Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

BERKSHIRE , Union , No . 414 , Reading , with the chapter attached to it , and three other lodges , ' ^ p Stewards , whose lists amounted to . £ 146 3 s . 6 d . Last year Berks and eiehbour Bucks were grouped together , as in the days of the late Bro . Sir i ' 1 1 Gooch , Bart ., P . G . M ., as one Province , and excellent service they rendered , . L-t *) nf their contributions being- £ 814 16 s ., of which the Benevolent

Institu-¦ received £ 435 13 s . 6 d ., the Girls' School ^ 142 17 s . 6 d ., and the Boys' School ' !? o « . This was a grand finish for the two counties acting together as one P vince but after such an effort we could hardly expect them to show to the Lme advantage separately . The same may be said with respect to the Province of

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE , 0 f whose 12 lodges was represented by Bro . Bliss to the extent of ^ 3 6 15 s . Tl re is this , however , to be said by way of apology in behalf of Bucks , as com-1 ed with its old associate , that , while the latter has had its organisation com-P | i „ A Rucks is at present a body without a head , though one in the person of

n Lord Carrington has already been provided by his Royal Highness the Grand vla-ter and will in due time be installed in its proper place . Of course , anything ' the way of a comparison of Wednesday ' s result with those of previous Festivals is out of the question . The lodges in CORNWALL ,

vhich are now 30 in number , are content to do their part through the medium of a single Steward , and Bro . Major J . J . Ross , who acted in this capacity on Wednesday had the satisfaction of heading a list amounting to . £ 143 us . Last vear the same brother represented the Province at the Boys' School , and compiled 1 total of ^ 137 ! ° -i while Bro . G . B . Pearce raised ^ 132 6 s . in May for the Girls '

School and Bro . F . W . Thomas £ 110 5 s . in February for the Old People , the total for the year being ^ 380 is . In 188 9 the Province distributed ^ 362 5 s . among the three Institutions , in 1888 ^ 465 5 s ., of which the Girls' School received the lion's share , and in 188 7 the still hig her sum of ^ 704 us ., Bro . G . B . Pearce being sole Steward at all three Festivals .

CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND , with its 20 lodges , was represented by Bro . P . de E . Collin , whose list contained donations and subscriptions amounting to £ 46 4 s . Last year it raised ^ 73 10 s . for this Institution , while the year previous it raised ^ 140 for the Benevolent and

Boys' School . In 1888 it made a great effort , and gave this Institution £ 1050 , a supplementary ^ 210 finding its way into the coffers of the Girls' School , while in 1886 it contributed ^ 500 to the Boys' School . These are records of which the brethren in the lake counties have reason to be proud . One of the 52 lodges in DEVONSHIRE .

the Sincerity , No . 18 9 , Stonehouse , had an efficient representative in Bro . Dr . Lemon , who has frequently acted in a similar capacity at these annual gatherings , and has invariably handed in a goodly list ; on Wednesday his total was £ 63 . Last year the total raised by the Province was £ 424 18 s ., namely , ^ 207 ios . per Bro , Dr . Lemon for the Old People in February ; ^ 142 ios . —chiefly by the hands

of Bro . John Lane—for the Girls' School in May , and i . 74 lis . per Bro . the Rev . Dr . Lemon and the Rev . Harry Hebb for the Boys' School in July . In 1889 the total traceable as contributed by this Province was £ 198 9 s ., which was pretty nearly

equally divided between the Schools . In 1888 it figured for ^ " 1013 5 s ., of which £ 840 was received by the Boys' School , in whose behalf Bro . Viscount Ebrington , M . P ., P . G . M ., acted as Chairman . The 33 lodges in DURHAM

had an efficient representative in Bro . C . D . Hill-Drury , whose list amounted to £ 168 . Last year all three Charities were supported , the total being . £ 262 ios ., of which the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution - received £ 7 8 15 s ., the Girls ' School £ 105 , and the Boys' School £ 78 15 s . In 1889 the sum of ^ 354 18 s . was

distributed among the Institutions , while in 1888 the total was . £ 751 3 s ., this Institution securing £ 122 15 s ., the Girls' School ^ 375 18 s ., and the Boys' School A 262 ios . Such figures as we have quoted constitute a welcome addition to any Festival Return .

The Province of ESSEX has increased the number of its lodges during the last few years , there being now no less than 32 on its roll , and as it has been a regular and on most occasions a large subscriber to our Charities , we shall hope to find its contributions on a more

extended scale . On Wednesday the number of its Stewards was six , of whom one acted independently and one did duty for a chapter , while the others represented lodges . Their lists amounted to £ 244 13 s . 6 d ., of which the principal 'terns were the £ 75 12 s . raised by Bro . Scoresby-Jackson , No . 2256 , and the ~> 7 i 8 s . by Bro . Scarlett , No . 1700 . Last vear it raised XQ 77 ios .. namelv .

