The Boys School Centenary.

THE BOYS SCHOOL CENTENARY .

THERE are some sights , comparatively commonplace in themselves , which yet seem to defy description , and this may certainly be regarded as the case when we attempt to call to mind the scene which presented itself on Friday , the 10 th inst ., when one entered the Albert Hall , to take part in the celebration of the Centenary Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for

Boys . No matter what the occasion that calls together a full dress assembly at this world renowned Concert Hall , the general appearance is . sure to be of an imposing nature , but when , in addition to the ordinary garb of the world is added the special colouring of Masonic regalia and jewellery , the effect is considerably heightened , as has been remarked time after time by

those who have endeavoured to give a word picture of a Masonic gathering in this splendid building . But even the special surroundings of an ordinary Masonic meeting were improved upon on this occasion—as we so well remember was also the case , ten years ago , when tbe Girls School celebrated a similiar epoch in its history—by the white cloths and general decorations of the tables set out in the arena , the orchestra , the amphitheatre , and the

loggia boxes of tbe building . The sight when the large company of Brethren , and the considerable number of ladies who filled the upper tiers of boxes , & c , rose to greet the Prince of Wales , on his entrance , was one that cannot have failed to make an inpression on all who witnessed it , and we can well believe the Royal Chairman was sincere when , later on , he said he was not likely to forget the reception he had on entering the magnificent Hall . It was certainly an inspiring moment .

The large company was provided for at ninety-two tables , with a seating accommodation of close on 3 , 000 , in the lower parts of the building , while , high up in the top gallery there was provision for more , with , to all appearance , not a vacant seat throughout the vast building . ¦ The catering was entrusted to

Messrs . Spiers and Pond , and they carried out their part of the arrangements in a way that reflected great credit upon them , for although , as we have seen it stated , the majority of those who attended were present to take part in a great celebration rather than to enjoy a feast , there was every opportunity of partaking of tbe one equally with the other .

The Prince of Wales entered , in procession , with a large number of distinguished Brethren , and , amid the heartiest of welcomes , proceeded up the centre of the hall to his seat in front of the orchestra , where he bowed his acknowledgment for the very cordial reception accorded him . The Prince then called upon Bro . Rev . C . J . Martyn Past Grand Chaplain Deputy Provincial

Grand Master of Suffolk to say grace , and the festive proceedings were thus fairly started upon . A trumpeter of the Blues called the company to order ere the Deputy Grand Master announced that the Prince of Wales would be pleased to take a glass of wine with his Brethren , and this was the signal for another outburst of enthusiasm . The same course was adopted whenever the

chairman desired to attract , the attention of his audience , and it proved a pleasing change to the old fashioned system of a toast master , many of whom seem to have an idea that their efficiency is best measured by the amount of noise they occasion ; but , of course , it is not every chairman who is blessed with so excellent

a delivery as the Prince of Wales , or who can make himself so distinctly heard as does His Royal Highness , even at a gathering small in comparison with that addressed by the Prince on this occasion . At the conclusion of the dinner the Grand Master at once proceeded with the toast list , which was commendably brief , and comprised three items only .

The Boys School Centenary.

In submitting the first the Prince said : Brethren , the time-honoured toast I am going to propose to you requires no preface from me , and I know you will drink it with enthusiasm . It is "The Queen and the Craft . " This was followed by the National Anthem , heartily joined in by the whole of the large assembly . Earl Amherst Deputy Grand Master next proposed the toast of His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales , K . G ., & c , & c , Most Worshipful Grand Master ,

President of the Institution , ancl Chairman of the Centenary Festival . He said they had very much to do there that evening . The toast he had to introduce was a most important one , and he hoped they would not measure its importance by the brevity of his remarks . He should have liked to call it the toast of the evening , but were he to do so he felt the Grand Master would call him to order . It was needless for him in an assembly like that of keen Masons to dilate on the manifold benefits that had accrued to the Craft from

