The Masonic Charities.

Having thusarrrived at the maximum cost per head , I noAV , in order to enable a comparison to be made with the amount any one of us would have to pay at a private or a public school for a bo 3 from ten until he was sixteen

years of age , deduct the folloAA'ing , namely : — £ s . d . £ s . il . 62 15 0 For extraordinary expenses 3 9 10 Office expenses 7 0 10 Clothing 8 7 4

Stationery and Books ... 0 12 3 Drawing Materials 0 2 G Hair Cutting , Brushes , & c . 0 3 3 Medical 0 11 5 Chaplain ' s Salary 0 18 7 21 1 0 ¦ which leaves £ 41 14 2

for a sound commercial education , with the addition of French , diUAving , music , and drill ; ancl in the upper division classics and advanced mathematics .

Even this sum of £ 41 14 s . 2 d . may be further reduced when Ave take into consideration that it is customary in schools to have about twelve weeks ' holiday per annum , whilst in these Charities the children have the option

of staying the Avhole year at the school , which will necessarily in crease the item of maintenance by , say one-fifth , ancl , for comparison , this one-fifth should be deducted from the above amount . ' The calculation of interest as rent of

schools , & c , averages £ 14 per head . This is a large item , and , I would ask , can we find a private or public school where the rent approaches anything like that sum , so , for comparison , this should be reduced . With reference

, hoAvever , to this amount , I Avould state that it includes infirmary , gymnasium , farm and out-buildings , drainage , layingout and formation of grounds , roads , & c , in fact , the re-construction of the estate .

The annual expenditure per head of the Boys' School is , necessarily , greater than that of the Girls' School , because a much more expensive educational staff-is ^ required , and the boys , unlike

the girls , do not reduce the clothing and household expenditure by their individual assistance . The Boys' School stands alone in the Charities in not having any funded amount to fall back upon ; such a fund

is essentially requisite , for . should , at any future time , the receipts be less than the expenditure , there will be no reserve to meet the deficiency . The third , established

was—THE EOYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION FOU AGED FREEMASONS AND WlDOAVS OF FltEEMASONS . It was founded at a Grand Lodge , held on the 2 nd March , 1842 , ancl was

established for "ranting annuities to males only . The annuities then granted

were—From GO to 70 years of ago ... £ 10 to £ 20 . „ 70 to 75 „ ... £ 15 to £ 20 . „ 75 and upwards ... £ 20 to £ 30 . In 1867 this scale was abolished ; a uniform payment Avas made to the men of £ 26 , which has been increased this

year to £ 36 . In 1849 the Widows' Fund was established , and annuities similar to the above scale were granted , but in 1867 this Avas altered to one of £ 25 per annum , and increased this year to £ 28 .

At the first festival , in 1847 , the amount realized Avas £ 819 16 s . Ocl , with 40 stewards , while in 1873 , wibli 185 stewards , the large sum of £ 6866

16 s . 0 d ., was received , being £ 3 , 000 more than was received at any preceding festival . In 1842 there AY ere 15 male nnuitants , there are IIOAV 115 ; each year shoAving a gradual increase .

The number of female annuitants elected in 1849 , was only five ; there are now 82 widows on the fund , and 11 receiving half their late husband ' s annuity . The Asylum at Croydon contains

apartments for 33 annuitants , who enjoy the privileges of the house in addition to the annuity , and , through the liberality of the Grand Lodge , they are also