The Jubilee Commemoration.

We relate this little episode , of which we were onrselves a witness , just to illustrate in some way the difficulties that had to be contended with in respect of next Monday ' s gathering at the Albert Hall . As soon as the " confidential " circular of the Pro Grand Master was issued a thrill of

eager anticipation vibrated throughout the length and breadth of the English Masonic world . Nor was it until the second communication found its way more generally into the hands of the brethren that the project assumed

anything like a definite shape . It was then announced that the holding capacity of the Albert Hall would admit of five tickets only being allotted to each of the two

thousand and odd Lodges on the register of the United Grand Lodge of England , and these , as may be supposed , were coveted , like "Jews' eyes , " by a vastly greater number than conld secure them . The task remained with

the Masters and Wardens of Lodges to apportion those tickets as best they could , with due regard to precedence aud seniority ; and we sincerely trust that in this endeavour they contrived not to ruffle

the habitual serenity and harmony of their members . There is reason to suppose that many Lodges situated in far remote districts found it inconvenient to utilise the five tickets so allotted to them , taking into

consideration the expense and loss of time so long a journey to London would involve . We are not in the secrets of the Grand Executive , but presume that all such tickets as have been thus " respectfully declined" have been diverted into other channels . At

any rate , with the most careful and judicious arrangements on the part of the functionaries who will be appointed to show the brethren to their seats , and by packing the brethren as tightly together as it is in the

power of man to endure , Albert Hall , on Monday , will be thronged " from floor to ceiling " by men who will shout ringing cheers of acclaim when the Address to Her Majesty is agreed to , and when the honours due to our

Most Worshipful Master are called for . Such a parterre of purple and blue and gold and white , such a glittering of jewels and distinctions never yet was seen under ono roof , and the one absorbing wish of each of the eight

thousand fortunate ticket-holders is " May I be there to see . " We must not omit to look , however , at the practical side of this great demonstration , apart from its anticipated glories as a spectacle . There is a great and two-fold object

in this bringing together of the pick and flower of the English Craft on a day which leaves its mark not only on Freemasonry as a body , but upon our national history . The great and primary end in view is to congratulate our

beloved Queeen Victoria upon the completion of tho fiftieth year of her benign and illustrious reign , and that in itself is sufficient to warm the hearts of loyal Masons—and how many are not loyal ?—into a brighter flame of loyal

devotion towards the august Lady Patroness of the Craft . Other bodies of men , in the State , the Church , the Legislature , the professions and trades , and industries of every name , may celebrate the event in their own way , and with

their sincere and hearty sentiments of loyalty and affection which sit so deeply in the breasts of the -British nation . But amongst none will those emotions be more forcibly or genuinely displayed than by the representatives of English

Freemasonry who will find themselves in the Albert Hall next Monday . With one voice , heart , and hand will the note of acclaim be sounded , " God Save the Queen ; " and the chord will be taken up and re-echoed by the phalanx

of Masons throughout the length and breadth of Her Majesty's vast domain who , though unable to be present in person , will be emphatically there " at heart . " Every word of that congratulatory Address will be scanned as

" Queen ' s Speech " has never yet been ; every line will be devoured and made the pivot of thousands of echoing gratulations all over the kingdom during the forthcoming session of Labour , and long , long afterwards . The

gladsome notes wafted from the mammoth hall at Kensington will be borne away to the brethren in the City and " greater London , " many of whose Lodges will meet that

evening to celebrate the occasion ; it will flash along the telegraph to the more distant Provinces where those who could not attend the Festival will be consoling themselves

with Jubilee celebrations of their own ; in like manner it will fly across the Atlantic to America and Canada , beneath the seas to the Colonies and the Dependencies of the British Crown ; and all that domain upon which the sun never sets will rise and join in the glorious pcean of

" Longjjmay she reign ! Never before has the inner soul

The Jubilee Commemoration.

of Freemasonry been stirred in such a way as it 'will be then , and the strings will continue to beat in happy harmony for years to come . The spectacle itself , sublime as it will be , with our Most Worshipful the Grand Master surrounded on the dais by the most distinguished leaders

of our profession , and faced by a dense mass of ardent loyal and enthusiastic brethren , will be but a transient one , after all . But who can fathom the collateral influences which such a gathering will exercise npon the Masonic world ? It is impossible to do so , and therefore we will not attempt the hopeless task . But of this we may be certain , the Jubilee Commemoration will carry into the future of

our Order the most beneficent and inspiriting effects , and give a purifying and exhilarating stimulus to all onr Masonic work . But there ij yet another aspect of the subject , and one which , from a practical point of view , will be regarded by brethren as of paramount importance , namely , the

substantial addition to the funds of our Masonic Institutions which will be the outcome of this memorable gathering . There was some discussion at the outset as to whether one or two guineas should be charged as an

admission fee , some urging that the higher amount would be the means of excluding those who could not afford the money ; and ultimately the smaller figure was fixed , so as to bring the privilege within the reach of all . Under these

circumstances , when we consider that upwards of eight thousand tickets have been issued at a guinea a-piece , we may safely reckon on each of our Charities being benefited to the tune of more than a couple of thousand pounds .

Large as have been the contributions of the brethren towards the Institutions during the present year , this addition will be none the less welcome , and will enable the " heads of departments " to widen and extend their

laudable designs . It is understood that Grand Lodge has announced its intention of paying the whole of the expenses connected with the Festival , so that the entire proceeds shall be handed over to the funds of the Institutions . The

result , therefore , will he one to rejoice the hearts of all who are interested in the welfare of the Charities , and will mark the Jubilee year as one of the most unique and gratify ing in the whole Masonic calendar . We sincerely

trust that—as the weather plays an important part in all such displays—the day may be fine , so that the comfort of the brethren going to and returning from the hall may not

be seriously interfered with . The day will be one " ever to be remembered , " and we look forward to it with the most eager and pleasurable anticipations .

The Boys' Festival .

THE BOYS' FESTIVAL .

BEFORE our next issue the Eighty-Ninth Anniversary Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys will have come and gone , and we have little to add to what we have already said in respect of that gathering , which , though coming last upon our list of Annual

Festivals , is nevertheless by no means the least important . The preparations for the banquet at the Crystal Palace on Tuesday next are all matured , and the only surprise we anticipate—an agreeable one , it must be admitted—is that

the attendance will be greater than has been the case in past years , and that the resources of the culinary establishmen at the Palace will be subjected to an unusual strain . It is well known that a very large contingent of the

brethren of West Yorkshire will be present to support their popular and esteemed Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Thomas W . Tew ; and we hear on the best authority that since tho announcement was made that that

distinguished Brother had consented to preside on the occasion , they have worked manfully with the view of swelling the amounts which the Stewards from that Riding will bring up . In his manifesto to the brethren of his Province

a short time ago , Bro . Tew , speaking in patriotic vein of the Jubilee celebrations , expressed the hope that he should be accompanied to London by representatives of every one of the Lodges in West Yorkshire ; and , if at that time the

response was ready and unanimous , the realisation of the Provincial Grand Master ' s hope was doubly assured when it became known that he would preside at the Boys '

Festival on the day following the Commemorative Gathering at the Albert Hall . West Yorkshire , as we are all aware , is most regular and generous in its support of the Masonic Charities , and this year the raising of an additional two