Anniversary Festival Of The Boys' School.

occasion has apparently lost upwards of £ 1000 for want of a final appeal ; or , shall we say it , by the exercise of a little too much modesty . Some interesting figures were quoted by the

chairman as evidence of the advancement of the Boys ' School , which , established in 1798 , is now rapidly approaching its Centenary . For instance , in 1809 the Festival realized £ 112 , while in 1847 , after an existence of fifty years the total was £ 450 . This gradually

rose until , in 1880 , under the presidency of the distinguished chairman of tho present year , £ 14 , 002 was announced . In 1883 , when double votes were offered for contributions in aid of the Preparatory School Building Fund , Lord Holmesdale ( now Earl Amherst ) being the chairman , £ 23 , 029 was collected ,

but all these totals have beon exceeded this year , and all without any special event to induce donations beyond ordinary limits , save that of general good will , and a united desire to give the Institution a

really good start under its new management . We heartily compliment those primarily interested on tho success which has attended the efforts of the Stewards , and hope that tho future contributions of tho Craft will enable the work to be continued without let or hindrance , and that when tho time comes

for providing tho new home for tho Institution , advocated by our Pro Grand Master this week , the services of as enthusiastic a band of brethren may be secured as Stewards as those who worked together , under tho presidency of the Earl of Lathom , to secure the grand success which attended tho Festival of 1891 .

Wo append a list of the contributing Provinces , the number of Stewards associated with each , and the amount of thoir contribntions ; tho latter being amended up to time of going to press , and showing a slight improvement on tho Festival announcements : —

London 205 85 G 6 3 0 West Lancashire 134 G 025 10 0 West Yorkshire 85 1 G 50 0 0 Essex 17 1196 14 0 Cheshire 53 1050 0 0 East Lancashire 48 894 2 0 Derbyshire 25 800 9 0 5

Snssex V . ) 740 15 ( Bristol 1 584 17 0 Somersetshire 5 493 7 0 Lincolnshire 10 417 14 6 Staffordshire 9 414 15 0 Devonshire 3 405 0 0

Wiltshire 4 357 5 6 Warwickshire 5 321 4 0 Suffolk 5 302 7 0 Surrey 9 292 1 6 Hants and Isle of Wight 7 282 9 0 Kent 5 279 19 0

Cumberland and Westmoreland 2 266 3 6 Oxfordshire 10 259 18 0 Middlesex 12 251 12 0 Dorsetshire 3 233 0 0 Hertfordshire 6 221 10 0

Nottinghamshire 5 221 6 0 Norfolk 2 220 0 0 Shropshire 6 210 0 0 Norths and Hunts 9 209 10 0 North and East Yorkshire 3 177 9 0 North Wales 6 173 5 0

Gloucestershire 5 169 11 0 Worcestershire 4 157 6 0 Buckinghamshire 9 151 6 0 Cambridgeshire 2 140 4 0 Bedfordshire 2 139 4 0 Cornwall 1 131 5 0

Durham 1 127 1 0 Berkshire 5 103 8 6 Isle of Man 1 90 0 0 Herefordshire 1 32 6 0 Monmouthshire 1 25 10 0

Anniversary Festival Of The Boys' School.

Northumberland 3 21 0 0 South Wales ( East Div . ) 1 20 0 0 Foreign Stations 5 52 10 0

Previous to the banquet the brethren presented to the Chairman tho handsome regalia of hia new offico of Pro Grand Master of England , to which he has recently been appointed by H . R . H . the Prince of Wales .

The Festival.

THE FESTIVAL .

THE Festival waa held at the Royal Pavilion , Brighton , there being upwards of 1000 ladies and brethren present . At tho conelnsion of the banqnet tho Earl of Lathom Pro Grand Master , Chairman of the day , proposed tho toast of Tier Majesty tho Queen , Grand Patron of the Institntion , whioh was heartily received and followed by the National Anthem . The next toast was that of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., President of tho Institntion , tho

mention of whose name was received in the most enthusiastic manner , indeed we do not remember a more hearty reception ever being accorded His Royal Highness ' s toast . The Earl of Lathom said the Prince had the interests of Freemasonry most thoroughly at heart , and the Craft was prond of him as Grand Master . He felt it a groat hononr to have the advantage of the Prince ' s personal friendship .

