Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS ,,,,,, 57 Masonic Facts iio (_ Fictions 58 Bro . Henry'Josiah Whymper 58 Supreme Grand Chapter 58 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 59 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 59 CORRESPONDENCE— " Grand Portrait Painter" 61 A Correction 61 " Old Editions of the Book of Constitu- tions .. gt Notes and Queries . ' . "' ...... ' . ' . ' . ' . ' .. ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . " !!! . ' !! . " . ' . ' 61 RIPORTS or MASONIC fvliKTiNOS— Craft Masonry 62 Instruction 65 Royal Arch 66 Instruction 67 Mark Masonry 67

The Liverpool Masonic Hall Committee ... 67 Masonic Installation of the Mayor of Liverpool ..... 67 . > , . „ ,, t .-.. ., , A Masonic Ball at Cambridge 67 First Annual Ball of the Agricola Lodge , No . 1991 , York 6 j Straits Settlements 68 Scotland 68 .. . „ , , „ Masonry in Canada 68 Lord and Lady Henniker ' s Silver Wedding 68 Masonic and General Tidings 69 Bro . VV . E . Bush , F . C . S ., F . S . S 70 Freemasonry in Turkey 70 A Noble Example of the Decorator's Art ... 70 China 70 Lodge Meetings for Next Week iv .

Ar00101

_ , „ , WE could do no more in our last week ' s issue than draw the The Board . . of special attention of our readers to the important tabular statelienevolence . ment of the Income and Expenditure of the Board of Benevolence during the last 10 years , and point out that the figures it

contained furnished the most conclusive evidence as to the necessity for considering at an early date the desirability of increasing the Quarterages , and thereby re-establishing something like an equilibrium between the receipts and outgoings of the Fund . It is true the Table discloses a very considerable amount of fluctuation in the yearly totals of relief granted and

recommended , and there is likewise a great difference as between the income of 1888 and that of any of its predecessors ; but , though the Income ranges from . £ 8917 in 18 79 to £ 10 , 051 in 1888 , and the outgoings from £ 9018 to £ 12 , 268 in the same years , the excess has never fluctuated between the Dr . and Cr . sides of the Account , but has regularly remained

on the latter . It amounted only to the small sum of £ 101 in 1879 , when the income was . £ 8917 and the expenditure . £ 9018 , but the year following , while the income showed a moderate increase to £ 9270 , the expenditure advanced by one bound to £ 10 , 021 , the excess of the latter over the former being £ 751 . In 1881 there was a falling off in the receipts ,

which amounted only to £ 8 9 61 , but an increase in the expenditure , which was . £ 10 , 603 , the excess of the latter being £ 1642 . In 1882 the sale of £ 3000 Stock , an increase in the receipts to £ 9160 , and a diminution in the expenditure to £ 10 , 219 , brought the two sides of the account more nearly to the level of 1879 ; for in 188 3 , with receipts amounting to

£ 9178 and an expenditure of £ 9345 , the excess of the latter was no more than £ 167 . In 1884 , the receipts were £ 9185 and the expenditure £ 10 , 052 , the excess of outgoings being £ 867 , or £ 700 more than the previous year , and necessitating the sale of a further £ 1000 Stock . In 1 S 85 , the income fell to £ 9077 , while the expenditure increased to £ 10 , 933 , the

excess , amounting to £ 1856 , being greater than in any previous year , and rendering necessary the sale of a further £ 2000 Stock . In 1886 , the income reached £ 9189 , and the expenditure £ 11 , 333 , the excess being £ 2144 , and a further sale of £ 3000 Stock , raising the total disposed of to £ 9000 , became necessary , In 188 7 , the receipts were £ 9343 , and the outgoings

£ 11 , 225 , the latter being in excess to the extent of £ 1882 , but there was no sale of Stock . In 1888 , however , though the income advanced to the unprecedented sum of £ 10 , 051 , the expenditure appears to have risen with still greater facility to £ 12 , 268 , and £ 3000 Stock , making the total sold £ 12 , 000 , was of necessity disposed of , to make good the deficiency of the

previous year , and assist in carrying forward the work of 1888 . The result of of the ten years' transactions is as follows : Receipts £ 92 , 331 ; expenditure , £ 105 , 01 7 _ deficiency , £ 12 , 686 . This excess of outlay has been in great part met by the sale of ^ 12 , 000 , so that the balance unpaid is £ 686 ; but a sum of £ 1200 had been expended by the Board of General Purposes in the

purchase of Stock sufficient to raise the total capital to £ 50 , 016 , and as this had not been repaid by the Board of Benevolence , the balance due by the latter to the Board of General Purposes on the 31 st December , 1888 , was £ 1886 . Therefore , to clear off this debt , and have funds in hand towards the expenditure of the current year , it will be necessary that the Board of

