Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

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

THE BOYS' SCHOOL RECEIPTS FOR 1834 . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S Cniioxicr / G . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —There ia nodonbt tho smallness of the receipts by tho Eoyal Masonic Institntion for Boys dnring tho past year is due principally to tho unusually heavy call made upon the Craft in 1883 in behalf of the Preparatory School . Yet I confess

I had some difficulty in understanding how it is they amount to less than the sum announced at tho Festival iu Juno last , which I believe was stated as £ 14 , 000 in round figures . I can of course sec clearly enough that the Benevolent Institution , which holds its Festival in February , is more likely to gather in its subscriptions in tho ten

remaining months of the year than the Boys School , which holds its Festival in June , and has only six months clear for the same purpose , but as one of tho Festivals must come first and ono last , I do not take much account of this point . It strikes me , however , as helping very materially to explain the remarkable difference between tho returns

furnished by these two Institutions that Bro . Binckes ' s office is undermanned , and that it was a " penny wise and pound foolish" kind of economy which induced the Boys' School Executive to abolish the office of Collector . Bro . Terry has tho service ? of Bro . Mason , who not only collects contributions , but assists very ably in tho office

work generally , and those of Bro . Recknell . Bro . Hedges has two clerks all to himself , but in Bro . Binckes ' s office there is only one clerk—a very able , attentive aud courteous one , I admit—with occasional boy or other assistance at odd times . But every one who has had to do , directly or indirectly , with the collection of money

knows how hard it is , and how many calls have to be made , in order to gather in the promised contributions . And if this is tho case there can , I think , be little doubt about the unwisdom of leaving it to chance to get in the moneys promised or duo and payable . If , however , there are overwhelming reasons against tho employment of

a Collector for the Boys' School , it strikes me Bro . Binckos should have two clerks as Brother Hedges has , or a clerk and a-half like Bro . Terry—Bro . Mason being as it were one-half clerk and the other half Collector . Just now , with the Preparatory School rapidly approaching completion , there is a greater necessity than over for

additional clerical assistance . Tho Committee have to a certain extent recognised this fact by voting the continuance for another year of the additional remuneration paid to the Secretary and his clerk in 1884 . But additional pay , though it may solace these officials for their additional labours , will not furnish them with additional

hands to work with , nnd what is wanted now and for tho future ia not more work out of the same men—who , Heaven knows , work hard enough already—but more people to do the work . Then we may hope to see Bro . Binckes ' s return more nearly level with what it figures as

upon paper . Bro . Hedges has succeeded in realising as much as his Festival was announced to yield , and Bro . Terry about £ 1000 over , but Bro . Binckes is short of that total , and I venture to say the whole of these shortcomings is not to bo explained by the payments in advance before the 31 st December 1883 . Fraternally yours , S . P .

The Preparatory School.

THE PREPARATORY SCHOOL .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S Cnuojrrctr . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —It is to be hoped that the appeal set forth so lucidly in your columns , a fortnight since , in supplementing Bro . Binckes's circular anent the Boys' Preparatory School will have received the consideration it deserves , and that your faith in tho

fervent zeal and sturdy determination of the Craft in the interests of Charity may be abundantly justified . Most of the readers of your excellent journal must be acquainted with tho agitation which led up to the establishment of this subsidiary school , and how tbe movement was applauded by those who take a special interest in " Our Boys . "

It is , therefore , most important that , having set our hands to the plough , we should not look back , or flinch ore iota in tbe task we have set before us . On the contrary , there is such a prospect of usefulness and real Charity in the sphere which will be opened out by this Preparatory School thatall wdio were interested iu at at the outset

should feel their zeal increased and their energies stimulated by the " short , sharp , and decisive" intimation we have received from the pen of Bro . Binckes . It seems to me rather a matter for regret that so poor an account should be shown of annual subscribers amongst the Lodges and Chapters at home and in tho colonies ; and

this is a point which should be taken up in serious earnest by the brethren everywhere . The commencement of a new year is a most opportune time to inaugurate a fresh scheme of usefulness and beneficence ; and , seeing the very trifling sacrifice which wonld bo involved by a response to Bro . Binckes ' s appeal for aguiLea or two

per annum , there should bo no difficulty in at once placing tin executive of tho Preparatory School beyond the pale of rmxiet \ respecting the funds necessary for the completion of the building- ; and the election of a proportion of the number of boys for whom the

additional accommodation is to bo piovidtd . Masters of Lod-e--could , I am sure , very readily and easily introduce this matter " to their Lodges at the earliest regular meeting ; and I venture to believe there is not one but would unanimously authorise the voting of a minimum guinea from the Lodge funds in order to strengthen the

The Preparatory School.

hands of the Hovs' Preparatory School Committee in their laudable undertakim ' . TIIM is a matter which should , as Bro . Binckes pointed out , not need any f urtb' -r argumentative appeal ; bnt should at once bo taken up by Lodges , who , by acting spontaneously and earnestly , inst now , iii : ! , 'hfc carry out a work which wonld redound sjrontly to

their own credit and tho welfare of trie Craft cronorally . This is a matter which should not bo allowed to lag behind , or to draw it 3 slow length alorg . To act with promptitude and vigour just now would save a vast amount of labour and anxiety Inter on , and

would snow toti ' . o world that when the occasion requires the brethren of the Craft aro more than desirous of exemplifying tho principles which aro tho pride and glory of their ancient and honourable Institution . Tni ? ting we may hear this question still further elucidated I > v correspondent ? in your valuable columns ,

I remain , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , AN Or . n BOY .

