The History Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls

ers of the School— "Covent Garden , to Lord Dudley and Ward , the Treasurer of this Institution , was read , therein acquainting his Lordship that ; the Master and . Brethren of that Lodge , having the interest of the Cumberland School much at heart , and being desirous of promoting so benevolent an Institution , had transmitted his

Lordship 5 guineas in addition to their former subscription of 20 . And that , with a view further to assist the said Charity , they had resolved that all future members , on being initiated in this lodge , should pay

5 s . towards the support of the School . " At the February meeting an announcement to a similar effect as regards newly-initiated members , was made in behalf of the Caledonian Lodge . The Committee were not slow to avail themselves of the hint contained in these

letters , and , as will be seen hereafter , steps were taken with a view of obtaining , by means of this payment per initiate , a considerable , and at the same time permanent support from the lodges generally . In October it was resolved that the Secretary should make it known in his advertisement for the next Quarterly Court , that " an idea

having prevailed that none but Free Masons can be subscribers to this Charity , the Governors feel it a duty incumbent on them to inform the Public that there is no such restriction , but that the contributions of all who are disposed to promote the purposes of this Benevolent Institution will be gratefully

acknow-. ledged . " In December , the question of a new Schoolhouse again presented itself , Mr . Tenbroecke informing the Committee that the Treasurer "having hinted at a former meeting that unless some gentleman should stand forward and open a distinct Subscrip tion for the purpose of erecting a School House without

interfering with the present Contributions , " it was his ( the Treasurer's ) " intention to commence one himself , in hopes that his Example would be followed by the rest of the Governors and their friends . " On this the Committee expressed their indebtedness to the Treasurer , and requested that he would lay his plans before them at their next meeting .

Both the proposal by the Shakespear and Caledonian Lodges to contribute 5 s . per initiate , and the Treasurer ' s plan for starting a separate Building Fund , bore good fruit , the General Committee taking immediate action in order to render them subservient to the interests of the Charity . As regards the former , a Committee

composed of Messrs . Callendar , Gordon , Forssteen , Millett , and Tenbroecke , was appointed at the Quarterly Court on the 12 th January , 1792 , " to prepare a memorial to be presented from this Court to the Grand Lodge to solicit their Interference in behalf of this Institution ,

and to request that they will pass a Law that all Candidates for Masonry at the time of their Initiation shall pay five shillings , to be applied to the separate use of this Charity . " At a Special General Court , held on the 24 th February , the Committee submitted the following as the result of their deliberations : —

To His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , Grand Master , & c , & c . ; The Right Honble . Lord Rawdon , Acting Grand Master ; Sir Peter Parker , Bart ., Deputy Grand Master ; The Grand Officers ; and rest of tho Brethren composing the Grand Lodge of Masons in England The Memorial of the Governors of the Cumberland Free Masons' School

Shevreth : That your Memorialists find with infinite concern that their unremitting Endeavours to promote this laudable Institution , devoted solely to the Care and

Education of Female Children of Masons , many of whom are Orphans , has not hitherto been crowned with Success to justify its extension to the degree they were led to expect from the Zeal with which it was originally adopted , aud has since been patronised by some Lodges under your Constitution .

That this Institution is truly Masonic in its Operation , it being enacted that no Child is eligible to partake of its benefits whose Father has not subscribed to the Funds of the Society . That this Charity is at present from the smallness of its Finances limited to Twenty-five Children , and that there are upwards of Twenty Candidates now supplicating Admission whose Fathers are duly registered in Grand Lodge .

Tour Memorialists therefore beg leave to solicit on behalf of this Chavifcy that you will be pleased to enact that in future the Sum of Five Shillings shall be collected from every Person admitted into the Mysteries of Masonry in any Lodge under your jurisdiction , to be paid with the Registering Fee , and to be

appropriated to tho sole use of The Royal Cumberland Free Masons School . This your Memorialists are persuaded from thc best information will raise such a Sum as will enable them to provide for double the present Number of Objects . And your Memorialists will ever pray .

This Memorial was at once approved and ordered to be signed by the Chairman and countersigned by the Secretary , and presented to Grand Lodge at its Quarterly Communication on the 18 th April . At the General Committee , on the 27 th April , Bro . T . Callendar , one of the Memorial Committee , reported that he had presented it at the

Committee of Charity on the 13 th April , when a motion was made"that if the Prayer of the Memorial shall be granted , every Master of a Lodge should have the privilege of a Governor , though such Lodge should not contribute otherwise thereto than according to the requisition in the said Memorial ; " and he added " that the said

