The Festival Returns.

tion of the Centenary . Anything of so special a nature as this must have an effect on the other Institutions , and it behoves the supporters of each of them to prepare accordingly . It is not really too much to expect that the Centenary Festival of the Girls' School will be the

grandest Masonic Charity gathering ever known , and we simpl y ask , — ' Will it be wise to let the Festival of the Boys ' School follow such a gathering as may then be expected within the space of a brief month ? Would it not be far better to givo tho Centenary—which in all probability will be the Masonic event of 1888—as wide a berth as

possible ? We are afraid we have wandered far away from out original intention—that of reviewing last week ' s

contributions ; but whatever we may now say will not improve the result of this year ' s Festival , while there is hope that something may be suggested to advance the totals of the future . For this reason we feel no misgiving ; that

our actions will be misunderstood on the present occasion . The result of the Festival , as announced by Brother Binckes , the Secretary of the Institution , was a total contribution of upwards of £ 11 , 000 . The figures published in our last issue were , as usual , amended up to the time

of going to press , and , totalled up , they show an aggregate of £ 11 , 059 ' 3 s , with , apparently , seventeen lists outstanding . The Stewards were 287 in number , aud may be said to have been equally distributed between London and the

Provinces , if we include the " unattached" among the former , 142 brethren serviug for . each , with the remaining three accredited to Foreign Stations . The contributions were also about equal , for we find a total of £ 5 , 346 6 s 6 d to tho credit of the London and unattached brethren , with

£ 5 , 683 8 s 6 d from the Provincials , aud £ 29 8 s Od from abroad . These figures place the Boys' School third among the three Craft Institutions for the current year in regard to total amount contributed , and second in regard to number of Stewards , which , to our mind , conclusively

proves that the Boys' School in having the last of the three Festivals stands at a disadvantage . Tbe average per Steward for the year was , in the case of the Benevolent Institution close upon £ 49 10 s , on behalf of tho Girls ' School £ 42 7 s , while in the case of the Bovs' School it

dropped down to a trifle over £ 38 10 s . Is this very wide difference merely accidental , or is there a reason for ifc ? In the answer to this question will really bo found the solution of the difficulty under which the Boys' School at present labours , and as in our opinion the difference is to be

accounted for on the grounds we have already mentioned , there should be no reason why a change should not speedil y bring abont an impro \ ement . It is only necessary to point out the difference which exists in the average per Steward in the case of the Benevolent Festival and in that

of the Boys , £ 11 per nead , and to multiply it b y the number of Stewards , to show that the Boys' Festival would have realised upwards of £ 3 , 000 more had the Stewards been as successful as those who served on behalf of the Old People , and is there any tangible reason why they

should not be , if they had equal facilities for working ? We urge there is not , and until actual proof to the contrary is forthcoming * we shall be disinclined to alter our opinion . So far as we can see the Boys' School has been second favourite for the year , but it has been too heavily handicapped , with the result that ifc takes tho third place .

" e will now devote ourselves to the individual lists , which afford further evidence in support of what we have alread y urged . London , with the Committee Dinner Club , aud those who figure as unattached , has but ten three

figure lists , and only one of these exceeds the second hundred , tho contribution being one of two hundred guineas from the Committee Diuuer Club , at the hands of Bro . Richard Eve . Where is the " London list towcrino "

far above the others " which we last month said wns seldom missing from the festival returns ? As if in mockery of our statement , ifc is missing now , for largo as tho Committee ' s donation is , we do not rec 02 ni . se it as

'towering far above the others . What we should have liked to ' sec , and hope to see in the future , is one or two lists of about £ 400 each , such as the Girls' School had tho

good fortune to announce in May . Then , again , the nurubci of large lists is wofnlly small as compared with the preceding Festivals of the year , when one iu eight among the London Steward- ; exceeded the century . The Bovs

Festival only shows one three figure total to each fourteen London Stewards , which , alone accounts for a large part of the falling-off in the general total ,

The Festival Returns.

