Analysis Of The Returns.

^ . * , al in 1887 , that Cheshire , though it has a well-organised Educational l Nation of its own , mig ht still assist our principal Charities to a greater AS , oni than it has done latterly , and we still retain that belief . Thoug h the list or contribution of Bro . C . Truscott , an unattached c . eward , hailing from ^¦* ew <* CORNWALL

mall -apparently his personal donation only—we are glad that so conc Jd SL well-wisher of our Institutions is among the Stewards , and that his Inre therefore , is not unrepresented . We cannot , of course , foresee P fcat the School Festivals , especially that of the Girls , may obtain from W u - niiarter , but as Bro . Pearce , who did duty at all three Festivals in 1887 , , Ln with a heavy list of £ 368 ns . in February , raised £ 141 155 . for the tor the acnooi

rvu'in May , and finished up in June with £ 194 5 s . Boys , ¦ 7 Zv be we shall find the contribution at the middle Festival for 1888 the - ohtiest and those of the Benevolent and Boys' School as constituting " Z ' ends o ' r wings of the line , the least productive . We shall not think 0 Motioning the propriety of such an arrangement . The geographers tell that the cbief mineral resource of Cornwall is tin , and there is no doubt jood deal of this useful commodity finds its way into the colfers of our Charities , and with a fairly impartial distribution among the three .

CUiMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND , with its 20 lodges , has on two occasions , during the last few years , done cabstantial service for the Boys'School , namely , in 18 S 3 , when Bro . G . J . McKay Prov . G . Secretary , as its representative raised £ 1050 , and in 886 when Bros . McKay and Hogg , made up £ 500 . But it has not often „ , tn anv great extent figured at Benevolent Festivals , and its 4 Stewards ,

of whom Bro . McKay was unattached , and the other three represented lodges Nos . 129 , 1074 , and 2217 respectively , must have been very welcome to Bro Terry , especially as their lists together mount up to £ 1050 . I ast year lodge No . 129—theUnion . of Kendal—sent up per Bro . Dr . Paget , the comfortable sum of £ 55 13 s ., and in 1885 , Bro . McKay for the province Collin Steward forthe

handed in - £ 52 ios . for the Boys'School , and Bro . , as Sun and Sector Lodge , No . 9 62 , Workington , made up a list of £ 50 8 s . 6 d . for this Institution . If vve add these various sums together , we shall find that Bro . Lord Bective's province has given fully its fair share of support to our Institutions since and including the year 1883 . Only one of the 21 lodges in

DERBYSHIRE was represented on Wednesday , Bro . Daykin , as Steward for the Rutland Lodge , No . 1179 , Ilkeston , figuring in the Returns with a list amounting to £ 26 5 s . However , in 1887 , it raised £ 626 os . 6 d . — £ 387 14 s . for the Benevolent in February ; £ 78 15 ' . for the Girls' in May ; and £ 159

ios . 6 d . for the Boys' in June . In 1886 , its Returns were—Benevolent , £ 63 ; Girls' School , £ 37 ios . 6 d . ; and Boys' School , £ j 6 4 s 6 d . ; making a total of £ 176 15 s ; while in 1885 , when Bro . the Marquis of Hartington was chairman at the Boys' Festival , its Returns reached the large figure of £ 154 6 17 s . In 1884 it raised . £ 356 4 s . forthe Girls' School ,

and £ 94 ios . for the Boys ' , and the year previous it raised £ 359 and odd shillings , of which the Boys' School received close on ^ £ 239 , and the rest was apportioned betsveen the Benevolent and the Girls' School . Bro . John Chapman , Steward for the Jordan Lodge , No . 1402 , Torquay , with a list of 45 guineas , does duty for

DEVONSHIRE with its half a century and upwards of lodges , but considering that Bro . Lord Ebrington , the ruler of the province , has undertaken to preside at the Boys' School Festival in June , it is not surprising that a modest list like

this should be the sum total of its contributions on this occasion . Moreover , its Educational Fund is an association of recent growth , and even in a numerically strong province like this , while there may be no limit to the goodwill of the brethren , we must be careful not to strain it overmuch . Bro . C S . Lane , as Steward for the 32 lodges in

DURHAM , is entered for a list of £ 122 17 s ., and must be congratulated on the success of his labours . The sum may not be large for so strong a province , but the contributions from this quarter are given regularly , a donation of 50 guineas ( £ 52 ios . ) , being voted annually , we believe , to each of the three

Institutions . But this is not the full extent of its contributions , which amounted in 1 S 8 7 to nearlv £ 228 , in 1886 , to £ 23 6 in 18 S 5 to £ 226—there being no amount entered In the Girls' School returns—and in 1884 to £ 452 , while in

1881 , when the late Bro . the Marquis of Londonderry was Chairman for the Boys' School , the total for the year was £ 1024 . Still we should like to see larger returns from this direction , and doubtless before the year is out our wishes will be gratified .