* 3 ° 5 16 s . 6 d . in February for this Institution ; £ 284 os . 6 d . for the Girls ' school in May ; and £ 307 13 s . for the Boys' School in July . These figures vereag reat advance on those of 1889 , which only reached £ 646 ss . 6 d ., while 1

IMB —the year of the Girls' School Centenary—it raised £ 1297 3 s . 6 d ., and n 188 7—the year of the Queen ' s Jubilee— , £ 8 73 4 s . These Returns , though trying from year to year , are most creditable . 0 , it of the 46 lodges in the Province of

HAMI ' SHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT x were represented by four brethren , Bro . H . J . Atkins having undertaken to and a D Hen S ( No ' 5 ) and Horsa ( No . 2208 ) Lodges at Bournemouth con'l ^ oscomDe Locige , No . 2158 . The total reached ^ 204 15 s ., and is infl > ^ ke ! ^ at we have been accustomed to record from this strong and uential Province . Thus in the vear of the Oueen's lnbilee its contribution *) tn

Was ee . Charities was within a fraction of £ 1883 , nearly , the whole of which the 1 ^ n ' c ^ ky 'h's Institution , while the year following it just exceeded ^ 1355 , ever th P Wh ' ch WaS handed over to the Gir , s' School . In 1 S 8 9 and 1 S 90 , hownw c Return s were small , owing , as we have before explained , to the

establishlast ,, a local Charity Fund , towards which it has raised over ^ 2000 during the Festive ? f ° years- Thus the smalIness of the amounts at this and the als of the last two years is easily explained .

HERTFORDSHIRE ' ° dires £ f reat str ' during the last year or two , and where it numbered a dozen these - ° { l ereabouts ca " now boast of as many as 21 on its muster roll . Six of ^ mpiU ? wards t 0 the Festival on Wednesday , and the total they together c ° nsecrar HT ^ ' 2 S ' 6 d" The JameS Terry Lod ' No - 23 ~ ' ' which was itc - a ' ast vear . was represented hv the worthv hrnrher frnm wVinm it hkoc

ll 'e heav * - 1 S its W'M ' ' hls llst beln £ such as Bro ' Terl 7 . notwithstanding m anaues f es wh ' devolve on him as Secretary of the R . M . B . I . , always B Ushe H II f , s ?— £ l 6 7 us . ; while the Kingswood Lodge , No . 2278 , and the tne form i Lodge . No . 2323 , which was consecrated in 188 9 , were responsible , mer for £ 60 18 s ., and the latter for £ 26 5 s .

Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

The Chairman's Province of KENT musters 57 lodges , and of these no less than 46 were represented by one or more Stewards , while in addition there was Bro . J . S . Eastes , D . P . G . M .. doing his duty rig ht well as Steward for the Province generally , and four brethren Unattached together with three companions acting on behalf of as many Royal Arch chapters ,

the total number of brethren from this favoured county being 62 . The total amounts to the grand sum of £ 3493 9 s . 6 d ., the most important individual Returns being as follow , namely : that of Bro . J . S . Eastes , who made up the exceptionally brilliant total of ^ 628 15 s . 6 d ., and who as richly deserves the thanks of his Province for the able manner in which he led them in support of the Chairman . as he does those of the Institution for having been instrumental in obtaining so

large an amount ; Bro . the Rev . Robert Jamblin , representing Lodges Nos . 913 ( in part ) , 700 , and 1837 , returned a list of . £ 200 ; Bro . Horatio Ward , of No . 31 , Canterbury , one of £ 154 iSs . 6 d . ; Bro . J . J . White , No . 2099 , ^ 131 5 s . ; Bro . Alfred Wootton , No . 127 , £ 125 ; Comp . E . Palmer , of Chapter No . 913 , and Bro . Herbert Black , of Lodge No . 1273 , each of them £ 105 ; Bro . Felix Kite raised only a few shillings short of . £ 100 , the precise amount

being £ 99 T 5 s . ; and there were many other good lists , such as those of Bro . W . W . Burkett , No . 1208 , , £ 7 8 15 s . ; Bro . R . Joynes Emmerson , No . 1206 , £ 74 us . ; Bro . R . Derry , No . 158 , ^ 70 ; and Bro . R . Clay Sudlow , No . 1965 , ^ 69 6 s ., while the five Stewards of the Emulation Lodge , No . 299 , compiled amongst them a total of . £ 80 7 s . Kent , indeed , did splendidly , its average for the 62 Stewards who represented it being between ^ 56 and ^ 57 per Steward ; in

fact , considering the number of lodges on its roll as compared with those on the rolls of the three great manufacturing Provinces of East and West Lancashire and West Yorkshire , Kent may pride itself on having done better on this occasion than ever those three northern giants at any Masonic Festival ever held for our Institutions . Seven brethren did duty for

LANCASHIRE ( EAST DIVISION ) , six of them acting on behalf of three of its numerous lodges , while the remaining brother worked independently . Their lists together amounted to ^ " 126 , which for a Province with upwards of 100 lodges would be a small amount . But

it must be borne in mind that the East Lancashire Systematic Educational and Benevolent Institution has the first place , and very naturally so , in the affections of our East Lancashire brethren , who support it very generously . We cannot , therefore , expect them to be quite as free in their contributions to our central Masonic Charities as otherwise they would be .

