Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Approaching Festival Of The Benevolent Institution.
APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
ABOUT the beginning of the new year it becomes onr duty to bring under the notice of our readers the strong claims to their support of one of our three Masonic Charities , to wit , the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent
Institution for Aged Freemasons and the Widows of Masons . Ordinarily , perhaps , there is little to be said in its behalf that is new . Every Craftsman knows full well tho nature and extent of the benefits it is intended to confer , and who
and what manner of persons they are who are entitled to become the recipients of those benefits . As a rule , therefore , a short yet earnest reminder that the Annual Festival is close at hand is sufficient . This year , however , thero are several reasons why we should exceed the limits of an
ordinary notice . In the first place , tho chair will be taken by the new Provincial Grand Master of Oxfordshire , His Royal Highness Prince Leopold . It will , indeed , be his first public appearance in London since his appointment to that office . It may reasonably ho expected , therefore , that the
Craft generally will exhibit their sense of the Prince ' s kindness by freel y and enthusiastically supporting him . It is not the easiest task in the world to preside on such an occasion . Many an older and more experienced man has before now excused himself from undertaking so serious a
responsibility . Our brethren , therefore , must make this particular Festival a more than usually memorable one in the annals of Masonic Charity . But this is only one out of several reasons . We have been congratulating ourselves for some time on the successes which have
attended the Festivals of our different Charities . We have noted with a great deal of pleasure tho large increase that has appeared annually in the total amount subscribed .
Last year , indeed , was the most successful of all , and an aggregate sum but very little short of £ 4 . 0 , 000 was passed into the coffers of our threo Charities . We have every reason to be satisfied with so laudable an evidence of the
zeal and assiduity of the officials of the different Institutions , and the Stewards who assisted them to such purpose . It is also a satisfaction to know that the Craft is so enthusiastic in its devotion to that Charity , which holds so conspicuous a place among the fundamental principles of our
Society . But the satisfaction we have just recorded is far from being as complete as we should like it to be . Our Institutions are very far from being able to meet the great and increasing demands upon their resources , and the support that is accorded to them is far from being as general
as it should be throughout the Craft . Those who have taken the trouble to ponder over the analyses we have made from time to time of the different subscription lists , must have noticed with some degree of surprise , perhaps , how often certain of our Lodges—how seldom others—figure in
them . We are sensible that this is far from being a perfectly satisfactory test of the value that is generally attached to the claims of Charity . Many lodges , as well as many members , do all their good as secretly as possible . Still we are all so proud of the institutions which are indebted for their
existence and support to the Fraternity of Masons , that it seems more than passing strange the support they meet with should not be universal throughout the Order . As years go on we shall doubtless find that all who are Masons
in more than name contribute directl y to the funds of our Boys' or Girls' School or to the Benevolent . Meanwhile , it is well that our readers should not labour under the impression that these Charities are as well
Approaching Festival Of The Benevolent Institution.
furnished with moans of support as they shonld he . Wo havo it , on almost the highest possible authority iu our Craft , that no ono of our Charities will ever appeal in vain
for the needful funds in order to enable it to fulfil the purpose for which it was founded . We are inclined to regard this utterance as evidence of a wise prescience in the eminent brother who made it . No ono knows bettor than
ho how necessary it is that even greater sums should bo raised annually , so that our Charities may keep pace with the demands that are made upon them . Therefore his perfectly justifiable trust in the readiness of the Craft to be
at all times up and doing its devoirs manfully must be taken as ominous of good in the year wo have just entered upon . Let us return , however , to the strong record of facts and figures , and learn in the case of the Benevolent Institution the very important lesson they teach .
