Masonic Relief Boards.

MASONIC RELIEF BOARDS .

C HARITY is one of the fundamental principles of Masonry . Upon his first admission into the Order tho neophyte is taught that to relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on all men , but more particularly upon

Masons , who are linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection . He is told that to soothe the unhappy , to sympathize with their misfortunes , to compassionate their miseries , and to restore peace to their troubled minds ,

is the grand aim we have in view . In becoming a Master Mason he makes a solemn pledge to assist needy brethren , their widows and orphans , whenever such shall apply to him for assistance . No duty is inculcated in a more signal

manner , and there is none that should be more cheerfully performed . Every true Mason understands and appreciates the obligation thus resting upon him , and is always ready to discbarge them to the full extent of his ability . There

is no duty which a brother performs , as a Mason , that imprints upon his heart and memory the same degree of satisfaction , when he reflects upon it afterwards , as that of having performed some kind act towards a needy brother or his family .

In the present situation of Masonry , having upon the rolls of membership of her Lodges hundreds of thousands of brethren scattered over the entire habitable world , aud engaged in almost all tho pursuits of life known to men ,

the calls for help are frequent , and the demands for charity require large appropriations of time and money . The open-handedness of Masonry has a tendency to make these demands larger and much more frequent than they

otherwise would be . It also presents an opportunity for dead-heats and impostors to ply their nefarious vocation of living upon others by concealing their true character . It is a well established fact that a large proportion of what

has been given as Masonic charity , in the past , has gone into the hands of those not entitled to receive it . It was thus worse than thrown away , for it has kept upon the

road a vast hoard of travelling impostors , who have lived upon this bounty , while needy brethren , or their widows and orphans , in many instances , have been left to suffer for a want of even the necessities of life .

The worst feature of this whole business is that those scoundrels , who are thus defrauding worthy Masons and their widows and orphans , are but seldom punished for the crime . The footpad who robs upon the highway is

arrested and sent to prison , there to expiate his crime in penal servitude , clothed in a convict ' s garb . The fraud who robs a Mason , or a Masonic Lodge , is no less a criminal , and should be made to suffer in like manner .

He is a worse criminal than the highwayman , for the latter selects for his victims those to whom the loss of a pursers but a trifle , while he robs the poor as well as the rich .

This condition of affairs makes it the imperative duty of Masons and Masonic Lodges to protect themselves , so far as is possible , against unworthy applicants for Masonic charity . The exigency of the case demands their most

serious consideration and united co-operation . In the smaller towns , where there is but one Lodge , the usual plan of constituting the Worshipful Master and Wardens a Committee on Charity , with authority to draw from the

funds of the Lodge , is perhaps as good a plan as they can adopt . But from a lack of proper facilities for detecting impostors , it is here that they are generally most successful in accomplishing their purpose . If these officers would be

more vigilant , and withhold relief until they can obtain some proof of the worthiness of the applicant , there would soon be but few frauds on the road . In large cities , the general plan of having a Masonic Relief Board , to which

all applicants for assistance are sent , has been worked very successfully in many of them . These Boards are generally composed of the Worshi pful Masters of the several Lodges of the city . Here brethren of experience employ every

means possible to dispense charity in a systematic manner . The Board selects some brother from his peculiar fitness for the place , and makes it his duty to investigate all applications for relief , and the applicant is temporarily

provided for , if necessary , until he is satisfied whether help should be extended or not . The charity fund is created by a small assessment per capita on the membership of each Lodge , made quarterly or semi-annually as the funds may be required . In this way the burden is prorated among the Lodges , and each bears its proportionate

Masonic Relief Boards.

share . No better plan for helping the worthy needy brother , detecting the unworthy , and distributing the burden so that each Lodge shall contribute its just share , could be devised .

