Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

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

» UNWORTHY CLAIMANTS FOR THE BENEFITS OF OUR CHARITIES . "

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Your correspondent , "A NORTHERN S UBSCRIBER , " has the courage of his opinions , but I very much question if they will find favour with the subscribers to the Boys' or Girls' Schools , on whose contributions those Institutions rely for their funds . These Schools are intended for the children of deceased and

distressed brethren , and it is ridiculous lo say that those of a deceased brother whose will was sworn at £ 9 , 000 come under this description . The case you have shown up of the boy Herring is by no means so flagrant , but he , I hold , comes not justly within the class of children for whom the Boys' School is intended . I believe he is one of three children who are entitled , on coming of age , each

to a one-third share of some £ 1 , 600 , and though , as your correspondent snggests , the money may not be available now , there ought not to be much difficulty in obtaining the sanction of those whom ifc concerns to some plan for providing for the child's requirements till he attains his majority . Would it not be possible to purchase for him an admission into the School ? the price being , I believe , £ 170 10 s .

That would leave intact over £ 300 , and on leaving School he ought to be able to earn his own living . But , in any circumstances , I should like it to be ascertained how many among the remaining candidates have a third of £ 1 , 600 payable to them when twenty-one years of age , so that those who havo not this prospective advantage may have a prior chance of being elected .

I perfectly well remember the arguments used at the time of Colling wood ' s election and subsequent rejection . I remember , likewise , that a very active supporter of the School remarked , that if young Collingwood were admitted , he should consider he was fully justified in bringing forward one of his children as a candidate . I know also , it was said the School was not intended for paupers ; but pauper

which is a harsh word , may be used to describe an absolute fact or one that is only so relatively . The son or daughter of a gentleman who has possessed a good salary , and moved among people of position and culture , is a pauper if he is left with no uiore than £ 30 or £ 40 a year to support and educate him , so that he may in time be fitted to enter on some respectable occupation , but tho son or

daughter of a small tradesman possessing the same annual means would be well off . The former might justly be approved as a candidate for one or other of the Schools , the latter not . I quite agree with " A NORTHERN SUBSCRIBER" that "families who have always lived in a higher sphere feel just as much the coming down to a lower one , as those in an inferior do having to make shift lower still : " but surely

he must be laughing in his sleeve when ho suggests that fche son of an affluent brother who bequeathed £ 9 , 000 to his family moved in a higher sphere . I hope it will be understood fchafc I intend nothing disrespectful to the memory of the late Bro . Collingwood , who , I have no doubt was an honest and honourable tradesman , and worthy man and brother , but the " sphere " in whioh he lived was not a

superior , nor did it entail any lavish expenditure on the maintenance of himself and his family . He . was a " gentleman" only in the same conventional sense as thafc in which the word "lady" is used when applied to a barmaid . He probably lived far more luxuriously than a vast number of those who are professionally or by birth gentlemen , but he did nofc belong to the same category with them , and his friends and supporters have no

right to speak of his children as belonging to any other sphere than that which includes butchers , bakers , grocers , ancl the like . I am very glad you hold fast " on reflection " fco the opinion you expressed in the Collingwood case , and that you have made public the facts in the Herring case . I also trust that until those on the list of candidates who are less well off than Herring have been elected into fche School , his appeal to the governors will not be responded to . Fraternally aud respectfully yours , London , 10 th April 1883 . Q .

The Approaching Elections.

THE APPROACHING ELECTIONS .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Herewith please find a tabulated statement , as to the present recipients from the Masonic Institutions . These tables do not include the widows receiving half their late husband ' s pension , to whioh they are entitled for three years after such deaths . The number of these is constantly changing , but at the present time is about 17 or 18 .

PRESENT RECIPIENTS FROM THE THREE MASONIC INSTITUTIONS .

Aged Children Grand DISTBICTS . Males Females Total Boys Girls Total Total Bedfordshire Berks and

Bucks 3 ... 3 2 2 4 7 Bristol . -12 3 2 13 6 Cambrid geshire ... Channel Islands 7 2 9 1 ... 1 10 Cheshire' 3 3 6 5 4 9 15

The Approaching Elections.

