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Article THE BENEVOLENT FESTIVAL. ← Page 2 of 3 Article THE BENEVOLENT FESTIVAL. Page 2 of 3 →
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The Benevolent Festival.
them will take very good care that next year's return is sufficient to once again put matters on a satisfactory and sound foundation .
* Elsewhere we give a full list of the Stewards , and the amount collected by each . The following summary shows the number of representatives and the totals from the different districts :
Province , & o . No . of Stewards . Amount . Bedfordshire 1 £ 33 13 0 Berkshire ... ... 8 162 15 0 Buckinghamshire ... 9 145 19 0 Cambridgeshire ... ... ... 1 10 10 0
Cheshire ... .. .. ... . ... 1 10 10 0 Cornwall 1 26 5 0 Cumberland and Westmorland ... 1 21 0 0 Devonshire 1 10 10 0 . Dorsetshire 1 10 10 0
Durham 1 52 10 0 Essex 4 139 3 6 Gloucestershire 1 47 5 0 Hants and Isle of Wight 1 26 5 0 Hertfordshire ... 9 329 13 6
Kent 4 107 . 11 6 Lancashire East 1 194 5 0 Lancashire West 3 31 10 0 Middlesex 8 272 19 0 Norths and Hunts ... 2 101 10 0
North Wales 2 294 0 0 Oxfordshire ... ... 20 500 7 6 Shropshire 2 89 15 0 Somersetshire 1 10 10 0 Staffordshire ... ... 1 10 10 0
South Wales Western Division ... 1 21 0 0 Suffolk ... 1 21 0 0 Surrey ... ... ... 9 307 14 0 Warwickshire ... ... 3 31 10 . 0
Worcestershire 1 27 6 0 Yorkshire West .... ... ... 14 350 0 0 Channel Islands 2 183 20 Foreign Stations ... 3 31 10 0 London 140 5 , 793 18 0
THE Anniversary Festival of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution was held on Tuesday evening , at Freemasons ' Tavern , London , the Earl of Jersey Provincial Grand Master for Oxfordshire presiding . The President of the Board of Stewards was Sir Offley Wakeman , Bart ., V . P ., Prov . Grand Master for Shropshire ; the Vice-President Bro . F . Parker Morrell , M . A .,
P . G . D . ; and the Acting Vice-President Bro . John A . Farnfield Patron P . A . G . D . G . Treasurer of the Institution ; while amongst the Vice-Presidents who were present were Eev . H . B . Cooper-Smith , D . D ., P . G . C ., the Ven . Archdeacon Sinclair P . G . C ., W . Mason Stiles P . G . T ., W . H ? Bailey P . G . T ., Charles E . Keyser
M . A ., J . P ., P . G . D ., Thomas Jones P . G . D . P . D . D . G . M . Bengal , Baron deFerrieres , J . P ., P . G . D . P . P . G . W . Gloucester , Eobert E . Baynes , M . A ., P . G . D ., James Stephens Dep . G . D . G ., G . C . Kent A . G . D . G . Staffs ., T . Hastings Miller P . G . S . B ., W . G .
Kentish P . G . St . B ., Alfred Oockerill P . G . T . Norths and Hunts , James Speller P . P . G . D . Essex , E . Letchworth Grand Sec , W . Lake Assist . Grand Secretary , L . G . Gordon Bobbins P . G . D ., Major John W . Woodall P . G . T ., Dr . H . J . Strong P . A . G . D . C ., J . M . McLeod P . G . S . B ., F . E . W . Hedges P . G . S . B ., & c .
Altogether a company of about 400 Ladies and Brethren sat down to an excellent banquet , at the conclusion of which the toasts were proposed . The Earl of Jersey , in submitting that of the Queen , took the opportunity of saying that as the Queen was the first lady in the land he must express the Brethren ' s grateful
thanks to those ladies who had attended that evening , and shown by their presence that not only were they willing to cheer unfortunate Masons , but that they were anxious to show them they valued most highly one of the Masonic virtues—Charity .
