Secretaryship Of The Girls' School.

SECRETARYSHIP OF THE GIRLS ' SCHOOL .

A POLL took place on Thursday last , at Freemasons J \ - Tavern , London , for the Election of Secretary to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls in place of the late Bro . Little . As we stated last week there were nine

candidates for the vacant office . The following was announced by Bro . Lt .-Col . Creaton—who acted as Chairman—as the result of the Scrutineers' examination of the ballot : —

Votes 1 P . R . W . HEDGES - - 373 2 P . STORE --- 268 3 C . P . MATIER --. 153 4 T . CTTLL . .. . 44 .

K ( W . C . CRICK --- 42 s > \ ¥ . A . WHITE ... 42 7 W . WORRELL ... 40 8 T . R . EAMES 34 9 W . SMALLPEICE - - 1

Bro . Hedges was therefore declared dnly elected , and amid the cheers of those present he briefly acknowledged , the honour that had been paid him . Votes of thanks were passed to the Scrutineers and to the Chairman for presiding during the meeting .

R.M. Institution For Boys. Analysis Of The Subscription List.

R . M . INSTITUTION FOR BOYS . ANALYSIS OF THE SUBSCRIPTION LIST .

WE do not for one moment hesitate to express our dissatisfaction with the result of Monday ' s Festival , Ifc was a most agreeable gathering , and those who met together for the purpose of showing their interest in the Institution were more numerous than usual . Yet while

everything pointed to an eminently satisfactory result , the amount realised is considerably less than might have been expected . We admit that times are hard , and money is not so plentiful as could be wished , but this will go but a short way towards explaining a falling off as compared

with last year , of , in round figures , over £ 3000 . Brethren appear to have forgotten that a large additional expenditure has been incurred on the School buildings , while the Society stands committed to a far larger annual outlay than ever . Therefore , instead of there having beeu a

diminution , there were manifold reasons why , as we pointed out last week , there should have been very considerable increase . However , it is no good lamenting what cannot now be remedied , and all we can do is to chronicle the inexplicable fact that , while the Festival of 1873 yielded

£ 12 , 700 , that of 1876 £ 12 , 100 , and that of 1877 £ 13 , 160 —in the first and second years we have given the figures as they were , in the last , as but for a clerical error , they should have been announced—the Festival of 1878 with a Royal

, Craftsman in the chair , resulted in a total of onl y £ 10 , 169 with over twenty lists outstanding . Having noted this , we proceed to the task of analysing the lists , and , as in former cases , we place the contributions under three

categories , namely : —Metropolitan , Provincial , and Foreign , the total in each case being , Metropolitan , £ 4 , 944 14 s , Provincial £ 5 , 152 ] 8 s ld , and Foreign £ 71 10 s . It is worthy of note , that the positions ordinaril y taken by the first two are , in this

R.M. Institution For Boys. Analysis Of The Subscription List.

instance , reversed , and that London is some hundreds of pounds behind the Provinces , Avhereas the Provinces are generally in the inferior place . Last year , for instance , at the Festival of this Institution , London yielded in round figures £ 6 , 790 , and the Provinces £ 6 , 116 . At the

Benevolent Festival in February last , the contributions of the Metropolis amounted to £ 6 , 062 , and those of the Provinces to £ 4 , 969 , and at tho Girls' Festival in May they were £ 4 , 266 and £ 3 , 996 respectively . However , we cannot grudge our Provincial brethren the satisfaction they must derive

from occupmg the place of honour on this occasion , and though they are some £ 900 behind their aggregate of last year , they show well in this respect by comparison with the Metropolis , which is something like £ 2 , 200 behind . But to proceed . The Metropolis was represented by 123

Stewards , of whom 104 represented 103 Lodges , 3 appeared for as many Chapters , and 2 under the head of the A . and A . Riteand Mark , while 14 were unattached . The total of their lists was , as we have said £ 4 , 944 14 s , and the place of honour very appropriately is taken by Bro . Binckes , as tho

representative of the Lewis Lodge , No . 1 , 185 , his list yielding £ 163 16 s . He is closely pressed , however , by Bro . Costa , the worthy representative of that popular and very liberal Lodge , the Friends in Council , who seldom miss an opportunity of evincing the deep interest they take

in the welfare of our Institutions . Bro . Costa totalled up to £ 158 lis . In addition to these there were three other three-figure lists , namely , Royal Naval No . 59 £ 112 7 s , Orpheus No . 1706 £ ll 0 5 s , and Gihon No . 49 £ 103 19 s , Bro . Pare of the Tranquillity just missing the distinction

of a three-figure total by a few pounds , his amount being £ 96 . Lodges Nos . 2 , 5 , 8 , 18 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 28 , 33 , 256 , and 657 , have been represented at every Festival during the last four years , and there are several which have been absent only once or twice during the same period .

On the other hand there are , unfortunately , a few which do not figure in any of the last twelve lists . Of Lodges consecrated last year , or which have been warranted since the publication of Grand Lodge Calendar seven sent representatives , and two of these have been contributors to all

the Festivals this year , and three to two of the number . We congratulate the brethren of these Lodges on the very satisfactory commencement they have made , and \ re trust their future career may continue to present equally satisfactory evidence of their prosperity and liberality . There

are still thirteen more Metropolitan Lists to be furnished , so that if wo take only the modest average of £ 50 a piece , there is still a possibility that a further sum of between £ 600 and £ 700 may find its way into the coffers of tho Institution . Let us hope that it may be so , for the amount is needed .

We now pass to the Provinces , thirty-one of which sent up one or more representatives , the thirteen absentees being Beds ., Cornwall , Herefordshire , Leicestershire and Rutland , Northamptonshire and Hunts ., Northumberland , Nottinghamshire , South Wales Western Division , Wilts ,

Worcestershire , Channel Islands , Jersey , and Isle of Man . Three of these thirteen , namely , Bedfordshire ( five Lodges ) , Worcestershire ( ten Lodges ) , and Isle of Man ( three Lodges ) , appear to take no interest whatever in any of our Institutions . At all events , they

have sent no representative to any of the Festivals dnring the years 1875 , 1876 , 1877 , and 1878 . We commend them , therefore , to the special notice of the Secretaries , and as Bro . Terry ' s Festival is next in order of time , and he has a clear six months before him to think the matter over , let him try the effect of his energy and eloquence . We dare say some