Contents.

CONTENTS .

L EADERS 6 5 India 5 ° . Supreme Grand Chapter 66 Turkey 7 " ' Consecration of the Harrogate and Claro Australia "JO Chapter , No . IOOI , Harrogate 66 New Zealand 7 ? Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of Scotland 67 Annual Ball of the Elliot Lodge , No . 1567 77 Cormcsi'ONDENCE— Annual Festival of the Brixton Lodge of

The Jubilee Proposals 69 Instruction , No . 1949 77 The Queen's J > b ' ? e " 6 . 9 East Lancashire Systematic Masonic Educa-Past Mas ers Collars 60 tionaUnd Benevolent Institution 7 ? NoteTan ' d Queries . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . " . ' . " 70 Bro . S . Smithcr ' s Silver Wedding 77 REPORTS or MASONIC MEETINGS- Bro . the Lord Mayor and the Studholme

Craft Masonry 70 [ - K ? s Instruction 74 The Craft Abroad 78 Royal Arch 75 Theatres 78 Mark Masonry 75 Masonic Presentation at Leeds 79 Knights Templar 76 Masonic and General Tidings 79 Ancient and Accepted Rite 76 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 80

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„ . . WE are in a position to state that the vacancy caused by the The new District . r •' . Grand Master resignation of R . W . Bro . E . TYRRELL LEITII , as District of Bombay . Grand Master of Bombay , will be filled by H . R . H . the

Duke of CONNAUGIIT , P . S . G . W . of England , and Prov . Grand Master of Sussex , who in the course of last autumn was appointed to the post of Commander-in-Chief in the Bombay Presidency . His ROYAL HIGHNESS ' S attachment to the Craft and the great interest he

manifests on all occasions in its proceedings are well-known to our readers , and fully justify his selection by the GRAND MASTER for so responsible a position . We congratulate the Bombay lodges and brethren on their good

fortune , and doubt not they will retain in an enhanced degree the prosperity of which they have enjoyed so ample a measure under Bro . E . TYRRELL LEITH and his predecessors .

* * * ONE or two facts have come to our knowledge during ° the ^ Fcnhaf ' 1- current week which encourage us to hope that our expectations as to a favourable result of the approaching Benevolent Festival will be to a certain extent realised . We are , of course , a long

way as yet from the £ 20 , 000 and upwards which we trust it will be our privilege to announce on the 26 th inst ., but that we are progressing in the direction of a substantial product may be surmised from the increase in the Board of Stewards which has taken place since we wrote last week . We . are pleased to find that our remarks on behalf of this Festival have not been

without their effect , and that the Board of Stewards was 323 strong on Wednesday , and has doubtless become somewhat stronger still since then . It is also a source of satisfaction to us to note that the Prov . G . Lodge of Hants and the Isle of Wight , at its special meeting at Southampton on Monday , voted a contribution from its funds of 250 guineas—instead of 100

guineas as contemplated in the first instance—which will be placed on the list of Bro . LE FEUVRE , G . J . D ., D . P . G . M ., as one of the Stewards of the Province , and that the Prov . G . Chapter followed this admirable example by voting 50 guineas . These votes augur well for the measure of support •which Bro . BEACH , M . P ., the Chairman of the day , will receive from his

province . ,: * # * The Glut of WE have more than once heard it suggested that the marked

R-MIBJ ' increase during the last few years in the number of candidates Accounted for . for admission to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution is . m a measure attributable to the increase in the number and value of the

annuities granted . There is , perhaps , a certain modicum of truth in this contention . When a number of benefits are created in order to meet a certain pressure , and it is known there is very little likelihood of those bene-, nts being permitted to lapse so long as there are candidates desirous of receiving them , there is ordinarily , perhaps , not much chance of their going

a'begging . But in the case of the Benevolent Institution we question if 'his increase in the number of annuities has had an appreciable effect in enlarg ing the number of applicants . In the first place , the conditions of candidature have not been made less stringent , and in the next , the superv'sion of the Committee of Management , which alone has the right of

'¦ ; ° 'ing with petitions , is exercised as vigorously as ever . If , indeed , there :. been any change at all in these respects , it has been in the ^ direction of '" creased stringency as to the qualifications of candidates , which not a •¦ ew people are of opinion should be made still more severe , and increased care ln the examination of petitions . The fact is , we must go elsewhere , though

i ! need not go very far afield , in search of the true explanation of the con-¦ ¦¦ > ued glut of candidates for reception into this Institution . Thus the chief ea son is that there is no maximum limit of age for the determination of n annuity , which ceases only with the death of the tenant . A brother must 60 years and a brother ' s widow 55 years of age in order to become a

