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Article THE EDUCATIONAL BRANCH OF THE MARK BENEVOLENT FUND. ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE EDUCATIONAL BRANCH OF THE MARK BENEVOLENT FUND. Page 2 of 2 Article LET THE CRAFT WAKE UP. Page 1 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Educational Branch Of The Mark Benevolent Fund.
another half-dozen will be sufficient to score the " double , " but then the total will be so close on a three figure list that nothing short of a round hundred will be considered satisfactory . It is ever thus in the cause of Masonic
charity ; first a list of Stewards is sought for in advance of previous years , and when that is realised , with a good surplus over , nothing short of twice the highest number of the past will do , and when even that appears likely to be
accomplished , we want more—and hope to get it , as the cause is a good one and the need great . We have already said the present will be the seventeenth anniversary Festival of the Fund , and a glance at the result of the
sixteen which have preceded it will not only be interesting , but will also show what steady , and at the same time rapid , progress has marked the Fund in the past . The first Festival was held in 1869 , at the Mitre Hotel , Hamp
ton Court , under the presidency of Bro . the Rev . G . R . Portal , at that time M . W . Grand Mark Master Mason . The Board of Stewards , if small , was an influential one , as any of our readers who remember Mark Masonry in those
days can testify , but as some from whom support is now asked may not be able to look so far back , we may say that the Chairman of the first Festival was supported by five Stewards , viz ., Bros . Fred . Binckes , Thos . Meggy ,
T . J . Sabine , Thos . Wescombe , and S . Rosenthal , who , together with the Chairman , collected a total of £ 97 2 s 8 d . The sixteen yeai * s which have passed since then have seen great changes , none greater than those worked by death , which has lain its hand on no less than four out of this
original Board of Stewards . While regretting their loss , we can , however , rejoice that we have still among ns such energetic Mark brethren as the chairman of that day ( Bro . G . R . Portal ) and the much respected Grand Secretary of the Degree ( Bro . F . Binckes ) .
We now append a summary of the sixteen Festivals of the past , as fuller details would occupy too much space , and would perhaps be of little interest to the general body
of our readers ; moreover , any who desire further particulars will be at once supplied on application at the offices of Mark Grand Lodge .
no . of Amount Year . Chairman . Stewards . realised £ s d . 869 Ilev . G . E . Portal M . W . G . M . M . M . 5 97 2 8 1870 Earl Percy D . G . M . M . M . 5 53 4 10 1871 J . C . Parkinson J . G . W . 11 85 S 0
1872 Colonel Francis Burdctt * Prov . G . M . M . M . Middlesex find Surrey 13 177 0 0 1873 Colonel J . AVhitwell 12 141 15 0 1 S 74 Sir Edinnnd Lechmcre , Bart ., P . D . G . M . M . M . 12 91 w n
1875 W . llonmino Calleuder , M . P ., D . G . M . M . M . 17 176 11 0 1876 Lient .-Gen . J . S . Brownvigg , C . B ., J . G . W . 12 96 15 0 1877 Earl of Donoughmore S . G . W . 17 221 9 0
1878 Lord Skelmer . 'dalo M . W . G . M . M . M . 25 371 4 0 1879 Lord Arthur Hill P . G . S . W . Sussex 30 537 S 0 1880 Lt .-Col Sir Francis Buvdett , Bui t ., Prov . G . M . M . M . 29 550 9 6 1881 Lord Hennilcer M . W . G . M . M . M . 21 34 ( 5 17 0 1882 Earl of Kintore D . G . M . M . M . 33 553 11 6
1883 Sir Fryso Prvse . Bart , , Prov . G . M . M . M . South Wales 3 G 710 12 0 1884 Major J . Woodall Woodall , J . P ., P . G . M . M . M . N . and E . Yorks 47 832 19 0 With such results as have attended the sixteen Festivals
above referred to , to guide ns , we may confidently expect to hear a sum of £ 1000 at least announced at the Festival in July next , but as we have already said it is hoped the Board of Stewards may ultimately reach the number of one
hundred , and it is also hoped they will make even greater efforts than have their predecessors , so that there is a chance of a much larger total being subscribed than we have referred to . We can only say that no member of the
Order will be more delighted than we shall be to find that our estimate is below the actual result . Havino- thus referred to the amounts which have been raised , wo will now devote some attention to a sketch of what has been and is still being done with the monies subscribed .
