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H^^^^^^^a ?fiyiyivtfwwvw SATURDAY , 13 TH JULY 1889 .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . I , I Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS

To the Editor of the FREEMASON s CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —It ia with the greatest reluctance that I break the silence I have hitherto so strictly observed during the unfortunate dissensions which have latterly arisen in connection with the government of this Institution . I had even resolved on

passing by with the contempt it merits the malicious charge made against me at the Special Court on 6 th June—a charge which disgraces him who made it , not me against whom it was made . But , in deference to opinions expressed by many old and valued friends , in whose judgment I have implicit faith , and who tell me their

defence of my interests is greatly weakened by the absence of any contradiction by me of this baseless charge , I now offer the following explanation of a proceeding whicb , with a desire to damage my fair fame as much as possible , my accuser at the Court referred to has magnified into a case of forgery .

Every Governor is , or ought to be , aware that the Audit Committee was appointed to meet quarterly , to examine the receipts and expenditure for the past quarter , taking particular care to ascertain that the bills and accounts had been properly certified by the House Committeo before they recommended them for payment ; that the

vouchers and cheques for the payments ordered by the General Committee agreed with one another ; that all receipts and payments are correctly entered and registered by the Secretary , and all balances regularly brought forward . The report of their proceedings at each quarterly meeting is signed by the Auditors present in tho cash book

and laid before—and read to—the General Committee , and when adopted aud approved by the latter body is regularly entered on the minutes . From the four quarterly reports thus submitted and approved is compiled the annnal statement of receipts and expenditure , the various items under each head of service—wherever a head

of service occurs in more than one quarterly report—being added together , and the names of the auditors who attended the several quarterly meetings appended in verification of its correctness . A transcript of this annual statement is then made for the use of the printer , and it was to this transcript that I appended the names of

the auditors who had already certified to the correctness of the quarterly reports from which it was compiled , and to the MS . annnal compilation in the cash book itself . In doing this I believe I am correct in stating that I did nothing more than is ordinarily done by Secretaries of other corporate bodies ; but I am quite willing

to concede that in following this course I may have laid myself open to a charge from those to whom an opportunity for censure is matter for congratulation . This is the plain , straightforward explanation of a proceeding of mine which , as I have said , has been maliciously enlarged into an

accusation of forgery ; and I leave it to the impartial judgment of your readers to determine whether my act as described is not as far removed from " forgery " as tho disgraceful conduct of my accuser is from that enjoined on him by the principles of Masonry . It has beon suggested that I should take legal proceedings against

the slanderous author of this libel , but , apart from the months of anxiety which the progress of a lawsuit entails—to a far greater extent on a righteous plaintiff than on an unrighteous defendant— and the not encouraging experiences of recent legal proceeding , I prefer leaving the reputation for honour aud integrity , which I have held

during the whole of my pa ? t career , and which until now has never been defamed , to vindicate itself , as it will do before many months havo passed , from this and similar foul aspersions . There is , however , one circumstance which I consider it right to mention . It ia generally accepted that tho present turmoil had , at least , its orirtin

in the ca ? e of a boy who , by repeated acts of misconduct-, culminating in quitting the school premises without leave , incurred the penalty of expulsion . Tho extreme sentetio ** , however , was modified , at my intercession , tho full penalty not having been exacted . For tho " consequences of this intercession I had to submit to the adverse opinion

of the House Committee , while—in a wilfully blind perversion of the course I had recommended—tho boy's relatives , friends , and partisans have pursued me with unrelenting , vindictive hostility . In this particular instance , however , I must say that I much prefer the hostility

of a faction which , with a vivid recollection of the violent conduct of its members , the amenities of social lifo forbid me from describing in plain terms , to their favonr . Perhaps , also , it would be well I should take this opportunity—for I have no intention ' of allowing myself to bo drawn into unseemly

Correspondence.

