Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

Bro . Raynham W . Stewart seconded the motion , and said he must endorse every word that had fallen from Bro . Symonds . He did so after having carefully investigated the matter with Bro . Symonds . There , was just cause of complaint on the part of the country subscribers

who contributed their money with the belief that it would be paid to the Secretary , and that no commission would be deducted . He knew , however , that commission was allowed on it to the disgust of the country brethren . To use a vulgar phrase , it was doubly sweated ; a

commission was paid on the collection in the country , and another to the London Collector . He ( Bro . Stewart ) also desired to have credit for wishing to serve the Institution . He thought that if the money was paid to the Secretary they would save a large amount of money , and by that

saving they would be enabled to put three additional children in the Institution , instead of squandering it away . No doubt Bro . Smith had the same idea of benefiting the Institution that he had . It was not likely they would be able to get a Collector to do the London work because it would

not be worth his while ; and if they got a man who collected for other institutions he could not do his duty to all . Let them try the proposed scheme for a twelvemonth , and see whether it would answer . Bro . Joseph Smith , in moving his amendment

for continuing the office of Collector , said he hoped they would not think he was actuated by a desire to raise a factious opposition . ( No , no . ) They were all anxious to do the best they could for the Institution , and if they believed their views were right there was no harm in stating

their views in opposition . ( Hear , hear . ) He had never taken an active part in the management of the Boys' or the Girls' School ; he devoted his time to the Benevolent Institution . The Boys' and Girls' Schools were so well managed they could take care of themselves

without him . But when he did take part in it , it was when he thought the brethren were going to sell the Institution , and he then made a motion , which after all turned out to be the right course , and he had a committee appointed . At a former meeting there was a feeling in favour

of doing away with the Collector , and ho had a committee appointed . They met , and consisted of nine brethren . After their deliberation , ! they were just as near a result as before . At the meeting of the Committee there were four on each side , and the Chairman gave his casting

vote . At the next meeting there were seven ; there were three on one side and three on the other ; and the Chairman again gave his casting vote . It was a new feature to do away with the Collector , and he did not think they would get the same amount of money by the new

proposition . He had moved that a Collector be appointed , and paid only on such sums as be collected . This was the principle the brethren had to decide . He had a great objection to giving a Collector commission on what he did not receive , and he thought the brethren in the

country had good ground for complaint when a Collector was so paid . He did not care what poundage they gave a Collector ; and he did not care if they had another clerk in the office . If they wanted him let them have him ; but if they had a Secretary or clerk , unless they gave

him an inducement in the shape of a com mission he would not try to collect the money . The clerk might be sent out on a fine day to collect , and might think it a good opportunity for taking a holiday . The payment of subscriptions was not like the payment of taxes . If brethren

promised subscriptions to Stewards you might wait a long time before the brethren promising sent the subscription to the office . If a Collector called on them they would pay . He did not stand alone in his opinion ; he had canvassed , and found several brethren entertained the same

views . He thought the Charities would lose by the proposed plan . Bro . H . G . Warren seconded the amendment . He was one of the minority in the Special Committee who voted for a Collector . When he

entered on his duties he expected they were to enquire into something , and take evidence upon it ; The resolutions which were come to were without the slightest attempt to get at any evilence whatever . ( Cries of dissent . ) ( Order ,

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

order . ) Bro . Symonds had gone into a statement of what took place at the Committee , and he , Bro . Warren , had a perfect right to do the same . The only tittle of evidence was a statement by the Secretary , which he thought would astonish the brethren as much as it had

astonished him , Bro . Warren , that they had 150 annual subscribers , and it had not been usual to look up the subscriber of one year for his subscription for the next year . With the embryo life subscribers it became a rule in some lodges that before they took office they should become

Life Governors of the Charities , and consequently those who had subscribed for one year were , in the course of three or four years , life subscribers . But surely out of the number of Stewards they had , they ought to have more than 150 annual subscribers . They ought to have

had evidence of that ; and he would like tn have asked Bro . Muggeridge how often he had to call upon them . Nothing of the kind took place . He would pass that over . As regarded the payment of commission , he perfectly agreed , as he

believed every one present did , that they should not pay for work not done ; they should fix a sum to be paid as commission on money collected , and pay no more . He would not put the Stewards' Lists into the hands of the Collector

in the first instance . It had been usual not to let the Collector have those lists until after the first meeting of the Stewards at least . It was so when he was a Steward ; but this was not a matter of so much importance as that they would find it difficult to place it all in one man ' s hands ,

unless they did it by making the Secretary the manager , and the sole manager , of the Institution . ( A Voice : " So he ought to be . " ) That was a matter of opinion ; he was not going to discuss that . He did not see the difficulty discovered by Bro . Raynham Stewart of getting a Collector ,

or that they could not get rid of a Collector with as much ease as they could get rid of a clerk . It did not matter what the title of the officer was ; they could dismiss one as well as the other . There was a difficulty as regarded payment , and this belonged solely to the General

