The Royal "Silver Wedding."

THE ROYAL " SILVER WEDDING . "

WE cordially endorse the admirable remarks of the Most Worshipful Grand Master in the chair , Bro . W . W . B . Beach , Prov . Grand Master of Hants and the Isle of Wight , on the occasion of his presiding at the last Quarterly Communication of the United Grand Lodge , when moving , on behalf of Bro . the Earl of Lathom , Deputy

Grand Master , who was unavoidably absent , his Lordship ' s proposal for the presentation of an address of congratulation to our Most Worshipful Grand Master H . R . H . the Prince of Wales and bis illustrious Consort on the

auspicious occasion of the approaching Twenty-fifth Anniversary of their Wedding Day ; and that the same should be accompanied by an especial and suitable gift to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales . The sentiments of

loyalty and devotion which " animate Masons' hearts towards our sovereign and the head of our Craft" could surely find no better outcome than the tokens , trifling though they may be by some considered , of genuine sympathy with

the home-life and conjugal happiness of the exalted personages who will be the recipients thereof ; whilst to the outer world indisputable evidence will be given thereby that the " true and sincere" Freemason can and does

recognise , when occasion may offer , the faithful discharge of all domestic duties by those who are set in high places , and can lead others by force of their example . In this instance the expectations of a quarter of a century ago ,

when the " brilliant Star of Denmark" passed through the Metropolis of England as the future bride of the heir to the throne ( who was not then one of our Order ) , have been verified to the letter , and the happy auguries of that time have had fulfilment . It would ill become us to be diffuse

on tbe subject of the virtues and high principles of our gracious Princess , but in general terms it may be said , and forcibly said , that no other personage can possibly have more merited the universal accord of praise and of heartfelt

congratulation than the illustrious Consort of our Grand Master . The occasions have been sundry , and will , we hope , be many more , when our " chief head and ruler " has received , and will receive , expressions of Masonic

loyalty and devotion in which Her Royal Highness cannot be joined ; and it is indeed fitting that on the forthcoming anniversary " Place aux dames" should be observed . May tbe earnest wish of Bro . Tew , the R . W . Prov . Grand Master of West Yorkshire , who seconded the Earl of

Lathom's proposal , " that it may please T . G . A . O . T . U . to spare our Grand Master and Her Royal Hi ghness to witness their golden wedding-day , " be granted ! As to his further hope that " every one of us will be spared to

rejoice on that occasion , we fear that the course of nature with many of his hearers will militate sadly against his good wishes . The enthusiasm with which the proposal was carried in the United Grand Lodge was an eloquent

testimony to that feeling of devoted affection for the Royal pair which inspired every Freemason present , and was a renewal of the outburst of unanimous approval of a

somewhat similar proposition of the Pro Grand Master of Mark Master Masons , Bro . Lord Egerton of Tatton , at the Grand Lodge of that Order held on the previous evening . It would be ungenerous and unjust to a very worthy

member of the Craft , Bro . Maurice Spiegel , P . M . of the Joppa Lodge , No . 188 , London , if we concluded our comments without reference to his very graceful withdrawal

The Royal "Silver Wedding."

of his proposition , which did not go quite so far as that agreed to . We have been given to understand that the initiative in respect to the address of congratulation was

taken by him , and that his notice of motion really had precedence , in regard to time , of that of the Deputy Grand Master . It , however , had no reference to a " suitable gift , " and it was in the best of taste and with laudable Masonic spirit that Bro . Spiegel withdrew a less effective proposal in favour of that which found general acceptation .

The " suitable gift" may not be , indeed it is not , the measure in value of all the feelings entertained in favour of those who have promoted the best interests of our Order ,

by princely rule and exaltedexample ; but , accepted by them in the spirit with which it is offered , it will do much to increase and consolidate that bond cf affection which it

has been the glory of the English Craft for many years past to find " growing with its growth and strengthening with its strength . " That future years may still further add

to that glory we sincerely hope and believe , and to the wishes of many thousands of our brethren in that regard we echo , in the words of one of us , " the Mason ' s grand Amen "—So MOTE IT BE !

Need For Timely Preparation.

NEED FOR TIMELY PREPARATION .

WE present this week , as a Supplement to the FREB - MASON ' S CHRONICLE , a complete account of the last

Festival and other matters relative to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys at Wood Green , and desire that the reports shall find perusal amongst a much larger audience than it is reasonable to expect can be permanently obtained

by any class journal , Masonic or otherwise . This step has been deemed advisable for several reasons , the obviousness of which we will endeavour to point out . It will be recollected that , although the Festival over which

Brother Tew , Provincial Grand Master of West Yorkshire , so ably presided , at the Crystal Palace , last June , was one of the best and most influentially attended we have ever witnessed , yet the results were

somewhat disappointing , and gave rise to a variety of suggestions as to why and wherefore so comparatively small a return was made by the collective body of Stewards on that occasion . In the first place it was argued that the Festival ,

coming in the thick of the Jubilee Festivities , when both in London and the Provinces exceptional pressure was put upon the purses of the patriotic , the large-hearted , and the generous , it was only to be expected that the strain would

be appreciably felt by the Institution to which particular reference is now made . But , to some extent at any rate , that argument would tell in regard to the other Institutions , inasmuch as for the previous twelve months the exigencies

of the Jubilee , both metropolitan and local , had been foreshadowed , and the brethren interested in our Charities all round were perfectly aware of the extraordinary efforts which would have to be made on that account . So far

from the Benevolent Institution suffering , however , we were rejoiced to find the total amount of the contributions far a-head of any preceding year , enabling the Executive

to " take on" a large number of annuitants , who must otherwise have been left out in the cold ; whereas , at the Girls' Festival a most satisfactory aggregate was announced , and the Committee were enabled proudly to celebrate the