Kent.

gladden the heart of the Secretary of the Girls Schoolwhom they had amongst them—by a hearty reception of the toast , just as they gladdened him a few weeks back , when they offered him the contents of their pockets for the cause he so worthily pleaded .

Bro . F . R . W . Hedges said he had had the privilege on two or three occasions of rising in that Province of Kent in response to the toast of the Masonic Charities , and he could only say that of the . visits he had paid to the Province none had been more gratifying than the present , for the Brethren

of Kent had indeed cheered his heart by the liberality they had so recently displayed . They had done much to fill the pockets ol the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , and he could assure them he regarded it as a deep privilege to be there to thank them on behalf of that Institution , and indeed

'on behalf of all three of them . Words could not express how deeply the Girls School thanked their Provincial Grand Master and his Province of Kent for the great support accorded on the occasion of the recent Festival , when they had won such renown . For some years ( since 1891 ) West

Lancashire held the record of having contributed the largest amount to any Festival , and West Yorkshire run them very close on the occasion of the Boys Centenary Festival , in 1898 , but this year Kent had beaten all records by something over ^ 300 . Not only was this a record year for Kent ,

but for the Institution also , and not only so , but there was only one other ordinary Festival in connection with the Masonic Institutions when a larger sum had been collected . The address of the Countess Amherst , when she so kindly

presented the prizes to the pupils , was couched in such words as would never be forgotten , and if they had to be thankful to the Prov . G . M . for his special influence , they certainly had also to thank him for taking the Countess down to the School on the occasion when she made so excellent a speech .

The Chairman said they could not go away without drinking the health of the Lodge under which they had met that day . No . little trouble fell upon the entertaining Brethren on these occasions , and that clay ' s arrangements had been most satisfactory . In fact , if the people of Dover

had all been Masons they could not have done better . He congratulated the members of the Lodge on the celebration of the Centenary of its foundation , and coupled with the toast the name of Bro . Terson , who had worked very hard and very long on behalf of the old Lodge .

Bro . Terson replied . ITe was sure the members of the entertaining Lodge all felt that if their efforts had met with approval what they had done had been amply compensated for . They had looked forward for years to the entertainment of Provincial Grand Lodge , in the year of their Lodge ' s Centenary .

The proceeoings were enlivened by a military band , which played selections during the dinner ; while excellent songs were given afterwards , the artistes including Miss Daisy Boyton , Madame Minnie Curtis , Bro . E . Wilfred Barclay Prov . G . O ., Bro . J . Pearson , and Mr . J . E . Ward .

Gloucestershire.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE .

THE annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge was held on Tuesday , 28 th ult , at Dursley . The meeting is usually held in Whitsun week , a time at which Parliamentary

duties cease from troubling the statesmen of the country ; and the fact that only twice or three times since the present Chancellor of the Exchequer was appointed Provincial Grand Master , now just twenty years ago , has he failed to preside at the annual gathering , illustrates both the convenience of

the fixture and the interest which Sir Michael Hicks Beach takes in the business of the Province over which he so ably presides . Indeed , Sir Michael seldom fails on these yearly occasions , when greeting his Brethren , to dwell upon the pleasure and relief with which he looks forward to a meeting

whereat politics are tabooed and subjects of polemical or reli gious discussion carefully avoided . And as the date of Provincial Grand Lodge is governed by the convenience of the Provincial Grand Master , the place of assembly is usually chosen , to meet the convenience of the Brethren , at one of

the larger centres of population and railway communication in the county ; but the Provincial Grand Master occasionally summons his Brethren to meet him at one of the smaller centres of Masonic life , and his summons is cheerfully responded to . It was so this year . The attendance was not

Gloucestershire.

greatly affected by the difficulty with which many of the Brethren attended , all parts of the Province being well represented . It may be added that this is the forty-fifth year of Provincial Grand Lodge , and that of the seventeen Lodges now flourishing under its rule , five only—the two

Lodges at Cheltenham , the Berkeley and Cirencester Lodges , and the Lodge Royal Lebanon at Gloucester—were in working when Provincial Grand Lodge was formed . During its existence there have been only two Prov . Grand Masters , viz ., the late Lord Sherborne and Sir Michael Hicks Beach .

