Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

Royal Masonic Institution for Girls .

THE One hundred and eighteenth Anniversary Festival of the Royal Alasonic Institution for Girls which was held for the first time outside the precincts of Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , May 9 th , at the King ' s Hall , Holborn Restaurant , under the chairmanship of R . W . Bro .

Sir Thomas Bucknill , Prov . Grand Alaster of Surrey , will rank amongst the most successful of the Charit y Festivals . Apart from the centenary celebration it was the largest Board of Stewards on record , and the results was in jiroportion to the efforts made . Upwards of eight hundred brethren and ladies were

jiresent , and atter the dinner the Chairman , in giving the toast of " The AI . W . Grand Alaster , " referred to his Royal Highness as an enthusiastic soldier and sympathetic Freemason , who had lately come back from abroad . Since his return , his Royal

H i g hness had spoken of the extraordinary enthusiasm which he found existing in South Africa for

Freemasonry , whether Britons or Boers . Bro . E . Terry , P . G . Treas ., responded for " The Grand Officers" in

a characteristically humorous speech . The Chairman , in jirojiosing the toast of the evening" Success to the

Royal Masonic Institution for Girls "—said that although his time

had been largely occujiied in sjieaking , and , perhaps , in making the worse the better cause , he felt extremely

nervous that evening . As he had said before , this was the

118 th Anniversary . He could not , jierhajis , remember the first , but he could go back forty years , for he had been

nearly forty years a Alason . His family on his father ' s side

for generations had been Alasons , and shortly after he attained his majority , unasked , he became a Alason ; but , he was ashamed to say—and he accepted the full responsibilitythat he had not up to now taken the same interest in those great Institutions that he ought to have taken , and he was very sorry for it . His visit to the great Girls' School three

days previously had been a revelation to him . If anyone wanted to be enthusiastic about the Institutions , let him go and see what he had seen in that Institution . Happiness depicted ujion each child , and a keenness in undertaking their duties , particularly in those charming evolutions called

by that ugly mime—calisthenics—in their music and singing , that one came away with a big lump in one's throat , when they remembered how each child came there . As he told the children , if they mentioned in after life where they were educated they would at once have the hand of friendship held out to them , and it would secure them a position as

ll . W . ItllO . Silt THOMAS ISUCKNll . I ., IMIOV . CM . SUItlil . Y .

sisters of the great brotherhood of which the brethren were members . Let them look into a few facts . At the first festival there were fifteen children , there were now nearly 300 . The first festival produced less than £ 100 , for Alasonry was not then as now , for it had increased , by leajis and bounds . In 1805 they secured £ 1 , 000 , and in 1 879 £ 10 , coo . Since then

it had never been under , excejit on three occasions , which could be accounted for . Many times it had been double , and he wondered what it would be that night . What did all that jirove ? It proved this . In the jiosition in which he was so honoured—as Prov . Grand Master of Surrey—they were brethren of one of the greatest brotherhoods on earth .

So long as a man had a religion he could be a member of their brotherhood . What an example to the House of Commons ! It jiroved that whatever form of government they had , and whatever their jiolitical opinions—and all were cajiable of them — they were

bound 111 one common object and one common determination of benevolence to the children of their brethren . Let

him tell them what the children could do . He was told the } ' were as graceful as young jiorjioises in swimming .

During the jiast seventeen years out of 623 who had entered for the Cambridge examinations 595 had

jiassed . They would agree that these examinations wanted a bit of doing . Out of 1 , 600 children during the jiast year

throughout the country , onl y twenty-two succeeded in getting honours in the first class , and the institution got one .

Vi'hcther they took t h e College of Precejitors or examinations for music

and singing , the result was the same—success , which could not be brought about unless they went into it with a strong heart , trained by teachers who were once pupils in the school , and now in their turn were able to show sympathy and the greatest care and attention

to their successors . Are they satisfied with what the children had done for them ? They had a fine dividend for their investment . They paid their money down like men and were satisfied with the use made of it . He did not think . ' 1113- better use could be made of it . He was getting

old , not loo old to love , and he had fallen in love with the Girls' School . They had their house committee , matron , and governesses , and everything seemed to be a perfect piece of organisation in the right direction . As to the house committee , he should like to sjieak of one of them under whose wing he was taken down—Bro . Frank Richardson—who knew every child . Going into accounts , lie found £ 2 7 s . 6 d .