Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

W * do not hold ourselves ruponsiblt for the opinions 0 / our CM respondents . W * cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , n » i necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

DISPOSAL OF LODGE FUNDS . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAK SIR AND BROTHER , —Bro . D . Radclyffe , in his letter in your issue of last week , started a theme whioh I have been harping on for some time past—the lack of support , by Lodges , of our Charities . He puts his ideas in very plain language , but I think he will have to hit

home much harder before tho members of delinquent Lodges will " reflect , " or rouso themselves to remove this blemish on thoir character . The principle of applying all Lodge funds to acts of Charity , as he seems to wish , is , in my opinion , not only impossible , but

unnecessary , for I need hardly remind him that were such a scheme to bo adopted the amount at disposal would be fabulous . If , instead , of the few Lodges who now work for our Charities every Lodge made it a part of its duty to do so , the amount raised annually would soon swell into such proportions as would amply suffice for every case of real

distress which might be brought forward . It is tho fact of so many Lodges allowing year after year to pnss without devoting any of their funds to the Charities , or in any other way exerting themselves for the benefit thereof , which makes it necessary to exclude so many of the candidates who seek the benefits of our Institutions . Even if a

Lodge does gee a brother to undertake the duties of Steward it by no means follows that the members will vote such a sum of money as they might reasonably be expeoted to expend , to head the list , and in many cases there are members in tho Lodge who throw cold water on the whole affair , and mourn over every amount put on the list as though

it came out of their own pockets . If it should be hinted that part of tho Lodgo funds be voted , they aro foremost in pointing out how the financial position of the Lodge will not allow of it , and generally remember some particular case of distress which they ought to sup . port—if it could be afforded—before any other should be considered . I think Bro . Radclyffe could find many Provinces where—although

it bo not written , it is generally understood—charity is the surest and quickest way to distinction ; and in not a few that Prov . G . Lodge votes a sum to a certain Lodge in order to start the list for an ensuing Festival . Still I agree with Bro . Radclyffe that it should be a stipulation , and not left for brethren to find out by accident .

I have often thought that a very easy method is open to us , which would do away with this half-heartedness on the part of Lodges ; that is , for Grand Lodge to demand a copy of each Lodge ' s balance sheet and publish an analysis thereof every year . No comment would be necessary , for figures speak volumes , and ,

although comparisons aro odious , they not nnfrequontly lend to reform . If you will allow me , I will supply a fow balance sheets which I bo ]) 9 will go far to show what can be done , and what should not be doue , with the funds of our Lodges . As some brethren like to do their charity unseen and quietly , I will not give the names of

the Lodges I refer to , but shonld any question arise I am ready with printed accounts in each case to verify my statements . The first I come across—and which I give below—is one in which it is evident charity is " unseen" or " quiet , " but I hope the members make up for the deficiency of the Lodge in this respect .

BALANCE SHEET or LODGE ¦ . ONE YEAR—1877-8 : — RECEIPTS . Total Receipts £ 201 9 6 EXPENDITURE .

Tavern bills for one emergency and sir regular meetings ; the summer Festival and Committee on game , and the Audit Committee £ 136 12 6 Treasurer , on account of amount due to him , and for certain old debts ( £ 24 0 s lOd of which is for

Tavern bills ) 36 11 5 Grand Lodge certificates and dues 16 15 0 P . M . 's jowol 5 5 0 Tyler 3 7 0 Printing , postages , & o 2 18 7 £ 201 9 6

As may be jndged from the above , the Lodge at beginning of the year under consideration had heavy liabilities . What its condition was at the close , I am unable to ascertain , beyond the fact that £ 2 5 s 6 d was " due to Treasurer . "

Bro . Radclyffe designated such a state of things as the above tm-Masomc ; I feel sure no brother can conscientiously say that his was a wrong opinion . Here is a Lodge spending over £ 160 of its year ' s receipts on refreshment , and not a penny given in charity .

Although the Members preach that virtne to every candidate they admit , and donbtless would like the outside world to believe they practise what they preach on every occasion . 1 hope the next balance sheet I may notice will contain some redeeming features . Yours fraternally , UNION JACK .

Custody Of Lodge Funds.

CUSTODY OF LODGE FUNDS .