¦ , . > but once elected , he or she enjoys the annuity—during good aviour—for life , which may last only a few weeks or months , or for many eff ^ ' " ' lances being considerably in favour of the longer term . [ The ct of this is that at some elections , though not more than an average oer of petitions may have been accepted during the year , there are only

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a very few vacancies to be filled owing to the paucity of deaths that have taken place , and in this way we are brought face to face with our second grave difficulty—the number of unsuccessful candidates remaining over till the following year . For instance , as regards the Female Fund , on which the pressure has been greatest , there were 76 candidates in 1885 , of

whom , owing to the great success of that year ' s Festival , it was found possible to elect 26 , including the three deferred , as annuitants . Of the 50 unsuccessful , 46 appeared on the list at the election last year , together with 25 fresh candidates , making a total of 71 in all , of whom there were elected only 11 annuitants ( including the usual three deferred ) .

This left 60 towards the ensuing election in May next , the total list , including candidates since approved , being 78 . At present the ootlook for these unfortunate ladies is most unpromising ; but even if we assume that the present number of vacancies will be increased through death by half a dozen , and that the Festival will be so productive as to

justify an increase of 20 or 25 annuitants on this bund alone , there will still be left out in the cold to endure the ills of poverty for a further term of twelve months certain—and it may be even longer—some 40 aged and worthy ladies , for whom the Executive of the Institution can make no provision whatever . Thus the 1888 list will be heavily weighted at starting with the

unsuccessful remaining from 1887 , and there is every probability we shall again be driven to the necessity of . urging upon the Craft generally to make further and still more superhuman efforts in order to cops successfully with this annually recurring glut of candidates . These remarks apply , but in a lesser ' degree , to the Male Fund , the number of candidates for which is

52 , of whom close on 30 remain over from last year . Here , then , we have the explanation ' of this glut—the annuities , of course , are granted for life , and though the death rate among our annuitants is not lower than it is among other similar bodies , it is inevitable that , when once there has been a large excess of candidates over vacancies , the distressing effects of that excess must

be felt for many years following , even though the number of fresh candidates accepted year by year is only an average one . The question arises— -How shall we deal with this difficulty so as to prevent its being perpetuated P and if it only related to the wearing of a collar or a jewel , we should not despair of its being answered speedily and satisfactorily .

* * * IT is to be regretted that so representative a body as the Lodge No . 111 S TT . . , ? ., . . ,, . J . , and the Pro G . University Lodge , No . 111 S , should , alter mature considera-M . ' s Circular . ^ have adopted a resolution disapproving of the suggestion

contained in the PRO GRAND MASTER S circular to assist in the establishment of the Imperial Institute as the National Memorial of the QUEEN ' S Jubilee . The idea of this Memorial has been commended by the QUEEN herself , and is being largely and infiuentially supported throughout the country . There is little doubt that , if the idea is well carried out , the

Institute will be a benefit to the Empire generally ; and as the brethren have been invited to take part in it , less as the Fraternity of English Masons , than as a Society of loyal Englishmen , we cannot help regretting that one of our most conspicuous London lodges should have resolved on holding itself aloof from the proposal . We do not , of course , call in question the right

of the lodge to decide as it has decided . It was invited to approve or disapprove of the scheme , and it has declared in favour of disapproval . Moreover , we have ourselves stated that , had the PRO GRAND MASTER ' suggestion stood alone , we should have opposed it . But the suggestion is a mere supplement to the plan already set down for a Masonic celebration of

the Jubilee , and we repeat what we said in a former article on the circular , that , even in the case of brethren who do not like the idea of such an Institute as is proposed for the National Memorial , it would be a graceful act towards the Prince of WALES , who originated it , and the Q UEEN , who has accepted it , to sink their predilections for something else in its favour .

* * * . ., „ OUR readers—and especially those of the Scottish Constitution Accident to Bro , . . . the Karl of —will be grieved to hear of the accident which befel Bro . the Haddington . Earl of HADDINGTON , Depute Grand Master of Scotland , on

Tuesday . His lordship was out hunting with the Berwickshire Hounds , when his horse fell and rolled over on him , the result being a bad scal p wound , severe injuries to his back , and several ribs broken . Immediate

assistance was rendered , and the injuries were promptly attended to ; but , according to the latest intelligence , his lordship was in a precarious state and suffering intense pain . We sincerely wish the noble Earl a speedy recovery .

* * * ,,. ,. . THE members of the Lodge of True Love and Unity , No . New Masonic . ° ¦ " Hall at 248 , Bnxham , are to be congratulated on the inauguration

nx am . Q r ^ j r new Hall , of the proceedings at which we gave a brief account in our issue of last week . There are not many lodges in England which can boast of having occupied quarters of their own for a period of 85 years . However , from 1801 till quite recently , our Brixham