Masons recognised the advantage of standing by each other , and at this time , when ho felt the Prince of Wales had been misunderstood nnd misjudged by many , it was especially desirable they shonld do their best to support aud stand by their Grand Master . It was not for him to say that his Royal Highness had committed an error of judgment , bnt he conld and did say that he was actuated by tho

true spirit of a gentleman . Tho Prince was , indeed , one nnder whom tho Masons of England were proud to serve . The Rov . C . J . Martyn Past Grand Chaplain proposed the next toast , that of the Chairman of the day , the Right Hon . the Earl of Lathom Pro Grand Master of England and Provincial Grand Master of West Lancashire . The opportunity which presented itself was one of

tho most pleasing ho had experienced during his Masonic career . Ho csked those present not to measure , by the fewness of hia words , the heartiness of his feelings that day when he asked them to drink the health of the Pro Grand Master . Ho felt there waa no one present in that magnificent assembly who conld stand np and propose the toast of the Earl of , Lathom with more respect , reverence ,

admiration and love than he did . He remembered their chairman being initiated , and had watched him through his early career in Masonry . They had worked together in the Order for many yearsmore perbaps than Lord Lathom cared fco remember , for he certainly did not look so old as ho ( Bro . Martyn ) did . Of course next to his own Provincial Grand Master he thought the Earl of Lathom was

really the most prominent of tho Provincial Grand Masters of England , and if actual proof of this were needed the company had only to look at the large number of West Lancashire brethren who were thero assembled in support of their chief . The Craft generally had rejoiced at tho announcement that the Earl of Lathom had been appointed by the Prince of Wales to succeed the late Earl of

Carnarvon as Pro Grand Master , and had everywhere shown appreciation , of his services . The Chairman acknowledged the toast , thanking the brethren for tho very hearty way in which they had responded to tho remarks of Bro . Martyn . That Brother had spoken most kindly of him , but such treatment was nothing new from Bro . Martyn , who had always

been very good to him . His earliest association with Freemasonry was a case in point , for on that occasion Bro . Martyn had filled tho office of Inner Guard , and ho now knew how very kind he had been to him on that occasion . Since then they had always been the best of friends . Lord Lathom spoke further of the many old friends from his Province of West Lancashire who were present that day to

support him , and he especially thanked them for the presentation they had been good enough to make . He thanked the Craft generally for their marks of appreciation of the action of the Grand Master in appointing him to the office formerly filled by the late Earl of Carnarvon , in whose footsteps he hoped to tread . His desire was that when his time came to leave this mortal scene he

might be as muoh respected as Lord Carnarvon was at his decease . The Chairman then proposed the health of the Deputy Grand Master the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , and the rest of the Grand Officers Present and Past . It was a very great pleasure to him when he heard who the Grand Master had selected as Deputy Grand Master . The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe had worked very hard in

Freemasonry in the far west . The brethren might not know as muoh of Freemasonry in that district as they should know , bnt ho had been there , and knew the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe as a thoroughly good Mason , and one who had worked hard in its behalf in the past . It was a matter of comment , although it was nothing whatever to do with the appointment , that he and the new Deputy

Grand Maatev occupied positions side by side in Her Majesty ' s Household , and he hoped the comfortable and satisfactory manner in which they worked together there might bo extended to their workings together in Freemasonry . As regarded the other Grand Officers he wonld say little , the Prince of Wales always endeavou red to choose tho best men as Grand Officers , and he had been particularly fortunate in his selection hitherto . His one regret was that there

were not more offices to confer on really deserving Craftsmen . Ho had pleasure in coupling with the toast tho name of Bro . Georgo Everett , the Grand Treasnrer of the year , who was tho selection of the Craft at large , in accordance with the rules laid down in th " Book of Constitutions . To his mind the Craft always selected tho best man for an appointment . Bro . Everett responded . He valued very highly indeed the hononr and privilege on such an occasion as the present of having to respond