As our readers are aware the number of male annuitants
who enjoy the benefits of this Charity is one hundred and thirty . There are one hundred and thirteen widows , three of whom were taken on last summer in accordance with a law of tho Institution , which provides that octogenarians who have failed twice at tho ballot shall bo taken on with .
out further trial . Therefoi'e , leaving these out of the reckoning , as being only a chance addition to the strength of the establishment , we find there are just two hundred and forty annuitants , male and female together , while thero are , besides , twelve widows , each of whom receives the half
of her late husband ' s annuity . Last year , again , the annuities payable to these worthy brethren and widows of brethren were increased in amount by £ 1 > , and thus by a stroke of the pen an addition was made to the normal expenditure of tho Institution of £ 970 . Thus the total
amount which must be provided annually , merely in order to keep faith with the public , is a little over £ 8 , 700 . If to these be added the pensions of the threo chance annuitants ( octogenarians ) , and the twelve widows who receive tho moieties of their late husbands' respective benefices , we find
the whole sum payable m annuities is slightly in excess of £ 9 , 000 , all which must be provided annually by the Craft , even though the benefits of the Institution should never be extended beyond their present limits . Thus far , we have a picture of what is being done by this Charity , or to state
it more specifically , of what , with the largest amount of contributions that has ever been reached , it is capable of doing . If we now turn to consider the number of vacancies to be filled next May , and the number of approved candidates already on the lists , we find that as regards the male
establishment , eight vacancies have been announced , while the number of candidates is thirty-six . On the female establishment there are three of the former , and thirty-five of the latter . Thus , at the next election in May , there will , taking the two funds together , be , so far as we know at
present , just seventy-one candidates for eleven vacancies , that is , a ratio of six and a half of the one to one of the other . From this it will be manifest to our readers that the Benevolent Institution is very , very far from being equal to
the demands made upon its resources . As the numerical strength of the Craft increases , so shall we find there aro more claimants on the different Charities . Our first care is to provide for meeting all our existing engagements , our next that the number of beneficiaries shall be increased from
time to time as the demand upon us becomes heavier . If things are managed well , and the Craft generally is responsive to the call of duty , it should be in our power to announce an addition next spring to the number both of male and female annuitants . It will be a sad thing indeed , if it should be found im-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Approaching Festival Of The Benevolent Institution.
APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
ABOUT the beginning of the new year it becomes onr duty to bring under the notice of our readers the strong claims to their support of one of our three Masonic Charities , to wit , the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent
Institution for Aged Freemasons and the Widows of Masons . Ordinarily , perhaps , there is little to be said in its behalf that is new . Every Craftsman knows full well tho nature and extent of the benefits it is intended to confer , and who
and what manner of persons they are who are entitled to become the recipients of those benefits . As a rule , therefore , a short yet earnest reminder that the Annual Festival is close at hand is sufficient . This year , however , thero are several reasons why we should exceed the limits of an
ordinary notice . In the first place , tho chair will be taken by the new Provincial Grand Master of Oxfordshire , His Royal Highness Prince Leopold . It will , indeed , be his first public appearance in London since his appointment to that office . It may reasonably ho expected , therefore , that the
Craft generally will exhibit their sense of the Prince ' s kindness by freel y and enthusiastically supporting him . It is not the easiest task in the world to preside on such an occasion . Many an older and more experienced man has before now excused himself from undertaking so serious a
responsibility . Our brethren , therefore , must make this particular Festival a more than usually memorable one in the annals of Masonic Charity . But this is only one out of several reasons . We have been congratulating ourselves for some time on the successes which have
attended the Festivals of our different Charities . We have noted with a great deal of pleasure tho large increase that has appeared annually in the total amount subscribed .
