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WIDOW LADY , Daughter of a Mason , can offer a COMFORTABLE HOME in North London to one or two Gentlemen . Within easy reach of the City . —Apply , M ., care of " Freemason , " 16 , Great Queen-street , W . C

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HSSasofli «^ -VMI inrr "" riS « ? F T ' TBn ~ iriiiii n ' ilwwra SATURDAY , J UNE 26 , 18 97 . A

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The Festival in behalf of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys—the last of the three great Anniversary Festivals of the year—will be held at the Hotel Cecil on Wednesday , the 30 th instant . R . W . Bro . Lord

Henry Cavendish Bentinck , M . P ., will preside as Chairman , and , as has been the custom at the annual gathering of this Institution for many years , the ladies

and brethren will dine together . We have no doubt that the arrangements will be of the same admirable character as usual , and that , so far as regards the banquet , everything will pass off most satisfactorily . * • What concerns us most , however , is the total of subscriptions and donations that will be forthcoming .

Masonic Notes.

We have before pointed out that the occasion is by no means a favourable one . This will be the 99 th Anniversary Festival , and as it is known that at the Centenary next year there will be a far grander celebration than in ordinary years , brethren who may be desirous of doing the School a good turn are reserving

themselves for that anniversary . Hence , the efforts of the Secretary , Bro . J . M . McLeod , to obtain the services of brethren as Stewards for the meeting of Wednesday are very far from having been as successful as during the preceding years of his Secretarial career , and we have grave doubts as to his being able to bring together

a Board as strong as those which did such yeoman service at the Benevolent Festival in February , and that of the Girls' School last month . We know lhat since our first article in behalf of this Institution appeared on the 22 nd May , the progress that had been made in obtaining additional Stewards up to last

week was very slight , and we are not in a position to announce that the progress made since then has been at a more rapid rate . It may be that the Stewards will make up for this numerical weakness by bringing in heavier lists than usual , but we fear the chance of this happening is remote , having regard to what we have said as to next year ' s Centenary .

# * * Our hope is that the splendid example which the Chairman's Province has set will be closely followed by the other represented Provinces , and that London will do its part with its accustomed generosity . The ways and means for the current year must be

forthcoming , and the Festival is the only source from which we can hope to obtain them . We trust , therefore , that even during the days that remain to us , additions will be made to the Board of Stewards , or if that be out of the question , that those who have already volunteered their services will be able to increase the donations and

subscriptions they have already obtained . The school is doing its work splendidly—the results of the latest public examinations place this beyond all doubt—and the tone as well as the training of the boys is far higher than it was seven years ago . We know it deserves to to be supported . * » *

The distribution of prizes and display of drill , & c , which form a part of the Festival celebration , will take place at Wood Green on Tuesday , the 29 th instant , the agreeable duty of handing their awards to the successful pupils of the year having been undertaken by

Lady Henry Cavendish Bentinck , who will , no doubt , be accompanied by her husband , the year ' s Festival Chairman . Those who desire information as to times , trains , & c , will have no difficulty in obtaining the necessary particulars of the Secretary , Bro . McLeod , 6 , Freemasons' Hall . W . C .

» * # The offices of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution at Freemasons' Hall were the scene of a very unusual , but very pleasant , gathering on Monday , the 21 st instant , when the unsuccessful candidates at the elections last month attended to the number of 62 and

received each of them a banknote for . £ 5 , being the amount of the " Diamond Jubilee Compensation Gift " which the Committee of Management had very considerately voted in commemoration of the great national fete of the year . We may add that Bro .

Terry , the Secretary of the Institution , had , with his usual kindness , provided biscuits and wine , so that the recipients of these Jubilee gifts might drink to the health of her Majesty the Queen and wish her prolonged life and happiness .

* * * We have received with pleasure a copy of the Report and Statement of Accounts for the year 1 S 96 of the Belfast Masonic Charity Fund . It is the 35 th of the series of reports that have been issued , and contains " ample evidence of the sustained interest taken by lodges and individual brethren in the work of the

Charity . It is , indeed , most gratifying to be told that last year ' s appeals to the lodges in Belfast and the Province of Antrim generally for additional support proved very successful , many lodges not previously qualified , by annual subscriptions or donations , being now entitled to direct representation on the Committee .

