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Article CANVASSING FOR OUR CHARITIES. Page 1 of 2 Article CANVASSING FOR OUR CHARITIES. Page 1 of 2 →
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Canvassing For Our Charities.
CANVASSING FOR OUR CHARITIES .
LAST week we inserted and commented briefly npon a circular letter of Bro . Dick Radclyffe , who has undertaken to act as Steward at tho ensuing Festivals of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and tho Royal
Masonic Institution for Boys . In order to secure as much support as possible , Bro . Radclyffe , in addition to canvassing in the ordinary way for the Guineas , Five Guineas , and Ten Guineas , which entitle their respective donors to be enrolled in the list of Annual Subscribers ,
Life-Subscribers , and Life-Governors , proposes to issue books of half-crown tickets , the purchasers of each of which tickets will be entitled to ballot among themselves for as many Life-Snbscriberships as the aggregate of the half-crowns received will justify . The success which has attended this
plan is so well known that it calls for no further remark from us . What , however , does seem to demand some comment is the statement to which Bro . Radclyffe has lent the authority of his name , namely—that if every Craftsman throughout England gave " 21 s per annum to each
Institution ( not a large sum to a man who can find several guineas for initiation fees , subscriptions , & c . ) the Charities would require no urgent appeals , nor need they turn candidates away , as the amount thus realised would be sufficient to double the establishments . " Of tho correctness of this
view there cannot be the slightest question . If we assume that in England there are 1 , 250 Lodges , and that each Lodge on an average has fifty subscribing members , we arrive at a total membership of G 0 , 000 and upwards . Bnt it is well known that a very considerable number of
brethren are members of two , three , and even more Lodges , and therefore a deduction must be made from the 00 , 000 above given . If , then , we assume that one brother in six belongs to more than one Lodge , we shall have a total of . 50 , 000 brethren , to whom the Charitable
Institutions must look for support . If each of these acted on Bro . Radclyffe ' s suggestion , the total annual amount of subscriptions to the Charities would be at the rate of one guinea per member to each Institution 150 , 000 guineas , or £ 157 , 500—a sum infinitely
beyond what would be required to maintain our Institutions at double their present strength . This , in fact , would be about four times as much as the aggregate incomes of all three Institutions during the year 1877 , when the receipts from donations , subscriptions , ancl other sources
were in excess of what they had ever been previously . We do not for a moment suppose that any one would object to so large an amount being subscribed annually as would be the case if every brother acted on Bro . Radclyffe ' s suggestion , and loyally gave his guinea to each
Charity . The excess of income over expenditure would be so enormous , that in a very few years the invested moneys would yield an income sufficient to maintain our Institutions at their present rate of efficiency without any appeal whatever being made to the brethren for
additional help . We are inclined therefore to believe that Bro . Radclyffe has placed his suggested contribution at too high a figure , and that one guinea from Craftsmen distributed equally among our Charities would suffice not only to maintain them at their present strength , but likewise to secure that strength to such an extent as to
provide for even the heaviest demands that might be made on them . Having regard to the number of affiliated Masons as aforesaid—and non-affiliates have no claim whatever on our support , that is to say , of course , no ;
Canvassing For Our Charities.
