The Freemasons Magazine. And Masonic Mirror.

rising above the hoarding ; and Ave trust when the brethren return from their vacation—Ave slaves of the quill have no holidays—the building will have made goodly progress . If promises are maintained , the first portion of the neiv buildings should be in the possession of the Craft before the next Grand Festival , and the whole completed within tAvo years . HOAV many of those interested in seeing so desirable a result accomplished

may then be living no one can tell . The Charities have all had their Annual Festivals , and all were successful . First on the list in January , the claims of the Royal Benei'olent Institution for Aged Masons and their "Widows was brought under the consideration of the brethren , when the goodlsum of £ 2376 3 s 6 dwas subscribed—handsomeno doubtbut we

y , . . , ; could have wished , looking at the fact that this ought to be the first of our Charities , it had been more . The Luke of St . Albans , Provincial Grand Master for Lincolnshire , ably presided , and ivas Avell supported , Ave had nearly written , by every loclge in his province ; but a little bird whispers in our ear that the subscriptions of the whole province , apart from that of the noble Duke , amounted to little , if anything , more than

£ 0 Os . Od . At all eA ents , his Grace has no reason to complain of the support he received from the London brethren . In March , the Festival of the Boys' School took place ; and , though shorn of some of its importance by the unfortunate illness of the Duke of Newcastle , Provincial Grand Master for Notts , from AAdiich AA e are afraid it AAdll be a long time ere he will recover ,

proved as successful as its most ardent friends could expect , the collection amounting to the handsome sum of £ 4213 . The chair , in the absence of the noble Duke , was ably filled by Bro . Augustus Smith , ProAdncial Grand Master for Cornwall who made his debut before the London brethren , ancl met with general approbation . If Cornwall did not support their Grand Master as well as Ave are sure the Lodges would wish , knowing , as

Ave do , how popular he is amongst them , Ave must attribute it to the fact that Bro . Smith was called upon to take the chair at something more than the eleventh hour , and the Cornish brethren had no notice that he was about to do so . One thing , however , the Provincial Grand Master has promised in their name that the year shall not pass away Avithout their giving substantial evidence of the value they place on the Institution . We rest assured the Masons of Cornwall will not disappoint the expectations of their Provincial Grand Master .

The third ancl last Festival—that of the Girls' School—did not take place until May , when another Provincial Grand Master appeared for the first time before the London brethren , and had the gratification of hearing the announcement that the subscriptions of the evening amounted to £ 3 , 006 16 s . 6 d . There is a noble emulation pervading the ranks of the supporters of the tAvo Schools , Avhich , in point of fact , means the right hand

and the left hand pockets of the same brethren , for whosoever supporteth one Masonic Charity supporteth all , AAdiich Ave hope may long continue to the advantage of both ; and Ave trust that the Girls' School Festivals may long continue to be presided over by as able and courteous Presidents as Bro . Col . Shaf to Adair , Provincial Grand Master for Suffolk . From the foregoing it Avill be seen that the three Festivals this year produced no less

an amount than £ 9 , 596—a A'ery pretty penny for any society to produce exclusively from amongst its OAATI members . It is yet too early to speak of the prospects of the Charities next year , but we may remark that the Deputy Grand Master the Earl De Grey and Ripon , Provincial Grand Master for West Yorkshire , has promise to preside at the Festival of the Royal

Benevolent Institution for Aged Masons and their WidoAvs , ancl the province is already making great exertions to give him a worthy support . £ 100 is to be voted from Provincial Grand Loclge to the Fund , and upAvards of twenty brethren have already consented to represent West Torkshire as SteAvards . A grand result must therefore be expected , as the West Yorkshiremen never do anything by halves . Brethren , our volume is closed ; and Ave trust Ave may be enabled to report , when next Ave pen a preface , that the Craft continues as prosperous it is at present .