' The Eev . Dr . H . E . Cooper-Smith P . G . C . responded to the toast of the Deputy G . M . Earl Amherst , & c . The Earl of Jersey proposed the toast of the evening—Success to the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution—and said
In proposing this toast , it conveys our sympathy , and not only our sympathy this year , but our sympathy in years gone by . I am afraid that it is one , perhaps the only drawback which attends a banquet of this kind , viz .: that the Chairman is called
The Benevolent Festival.
upon to make too many speeches , but yet there is no Brother who would not be anxious to say a few words for the great cause of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution . Excellent as are our Masonic Institutions which have for their special object the welfare of the young—there is something most attractive in the
desire to give to those who are young and weak , without guardians perhaps , to give them the chance of education , of good food , and encouragement—yet before them lies the bright side of life , and all people are anxious to give them the opportunity of enjoying that life , or rather , I should say , of showing them the
way in which they may enjoy it ; but surely no less strongly must appeal to our feelings the desire to do something for those who had been tossed and buffetted by the rough waves of life . Before them , unhappily , there is not so much brightness ; their brightness , maybe , lies in' the past ; but yet something can be
done to free them from anxiety as to the future ; and it is in order , to do that something that this Institution exists , and that we have come here to-night to support it . The paper which has been , I believe , widely distributed ,. will have told you the chief features of this Institution ; you will gather from it the number
of Brethren and the number of Widows who are dependent upon the kindness of the Craft , and you will notice that we require every year something between £ 11 , 000 and £ 12 , 000 over and above our regular receipts . I am not going to deal with
figures ; but look a little bit lower down upon that paper and you will see the number of those who are waiting for admission , and for whom there are , at present , very , very few vacancies . Think for a moment what it must be for the unfortunate Brothers , or those whom our Brothers have left behind them , to feel that
they cannot , much as they need it , gain admittance to our Fund , because the money is not sufficient . To wait is a small thing perhaps for those at a certain time of life , but to wait , for those who perhaps may have passed the three score years and ten , is a very , very sad thing ; it calls on the Brethren , as far as lies in
their power , to minimise the number of those who have to wait . It was my good fortune only last week to have the pleasure to visit our Institution , at Croydon . I am not going to dwell upon the pleasant rooms of clean and bright appearance , or of their most excellent superintendent ; neither indeed shall I dwell upon the happy repartees which passed between Bro . Terry and their
occupants . I was delighted to find that there was not only between Bro . Terry and them , but between all other members of the Committee of Management who were there and them , the very happiest and most pleasant relation . Now , I could imagine that from them goes up , especially to-day , but very often , a silent prayer in the quietude of their own hearts , of grateful thanks to the Great Architect of the Universe that He has
inspired the Brethren to do something for them in their old age . If they feel grateful , how much more grateful ought we not to feel that under His wise guidance we have the opportunity of doing something to help our sisters and our brothers in their old age . Some of the occupants said to me that they hoped to-night
would be a success . Their thoughts , it crossed my mind , were not selfish thoughts ; they were not thinking of themselves , because their future is , thanks to you , assured from anxiety ; they were thinking , I am certain , of those who are left out in the cold ; they knew the value of what you have done for them ,
and they hope that there may be fewer and fewer of those as years go by who will be left out in the cold . Now , Brethren , I am afraid 1 am going to say something which will somewhat shock Bro . Terry . Brethren , one swallow does not make a summer , and one night ' s subscription does not make an
Institution a success . The success of an Institution must depend upon the way in which the subscriptions are used , and the Institution is worked ; and I feel that we owe more than words can express to Bro . Farnfield , the Committee of Management , and to the energetic activity of Bro . Terry . We believe—I believe—and I am sure all Masons believe , that the Institution is worked with
that single object of usiug the money which is handed to them for the purpose of making the lives of the residents happy and comfortablo . And surely this is an Institution which can appeal not to any limited class of the Brethren , but to every Brother who owes allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England ; because when I look down the lists of the counties from which the
residents come I see they are not confined to any limited area , but that they are spread over all the land over which our Grand Lodge holds sway . Therefore , we can—those of us who are Provincials , if you like—we can with confidence support this Institution , under the full belief that any candidates from our
part , of the country will not be slighted . I am very anxious upon this occasion—the ladies have left , and I have expressed to them that I feel sure we thank the Brethren for their presence here to-night—I am anxious now to thank the Brethren who have
assembled here to-night to support , I will not say myself , but to support this Institution which I have been asked to preside over . I am very grateful to them , because I know what a great sacrifice of time it is to come on these occasions ; I am deeply grateful to my Brethren of the Province of Oxfordshire who have
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Benevolent Festival.
them will take very good care that next year's return is sufficient to once again put matters on a satisfactory and sound foundation .
