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SATURDAY , OCTOBER 21 , 18 99 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The proceedings at the Quarterly Court of the Governors and Subscribers of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys were of a more than usually interesting character . In the first place , the resolution of the July Court to present Bro . C . E . Keyser , P . G . D ., the

Treasurer , with a replica ot the aidress in album form which last year was presented to Lords Lathom and Leigh , in recognition of his services as Chairman at this year ' s Festival , was acted upon . Bro . A . C . Spaull was entrusted with the agreeable duty of making the presentation , and very gracefully indeed

he performed that duty . Bro . Keyser , too , was exceedingly happy in his speech of thanks . In fact , it was one of the most pleasant episodes we can call to mind in connection with these meetings , * # * It further devolved upon Bro . Keyser to announce that the erection of the new School buildings at

Masonic Notes.

Bushey was proceeding in a manner that left nothing to be desired . The foundation , it seems , is nearly laid , and when , in May next , H . R . H . the Duke of Con . naught performs the ceremony he has so kindly

promised to undertake of laying the stone , there will be , we are told , a considerable portion of the buildings to be seen . The chapel , too , will have been taken in hand , and considerable progress made with its erection . # # #

On the subject of the examinations which all elected candidates are required to undergo before being admitted into the School , there seems to have been some division of opinion . However , so far as we

understand the change that has been made in the law , Bro . Keyser ' s proposal appears to have been well conceived , and will be of benefit to those who are backward in their studies . We shall , perhaps , have the opportunity of reverting to the matter in a future ICCMP

* * * AtJ ; he approaching annual meeting at Warwick of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire , on the 30 th instant , special honour will be paid to the Lodge of Unity , No . 567 , under whose auspices the brethren

will assemble , and which this year completes the first half-century of its existence . The lodge was founded in the year 1 S 49 , and appears to have had throughout a successful career . No doubt its has experienced the usual ups and downs of fortune which are the lot of

nearly all our lodges , but it has had a good exemplar in the Shakespeare Lodge , No . 2 S 4 , which also meets in the county town , and some years ago attained to the honours of a centenary warrant , its original

warrant dating from 1792 . Thus between recognising the great services of their Prov . Grand Master and paying due respect to the Lodge of Unity on the occasion of its Jubilee , our Warwickshire brethren are likely to have a more than usually attractive meeting .

* * « This reminds us that the recent annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Worcestershire was held at Stourbridge on Tuesday , the 26 th September , under the auspices of the Lodge of Stability , which

was also warranted in 1849 , and the jubilee of which was thus celebrated concurrently with the great Wo rcestershire gathering of the year . The Province in this particular maybe said to have been doubly for tunate , seeing that the Vernon Lodge , No . 560 ,

Stourport , and Stability , No . 567 , were constituted the same year , and have thus both of them reached the half way haven on the road towards their centenary . Both of them are in good plight , and we trust will be in still better circumstances at the close of their second half

century . * * . * Among other circumstances which occurred at the Worcestershire gathering , it should be mentioned that Bro . W . T . Page , heretofore for a considerable time

Prov . G . Secretary , was obligated and invested as Dep . Prov . G . Master , in succession to Bro . Lieut .-Col . Warner Otley , resigned . Bro . Page is well known for his successful labours as the Provincial Secretary , and his selection for the higher and more responsible

tnough not more arduous , office , has given everywhere the greatest satisfaction . Nor must we lose sight of the fact that the Prov . G . Master—Bro . Sir A . F . Godson—was able to congratulate both himself and the Province generally on the progress that was made during the past year . The Lodge Returns showed

jhat the number of subscribing members on the several lodge-rolls was 69 6 , and as there are only 15 lodges in Worcestershire , this gives an average membership per lodge of over 56 . The financial report was also encouraging ; while the Province has done some good work in behalf of the Central Masonic Institutions at this year ' s Festival .

