Correspondence.

Correspondence .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , in a spirit of fair play to ail , to permit—within certain necessary limitsfree discussion .

PROPOSED REMOVAL OF THE BOYS' SCHOOL . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In suggesting in your leading article of Saturday last that the opponents of the new school scheme desire to have the boys sent " to Board and other elementary schools of the lower order , where they will have the children •of labouring folk for their associates , " & c , you are doing us a distinct injustice .

In this city we have Clifton College , the Bristol Grammar School , and the Cathedral School , the Merchants' Technical College , and private schools of very high character . Bath , Cheltenham , Malvern , Sherborne , and the West of England are well provided . In fact , from a pretty general knowledge of England , I may safely say there are very few places where a boy need be sent more than 25 miles to obtain an education of a high class in a good public school . When the R . M . LB . was founded it was not so .

Of course , as in the case of the Mark Educational Charity , the Committee would have to be satisfied as to the efficiency of the school to which the boy was to be sent , whether in his own immediate locality or otherwise . Is there any practical use in getting off upon a side issue whether the

subscribers ought to have expressed their views at an earlier date ? The matter is still an open one , and should be treated as such ; and the subscribers must have an opportunity afforded them of expressing their views without making journeys up to 300 miles for the purpose of attending a ( Quarterly Board . —Yours fraternally ,

D . P . G . M . AND PAST G . O . Bristol , July 21 st .

RE GIRLS' SCHOOL AND PENSION TO MISS DAVIS , LATE HEAD GOVERNESS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In your remarks upon the above subject , you appear to be surprised at any one making any adverse comments or objecting to this pension being

granted . Now , sir , I am a Life Governor of the Girls' School , and I object most strongly to money being voted away for pensions which has been given solely for the purpose of Charity . In this feeling , I am , no doubt , joined by hundreds of others who are Subscribers . If the opinion of these could be ascertained , I feel sure there would be a very large majority against granting either this or any pension out of the funds of the Girls' School . How ths Board can vote away

this money in the unanimous way they appear to have done is most astonishing to me . It appears as if the financial interests of the School are less to be considered than private interests . Were there a fund for the purpose of pensioning off these old servants , or had they been called upon to pay a certain proportion towards it , one could have understood it . As the case stands , this lady has been in receipt of an income from the School of about . £ 360 per annum . Out of an income like this ( which I daresay is more than 50 per cent , of the Subscribers

can boast of ) surely Miss Davis must have saved sufficient to keep her for the rest of her life . What a difference in the treatment there is between this lady and a poor distressed brother Mason , one who may have subscribed 30 or 40 years to the Charities , and who , perhaps through no fault of his own , has to seek the assistance of his brother Masons . If fortunate enough to be elected , he is granted the sum of . £ 40 per annum , and this governess , who has been so well , even handsomely , paid during her services at the School , is pensioned off with ^ 225 per annum—more than four limes as much as the 30 or 40 years' Subscriber

receives . This appears to me to be most inconsistent , and cannot but have a very bad effect upon those Subscribers who read , mark , and learn the contents of the balance-sheets as they come out year by year . 1 am afraid that sadly too little interest is taken in these matters by the majority of the Subscribers , or surely some steps would have been taken before now to put an end to this extravagant and unjust manner of spending the money . I have been a Subscriber to the Charities since I joined the Order , nearly 17 years ago , but from this time I

cease subscribing , as I do not intend giving money to Charitable Institutions to be frittered away in pensions to persons who have been so well paid for their services . 1 may further say that I shall do my best to open the eyes of the Subscribers to these matters , with a view of getting them to take more interest in the affairs of the Charity . It is not for one moment my wish to injure the Charities , far from it , but simply to have them carried on in a more business-like manner than in my opinion they are carried on at present . —I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally ,

W . D . SHOEBRIDGE , P . M . St . James' Lodge , No . 448 , , Halifax , Yorkshire . MASONIC VAGRANTS-CAUTION TO ALMONERS . To the Editor of the "Freemason '' Dear Sir and Brother , Another case of imposition has come under my notice . An

individual , calling himself James Black , claiming to belong to Lodge 1473 , Bootle , is obtaining relief from Almoners . He does not produce a Grand Lodge certificate . On making enquiry of the Secretary of that lodge , 1 am informed that they have no record of any man of that name being a . member of the Bootle Lodge . —Yours fraternally ,

JAMES NEWTON , Prov . G . Secretary East Lancashire . 23 , Silverwcll-street , Bolton . July 20 th .

INITIATES AND THE BOOK OF CONSTITUTIONS . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Erother I cannot think where " P . P . G . S W . " can have spent his Masonic

time not to have seen the " Constitutions " given with the copy of by-laws as it is very common in London a id in the lod ges of which I am Secretary . 1 always place a copy for each candidate on the Master ' s pedestal . The cost is only is . 6 d . and surely ctn be paid for out of the seven or 10 guinc-s paid by the candidates for initiation .

If newly-made Masons are not supplied with a copy how can they know what is required of them . —Yojrs fraternally , HENRY LOVEGROVE . Heme Hill , S . E ,

Correspondence.

MASONIC IMPOSTORS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , On the 7 th instant , a man , giving the name of Thos . Horn , and claiming to have been initiated in the Bute Lodge , No . 960 , in 1876 , and to have subscribed up to 1894 , applied to our Almoners' Committee in Manchester for assistance , and a small amount was granted for the purpose of taking him to

Liverpool . We have recently adopted in this province a system of making enquiries from the lodge to which an applicant for relief claims to belong , and , on making enquiry in this case , I am informed by Bro . W . C . Peace , P . M ., P . P . S . G . W , , Almoner of the Bute Lodge , that they have no such name as " Horn " in that lodge . I wish , therefore , through your columns , to caution the various Almoners throughout the country against being imposed upon by this individual . —Yours fraternally

JAS . NEiVTON , 2 , Cooper-street , Manchester , Prov . G . Secretary East Lancashire . July 17 th .

