The Approaching Festival Of The R.M.B.I.

THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE R . M . B . I .

WE look forward with hope , not , however , wholly free from anxiety , to the meeting' at Freemasons ' Tavern on Wednesday next , when Bro . Lieut .-Colonel Le Gendre N " . Starkie , Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master of East Lancashire , will preside at the Anniversaiy Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . The

year which began a few weeks since opened in some respects more auspiciously than could have been expected . The political outlook is clearer , and there is reason to hope that when the appointed time shall come a state of peace will be restored in Em . ope , and then of course we may look

forward to a return of that material prosperity which has been denied us for the last year or two . But in the meantime wo must look things fairly in the face , and it is beyond question that at this present time the commercial state of this country is sadly out of gear . It is beyond

doubt that a very large amount of distress prevails in several of our most important industrial centres , and this distress is being constantly aggravated by the outbreak of fresh differences between , employers and the employed . Moreover , the severity of the weather has been a serious

hindrance to many trades , and there is no knowing , what with this fickle climate of ours , and tho known obstinacy with which trade disputes are prosecuted , when our commercial prospects may become somewhat brighter . For ourselves , we are inclined to be sanguine , rather than to take

a dismal view of the future that awaits us . Still it would be extremely unwise if we were to pay no heed to the circumstances of the moment . We sincerely hope that the Benevolent Festival of 1879 will more nearly approach , if it should not surpass , that of 1877 than did that of last

year , but if thero should unfortunately be no advance on 1878 or if—alsit omen—there should be a falling off in the receipts on this occasion , we shall at least have the consolation of knowing that such a result is not entirely out of

harmony with the circumstances of the day . However , as we have just said , we are inclined to be sanguine rather than downcast , and onr reasons for being so , with sundry other matters bearing on the Festival , may be not unworth y a few moments' consideration .

The grounds of our hopefulness are of a substantial character , but may be briefly described . In the first place East Lancashire , whose Grand Master will preside on the occasion , for the first time at any of the Festivals , is the strongest of our Provinces in respect of the number

of its Lodges , there being no less than eighty-nine borne on tho roll of its Grand Lodge , thirty-seven of which have Royal Arch Chapters attached to " them . In the next place , Prov . Grand Lodge has set a magnificent example to the Province by voting the sum of five hundred

guineas towards the festival , and we are informed there has for some time past been a numerous and influential body of Stewards canvassing the Province . Last year the chairman who presided was Grand Master of one of our smallest Provinces , and though tho brethren in his district

supported him admirably , still it was not to be expected they would be able to accomplish so much as a larger province . These circumstances , therefore , coupled with a very natural and very honourable desire to outvie

their neighbours of West Lancashire when Lord Skelmersdale took the chair on one oE these occasions , incline us to believe that the result of Wednesday ' s proceedings will be in harmony with the

importance of what for the occasion must be described as the most important of our Provinces . Then the Board of Stewards is considerably more numerous than it was in 1878 . Already on Monday , the 27 th ult ., Bro . Terry was in a position to announce that his list of Stewards

comprised the names of 253 brethren , or twenty-eight more than the total of last year . This has since been increased to 275 , and there is no reason why , by the eventful day ,

this number should not bo on a level with that of 1877 , when no less than 274 brethren discharged the office of Steward , in which case , and allowing the usual average per Steward , Ave may anticipate a greater result than was announced in 1878 .

Let us now turn our attention to a few other matters of even greater moment , and in stating this part of the case we shall glance rapidly back at the results achieved at the last five Festivals , as well as at the benefits conferred by the Institution now and in 1874 . In the latter year , when

Lord Waveney presided , the Festival yielded £ 5 , 220 . In 1875 , when the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot was in tho chair , the sum announced was in round figures £ 6 , 030 , with eleven lists outstanding . In 1876 Lord Skolmersdalo was chairman , and the result was £ 9 , 184 . In 1877 , tho

Earl of ShrcwsbiYry and Talbot—in the unavoidable absence , through ill-health , of H . R . H . Prince Leopoldwas again tho presiding spirit , and Bro . Terry had the satisfaction of announcing the handsome sum of £ 12 , 656 , with fourteen lists still to come . Last year the Festival

was held under tho presidency of His Grace the Duke of Manchester , and a total of £ ll , 136 was the result , with nine lists unreturncd . Thus 1875 showed an increase of close on 27 per cent , over 1874 ; 1870 an increase of over 38 per cent , over 1875 : 1877 an increase of rather less than 38

percent , over 1876 ; and 18 / 8 a decrease of a fraction over 12 per cent from its predecessor . At the same time , it must be remembered that the Festival of last February was considerably more than twice as productive as that of 1874—a most satisfactory result when we take into

consideration the shortness of the time that had elapsed in the interim . But then there are urgent reasons why this increase should bo maintained—we do not say by leaps and bounds , but according to a certain standard of uniformity . Wo will leave the payments to widows who receive the half of their lato husbands' annuities out of the reckoning .

The aggregate amount of such is small—only £ 240 in 1874 , and £ 220 last year—so that it will not greatly affect the main figures . Taking the male and female annuitants , we Snd there were at the end of 1874 , 120 of the former receiving £ 36 per annum , and 88 of the latter receiving

£ 28 per annum , the sum required for the two together being £ 6 , 784 . In 1875 it was swelled to 130 males and 100 females , at tho same rates respectively per annum , who received therefore among them £ 7 , 280 . In 1876 the annuities were increased to £ 40 for the males and £ 32 for

the females , the number of the latter being likewise raised to 110 , with three over eighty years of ago as supernumeraries , so that in respect of all these the Institution stood committed to an expenditure of £ 68 , 816 . In 1877 a still further advance in numbers was made bv the addition of

fifteen male and fifteen female annuitants , so that the amount required for the service of the year was close on £ 69 , 900 . Last year the number of male annuitants remained unaltered at 145 , but that of the females was increased to 135 ,

and the amount required for the payment of their annuities is £ 10 , 120 . To this must be added the aforementioned £ 220 for half annuities to widows of deceased annuitants , and about £ 2 , 000 for expenses of management ,