Contents.

CONTENTS .

L EADERS 251 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 253 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 253 Supreme Grand Chapter 254 Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight 255 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Cornwall 250 Ladies' Banquet of the Creaton Lodge , No . 1791 2 * 17 Annual Supper of the Creaton Lodge of of Instruction , No . 1791 257 New Zealand 257 Ancient and Accepted Rite 257 C ORRESPONDENCEThe Late Bro . C . J . Cooke—An Appeal 259 Unity Chapter , No . 72 . * 259 Reviews 259 R IPORTS OF MASONIC MIKTINGSCraft Masonry 260

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS ( Continued)—Instruction 261 Royal Arch 262 Instruction 263 Mark Masonry 263 Royal Ark Mariners 263 Allied Masonic Degrees 263 Scotland 26 3 The Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire on the "Three Hours' Service" 264 The West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution 264 The West Lancashire Alpass Benevolent Institution 26 4 Masonic Presentation at Reading 26 4 Bro . and Mrs . Higgs' Ball 264 Obituary 2 C 4 Theatres 265 Masonic and General Tidings 266 Lodge Meetings for Next Week iv .

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THE authorities of the Girls' School have acted wisely , or we Centenary should say rather , in accordance with their duty , in proposing Scheme . tnat & Special General Court , which has been fixed for Thursday , the 16 th inst ., shall be held for the purpose of empowering the

Centenary Committee " to accept a tender for the New Buildings in a sum not exceeding £ 31 , 000 . " It will be in the recollection of our readers that last year the Quarterly General Court gave its sanction for an expenditure , which was not to exceed £ 20 , 000 , to be incurred in the erection of a Centenary Hall and the alteration and extension of the existing School

buildings . In the meantime , however , certain changes and additions to the original designs have been made in order to give it greater completeness and consequence , and when the Centenary Committee , at their meeting on Thursday , the 25 th ult ., came to open the tenders , they found that the lowest amounted to between £ 30 , 000 and X 3 i , ooo , or from £ 10 , 000 to

£ 11 , 000 in excess of the sum sanctioned . Under these circumstances the Committee had no option but either to curtail the extended and improved Scheme to such an extent as would seriously reduce the benefits which might be looked for from its adoption , or refer the question once again to the general body of Governors and Subscribers , in the belief that , as the

product of the Centenary Festival had so largely exceeded the most sanguine expectations , they would be willing to incur the heavier expenditure rather than see the Scheme , as amended , for the permanent improvement of the School destroyed of half ils value . This then , is the question

which must be decided at the Special Court on the 16 th instant , and as the money has been raised , and there can be no doubt about the desirability of carrying out the improved Centenary Memorial Scheme in its entirety ) we trust the Governors will give their sanction for the larger outlay .

0 u THERE was never any serious reason to doubt that the motion 'fconrt— to increase by 20 the number of children in the Girls' School c 00 . wou ] , j jje carrjefj a - ; the- Quarterly General Court of Governors

and Subscribers held at Freemasons' Tavern , on Saturday last . As a matter of fact , it was carried almost without discussion , and the chief business of the day , therefore , was the election of 37 girls from an approved list of 73 candidates , the original number of 74 having been reduced by the withdrawal of one . On this occasion London appears to have fared better ,

11 out of its 19 candidates having obtained places among the successful , while . of the five others in which she had a part interest , four were able to secure their election . No . 1 on the poll was a girl from Victoria , who brought forward 2784 votes from last October , and need not , therefore , nave had another vote recorded for her . However , her friends , being

anxious no doubt to make assurance doubly sure , obtained 650 in addition , and thus raised her total to 3434 votes . No . 2 hailed from London , and in ner case too her friends might have saved themselves the trouble of obtainln g further votes , as she had already to her credit 2564 votes . However , they polled 445 more , and thereby increased her score to 3009 . No . 3 , also lr ° m London , started with 1701 votes to the good , and ended with a total ° ' 73 2 votes , while No . 4 , from Nottinghamshire , was content with a nominal addition of 30 votes to her previous credit of 2701 votes . The next Was the Berks and Bucks candidate , who polled 2467 , while No . 6 , font Kent , secured 2323 votes , of which 1959 votes remained from last ctober . No . 7 ( London ) increased her credit from 1395 to 2319 votes , an d No . 8 ( Hants and Isle of Wight ) , with 2229 to the good , obtained 6 9 more , making 2298 votes . Another London girl with 1732 votes from the a . st election , stood ninth with 2289 votes , and then followed a second Kent 8 lrI » who started with 1063 votes and ended vvith 2195 votes . No . 11 ( Lonon ) raised her credit of 1134 votes to 2112 votes , and No . 13 , from Someretshire , obtained 2099 , of which 1520 were brought forward . Then owed a Warwickshire girl with 2035 votes ; a girl from the two Lancaires with 2028 votes ; a candidate with claims on East Lancashire and e ** b yshire with 2009 votes , and a third out of the four Kent candidates h 2008 votes . No . 17 was of mixed origin , hailing from Suffiolk , Essex , d London , and scored 1934 votes . No , 18 , who obtained IQIO votes .