» » * The particulars as to income and expenditure during the past year show a decided improvement in respect of lodge subscriptions , while the invested funds have

been increased by £ 100 to 1 S 2900 . As for the services rendered by the Charity , we learn from the Report that the sum of ^ 240 per annum is " now expended by your Committee on monthly pensions to aged and infirm brethren , and to their widows and near relations who

Masonic Notes.

were dependents of deceased brethren . " We hear further , that the total sum received from all source ' s since the Fund was established 35 years ago , is not far short of . £ 9500 , while the account for the year tells us

that while ^ 3 84 was expended in relief , the expenses of management only slightly exceeded £ 1 $ , there being a sum of £ 100 invested , and a balance remaining in hand at the close of the account of over £ ' 39- #

* * We do not know if our Lancashire brethren ever take the trouble to read the Northern Daily Telegraph . If they do , they will , doubtless , have noticed , with no small amount of amusement , a letter from a correspondent , who signs himself " Prevention , " in the issue

of the 19 th instant . The writer is evidently one of those persons who speak with authority on every subject . He tells our worthy contemporary that it would never have written in the kindly strain it did about Freemasonry if it had possessed the knowledge which he— " Prevention "—possesses about the Society and

its members . This most omniscient critic declares that he has seen " many worthy young men sink in moral character , after a few years' membership ; " and , in the fulness of his heart , he goes on to ask the Northern Daily Telegraph how any other result is to be expected , seeing " that almost all the meetings are held at public-houses ? "

* * This , we are prepared to admit , is very shameful , but it by no means represents the sum total of the charges which " Prevention " considers he is justified in making against Freemasonry . Thus it is his " belief " that " not two per cent , of the Freemasons

in Lancashire are abstainers . There are , we believe , some 12 , 000 subscribing Masons in the two Lancashire Provinces , and accordin g to this " grave and reverend " authority only some 240 of these 12 , 000 abstain from alcoholic liquors . No wonder the Rev . Fred . Hibbert ' s " warnings against the drink traffic" are treated so cavalierly .

* * t Not only , however , is the percentage of abstainers among Freemasons too small to be taken account of , but they are , it seems , a specially dangerous class of men . " Prevention " has even heard that some of them , who happen to be Town Councillors , as well as

Freemasons , attended meetings of the Town Council in a condition of comparative or absolute inebriety . That is to say , they are " the worse for drink . " If so , we agree with " Prevention " that it will never do to elect Freemasons , as Town Councillors . The ratepayers will suffer , their matters "of deep interest will

be cooked , " and there is no determining how faf these manifest evils may not extend , especially as there cannot be the slightest question that " Moral progress " must be " very slow in any borough where Free * masons rule . " Masonic lodges , in fact , are "Tory

feeders and drinking shops , " while " Prevention " must be radical to the backbone and a drinker of lemonade , & c . It is a pity that " Prevention" is ignorant of the fact that we are a non-political body and that quite as many radicals as tories , and many abstainers , belong to our lodges .

* * # We regret exceedingly to hear , and we feel sure that our readers share our regret , that Bro . Dr . Wm . Spark , the well-known Leeds organist and author of our " Liber Musicus , " is dead . Bro . Spark was a man of eminence in his profession and had composed many

anthems , hymns , chants , & c , & c , which had found a considerable amount of favour among our lodges . He will be greatly missed in Leeds , where , as the local organist , he stood pre-eminenl , but he is also a loss to the musical profession generally , by the members of

which he was highly esteemed for his musical abilities , and at the same time greatly respected for his private worth . We offer our respectful sympathy to the family and friends—both Masonic and non-Masonicof our late brother .

+ .. THE RIGHT HON . G . H . REID , Premier of New South Wales , will be entertained at dinner at the Palace Hotel , Kensington , on the 12 th proximo , the Earl of Selborne presiding . THE QUEEN has been pleased to accept the prize fan which the Master , Wardens , and Court of Assistants of

the Worshipful Company of Fanmakers sent through Mr . Homewood Crawford , the chairman of the recent Exhibition Committee , for her Majesty ' s acceptance . TO-DAY ' S ( Friday ) list of contributions to the Daily Telegraph branch of the Prince of Wales ' s Hospital Fund amounts to 3252 shillings , making a total sum received of 703 , 815 shillings . Contributions from all sources bring the Fund to £ 163 , 030 ( is .