The object of the Educational Branch of the Mark Benevolent Fund is to assist in the education ( under the charge of their parents or guardians ) of the children of Mark Master Masons , who on application to the Board shall be considered eligible for the Fund . Under these
The Educational Branch Of The Mark Benevolent Fund.
conditions there are at present twelve boys and five girls receiving the advantages of the Fund , one of the conditions of which is ( Bye-law XVIII . ) that " a Quarterl y Report of
^ he progress , conduct and health of every child assisted shall be required from the head of the educational establishment where tho child is placed . " From last accounts all the pupils are making highly satisfactory progress .
The children are entitled to receive the benefits of the Fund until they reach tho age of sixteen , and looking at the list of pupils we find that the vacancies arising among the existing pupils from retirement on completion of age
limit will bo very small for some time to come ; indeed , the stoppage of claims from this cause will only be two in number till the end of next year inclusive , viz ., one boy will be sixteen on the 22 nd November of the present
year , and another on the 16 th January 1886 . It will thus be seen that if mote thau two of the applicants whom it may be expected will present themselves during the next eighteen months are to be relieved , it can
only be done by undertaking increased liability , and while the success likely to attend this year ' s Festival may in a measure warrant this , it will be necessary
for the Order to show it fully appreciates tho responsibility before undertaking to do more than it is now doing . There is no doubt but that this Mark Educational
Fund will ere long , even if it has not already clone so , take its place among the most useful associations of Freemasonry , and that its future will be a credit not onl y
to tho degree with which it is more particularly associated , but also to the English Brotherhood in general . Under such circumstances we feel we arc not askiuj ?
too much if we nrgo its claims on the attention of Mark Masons throughout the country , and the Colonies and Dependencies ruled over by our Mark Grand Lodge , while
we may even ask brethren who have not yet been advanced , should they be in a charitable mood , to bear its claims in mind . It may fairly be said that relief rendered by tho Mark Educational Fund lessens the calls on the General
Masonic Educational Institutions , for be it remembered that no child can be relieved from it unless the father has been a subscribing member of a Mark Lodge , and consequently must have previously passed through tho three grades of Craft Masonry .
At the last assembly of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masons Col . Shad well H . Clcrko ( Grand Secretary Craft Masonry ) , when proposing " Success to the Mark Benevolent Fund , " advocated the establishment of a Fund for the special relief
of the aged and decayed members of the Mark degree and their widows . Our distinguished brother will pardon ns for saying that his wish is not a new one ; nay , he will be gratified to learn that it is the ardent desire of a very large
number of Mark Masters , and knowing , as he does , what the brethren of England are capable of if once they set their minds on the completion of a good work , he doubtless expects , with ns , that the suggestion will soon assume a
more tangible form . That such a fund is needed , and that it is possible , are two facts fully recognised among Mark Masons ; it only requires such a public reference to the subject as it received at the hands of the Grand
Secretary of English Craft Masonry to rouse these thinkers info activity . Let us hope that the success of the coming Festival may be such as to act as a still stronger incentive
to the brethren , and that before another year is passed we may have to p lead on behalf of a more extended field of operations , or , should it be thought desirable , for an Aged as well as an Educational Branch of the Mark Benevolent Fund .
Let The Craft Wake Up.