Marvels In Photography.

MARVELS IN PHOTOGRAPHY .

f ? lfIE members of the Craft will be glad to hear that a distinguished : > - member of The Groat City Lodge , No . 142 ( 5 , has lately produced two most extraordinary photographs , on a scab ) rarely seen , and so nearly resembling a steel pinto engraving as to require tho skill of an expert to discover tho difference . Tho first picture cot . tains 1 B 7

portraits of members of tho Royal Thames lachfc Club , and was originally a paint'ng on canvas , 10 ft . by 13 ft ., by Henry Brooks , well known as an exhibitor at the Royal Academy . Tho subject of the second picture i ' - tho President and Council of the Royal College of Surgeons , and owing to tho fact of having only 20 subjects to deal

with , tho grouping is more effective than in tho other picture , but both aro simply marvellous . They aro exquisite works of tho photographic art , and it is Bro . Suell's wish that all his brethren should see them , and at tho same time receive from him a truly fraternal greeting . Prominent in the pit-tare of the Royal Thames Yaoht Club . are the

welt known likenesses of TT . R .. H . Prineo of Wales , Commodore , the late Marquis of Londonderry , Lord Alfred Paget , Rear and Vice Commodores ; Sir Thomas Brassoy , M . P ., and a host of other notables in the yachting world , and amongst them 97 yacht owners . In tho second picture wo discern tin well known lineaments of our Bro .

Cooper Foster , tho President ; Sir Spencer Wells , Sir William Mac Cormac , and tho rest of tho members of tho Council . Those two great works , however , do not exhaust the contents of Bro . Snell's studio ; for besides these completed works ho has on hand another of not less importance , which i c : n picture of tho members of tho Royal

Yacht Squadron . As the senior yacht club of the kingdom it is of special interest , and particularly so as H . R . H . the Prince of Wales is also the Commodore , whd : tho late Marquis of Londonderry was tho Vice Commodore , the members being noblemen of high rank . Bro . Snell has succeeded in catching a life-like expression of the

Prince of Wales , tho Marquis of Londonderry , and the prominent members of the squadron . When this picture is completed it will find a fitting homo in the Squadron Club House at Cowes , in company with those cf the lato Emperor Napoleon and tho late Earl of Wilton .

A convocation of the North London Chapter of Improvement war- ) held on Thursday evening , at the Alwyne Castle Tavern , St . Panl'rf Road , Canonbury , at 8 o ' clock . Comps . R , Bird M . E . Z ., Wm . RadclifFo ST ., H . Dehane J ., G .

Gregory acting S . E ., T . 0 . Edmonds S . TST ., J . Sfr . agnell P . S . The ceremony of exaltation was conducted in an admirable manner , and a profitable and instructive evening was spent .

Wo regret ( o hear that Bro , C . F . Matier has had a serious fail and dislocated his right shoulder . It is feared that this accident will confine our worthy brother to his house for some time . AN APPEAL I-OR HELP FOR THE EAST OF LOXDON . —After fourteen

years of unremitting toil and anxiety in minis ! ering to the spiritual and temporal necessities of the very poorest of the poor inhabitants of Stepney , Shadwell , Limehouse , & c , tbe workers in connection with the London Cottigo Mission , ( 57 Salmon's Lane , Limrhouse , through its founder nnd director , Mr . Walter Austin , are , with

st : > rea and funds exhausted , now absolutely compelled to beg of the public immediate and substantial help to enable them to pay off a debt of £ 700 owing by tho Mission ; for funds to meet the expenses of tho childien's weekly Lish stew dinners , at which , duiinir tho six winter mouths of each year , nearl y a thousand

children per week nro supplied with a full and substantial m ^ al ; for food and medical r . ercsri'fcies for the sick , aged and bed-ri-. Uteri ; for Iho cost of tin Maternity Society ; and for the mainetnar . co of t -o Children ' s Homo Mid Sard tori urn , accommodating 100 little patients at Halls Ore n Farm , Seven oaks Weald , Kent . It may be

added that a month ' s Mission wns inauirnrated on New Year ' s Day , vfhich will bo continued daily np to the rlose of tbe present month . ivi-. b . ^ criptioiiK ar . d donatiM-s of clothing will be f'ratefu'dy received

-, i . dpf ::.::, ov . ledg .- .-d by M ss F . Napton , H 04 B > irde ! t . road , LirnVh-n ^ e ; ihe Bankers , the Lonflon aud South West' -rn Bank , 7 FenehurcTi - -hcet , E . G ., and by Mr . Walter Austin , Managing Director , 44 Fins . or . ry Pavement , London , E . G .