The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

we are justified in presuming that Brother Allcrof t s influence will command a numerous following among London brethren . They invariably respond liberally to the appeals made to them in support of our Charities , whether the Chairman is , as it were , one of them or not : but Bro .

Allcroft's Masonic habitat is conspicuously London , so that here again we have before us a fair field from which Bro . Terry may not unreasonably look to reap an even more abundant harvest than usual . The purple brethren , they too constitute a strong phalanx of zealous workers ,

from whom much on these occasions is expected , and but seldom , if ever , expected in vain . Lastly , there is the general body of brethren , who go on canvassing ancl contributing with commendable regularity , whether the Chairman hails from London or the Provinces ,

whether he is an experienced President or one entirely new to the work , whether he is , personally , a man of much or comparatively little influence , These are the brethren who put down their names as Stewards months and months before the day for a particular Festival has been fixed . Tho amount raised on one

occasion is hardly known with accuracy before they set about busying themselves for another . They could not feel they were quite happy if they allowed an appreciable length of time to elapse without doing a little Festival work , just to keep their hands in . They are not the men

to do anything by halves , nor are they in the habit of working only by fits and starts . The consequence is , they constitute a most valuable force , on whose efforts the Chairman , be he who he may , may always rely with confidence .

Perhaps a few words in respect of the Institution for which these efforts are about to be made will not be out of place . That there is need for an Annual Festival will be at once apparent when we state that close on £ 13 , 000 is required for annuities alone , to say nothing of what is

needed for expenses of management , & c . This , it will be allowed , is a heavy responsibility which the Craft has taken upon itself . The permanent income may be set clown , as , in round figures , about £ 4 , 000 , or less than one-third of what has to be found for the annuitants , so that over

£ 10 , 000 must be raised annually in order to make the two ends meet . Indeed , as regards expenditure , which must be provided for , the Benevolent , though the youngest of our three Institutions , is the most exigent . It receives a much larger grant from Grand Lodge , and its funded property

is more considerable than that of either of the Schools , but as far as total outlay is concerned , we repeat it is the most exigent of the three . Then , though not differing in this respect from the Boys' School , the number of applicants for its bounty is generally out of all proportion to the

number that can be benefited . And these applicants , they are all long past the meridian of life . They have once , perhaps , been in affluent , all must have been in comfortable , circumstances . They are men of tried worth , or the widows of such . Their relatives , if they have any , are

unable to contribute to their support , and but for the help which the Benevolent Institution is able to render them , they would be compelled to spend the closing years of life in a condition of abject poverty . The maintenance of such an Institution in its integrity is a duty which the brethren

owe to the principles of Freemasonry . It is a duty which we allow is fulfilled very conscientiously by a numerous section of tbe Craft , but there are brethren whose memory requires jogging . They are kindly disposed enough , but the business of life is very exacting , and in their eagerness

to attend to it , they are occasionally apt to lose sight of the very pressing necessities of their fellows . Perhaps , if the requirements of our Institutions were brought more prominently before the mass of the brethren , the demands made annually for their support would be less severe . There is

an old Scotch proverb to the effect that " many a mickle makes a muckle , " and it is astonishing how true it is when applied to our Charities . There are perhaps some 50 , 000 subscribing Masons in England and Wales . If each of these 50 , 000 gave no more than five shillings to each

Institution , they would raise amongst them sufficient to maintain them in their present state of efficiency , with a slight margin over to meet the excessive pressure which is occasionally made upon their resources . It is well to bear this in mind for two reasons . It is a severe tax on the

generous that they should be constantl y applied to for contributions , when they have perhaps already subscribed most liberally ; and again , fche more general is the support which our Institutions receive among the members of our

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

Fraternity , the more worthily representative are they of the principles we profess . However , in saying this , we are but travelling over well-known ground . Suffice it , therefore , to add , that if the Craft does its duty towards the Benevolent Institution in February next , there will be no need to fear for its exchequer at least for the current year .

Masonry And Benevolence.

MASONRY AND BENEVOLENCE .

WE are amazed when we consider the vast sums that are annually raised in behalf of our Masonic Charities , and wonder whether the funds will be kept up , and even grow larger . Mr . Gladstone once remarked , we believe with regard to the revenue of the country , that it grew by leaps and bounds . There was great rejoicing then ,

but lean years followed , and no one will contend that the elasticity of former times exists now . We should deeply regret if a reaction were to take place in the finances of our Institutions . They are such glorious monuments of Masonic faith , of noble devotion and generosity , that to

stand still would seem a reproach to those who can show so bright a record . If we allude to this matter now , it is only to call attention to possibilities , in order that what is feared shall not become a probability , much less a reality . We are reminded of the trite though apposite saying ,

Doubt , of whatever kind , can be ended by Action alone , " and as we know what has been done , so may we hope to do again , by Work , which was a gospel to the late Thomas

Carlyle . How he revelled in work himself , and prescribed it for others . He says , " There is a perennial nobleness , and even sacredness , in Work . " Truly , that is so , and that which sanctifies it most is the unselfish labour of

those who toil in the cause of charity . There are those who revile Masonry , some who ridicule it . The Times , a short while ago , said Freemasonry had raised dining " to the rank of a religious function , " implying that eating and drinking were among the main features of the Order . The

ignorance displayed by the assertion is on a par with the want of charity . We need only point to the fact , that the total income of the three Masonic Charitable Institutions , the outcome of voluntary subscriptions , for the year ended the 31 st ult ., was £ 55 , 994 14 s 3 d , to show how absurd it

is to charge the Craft with a tendency to bibulous and gastronomic excesses . Freemasonry , as a moral science , is totally distinct from the pleasures of the table , and the Charities in connection with it are nofc more affected by the custom of dining than are other institutions of a benevolent

character , which find it necessary sometimes to get at men ' s pockets through their stomachs . Out of the vast sum we have mentioned , £ 56 , 000 in round figures , by far the greater part is raised by individual effort , altogether apart from the social habits of the brethren . No body in the

world can show a higher motive for their charity than Freemasons—that is religious to all intents and purposes , and because it is so , the Craft is rooted deep in the foundations of society . The moral and spiritual truths of the

Order are the first care of every true brother ; social enjoyment is the natural result of labour and union ; and the Charities are the children of both . The mainspring of the whole is the teaching inculcated in the ceremonies and obligations .

Looking back upon the benevolent work of the past year it is with pride and pleasure that we notice the details . We have already mentioned the gross total of money received . This was divided somewhat unequally , owing to various circumstances , which we need not now pause to

consider . Foremost in the list stand the contributions to the Boys' School , which reached the formidable sum of £ 24 , 895 7 s Id . This amount , broadly speaking , is divided thus : two-thirds of the amount to go to the existing School , ancl one-third to the formation of a Preparatory

School . We shall shortly hear of this new movement taking practical shape . The Old Foundation , as by and bye we may have to call it , at the present time is boarding , housing , clothing , and educating 221 boys . The next on the list of successful efforts of the year is the Benevolent

Institution , which received £ 18 , 449 6 s Od , and is granting annuities of £ 40 each to 172 men , and £ 32 each to 167 widows . The Girls' School , although ifc only received £ 12 , 650 Is 2 d , is nofc less worthy than the other Institutions . It houses , boards , clothes , and educates 239 Girla between the ages of seven and sixteen . The boys it should