LET THE CRAFT WAKE UP .
f'pTIE matter of '' hig h degrees , ' as all degrees beside JL the three degrees of the symbolic Lodge are usually called by those in possession of them , appears at this time as likely to become the most important subject with which the Masonic bodies of the United States will have to deal . So far as this matter may concern the preservation of the
simple and sublime system known as Ancient Craft Masonry—the maintaining in full force and effect of that vital principle of the Craft to which every Master and Grand Master must publicly announce his assent , and which he stands bound from the moment he assumes the
gavel to support and defend to the end of his official career , " that it is not in the power of any man or body oj
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Educational Branch Of The Mark Benevolent Fund.
another half-dozen will be sufficient to score the " double , " but then the total will be so close on a three figure list that nothing short of a round hundred will be considered satisfactory . It is ever thus in the cause of Masonic
charity ; first a list of Stewards is sought for in advance of previous years , and when that is realised , with a good surplus over , nothing short of twice the highest number of the past will do , and when even that appears likely to be
accomplished , we want more—and hope to get it , as the cause is a good one and the need great . We have already said the present will be the seventeenth anniversary Festival of the Fund , and a glance at the result of the
sixteen which have preceded it will not only be interesting , but will also show what steady , and at the same time rapid , progress has marked the Fund in the past . The first Festival was held in 1869 , at the Mitre Hotel , Hamp
ton Court , under the presidency of Bro . the Rev . G . R . Portal , at that time M . W . Grand Mark Master Mason . The Board of Stewards , if small , was an influential one , as any of our readers who remember Mark Masonry in those
days can testify , but as some from whom support is now asked may not be able to look so far back , we may say that the Chairman of the first Festival was supported by five Stewards , viz ., Bros . Fred . Binckes , Thos . Meggy ,
T . J . Sabine , Thos . Wescombe , and S . Rosenthal , who , together with the Chairman , collected a total of £ 97 2 s 8 d . The sixteen yeai * s which have passed since then have seen great changes , none greater than those worked by death , which has lain its hand on no less than four out of this
original Board of Stewards . While regretting their loss , we can , however , rejoice that we have still among ns such energetic Mark brethren as the chairman of that day ( Bro . G . R . Portal ) and the much respected Grand Secretary of the Degree ( Bro . F . Binckes ) .
We now append a summary of the sixteen Festivals of the past , as fuller details would occupy too much space , and would perhaps be of little interest to the general body
of our readers ; moreover , any who desire further particulars will be at once supplied on application at the offices of Mark Grand Lodge .
no . of Amount Year . Chairman . Stewards . realised £ s d . 869 Ilev . G . E . Portal M . W . G . M . M . M . 5 97 2 8 1870 Earl Percy D . G . M . M . M . 5 53 4 10 1871 J . C . Parkinson J . G . W . 11 85 S 0
1872 Colonel Francis Burdctt * Prov . G . M . M . M . Middlesex find Surrey 13 177 0 0 1873 Colonel J . AVhitwell 12 141 15 0 1 S 74 Sir Edinnnd Lechmcre , Bart ., P . D . G . M . M . M . 12 91 w n
1875 W . llonmino Calleuder , M . P ., D . G . M . M . M . 17 176 11 0 1876 Lient .-Gen . J . S . Brownvigg , C . B ., J . G . W . 12 96 15 0 1877 Earl of Donoughmore S . G . W . 17 221 9 0
1878 Lord Skelmer . 'dalo M . W . G . M . M . M . 25 371 4 0 1879 Lord Arthur Hill P . G . S . W . Sussex 30 537 S 0 1880 Lt .-Col Sir Francis Buvdett , Bui t ., Prov . G . M . M . M . 29 550 9 6 1881 Lord Hennilcer M . W . G . M . M . M . 21 34 ( 5 17 0 1882 Earl of Kintore D . G . M . M . M . 33 553 11 6
1883 Sir Fryso Prvse . Bart , , Prov . G . M . M . M . South Wales 3 G 710 12 0 1884 Major J . Woodall Woodall , J . P ., P . G . M . M . M . N . and E . Yorks 47 832 19 0 With such results as have attended the sixteen Festivals
above referred to , to guide ns , we may confidently expect to hear a sum of £ 1000 at least announced at the Festival in July next , but as we have already said it is hoped the Board of Stewards may ultimately reach the number of one
hundred , and it is also hoped they will make even greater efforts than have their predecessors , so that there is a chance of a much larger total being subscribed than we have referred to . We can only say that no member of the
Order will be more delighted than we shall be to find that our estimate is below the actual result . Havino- thus referred to the amounts which have been raised , wo will now devote some attention to a sketch of what has been and is still being done with the monies subscribed .
