Honorary Life Governors Of The Charities.

HONORARY LIFE GOVERNORS OF THE CHARITIES .

THE desirability of more liberally offering the rank of Honorary Life Governor of the Masonic Institutions to brethren and others who may exert themselves in securing subscriptions and donations for their benefit is a subject which has received a great amount of attention

from time to time , and , judging from the notices of motion given in connection with the Quarterly General Courts of the two Schools , which take place to-day and Monday respectively , some further discussion , and , we anticipate , extension of privilege , is likely to take place . During the

past few years a great number of Associations have been formed , principally in connection with London Lodges of Instruction , whose members each subscribe small weekly amounts , with the object of eventually becoming Life Governors of one or all of the Institutions , and so numerous

and sucfiessfnl have these Associations become , that it mu 9 t be admitted they now play no inconsiderable part towards providing the amounts annually subscribed by London brethren at the three Festivals . It is of course necessary

that each of these Associations should have governing bodies—Secretary , Treasurer , and so forth—and when we bear in mind that it takes upwards of four years to bring one of the " terminable Associations f which is the more

general form ) to a close , that meetings have to be held each month , and that it not unfrequently happens there are upwards of a hundred accounts to keep , it will be seen there is a large amount of work attached to their management , and it is but natural that brethren who devote their

time and services are worthy of some recognition . It is now proposed by Bro . Arthur B . Gladwell , both in the case of the Girls ' ' and the Boys' Institutions , that the Secretary for the time being of those Associations which

nave paid to the Institution a sum of not less than one hundred guineas shall , upon proof , be entitled to the honorary rank of a Life Governor and to all the privileges of the same , and it is this proposition which will require attention at the Quarterly General Courts .

One of the first objections which strike us in connection with this proposal of Bro . Gladwell is , the narrow limit within which he proposes to confine his recognition . So far as we know , there is very little choice between the work of a Secretary and that of a Treasurer to one of these

Associations . It may really be said that between them these two Officers conduct the Association each , in our opinion having an equal share of the work . Therefore it is invidious to confer an honour on the one and not on the other . It may be argued that were the proposal extended so as to

remove this distinction , that the number of honorary Life Governors would soon become inconveniently large ; but there is a way of obviating that , if it were decided it was not good policy to encourage it . We will assume it is admitted that the rank and privileges of Life Governor

are a suitable recognition to confer on the Officers of those Associations whose donations reach £ 100 , then we would propose that the honour be divided between the Treasurer and the Secretary , and that instead of one becoming entitled to the rank of Life Governor each should be made Honorary

Honorary Life Governors Of The Charities.

Life Subscribers for the first £ 100 , and on completion of a second £ 100 , then their qualification should be that of Life Governors . In considering this matter , it must be borne in mind that the titles of Life Subscriber or Life Governor would be in most instances really imaginary , as

it would be very seldom that brethren who became entitled to them had not already qualified themselves ; it is hardl y to be expected that those who are continually working for the Institutions will themselves remain outside the circle

of subscribers ; it therefore follows that it is not so much the rank that is conferred , as it is the votes and other privileges attached to it , and therefore we see no difficulty in dividing the honours as proposed .

So far the proposal deals only with the Association itself , the honour conferred attaching to a member only so long as he remains in the office of Secretary , and as it is hardly likely any brother would care to bind himself to such an office for the whole of his lifetime , it becomes necessary to

offer some reward of a personal character ; this Bro . Gladwell proposes to effect by conferring on the Secretary of any Association which has paid to the Institution during his Secretaryship a sum of not less than Two Hundred Guineas , upon his retiring from snch office , or on the

Association ceasing to exist , the rank and privileges of a Life Governor in his own right . The same objection applies in this case , as regards the Treasurer , as in the previous one , and we think the brethren will do well to consider this part of the subject before deciding one way or the other .

It becomes necessary to consider what effect these alterations , if adopted , will have on the future disposal of the funds of these Associations . At present the proposition is before the subscribers of the two Schools only , and should thev decide on adopting them , it

will become necessary for the Benevolent Institution , for its own protection , to follow a similar course . This being the case , we might have preferred the subject should have been discussed by a committee consisting of representatives of the three Institutions , or , in any case , that

some united action should have been taken rather than that the issue should be made special in each case . It is not very likely that one of the Institutions will in the end stand out in opposition to the other two , but there is a possibility of differences arising , and these we think would

not be possible if some understanding was come to beforehand . Then , again , the Secretary of an Association which has contributed largely to , let us say the Girls ' School , might use his endeavours to secure that the majority of the future monies should also go there , so that

he might be entitled to the honorary votes , and this could only be done to the detriment of the other two Institutions . We therefore think that some united action on the part of the three Institutions would have been better for all , although it might be that what is lost in one instance may be gained in another .

It will , doubtless , be urged by many brethren , that the adoption of these proposals will materially affect the number of votes issued , and thereby render the work of securing the election of a candidate even more difficult than it is at the present time . In answer to this argument , we would say that it is not at all likely there will ever be

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