His Eoyal Highness ' s long tenure of office as Most Worshipful Grand Master . They were registered iu letters of , gold , and his reign might be referred to as the reign of the best Grand Master the Craft had ever known . The Brethren would also remember that His Eoyal Highness had many calls upon him , and if his multifarious engagements did not enable him to be with them so much as some of them would like , they must always remember he found time to preside over important meetings of the Craft , such as the one that called them together that night ; nor could they forget that only three days ago

they were honoured in that hall by the gracious presence of the Princess of Wales , who came there to help them in their great work of Masonic Charity , and to give away the rewards of merit which had been gained by the boys , and on which occasion His Boyal Highness spoke in such happy terms of the great Masonic virtue of charity . Bemembering all these things he asked them all on this memorable day—which he hoped would come to be referred to as their glorious 10 th of June— to show their appreciation of the Grand Master . The toast was most heartily honoured .

The Grand Master , in acknowledgment of the toast , said he was not likely to forget the reception he met with on coming into that magnificent hall , filled with so vast an assemblage ; nor the way in which they had received the toast so kindly proposed by the Eight Worshipful Deputy Grand Master . As had been mentioned , his manifold duties would not allow him to meet the Brethren as often as he would like ; but he knew that when he did have the honour and pleasure of appearing among them the reception he

met with caused him the deepest gratification and pleasure . It was now thirty years since he was initiated a member of the Craft , and he had had the high honour and privilege of having been their Grand Master for twentyfour years . He could only say that during that time he had been most abl y supported by all the Officers of Grand Lodge , by the Provincial Grand Masters —of whom he was glad to see many there that night—and by the Brethren generally . They had , he thought , every reason to congratulate themselves ,

as the large body they now were , that Freemasonry was flourishing , not only in every part of the United Kingdom , but in every one of those distant countries which were under the sceptre of England . It might be interesting to them on that occasion if he were to mention that when he was elected to the chair of Grand Master there were 1 , 306 Lodges on the roll ' of Grand Lodge of England . Dnring the period of twenty-four years about 280 Lodges in the colonies had formed themselves into separate Grand Lodges , of all of

which he had the honour of being patron , and there were , at the present moment , on the roll of Grand Lodge , no fewer than 2 , 270 Lodges . Assuming , therefore , an average of 50 in every Lodge , there appeared to be at the present moment nearly 114 , 010 Masons belonging to the Lodges under the Grand Lodge of England , against about 65 , 000 in the year 1875 . It must be a satisfaction to them to hear this , as it showed to the country in genera ) , and to the world in general , that Freemasonry— although , no donbt , it flourished

all over the world—flourished , he thought , in no country as it did in their own . It was alluded to the other day , when the Princess of Wales gave the prizes to the boys , that the watchword he made use of some time ago was " Loyalty and Charity . " As long as that remained their watchword he had bnt little doubt that all of them who were Freemasons could close their eyes at night , with the leflection that they had done their best towards their fellow creatures .

A few moments later the Prince again rose , to propose the toast of the evening - Success to the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys . They were met there that night on a very auspicious occasion , he said , as they were ceJebrating the Centenary Festival of the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys . It was a very great thing that an educational establishment like that one had been able to maintain itself so well for a space of a hundred years , and

their desire that night was to obtain sufficient funds in order to meet the requirements ol the School to remove it from its present place at Wood Green to Bushey , in Hertfordshire . He had little doubt from the enormous assemblage that he saw there that night , and from what he had heard elsewhere , that they would increase their funds to a > very large extent—he hoped to a record extent . Most likely tbe Brethren knew that members of his family had been greatly associated with this Charity . His grandfather ,

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Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . Offices—5 Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen Street , London , W . C . Chief Patroness . —HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN . Grand Patron and President . — -H . R . H . THE PRINCE OF WALES , K . G ., & c , M . W . G . M . Grand Patroness . —H . R . H . THE PRINCESS OF WALES . Banters . —LONDON & WESTMINSTER BANK LTD . ( B LOOMSBURY BRANCH ) , HIGH HOLBORN , W . C . 1 , 928 Girls haVe been provided w ? ith Education , Clothing , and Maintenance , the full number of Girls nouV receiving its benefits being 267 . Every information will be gladly given , and Subscriptions and Donations thankfully received by F . R . W . HEDGES , Secretary , 5 FREEMASONS' HALL , LONDON , W . C .