Cornwall 3 2 5 ... ... ... 5 Cumberland and Westmoreland 2 2 4 4 15 9 Derbyshire - 1 ... 1 1 ... 1 2 Devonshire 7 7 14 6 7 13 27 Dorsetshire 3 3 6 7 ... 7 13 Durham - 6 4 10 10 Essex - 2 3 5 4 2 6 11 Gloucestershire ... 2 2 4 3 7 9 Hants and Isle of Wight -5 6 11 4 12 16 27 Herefordshire ... 1 1 ... ... ... 1 Hertfordshire ... ... ... 1 2 3 3 Kent - 9 5 14 8 12 20 34 Lancashire E . 10 14 24 12 9 21 45 Lancashire W . 2 3 5 3 6 9 14 Leicestershire ... ... ... 2 1 3 3 Lincolnshire 5 3 8 5 6 11 19 Middlesex 1 ... 1 4 3 7 8 Monmouthshire 1 ... 1 1 2 3 4 Norfolk - 2 3 5 1 2 3 8 North & Hunts 4 15 2 13 8 North Wales and Shropshire ... ,,. ... 4 2 6 6 Nottinghamshire ... 2 ... 2 2 Oxfordshire . ... 2 2 ... ... ... 2 Somersetshire ... 1 1 4 8 12 13 S . Wales E . - ... ... ... 4 2 6 6 S . Wales W .. l l 2 3 2 5 7 Staffordshire ... 1 1 3 3 6 7 Suffolk . 5 5 10 1 7 8 18 Surrey . 1 ... 1 3 ... 3 4 Sussex . -448 3 4 7 15 Warwickshire 12 3 8 6 14 17 Wiltshire . J 3 4 1 8 9 13 Worcestershire ... 1 1 3 2 5 6 N . & E . Yorks 8 19 5 5 10 19 W . Yorkshire 14 13 27 21 21 42 69 Colonies . 4 7 11 9 10 19 30 Provincial and Colonial Total 115 102 217 162 158 320 537 London Total 42 59 101 53 81 134 235 Grand Total 157 161 318 215 239 454 772

In this table , as in the one describing the candidates for the coming elections , you will perceive that the Provincial candidates are nearly three times , and the recipients more than twice , as many as those of London , and as the population of England and Wales * and

tho Channel Islands is 27 , 000 , 000 , of which the London Masonic District is aboufc 6 , 000 , 000 , the proportion is nofc so great as might have been expected , but on the other hand the number of votes belonging to the London District is nearly , if not quite , equal to all the other Provinces put together . I remain , yours fraternally , P . M . 1607 .

[ Our esteemed Brother Henry Smith , the Charity Representative for West Yorkshire , directs out attention to an error our correspondent made in his tabular statement last week . Bro . Smith writes : — " On page 212 you state that W . Yorkshire has fifteen candidates for the A : l „„ J TIT l--ii T 1 ** . ial _ 1 *!• i -J and elections herewith enclose list of nine

April May . I a —all we have—and the full particulars will enable you to prove that I am correct , and that you have fallen into some error . Perhaps ' P . M . 1607 ' will take the trouble to revise his figures . " WEST YORKSHIRE CANDIDATES FOR ELECTIONS 1883 . 14 th and 16 th April , and 18 fch May .

GIRLS . Midgley , Elizabeth , Lodge 448 , born 10 th August 1874 , Halifax . BOYS . Richardson , H . P ., Lodges 302 , 974 , born 18 th July 1873 , Bradford . Rose , Frederick Joseph , Lodge 289 , born 5 th January 1875 , Leeds . MALES .

Collins , T ., Lo . 290 , 275 , Huddersfield , Aged 80 Subscribed 51-J yrs . Exley Ben , Lodge 208 , Dewsbury , „ 62 do . 39 „ Stork , William , Lodge 837 , Ripon , „ 74 do . 21 i „

WIDOWS . Greenwood , J ., Lo . 308 , Todmorden , Aged 73 ( Husband ) do . 46 ,, Matthews , M ., Los . 139 , 1239 , Sheffield „ 61 ( do . ) do . 15 „ Barras , E . A ., Lodge 139 , Sheffield „ 58 ( do . ) do . 19 „ We are convinced "P . M . 1607 " will correct his statement . —ED . F . C ]

HOLIOWAT ' Puts are the medicine most in repute for curing the multifarious maladies which attack humanity when wet and cold weather gives place to more genial temperatures . In short , these Pills never fail to afford relief in all disturbarces of circulation , digestion , and nervous energy , which at times oppress a vast portion of the population . Under the wholesome , purifying , and strengthening powers exerted by these excellent Pills the tongue becomes clean , the appetite improves , digestion is quickened , and assimilation rendered perfect . Holloway ' s medicine possesses the highly estimable property of cleansing the whole mass of blood , which in its renovated condition carries purity , strength and vigour to every tissue of the body .