Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

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

MODE OF ELECTING CANDIDATES .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —So far from considering Bro . E . de Ewer ' s views qnixotic , I for ono consider they aro in accordance with the true spirit of Masonio Charity . In my humble judgment , tho svstem of election by ballot into a charitable institution is radically wron " . In tho first place , ib is not tho most deserving ancl most

needy candidate that succeeds , but , as your reverend correspondent very justly points out , " thoso who havo tho most friends , " for it is they who " got the mosfc votes , and consequently become tho accepted candidates . " Now with all due respecb to thoso who may differ from me as to the best way of electing candidates , they will hardly venture to dispute tho proposition , that tho plan in force at present involves

a subversal of what should bo tho governing principles of all such elections . Ifc must be clear to every one who does not wilfclly shut his eyes to reason and corambn sense , that of two candidates whose claims npon our assistance are as nearly as possible equal in value , the ono who has few or no friends has moro need to bo successfnl than the ono who has many . To enforce my

argument , I will take the case of two girls down for election in April last , one of thorn , No . 8 , an applicant for the third and lasfc time ; the other , No . 30 , an applicant for the first time , who , moreover , was of an age to bo eligible on threo moro occasions , namely , in October of this year , and April and October of next . I dismiss from my reckoning the fact that No . 8 was one of three children dependent on thoir

mother , whilo No . 30 was one of two only , though this , of course , makes the claims of tho former just one-half as strong again as the latter . No . 8 ' s father was an engineer , was initiated in April 1864 , and died in January 1873 , having beon a subscribing member seven years and three quarters . No . 30 ' s father was a snrgeon , was initiated in October 1870 , and died July 1879 , having likewise been

a subscribing member seven years and threo quarters . Neither had subscribed to , or acted as Steward , for tho Institutions . Well , the last election , as ib affected theso two girls , resul tod thus : —No . 8 with a credit of nineteen votes from hor two previous attempts , receives further support to tho extent of 28 votes , making her total score 47 . On tho other hand , No . 30 , whoso ago would havo permitted her

to stand again ancl again , and yet a third time , sweeps m at tho head of the poll with 1775 votes . Poor little No . 8 , who for seven of her eleven years has been fatherless has experienced something worse even than that " hope deferred , " which " maketh tho heart sick , " for her hopo of success has been rudely destroyed , whilo fortunate No . 30 , whoso father died as recently as 26 th July of last

year , or less than nino months ago afc tho date of the election , has been elected into the School , and having been born on 29 th March 1871 will , if sho lives , bo well clothed , fed , and educated till tho corresponding day of 1887 . Estimating theso advantages at £ 40 a-year , No . 30 will be receiving from this Institution as nearly as possible £ 280 , whilo No . 8 gets nothing , though , as I havo already

shown , the fathers of the two girls had been Masons about tho same time , while the mother of the rejected candidate had had three children to support since January 1873 , and thafc of the successful only two since July 1879 . I know well enough thafc people who have votes in snch cases as theso do not sufficiently weigh the relative circumstances of the different candidates , ancl it is for this reason I

consider your correspondent deserves our thanks for having come forward and advocated so strongly as ho has done so excellent a proposition , namely , thafc elections should nob bo conducted by ballot , but by a specially appointed Committeo . There is yefc another point to be considered . One candidate may have friends who may bo of use to him in soliciting votes , but

another may havo friends with plenty of money to spend in circulating particulars of tho case in which they aro interested , and whose success afc tho earliest possible opportunity thoy aro prepared to spare no—reasonable , of course—outlay to secure . Hero , again , there is a decided inequality in the claims of tho two candidates ; and , into the bargain , ifc strikes me that whero people can afford to spend

money in advertisements , circulars , ancl other purposes to the samo end , they might as well cut tho matter short and lay out thoir money in directly assisting their young proteg 4 to an education and maintenance , thus leaving the School for thoso who aro less fortunately placed . If subscribers think it necessary they should have votes , and that they are very ill-used if tho voting power is withheld , let them in

that case have votes for a Committo to condnct all elections . This will satisfy thoir requirements , and mako them perfectly happy ; afc the same timo it will prevent them from unintentionally doing a disservice to some whom , if thoy knew anything of their circumstances , they would bo only too glad to assist . Yours fraternally , TAU .

A PLEA FOR THE CANDIDATES TO THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —As I was interested in the case of the brother who died in the Petersfield Workhouse , I can give Bro . Ayling satisfactory evidence why he was not elected an annuitant of the above Institution . Yours fraternally , Emsworth , THOS , F RANCIS § 01 ,

Correspondence.

