Notes On Masonic History.

the Lodge is closed , because dining or supping together i ; one of the recognised means towards promoting good fellowship . It IK tho reverse of correct to say that Free masonry was established to promote ' ¦ feasting" and othe ' objects .

Li Chapter IT . the origin of Freemasonry is considered Says Bro . Sutherland , quoting from a work by the lato Bro . Mackey : — "Tho historians of Freemasonry , who aro now engaged in the discussion of this question may be roughly divided into two schools—the Mystical and the Authentic , "

Dr . Anderson being the orig inator of the former , while the latter , ifc . seems , " has only existed about thirty or forty years . " The various opinions which havo been held at different times by different persons aro referred to and described , so far as the concise nature of the work

will permit . Some of tho Mystical school , for instance , make Freemasonry coeval with the world , the Authentic circumscribe ifc to the period commencing with the establishment of our Grand Lodge in 1717 , while others adopt a sort of middle course . We do ' not gather from Bro .

Sutherland's narrative what are Ins personal views on the question . Our own opinion AVO have often expressed , namely , that Freemasonry , being a system of morality ,

may justly lay claim to a very l'cspectablo antiquity , and that , ' as a matter of fact , it is in a certain sense the legitimate representative of the philosophies taught by the learned and discreet men of tho earliest and most en

lightened nations of olden times . As regards the next chapter , in which is given the traditional history of the Craft , we are surprised that a brother who exhibits generally so much acumen should have seriously discussed the initiation of Henry VI . into

the mysteries of Freemasonry . Whatever may be the value of the MS . referred , to in this part of Bro . Sutherland ' s notes as having been rejected by Findel andLessing , but accepted by Preston , Krausse , and Fessler , it is impossible to associate it with Henry VI . in the year 1425 .

to which it is usuall y assigned . This monarch , at tho time he is said to have gravely propounded the series of questions contained in this MS ., as to the nature and teaching of the Mason Craft , could not possibly have been more than four years old , or a little over , even if we set ; the M . S . down in

connection with the closing months of the year in question . Young men , especially young princes , appear to have been very precocious in those days . Edward the Black Prince was a boy of fifteen when , under the guidance of his father Edward III ., he gained the victory at Crecy . His

son Richard II . was about the samo age when , with a presence of mind that a greybeard might have envied , he boldly confronted the followers of Wat Tyler , at the instant they were about to avenge the slaughter of their chief . But though in those times many a brave

military or political act was performed by youths still in their teens , we cannot call to mind a single instance in which a boy , who , if he wore of the present generation of English youngsters , would be about entering into his first suit of knickerbockers , inquired about , and was

subsequently initiated into , the mysteries of Freemasonry . We have often wondered that brethren , with even a slight knowledge of English history , should have allowed

themselves to fall into such an error . We say againwhatever may be tho value of this manuscript , it is impossible to associate ifc with Henry VI . in tho year 1425 , when he was a boy of four years old .

In his account of the different English Grand Lodges , Bro . Sutherland has been very successful in his array of the facts . No one , after reading- his notes on the subject , ought ever to fall into a difficulty as to which of the Grand Lodges that have been established in England is which .

His remarks on the ritual and degrees are also clearly and concisely set forth . The side and high degrees , having regard to the character of the essay , arc very properl y dismissed in a few lines . It is bewildering enough to the

brother of ordinary intelligence to be told " there aro in existence nofc less than 57 SI ait res , 72 Masters , 66 Ecossais . 91 Degrees of Memphis , and 152 Knights of various sorts , to say nothing of the Female degrees . " To have had any account of them would have been still worse . For this

reason we think it would have been better had the " Adoptive Lodges" been as unceremoniously disposed of . The fifth section calls for only one remark . It was in

1874 the Prince of Wales expressed his readiness to accept the Grand Mastership rendered vacant by the resignation of the Marquis of Ripon , if elected . He was nominated to the Office at the Quarterly Communication in December

Notes On Masonic History.

bv . ! , it was not till 1875 that he was elected and installed . Even a clerical error must not be allowed to deprive the year 1875 of the glory which is its duo . We have accompanied our learned brother through his interesting compilation with a great deal of pleasure . We

have necessaril y drawn attention to certain errors , for which , however , he is not wholly responsible , having adopted them from tho pages of more elaborate histories . But , such errors apart , we cannot too strongly ommend these concise

" Notes on the History of Freemasony " * to the notice of onr readers . It is an excellent pocket companion , and should prove a guide , philosopher , and friend both to tlie initiate and the profane .

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

THOSE of our readers who have received a copy of the agenda paper for the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge on Wednesday , will have seen in it notice of motion , by Bro . Raynham W . Stewart , to the effect that henceforth the annual grant of Grand Lodge to the Male

Fund of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution shall bo £ 1 , 000 instead of £ 500 , and that to the Female Fund £ 600 instead of £ 300 . The first idea that will occur to brethren will be , no doubt , that , having regard to the immense success which has attended the last few Festivals of the

Institution , tho motion for so considerable an increase is uncalled for , and should be rejected . But the proverbially better second thoughts will , in all probability , lead them to form a different conclusion , and that , too , for reasons which , we firmly believe , will commend themselves to the

majority of the Craft . Let us examine these reasons at some length , and as in all our other researches connected with our three Charities , we have confined our observations to the septennial period , 1875-81 , let us adopt the same course in the present instance .

When the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution was held in January 1875 , under the presidency of the late Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot , there were 120 male and 88 female annuitants , the former being in receipt of £ 36 per annum each , and the latter £ 28 . In

addition there were 15 widows in receip t each of a moiet y of her late husband ' s annuity of £ 18 per annum . There was , consequently , an annual provision of £ 7 , 054 to be mado in order to meet the liability of the Institution under this head alone , to say nothing of

the sum required for defraying the expenses of maintenance of building , management , & c , & c , & c . Moreover , at this period the permanent income of the Charity was nearly £ 2 , 110 for the two Funds , namely , £ 1 , 159 18 s interest on £ 38 , 900 Government Stock , £ 800 from Grand Lodge , and

£ 150 from Grand Chapter . Hence this permanent income stood to the total expenditure in about the proportion of one to four—in other words , the former was in a position to provide for the latter to the extent of some 25 percent . Let us now regard the Institution as it presents itself to

onr notice in this present year 1881 Just before the election in May last , there wero 150 Male and 155 Female annuitants , the former being in receipt of £ 40 per annum each , and the latter of £ 36 . There were likewise fourteen widows receiving each a moiety of hev late husband ' s

annuity , namely , £ 20 . The Male aud Female Annuitants have been since increased in number by five each , that is , to 155 and 160 respectively . Thus , the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution is cal ' ed upon to provide annually £ 12 , 240 , or but little short of £ 5 , 200 more than it was at

the corresponding period in 1875 . If we set down the other expenditure at £ 2 , 500 , wo arrive afc a general total of £ 14 , 740 , or about £ 400 in excess even of the enormous sum raised at the Festival in February of this year . The permanent income has increased no doubt . The stock to

the credit of the Institution is now £ 60 , 525 , the interest on which is a fraction under £ 2 , 723 , while the grants from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter are , as before , £ 800 and

£ 150 respectively , or m the aggregate £ 950 . "Ins raises the fixed income to £ 3 , 673 , which , as was the case seven years ago , represents about 25 per cent of the expenditure . But though the proportion between the debtor and