* Elsewhere we give a full list of the Stewards , and the amount collected by each . The following summary shows the number of representatives and the totals from the different districts :
Province , & o . No . of Stewards . Amount . Bedfordshire 1 £ 33 13 0 Berkshire ... ... 8 162 15 0 Buckinghamshire ... 9 145 19 0 Cambridgeshire ... ... ... 1 10 10 0
Cheshire ... .. .. ... . ... 1 10 10 0 Cornwall 1 26 5 0 Cumberland and Westmorland ... 1 21 0 0 Devonshire 1 10 10 0 . Dorsetshire 1 10 10 0
Durham 1 52 10 0 Essex 4 139 3 6 Gloucestershire 1 47 5 0 Hants and Isle of Wight 1 26 5 0 Hertfordshire ... 9 329 13 6
Kent 4 107 . 11 6 Lancashire East 1 194 5 0 Lancashire West 3 31 10 0 Middlesex 8 272 19 0 Norths and Hunts ... 2 101 10 0
North Wales 2 294 0 0 Oxfordshire ... ... 20 500 7 6 Shropshire 2 89 15 0 Somersetshire 1 10 10 0 Staffordshire ... ... 1 10 10 0
South Wales Western Division ... 1 21 0 0 Suffolk ... 1 21 0 0 Surrey ... ... ... 9 307 14 0 Warwickshire ... ... 3 31 10 . 0
Worcestershire 1 27 6 0 Yorkshire West .... ... ... 14 350 0 0 Channel Islands 2 183 20 Foreign Stations ... 3 31 10 0 London 140 5 , 793 18 0
THE Anniversary Festival of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution was held on Tuesday evening , at Freemasons ' Tavern , London , the Earl of Jersey Provincial Grand Master for Oxfordshire presiding . The President of the Board of Stewards was Sir Offley Wakeman , Bart ., V . P ., Prov . Grand Master for Shropshire ; the Vice-President Bro . F . Parker Morrell , M . A .,
P . G . D . ; and the Acting Vice-President Bro . John A . Farnfield Patron P . A . G . D . G . Treasurer of the Institution ; while amongst the Vice-Presidents who were present were Eev . H . B . Cooper-Smith , D . D ., P . G . C ., the Ven . Archdeacon Sinclair P . G . C ., W . Mason Stiles P . G . T ., W . H ? Bailey P . G . T ., Charles E . Keyser
M . A ., J . P ., P . G . D ., Thomas Jones P . G . D . P . D . D . G . M . Bengal , Baron deFerrieres , J . P ., P . G . D . P . P . G . W . Gloucester , Eobert E . Baynes , M . A ., P . G . D ., James Stephens Dep . G . D . G ., G . C . Kent A . G . D . G . Staffs ., T . Hastings Miller P . G . S . B ., W . G .
Kentish P . G . St . B ., Alfred Oockerill P . G . T . Norths and Hunts , James Speller P . P . G . D . Essex , E . Letchworth Grand Sec , W . Lake Assist . Grand Secretary , L . G . Gordon Bobbins P . G . D ., Major John W . Woodall P . G . T ., Dr . H . J . Strong P . A . G . D . C ., J . M . McLeod P . G . S . B ., F . E . W . Hedges P . G . S . B ., & c .
Altogether a company of about 400 Ladies and Brethren sat down to an excellent banquet , at the conclusion of which the toasts were proposed . The Earl of Jersey , in submitting that of the Queen , took the opportunity of saying that as the Queen was the first lady in the land he must express the Brethren ' s grateful
thanks to those ladies who had attended that evening , and shown by their presence that not only were they willing to cheer unfortunate Masons , but that they were anxious to show them they valued most highly one of the Masonic virtues—Charity .
