Stewards' Lists.

Of the 16 lodges on the roll of GLOUCESTERSHIRE , exactly one-fourth were represented at the Festival on Wednesday , the total of the six Stewards , including Bro . Edwin Lea , Unattached , being £ 197 8 s . Last year the Province did exceedingly well , the total of its Returns to the three Festivals being £ 598 19 s ., the Benevolent Institution receiving £ 44 us . ; the

Girls'School £ 229 19 s . ; and the Boys'School £ 324 9 s . The totals for 1893 and 1 S 94 were considerably smaller , amounting in the former year to £ 304 18 s . 6 d ., and in the latter to £ 428 6 s . 6 d ., but in 1892 , when Bro . Sir M . E . Hicks-Beach , Bart ., M . P ., presided at the Boys' School Festival , the total was £ 1729 us ., of which Ihe favoured Charity received £ 1645 us . Only five out of the 48 lodges in

HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIQHT were represented on Wednesday by as many Stewards , the sum total of their Returns being £ 18 3 gs . 6 d . But there must be occasional relaxation even on the part of such strong and influential Provinces as this . In 18 94 the Returns included £ 142 5 s . 63 . to this Institution ; £ 187 15 s . to the Girls' School ; and £ 516 8 s . to the Boys' School , making a total for the year of £ 846 Ss . 6 d . In 1894 they amounted to £ 95 1 9 s . 6 d ., of which about one-half was subscribed to

the Girls' School , while the remainder was shared between the Benevolent Institution and the Boys'School in the proportion of about four parts to the former and five parts to the latter . In 1 S 93 only £ 680 4 s . was raised , but in 1892 , when this Institution celebrated the Jubilee of its foundation , it stood at £ 1650 17 s .. the sum contributed to this Charity being £ 1345 19 s . 7 d . Nor must we overlook the fact that the Province has a very useful Educational Charity of its own which was started a few years since and is very liberally maintained by the brethren .

HERTFORDSHIRE , which for years past has been doing excellent work , has a larger contingent of Stewards than—as far as we can remember—at any Festival since that in behalf of this Institution in 18 93 , when Bro . C . E . Keyser , who has been associated for quite 20 years with the Province , acted as Chairman . On Wednesday 10 of its 22 lodges and three of its eight chapters took part in the proceedings , the amount raised by

the 12 Stewards being £ 724 iSs . Of this sum Bro . Keyser , representing the Hertford Lodge and Chapter , No . 403 , returned £ 185 16 s . ; Bro . John Mark , of the King Harold Lodge , No . 1327 , £ 68 5 s . ; Bro . C . B . Lumley , of the Bushey Hall Lodge , No . 2323 , £ 64 ; Comp . W . Metcalfe , of the James Terry Chapter , No . 2372 , £ 52 ios . 6 d . ; and Bro . E . P . Debenham , Halsey Lodge , No . 1476 , £ 9 . In 18 95 a sum of £ 452 3 s . 6 d . was raised by a body of eight

Stewards for this Institution ; £ 334 18 s . 6 d . by eight Stewards for the Girls ' School ; and £ 333 7 s . 6 d . by an equal number of Stewards for the Boys ' School , the total thus distributed amongst the three being £ 1120 9 s . 6 d ., while in 1894 the total was £ 958 6 s . 4 d . ; in 1893 , when , as we have already remarked , Bro . Keyser was Chairman at the Benevolent Festival , £ 2106 14 s ., of which £ 1444 3 s . 6 d . was subscribed for this Institution ; and in 1892 , £ 2135 6 s . 6 d ., of which £ 1883 6 s . 6 d . was in respect of the Benevolent Jubilee .

That this Institution should obtain the largest share of support from Hertfordshire is not to be wondered at , seeing that its worthy Secretary has has been one of its Provincial Officers for upwards of a quarter of a century , but the figures we have quoted show that the claims of our two Schools are by no means overlooked , and no doubt we shall see this confirmed when we chronicle the doings at the Festivals which have yet to be held in their behalf during the current year . It can hardly be expected that

KENT should show to as great advantage as it has in many pastyears . At the Festival of tl . e Boys' School in July last it had standing to its credit £ 1896 9 s ., which , added to the £ 253 us . 6 d . raised for the Old Folks in the preceding February , and the £ 240 9 s . subscribed to the Girls' School in May , made up the year ' s total to £ 2390 9 s . 6 d . Of this sum it must be borne in mind that £ 1260 constituted

the price of the Perpetual Presentation to the Boys' School in commemoration tf the many and distinguished services rendered by Bro . J . S . Eastes , the Deputy G . Master of the Province . This , therefore , is hardly to be looked upon as a contribution proper to one of our Festivals . But the money has come out of the pockets of our Kentish brethren , and is devoted to the service for Kentish purposes of one of our Institutions . As a consequence , the Province is not in a pcsition to subscribe as largely as doubtless it would otherwise have done , and on

Wednesday , only four lodges out of a total on the roll of 62 and one chapter with a brother acting as Unattached Steward , are entered in the Returns , and the sum cf their contributions is £ 164 6 s . In 1894 , the total was £ 1225 ios . 6 d . ; in 1893 , £ 2103 12 s . 6 d . ; in 1892 , when this Institution celebrated its Jubilee , £ 3003 13 s . 6 d . ; and in 1891 , when Bro . Earl Amherst , Prov . G . Master , presided as Chairman at the Festival of this Institution , it reached the splendid total of £ 4018 8 s . Our readers may depend upon it that Kent will very shortly be resuming its place among the more considerable donors .

