The Old Folks At Croydon.

27 vacancies for the annuity , they could sea at otico there was a very strong ground for him to appeal for support . He need sonrtvly say lin did extract a pound or two from the brethren boforo he ounio away . Sir Edmund Leehmere tho Provincial Grand Muster s -tit a wire from Stonrport , siying ho vvcu'd give

15 guinea " , and Br . Gofiscn tho Deputy Provincial Grand Master not to b > outdone , said he would give 15 guineaa . Well , thoy raised £ 170 in the room . Therefore , he thought tho circumstance * of the Secretaries of tliq Institutions going out was recognised at Dudley on Tuesday wii lit . I '' . v tho fourth time in t ' . io lives of the three present Secretari .-. s of tho Masoaio Institutions , those three

Secretaries had met together at a great Masonio gathering . It was a good thing for them to go out , they made themselves known . To say that , as a modest man , was something . The Secretaries had a creat deal of concspniuleiico with brethren in tho couutry , and in the course of that correspondence occasionally it was difficult to understand a brother . Perhaps a correspondent might appear to be

crusty , and one felt inclined to resent his tone . Bat whon you got introduced to the brother and came to know him , he probably turned out to be one of the best fellows livinp , and you and he were the firmest friends ever after . To go to another subject in connection with tho Benevolent Institution . He would not like to sit down without mentioning the name of Misa

Norn ' s , the worthy Matron . A great deal rested on the shoulders of Miss Norris , and the brethren and ladies had only to look ronnd to see how well everything waB managed ; that all was done in a spirit of love , and thero was no word of command given . The Institution was blessed first of all with a modest Secretary , and secondly with a good Matron . If there could be anything done to evince their

regard and esteem for that lady in the Jubileo year , it would ba by a large subscription . They might take it from him it would be flattering to her . A little later iu the day he would say something financially , bnt he might now inform the company that Dr . Stron " was retiring from the active medical supervision of the Institution , though not from his hearty co-operation in its affairs . Year by year ,

and again this year , thoy had his genial presence among them , and Mrs . Strong and her two daughters were generally there . This year , however , they were absent . One of Dr . Strong ' s daughters was married on Tuesday . Ho was sure every one present would desire to tender to the happy pair their sincero congratulations , and wish them every blessing . To revert to the Institution , he hoped if thero was any one in that assembly who had not yet parted with a £ 5 note

that he intended to give he would haud it over to him . Dr . Strong acknowledged for Miss Norris tho kind remarks made by Bro . Terry with respect to her , and said she ruled not with a rod of iron . With regard to what Bro . Terry had said of him , he was entering on his thirty-second year of office in tho service of the Institution . He had been in practice since 1854 . He did not , however , relinquish his connection with Croydon , for although ha had a marine residence , he continned to have a residonce at Croydon , and would be there onco a week .

The dinner party then roar , and tho ladies paid visits to the residents , and afterwards partook of tea . The brethren who had attonded to the serving of the dinner subsequently dined together , Bro . C . F . Hogard Past Grand Standard Boaror presiding . Bro . Terry , in replying to tho toaat of Success to the Royal Masonio Benevolent Institution , proposed by the Chairman , said

Bro . Hogard had informed tho brethren that ho ( Bro . Terry ) perhaps had some interesting statistics to give . Wei ! , just as to the history of the past year , so far as regarded the finances of the Institution , the brethren were aware the Institution had a very heavy fight agaiust the recent Festival of the Boys' School , which had the greac honour of receiving nearly £ 30 , 000 . When the Benevolent

Institution came to total up its amount at the end of the year , the announcement at the Festival baing over £ 15 , 000 , there was only the difference between the amount announced as received for the Boys ' School £ 27 , 000 , and the total £ 22 , 000 , of the Old People of only £ 5000 when tho year of both of ihein terminated . That was a great result to achieve in the face of such a grand success as the Boys '

School had . In the future the Benevolent Institution could only make a guess ; it was impossible to say what the amount mi ght be ; but with the 919 Stewards at £ 40 a piece a total of £ 37 , 000 would be got . But when it was known that ladieB were working as well as brethren , and that the Provinces were working most energeticall y , he hoped the average total of £ 40 per list would be considerably exceeded . If that

should be the case the total announcement would be very much increased . The average list of tho Benevolent Institution taken the last 10 or 11 years had always been in excess of that of the Boys' or the Girls' School . It bad sometimes got up to from £ 50 to £ 52 per list ; the Boys' and Girls' had been £ 40 , and averaged from £ 32 to £ 36 . Therefore in this coming year great efforts being made , and

additional voting privileges being given , people and Lodges would increase their subscriptions , and he was sanguine enough to hope that £ 36 , 000 or £ 40 , 000 would be below the mark . The Chairman had said he saw no one round the table who was not a Steward ; bnt casting them np he found 12 were Stewards , which was a large proportion . There were others who had been Stewards last year , and it could not

be expected that they would take that burden on them selves again . One took up over £ 200 last year . Dr . Strong was one " and brethren right and left of him were likewise Stewards . The H estival he hoped would be a success . Its President was the Earl oi Mount Edgcumbe the New Deputy Grand MaBter . Seven stewards would come up from Cornwall . Lord Mount Edgonmbe ' s province , and every Lodgo in the Province , would Bend a Steward . T \ ,: J ——»~ * " »"" " »""« i "UUIUMUU a owwuiu . uevonsnire