' The Eev . Dr . H . E . Cooper-Smith P . G . C . responded to the toast of the Deputy G . M . Earl Amherst , & c . The Earl of Jersey proposed the toast of the evening—Success to the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution—and said
In proposing this toast , it conveys our sympathy , and not only our sympathy this year , but our sympathy in years gone by . I am afraid that it is one , perhaps the only drawback which attends a banquet of this kind , viz .: that the Chairman is called
The Benevolent Festival.
upon to make too many speeches , but yet there is no Brother who would not be anxious to say a few words for the great cause of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution . Excellent as are our Masonic Institutions which have for their special object the welfare of the young—there is something most attractive in the
desire to give to those who are young and weak , without guardians perhaps , to give them the chance of education , of good food , and encouragement—yet before them lies the bright side of life , and all people are anxious to give them the opportunity of enjoying that life , or rather , I should say , of showing them the
way in which they may enjoy it ; but surely no less strongly must appeal to our feelings the desire to do something for those who had been tossed and buffetted by the rough waves of life . Before them , unhappily , there is not so much brightness ; their brightness , maybe , lies in' the past ; but yet something can be
done to free them from anxiety as to the future ; and it is in order , to do that something that this Institution exists , and that we have come here to-night to support it . The paper which has been , I believe , widely distributed ,. will have told you the chief features of this Institution ; you will gather from it the number
of Brethren and the number of Widows who are dependent upon the kindness of the Craft , and you will notice that we require every year something between £ 11 , 000 and £ 12 , 000 over and above our regular receipts . I am not going to deal with
figures ; but look a little bit lower down upon that paper and you will see the number of those who are waiting for admission , and for whom there are , at present , very , very few vacancies . Think for a moment what it must be for the unfortunate Brothers , or those whom our Brothers have left behind them , to feel that
they cannot , much as they need it , gain admittance to our Fund , because the money is not sufficient . To wait is a small thing perhaps for those at a certain time of life , but to wait , for those who perhaps may have passed the three score years and ten , is a very , very sad thing ; it calls on the Brethren , as far as lies in
their power , to minimise the number of those who have to wait . It was my good fortune only last week to have the pleasure to visit our Institution , at Croydon . I am not going to dwell upon the pleasant rooms of clean and bright appearance , or of their most excellent superintendent ; neither indeed shall I dwell upon the happy repartees which passed between Bro . Terry and their
occupants . I was delighted to find that there was not only between Bro . Terry and them , but between all other members of the Committee of Management who were there and them , the very happiest and most pleasant relation . Now , I could imagine that from them goes up , especially to-day , but very often , a silent prayer in the quietude of their own hearts , of grateful thanks to the Great Architect of the Universe that He has
inspired the Brethren to do something for them in their old age . If they feel grateful , how much more grateful ought we not to feel that under His wise guidance we have the opportunity of doing something to help our sisters and our brothers in their old age . Some of the occupants said to me that they hoped to-night
would be a success . Their thoughts , it crossed my mind , were not selfish thoughts ; they were not thinking of themselves , because their future is , thanks to you , assured from anxiety ; they were thinking , I am certain , of those who are left out in the cold ; they knew the value of what you have done for them ,
and they hope that there may be fewer and fewer of those as years go by who will be left out in the cold . Now , Brethren , I am afraid 1 am going to say something which will somewhat shock Bro . Terry . Brethren , one swallow does not make a summer , and one night ' s subscription does not make an
Institution a success . The success of an Institution must depend upon the way in which the subscriptions are used , and the Institution is worked ; and I feel that we owe more than words can express to Bro . Farnfield , the Committee of Management , and to the energetic activity of Bro . Terry . We believe—I believe—and I am sure all Masons believe , that the Institution is worked with
that single object of usiug the money which is handed to them for the purpose of making the lives of the residents happy and comfortablo . And surely this is an Institution which can appeal not to any limited class of the Brethren , but to every Brother who owes allegiance to the Grand Lodge of England ; because when I look down the lists of the counties from which the
residents come I see they are not confined to any limited area , but that they are spread over all the land over which our Grand Lodge holds sway . Therefore , we can—those of us who are Provincials , if you like—we can with confidence support this Institution , under the full belief that any candidates from our
part , of the country will not be slighted . I am very anxious upon this occasion—the ladies have left , and I have expressed to them that I feel sure we thank the Brethren for their presence here to-night—I am anxious now to thank the Brethren who have
assembled here to-night to support , I will not say myself , but to support this Institution which I have been asked to preside over . I am very grateful to them , because I know what a great sacrifice of time it is to come on these occasions ; I am deeply grateful to my Brethren of the Province of Oxfordshire who have