LANCASHIRE ( WEST DIVISION ) is even stronger than it neighbour—East Lancashire—yet only three of its hundred and odd lodges were represented , the number of Stewards being four , and the sum total of their lists ^ 99 15 s . Here , again , we have the smallness of the contribution explained by the existence of three local Institutions—the West Lancashire Educational Fund , the Hamer Fund , and the Alpass Fund , which are all well

supported by the Province , and do a vast amount of good locally . There is , too , in the case of this Province , a special reason why the Returns should be on a modest scale . Bro . the Earl of Lathom , who is Grand Master of the Province , has undertaken to preside as Chairman at the approaching Festival of the Boys ' School , and our West Lancashire brethren will very properly reserve their strength for that occasion . The agreeable duty of representing the 12 lodges in

LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAXU devolved on Wednesday on Bro . John Hassall , of the Ferrers and Ivanhoe Lodge , No . 779 , Ashby-de-la-Zouch , whose list amounted to the very acceptable sum of ^ 70 6 s . 6 d . Last year it figured at the Benevolent Festival to the extent of £ 189 . In June , 188 9 , it raised . £ 525 for the Boys' School , and in 1888 the still

larger sum of £ 648 us . for the Girls' Centenary . In 1887 the Old People received the kind attention of the Province in the shape of ^ 250 , while in 1886 the Boys ' School was enriched by ^ 257 5 s ., and in 1885 the Girls' School by ^ 405 . These are large amounts from a Province of such moderate strength , nor can it be said that the subventions are distributed otherwise than most impartially . It is not the first , and we trust it will not be the last , occasion on which the credit of

LINCOLNSHIRE has been entrusted to Bro . H . E . Cousans , and though his list amounted only to £ 42 13 s ., it is to the credit of the Province that it is not included among the absentees , for Lincolnshire now has 24 lodges , and for three or four years has been doing excellent work . Thus it subscribed ^ 542 to the Girls' School in May , 1890 , and £ 100 to this Institution the preceding February . In 1889 it raised ^ 448 14 s .

for the R . M . B . I . and £ 69 6 s . for the Boys' School , while in 1888 its contnoutions just exceeded £ 223 , of which over ^ 200 was raised for the Girls' School Centenary . Thus in the course of the three years—1888—89—90—Lincolnshire ' s contributions have amounted to just a trifle more than ^ 1383 , or on an average ^ 461 per year . The Metropolitan Province of

MIDDLESEX had six out of its 40 lodges represented by seven brethren , the Lebanon Lodge , No . 1326 , Feltham , having two Stewards , the aggregate of their lists being ^ , ' 207 3 s . This , under all circumstances , must be regarded as a satisfactory Return . Last year Bro . Sir Francis Burdett , Bart ., the respected Grand Master of the Province , was Chairman for the Girls' School , and his Province supported him in

to the extent of over £ 1000 . In addition , it raised upwards of ^ 285 February for this Institution , and ^ 51 for the Boys' School in July , its total for the whole year being . £ 1337 15 s . 6 d . In 1889 its work was on a more modest scale , the sum distributed amongst the three Institutions being between £ 593 and £ 594 . But in 1888 it raised J 1816 5 s ., two-thirds of which was received b y the Girls '

Institution , while in 188 7 and 1886 it subscribed in round figures ^ 1265 and ^ 1035 respectively . With such amounts as these before us we must not be .-surprised that every now and then even a Province of 40 lodges shows only a moderate total to its credit . There are but 10 lodges in

MONMOUTHSHIRE , yet six out of the 10 were directly represented , while Bro . William Pickford acted as Steward for the Province generally . The amount raised b y the seven brethren was ^ 325 , Bro . Pickford ' s list being ^ 53 ios ., and Bro . Flanders , ^ 58 16 s . In May , 18 90 , the Province gave its support to the Girls ' School , for which it raised subscriptions amounting in all to ^ 247 . In 1880

upwards of £ 300 was raised for the Boys' School , while in 1888 it gave £ 43 8 3 s . to the R . M . B . I . and a further ^ 94 ios . to the Girls' School Centenary . In 1887 the Boys' School received ^ 300 and the Girls' School £ 62 , so that each Institution has its turn of support . On Wednesday , however , though the amount raised is below some of the Returns we have enumerated , the contingent of brethren who had a hand in raising it was more numerous than usual . One of the 18 lodges constituting the Province of

NORTH WALES sent up a Steward in the person of Bro . C . K . Benson , whose name is b y no means unfamiliar to those who study our Festival Returns , and who on this occasion