It will be seen in the case of LANCASHIRE ( EASTERN DIVISION ) , as in that of Kent , that a big subscription for any special purpose of necessity exercises an unfavourable influence on the regular flow of contributions to our Central Charities . Thus , as the average of the Festival subscriptions to these Institutions suffered indirectl y by the memorial raised to Bro . J . " S . Eastes , D . P .

G . M . of . Kent , so the contributions of East Lancashire to the same Charities suffered last year , and will be likely to suffer for a short time , at all events , by the success of the splendid effort it " made in July last in behalf of its Systematic Educational and Benevolent Institution . At the Festival it then held , a sum not far short of £ 4500 was raised for the local Charity , while the total of the subscriptions to our three Central Charities was only £ 265 13 s . This is only in the

ordinary course of things . However generously disposed people may be , they cannot be expected to give twice over . They gave so largely to their home Charity , that they had but a small sum available for outside purposes . On Wednesday , however , the amount raised by the five Stewards who did duty for the Province and two of its lodges was £ 369 12 s ,, or considerably more than the total to all three Institutions in 18 95 . We trust the improvement will be as noticeable in the case of the two Festivals which have still to come .

LANCASHIRE ( WESTERN DIVISION ) Is just a trifle stronger as regards the number of its lodges than the eastern division of the county . It has also not one , but three , local Institutions to which it devotes a large amount of support , and which , in return for the generous measure of support they receive , do a vast amount ol good locally . This , of course , explains why the contributions to our general Charities are not in proportion to the strength of the Province . But when occasion arises , West Lancashire

knows how to put forth its strength . In 1891—when Bro . the Earl of Lathom , Prov . Grand Master , acted as Chairman at the Boys' School Festival , at Brighton —the Province supported him to the extent of £ 6126 14 s . 6 d ,, the total raised during the year being £ 6341 19 s . 4 d . In 1892 , the year of the Benevolent Jubilee , it raised £ 1679 14 s . 6 d .,-but in 18 93 only £ 792 18 s . ; while in 1894—when Bro . Lord Lathom was Chairman at the Girls' School Festival—the sum subscribed was £ 27 68 2 s . 6 d ., of which £ 2500 was in behalf of " Our Girls . " Last year , the

Stewards' Lists.

sum distributed among the three Institutions was £ 516 15 s . 6 d ., while on Wednesday , three Stewards , representing as many lodges , compiled amongst them £ 49 17 s . 6 d . We trust that West Lancashire will put forth some of its acknowledged strength in aid of the School Festivals in May and June respectively . There can be no two opinions as to the splendid character of the support given by MIDDLESEX

to its Prov . Grand Master as Chairman at Wednesday's gathering . By a lucky chance the Secretary of the Institution was successful in enlisting the services of Bro . Lord George Hamilton before the result of last year's Festival , and hence his Province was able to make the necessary arrangements at an earlier date than usual . In fact , no sooner had the Boys' School Festival for 1895 been held than some of the most active and influential brethren in Middlesex set about organising

a contingent of Stewards that should be able to give account of their Stewardship when the appointed time arrived ; and so admirable were these arrangements that every one of the 42 lodges on the roll sent up at least one representative , and many of the chapters did likewise . Then the Middlesex section of the Board on Wednesday numbered in all 73 ladies and brethren , while the sum they had the satisfaction of raising amounted to £ 3668 14 s . 6 d ., inclusive of £ S 2 ios

as the personal donation of the Cha ' uman . Among the larger contributions must be mentioned £ 491 9 s . from the representatives of the Elliot Lodge , No . 1567 , Feltham , the principal item comprised in this sum being the lists of Bros . T . I , Bird and John Mason for £ 124 13 s . and £ 152 5 s . respectively ; £ 73 ios . from Bro G . R . Nichols , who also did duty as Steward forthe Nelson Lodge , No . 700 , Plumstead ; £ 26 ns . from Mrs . E . T . Taylor , irrespective of the £ 26 5 s . raised by her

husband , Bro . E . T . Taylor ; and £ 32 us . by Mrs . John Mason , in addition to her husband's list already mentioned . Bros . Haly and Charles Penny , of the Unity Lodge , No . 1637 , Harrow Station , together raised £ 144 18 s ., of which £ 127 is . appeared on the Iatter ' s list , and the balance on that of the former . Bro . C . V . Burgess , of the Raymond Thrupp Lodge , No . 2024 , Hampton Court , and Bro . E . R . B . Denniss , of the Herga Lodge , No . 2548 , Harrow , are entered , the