However , we will give the Stewards tho credit we know they are justly entitled to . Wo are convinced they have done their best , and we trust it may some day be possible for them to labour under more favourable

circumstances ; if it is , they will then prove there is no lack of sympathy throughout the Craft on behalf of " Our Boys . " The list which , in point of amount , follows that of Bro . Fve , is the contribution of the Queen ' s Westminster Lodge ,

No . 2021 , which sends up £ 162 15 s , at the hands of Bro . C . P . Bollerby jun . The representatives of this Lodgo are uo strangers afc the Festivals , as past returns will show ; let ns hope the kindly feeling and practical sympathy

alread y displayed by the members may long bo continued . The Lodge has been represented at each of the Festivals of the year , sending up £ 58 16 s to the Benevolent , £ 28 7 s to that on behalf of the Girls , and , as we have

just said , £ 162 15 s to the Boys . This g ive 3 a total for the year of £ 249 18 s—a result sufficient to entitle the Lodge to the esteem of the whole Craft , even if it never did anything more , but we know enough of its members to feel

that its good deeds are not yet at an end . The Burlington Lodge , No . 96 , was represented , to the extent of £ 138 , Bro . Major H . A . Joseph , being the Stoward 5 then follows the Grand Stewards' Lodge , with the veteran Bro . Fredk .

Binckes as its representative , and a total of £ 132 12 s as its contribution ; after which we have £ 117 12 s from Lodge No . 1178 , £ 106 lis 6 d from No . 1328 . £ 106 Is from No . 1901 , £ 105 each from Nos . 1383 aud 1900 , and a level £ 100 from No . 1076 .

From tho Provinces we have to record £ 687 10 a from the Chairman ' s district of West Yorkshire , which appropriately heads the list , although we are convinced the sum is far

below what it would have been had Bro . Tew ' s intention ot presiding been made known to tho brethren of his Province at an earlier . date . The whole of the Provincial donations were distributed as follows : —

r ' rovineo . No . of St .-wards . Amount . West Yorkshire 37 6 S 7 10 0 K « nt 7 475 2 6

Somersetshire 3 12 o 5 0 Middlesex 11 400 15 0 Norths aud Hunts 4 350 0 0

Monmouthshire 7 30 a 12 0 North aud East Yorkshire 5 291 13 0 Staffordshire 3 245 14 0 Wiltshire 1 250 0 0

Nottinghamshire 2 234 0 6 Cornwall 1 194 5 0 Sussex 4 172 4 0 Berks and Bucks 5 164 0 6

Derbyshire 4 159 10 6 Surrey 7 15 G 19 6 Suffolk 3 156 8 0 Essex 7 148 9 0

Cambridgeshire 1 137 11 0 West Lancashire 7 131 5 0 South Wales ( East Division ) 1 120 0 0 North Wales 3 102 18 0

Durham 1 101 17 0 Oxfordshire 5 86 1 6 Gloucestershire 2 SO 17 0 East Lancashire 5 73 10 0

Bedfordshire 1 36 lo 0 Worcestershire 2 36 15 0 Hertfordshire 1 64 1 0 Foreign Stations 3 36 15 3 Hamnshit-o and Isle oi Wight 2 21 0 0

In conclusion , we desire fco address a word to those brethren who are aeeustomad to judge of work done by its j result — and fortunately they are numerous in IJVcemasourv , as elsewhere . Wo think that we ' have shown

I conclusively tlnfc a larger and a wider circle of supporters ' was secured for fit ! . ! Boys' School festival than was enrolled ! for the ether educational Institution , and in spite of this I iim result : has been less satisfactory . h is therefore useless

! to urge that the Bo 73 hohool is less a favourite , or that its executive do not work a , ; energetically as those of the sis ' or Charity . The failing-off is in the rcsuiis achieved by ( he Stewards , on whoso behalf something must be silomoted at an early date , They can . only perform the

work set them to the best of their ability , and any shortcomings 0 : 1 their part must ; be attributed to the work itself rather than to the workers .