Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS— PAGE . The Appoaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... 573 The Wisconsin Idea of Masonic Charity ... ... ... ... 573 United Grand Lodge ( Agenda Paper ) ... ... -f 574 Mark Grand Lodge ( Agenda Paper ) ... ... ¦•¦ 575 Provincial . Grand Lodge of Cambridgeshire ... ... ... 575

Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire ... ... ... 575 Provincial Grand Chapter of Cambridgeshire ... ... ... ... 57 < 5 Provincial Grand Chapter of Guernsey and Alderney ¦•• ••• 57 The late Bro . the Earl of Lathom , G . C . B . ... ... ... ... 577 Ladies'Night cf the Holloway Lodge , No . 2 G 01 ... ••• 577

Seventh AnnuEl Banquet of St . John ' s Lodge of Instruction , No . 167 ... 57 S Presentation to Bro . Ralph Chandler , P . M . 903 ... ••• 57 Kent in London ... ... ... ... ••• 57 $ The Centenary of Masonry in Trinidad ... ... ... 57 s * Christmas Observance ... ... ... ... ... 579 Poetry—The Shepherd and the Sheep ... ... ... •¦• 573

MASONIC N OTESAgenda Paper of United Grand Lodge ... ... ... 5 S 1 Agenda Paper of Mark Grand Lodge ... ... ... 5 S 1 Great Priory of the Order of the Temple ... ... •¦• •¦¦ 5 S 1 Freemasonry in Cambridgeshire ... ... ... ••• 5 '

Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... 5 ^ 2 The late Bro . Sir Frank Lockwood ... ... ... ... — 5 S 2 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ¦¦• ¦•• 5 S 2 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ••¦ ¦•• 5 | 4 Mark Masonry ... ... ... ¦•• ¦•¦ ••¦ 5 J 4

Ancient and Accepted Rite ... ... •¦• ••• ••• 5 4 Royal Ark Mariners ... ... ... ••• ••• 5 ^ 5 Knights Templar ... ... ... ... »• - 5 ^ 5 Instruction ... ... ... ... ••¦ 5 j > 5 Lord Kitchener as a Freemason ... ... ... ... 5 ^ 5 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... •» S ^ S

The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

We must confess that wc arc looking forward with somewhat serious misgivings to . the fate that is in store for thc Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution at its annual Festival in February , 1 S 90 . In ordinary years wc should consider that Bro .

TERRY , P . G . S . B ., Secretary , had been fairly successful up to the present time in his task of organising the Board of Stewards , on whose efforts thc success of that event depends . But 1890 will be no ordinary year . Donations and

subscriptions , amounting in the aggregate to thc totals of three years , have been raised during the course of its immediate predecessor , and it will tax the energy and tact of the strongest Boards that were ever formed for our anniversary Festivals to

raise in 18 99 the amount that will be required for thc efficient maintenance of our Charities . But the needful ways and means must be forthcoming as usual , however great may be the difficulties experienced in obtaining them . Thus , as regards the

Benevolent Institution—though we have stated thc particulars almost times out of number—there are 202 male annuitants at £ 40 a year each , 245 widows at £ 32 , and 28 other widows in receipt for a term of years of half their late husbands' annuities ,

of £ 20 a year each . Thc sum required to meet this outlay is only a little short of £ 16 , 500 , while thc expenses of management and thc maintenance of the Asylum at Croydon raise the total expenditure for the year to ; £ 19 , 500 . At the Festival in

February , 1898 , under the presidency of the Earl of JERSEY , the total of thc donations and subscriptions ultimatel y reached / J 9750 or thereabouts , and though thc permanent income of thc Institution and the Diamond Jubilee Grant by Grand Lodge went

a considerable way towards increasing the year s receipts , there will still be a substantial deficit amounting to close on , £ 3000 to be made good in order to place the income and expenditure for 1 S 98 on a level . Hence , thc sum which , in ordinary

circumstances , we hope to see subscribed at the year s festival will next year reach from £ 16 , 000 to £ 17 , , and just now the prospects in favour of this being accomplished are by no means encouraging . Up to the present time Bro . TERRY has been able to

The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

enlist the services as Stewards for 18 99 of about 170 ladies and brethren ; but the services of not less than 400 will be needed if the deficit above staled is to be met . Is it possible in the time that is still available to enlarge the Board to thc prescribed number ?

But , assuming that Bro . TERRY succeeds in his task , and enlists the support of a Board 400 strong , will the Stewards stand a fair chance of obtaining the much-needed supplies ? There is , as we remarked in our article of the 5 th November , hardly a Province which has not contributed so generously

towards the Boys' School Centenary , as to have reduced the funds at its disposal for Charitable purposes almost to a minimum . The London lodges also did their part splendidly , the amount subscribed by them alone being as nearly as possible equal to the total obtained from all sources on behalf of the Girls' School

Centenary in 1888 . That those who have given , or arc prepared to give , their services in aid of the approaching Benevolent Festival will spare no trouble in order to accomplish their task , may be taken for granted . The Province of South Wales ( E . D . j , which , for thc second time within three years , will act the part

of the " Chairman ' s Province , " will show its loyalty to its chief by supporting his advocacy to thc very utmost extent of its ability , but it is not , unfortunately , one of our stronger Provinces , while in 1 S 97 , when its Provincial Grand Master presided at the Festival of the Institution for Girls , it raised looo guineas .

This year , too , it has subscribed over £ 600 to the Boys' Centenary , so that wc cannot in reason expect that its contributions should amount to any considerable sum—to such a sum as it would gladly have raised had there not been the calls of 18 97 and the current year made upon its resources . London and the other

Provinces have , as we have said , had similar pressure brought to bear upon them for exceptionally large . subscriptions ; while the Girls' and Benevolent Institutions have generousl y stood aside in order to interfere as little as possible with the special claim of thc Boys' School to be supported during thc present year . But

there are still the 475 annuitants of the Benevolent Institutions for whose annuities provision must be made , and though these can be met , if need be , by payments out of capital , wc do not believe the Craft will view with favour a diminution of the permanent income of the Institution . We , thereforeurge

, upon the brethren to do all in their power in seconding the efforts of Bro . TERRY and his small but able staff to ensure the success ofthe Festival which is appointed forthe 22 nd February , 18 99 , and which will take place under the auspices of Bro . lord LLANGATTOCK , Prov . G . Master of South Wales ( E . D . ) There

are Provinces and lodges which have not as yet commissioned any brothers to represent them ; let this be done forthwith , and though we fully realise that the resources of the Craft have been severel y tried during the present year , let it be kept in mind that it is the general body of the Craft which has established

these Institutions and enlarged them to their present dimensions , and that , therefore , it is to that general body they are under the necessity of appealing for their means of existence at all times , but

more especially when , as in the case of this part . cular Festival , there is , under circumstances of an exceptionally urgent nature , a greater need than usual for a generous return of donations and subscriptions .

The Wisconsin Idea Of Masonic Charity.

THE WISCONSIN IDEA OF MASONIC CHARITY .

Wc thought wc had heard the last of the sill y idea propounded two or three years since by the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin . All the most important Grand Lodges in the

United States treated it with contempt , and for one little word in its favour by a Wisconsin brother there appeared to be a thousand in condemnation of it in other Masonic jurisdictions , But there are sill y notions which have a knack of dying hard