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Our First Love.
OUR FIRST LOVE .
WE last week attempted , and we think with some amount of success , to prove the present prosperity oi English Freemasonry , and in doing so we referred to the gratifying results which attended tho efforts of those brethren who undertook the duties of Stewards , and canvassed for subscriptions , on behalf of the three Central Charitable Institutions of the Craft during the past twelve months . Like most '
other tilings in this world , the prosperity to which Ave then referred has two ways of being looked at , and it will be to consider these varied aspects—in so far as they particularly concern " our first love , " the first Anniversary Festival of the year—that we shall address ourselves on the present occasion .
The Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows ol Freemasons , as already recorded in our columns , stood in the proud position of heading the totals received last year by the great Masonic Institutions , the actual amonnt paid into its
coffers being £ 28 , 968 4 s 4 d , out of a total of £ 61 , 059 Os lid secured by the three Charities . As our readers will remember , this most gratifyingposition was , in a measure , foreshadowed by the result of the Festival held in February last , when donations and subscriptions amounting to £ 18 , 700
were announced . The success or that Festival , coupled with other considerations , not the least among which was the fact of the Queen ' s Jubilee , induced the supporters of the Institution to very considerably extend its sphere of usefulness , no less than thirty-one additional annuities being created , and annuitants elected to them , at the contest in May last . Twenty-five of these additions were on behalf
of Widows , and were each ot the value of .- £ 32 per annum , the remaining six being awarded to Aged Brethren , and of the value of £ 40 each ; so that we have at once an addition of £ 1 , 040 to the year ' s outlay in annuities alone , which sum , as we have so often pointed out , virtually becomes a permanent annual charge on the funds of the Charity . It is
the fact that the responsibilities of the Craft in connection with these new annuities did not cease , but rather has just commenced , with the election of the annuitants , that requires to bo forcibly impressed on every member at the present time . Year by year , so long as these old people live , they will look to the Benevolent Institution for the amount of the annuity
which they have only now enjoyed for a few months , and at their decease there will no donbt be many hoping for a transfer of the annuity in their favour . Shall either of them be disappointed ? is the pertinent question we now put to members of the Order , and we feel sure the answer will be—Not if we can help it . Before going further , we will at once say that the Brethren in Freemasonry can prevent such disappointment , althongh it may perbjvps entail a little , very little , self sacrifice on the nart of some . I
Our First Love.
So far we have only spoken of an annual outlay of £ 1 , 040 , which is the amount required to provide the new annuities created last year ; bnt how insignificant this sum appears when compared with the total requirements of the Institution for a year , which , at the present timo , for annuities alone , amounts to £ 14 , 724 , divided as follows : £ 7 , 264 amongst two
hundred and twenty-seven Widows of Freemasons , at £ 32 each ; £ 7 , 160 amongst one hundred and seventynine aged brethren , at . £ 40 each ; and £ 300 amongst fifteen Widows , to whom has been awarded one-half j of their late husband's annuity for the usual limited
period . It is to meet this charge , and others which are incidental to the working of the Institution , that the usual appeal is now being made to the Craft , who are asked to support the Annual Festival of the Institution , to be held on Wednesday , the 29 th February , under the presidency of Sir George Elliot , Bart ., M . P .
There is an old saw which tells us " nothing succeeds like success , " but in the case of this particular Institution the success of past years has been put to such good use as to render success at the present time very difficult of acquirement , and although we are hardly of opinion the English Craft will be found .
wanting when tried in the balance against the claims of the aged and necessitous , there is no question that this year presents more than the usual number of difficulties which require to be surmounted , and that too in face of more than the usual need for increased support . We have already mentioned the number of annuities IIOAV being paid by the
Institutionthey total up to four hundred and twenty-one , and require £ 14 , 724 per year to meet them . In addition to this there are at the present time upwards of one hundred and thirty brethren , or widoAVS of deceased brethren , asking for help from the Craft for the closing years of their life . Thus far there are but fourteen vacancies available for this large number of candidates , so that it does not require a very
serious tax oi our arithmetical powers to say that , unless something unforeseen occurs , there Avill be close on one hundred and twenty aged Craftsmen or Widows sent adrift from the Boyal Masonic Benevolent Institution after the next election , with nothing to even hope for for at least a year , although in each case their necessities are admittedly sufficient to entitle themto relief . In plain words , nothing but the hand of death , or the benevolence of tbe Craft , can assist these
; , — j old people out of their present difficulties ; Ave do not mean their death , but the death of some of those already on the books of the Institution . Is there one amongst us who Avishes to help these candidates at the cost of the Hie of an annuitant ? Certainly not , and therefore the only loop-hole appears to be the support of the Anniversary Festival of next month . We sincerely hope this method of relief will be taken every advantage of , but appearances are somewhat disappointing in regard to it . Of course , a very good opinion can be formed as to what a Festival is likely
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Our First Love.
