Contents.

CONTENTS .

. DIBS 165 Allied Masonic Degrees 174 Roval Masonic Institution for Girls 166 Annual Festival of the Coborn Lodge of Presentation to Bro . Capt . Philips , P . G . D . 167 Instruction , No . 180 + 174 cO BRESPONDENCE— Annual Supper of the Covent Garden jubilee Boys' School i 6 q Lodge of Instruction , No . 1614 174 The Past Masters' Collar Question 16 9 Dinner of Prince Ibrahim Hilmey to the Provincial Calendars 16 9 Officers of the Drury Lane Lodge 174

Reviews i <> 9 Board of Benevolence 17 s OJJORTSOF M ASONIC MEETINGS— Empire Lodge , No . 2108 17 J Craft Masonry 16 9 The Jubilee Celebration at York 175 Instruction 173 Lectures by Bro . Rob Morris 175 Royal Arch 173 Bro . Alexander Meyrick Broadley 175 Mark Masonry 173 Theatres 176 Knights Templar 174 Masonic and General Tidings 176 Ancient and Accepted Rite 174 Lodge Meetings for Next Week Hi .

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THE result oi the Special Court of the Royal Masonic Institu-Schooi tion for Girls , held in accordance with the announcements , on Special Court . Monday , is eminently satisfactory . Thepreliminary arrangements entered into by the House Committee with Mr . EVILL for the

purchase of the two houses and ground adjoining the Junior School for £ 2500 have been ratified , and not only is there now a greater amount of accommodation for the inmates of the Institution , even if their numbers were considerably enlarged , but the premises have become more compact and isolated from adjoining habitations , the frontage in the Wandsworth-road

has been advantageously prolonged , and what is of far greater consequence still , the possibility of there being disagreeable neighbours overlooking the School grounds is now put out of the question altogether . The acquisition of the additional property , with the concomitant advantages we have recited , necessarily enhances the value of the School

property , and should the time ever arrive when it is deemed expedient or desirable that the Institution should be located at a greater distance from the Metropolis , there can be little , if any , doubt , that the property will be

saleable under more favourable conditions than if the recentpurchaseshadnot been made . We do not shut our eyes to the fact that the purchase first of Lyncombe House—now the Junior School—then of a contiguous strip of land , and now of Mr . EVILL ' two houses must have made a considerable inroad on the

funds of the Institution and rendered the obtaining of a far heavier amount of subscriptions from the Craft imperative . But the avoidance of judicious and well-placed outlay is not economy and our Girls' School can now boast of as commodious premises and as private with plenty of circumjacent land for purposes of recreation as , perhaps , any

other similar Institution in the United Kingdom . The House Committee , in the steps they have recently taken for the enlargement and improvement of the School at St . John ' s Hill , have deserved well of the Governors and Subscribers , and will receive the thanks of those who areanxious or only waiting a convenient season to become supporters , as well as of those who have

already become such . For ourselves , we congratulate the Court on having * fulfilled its duty so readily , the few and moderate criticisms that were offered by sundry of the brethren present serving to bring into more prominent relief the advantages of the policy which has been pursued . As for the other resolutions and what befel them , we must refer our readers to the full

report of the proceedings which appears elsewhere . Let it suffice to state here that there will be no ballot at the election due next month , as it has been resolved to admit the whole of the 29 candidates—not 23 , as mentioned m error last week—whose names have been approved , and that the additional annual outlay thus rendered necessary as well as that incurred

by the purchase of Mr . EVILL ' houses , will make it imperative on the brethren generally to support Bro . Sir O . WAKEMAN , Bart , P . G . M . Shropshire , on the occasion of the approaching Festival to a greater extent than m 0 f dinary years . But on these points we shall have occasion to speak •"ore fully a week or two hence .

# # Approaching OWING to the adoption at the Special Court of Governors on ''file r cho 01 Monday of the resolution to admit the whole of the candidates ,

there will be no election by ballot for the Girls' School next \ hv ' '" tlle Case ° ^ l ^ e ^ oys' School there will be the usual contest , e > st of candidates comprising forty-five names , while the number to be c ed is twenty-five . Of these fortv-five candidates ten have alreadv

° ne or more ballots , while the remaining thirty-five have been accepted ' nce the list was settled for the election in October last . No . 1 , hailing from Urn berland , though he has taken part in five contests , has only forty es to his credit : while Nos . 2 and 1 . from London and West Lancashire

0 r Pectlv ely , have , as the result of three unsuccessful contests , a goodly tale es to their credit , No . 2 bringing forward 726 votes , and No . 3 as in UTO 3 , . VOtes ' No * 4 ( South Africa ) and No . 5 ( Essex ) have had part tn » 1 , ect ' > s , the result being a credit to the former of 23 ^ votes , and to

hasO Tu II ! 54 votes - Nos . 5 to 10 were candidates for the first time in a respe laSt ' but N ° " ( Hants and the Isle of Wight ) is the ° nly one that and th ° now ° f v ° tes to bring forward , No . 6 having none to his credit , there a "' f ^ thfee ' 6 SS tha" S'Xty VOteS" ° f the 0 ther thir . ty-five candidates , re four J namely , Nos . 22 , 35 , 43 , and 45 , who if they do not obtain