former for £ 189 and the latter for £ 200 ; Bro . Charles G . Hatt , Dalhousie Lodge , No . 865 , for £ 137 19 s . ; Bro . G . Clark , jun ., Royal Hanover Lodge , No . 1777 , for £ 127 is . ; Bro . Charles J . Davison , Citadel Lodge , No . 18 97 , for £ 190 is . ; and Bro . Herbert Hooper , Bushey Park Lodge , No . 23 81 , for £ 315 . Of the amount of successful labour represented by this total for the Province collectively and these several items 'it is difficult to form an adequate idea , while it is

certainly impossible to speak io terms of exaggerated praise of the efforts which the Middlesex Stewards , collectively and individually , must have put forth in order to produce such a brilliant result . There can be no doubt that the Chairman must fully appreciate the loyalty exhibited towards him personally by the whole of his Province , while the Institution , which has benefited so materially

by his lordship ' s advocacy and their support , will gratefully bear in mind the benefits obtained for it by his and their separate and conjoined exertions . It is the best thing ever done by Middlesex on behalf of any one of our Institutions , and there is no doubt , that as a record , it will be long before it is beaten , even under conditions which may appear more favourable to the accumulation of big figures .

Of the 11 lodges on the roll of MONMOUTHSHIRE , five were directly represented by Stewards , while Bro . Lieut .-Col . Charles R . Lyne , D . P . G . M ., took the whole Province under his charge , the total sums raised by the six brethren being £ 246 3 s . Last year the Province took part in the Boys' School , the number of Stewards being the same as on Wednesday , but the total of their lists was only £ 148 us . 6 d . This was smaller than the amount usually

compiled , but we accounted for it at the time by the fact that the Province was engaged in raising funds with which to perpetuate the memory of the late Bro . S . G . Homfray , P . A . G . D . C , D . P . G . M . In 18 94 the amount subscribed to the Girls' School was £ 297 us . 6 d ., in 1893 this Institution was favoured to the extent of £ 272 8 s . 6 d ., and in 1892 the Boys' School received £ 316 183 ., at the Benevolent Institution , at its Jubilee , £ 21 , the latter Charity having had £ 325 is . subscribed towards its requirements the previous year .

There are 20 lodges on the roll of NORTH WALES , and of these two sent up Stewards , while Bro . C . K . Benson gave his services , as usual , but independently . The total obtained by these brethren was on a small scale— £ 45 3 s . but last year the Province did exceedingly well , the total subscribed

, to the three Institutions being £ 302 8 s ., of which £ 57 15 s . was in respect of this Institution , £ 57 15 s . to the Girls' School , and £ iS 6 18 s . to the Boys' School , Bro . Benson being Steward on each occasion . In the previous three years the total was higher still , being £ 4 00 17 s . 6 d . in 1894 ; £ 474 18 s . in 1893 ; and £ 495 12 s . in 1892 .

Ever since the Earl of Euston became Prov . Grand Master of NORTHANTS AND HUNTS , it has been its good fortune to find , aCleast , one or two brethren willing to enrol themselves as Stewards at any approaching Festival , the result being that it has rarely , if ever , figured among the absentees , while on particular occasions , as when his lordship presided for this Institution in 1889 or for the Girls' School in

, 1893 , or at the Benevolent Jubilee in 1892 , it has contributed in excess of the proportion which might be looked for in the case of a Province having so modest an array of lodges on its roll . Last year the total raised was £ 147 , of which the Boys' School received £ 105 , this Institution £ 10 ios ., and the Girls' School £ 36 15 s . In 1894 , the total reached £ 328 7 s ., of which this Institution had the good fortune to receive £ 202 7 s ., while about four-fifths of the remainder was ot

handed over to the Boys'School . In 1893 , the year ' s total was £ 1107 12 s ., which £ 1050 was subscribed to the Girls' School in support of Lord Euston s chairmanship , while in 1892 , the sum of £ 388 ios . was raised , the bulk of which was in respect of the Benevolent Jubilee . On Wednesday , the two Stewards , ot whom one was a lodge representative and the other Unattached , handed in lists amounting together to £ 36 15 s .

We look upon OXFORDSHIRE as one of the regular supporters of our Institutions , to be found invariably in the Returns for every Festival . Sometimes the contribution is on an extremely modest scale , as in February , 1895 , when the total subscribed to this Institution was only £ 21 2 s . More often the amount is large in proportion to the number ot lodges on the roll , while the average is a good one and well maintained from year to year . Thus the £ 21 2 s . just spoken of was followed in May by a total from

six Stewards representing three out of the 12 lodges amounting to £ 159 3 - > a " this in turn was eclipsed to the contribution of £ 191 18 s . 6 d . by seven of ^ tn lodges , the years' Returns standing at £ 372 185 . 6 d ., as compared with £ 312 >*• in 1894 and £ 440 6 s . 6 d . in 1 S 93 . In 1892 the total stood at the exceptionally high figure of £ 661 19 s .-6 d ., in consequence of the Jubilee of this Institution , to which the large sum of £ 428 7 s . was raised . On Wednesday four Stewards , representing as many lodges , compiled a Return of £ 77 is .