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Article SUPPLEMENTARY MASONIC CHARITIES. Page 1 of 2 Article SUPPLEMENTARY MASONIC CHARITIES. Page 1 of 2 →
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Supplementary Masonic Charities.
SUPPLEMENTARY MASONIC CHARITIES .
THE CHESHIRE EDUCATIONAL MASONIC INSTITUTION .
IN fulfilment of the promise in our issue of the 27 th ult . ¦ we now have the pleasure of placing hefore our readers some further details of the working of the Cheshire Educational Masonic Institution . In doing so we feel that the publication of the facts , which the report of this charity
practically demonstrates will be most appropriate at this season when so much agitation is going on in reference to the future of the central Masonio Charities . It may seem improbable to some of our readers , but there are very many members of the Order in this country who know absolutely
nothing of either the Benevolent Institution or the Boys ' or Girls' Schools , and when we say this it may be imagined how many there are who are in ignorance of the local funds attached to several of the Provinces into which English Freemasonry is divided . Were it otherwise we should be
at a loss to account for the conflicting statements which are put forward whenever any alteration is proposed in existing rules . It indeed seems strange that any brother can urge that this or that is impossible in face of the fact that it has really been accomplished in half a dozen
different parts of the country , were it not that we imagine him ignorant of the work that is being carried on within a few miles of his own door . Brethren are apt to refer with pride , justifiable without question , to the great amount contributed at the three Festivals held annually in
London , and there are very many conspicuous by their absence from those meetings who are never tired of recounting what Freemasonry does for those in necessitous circumstances , but have they really any knowledge of what is actually done ? Are they
aware that the £ 40 , 000 or so to which the the totals figure up is but a moiety of the amount annually expended in Masonic charity ? "We think not , and were they to become acquainted with the actual state of affairs , there are surely a few who would look upon themselves somewhat in the
light of impostors , taking the credit of good deeds at the expense of others . The benefits conferred by our Schools are very great , but what are they among so many , or what in comparison to the number who are regularly pronounced as deserving of something ? If we could induce brethren
throughout the country to carefully consider the work that is done by such provinces as Cheshire—which in addition to its liberal support of each of : the three central Charities maintains an Institution of its own—they would soon discover Avhat Freemasons really are capable of doing ,
and by applying the gauge to their own districts they might find whether they were themselves at fault . Before we proceed further , it may be as well to place the whole facts of the Cheshire Institution—which we take as an illustration—before our readers . The last report thereof , which
carries us up to the end of 1879 , is devoted to the details of the working of the institution for the seventeenth year of its existence , it having been founded in 1863 . As we pointed out in the report of the Committee meeting held at Birkenhead last month , the receipts for the year amounted
to £ 387 3 s Id , which , with the addition of a donation of £ 5 from Lord De Tabley ( Prov . G . M . ) and £ 2 from Lady De Tabley , bring up the total for 1879 to £ 394 3 s Id , of which amount £ 151 lCs 7 d represents the interest on investments , which at the timo in question amounted to
Supplementary Masonic Charities.