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places on this occasion will have their names removed from the list under the operation of Law 53 , which fixes the maximum age for the admission of a boy at 11 years , and there is no doubt their friends will use their efforts to get them placed among the successful children . There are also three boys—Nos . 3 , 17 , and 32—each of whom has a sister in the

Girls' School , while as regards the distribution of candidates between London and the Provinces or Districts abroad , we find there are 12 hailing from the former and 32 from the latter , the remaining candidate deriving his interest partly from London and partly from the Metropolitan county of Middlesex . West Yorkshire and Essex furnish each of them three

candidates , and Surrey is responsible for two , while Cambridgeshire , Cornwall , Cumberland and Westmorland , Derbyshire , Durham , Hants and the Isle of Wight , Kent , Lancashire ( West ) , Monmouth , Norfolk , Northumberland , Oxford , Somersetshire , South Wales ( East ) , Staffordshire , Sussex , Yorkshire ( North and East ) , South Africa ( East Division ) , and South Africa

( West Division ) send up one each . The claims of the five others are wholly provincial , but are shared by two or more provinces . As regards the prospects of the several candidates , we offer no opinion . Of course , those among them who have already a strong array of votes to their credit are to that extent more favourably circumstanced than their rivals ; but , having

given weight to this self-evident proposition , we have nothing to add beyond the expression of a hope that the successful candidates may be those most deserving of success , and that , in any circumstances , the strongest efforts will be made to ensure the success of the four boys already referred to—Nos . 22 , 35 , 43 , and 45—as having this one and only chance of obtaining

admission into the School . We may state further that of the 45 candidates , 36 are fatherless and three motherless , while one has both parents living and five have lost them both . In the case of 13 of the children , the father , in his lifetime or during his active Masonic career , was a supporter of one or more of our Institutions , while in some 16 cases he had held office

in his lodge , and in a few instances had played a still more prominent part in Masonry as either a Provincial Officer or founder of a lodge or lodges . One feature in the list of candidates strikes us as being somewhat more conspicuous than usual , and that is , the preponderance of candidates whose

fathers were subscribing members for comparatively short periods . This , however , is a feature which is found to recur at intervals in all similar lists just in the same way and probably to about the same extent as at other times there is a preponderance of candidates whose fathers had been subscribing members for many years .

••• E . Lancashire THE eleventh annual report of the General Committee of the Benevoienf instf . ^ Lancashire Systematic Masonic Educational and Benetution . volent Institution , in so far as it demonstrates that there has been a falling off in the receipts from lodge and individual

subscriptions during 1886 as compared with 1885 , is unsatisfactory , especially as this falling off amounts to the very considerable sum of £ 133 18 s . iod ., of which , speaking roundly , about one-third is caused by the decrease in subscriptions from lodges , chapters , & c , and the other two-thirds by loss of individu ?! subscriptions . As the Committee very properly point out , it is the

diminution on both these heads of receipt which is to be so much regretted , and , though it may be partially accounted for by the " pressure of hard times , " it is in " hard times" that greater assistance is needed , and consequently that " greater sacrifices on the part of the brethren" should be made . The falling off , however , in respect of all the heads of receipt lumped

together is less formidable , their total having amounted in 1885 to £ 1133 us . 5 d ., and in 1886 to ^ 1080 16 s . lid ., the difference as against the latter year being ^ 52 14 s . 6 d .. This is explained partly by a slight increase in the " Income from Investments , " but chiefly by a substantial improvement in the " Proceeds of Masonic Entertainments , " which in 1885 realised only

^ 9 8 15 s . 6 d ., but last year £ 155 15 s . 6 d . There is also an item of £ 14 16 s . 6 d . in respect of returned Income Tax , for which there is no corresponding item in the accounts of the previous year . In short , the income , including a balance brought forward of £ 569 15 s . 1 id ., and "Investments Re-paid" £ 215 , amounted in 1886 to ^ 1865 12 s . iod . while the expenditure was £ 1157 is . 5 d .,

the balance at Banker ' s and in hand at the close of the account , being ^ 708 us . 5 d . As to the disbursements , ^ 125 was granted in relief , £ 256 and a fraction was spent in the education of 26 children , ; £ 6 i 5 13 s . 9 d . in the purchase of Stock , £ 57 in casual relief by the Almoners , ^ 24 5 s . 4 d . on the Entertainment ot Children , and £ 79 2 s . id .

on Establishment Charges . The investments belonging to the Institution , amount to £ 6166 , or about £ 400 more than in the previous year , so that , in spite of the reduced total of subscriptions , the Association has expended about the same sum in assistance as in 188 5 , and has increased its

property very substantially . We trust that during the current year our East Lancashire brethren will enlarge their support to this admirable association , and as regards the General Committee , that it will continue its wise administration of the moneys at its disposal .