Herefordshire Charity Association.

HEREFORDSHIRE CHARITY ASSOCIATION .

THE twenty-first annual meeting of the members of this useful Association was held at the Green Dragon Hotel , Hereford , on Monday , 26 th ult . The chair was taken by Bro . Wm . Earle P . P . S . G . W . President , and the other members of the Association present were Messrs . H . C . Beddoe , Thos . Smith , W . W . Eobinson , and J . G . Vaughan .

The following report and statement of accounts were read and adopted : — Your Committee have the pleasure of submitting their report for the year 1897 , aud have again to thank Bro . T . Godwin Chance P . M . 120 for 200 copies of the report for 1896 .

At last year s meeting the ballot for votes resulted in nine Life Subscriberships , which were obtained by Brothers Sir J . R . Bailey , Bart ., W . C . Gethen , A . R . Green , W . Hampton , W . R . Walker , T . Smith , Eastnor Lodge , Edward Bellow , G . W . Starr , of whom the first seven elected to take Boys School votes , and the two latter Girls School and Benevolent Institution votes respectively .

Since the formation of the Association , in August 1878 , it has remitted the following sums to the Masonic Institutions , viz . : £ s . d . To the Boys Sohool ... ... ... 456 15 0

„ „ Girls School ... ... ... 288 15 0 „ „ E . M . B . Institutions-Male Fund ... ... 162 15 0 Female Fund ... ... 147 0 0

£ 1 . 055 5 0 An average of nearly £ 53 a year . Your Committee regret having to report that , as Bro . T . G Chance , the recently-appointed Honorary Secretary of the

Association , is about removing to London , they and the Province generally must to a large extent lose the valuable aid of a kind and able Brother , who was much devoted to Freemasonry and especially to the claims of Masonic Charity .

In conclusion your Committee again beg to add that , as the Province of Herefordshire through its successful candidates has so largely received from the funds of the Masonic Charities , it ought certainly to subscribe more to the funds of the several Institutions

than it has hitherto done . The Treasurer ' s cash account for 1897 is presented herewith W . EAKLB P . P . S . G . W . President . Hereford , September 1898 .

Cash Account for the year ending 31 st December 1897 . SUBSCRIPTION ACCOUNT . Eeceipts . „ s . d To Members' Subscriptions ... ... 53 11 0

Payments . By Due to Secretary , as per last Acccount 110 „ Secretary of Boys School ... 42 0 0 ,, ,, of Girls School ... 5 5 0 ,, „ E . M . B . Institution ... 5 5 0

£ 53 11 0 MANAGEMENT ACCOUNT . To eight Entrance fees ... ... 10 0 By Stationery , Postages , & o . ... 0 7 6

Balance carried forward ... 0 12 6 Audited and found correct this 23 rd September 1898 . T . SMITH ) THOS . BLINKHOKN ] AucUtora

The ballot for votes was then taken , aud resulted in the following Life Subscriberships to the Masonic Institutions , viz .: Bros . H . H . Parry , J . C . Vaughan , H . Morgan , W . Parlby , and the Palladian Lodge .

The Committee for the ensuing year was then appointed as follow : Bros . J . Marchant President , H . C . Beddoe Treasurer , W . W . Robinson Secretary ; for the Palk'lian Lodge H . H . Parry , for the Virtruvian Lodge T . Matthews , for the Royal Edward Lodge E . Bellow , for the Eastnor Lodge H . Morgan , for the Arrow Lodge P . Parker ; Bros . T . Smith , and T . Blinkhorn Auditors . A cordial yote of thanks to the Chairman Bro . Earle , and Bro . T . G . Chance Secretary , brought the proceedings to a close .

Presentations At Lewes.

PRESENTATIONS AT LEWES .

TWO interesting ceremonies were performed on Wednesday evening , 21 st ult ., at the Freemasons' Hall , Lewes , at the conclusion of ordinary business at the meeting of the South Saxon Lodge . Bro . Alderman T . R . White P . M . in appropriate and

graceful terms first made a presentation to Bro . W . Wright , Piltdown , Dckfield , who is shortly leaving Sussex to take up his residence at Southampton . In making the presentation , he alluded to the services rendered to the Lodge by Bro . Wright ,

Presentations At Lewes.

and to his distinguished position in the Provincial Grand Lodge . As a mark of the esteem in which he was held by the Brethren of the South Saxon and Pelham Lodges , he presented him , amid hearty applause , with a silver cigar case , cigarette case , and match box , enclosed in a handsome morocco case , and he also handed him a handsome gold brooch for Mrs . Wright . The gifts were acknowledged in appropriate and feeling terms .