The accommodation offered by the Victoria School , at Dursley , in which the Lodge was held last month , does not permit of much in the way of ceremonial observance , and

Provincial Grand Lodge was opened with little formal ceremony . Only the present Officers of the Lodge took part in the processional entrance to the Lodge room , the total assembly being 200 .

Provincial Grand Lodge was opened m due form shortly after 2 . 30 , at which time the Lodge room was somewhat inconveniently crowded . The confirmation of the minutes of

the last meeting , on the 5 th June 1900 , at Gloucester , was approved , and the usual honours having been paid to the Prov . Grand Master and the Grand Lodge Officers attending him , the business of the meeting was proceeded with .

Bro . James Bruton Treasurer presented his report for the past year . From this it appeared that at the commencement of the year there was a balance in hand of £ 92 4 s 11 d , including which the receipts for the year had been £ 204 16 s 1 id . The payments ( including a donation to the South

African Refugees Fund ) had been £ 67 5 s yd , and the balance remaining in hand was £ 137 us 4 d , which Bro . Bruton stated to be the largest surplus yet recorded in the history of Prov . G . Lodge . The adoption of the report was moved by Bro . G . C . Clark , and seconded by Bro . Weston ,

and was carried with an expression of thanks to Bro . Bruton . The report of the Prov . Charity Committee , prepared by Bro . R . P . Sumner P . P . S . G . W . the Charity Secretary , was read in his absence ( through the effects of a cycle accident )

by the Deputy Prov . G . M . Bro . R . V . Vassar-Smith P . G . D . England . It recorded the election of a lad to the Boys School , and that his sister . had just left the Girls School , having been elected to that Institution in 1894 .

The case of Bro . Samuel Moss , formerly of the Royal Lebanon Lodge , was also successfully carried at the election that month for the Benevolent Institution . There were now

ffom the Province six boys and two girls receiving the benefits afforded by the Schools , while thirty-two had passed through the two Institutions . Two more boys—Chipp and Woodward- —had been retained beyond the usual age , for higher education . Two distressed Brethren were

receiving annuities of £ 40 , and one widow an annuity of ^ 32 . The position as regarded voting power was at present , in credit for Schools 5 , 290 ; in credit for Benevolent 1 , 187 . The attendances at the Festivals had been , Boys School , 1 9 , four Stewards with lists amounting to £ 147 ;

Benevolent , 1 9 , seven Stewards with lists amounting to £ 262 10 s ; Girls School , 1 9 , eight Stewards with lists amounting to £ 224 14 s ; a total of £ 634 4 s . This was an increase of £ 171 14 s 6 d over the amount sent up the previous year . There were now sixty-four subscribers to

the " A" fund , as against fifty-six last year , and fourteen members had gained life votes for the Masonic Institutions through the Fund during the past year . The subscriptions

to the Provincial Benevolent Fund had been £ 66 4 s 4 d and grants to the amount of £ 22 had been made . The balance in hand to the credit of the " B '' ' fund on deposit and current account was £ 354 18 s 7 d .

The adoption of the report was proposed by the Deputy Prov . G . Master , seconded by Bro . Weston , and carried . The re-election of Bro . Bruton as Treasurer was then also unanimously supported , and the vote duly acknowledged by Bro . Bruton . The next business beinsr the election of a

Tyler , the D . Prov . G . Master referred to the fact that Bro . Window , who had filled the Office for many years past , had been comnelled to retire hv loss nf pvpsioiif- nn < -l o-pnpi-al

failure of health . Bro . Window ' s knowledge of Masonic lore was remarkable , he showed an unfailing interest in the ceremonies of the Craft , and his retirement was a matter for universal regret in the Province . The D . Prov . G . Master proposed the election of Bro . Tritchett as his successor , and