the reflection that , after all , it was only a trifle which he has been lightened of , and which is not worth making a fuss about . If this is the case , wc fully understand the apathy

with which the various plans that have been propounded by ourselves and others for the suppression of Masonic Vagrants has been met . Some two years ago the " Vagrant" was brought rather more prominently than usual under our notice by the

Almoner of one of the lodges in Kent , and we suggested a scheme we thought might be productive of some good , by which the several Provinces under the Grand Lodge of England should work together in such a manner—by circulatingamong themselves

lists with full particulars of all who were known to be prowling about the country seeking whom they might conveniently levy toll upon ; or by any other plan that might seem good to them —that the " Masonic Vagrant " would find it hardly worth his

while to continue his little game . Last summer we were again requested to publish certain letters , warning our readers against the same or other fellows whose depredations on the unwary had been attended with greater success than usual .