A Masonic Relief Board was organized in this city several years ago , all the then existing Lodges joining { Q the organization and contributing in proportion to their membership . New Lodges , since organized , entered at

once into this arrangement , and the Relief Board performed its duty up to the close of the year 1886 , when it appeared that only four of the seven Lodges now in this city were contributing to the relief fund . This was so

manifestly unjust to these four Lodges that , at a meeting , for reorganization for 1887 , it was decided to make au effort to get all the Lodges once more to join in this noble work , and for that purpose they were asked to appoint a

Committee for consultation . Six Lodges responded favourably to the call , the Committees met in joint convention , and unanimously agreed that it was the duty , as well as for the interest of their respective Lodges , to

continue the Relief Board . This action now goes to the Lodges for ratification or disapproval at their next stated meeting . If all unite in maintaining the Board the estimated necessary contributions will not exceed thirty

cents per capita , and may be less . Brethren of Indianopolis , what shall be the result ? Can any Lodge afford to refuse this trifling sum for charity ? We have

tried to make the matter plain so that all may understand it . Do your duty as Masons , remembering the divine injunction that " it is more blessed to give than to receive , " and the Masonic one that " the greatest of these is charity . " —Masonic Advocate .

Royal National Life-Boat Institution.

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION .

THE report , presented at the annual general meeting of this Institution , held on Saturday , the 26 th March , at Willis ' s Rooms , St . James ' s , under the presidency oi the Right Hon . Lord George Hamilton , M . P ., First Lord of the Admiralty , states : — That the operations of the Royal National Life-boat Institution

were actively carried on during the past year—a year whioh caused more than usual anxiety to the Committee , the resources of the Society have been at times unusually straiued j but , notwithstanding , the results which were obtained in the saving of life more than compensated for all the care , trouble and expense which were bestowed

on tho work , and cannot but call forth expressions of thankfulness from all friends to the Life-boat cause . In the year 1886 as many as twenty new Life-boats were placed on the coast ; all furnished with the latest improvements , including water-ballast tanks , and most of them supplied with transporting carriages . Reports of the most

gratifying description have been received from many of the stations where they were placed , indicating that the Local Committees , coxswains and crews entirely concur with the Committee in considering them in important particulars superior to the boats they superseded , the opinion having been formed in many instances on

experience which had been obtained in them whilst performing excellent and gallant services in heavy seas . The Committee are most anxious to adapt the Life-boats to local requirements and to meet as far as possible the wishes of the crews both as regards the design of the boats and as to their eqnipment . They fully recognize

the fact that self-righting boats are not popular on some parts of the coast , and their desire is to provide boats in which the crews , who so gallantly risk their lives , have the most perfect confidence . Last year four new stations were formed , each of which was provided with a Life-boat . At the end of the year the Institution's fleet com .

prised 2 U 3 Life-boats . Gales of remarkable force , notably during the months of October and December , devastated the coast in the year , and brought into bold relief the value of the Life-boat service . The Life-boats were launched on service on 286 occasions , being 96 times oftener than in the preceding year j and also about 800 times

for exercise and inspection . It 13 with the deepest regret that the Committee have to record that of the many gallant launches made by their brave crews , three were attended by fatal consequences , resulting in the loss of no less than 28 valuable lives . The terrible Life-boat catastrophe off Southport , which excited the sympathy of the

whole country , was the worst that has ever befallen our Life-boat service . Public subscriptions were opened for the relief of the widows and orphans of the gallant men who so heroically sacrificed their lives in endeavouring to save others , towards which the Institution , always considering it to be its fluty to afford prompt and

efhcient help in cases where life is lost in the service , contributed liberally , and ample funds flowed in from all parts of the country , and even from the Continent . A special Sub-Committee was appointed early in January last to inquire into the self-righting properties of the boats of the Institution , and although their labours are not

concluded , the Sub-Committee have made an ad interim report , with many important recommendations , which it is hoped will prove a great and lasting benefit to the Institution . It has been resolved to offer a gold and silver medal for drawings or models of a mechanically propelled Life-boat best adapted to meet the conditions under whioh Life-boats are called upon to perform their work . Also a gold