Bro . S . Starnes , who had acted as Organist to the Lodge for thirty-five years , and who retired a few months ago , was presented with an Organist ' s jewel , as a mark of respect for his long services .

Against Galling Off.

AGAINST GALLING OFF .

IT is a little singular that a Lodge should want to call off during the summer , when in reality there is no more comfortable place at the command of nine-tenths of our Brethren than a well arranged hall intelligently handled . Of course if you dare not leave a door open for fear that some detective might

sneak in and get to be a mason at sight , and then give away our secrets , or are afraid to leave a window open for fear that some mischievous , tale-bearing woman might see that we make some kind of a sign—no two alike perhaps—it would be well to go out and sit in the park or take a trip on the water every real hot night and let the Lodge take care of itself .

The Brother who never goes to Lodge except to watch the treasury or hunt trouble would do much better to stay away at all times , as his presence is a menace to harmony , and sometimes annoys good men who go to the Lodge to enjoy a visit with congenial friends , where there is no danger of intrusion . There are few more comfortable places in which to spend an evening

than in a Masonic Lodge room , in the control of Brethren who know their duties as Masons , and attend to them like men who are not afraid that their best friends may be robbers in disguise , seeking , every minute , to take some mean advantage of the innocent Brother , or trying to wreck the Lodge for some ulterior

purpose . A poor man may not be able to furnish comfortable quarters for his family , but the Masonic Lodge ought to meet in a place that will leave no unpleasant impression on any unreasonable Brother . Meet in good halls and summer weather will have no terrors . —Missouri " Freemason , "

THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT AS FIREMAN . OUE Eoyal Brother the Duke of Connaught , who occupies a probably unique position in Freemasonry , as Past Grand Master of England , Provincial Grand Master of Sussex , and District Grand Master of Bombay , has , says the " Westminster Gazette , " the reputation of being " a first-class fighting man . " And if it is true that you can best tell a man's character off duty , the following story , which a correspondent sends us from Aldershot ,

should go some way to prove that the Duke does not leave his first-class fighting qualities behind him when he takes off his uniform . Writes our correspondent : ' ¦ I was walking from Farnborough on the road to Aldershot last Wednesday afternoon , when I noticed smoke and flames arising from a copse by the side of the road . The fire broke out with extraordinary suddenness , for the moment before I had noticed nothing . But it spread

with amazing rapidity , and if the copse and the shrubbing by the roadside were to be saved there was no time to lose . With the exception of two labourers who were hurrying towards the spot there was no one about . Here was a pretty state of affairs , for not a drop of rain had fallen for months , and the undergrowth was crackling fiercely . At that instant a

figure in a light check suit on a bicycle appeared in sight . I was just running to the shrubbery to see what I could do when he jumped off his machine , and , leaving it by the side of tho road , called to the labourers , who were now beating the fire with their shovels , to cut him a branch from a fir tree to fight the flames with . I asked him if I could assist in any way .

"' Why , certainly , ' he said . 'Take a branch and follow my example . ' He was already in the hottest part , beating the crackling underbush with the bough , and stamping the flames out with his feet . The smoke was blinding , and showers of sparks shot up . A few minutes more , and in spite of our efforts , the fire had caught a big fir tree . " ' You tackle that fir tree , ' I shouted . I'll stick to the fire on the ground . '

" 'All right , ' he cried cheerily , and went at it with a will . But I had no idea at the time that I was ordering the Duke of Connaught about . But still , even if I had known , it was no time to be H . E . H .-ing him . " Well , we got the flames under at last . But a precious sight we looked . Tho Duke's light suit was light no longer . It was as grimy as his face . But he rode off on his bicycle with a gay heart . " ' Who ' s the party ? ' said I , when he had gone .

" ' Why , didn't yer know that s the Duke ? ' said one of the labourers . " Passing down the road a few minutes later I saw a patrol approaching . The shrubbery was in a hollow not far from the camp , and I began to think that a big general like the Duke might have had half an army at his service to put that fire out if he had ridden on a short distance to the camp . "— " Daily Telegraph . "

Marriage.

Marriage .

WiTHKituY-PiEiiPOiNT . —On the 27 th ult ., at the Church of St . Jude , Peckham , by tbe Kev . Cyrus Steel , M . A ., Edward James Witherby , son of the late Augustus Witherby , of Peckham , to Edith Bessie , daughter of Bro . Eobert Pierpoint , of Loudon Bridge .