Memorial , with the rest of the Proceedings of the said Committee of Charity , were read and confirmed at the Quarterly Communication on the Wednesday following . " On this , as the Minutes relate , " Mr . Heseltine rose and informed the Committee that , notwithstanding what had been just reported , he was of Opinion that no Law had yet

passed in the Grand Lodge to enact the Payment of Five Shillings from every Person initiated into Masonry , for that previous to such a Measure being adopted the Lodges should have notice thereof in the Circular Letters from the Grand Secretary , that they might come

prepared to assent to , or dissent from , such a Law being passed . " On hearing such an opinion from so distinguished a Mason as Bro . Heseltine , who was Treasurer of Grand Lodge , and at the same time not only well-disposed towards the Institution , but likewise anxious for its firm establishment , the Committee adopted the sensible course of

The History Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls

appointing Messrs . Forssteen , Tenbroecke , and Callendar a Commit - tee " to meet three Gentlemen of the Hall Committee to search for Precedents relative to the adopting Regulations in the Grand Lodge , and to draw up a letter to be sent to the Lodges by the Grand Secretary , with the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge . " At the Quarterly

Court on the 13 th July it was ordered that the following letter , signed by the Chairman , and supplemented by a Statement of Account from the institution of the Charity to the Lady Day previous , should be sent to all the Lodges : — Right Worshipful Master and Brethren ,

The Quarterly Court of Governors of the Royal Cumberland Free Masons ' School finds with infinite Satisfaction that tho Grand Lodge has addressed a Letter to the several Lodges under the Constitution desiring that they will com . municate their Sentiments on the Memorial which was presented by Order of a

Special General Court of the Governors of this Institution to the Committee of Charity on the 13 th of April last , and afterwards to the Quarterly Communication on the 18 th of the same month , at both which Times it was unanimously an . proved of .

Thc request therein contained is so perfectly reasonable that this Court relies with the fullest confidence on your warm Support to that Measure as the best calculated to extend the benevolent Views of this most excellent Charity and to render Permanent this truly Masonic Institution .

This Court begs leave to transmit herewith an Account of the Receipts and Payments of the Charity , and are happy , at the same time , to express its sense of gratitude to the Shakespear Lodge , which , besides a liberal Donation , set the example of collecting Five Shillings from every Gentleman initiated , and every Brother Member thereof

becoming a , and which lias produced from that Lodn-e since passing the said Resolution in February , 1791 , to tho 25 th March , 1792 , the Sum of £ 6 10 s ., and it is with great pleasure this Court acknowledges its Obligation to the other Lodges which have followed the above laudable example , whose Donations will appear in the next Audited Account .

Nothing further of moment is recorded in the Minutes as regards the proposal till we reach the account of the proceedings of the General Committee on the 13 th November , 1792 , when a vote of thanks was passed to Bro . W . Birch for his speech in Grand Lodo-e in support of the measure a few days previously , while at the

meeting on the following 28 th of December it was resolved to recommend to the General Court that a Circular Letter should be issued to the Country Lodges on the subject . However , on the 10 th January , 1793 , when the Court were proceeding to deal with the recommendation , they were informed " that doubts had arisen in

the minds of some of the Governors of this Charity , who are Free Masons and zealous Supporters thereof , as to the Propriety and Expediency of having called on the Grand Lodge to pass a law" enforcing the proposal , on the ground that it might be considered Grand Lodge was "imposing a tax , " which might in its effect "

operate against Masonry . " At the same time it was generally recognised as being of the utmost importance that "Grand Lodge should Cordially lend its Aid towards raising a permanent Fund to forward the extension of this valuable Institution ; " and as many Lodges had already adopted the plan set forth in the memorial on the ground

that , as an " expedient for raising a Revenue , " it was " both unexceptionable in mode and productive in Amount , " it was resolved that the Court " do earnestly entreat the Grand Lodge to recommend in the strongest manner to the several Lodges under the Constitution , either to make a Voluntary Collection" from every initiateor adopt

, such other plan as they may deem " best calculated to establish a permanent Fund to be applied to the benefit " of the Charity . Iii the event of this meeting the approval of the brethren , the Memorial presented to the Committee of Charity on the 13 th April , 1792 , and standing over for further consideration at the next

Quarterly Communication , should be withdrawn . The result was that at the Committee meeting in February , the Chairman ( Bro . W . Birch ) announced that he had attended Grand Lodge , and , as a Trustee of the Charity , had withdrawn the Memorial presented the previous April , and " that this Measure had met with such general

Approbation , that the Grand Lodge had determined to recommend the support of this Charity in the most forcible manner to all Lodges under the Constitution , and that they should make such Collection in their respective Lodges as Avould operate equally to its Advantage . And at the same time the Grand Lodge had voted a Donation of 20 Guineas towards the further Support of this Institution . " *

And here for a time the matter ended , the conscientious objections of those who considered the proposal tantamount to levying a tax being respected , while Grand Lodge , by its contribution and advocacy , furnished the strongest possible evidence it could give of its deep interest in , and anxiety for , the permanent welfare of the Institution .