Committee ; but as it was raised at the Special Committee he would not be much out of order if he stated that there was a proposition to pay not only a salary , but commission . ( A Voice : "No ; it was abandoned . " ) It was not abandoned ; it was only abandoned in so far as he

stated that this being a matter for the General Committee they could not go into it ; and the brethren said they should not press it . ( A Voice : " It was abandoned . " ) Then he was perfectly satisfied with that . He was of opinion with Bro . Smith that if they sent out clerks to collect

money in which they had no intcrestthey would not find the same amount como in as they did when they had a Collector . Bro . the Rev . A . F . A . Woodford said that this was a matter which agitated the provinces in past years very considerably , as he knew

perfectly well when acting officiall y for a large and important province . He had listened most attentively to what Bro . Symonds had said , and he felt that after that very lucid and clear Statement he was bound to «» ivr » his snnnnrt '

to the Committee . He had said to Bro . Joseph Smith on more than one occasion that he for one should be quite prepared to consider the question of the employment of a Collector as regarded thc London brethren , if they so wished it , and it would be convenient for them . But

as there were many difficulties in the way , he thought they were going to do the right thing by caking steps to prevent an abuse which had existed for years , and had prevented worth y brethren from becoming Life Governors because they would not pay a percentage for what the

Collector had not done ; they would not pay money , that is , to the institution for work never executed . The proposed plan , he believed , was not only the most business-like and strai ghtforward . but would give large additional subscriptions from the provinces . He would mention a case , a

true case , which a brother at the end of the table would confirm . In a province with which he was connected they sent up some years ago £ 2000 for the Girls' School , and on that they had to pay the Collector a sum which would amount to two life governorships , and not a sixpence of the whole subscription had passed

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through the hands of the Collector . He would ask if that was not an abuse ? He believed the proposal made by the Special Committee would prevent such an abuse ; and as Freemasons did not like anything which was an abuse , he hoped that the brethren would give their

hearty support to the Committee . ( Hear , hear . ) Bro . G . M . E . Snow attacked the existing system , and contrasted it with that of the Merchant Seamen ' s Orphan Asylum and tht ^ Licensed Victuallers ' . Bro . Dr . Ramsay supported the original motion .

Bro . George Powell asked the Chairman whether the new plan was to be permanent or tentative . The Chairman said tentative . Bro . George Powell said he thought it was worth a trial . He also said he deduced from

what Bro . Warren had said , that some of the opposing brethren had not been treated quite with courtesy on the Committee , and Bro . Symonds seemed to imply that the opposing brethren had not the interests of the Institution at

heart . ( No . ) Bro . Henry Venn thought the opinion of the Committee was very evenly balanced ; but he believed that after the long experience they had had of a Collector , they could not do better than give a trial to the new feature .

Bro . Symonds , in replying upon the different arguments , said that with regard to want of courtesy that had never been suggested , and he had never meant to say that brethren not entertaining his own views were not solicitous for the welfare of the Institution . Bro . Smith had said

several times m the course of his speech that they were going to do away with the Collector . They did not propose to do a way with the Collector , They proposed to make the Secretary the Collector , as he was now the Collector of the larger portion of the subscriptions . The Committee

were precluded from going into an enquiry on the subject by Bro . Smith proposing that a Collector should be appointed . They were rather in a hurry . Bro . Smith was taking his observation about going into detail in very good part , and he ( Bro . Symonds ) did not intend certainly

to deceive him , and he thought it desirable that Bro . Smith should define what he meant . If they adopted what Bro . Smith proposed b y his amendment , if a Collector was to be paid onl y on what he received , and he applied several times for a subscription , and that subscription was

after all paid to the office , they would be bound by the resolution , and could not give him a sixpence commission . There seemed to be an impression that if the subscriptions were collected by thc Secretary personally , or through his clerks , there would not be an inducement to

them to get the subscriptions in if there was no commission paid . Bro . Little had never been paid by commission ; Bro . Binckes was so paid at one time , and a certain small salary as well . That was afterwards altered , and a suitable salary was paid to him .

The amendment of Bro . ' Joseph Smith was then put and negatived , and the original motion of Bro . John Symonds was afterwards put and carried by a large majority . A vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded the proceedings .

Consecration Of The Era Chapter, No. 1423.

CONSECRATION OF THE ERA CHAPTER , No . 1423 .

On Saturday last , November 2 , 5 th , at the King ' s Arms Hotel , Hampton Court , a seventh chapter W 3 S added to the Royal Arch Masonic roll of Middlesex . The interesting ceremonies of consecration and installation were exceedingly well performed bv the M . E . P . G . S . of MirlHl ^ v

Comp . Col . Francis Burdett , aided by Comps . J . Boyd , R . W . Little , P . G . H ., and H . G . Buss , P . G . T . of Middlesex . The chapter was opened by the M . E . P . G . S ., assisted by Comps . Boyd , acting H . ; Little , acting J . Amongst the numerous and brilliant gathering present

were Comps . Stedwell , P . G . J , of Middlesex ; Roebuck , P . P . G . H . of Middlesex ; Cubitt , P . Z ., P . S . E . of Middlesex ; Woodman , P . Z ., P . G . D . C . of England , and P . P . First A . G . S . of Middlesex ; Laxton , P . Z ., P . G . R . of Middlesex ; W . Hammond , P . Second A . G . S . of Middle-