It is long since we have seen so small a contingent of Stewards from ESSEX , which , with its 25 lodges , generally makes a capital show , both as regards representatives and totals . Thus , in 1887 , it had a round dozen of Stewards for the Benevolent Festival in February , and their lists just exceeded , by a

few shillings , the large sum of £ 500 . At the Girls' School Festival in May , seven Stewards raised £ 222 7 s ., and at the Boy ' s Festival in June , another group of seven Stewards raised £ 150 7 s ., the total for the year being £ 873 7 s . A gain—to mention only one year more—in 1886 , the Benevolent received £ n 5 Ss . 6 d . as the total of four Stewards' lists , while six brethren made up

amongst them £ 245 14 s . for the Institution for Girls , while another half a dozen raised ^ 23 8 6 s . 6 d . for that for Boys , the sum of the three sets of Returns being £ 599 Ss ., or , speaking roundly , some £ 600 . On Wednesday , the three Stewards raised amongst them £ 135 195 . 6 d ., which is certainl y satisfactory for so small a number . Three Stewards from the Province of

, GLOUCESTERSHIRE , have returned amongst them a total of £ 74 os . 6 d ., Bro . Heane ' s list for od ge No . 106 7 , absorbing half of it . Last year the Province , which , by the way , musters only 14 lodges , raised £ 221 lis ., the Boys' School and enevolent receiving about the same amount— £ 84 and £ 85 respectivelyiH D 16 ^* r's' School £ 53 lis . As we suggested , however , in our review of g Boys' Festival in June last , it is possible that had Bro . Sir M . E . Hicks-. ? chj Bart ., the P . G . Master , not been prevented by illness and his minisisi ^ ' fr ° m taking his usual active part in Masonry , the returns for 8 7 would have been heavier , as in the three years preceding—1884-5-6—e contributions amounted to £ 2240 9 s ., giving an average per year of £ g 7 nearl y . This , of course , is accounted for by Bro . Sir Michael having him a * rman for this Institution in 1885 , when Gloucestershire backed not "f 8 ' 0 rlously Wllh nearly £ 1211 . However , Wednesday ' s total , if as large as we have seen , is very welcome .

Analysis Of The Returns.

HANTS AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT with a muster roll of some 45 lodges had only two of them represented , and for very small amounts , the total of the two lists being only £ 36 15 s . But it must be remembered that its worthy chief , Bro . VV . W . B . Beach , M . P ., occupied the chair at the Benevolent Festival in 1887 , and that his province were so ehergetic and so successful in their efforts , that they put together , by meansW their 29 Stewards , no less a sum than £ 1785 93 . 6 d . It has

also just started a Charitable Association , the first anniversary of which was celebrated at Southampton last autumn . Therefore , the paucity of Stewards at the Festivals which have been held since , and the limited extent of the subscriptions obtained , by them is easily explained . However , when some further time has elapsed we shall no doubt find Hants and the Isle of Wight in its old swing of regular and generous contribution . Four of the 15 lodges in

HERTFORDSHIRE , which may be reckoned among the most regular supporters of Bro . Terry , sent up as many Stewards ; and Bro . Keyser gave tha benefit of his services unattached as well , the total of the five lists being £ 145 16 ; . od . Last year , its total for the three Festivals was £ 6 J 6 7 s ., of which the Benevolent obtained £ 396 193 . ; the Girls' School £ 176 17 s . 6 J . ; and the Boys ' School only £ 32 us . In 1886 , it gave nearly £ 505 , the Royal Masonic

Benevolent Institution receiving £ 279 55 . 6 d . as the lion ' s share , while in 1885 and 1884 , its Returns reached £ 411 and , £ 470 respectively , the total for these three years being within a fraction of £ 1387 . There is evidently very little doubt about the zeal of our Herts brethren , and the very practical form which it assumes in respect of our several Institutions . Even larger provinces mig ht vvith advantage take a leaf out of the book of Hertfordshire .