- , which was immediately connected with Cornwall , would come forward and support his lordship . The place in which to hold the Festival had not yet been fixed upon by the Committee . The Crystal Palace and Brighton were out of the question and the Coramitteo had to choose within a four-mile radius ot London . The Albert Hall and Covent Garden Theatre were been Zl ° ? , ° ' . Her Majesty ' s Theatre , not having been used for a long time , would require too much money to

The Old Folks At Croydon.

b ) spent on it . But in the event of Covent Garden Theatre being ueleoted it was to his mind best adapted , as it was now arranged for fancy balls ; 1350 people could dine on the floor of the house , and then there was the magnificent crush room , and the whole hou ^ e would be at their disposal ' . Very advantageous terms had been kindly offered by Sir Augustus Harris for a three days' ooonpatinn

Iu case of that house being decided on , he ventured to say the Bcete would be one that Freemasons had never seen the like of . Reference lind been made to his services , and to the faot that on Tuesday ha was on the other side of Birmingham , and on Thursday would be at Noithampton . He oould assure the brethren that nothing except in tho way of health would stand in the way of his doing all he could

for tho Institution ; but , just in passing , permit him to say , as almost tho only graceful acknowledgement bo could make to the services of his coadjators , Bros . Mason and Stevens had been doing their best—Bro . Mason in Birmingham , where he was well known , and Bro . Stevens in London , where ho was equally well known , night after night getting Stewards . Thoy were very successful , and as

Secretary ha thought it bnt right to give praise where praise was due . The Benevolent Institution stood in a different position to the Boys ' School and tho Girls' School Officers , in which there was no man who was a Mason but the Secretaries . The Benevolent Institution was in tho position of having so to speak three Secretaries , eaoh at n different place at tho same time . He had he thought nothing

farther to say than to express tho earnest hope that this time nexc year all the brethren present might congratulate themselves on the good health of tho residents of the Institution . Bro . Terry then made special allosion to tho services of Dr . Strong in looking after the residents , and to the cheerful entertainment which was given to the old people , which remindod them of days when they were able to provide comforts for themselves .

Bros . Mason , Stevens , Dr . Strong , and Hogard replied to speeches made in complimont to them ; Bro . Dr . Wayte promised 10 guinoas , and Bro . Anning another 10 guineas ; and the party adjourned for a short time to tea , while the room was being prepared for the evening entertainment . In the evening a musical programme was performed under Bro . George Smith by Miss Amy Sargent , Miss Lilian Close , and Bros . W . H . Wheeler and W . Syckelmore .

Freemasonry In Its Religious Aspects.

FREEMASONRY IN ITS RELIGIOUS ASPECTS .

''PHIS was the subject of a lecture recently delivered by Mr . Jtha -1 Gibbs , boforo the members of tho St . Mary's Lodge of Freemasons , Inverness . Mr . Gibba said that a careful consideration of the designs of Freemasonry would prove that although its morality at first sight appears more particularly adapted to Christianity than to any other religion , it was in reality cosmopolitan , and could be

claimed exclusively neither by tho Christian nor any other faith The real aim » nd design of Freemasonry was to unite all natiom , creeds , and sects , by a covenant of brotherly love and truth , snd thi s to form tho whole human raco into one great brotherhood , firmly united by mutual love , confidence , and esteem . It is a mournful but

indisputable fact that there does not exist a more striking example of the sectarianism of religion than Christianity affords , nor a strongs proof of the impossibility of Freemasonry ever accomplishii g its great design , if it should atfciin the form of a religious institntioD . Where can be found snch an ntter absence of

brotherly love as between tho different denominations of Christians ? Masonry forms a beautiful nuxiliary to religion , and to every system of faith which man ' s freedom of thought has projected to carry him to the one happy homo which is the common goal . Had Masonry not been connected with religion , its existence , its name even , would have lon » since disappeared . Empires and kiugdoms have fallen ,

oreeds and churches have ceased to exist , but Masonry still held high its head , resting ita solo foundation upon the Holy Volume . Masonry strictly enjoins Masons to interfere with no religious faith , but to be alike friendly to all ; to tho loyal and patriotic , conforming to the Government under which they may dwell , by obeying the laws which yield them protection , and by rendering strict justice in all their undertakings .

Royal Order Of Scotland.

ROYAL ORDER OF SCOTLAND .

A MEETING of the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Order for the West of Scotland was held on Tuesday , 29 th nit . in St . John ' s Hall , Glasgow . Companion Dalrymple Duncan Provincial Grand Master oconpied the chair , and among the other brethren present were Sir James Buchanan , Bart ., D . P . G . M . ;

Francis W . Allan S . W ., J . D . Hedderwick J . W ., D . S . Miller Seoretaay , & c . The following candidates were admitted members of the Order : —The Hon . Thomas Cochrane , John M . Ross , John H . Ross , John Sanderson . After the meeting the Companiona dined together at the Central Hotel .

The remains of the late Mr . George Frederick Newmarsh , formerly a solicitor of this town , and for many years Deputy Prov . G . M . of the Gloucestershire Freemasons , were interred at the Cemetery on the 29 th ult ., having been convoyed the same day from London , where his death occurred , after a short illness , on the 24 th ult . The

ceremony was conducted by the vicar , the Ven . Archdeacon Hayward . In addition to the relatives there were present a large number of the members of the Cotteswold and other Gloucestershire Lodges . The deceased gentleman , who was greatly respected , was 74 years of ago .

On Friday , the 1 st inst ., the members of the St . George's Lodge , Doncaster , through Bro . Hartley , presented to Bro . "Walker a Past-Master's jewel . There was a large muster of brethren to witness the presentation , and to show their appreciation of tho services rendered by Bro . Walker .