protracted discussion—of explaining that my so-called claim to co-ordinate authority with the House Committee was not supported by tho plea that I was a " permanent official . " This term was never used by mo . All I intended to convey was , that I was directly amenable to the general body by whom I was appointed ,

with duties to discharge in connection with the Sub-Committees , whose instructions I was bound to obey , and to whose resolutions it was binding upon mo to givo effect . Neglect in these particulars would justify a report to the General Committee , who had the power of dealing with such report as they might think fit . In fact , I did

no more—intended no more—than to state that I regarded the appointment as one for retention " dum me bene gesserim . " This was the very expression I used before the Committee of Inquiry ,

and is very different from a claim to be recognised as a " permanent official . " I cannot at greater length trespass upon your space , how « ever imperfectly I may have discharged a doty , as I have said , reluctantly undertaken .

I am , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours faithfully and fraternally , 10 th July 1889 . FREDEEICK BINCKES .

To the Editor ofthe FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . Greatbatoh asserts that I am wrong in my contention on one point , " vermin , " because he says he proved a case or two others , " chilblains and ringworm . " Thia is a charming " non sequitur . "

His calculations are equally peculiar . Did Bro . Greatbatoh ever hear of wear and tear , and depreciation of plant and machinery ? A great part of the machinery upon which the £ 4978 was laid out during the 21 years , and more , of the existence of the Institution

became worn out and was replaced by other machinery , included in this same sum total . No allowance is made by him for this . It would be far more fair to take the number of the boys who have gone through the Institution during that time , and divide this

capital expenditure by that . He would find that it did not average £ 2 a head , much less £ 15 . I fear that he will find that , with increased heating , the amount of expenditure will rise over the present £ 412 17 s .

The West Yorkshire report was rejected at a Quarterly Court , by a majority , in the proportion of about 20 to 1 . As the whole question at issue will probably before long come before a Court of Law , —if any one can be found foolish enough to stand by the Report of the Inquiry Committee , —I do not propose to continue this discussion any farther . Yours sincerely and faithfully , 9 feh July 1889 . A . F . GODSON .

The Yorh Herald states that Mrs . Cutt , of Belf ort House ,

Harrowgate , has , in loving memory of her husband , qualified as a patroness of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , Battersea Rise , and contributed a donation of one hundred guineas to that Charity .

The following is a copy of a circular "which Bro . Railing Prov . Grand Secretary has sent to the Worshipful Masters

of the several Lodges in the Province of Essex : — WINNOCK LODGE , COLCHESTER , 9 th July 1889 .

WORSHIPFUL SIR AND BROTHER , — I beg to notify , for the in . formation of yourself and the members of your Lodge , that the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master has fixed Tuesday , 6 th August 1889 , for the annual meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge , which , as

you will recolllect , is to take place at his Lordship s picturesque seat of Easton Lodge , near Dnnmow . The day ' s proceedings will include the usual business meeting , followed by a banquet , and in tho evening there will be a garden party in the private grounds .

A detailed circular for distribution amongst the members of yonr Lodge will be sent as soon as possible .

I am , Worshipful Sir and Brother , Yonrs faithfully and fraternally , Taos , J . BALLING , Prov . G . Seo

A writer m the Glasgow Evening News says : — The keynote of alarm has been sounded in Masonic * circles , but there is nothing really to scare . "Ho that entereth not by the door " has little to gain , and much to loso that he would have gained had ho not ''' climbed up some other way . " The cause of alarm

dates from the assumption of a body at Melrose , somo fifteen years ago , to grant charters for conferring degrees , which , however perfect , wero for practical purposes nil . At that time those who became acquainted with the Order iu this way soon found their mistake , aud wera glad to pay for their error and become associated

with tbe Grand Lodge of Scotland . The same kind of spurious Lodges have kept cropping up from time to time , and the result has always been the same . Thus thc chief harm dono is to those who

are being initiated , aim it is my intention , in giving publicity to the system , to warn tho unwary from becoming ideatifiel with an association which does not possess a power which one ignorant of the facts might suppose .