The October Election Of The Girls' School.

THE OCTOBER ELECTION OF THE GIRLS' SCHOOL .

THE Ballot Paper for the coming Election of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls presents an appearance which we are almost afraid to hope will be repeated for many years to come , even if ever it is during the lifetime of the present generation . Each of the candidates particulars of whose claims are recorded on it now seek election

for the first time . This fact is not , in itself , anything very extraordinary , but it calls forcibly to our mind the great benefit which the School was able to afford to those whose position necessitated an appeal for its charity , by admitting , in April last , all the candidates then approved . We need

not say more on the present occasion , on this subject , than to hope that the children who were then elected , by reason of the special resolution which authorised the necessary extra " vacancies , " are one and all progressing , and that by attention to their studies they are shewing their appreciation of the benefits conferred on them .

There are twenty candidates on the list for this coming October election , of whom but seven can be admitted . As is usual , the selection of the seven most deserving would be a task almost of impossibility ; we assume that all are deserving , and could only hope that it were again possible

to take them all on . There is but one last application case , No . 14 , B . A . Cookes , daughter of—so says the official particulars—the W . M . of the Shakespeare Lodge , No . 284 ( Warwickshire ) , who has his wife and five other children to provide for . We feel sure that the Province of

which this brother is a member will not allow a really deserving candidate to be neglected , so we may safely leave the case in their hands ; but we cannot help remarking that this is another instance showing tho lack of information to be desired from the published particulars of the several

candidates . We think , in this case , some further informa . tion would be acceptable to the general body of subscribers , many of whom are unable to attend the meetings at which the petitions are discussed . No . 20 , E . 0 . Hippey , is one of four children left parentless , and on that account has ,

we think , the next claim on the benefits of the Institution . We can only hope she may be successful in securing them . Her father ' s Province- -Oxfordshire—ought to be able to get together a sufficient number of votes to carry her in , and we trust that , considering the destitute condition in

which the four children who comprise . the family are placed , they will make an extra effort to do so , and that , too , at this coming election . There are seven children dependent on the mother of No . 10 , B . E . Knott , the father of

whom died in July 1880 . This is the only case from Worcestershire , and if taken up by the Province with anything like spirit , should be among the successful on the 14 th proximo . There are three candidates whose widowed

Mothers each have six children dependent on them—No . 8 , M . Dobb y , daughter of an old member of the Great Northem Lod ge , London ; No . 13 , N . Besly , daughter of a late W . M . of the Oaveac Lodge , London , who died in March of the present year ; and No . 17 , M . Woodward , daughter of

another W . M ., of the Inhabitants Lodge , Gibraltar . The particul ars we have already given as to these candidatesthat they are all fatherless , and each a member of a family re *—are a ^ ^ at are supplied , but we imagine these are snfficient to cause a tear of sympathy to flow from each Member of the Craft under whose notice their respective

The October Election Of The Girls' School.

cases may come . The mother of No . 7 , K . Stokes , is not , perhaps , quite so badly off ; we read that one of her six children is partly provided for , but really unless the

provision is of a substantial nature—and we presume it is not , or it would not be described as partial—this poor widow is hardly less to be sympathised with than the three last referred to . Her late husband is described as W . M .

of the Finsbury Lodge , No . 861 , London ; he also died in March of the current year . There are no less than five candidates who are members of families of five children " dependent . " Of these , No . 4 , E . Hayes , has lost her mother , while the others , No . 3 , K . Wortley , No . 6 , F . Mason

No . 11 , A . E . Lord , No . 15 , M . E . Hammond , have severally lost their father . The father of No . 3 , who , strange to say , is returned as another W . M . ( of Marquis of Granby Lodge , No . 124 , Durham ) , stands first in point of number of

years subscribed , dues hnving been paid to Grand Lodge in his name for a total of twenty-four years , and as the date of his initiation dates back as far as December 1854 , while his death occurred in December 1879 , we may assume he was a member for the whole of that time . No . 4 is one

of two cases accredited to the Province of Hants and Isle of Wight , this child ' s father having joined Peace and Harmony Lodge , No . 359 , in that district . She is the candidate already referred to as having a father alive , but no mother ; let us hope the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls will

fulfil that office for her , at least so far as it is possible . No . 9 is a Cheshire case , and as such , thanks to the systematic working of the Cheshire brethren , is all but sure of election . In saying this we do not wish to draw away any outside help which might be given to the case ; on the

contrary , we think that those who take pains to secure the election of their candidates should be supported in preference to a Province where no organisation or self-help is brought to bear . The same may almost be said of No . 11 , an East Lancashire case . The father of the child died while

serving as W . M . of the Affability Lodge , No . 317 , Manchester , at the end of last year , after a subscribing membership of eleven years . No . 15 is a Suffolk lass ; let us hope she may secure the help of the entire Province of which her father was a member . The name of its Deputy Prov .

G . Master is too well known in connection with the Charities of the Order to leave much doubt in our minds but that this child will have some good supporters if the case deserve it , and knowing what we do of the Suffolk brethren , we hardly think they would allow a candidate

to be put forward unless she were deserving . We shall expect to see Mary Ethel Hammond among the "successful " at an early date . Pour children dependent is the number accredited in the case of No . 9 , F . M . Beavon , daughter of the late Senior Deacon of St . Andrew ' s Lodge ,

No . 500 , Madras . We trust that sufficient support will be forthcoming to relieve this widowed " sister " of the burden of supporting one of her orphan children . No . 2 , E . A . Hill , is one of a family of three now dependent on their mother , whose husband , a member of the Westbourne

Lodge , No . 733 , London , died in January 1881 . Five of the remaining six candidates are each members of families of two dependent children . In one case—that of No . 12 , F . M . G . Willcox , —the father is the surviving parent ; in

the other , the mother . Bro . Willcox is returned as a member of the Royal Cumberland Lodge , No . 41 , Somerset , and has a good Province at his back if he can get it to take his case in hand . No . 5 , F . A . Prebble is daughter of an old member of the Corinthian Lodge , No . 1208 , Kent , a