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being one of the five candidates from Devonshire . A London girl stood next with 1867 votes , and then the Dorsetshire candidate was close up with 1 S 59 votes . No . 21 ( Gloucestershire ) had 1849 votes recorded for her , and a London and Middlesex candidate , with only this chance of success remaining , stood next , with 1838 votes .

No . 23 , in which Norfolk and London shared between them the interest and responsibility of securing her election if possible , scored 1822 votes , a wholly provincial candidate , with claims on Warwickshire , and Leicestershire and Rutland , standing next in order , with 1819 votes . Cornwall and Hants and the Isle of Wight divide the honour , as they divided the

responsibility , of carrying the election of No . 25 , with 1771 votes * while four London girls , with 1767 yotes , 1722 votes , 1689 votes , and 1679 votes , respective ly occupied the 26 th to the 29 th places . An Essex girl was next , with 1678 votes , of which 1290 were already to her credit , then one from London with 1666 votes , and then three out of four West Yorkshire

girls with 1622 votes , 1015 votes , and 1606 votes respectively . No . 35 , from Kent and London , had 1592 votes recorded for her , and No . 36 , from Cornwall , 1579 votes , while the Sussex candidate brought up the rear , with 1557 votes , the two highest unsuccessful candidates being well up , one with 1521 votes , and the other with 1503 votes .

There were , in addition , nine other candidates , who polled upwards of 1000 votes . Of the seven candidates who ' had this only chance of obtaining admission into . the School , four succeeded , and three failed , so that the number

of girls who will still remain eligible in October , will be 33 . There were 37 , 779 votes brought forward , and 59 , 989 issued , the number of the latter , which passed the Scrutineers , being 55 , 449 , so that only 4540 , were unused or spoilt .

* * * „ . , THE Quarterly General Court of the Governors and Sub * Quarterly Co ' , Boys' scribers of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys vvas held at School . Freemasons' Tavern on Friday , the 26 th ult ., when the general

expectation that the Report of the Philbrick Committee of Inquiry would be forthcoming was realised , and it was at once resolved that a sufficient number of copies should be printed and circulated among the Subscribers , so that every one might be in a position to judge for himself as to the result of the Inquiry , and the nature and value of any recommendations which the

Committee may have thought proper to make . The opportunity was also taken to pass a resolution of thanks to Bro . PHILBRICK and the brethren who had acted vvith him for having performed vvith so much assiduity and thoroughness the duties with which they had been entrusted . As for the Report itself , which is at present a sealed book to all but the one or two

brethren who may have read it officially , a Special General Court will be called for the purpose of considering and dealing with it , and , therefore , we must reserve such remarks as vve may desire to make till a more convenient opportunity presents itself . As for the business appointed to be done at this Court , it resolved itself into the

election of 20 boys , from an approved list of 72 , reduced by the withdrawal of one , to 71 candidates . The poll was a heavy one , nearly 54 , 000 out of 58 , 100 votes issued having been recorded , while the contest , as may well be supposed , vvas severe , there being as many as 15 unsuccessful candidates who obtained votes ranging from 1000 upwards . The result shows that the

Provinces , with their various systems of organisation , obtained a considerable advantage over the Metropolis , as they succeeded in carrying 14 out of their 48 candidates—the boy whose name vvas withdrawn from the list being a West Yorkshire case—while the Metropolis was able to secure the election of only four out of its 19 , two of the four cases of mixed London and

Provincial origin being successful , and two unsuccessful . The boy who stood No . 1 on the poll came from the Province of Leicestershire and Rutland , obtaining 2793 votes , of which all but two vvere polled for him on this occasion . No . 2 was a candidate from New South Wales , and increased the 1307 votes already to his credit to 2784 . A Gloucestershire lad stood

third with 2775 votes , and was followed by the candidate from the Eastern Division of South Wales , whose previous poll of 1868 votes vvas increased by 8 77 votes to 2745 . Thus the four highest candidates vvere close together , there being a difference of only 48 votes between Nos . 1 and 4 . The next four vvere also grouped closely together , the highest—No . 5—who had claims on both Hants and the ' Isle of Wight and London—securing 2695 votes , of which 1081 stood to his credit from previous elections ; No . 6 , a new candidate from Derbyshire , obtaining 2627 votes ; No . 7 , from Monmouthshire , 2611 votes ; and No . 8 , one of the two Bristol candidates , 2606 votes . No . 9 , from East Lancashire , scored 2593 votes , and then we come at last to a London candidate , who , with 16 77 votes already to his credit , secured the tenth place , with a total of 2540 votes . Kent and London share between them the honour of obtaining the eleventh place , with 2539 votes , and then followed a boy from Northumberland , who scored 2510 votes , of which 1988 had remained over from October last . The West Yorkshire candidate was thirteenth , with 2447 votes , and then one of the three Durham lads , whose name had been