such claim as would justify the extension towards them and their families of the benefits of our Institutionswe repeat , having regard to this number , it is very evident that the Schools and the Croydon Institution would not require to be made more than half as strong
again as they are now . A Girls' School capable of receiving three hundred , a Boys' School of about tho same strength , and a Benevolent Institution with about four hundred beneficiaries , would assuredly meet tho greatest demands which are ever likely to be made—unless , indeed ,
we aro prepared to offer a kind of premium to people of small means to become Masons , so that they may have a chance of getting their sons and daughters into our Schools , or themselves into the R . M . B . I . If AVC reckon the expenditure of each Institution at £ 11 , 000 per annum ,
we have a total for the three of £ 33 , 000 , ancl if we increase this to the extent of one-half , Ave arrive at the considerable sum of £ 49 , 500 , or , say in round figures , £ 50 , 000 . NOAV , a guinea per annum from each of the 50 , 000 Craftsmen would cover this amount , ancl leave a small balance
over , Avhile a guinea to each Institution from each subscribing member would be just thrice as much , as Avould be needed , even if these Avere half as strong as they are now . Of course , it is very natural that every brother should desire to see our Charities on a better footing as
regards their permanent incomes . If these , amounting in one case to about the sum paid for a purchased admission into the school , and in the other cases to a few hundreds only , Avero increased to a few thousands , then indeed might we congratulate ourselves on their position , and that
Avithout ha \ 'ing recourse so extensively to the unpleasant process of canvassing for donations and subscriptions . Moreover , the Institutions Avould be commensurately less affected by those periodical fluctuations in the income of the country
AA'hich result from commercial panics , political crises , and the like . This is a point which should be kept prominently before the Masonic public , namely—that if the permanent incomes of all three Institutions—includinsr srants from
Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter Avere added together , they Avould not suffice to cover one-half of the expenditure incurred by one of them . There is , therefore , every reason why the subscriptions and donations of the brethren shouldbe on the most liberal scale for many years to come ,
but there is a difference between appealing urgently for what is necessary and appealing for individual contributions so considerably beyond tho immediate and even prospective requirements of our Charities . There is , too , one other point Avhich cannot be too carefully insisted upon , viz . —that those Avho canvass for our Institutions will do
Avell not to lay too great stress on Avhat , in the Avay of contribution per Mason , -will cover the expenditure of our Institutions . It is desirable , and ought to be regarded as a duty , that every ono should give according to his ability , but it is very undesirable that any of thoso Avho are sparing
of their surplus money should have an opportunity allowed them of giving less than they can Avell afforct . There are many brethren AVIIO have no objection to spending guineas on banquets and pleasure excursions who are by no means as liberal Avhen it is a question of supporting our
Charities , and if they are encouraged to believe that a guinea all round is all that is needed , they will give that guinea , and iio more . As a matter of fact , those Avho even srive a guinea are but a small fractional part of the Masonic
community , and the rich Craftsman's five or ten guineas ure the more Avelcome , and , indeed , the more necessary , because the comparatively poor Craftsman ' s guinea is . not xlways forthcoming . Canvassers , therefore , must be very
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Canvassing For Our Charities.
CANVASSING FOR OUR CHARITIES .
LAST week we inserted and commented briefly npon a circular letter of Bro . Dick Radclyffe , who has undertaken to act as Steward at tho ensuing Festivals of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and tho Royal
Masonic Institution for Boys . In order to secure as much support as possible , Bro . Radclyffe , in addition to canvassing in the ordinary way for the Guineas , Five Guineas , and Ten Guineas , which entitle their respective donors to be enrolled in the list of Annual Subscribers ,
Life-Subscribers , and Life-Governors , proposes to issue books of half-crown tickets , the purchasers of each of which tickets will be entitled to ballot among themselves for as many Life-Snbscriberships as the aggregate of the half-crowns received will justify . The success which has attended this
plan is so well known that it calls for no further remark from us . What , however , does seem to demand some comment is the statement to which Bro . Radclyffe has lent the authority of his name , namely—that if every Craftsman throughout England gave " 21 s per annum to each
Institution ( not a large sum to a man who can find several guineas for initiation fees , subscriptions , & c . ) the Charities would require no urgent appeals , nor need they turn candidates away , as the amount thus realised would be sufficient to double the establishments . " Of tho correctness of this
view there cannot be the slightest question . If we assume that in England there are 1 , 250 Lodges , and that each Lodge on an average has fifty subscribing members , we arrive at a total membership of G 0 , 000 and upwards . Bnt it is well known that a very considerable number of
brethren are members of two , three , and even more Lodges , and therefore a deduction must be made from the 00 , 000 above given . If , then , we assume that one brother in six belongs to more than one Lodge , we shall have a total of . 50 , 000 brethren , to whom the Charitable
Institutions must look for support . If each of these acted on Bro . Radclyffe ' s suggestion , the total annual amount of subscriptions to the Charities would be at the rate of one guinea per member to each Institution 150 , 000 guineas , or £ 157 , 500—a sum infinitely
beyond what would be required to maintain our Institutions at double their present strength . This , in fact , would be about four times as much as the aggregate incomes of all three Institutions during the year 1877 , when the receipts from donations , subscriptions , ancl other sources
were in excess of what they had ever been previously . We do not for a moment suppose that any one would object to so large an amount being subscribed annually as would be the case if every brother acted on Bro . Radclyffe ' s suggestion , and loyally gave his guinea to each
Charity . The excess of income over expenditure would be so enormous , that in a very few years the invested moneys would yield an income sufficient to maintain our Institutions at their present rate of efficiency without any appeal whatever being made to the brethren for
additional help . We are inclined therefore to believe that Bro . Radclyffe has placed his suggested contribution at too high a figure , and that one guinea from Craftsmen distributed equally among our Charities would suffice not only to maintain them at their present strength , but likewise to secure that strength to such an extent as to
provide for even the heaviest demands that might be made on them . Having regard to the number of affiliated Masons as aforesaid—and non-affiliates have no claim whatever on our support , that is to say , of course , no ;
Canvassing For Our Charities.