£ 3 , 438 lslOd . Tho balance is made up by a number of small personal subscriptions—fire shilling ones principally , and therefore within the limit of any brother ' s income . It is next necessary to see in what way this amount is expended , and to this it is that we specially
direct the attention of our readers . From the report it appears that " during tho year seventeen children have been educated , three of . whom retire at the end of the financial year , and there are six applications . Three have been advanced , and there are no fresh applications for
advancement ; " and all this has been done for the amount of £ 158 18 s 9 d— £ 102 10 s lOd for education , £ 17 s 2 s 8 d for advancement , and £ 39 5 s 3 d for printing reports , expenses of annual audit and committee meetings , stationery , postages , & c . & c . It will thus be seen that a
considerable balance remained as the result of the year s work , and of this £ 200 had been invested in the purchase of two Mersey Dock Bonds . The payments for education range from £ 4 in the case of a girl educated at Hyde , to £ 10 15 s 6 d expended on a lad at one of the London
grammar schools , and this we urge is the most practical demonstration it is possible to put forward that some such provision might be made for the candidates who unsuccessfully compete at the elections for our London Schools . We cannot give a better description of the mode of working
this Institution than is given in the report : — " The principle is , that when a candidate is passed as being eligible for the benefits of the Institution , it is left entirely to the
parent or guardian as tbe case may be , to select the School to which the child shall be sent , and when satisfactory proof of due attendance is given , the amount of the School fees is then paid by the Institution . "
Leaving the above we will now look at the business transacted at the last Quarterly General Court of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , when the following notice of motion was submitted by Bro . H . T . Thompson : —
" Thafc tho sum of £ G be voted , to each of Twenty-five Children next highest on the Poll to the successf al Candidates afc this Election , in aid of their maintenance and education until the Election in October next . " Bro . Thompson pointed out , when he formally moved the
above , that there were forty-five children competing for the thirteen vacancies of the day , so that there would be thirty-two returned unelected . Surely it would have been a most graceful act to have selected twenty-five of this number and presented their parents or guardians with a
sum of money towards their support until next October , by which time most of them will have another , and we hope a much better chance of being elected , or else have acted in a manner similar to that adopted in Cheshire , and paid the School fees and perhaps supplied a few articles of
clothing ; but no , the proposition was dismissed , as we expected it would be , and we ask why ? One brother objected because a little trouble would be entailed in seeing that the money was properly applied , but , as we understand it , proof that it is actually spent would be required from the recipients ,
who would have to get their statements vouched for , and thus the work of a Committee would simply be to see that certain forms were gone through and be convinced that the statements made were not deliberately false . Another brother thought that such a course of action would debase
Freemasons . We may not know the meaning of the word , but , bearing in mind the boasted principles of the Order , we ask , Is not Freemasonry debased when its votaries decline to spend £ 150 , out of an income of nearly one hundred times that amount , on the education of twentyfive poor orphan girls , the condition of each of whom has
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Supplementary Masonic Charities.
SUPPLEMENTARY MASONIC CHARITIES .
THE CHESHIRE EDUCATIONAL MASONIC INSTITUTION .
IN fulfilment of the promise in our issue of the 27 th ult . ¦ we now have the pleasure of placing hefore our readers some further details of the working of the Cheshire Educational Masonic Institution . In doing so we feel that the publication of the facts , which the report of this charity
practically demonstrates will be most appropriate at this season when so much agitation is going on in reference to the future of the central Masonio Charities . It may seem improbable to some of our readers , but there are very many members of the Order in this country who know absolutely
nothing of either the Benevolent Institution or the Boys ' or Girls' Schools , and when we say this it may be imagined how many there are who are in ignorance of the local funds attached to several of the Provinces into which English Freemasonry is divided . Were it otherwise we should be
at a loss to account for the conflicting statements which are put forward whenever any alteration is proposed in existing rules . It indeed seems strange that any brother can urge that this or that is impossible in face of the fact that it has really been accomplished in half a dozen
different parts of the country , were it not that we imagine him ignorant of the work that is being carried on within a few miles of his own door . Brethren are apt to refer with pride , justifiable without question , to the great amount contributed at the three Festivals held annually in
London , and there are very many conspicuous by their absence from those meetings who are never tired of recounting what Freemasonry does for those in necessitous circumstances , but have they really any knowledge of what is actually done ? Are they
aware that the £ 40 , 000 or so to which the the totals figure up is but a moiety of the amount annually expended in Masonic charity ? "We think not , and were they to become acquainted with the actual state of affairs , there are surely a few who would look upon themselves somewhat in the
light of impostors , taking the credit of good deeds at the expense of others . The benefits conferred by our Schools are very great , but what are they among so many , or what in comparison to the number who are regularly pronounced as deserving of something ? If we could induce brethren
throughout the country to carefully consider the work that is done by such provinces as Cheshire—which in addition to its liberal support of each of : the three central Charities maintains an Institution of its own—they would soon discover Avhat Freemasons really are capable of doing ,
and by applying the gauge to their own districts they might find whether they were themselves at fault . Before we proceed further , it may be as well to place the whole facts of the Cheshire Institution—which we take as an illustration—before our readers . The last report thereof , which
carries us up to the end of 1879 , is devoted to the details of the working of the institution for the seventeenth year of its existence , it having been founded in 1863 . As we pointed out in the report of the Committee meeting held at Birkenhead last month , the receipts for the year amounted
to £ 387 3 s Id , which , with the addition of a donation of £ 5 from Lord De Tabley ( Prov . G . M . ) and £ 2 from Lady De Tabley , bring up the total for 1879 to £ 394 3 s Id , of which amount £ 151 lCs 7 d represents the interest on investments , which at the timo in question amounted to
Supplementary Masonic Charities.
