The Secretaryship Of The Boys' Sohool.

THE SECRETARYSHIP OF THE BOYS ' SOHOOL .

WHO is to be the new Secretary ? is a question which is just now exercising the minds of the English Craft , and a question that will be finally decided within a very few days , it being arranged

that a special meeting of the supporters of the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys shall be held on the 12 th July next , to elect a Secretary in place of Bro . F . Binckes , who retires from the ofiice—which he has

filled for thirty years—on the 30 th of the present month . In response to the invitation of the Institution thirty-eight applications were sent in for the post of Secretary . Of this number ten are not qualified

for the appointment , it having been decided that the candidates should be Master Masons , not more than 45 years of age , and prepared to give security to the extent of ^ 1000 . Of the remaining twenty-eight the

majority may be regarded as comparatively unknown men , and the actual number of candidates worthy to be included in the " possible " winners is really about half a dozen . The fight between this minority will , in all probability , be very close , and the ultimate

winner will be he whose friends are the most united and loyal in their support . We hardly like venturing an opinion as to who has the best chance of success , for fear our selection might be regarded as a partiality tor

one particular candidate , to the exclusion oi his fellows . We are personally acquainted with most of those whose chances may be regarded as the best , and it is unfair to expect us to say which of the half

dozen has our support , even if we had not decided to keep ourselves aloof from the voting . As far as we can see one is as likely to prove as good as the other ; and without any attempt at fulsome flattery , we shall

oe prepared to warmly compliment the leader of the poll , no matter who it happens to be , feeling assured that it isonly possible for one of the candidates to be elected , in consequence of the number of his

supporters being m excess of those of his competitors . It is no matter of sentiment or pre-arranged compact that will secure the election of the new Secretary ; nothing but full appreciation of a candidate ' s merit , and personal evidence of that appreciation , will be of service

* uy , and when we say that 1800 or 2000 votes may be regarded as necessary to give a candidate the possibilit y of success , it will be understood that the work oo be completed is of no light character . The

report of the Committee of Investigation gives the number of members of the General Committee in whom the election of Secretary is vested—as ± 1 < oJb , of whom 3340 reside in London , and 4556 in

fwi ° i ? nces- " These fig ^ es were prepared in the nm naif of 1888 , so that allowance must be made for we new supporters of the past two years . Suppose CWT W ? n there are now 900 ° members of the 3 Jo ™ ommittee ' of whom 3800 reside in London , < "u o ^ OO are Provincial—and this estimate is , we

The Secretaryship Of The Boys' Sohool.

imagine , within the mark—it will be seen what a large field of operation is open to the several applicants for the appointment , and we think it will be admitted our estimate of the number of votes

necessary to secure election is not under-estimated . We reckon that the leading candidates will each secure a considerable number of votes , otherwise a much larger proportion would be required for the successful

applicant ; but with 9000 votes to be divided as closely as we anticipate they will be , there are greater chances for each of those who enjoy an exceptional amount of support . The Provincial candidates will reap the

advantage of the splendidly organised associations to be found in the country districts , while the London applicants have a larger number of voters actually on the spot to whom they can appeal , so that in this

respect the two divisions may be said to run equal chances . There are many other considerations that may , perhaps , bear on the election , but after carefully regarding each and all of them we may be said to

come back to where we started , and ask ourselves the question , —Who is to be the new Secretary ? Before singing the praises of the coming man , we take the opportunity of referring again to the brother

who is being displaced . We have endeavoured , throughout the long , and we are sorry to add bitter * controversy that has brought about the change , to support Bro . Binckes , and we have yet to learn

tnat our action Has . been wrong . We Know tnat , lor the time being , we are working with the minority , but there are few , if any , of those who differ with us who can accuse us . of . taking unfair advantage of the

opposition . We . have been this time on the losing side—from one point of view ; but how long shall we have to wait before the supporters of the Institution

who have combined to get rid of Bro . Binckes find they have made a . mistake in losing the services of that old and well-tried official ? We are not among those who believe that any man is so far above

his fellows that . ihe cannot be done without , but we do believe ., that the Boys' School had as good a Secretary as it was possible for it to secure , and that , however proficient may be the

successor , he will never make the rapid and substantial advances which may reasonably ancl fairly ^ accredited to Bro . Binckes . In this consideration it is but fair to say that we do not consider a new

Secretary has the same field open to him as was open to Bro . Binckes when he entered the office thirty years since . Our opinion as to the growth of Masonic Benevolent Funds is well known , and we think . it

will be impossible for any new Secretary of a central Charity io successfully cope with the claims of local Institutions , which are now—ancl are more likely to be in the future—forcibly brought under the notice of

rrovmcial brethren . Besides all this , the new Secretary will not inherit abed of roses ; his predecessor has been provided during the last few months with anything but an easy task , and it is not reasonable to expect that everything will be altered simply