It has been many times announced—or at all events , we believe it is an open secret—that

KENT is in training to accomplish a formidable total at the Girls' School Centenary , and it seems to have stiuck sundry of our lodges and brethren in this popular province that they might with advantage indulge in a preliminary or trial canter just to rid themselves of the stiffness which a six or seven months ' inactivity must have engendered . And , better still , this canter seems

to have turned out profitably , the eight Stewards from Lord Amherst s province having compiled amongst them the very satisfactory total of £ 362 173 . This augurs well for the success of Kent during the present year , which , if all goes well , will probably throw into the shade its performances of 1887 , though they resulted in a contribution of £ 1227 17 s . 6 d . to che Benevolent Institution , of £ 184 4 s . 6 d . to the Girls' School in May , and of £ " 508 14 s . 6 d . to the Boys' School in June , giving a grand total for the year of upwards of

£ 1920 . In 1886 it raised £ 1725 ; in 1885 , £ 1589 ios . ; in 188 4 , £ 1331 I 3 s , 6 d . ; and in 1883 , when Bro . Lord Amherst—then Viscount Holmesdale—presided at the ever-memorable Festival of the Boys' School , when Bro . Binckes achieved his greatest triumph , its total was £ 2692 These be big figures , indeed , and must gladden the hearts of the Secretaries of our Institutions as well as prove the subject of just pride to all Kentish brethren . It must be evident that the province of

EAST LANCASHIRE has strenuously exerted itself to redeem the promise which Bro . Terry announced at the Benevolent Festival of last year it had made—to present a worthy Jubilee offering to the Institution which takes charge of our old brethren and their widows . There were no less than 39 Stewards hailing from it on Wednesday ' s Board , 26 out of its 97 lodges being ably

represented , and the aggregate of its returns mounted up to the very considerable sum of . £ 2873 lis . 6 d . This is almost a small Festival return by itself , and in the days before Bro . Terry was Secretary , would have been the subject of great rejoicing . But heavier figures are now required with over 400 annuitants to provide for every year , and the almost certain fact that even this formidable number will have to be increased at the earliest possible

opportunity . However , East Lancashire has acquitted itself right loyally , and its members , from Bro , Col . Le Gendre N . Starkie , P . G . M ., downwards tothe youngest initiate , must be gratified with the result of Wednesday ' s labours , especially as it makes ample amends for the comparative smallness of its last year ' s contributions . Moreover , we must not forget to point out that the province has a systematic Educational and Benevolent Association for

the benefit of its poorer members , which , as we had the opportunity of show ing last week , does a large amount of good locally , has a considerable sum invested , and is well and economically managed . The extent of its contributions on this occasion , therefore , is all the more deserving our hearty congratulations . Seeing that Bro . the Earl of Lathom , D . G . M-, Prov . G . Master of

WEST LANCASHIRE is President of the Board of Stewards for the Girls' Centenary , and that his lodges , therefore , will direct their chief effort towards supporting him adequately , it is not surprising the array of Stewards hailing from this district should have been limited . We must bear in mind also that this province has its own Educational and other Funds , which are liberally

supported , and amply furnished with invested capital . On this account , indeed , it is that the two Lancashires make less of an appearance at our central Festivals than might justly be expected from the length of their respective muster rolls . However , with every allowance for this drain on its resources for local requirements , West Lancashire , like its eastern neighbour , is regularly represented on these festive occasions . Last year it presented over

£ 399 10 the Benevolent , £ 13 6 10 s . to the Gills' School , and £ 131 5 s . to its sister Institution at Wood Green , making for the year a total of £ 666 15 s . 6 d ., while for the three previous years—1886-5-4—it contributed , £ 1844 8 s ., or an average per year of £ 614 i 6 s ., which , under the circumstances we have described , is certainly a handsome figure . The three Stewards on Wednesday made up a total of £ 31 103 ., one list , however , being still outstanding .

MIDDLESEX , which can boast of 42 lodges , had nine of them represented , its contingent of Stewards , however , being a level dozen . As Bro . Sir George Elliot , previous to his appointment as Prov . G . Master of the Eastern Division of South Wales , was for some time Deputy of this province , he must be much

gratified at the generous manner in which it has supported his chairmanship . The Returns from the Metropolitan County amount to £ 393 95 ., the chief item being the joint list of Bros . Dillon and Mason , of the " Elliot" Lodge , No . 1657 , amounting to £ 154 4 s . 6 d . The total of its contributions in 1887 was £ 1265 7 s ., namely , Benevolent Institution , £ 43 1 17 s . ; Girls ' School , £ " 42 7 s . 6 d . ; and Boys' School , £ 410 2 s . 6 i . In 1886 the general