The object of the Educational Branch of the Mark Benevolent Fund is to assist in the education ( under the charge of their parents or guardians ) of the children of Mark Master Masons , who on application to the Board shall be considered eligible for the Fund . Under these
The Educational Branch Of The Mark Benevolent Fund.
conditions there are at present twelve boys and five girls receiving the advantages of the Fund , one of the conditions of which is ( Bye-law XVIII . ) that " a Quarterl y Report of
^ he progress , conduct and health of every child assisted shall be required from the head of the educational establishment where tho child is placed . " From last accounts all the pupils are making highly satisfactory progress .
The children are entitled to receive the benefits of the Fund until they reach tho age of sixteen , and looking at the list of pupils we find that the vacancies arising among the existing pupils from retirement on completion of age
limit will bo very small for some time to come ; indeed , the stoppage of claims from this cause will only be two in number till the end of next year inclusive , viz ., one boy will be sixteen on the 22 nd November of the present
year , and another on the 16 th January 1886 . It will thus be seen that if mote thau two of the applicants whom it may be expected will present themselves during the next eighteen months are to be relieved , it can
only be done by undertaking increased liability , and while the success likely to attend this year ' s Festival may in a measure warrant this , it will be necessary
for the Order to show it fully appreciates tho responsibility before undertaking to do more than it is now doing . There is no doubt but that this Mark Educational
Fund will ere long , even if it has not already clone so , take its place among the most useful associations of Freemasonry , and that its future will be a credit not onl y
to tho degree with which it is more particularly associated , but also to the English Brotherhood in general . Under such circumstances we feel we arc not askiuj ?
too much if we nrgo its claims on the attention of Mark Masons throughout the country , and the Colonies and Dependencies ruled over by our Mark Grand Lodge , while
we may even ask brethren who have not yet been advanced , should they be in a charitable mood , to bear its claims in mind . It may fairly be said that relief rendered by tho Mark Educational Fund lessens the calls on the General
Masonic Educational Institutions , for be it remembered that no child can be relieved from it unless the father has been a subscribing member of a Mark Lodge , and consequently must have previously passed through tho three grades of Craft Masonry .
At the last assembly of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masons Col . Shad well H . Clcrko ( Grand Secretary Craft Masonry ) , when proposing " Success to the Mark Benevolent Fund , " advocated the establishment of a Fund for the special relief
of the aged and decayed members of the Mark degree and their widows . Our distinguished brother will pardon ns for saying that his wish is not a new one ; nay , he will be gratified to learn that it is the ardent desire of a very large
number of Mark Masters , and knowing , as he does , what the brethren of England are capable of if once they set their minds on the completion of a good work , he doubtless expects , with ns , that the suggestion will soon assume a
more tangible form . That such a fund is needed , and that it is possible , are two facts fully recognised among Mark Masons ; it only requires such a public reference to the subject as it received at the hands of the Grand
Secretary of English Craft Masonry to rouse these thinkers info activity . Let us hope that the success of the coming Festival may be such as to act as a still stronger incentive
to the brethren , and that before another year is passed we may have to p lead on behalf of a more extended field of operations , or , should it be thought desirable , for an Aged as well as an Educational Branch of the Mark Benevolent Fund .
Let The Craft Wake Up.
LET THE CRAFT WAKE UP .
f'pTIE matter of '' hig h degrees , ' as all degrees beside JL the three degrees of the symbolic Lodge are usually called by those in possession of them , appears at this time as likely to become the most important subject with which the Masonic bodies of the United States will have to deal . So far as this matter may concern the preservation of the
simple and sublime system known as Ancient Craft Masonry—the maintaining in full force and effect of that vital principle of the Craft to which every Master and Grand Master must publicly announce his assent , and which he stands bound from the moment he assumes the
gavel to support and defend to the end of his official career , " that it is not in the power of any man or body oj