£ 3 , 438 lslOd . Tho balance is made up by a number of small personal subscriptions—fire shilling ones principally , and therefore within the limit of any brother ' s income . It is next necessary to see in what way this amount is expended , and to this it is that we specially
direct the attention of our readers . From the report it appears that " during tho year seventeen children have been educated , three of . whom retire at the end of the financial year , and there are six applications . Three have been advanced , and there are no fresh applications for
advancement ; " and all this has been done for the amount of £ 158 18 s 9 d— £ 102 10 s lOd for education , £ 17 s 2 s 8 d for advancement , and £ 39 5 s 3 d for printing reports , expenses of annual audit and committee meetings , stationery , postages , & c . & c . It will thus be seen that a
considerable balance remained as the result of the year s work , and of this £ 200 had been invested in the purchase of two Mersey Dock Bonds . The payments for education range from £ 4 in the case of a girl educated at Hyde , to £ 10 15 s 6 d expended on a lad at one of the London
grammar schools , and this we urge is the most practical demonstration it is possible to put forward that some such provision might be made for the candidates who unsuccessfully compete at the elections for our London Schools . We cannot give a better description of the mode of working
this Institution than is given in the report : — " The principle is , that when a candidate is passed as being eligible for the benefits of the Institution , it is left entirely to the
parent or guardian as tbe case may be , to select the School to which the child shall be sent , and when satisfactory proof of due attendance is given , the amount of the School fees is then paid by the Institution . "
Leaving the above we will now look at the business transacted at the last Quarterly General Court of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , when the following notice of motion was submitted by Bro . H . T . Thompson : —
" Thafc tho sum of £ G be voted , to each of Twenty-five Children next highest on the Poll to the successf al Candidates afc this Election , in aid of their maintenance and education until the Election in October next . " Bro . Thompson pointed out , when he formally moved the
above , that there were forty-five children competing for the thirteen vacancies of the day , so that there would be thirty-two returned unelected . Surely it would have been a most graceful act to have selected twenty-five of this number and presented their parents or guardians with a
sum of money towards their support until next October , by which time most of them will have another , and we hope a much better chance of being elected , or else have acted in a manner similar to that adopted in Cheshire , and paid the School fees and perhaps supplied a few articles of
clothing ; but no , the proposition was dismissed , as we expected it would be , and we ask why ? One brother objected because a little trouble would be entailed in seeing that the money was properly applied , but , as we understand it , proof that it is actually spent would be required from the recipients ,
who would have to get their statements vouched for , and thus the work of a Committee would simply be to see that certain forms were gone through and be convinced that the statements made were not deliberately false . Another brother thought that such a course of action would debase
Freemasons . We may not know the meaning of the word , but , bearing in mind the boasted principles of the Order , we ask , Is not Freemasonry debased when its votaries decline to spend £ 150 , out of an income of nearly one hundred times that amount , on the education of twentyfive poor orphan girls , the condition of each of whom has