The Girls Festival.

THE GIRLS FESTIVAL .

"IVTEXT week will witness the celebration of the 108 th -i- Anniversary Festival of the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Girls , under the presidency of the Et . Hon . the Earl of Yarborough Provineial Grand Master Lincolnshire , and we hope to record in our next issue that the event was a successful one .

The claims of this most estimable fund of English Masonic benevolence are widely known , and it is probable there are few of our readers but are personally acquainted with the work that is being done under its auspices , and the urgent

need there is for most liberal support year by year on the occasion of the annual Festivals ; may we therefore once again urge that all who are in a position to lend a hel ping

hand in the good cause will do so , and , what is of equal importance , use their good offices with their friends , and thereby induce others to support the Institution , and thus help in the maintenance of the large number of girls under its care ?

The Benevolent Institution.

THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

ANOTHEB important event to take place next week is the annual meeting and election of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution—to be held on Friday—when the all important question of the election of annuitants to fill the declared and any subsequent vacancies that may have arisen , will be decided .

An important ceremony has been fixed by the Prince of Wales Grand Master to take place at the Princes' Hall , Bestaurant , ^ Piccadilly , on Thursday next , 14 th inst ., when the Household Brigade Lodge will be consecrated , in the presence of

bis Eoyal Highness , by the Pro Grand Master the Earl of Lathom . The Prince of "Wales will be installed as the first Master of the new Lodge , and Major Lord Skelmersdale as Deputy , says the " Daily Telegraph . "

Some time ago a proposal was made by two or three energetic ladies to found a Masonic Lodge exclusively for women . The idea does not seem to have fructified , for no Lodge of the kind has yet been established . Now the sisters who are determined to become Freemasons of some kind or other have

started on another tack . Instead of founding an order which should have as its patron the Queen of Sheba , and be provided with genuine secrets which ladies could safely tell each other , they propose to claim admission into the regular ranks of the English Order of Freemasons , founding their right on

documentary evidence which they profess to have found . One of them has discovered an alleged entry in the records of one of the Lodges in the Province of York which shows that in the old days women were actually admitted with men as ordinary members . The words quoted are : " Hee or shee that is to be made Mason

shall lay their hands on the booke . " Perhaps the Grand Lodge of to-day will not pay much attention to this discovery , but the ladies who have made it may reasonably urge tbat even in those past times women were admitted not only to degrees , but to office . — " Daily Telegraph . "

A matter of importance to the Craft in general was alluded to in the Austral Lodge , No . 110 , Victoria . The W . M . had announced the next business as " the election of W . M . " Printed lists were distributed showing the name of every Brother of the Lod ge who was eligible for that office . Bro . F . Davies P . S . G . W . rose and infoimed the members that he was not a candidate foi

The Benevolent Institution.

the office . The Secretary Bro . H . W . Sinclair P . M . considered that it was not right for any Brother to state he was not a . candidate , ' a list had been handed to every member , and he should be free to select a Master from among those of its members who

had served the office of Master or Warden . The W . M . fully agreed with the contention of the Secretary , but concluded by stating , amid laughter , that he was not a candidate for the office , then one after the other the Past Masters rose and declined the

honour , when the S . W , announced his intention of not contesting an election . It was then found that only one name was left on the ballot paper , viz ., that of Bro . J . W ., who was declared duly and unanimously elected . Now , why is this farce played out month after month ? and why have a ballot if there be only

one candidate ? We have frequently pointed out the absolute absurdity of the position . A Lodge may elect a W . M ., but cannot make him act , or even come up for Installation , so that the law , as at present interpreted , digs a pitfall for Lodges to tumble into . — " Masonry . "

Grand Chapter.

GRAND CHAPTER .

THE installation meeting of Supreme Grand Chapter was held on Wednesday , at Freemasons' Hall , London , when the three chairs were occupied by Earl Amherst , Lieut .-Col Townley Caldwell , and the Earl of Euston respectively . The Prince of Wales having been proclaimed as First Principal of the Degree the following were appointed as the Officers of the year : Comp . The Earl of Lathom - - - Pro _ .

Earl Amherst - - - H . W . W . B . Beach , M . P . - - - J . _ . Letchworth - - - - Scribe E . Lord Skelmersdale ... Scribe N . Sir George D . Harris ... Pres . of Com . of Gen . Pur . William Heap Bailey - - - Treasurer His Honour Judge Philbrick , Q . C . - Registrar R . Horton Smith , Q . C . - - - Deputy Registrar

W . E . M . Tomlinson - - - Principal Sojourner M . P . W . Smithett - - - 1 st Assist . Sojourner John Cooper Malcolm - - - 2 nd Assist . Sojourner E . D . Anderton - - - - Sword Bearer George E . Lake - - - - Deputy Sword Bearer Rowland Plumbe - - - \ J . D . Langton - FGordon Brown ...

. , , ^ t- " . „ .. " „ , L Standard Bearers William E . Chapman - - - r E . St . Clair .... Henry Lovegrove - / Frank Richardson - - - Director of Ceremonies Major Francis Newman - - - Deputy Dir . of Cers . W . A . Scurrah - - - - 1

James Bo _ to _ - - - - . Assist Dirs . of Cers . James Ilew - George Graveley - - - - ) Henry R . Rose - - - - Organist William Lake - - - - Assist Scribe E . Henry Sadler .... Janitor .

To commemorate the completion of the Prince of Wales ' s twenty-first year as First Grand Principal H . E . H . conferred Past Grand rank on the following twenty-one Companions : Col . W . Campbell - - - - , Col . Chas . Hunter - - - George Cowell - - Henry Sutherland , M . D .

R . E . Baynes - - - } . Assistant Sojourners H . Homewood Crawford - - j ' Gordon Miller - - - - Ensor Drury - - - - | W . H . Cowper - - - - J C . D . Hill Drury , M . D . - - - George Mickley - - - - Frederick Lawrence - - - — .

~ •. . _ .. i , Vr IT r Sword Bearers T . H . Gardiner - Col . Hugh M . Gordon - E . Luxmore Marshall - - - Major C . W . Carrell - - - \

3 . M . McLeod - - - Rd . Newhouse - - - - V Standard Bearers James Stephens - - - - I John J . Thomas - - - - J William Vincent - Assist Dir . of Cers .