Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

THE Festival of the Benevolent Institution for the year 1880 , which had been looked forward to for some time -with great anxiety , has passed , and many now be looked back upon -with the greatest pride by all concerned ; the total of the subscriptions , collected by the 228 Stewards

who this year worked for the Institution , being announced by the Secretary on Monday last , after the toast of the evening had been proposed and acknowledged as no less than £ 12 , 005 16 s 6 d with thirteen lists then outstanding .

True , this amount is less by £ 1 , 870 than that announced under similar circumstances last year , but even allowing for this fact , the result of this year ' s Festival on behalf of our " Old People " is one of the grandest , if not the greatest success ever known in connection with the Masonic

Charitable Institutions . Last year the Committee were singulai'ly fortunate in securing the services of the ruler of one of our largest Provinces as Chairman at the Festival , and he was enabled , with the co-operation of the members

of his district , to bring up the largest amount ever contributed by a Province to one or other of our Institutions . This year the ruler of one of the smaller subdivisions undertook the duties of President , and he certainly deserves the thanks of the Craft for the heartiness with which he

entered upon the work of his office . "With a personal contribution of one hundred guineas he nobly heads a total of £ 855 from his Province of North and East Yorkshire , a result which we trust is but a specimen of what he and his district intend to do for the Institutions

m the future . Other Provinces show well in the totals they have sent up at the hands of their respective Stewards , but of these we shall speak further in a later issue . Suffice it to say here , that the Provinces , represented on this occasion by 101 Stewards , have contributed a total of £ 4 , 682 Is and that the 126 London Stewads have collected

no less a sum than , £ 7 , 270 15 s 6 d , one Steward from the Punjab completing the total with a list of fifty guineas . It will thus be seen that to the London Stewards belongs the credit of having placed this year ' s Festival in the prominent position it occupies , and all praise is due

to them for the grand totals they have collected . This result more particularly shows the need for a Secretary who avails himself of every opportunity of visiting the Lodges , and there nrging the members to support the Steward of the Lodge or other brother who may be

representing them . Bro . Terry has for weeks past worked day and night among the London Lodges to secure the result on which we must congratulate him , and this notwithstanding the fact that a heavy affliction , in the death of his father , has befallen him . He has not neglected the

Provinces , but we think wo are correct in saying that this year he has devoted his energies more particularly to London ; undoubtedly the result proves the absolute need for personal canvass . At the time of the election of Bro . Hedges , as Secretary for the Girls' School , it was urged by

some that this work should not be required of the three Secretaries . We then pointed out that it was absolutely necessary , and wo are more and more convinced as , day by day , our experience of the Craft increases , that it is

the only way to secure large lists . Left to themselves , we have no doubt but that Lodges will appoint Stewards , but something more is necessary . It is impossible for every Steward to make himself acquainted with all the details of the task he has -undertaken , and therefore he is unable to

Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

put the matter as forcibly before the brethren as can a brother whose sole duty it is to work for the Institution more particularly interested , and thus it is wo consider that visits from the Secretaries are needful for the welfare of the Institutions . We have already said that the London total so far as was known at the time of announcement

was £ 7 , 270 15 s Gd , which sum was collected by 126 Stewards . It will bo seen that the above gives an average of £ 57 14 s to each Steward , an amount considerably in excess of the average of last year , and even this may be considerably increased when the amount of the lists now

outstanding are added . The place of honour is secured by Bro . Parkhouse , who , as Steward from the Earl of Carnarvon Lodge No . 1642 , brings up a list of £ 400 . When we consider that in June last this Lodge sent up 500

guineas for the Boys , at the hands of Bro . Penu , we can but again congratulate the members on the work they do for the Charities . After the very handsome results of tho Festivals of the past few years , it may reasonably be asked —What is done with the vast amounts subscribed to this

Institution ? The sum oxpended last year in annuities was £ 10 , 820 , that is to say , at the time of the last election there were 145 brethren each in receipt of £ 40 per annum , 145 widows each receiving £ 32 per annum , and nineteen entitled to half their late husband ' s annuities . The total number of those who had been elected to the benefits of

the Institution then was 509 brethren and 2 ^ 8 widows . As a result of this year's grand total notice was given at the Committee meeting of Wednesday to create fifteen additional annuities—ten widows' at £ 32 per annum each , and five men ' s at £ 40 each—so that , supposing this

proposition to be carried , as we have no doubt it will be , there will be 150 brethren and 155 widows receiving grants from the Institution , in addition to those widows who are entitled to a moiety of their late husband ' s annuities . This indeed is a work of which we may feel really proud , and

we sincerely hope that at no future time will it be necessary to reduce either the number or the amount of the grants . It was wisely stated at the meeting of Wednesday that it was better to create more annuities than increase the amount of existing ones , and this

we fully endorse . The amounts at which the grants are at present fixed is as much as can be expected from a charitable source , and when we consider the number of the annuitants—305 if the additional fifteen as proposed is decided on—it will be seen that a very large sum would be

absorbed by even a small addition to each . As at present appearing , there are seventy-nine candidates for the next election , which will take place in May , while tho number of declared vacancies is but twenty-six . Taking into account the additional fifteen annuities which we hope will be

created before that date , it will be seen that thirty-eight candidates will have to be refused a participation in the benefits of the Chaiity . There are thirty-one male candidates , for whom there are now thirteen vacancies , and

fortyeight female , among whom will be divided a like number of grants . We cannot but be gratified at the splendid work we are able to carry on ; still , we must express the hope that some day it will not be necessary to send away any one in need and found worthy .

A military correspondent of the Yorkshire Gazette writeg : —It may interest some of yonr readers to know that Freemasor r / flourishes in Cabul . A warrant has been granted for the openirg of a Lodge to be called the Seaforth Lodge , and Captain J . A . Stewait-Mackenzie , 9 th Koyal Lancers , has been elected Worshipful Master .