The Festival Of The Boys' School.

THE FESTIVAL OF THE BOYS' SCHOOL .

THE third and last Festival of the year in connection with the Charitable Institutions of the Craft has passed , and if we are to adopt the popular verdict

we must record its result as a iaiiure . am are we justified in using so harsh a term in connection with a gathering which has added upwards of £ 8 , 600 to the coffers of the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys ,

within three weeks of the grand announcement made at the Albert Hall in connection with the Centenary celebration of the sister Institution ? Should we not rather say that it has proved a success , judged on its

merits ; hardly equal , it is true , to what was anticipated , or what has been achieved during recent years , but sufficient to prove that the Institution still retains

its place m the estimation of the Cralt , and is still accorded as much sympathy as the special events of the year allow . It is not necessary to go beyond

the Centenary celebration to which we have just referred to find the cause for the falling off in the contributions to the Boys' School this year , indeed it is a surmise to many that so much has been secured ,

with such strong counter attractions directing the energies of the Craft into another channel , and after such a handsome result as that announced by the

Most Worshipful Grand Master on the 7 th of the present month . Of course , it does not require much calculation to discover that the amount subscribed at Wednesday ' s

Festival is quite insufficient to maintain the Institution for the current year , and as a natural result the reserve of the Charity will have to be heavily drawn

upon to meet the calls for current expenses . This is very much to be regretted , as the Boys' School is already the worst off in the matter of Invested Funds ,

ana is tne least ame to anord tne reduction in its permanent income which must arise if its dividends are curtailed . On this account , if on no other , we hope that special exertions will be made to ensure a

grand success for next year ' s Festival , and that the Ninety-first Anniversary celebration may result in such a return as will not only enable the Institution

to retrieve the position it must lose this year , but also add a little to the surplus it has already accumulated . It is very early yet to express this wish , but it is not too early to make a start in the endeavour to do good

on behalf of an Institution which is sorely in need of it . In another column we give a report of the proceedings at the Festival , together with a list of the amounts

collected by the several Stewards . From this latter it will be found that altogether the Board comprised the names of two hundred and eighteen brethren . London was represented by one hundred and thirteen ,

and their contributions reached a total ol £ 4 , 186 2 s , while the Provinces sent up £ 4 , 487 10 s , at the hands , of one-hundred and five Stewards , so that it will be seen honours were pretty equally divided between the

The Festival Of The Boys' School.

two great divisions of the Craft . There are many matters in connection with the Festival to which

reference might be made , but we leave their consideration until another occasion , contenting ourselves at the present with a simple record of the proceedings .

Is Freemasonry A Question Of Price Or Of Principle ?

IS FREEMASONRY A QUESTION OF PRICE OR OF PRINCIPLE ?

HAD such a question as that which heads our present remarks been put to us a week ago we should have been stedfast in our endeavours to uphold the good name and reputation of the Craft ,

but the events of the last few hours have so shaken our ideas , that to-day we hardly know whether we could show a clear case , if we were severely pressed ,

in regard to the disinterestedness of Freemasons in their practice of Freemasonry . There is an old saying that no one knows where the shoe pinches but he who wears it , and it is equally true that no one

knows how the show is worked but those who are behind the scenes . We do not wish to imply that we are behind the scenes so far as Freemasonry is concerned , but our official position affords us many

opportunities of gaining information which is not available to the world at large ; but , like many others similarly circumstanced , we are frequently prevented from making use of the knowledge thus acquired ,

because our informants will not allow their names to be used should any action be taken as the result of what we might publish . Hence it is that we are often quiet when our desire is to be stirrincr , and we

are sometimes compelled to be silent witnesses of injustice , because the means at our disposal are not sufficient to check it . But there have been occasions

when we have been in a position to publish what we know , and at the same time be prepared to prove the truth of our statements . In such cases we have done what we considered to be right , and if we have not

always won the approval of the multitude we have at least had the satisfaction of knowing that we attenrpted to do our duty , while our action has been

endorsed by many who value the good name and reputation of Freemasonry . Our present task is anvthinff but a nleasant one .

J . O O J . - / but we accept it as part of our duty , and if in the execution of it we give offence to any brother with whom we are personally acquainted , or who is only known to

us by name , we can only express our regret that circumstances have arisen calling for special reference at our hands . On Thursday , the consecration of

the Barnato Lodge , No . 2265 , took place at the Cock Tavern , Highbury , and although we have little beyond nersonal observation on which to base our remarks .

JL / we feel that the meeting was not a success from a Masonic point of view . It is not our province to inquire the why and wherefore which induced the