JEWELS IN CRAFT LODGES . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Since writing in your journal some time since , I have been asked to bring before the Craft the question of wearing , under certain conditions , jewels belonging to the various Masonic bodies outside Craft and Royal Arch .

It would be interesting to have opinions on this subject before approaching the authorities , and I may state that I care nothing about the matter myself . — Yoars , & c , HENRY LOVEGROVE .

A DISCLAIMER . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Several friends have sent me cuttings of newspapers in which a certain Ernest St . Clair , " musician '" is reported as having been mulcted to the tune of . £ 175 for breach of promise . As both christian and surname coincide with my own , I should like to slate that I am in no way connected with the above case . —Yours truly and fraternally ,

E . ST . CLAIR , Asst . G . D . C . England . 4 S , Hatton Garden , E . C , July 23 rd .

Summer Entertainment To The Annuitants Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT TO THE ANNUITANTS OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

In splendid weather , and with other most favourable surroundings , the annual summer ^ entertainment of the annuitants in residence at the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , at Croydon , took place on Tuesday last , when a party of ladies and brethren who take a deep interest in the welfare of the Old People , journeyed from London by an afternoon train on the South-Eastern Railway , and immediately on arrival at the Institution , paid visits to the occupants of the dwellings .

Among the visitors were Mrs . Terry , Bro . George E . Fairchild ; Bro . John Newton and Mrs . Newton ; Bro . Wm . Rendell Dann and Mrs . Dann ; Bros . H , Gillard Flindon , John Oldis , and Charles Lacy ; Bro . Charles Varley and Mrs Varley ; Bro . E . J . Anning and Miss Anning j Bro . A . Start and Mrs . Start ; Bro . W . H . Hubbert and friends ; Bro . J . Brockett Sorrell and Mrs . Sorrell ; Bro , Hugh Cotter , and Misses Harriet and Annie Cotter ; Bro . H . Massey and Miss Ellen Massey ; Bro . J . Wayte , Hon . Surgeon ; Miss Lilian Raiker , Mrs . Mary M . BellMiss Kate Terry , and Mr . Nye .

, Bro . Terry , the energetic Secretary of the Institution , preceded the party and arrived early in the day , having travelled direct from Lowestoft where the Province of Suffolk had contributed largely to the Benevolent Institution . Mrs . Terry and Miss Terry went down with the visiting party , but Bro . John G . Stevens , without whom and Bro . Terry none of these entertainments would be complete .

journeyed by an earlier train , and took a leading part m the excellent arrangements which were made for the comfort and happiness of both visitors and annuitants . The Supreme Council provided each female annuitant with a pound of tea and each male annuitant with a pound of tobacco ; and the Misses Cotter , with similar liberality , contributed 34 jars of jam for distribution amongst the old people .

At five o ' clock the visitors sat down to a high tea , and then strolled in the grounds until the variety performances took place in the evening . These were provided by Bro . Herbert Schartau , the executants being Miss Mary Beynon , Miss Grainger Kerr , Mr . Reginald Brophy , Mr . Wingrove Ives , Mr . Tom Browne , Mr . and Mrs . Wallis , and Bro . James Kift .

The programme consisted of two parts , the first part introducing a humorous duologue sketch , "Three weeks' married , " Mr . and Mrs . Wallis ; new song , "A song of May , " Miss Mary Beynon ; ballad , " In this old chair , " Mr . Reginald Brop hy ; whistling solo , " American airs , " Mr . Tom Browne ; recitation , " The bells , " M' - Wallis ; new song , " The gleaners' slumber song , " Miss Grainger Kerr ; and a song , " When bright eyes glance , " Mr . Wingrove Ives . tnen

After this wine and cake and fruit were handed round , and Part II . was proceeded with . A humorous duologue sketch , " The Chicago Girl in search of an Earl , " Mr . and Mrs . Wallis , was the first piece , and next came a Russian folk " song , " Vainka ' s song , " Miss Mary Beynon ; old ballad , "Silly in our alley , " »» r . Reginald Brophy ; whistling solo , Mr . Tom Browne ; ballad , " Love the rover . Miss Grainger Kerr ; humorous song , " MS ., " Mr . James Kift ; and song , " T " wonders of the deep" Mr . Wingrove Ives .

, The entertainment was the brightest and liveliest of all that have taken p lace at the Institution , and gave universal satisfaction , and at its conclusion , Bro . J NEWTON , P . G . P ., who was President of the day , proposed a vol of thanks to the performers , stating that everyone felt much indebted to "to . Schartau for sending down so excellent a party to entertain the company . If "f .

been one of the best treats they had had in that room—it had been _ P erle ( charming ; and in saying that he was only echoing the minds and sentime the residents in the Institution . All the party were very pleased to hive been entertained . He trussed that Bro . Kilt would be kind enough to convey to t » Schartau the thanks of the Committee . , j Bro . Knr , in acknowledging the vote , said that if the entertainment

afforded amusement , the performers were repaid two-fold . Bro . J . BKOCKKTT SOKUELL proposed a vote of thanks to Bro . Newton . Bro . NEWTON , in reply , said some of his happiest days were spent am ° ° his old friends at that Institution , and he hoped he might be spared miny yea '' repeat those visits . cl j The company , after bidding a hearty good-night to the annuitants , retu r to town .