Last year , indeed , was the most successful of all , and an aggregate sum but very little short of £ 4 . 0 , 000 was passed into the coffers of our threo Charities . We have every reason to be satisfied with so laudable an evidence of the
zeal and assiduity of the officials of the different Institutions , and the Stewards who assisted them to such purpose . It is also a satisfaction to know that the Craft is so enthusiastic in its devotion to that Charity , which holds so conspicuous a place among the fundamental principles of our
Society . But the satisfaction we have just recorded is far from being as complete as we should like it to be . Our Institutions are very far from being able to meet the great and increasing demands upon their resources , and the support that is accorded to them is far from being as general
as it should be throughout the Craft . Those who have taken the trouble to ponder over the analyses we have made from time to time of the different subscription lists , must have noticed with some degree of surprise , perhaps , how often certain of our Lodges—how seldom others—figure in
them . We are sensible that this is far from being a perfectly satisfactory test of the value that is generally attached to the claims of Charity . Many lodges , as well as many members , do all their good as secretly as possible . Still we are all so proud of the institutions which are indebted for their
existence and support to the Fraternity of Masons , that it seems more than passing strange the support they meet with should not be universal throughout the Order . As years go on we shall doubtless find that all who are Masons
in more than name contribute directl y to the funds of our Boys' or Girls' School or to the Benevolent . Meanwhile , it is well that our readers should not labour under the impression that these Charities are as well
Approaching Festival Of The Benevolent Institution.
furnished with moans of support as they shonld he . Wo havo it , on almost the highest possible authority iu our Craft , that no ono of our Charities will ever appeal in vain
for the needful funds in order to enable it to fulfil the purpose for which it was founded . We are inclined to regard this utterance as evidence of a wise prescience in the eminent brother who made it . No ono knows bettor than
ho how necessary it is that even greater sums should bo raised annually , so that our Charities may keep pace with the demands that are made upon them . Therefore his perfectly justifiable trust in the readiness of the Craft to be
at all times up and doing its devoirs manfully must be taken as ominous of good in the year wo have just entered upon . Let us return , however , to the strong record of facts and figures , and learn in the case of the Benevolent Institution the very important lesson they teach .
As our readers are aware the number of male annuitants
who enjoy the benefits of this Charity is one hundred and thirty . There are one hundred and thirteen widows , three of whom were taken on last summer in accordance with a law of tho Institution , which provides that octogenarians who have failed twice at tho ballot shall bo taken on with .
out further trial . Therefoi'e , leaving these out of the reckoning , as being only a chance addition to the strength of the establishment , we find there are just two hundred and forty annuitants , male and female together , while thero are , besides , twelve widows , each of whom receives the half
of her late husband ' s annuity . Last year , again , the annuities payable to these worthy brethren and widows of brethren were increased in amount by £ 1 > , and thus by a stroke of the pen an addition was made to the normal expenditure of tho Institution of £ 970 . Thus the total
amount which must be provided annually , merely in order to keep faith with the public , is a little over £ 8 , 700 . If to these be added the pensions of the threo chance annuitants ( octogenarians ) , and the twelve widows who receive tho moieties of their late husbands' respective benefices , we find
the whole sum payable m annuities is slightly in excess of £ 9 , 000 , all which must be provided annually by the Craft , even though the benefits of the Institution should never be extended beyond their present limits . Thus far , we have a picture of what is being done by this Charity , or to state
it more specifically , of what , with the largest amount of contributions that has ever been reached , it is capable of doing . If we now turn to consider the number of vacancies to be filled next May , and the number of approved candidates already on the lists , we find that as regards the male
establishment , eight vacancies have been announced , while the number of candidates is thirty-six . On the female establishment there are three of the former , and thirty-five of the latter . Thus , at the next election in May , there will , taking the two funds together , be , so far as we know at
present , just seventy-one candidates for eleven vacancies , that is , a ratio of six and a half of the one to one of the other . From this it will be manifest to our readers that the Benevolent Institution is very , very far from being equal to
the demands made upon its resources . As the numerical strength of the Craft increases , so shall we find there aro more claimants on the different Charities . Our first care is to provide for meeting all our existing engagements , our next that the number of beneficiaries shall be increased from
time to time as the demand upon us becomes heavier . If things are managed well , and the Craft generally is responsive to the call of duty , it should be in our power to announce an addition next spring to the number both of male and female annuitants . It will be a sad thing indeed , if it should be found im-