United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

VVe publish elsewhere quite a formidable programme of business to be transacted at the Quarterly Communication which will be held on Wednesday , the 6 th instant . We announced last week that Grand Lodge will be opened , as it was last year , at the hour of 2 p . m ., but the time between 2 . 30 p . m . and 7 . 15 p . m . will be occupied in taking the votes for the candidates

for the office of Grand Treasurer . After the latter hour the regular business will be proceeded with , the most important matter being included in the Report of the Board of General Purposes , which recommends that for the future the powers , which are now delegated to the Board of General Purposes and the Colonial Board separately , should be

conferred on one Board only , with authority " to appoint from amongst its own members a Committee for the superintendence and direction of colon- ' al matters , or for other specific ebjects ; the duties of any committee so to be appointed to be defined by the General Board to whom all their proceedings must be reported for approval and adoption . "

It is contended that by this ai rangerr . ent tie control of the General Board will be more complete , and therefore more effective , and it is suggested that , in the event of Grand Lodge being inclined to enteitain the recommendation , the subject should be again referred to the Board , with a view to enabling it to submit to Grand Lodge at its Quarterly Communication in Tune the

details of the proposed arrangements , and any change that may be thought desirable in the constitution of the Board . We do not see that any reasonable objection can be raised to the proposal . We assume that the new Board will be possessed of all the powers now vested in the Board cf General Purposes , plus those of the Colonial Board , and as the former already

has a number of Sub-Committees , which deal in the first instance with ti . e questions submitted to them , the formation of an additional Sub-Committee for the consideration of Colonial matters is in the nature of a detail , which is unlikely lo provoke serious discussion . It is , moreover , a recommendation which possesses the great merit of simplicity , nor do we think there

will be any great difficulty in constructing a new Board out of the present General and Colonial Boards . At all events , as the principle of the recommendation is unobjectionable , it will be time enough to look critically into the manner in which it is proposed to be carried , when the Board submits the details of ils scheme to Grand Lodge in

June next . There will also be laid before Grand Lodge for its sanction the alterations in the laws of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , which were agreed to at the Special General Meeting of the Governors and Subscribers , held on the 13 th ultimo . After these have been dealt with there will come a series of four appeals against the decisions of the

authorities , either local or general . The nature of these appeals may be gathered from the agenda , but those who desire a closer ins ght into the circumstances of each may inspect the papers relating to them in the Grand Secretary's office during office hours . It may be as well to menlion once sgain that the candidates for the ofiice of Grand Treasurer are Bro . C . W .

HI ' DSON , P . M . Royal York Lodge , No . 315 , Brighton ; Bro . Alderman W . VAUGHAN MORGAN , P . M . Burlington Lodge , No . 96 , London ; and Bro . VV . M . STILES , P . M . Strand Lodge , No . 1987 , London . It may also be as well to mention that the Master , Wardens , and Past Masters of any

lodge which may have failed to make the return to the Grand Secretary prescribed by Article 179 of the Book of Constitutions are excluded by Article 180 from attending Grand Lodge , and will be unable to record their votes for the candidate of their choice .

The Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

It speaks well for the popularity cf the Chairman and the zeal and energy 0 f tne Stewards and staff of the Charity that the Festival held at Freemasons' Tavern on Wednesday , on behalf of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , should have proved so great a success . The times are not propitious for the accumulation of big subscriptions . For a long

me past there has been a considerable amount of distress in agricultural Districts , and trade generally has not been flourishing . Add to this , the Altering caused by the exceptional severity of the present winter and the many cai | s wnj ch lnat suffering has rendered necessary upon the pockets of „ e benevolent , and we have at once the strongest of reasons for being gratir ¦ 1 ¦ —¦ — ----- < j _ - —

* eu w'th a result which , for several months , has been looked forward to with he keenest anxiety , not unmingled with fear , that after all the efforts Cn have been put forward , the total subscribed might fall short of the mount necessary for the year's requirements . However , all doubts are now at rest . In the course of the evening , Bro . TERRY , the

The Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

Secretary of the Institution , announced that the subscriptions obtained by the Board of Stewards amounted to ^ 14 , 113 Gs ., of which London , by the hands of 171 Stewards , contributed ^ 7220 6 s ., and the Province ; , represented by 152 Stewards , ^ 6893 , there being still 11 lists to be accounted for . The chief featuie of the subscription list is the generous support which

Bro . Viscour . t DUNGARVAN , the chairman of the evening , received from his Province of Somersetshire . We have mentioned on sundry occasions that our Somerset brethicn were specially exerting themselves in support of his loidship ' s chairmanship , and they now have their reward in the knowledge that cf the total raised by the represented Provinces , not far short of one-fourth

was contributed by them . As we furnish elsewhere a full report of the proceedings in Freemasons' Tavern , and a careful Analysis of the Returnr , we shall content ourset ves with expressing here the pleasure we experience at so marked a success , and congratulating the noble chairman , his Province

of Somersetshire , the Board of Stewards generally , and Bro . TERRY and his staff on a result which is in the highest degree ci editable to all who had a hand in bringing it about . May future Festivals , whenever held under similarly depressing circumstances , prove equally successful !

Masonic Dining.

MASONIC DINING .

The Sunday Times , quite recently , and other more influential papers during the last decade , have , from time to time , devoted a little surplus energy to criticism of Fieemasonry . This criticism , we are bound to admit , has been , so far as we know , uniformly fair and above board , and hence , whether we like it or not , to be told our faults by such critics is really good

for us . The Sunday Times suggests that " much sunshine of Royal patronage has perhaps somewhat enervated its constitution , " and maintains that " British Freemasonry would be non , c the worse if there were less and simpler dining , and more determined Brotherhood and friendship among members of the Craft . "

With regard to the first , we think Royal patronage ought to have quite the contrary tffect . The second js a sentiment which every true Mason will endorse ; but as very many lodges nowada ) s provide no belter fare than the members would get at their own homes , and others dispense with the banquet altogether , it is hardly right to condemn the many for the sins of a

comparatively small section of the Craft . "Simpler dining" may mean in the provinces that to pander to the chimerical fads of every would-be reformer , a brother who resides a few miles out of town must leave his business at three instead of six o ' clock , in order that he may dine at home . We suppose a man must have his dinner , but the worst feature of the complaint against

Masonic dining is that it is Masonic . For this absurd reason we are invited to believe that dining at home or at one ' s club is justifiable , but that the very same act at a Masonic lodge is a sin I The average Englishman enjoys his dinner . He is apt to think of it sometimes when perhaps other

duties are supposed to claim his undivided attention . We do not say that all Masons think as much cf the real work of Masonry as they do of the relaxation cf the supper-table ; but the " eating and drinking " cry is very much exaggerated . It is on a par with the hot poker , and , like it , will find believers whatever may be said to the contrary .

We fail , however , to see that there would be any " more determined Brotherhood and friendship among members of the Craft" if " there were less and simpltr dining . " It seems to us that a Mason who upholds the tenets and principles of the Fraternity will not be likely to regulate feelings

of Brotherhood and Friendship according to laws gastronomic . Nevertheless , we are confident in the assertion that when those two Masonic duties are really wanting amongst the membersof our lodges , Freemasonry must give way to a more honest Brotherhood , and we are far from having any fear on that score .

Annual Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

The annual festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and the Widows of Freemasons , was held on Wednesday evening , at Freemasons' Tavern , under the presidency of Viscount Dungarvan , R . W . Prov . Grand Master for Somersetshire . There was a very large attendance of brethren and ladies , and a strong support of the Right Worshipful Chairman by brethren of his own province , headed by their Dep .

Prov . Grand Master , Bro . Richard C . Else , P . G . D . The Grand and Past Grand Oflicers were not so numerous as usual , but those who were present were Bros . Richard Eve , Horace Brooks Marshall , W . F . Smithson , C . E . Keyser , John A . Farnfield , Dr . H . J . Stiong , Frederick Mead , Edwaid Letchworth , Col . Alfred Thrale Peikins , F . R . W . Hedges , A . C . Spaull , and James Terry , The ladies were entertained at a separate dinner .