- To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In your leader of tho 14 th inst ., npon the > above subject , you raise tho question , " Conld not tho funds of each Lodge be so invested as to bear interest . " The question has been anticipated by some six years . In October 1872 , 1 was elected

Treasurer to the Dorio Lodge ( 933 ) , when a balance £ 7813 s Sd was handed I to me by the representative of my predecessor , the lato Bro . Scurr . Tho next day I opened a deposit account in the namo of the Lodge , and arranged with tho manager of the Institution that I only should have the power to draw on said deposit , or subsequent deposits . In

the period between October 1872 and July 1878 , tho Lodge Fnnds have been benefited to the extent of £ 33 7 s 4 d , equal to an annual average of £ 6 Is 4 d ! The acconnts of the Doric are andited annually in . December , and at each audit I produce the deposit account to shew •the bona fides of the deposits . The balances at each audit were as

, follow .- —1872 , £ 145 8 slOd ; 1873 , £ 130 8 s Id ; 1874 , £ 143 16 s lid ; , 1875 , £ 143 3 s Od ; 1876 , £ 133 19 s 7 d ; 1877 , £ 151 13 a 8 d ; giving an average annual balance of £ 141 8 s 8 d ; so that , considering the naturally fluctuating nature of the account , the interest derived is very good . The advantage derived from this investment i 3 always

applied to tho augmentation of the Benevolent Fund of the Lodgo . In the same period of time the Lodgo has voted to our three Institutions the sura of £ 101 10 s ( which has been liberally supplemented by the brethren of the Lodge , ) and to the noedy brethron of the Lodge , and widows of deceased brothren , £ 105 12 s , or a total of

£ 207 2 s from the funds of the Lodge . Following my example , Bro . John G . Stevens , upon being elected Treasurer of the Yarborongh Lodge ( 554 ) adopted tho same course , with a like beueficial result , the advantage to the latter being greater in proportion , inasmuch as its income is nearly double that of tho Doric . What the Treasurers of theso two Lodges have done , other Lodgo Treasurers can do with

out tbo intervention of Grand Lodge to compel them . It is a commonsense course , and I wonder it has not been more gonorally adopted . In the foregoing remarks tho two Lodges named are not citod as examples of good management , for doubtless thero are many others quite as well conducted as " 554 " and " 933 , " but I speak of them particularly , because , being Treasurer of the one and a P . M . of tho other , I know something of their affairs .

I am , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , THOMAS J . BARNES , P . M . and Treasurer 933 , 26 th September 1878 .

Charity Stewards.

CHARITY STEWARDS .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I havo been much interested in the correspondence which has appeared in your columns during the last three or four weeks in reference to Stowards for tho Masonio Charities , and whilst I cannot but admiro the powerful advocacy of Bro . Binckes ( on what I will call the patriotic side of tbe question )

in behalf of these truly valuable Institutions , I think there is much to be said on the subject of the personal expense , necessarily ( or un . necessarily ) incurred by those brethren who attend as representatives of their respective Lodges at the Annual Festivals . Take tho case of a brother residing two or three hundred miles from London who elects to serve as Stoward for his Lodge . At the

expenditure of much time and labour he succeeds , I will imagine , in obtaining , by donations from the members of his Lodge , £ 50 or £ 60 , which sum includes a donation of his own of probably two or three guineas ; in addition to this , ho pays two guineas as Steward ' s fee , and his travelling and other expenses bring the amount paid out of his own pocket to something like a £ 10 note . In return for this ( besides tho satisfaction to himself of having done a Masonic duty )

ho receives , as his " reward that sweetens labour" ( and expense ) the privilege of wearing a badge of his Stewardship . Under these circumstances , is it surprising that a brother living a great distance from town , instead of taking upon himself the post of Steward , would rather remit his five or ten guineas , if he has it to spare , to the Institution itself , and by so doing obtain an equivalent in votes ?

As it appears that only about one-eighth of our Lodges are represented at the Annual Festivals of our Charities , the question suggests itself , —whether there is not some special reason why so small a proportion of our brethren exert themselves on these occasions ? Doubtless there is some reason , and I cannot but think that this question of pounds shillings and pence ( for which thero is no equivalent ,

except a feed—a very good thing in its way ) is one cause which deters many from serving the office of Steward . If thi 3 is the case ' , should not some further inducement be held out to those who are willing to take this office ? On this point I think " ALPHA , " in Lis letter in your last week ' s impression , has struck the proper keynote , by his suggestion that a vote should be conferred on every Steward who collects a sum of at least twenty-five guineas , leaving out the

question of personal donation . A Steward would then , whilst exerting himself for the Institution he was desirous of benefitting , have the- satisfaction of knowing that some advantage to himself would accrue in so doing ; and I am strongly of opinion that a con - cession of this nature would result in a much larger number of Lodges being represented at the Annual Festivals of our three Insti . tutions , and the funds thereby be considerably augmented .

Yours fraternally , JOSH . TODD , P . M . and Treasurer No . 236 . York , 24 th September 1878 .