such claim as would justify the extension towards them and their families of the benefits of our Institutionswe repeat , having regard to this number , it is very evident that the Schools and the Croydon Institution would not require to be made more than half as strong
again as they are now . A Girls' School capable of receiving three hundred , a Boys' School of about tho same strength , and a Benevolent Institution with about four hundred beneficiaries , would assuredly meet tho greatest demands which are ever likely to be made—unless , indeed ,
we aro prepared to offer a kind of premium to people of small means to become Masons , so that they may have a chance of getting their sons and daughters into our Schools , or themselves into the R . M . B . I . If AVC reckon the expenditure of each Institution at £ 11 , 000 per annum ,
we have a total for the three of £ 33 , 000 , ancl if we increase this to the extent of one-half , Ave arrive at the considerable sum of £ 49 , 500 , or , say in round figures , £ 50 , 000 . NOAV , a guinea per annum from each of the 50 , 000 Craftsmen would cover this amount , ancl leave a small balance
over , Avhile a guinea to each Institution from each subscribing member would be just thrice as much , as Avould be needed , even if these Avere half as strong as they are now . Of course , it is very natural that every brother should desire to see our Charities on a better footing as
regards their permanent incomes . If these , amounting in one case to about the sum paid for a purchased admission into the school , and in the other cases to a few hundreds only , Avero increased to a few thousands , then indeed might we congratulate ourselves on their position , and that
Avithout ha \ 'ing recourse so extensively to the unpleasant process of canvassing for donations and subscriptions . Moreover , the Institutions Avould be commensurately less affected by those periodical fluctuations in the income of the country
AA'hich result from commercial panics , political crises , and the like . This is a point which should be kept prominently before the Masonic public , namely—that if the permanent incomes of all three Institutions—includinsr srants from
Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter Avere added together , they Avould not suffice to cover one-half of the expenditure incurred by one of them . There is , therefore , every reason why the subscriptions and donations of the brethren shouldbe on the most liberal scale for many years to come ,
but there is a difference between appealing urgently for what is necessary and appealing for individual contributions so considerably beyond tho immediate and even prospective requirements of our Charities . There is , too , one other point Avhich cannot be too carefully insisted upon , viz . —that those Avho canvass for our Institutions will do
Avell not to lay too great stress on Avhat , in the Avay of contribution per Mason , -will cover the expenditure of our Institutions . It is desirable , and ought to be regarded as a duty , that every ono should give according to his ability , but it is very undesirable that any of thoso Avho are sparing
of their surplus money should have an opportunity allowed them of giving less than they can Avell afforct . There are many brethren AVIIO have no objection to spending guineas on banquets and pleasure excursions who are by no means as liberal Avhen it is a question of supporting our
Charities , and if they are encouraged to believe that a guinea all round is all that is needed , they will give that guinea , and iio more . As a matter of fact , those Avho even srive a guinea are but a small fractional part of the Masonic
community , and the rich Craftsman's five or ten guineas ure the more Avelcome , and , indeed , the more necessary , because the comparatively poor Craftsman ' s guinea is . not xlways forthcoming . Canvassers , therefore , must be very