OUR FIRST LOVE .
WE last week attempted , and we think with some amount of success , to prove the present prosperity oi English Freemasonry , and in doing so we referred to the gratifying results which attended tho efforts of those brethren who undertook the duties of Stewards , and canvassed for subscriptions , on behalf of the three Central Charitable Institutions of the Craft during the past twelve months . Like most '
other tilings in this world , the prosperity to which Ave then referred has two ways of being looked at , and it will be to consider these varied aspects—in so far as they particularly concern " our first love , " the first Anniversary Festival of the year—that we shall address ourselves on the present occasion .
The Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows ol Freemasons , as already recorded in our columns , stood in the proud position of heading the totals received last year by the great Masonic Institutions , the actual amonnt paid into its
coffers being £ 28 , 968 4 s 4 d , out of a total of £ 61 , 059 Os lid secured by the three Charities . As our readers will remember , this most gratifyingposition was , in a measure , foreshadowed by the result of the Festival held in February last , when donations and subscriptions amounting to £ 18 , 700
were announced . The success or that Festival , coupled with other considerations , not the least among which was the fact of the Queen ' s Jubilee , induced the supporters of the Institution to very considerably extend its sphere of usefulness , no less than thirty-one additional annuities being created , and annuitants elected to them , at the contest in May last . Twenty-five of these additions were on behalf
of Widows , and were each ot the value of .- £ 32 per annum , the remaining six being awarded to Aged Brethren , and of the value of £ 40 each ; so that we have at once an addition of £ 1 , 040 to the year ' s outlay in annuities alone , which sum , as we have so often pointed out , virtually becomes a permanent annual charge on the funds of the Charity . It is
the fact that the responsibilities of the Craft in connection with these new annuities did not cease , but rather has just commenced , with the election of the annuitants , that requires to bo forcibly impressed on every member at the present time . Year by year , so long as these old people live , they will look to the Benevolent Institution for the amount of the annuity
which they have only now enjoyed for a few months , and at their decease there will no donbt be many hoping for a transfer of the annuity in their favour . Shall either of them be disappointed ? is the pertinent question we now put to members of the Order , and we feel sure the answer will be—Not if we can help it . Before going further , we will at once say that the Brethren in Freemasonry can prevent such disappointment , althongh it may perbjvps entail a little , very little , self sacrifice on the nart of some . I
Our First Love.
So far we have only spoken of an annual outlay of £ 1 , 040 , which is the amount required to provide the new annuities created last year ; bnt how insignificant this sum appears when compared with the total requirements of the Institution for a year , which , at the present timo , for annuities alone , amounts to £ 14 , 724 , divided as follows : £ 7 , 264 amongst two
hundred and twenty-seven Widows of Freemasons , at £ 32 each ; £ 7 , 160 amongst one hundred and seventynine aged brethren , at . £ 40 each ; and £ 300 amongst fifteen Widows , to whom has been awarded one-half j of their late husband's annuity for the usual limited
period . It is to meet this charge , and others which are incidental to the working of the Institution , that the usual appeal is now being made to the Craft , who are asked to support the Annual Festival of the Institution , to be held on Wednesday , the 29 th February , under the presidency of Sir George Elliot , Bart ., M . P .
There is an old saw which tells us " nothing succeeds like success , " but in the case of this particular Institution the success of past years has been put to such good use as to render success at the present time very difficult of acquirement , and although we are hardly of opinion the English Craft will be found .
wanting when tried in the balance against the claims of the aged and necessitous , there is no question that this year presents more than the usual number of difficulties which require to be surmounted , and that too in face of more than the usual need for increased support . We have already mentioned the number of annuities IIOAV being paid by the
Institutionthey total up to four hundred and twenty-one , and require £ 14 , 724 per year to meet them . In addition to this there are at the present time upwards of one hundred and thirty brethren , or widoAVS of deceased brethren , asking for help from the Craft for the closing years of their life . Thus far there are but fourteen vacancies available for this large number of candidates , so that it does not require a very
serious tax oi our arithmetical powers to say that , unless something unforeseen occurs , there Avill be close on one hundred and twenty aged Craftsmen or Widows sent adrift from the Boyal Masonic Benevolent Institution after the next election , with nothing to even hope for for at least a year , although in each case their necessities are admittedly sufficient to entitle themto relief . In plain words , nothing but the hand of death , or the benevolence of tbe Craft , can assist these
; , — j old people out of their present difficulties ; Ave do not mean their death , but the death of some of those already on the books of the Institution . Is there one amongst us who Avishes to help these candidates at the cost of the Hie of an annuitant ? Certainly not , and therefore the only loop-hole appears to be the support of the Anniversary Festival of next month . We sincerely hope this method of relief will be taken every advantage of , but appearances are somewhat disappointing in regard to it . Of course , a very good opinion can be formed as to what a Festival is likely