It is greatly to be regretted that the Earl of Radnor , Prov . G . Master of Wiltshire , was prevented by illness from presiding at the annual meeting of his Prov . Grand Lodge , which took place at Trowbridge , on the 4 th instant , under the auspices of the Lodge of

Concord , No . 632 . His worthy Deputy , Bro . C . N . P . Phipps , was also unavoidably absent from his place , which , however , was ably filled by Bro . the Rev . J . A . Lloyd , P . G . C . England . . Had ths rulers of the Province been able to attend they would have been

gratified beyond measure at the favourable state of the Craft under their charge . Excellent work was done during the past year , as was shown by the several reports that were presented and adopted unanimously . A special compliment was paid to Bro . Harry Bevir

Masonic Notes.

on his re-appointment to the office of Prov . G . Secretary , the congratulations he received from all present on the admirable manner in which he had discharged his duties in the past being as sincere as they were richly merited . We trust that Bro . Bevir may for many years to come be the recipient of similar compliments . * *

We are also greatly pleased to find that Royal Arch MasonryinCheshireisinsi flourishing a state under the genial rule of Comp . the Hon . Alan de Tatton Egerton , Jf . P ., Grand Superintendent . The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Chapter , which was held at Stockport on the 30 th ult ., was fully reported in our

columns last week . There was a very large attendance , and the Grand Superintendent expressed his satisfaction at finding that considerable progress had been made during the past year , and that , according to the reports he had received , the private chapters had ,

without exception , been carrying out their duties thoroughly and well . It appears , indeed , that the meeting was quite the most successful that has taken place since the present Grand Superintendent was appointed to office in 18 93 .

* * » We regret to learn , from the report we published last week of the recent installation meeting of the Rothesay Lodge , No . 168 7 , that the health of Bro . E , L . P . Valeriani , P . G . Std . Br . of England , is such that he has found it necessary to vacate the office of

Secretary of No . 16 S 7 , and , indeed , generally to . retire from the active duties of Masonry in connection with it . Bro . Valeriani has in his day been a tower of strength to the Rothesay Lodge , and we can well understand that his continued absence should have evoked on all sides the sincerest expressions of

sympathy with him in his illness , and the equally sincere hopes that were uttered for his restoration to health . A vote was passed to this effect , and the thanks of the whole lodge were returned for the great services he had rendered it , the additional compliment of honorary

membership being paid him , in recognition of those services . We , too , trust that our respected brother may in time be able to resume those Masonic labours which have given him so much pleasure to carry out , and in which he has won such hi gh distinction .

We have received a well-compiled and neatlyfinished report of the Proceedings of the Dist . Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of South Africa ( W . D . ) at ils annual meeting in Capetown on Tuesday , the 18 th July . The Dist . G . Jfark Master , Bro . Capel J . Hogg , presided in person , and early in

the meeting delivered an address , in which he recognised that good work had been done by the lodges during the past ] year and substantial progress made ; he laid stress on the necessity for putting forth still greater efforts in behalf of Mark Masonry . " What was wanted , " he said , " was men and brethren who

were enthusiasts and workers , not those who sought the Degree for , it is said advisedly , the sake of gratifying their curiosity . The sluggards of Craft Masonry are not the class that is required , but those who show a living interest in all that pertains to the Craft . ''

Another matter to which he called attention was the comparatively sparse attendance of brethren at their lodge meetings . He considered that on the whole " the attendance was not commensurate'' with the array of membership . The inevitable result , as he pointed out , of

this scanty attendance of members was " discouragement to the W . M . and his oilicers , and what was even worse , a bad impression on the aspirants to the Degree , to whom it was a sorry welcome when fiey saw rows of empty seats . "

* * He further advised that the ritual work of the lodge " should be performed crisply and well , " there being " nothing more distressing to all than a slovenly worked Degree , " and he added that

" nothing had a worse impression upon candidates , and nothing helped to deter brethren from attending lodge more . " There are not a few lodges , far nearer home , to whom our brother ' s remarks mi ght be addressed with equal , if not with still greater , propriety .

As for the District it contains four private lod ges , with an aggregate membership of 148 as against 132 for the previous year . But the greater feature of the returns is the reduction in the number of brethren in arrear of their subscriptions , from 20 for the year

ending June , 1898 , to four . The Treasurer ' s statement of account , though necessarily dealing with modest figures , is also satisfactory , there being a balance of over . £ 10 in hand , while the assets represent between £ 40 and £$ o as against liabilities " Nil . "