A PLEA FOR THE CANDIDATES TO THE R . M . B . I .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . W . C . Parsons's suggestion thafc those who havo beon nnsnccessf nl candidates tho greatest nnmbor of times should be elected to fill vacancies which have occurred in tho interim between tho declaration of tho number of places to bo balloted for ancl tho dav of tho election , is not without its merits ,

bnt to this , as to many other schemes of an eqnally favourable character , there aro various objections which might bo raised , and could nofc bo described as other than noteworthy . Thus , as tho ballot goes by votes , thoso next highest on tho poll havo tho right to claim thoy shall bo appointed to fill any additional vacancies , on tho just ground that if thoso additional vacancies had boon declared onos instead of

accidental , they would havo fallen to thoir lot in tho natural order of things . Again , as tho inferior limit of ago is , in tho case of tho old men sixty , ancl iu that of tho old women fifty-five , a candidate may havo stood half-a-dozen elections unsuccessfully , and yot on the score of years bo less worthy of election than ono who is a candidate for tho first time , ancl seventy vears old . Then tho most meritorious of tho

unsuccessful candidates may , when tho day of election next comes round , bo surpassed in point of merit by a new candidato . In fact , whatever may bo tho arrangements mado for filling np thoso additional , and as I havo called them accidental vacancies , thoro will , I foar , bo somo kind of hardship to bo endured by thoso who fail . Perhaps some modification of this hardship mighfc bo obtained if a law wero mado , by which ifc mighfc bo afc the discretion of tho authorities to

assign an allowance , say , of twenty pounds , payable in equal quarterly sums of five pounds each , to every candidato who had tried fivo times to get elected on tho Fund , this allowance to coaso on tho candidate ' s election to a vacancy . But even hero I anticipate thafc somo might raise the objection I have already noted , namely , that in this case a candidato of sixty-five or sixty-six years of age wonld find himself better off than ono who might bo much older . It strikes mo that in ordor to meet snch casos tho scheme of tho

Pnpils Assistance Fnnd might bo enlarged . Tho chances aro thero would never bo moro than threo or four , or afc tho most five candidates so circumstanced , so thafc tho outside limit of what wonld bn required annually would bo only £ 100 , and it is most likely it wonld average , taking ono year with tlio other , not moro than half thafc amount . Yours faithfully and fraternally , X . Y . Z .

Committee Meeting Of The Benevolent Institution.

COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

nnHE monthly mooting of tho Committee of tho Boyal Masonio -L Benevolent Institution was held on Wednesday , at Freemasons' Hall . Thoro wero present : —Bros . Lieut .-Col . J . Creaton fin the chair ) , William Halo , J . A . Farnfield , Richard Horve Gorand , S . Eawsnn , John Henry Leggott , G . Bolton , Raynham W . Stewart , James Kench , A . II . Tatterahall , Ilonry G . Warren , William Clarke ,

John G . Stevens , Jamos Brett , John L . Mather , J . Newton , William Stephens , Thomas Cubitt , J . March Case , John Constable , Charles F . Hogard , C . H . Webb , William Hilton , William F . Nettleship , A . J . Duff-Filer , Louis Stean , Thomas Goodo , and James Terry ( Secretary ) . Bro . Terry reported tho death of ono malo Annuitant .

The Warden ' s Report for tho past month was read . Tho Report of the Finance Committee was also read , and received , and ordered to be entered on tho minutes . Tho chairman was authorised to sign cheques for tho male and female annuitants , & c , for the ensuing quarter . Tho Draft Report for the annual meeting was approved

and adopted . Letters of Grand Secretary wero read as to proposed new offices , but the subject thereof was deferred for further information . Application was made by Mrs . Grant for half her late husband ' s annuity , which was granted . Bro . Henry G . Warren ' s notice of motion was withdrawn , and tho Committee , after somo farther business , adjourned .

The Loughborough Lodge Of Instruction,

THE LOUGHBOROUGH LODGE OF INSTRUCTION ,

No . 22 . THE Session of this Lodgo opened on tho 28 th September last , and since thafc timo they have held thirty meetings with an aggregate attendance of 24-1 , and thoso hailing from upwards of thirty Lodges , being an average attendance of about nino members . Tho ceremony of tho first degree has beon worked thirty-threo times , the

second degree twenty , and the third degree seventeen times , and tho installation ceremony onco . The members of this Lodge of Instruction and their friends banqnetted together at their placo of meeting , Bro . McDiarmid ' s , the Cambria Tavern , near Loughborough Junction , on tho 7 th inst ., when upwards of thirty sat down to an excellent spread admirably served np . Bro . William Ashwell P . M . of tho

Neptune , No . 22 , presided , and Bro . Baldwin Secretary acted as Vico President . After tho usual toasts had been cordially received and disposed of , Bro . G . S . Graham , gave some of his very clever songs and selections , a selection from " II Trovatore " receiving a well merited encore . The songs and recitations of Bros . Crook , Warren , Wallis , ancl others , added much to tho enjoyment of tho evening .

The Annnal Communication of the Provincial Grand Chapter of N . and E . Yorkshire will take place on Thursday next , at York , under the banner of tho Zetland Chapter , No . 236 .

Well fermented Old Wines and Matured Spirits . J . E . SHAND & Co ., Wino Merchants , ( Experts and Valuers , ) 2 Albert Mansions , Victoria , Street , S . W . Price Lists on application .