Certificates For Begging.

CERTIFICATES FOR BEGGING .

COME time back , when discussing the question of **¦? Masonic impostors , we urged that the Certificates of Brethren who were relieved from Masonic funds should be sent to Grand Lodge for registration , and that if the same Certificate came back time after time the attention of the authorities should be directed to

the matter , with the view of official action . A case of fraud at Huddersfield , which we report elsewhere , demonstrates the necessity for some such action as we propose , or some stop being put on the practice of accepting Masonic Certificates as vouchers for begging

purposes . . From the evidence given in the case we think it will be agreed that the easy mode of securing a living practiced by the prisoner might have been checked

long since had . there been some official record and supervision of such grants . It is certain something must be done to stop these frequent impositions , and

we think the method we suggest would be a step in that direction . We are pleased that in this case three months imprisonment was imposed .

Festival Of The Girls School.

FESTIVAL OF THE GIRLS SCHOOL .

"" 11 HE following is a list of the contributing Provinces at JL last week ' s Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , with the number of Stewards from each , and the amounts collected , as announced by the Secretary of the Institution at the Festival , with the exception of Staffordshire , which we have since learnt should be credited with £ 173 5 sod .

Somersetshire ... ... 28 2 , 134 0 0 Essex ... ... ... 14 661 0 0 West Yorkshire . ... ... 42 550 0 0 Surrey ... ... ... 16 515 0 0 Middlesex ... ... ... 14 478 0 0 Berkshire ... ... ... 12 396 . 0 0 Kent ... ... ... g 395 0 0

Warwickshire ... ... 21 393 0 0 Derbyshire ... ... ... 10 390 0 0 Sussex ... ... ... 14 371 0 0 Hants and Isle of Wight ... 9 356 0 0 Gloucestershire ... ... 8 331 0 0 Wiltshire .., ... ... 1 285 0 0 Cornwall ... ... ... 2 231 0 0

Norths and Hunts ... ... 5 208 0 0 East Lancashire ... ... 5 194 0 0 Nottinghamshire ... ... 3 189 0 0 Hertfordshire ... ... ... 8 179 0 0 Staffordshire ... ... 5 173 5 0 Dorsetshire ... ... ... 2 168 0 0 Oxfordshire ... ... ... : 7 158 0 0

Buckinghamshire 9 145 0 0 West Lancashire ... ... 10 140 0 0 Bedfordshire ... ... ... 4 134 0 0 Suffolk ... ... ... 1 126 0 0 Devonshire ... ... ... 3 120 0 0 Cambridgeshire ... ... 2 74 0 0 North and East Yorkshire ... 1 64 0 0

Cheshire ... ... ... 6 63 0 0 Durham ... ... ... 1 52 10 0 Egypt ... ... ... 2 52 10 0 Northumberland ... ... 1 47 0 0 North Wales ... „ , ' 2 47 0 0 Japan ... ... ... 1 31 10 0

South America ... ... 1 21 0 0 Leicestershire and Rutland ... 1 10 10 0 Bengal ... ... ... 1 Bombay ... ... ... 1 China ... ... ... 1

Order Of The Temple.

ORDER OF THE TEMPLE .

AT the meeting of the Great Priory , held at Mark Masons ' Hall , on Friday afternoon , 12 th inst ., the Earl of Euston was re-elected and installed into the position of Grand Master , and Viscount Dungarvan was appointed Great Seneschall . The Grand Master announced that he had

appointed the Earl of Lathom to be Provincial Prior of Lancashire . Among those appointed to office in the Great Priory were : The Rev . A . W . Coxhead , who was made Great Prelate ; Bro . Loveland-Loveland , Great Chancellor ; and Colonel Lockwood , M . P ., First Great Constable .

The Derwent Lodge , Hastings , has just made a presentation to the wife of Bro . H . Boyce , a Past Master of the Lodge . The gift consisted of a superb diamond brooch , accompanied by a handsome album , containing an address , and the names of the subscribers , who were eighty in number .

The brooch , which is crescent in shape , contains twentyseven glistening diamonds of the first water , set in platinum , backed up with gold , and is a magnificent ornament . ' The address is as follows : — " Presentation made to Mrs . Henry

Boyce , of a diamond brooch , in recognition of the great assistance she gave the W . M ., Bro . H . Boyce , during his year of office ( 1898 ) , and for her kindly consideration for the comfort of the Brethren generally . ( Signed ) . —C . E . Botley , W . M . ; L . J . Jukes , Secretary . 8 th May , 18 99 . "

Bro . J . F . S . Gooday , General Manager of the London and Brighton Railway , has been appointed Manager of the Great Eastern Railway , in place of Sir Wm . Birt , resigned .

Consecrations.

CONSECRATIONS .

CATHEDRAL LODGE .

THIS new Lodge , which is connected with * St . Paul ' s Cathedral , was consecrated on Monday night , at Freemasons' Hall , by Bro . E . Letchworth Grand Secretary , with the assistance of Bros . A . H . Bevan Grand Treasurer , Sir John Monckton , the Dean of Gloucester , the Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , Frank Richardson , and Charles Martin .

The Lodge has been established for the convenience of the clergy , the choir , and others engaged in the services of St . Paul ' s . It is numbered 2741 on the roll of Grand Lodge , and has Archdeacon Sinclair for its first Worshipful Master . The gavel used by the Grand Secretary during the

consecration ceremony was the identical mallet used by King Charles II . when he laid the foundation-stone of the present St . Paul ' s Cathedral , and is the property of the Lodge of Antiquity , No . 2 ( formerly "Old St . Paul ' s Lodge , " of which Sir Christopher Wren was Master ) .

At the conclusion of the ceremony of consecration Archdeacon Sinclair was installed as Master by the Grand Secretary , and Bro . C . E . Tinney and Bro . Alfred Kenningham were invested as Wardens . Bro . W . H . Cummings Grand Organist was appointed to act as the Immediate Past Master for the first year .

Vegetarian Masonry.

VEGETARIAN MASONRY .

A MEETING to consider the practicability of founding a Vegetarian Lodge was held on Monday evening , 24 th ult ., ati Gray ' s Inn Square , W . C ., Major T . W . Richardson in the chair . As the result of some discussion it was considered advisable , considering the number of Brethren and also of probable Initiates interested in the foundation of such