Benevolence shall sell out a further sum of ( say ) £ 3000 of its capital , which will in consequence be reduced to £ 35 , 016 . Nor must we forget to point but that , whereas the income arising from the dividends on £ 50 , 000 Stock , at Three per Cent ., amounted on 31 st December , 1878 , to £ 1500 , the income on £ 35 , 000 Stock , at 2 $ per Cent ., will be £ 9 62 ios ., and ,

consequently , the yearly resources of the Board will be permanently reduced , while there is every reason to believe that the demands on them are—or , perhaps , we had better say , have been—permanently extended . Thus , the question , which Grand Lodge had better lose no time in taking 'nto its most serious consideration , is , How shall this constantly increasmg drain on the funds of the Board of Benevolence be met ? Shall

we wait till the remaining capital of £ 35 , 000 Stock is exhausted , and with it the income , amounting to close on £ 1000 , which is forthcoming in the shape of dividends thereon ? Or shall we retain the capital , and with it the income derivable therefrom , and increase the Quarterages—in the case of London

Ar00102

lodges from 4 s . to 6 s . per member per annum , and in that of the country lodges from 2 s . to 3 s ? It is ridiculous to suggest that such an increase will entail any serious pressure on the funds of the lodges , and it is very certain that if we keep on delaying to make some such trifling augmentation till the income on the remaining capital is gone , a more substantial increase in the

Quarterages will become necessary . But , besides these alternative courses , there is still a third which must be considered—namely , that the Board of Benevolence shall henceforth reduce its grants and recommendations in amount , g iving or recommending the GRAND MASTER or Grand Lodge to give , not what it considers , after due inquiry , each individual applicant deserves to

receive , but a proportionately lower sum . We are content with mentioning this course , firstly , because it is our opinion the Board of Benevolence is already as careful as it can be in administering the funds at its disposal ; and , secondly , because we believe the Craft generally would spurn the idea

of giving less than is considered necessary by its Committee of Charity . It is clear , however , from the returns we published last week and our present remarks , that whatever is done must be done with all convenient speed ; or , we shall find the Fund of Benevolence without any Capital at all and at the same time with its Income very seriously diminished .

WE pointed out last week that very little business would be School Quarterly brought forward for the consideration of the Governors and General Courts . Subscribers at the Quarterly Genera ! Courts of the two Schools , which were then appointed to be held—in the case of the Boys '

School on Friday , the 25 th ult ., and in that of the Girls School the day following . The result appears to have been even less than we had anticipated . There was a short , sharp discussion over the proposal of Bro . W . H .

SAUNDERS to suspend , in the case of a particular boy , Law 53 , which fixes the maximum age for candidature at 11 years , and requires the withdrawal from the list of all boys who are not elected before attaining that age ; but it was not so much a discussion on the merits of the motion as on the

question whether , under Law 34 , such a motion could be discussed . Bro . CUMBERLAND ' S motion for the revision of the laws was , under the circumstances in which the Institution is placed , withdrawn for the present , and the number of vacancies was declared , and the list of candidates approved . At the Girls' School , Bro . PERCEVAL ' motion for amending Law 55 , was

withdrawn , while the number of vacancies was declared , and the list of candidates approved . But Bro . LETCHWORTH , P . G . D ., on behalf of the House Committee , gave notice of his intention to move , at the proper time , that the number of children in the School be increased by 20 , and that these 20

additional girls be elected at the Quarterly Court in April , and admitted at the House Committee next ensuing after that Court . This will be good news for the friends of the Institution , but especially for the candidates , whose chances of success will be more than doubled by the addition .

* * * WE are glad to find that , in the course of the three weeks ing Festival oi which have elapsed since we last drew attention to the now the R . M . B . I . rapidly approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic

Benevolent Institution , a fair amount of progress has been made in obtaining the services of additional brethren as Stewards , and that the Board which will second the efforts of Bro . the Earl of EUSTON to obtain the requisite supplies for the coming year is now not very far short in numbers of last year ' s record . There are still three clear weeks in which to obtain further help ,

and we need hardly state that Bro . TERRY is most anxious to enlist the services of other brethren . Bro . TERRY , and those who are working with him , have had serious difficulties to contend with . More than seven months have elapsed since the Centenary Festival of the Girls' School took place , but the tremendous efforts that were made in order to celebrate that anniversary

by raising an unprecendently large sum cannot fail to tell heavily against large subscription lists at this and the other Festivals of the current year . And , to make the difficulties of the position still greater , the present moment has been chosen for a general attack on all our Institutions , and the discontent which is likely to be caused by these inopportune and

groundless complaints will , in all probability , operate most unfavourably on the Returns of the Festival which has priority of celebration , and which happens to be that of the Benevolent Institution . However , after our very ample exposition of last week , in which we summarily disposed of all the charges worth noticing , we trust the Craft generally will use their best

efforts to neutralise the harm thus done or attempted to be done , and exhibit their confidence in the Executive of this Charity—and in those of the Schools when their turn comes—by providing the £ 15 , 000 which is necessary for the service of the coming year . Let them bear in mind also that , even

under the most favourable conditions , a sum of this magnitude must , in the very nature of things , take a good deal of raising , and consequently that the more numerous the Board of Stewards , the greater the likelihood of its being obtained .