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A RMFIELD'S SOUTH PLACE fi . HOTEL , FINSBURY , LONDON , E . G ., This new and handsomely-furnished Hotel is now FULLY 1 ICENCED- Its position is central , and charges are „_ ,. _ erate ; the sanitation is perfect . Passenger lift to CPFCIAL CONVENIENCE FOR MASONIC LODGES , 3 DINNERS AND CINDERELLAS .

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WASHING WELL DONE AND ACCURATELY RETURNED . Old Established . VICTORIA LAUNDRY WORKS , Child's Hill , Hendon . Prospectus free .

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S ^ f ^ pJ ^ i ' ^{ Hreeiftasons - ^ aMsmmmsmem ^ ^ m

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

Ihe Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand liapter was held in Freemasons' Hall , on Wcdnest ' )' , tbe and instant . It will be gathered from the P'l'er of Agenda , which we published last week , and " ¦ in the report uf the proceedings to be found elseft ere in the present issue , that the meeting was not a S ATURDAY , F EBRUARY 5 , 1898

"graded one . Indeed , but for the fact that the Chapter of Prosperity , No . 290 , Huddersfield , having P'uvcd an unbroken existence of 100 years , was K' -mttd , in accordance with the recommendation of the oinniittue of General Purposes , a charter authorising ,., ' meml > crs to wear a centenary jewel , and that live .

( "l- 'ers , Bengal . lnd one in South Africa ( E . D . ) were r '' | "'k from the roll , having ceasid to work , and lost or voi | rnCli * Uleir ch : irters * lhe meeting would have been ^ 0 interest . There were no recommendations for ¦ "rants for the formation of new chapters .

Masonic Notes.

If Bro . W . Russell will kindly compare the remarks in our article on " Perpetual and Life Presentations " in our issue of the 22 nd ultimo with his speech at the Quarterly Court of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , which appeared the preceding week , we consider he will admit that if we are in error in ascribing to

him certain statements he never intended * to make , there was at least a reasonable excuse for our erroneous conclusions . As regards error No . I—that " the insurance policy money ( . £ 840 ) " would come to the Institution " annually" instead of " every 35 or 40 years , " we lind on reference to his speech at the

Quarterly Court that he is reported to have said : " they would see that to perpetuate the name of some beloved brother or to enable some Province to do so by having an old person or a boy or girl on the funds , it could be done in a way that would cost no more and which would benefit the Institution by a

recurring donation to its funds every 35 or 40 years according to the life of the person assured . " But he is also reported to have said a little later in his speech : " They "—i . e ., he and those who agreed with him" wished instead of giving a single lump sum , which would never recur to make them the recipients of an annually recurring sum until Time should be no

more . '' In our article of the 22 nd ultimo , we said : " His ( Bro . Russell ' s ) main contention was that our Institutions would benefit more as the recipients of an annually-recurring sum ' than of a single lump sum which would never recur . ' " Thus the passage in our article contained almost the very words which Bro . Russell used in the later quotation we have made from his speech , bat somewhat differently arranged .

* * * Of course , we clearly understood—what he stated in the earlier passage quoted—tbat " the insurance policy money ( . £ 840 ) would come to the funds of the Institution every 35 or 40 years ; " but taking his second remailc for our guide , we assumed that it was the

opinion of Bro . Russell and those who agreed with him that it was more to the interests of our Institutions that a province , lodge , or brother , should annually make a generous donation of ( say ) So or 100 guineas than that he or it should put down a single lump sum once and for ever . And after all there is a fair show of

reason in this view . Even a strong province like Kent cannot put down a lump sum amounting to 1300 or 1400 guineas without making a very strongefi'ort and crippling the resources at its disposal for purposes of benevolence , for at all events a long term of years ; but it can keep on making annual grants such as we have

mentioned , without any appreciable strain upon those resources . There is this also to be remembered , tint the Province has its quid pro quo in votes fiom the Institution , and if the grants are made in the name of the province or to endow a particular Provinciil office , hit province will receive and use those votes for ever .

While , however , we are inclined to look favourably upon the idea which weassumed—it may be erroneously —that Bro . Russell when he gave the preference in his recent remarks to an " annually-recurring sum until time should be no more" over " the single lump sum , which would never recur , " we remain of the same mind as regards the desirability of retaining these

Presentations . They are seldom purchased ; but when they are purchased it is generally done with the object of commemorating the virtues and services of some beloved or distinguished brother , and such an object is always worthy of attainment , even at the cost of a supreme effort . •» *

As regards error No . 2—that " the proposed investments to bc made in ' Trustee ' Securities , not Consols , the yield from the latter le ' ng insufficient for the purpose "—we must plead guilty to having introduced the word "Consols" without justification , there being nothing in Bro . Russell ' s speech to indicate

the kind of securities in which the . 61356 was to be invested . Only the rate of interest per cent , was mentioned , namely , 2 , —and as that happened to be the rate per cent , ol Consols—paid , of course , on the Stock , not on its money value—iv : hastily concluded that Consols were intended . We regret the error , and all the more so , as Bro . Russell told the Girls' School

Court that he is looked upon as " an arch fiend" in the matter of figures .

* * There is , however , while we are un the subject , just one point on which Bro . Russell may be able to give explanations , which only an expert in such matters can furnish . There are high-class insurance offices in which a life can be insured either with or without profits , and if the insurer elects to insure with profits ,

Masonic Notes.

be receives his share , at regularly-recurring intervals of three , five , seven , or more years , of the profits of the business done by the office during such intervals in one of three ways . He may take it in cash down ; he may have it added to the amount of his policy ; or he may have his annual premium reduced ; and , if he

lives long enough , that annual premium becomes nil . Has Bro . Russell taken the mode of insuring " with profits" into account in reckoning up the sum of £ 1356 , which he tells us will be required to provide a life annuity of £ 40 for 35 or 40 years , which is virtually renewable after each such interval in perpetuity ?

* * * If he has not so taken it into account , will he inform us and our readers through us , whether so large a sum as . £ 1356 will be required at starting to produce the " insurance policy money ( . £ 840 ) " every 35 or 40 years , and the premiums payable annually on such " policy money , " if the method of life insurance with profits is adopted ?

* * * We learn with sincere regret that our " Tiding " of last week as io the continued ill-health of Bro . George Everett , Past G . Treasurer , has caused our respected brother no little pain owing to the interpretation which the word " obligations " is liable to have placed upon it .

Our announcement was— We learn , with great regret , that owing to continued ill-health , Bro . George Everett is compelled to cancel all his Masonic obligations . " Of course , the word should havebeen " engagements . " Had Bro . Everett been in his usual health—to which

we hope he may be speedily restored—he would have been the first to laugh at such a mistake ; but a man lying on a bed of sickness is easily upset by an error of this kind , and we tender him our sincere apologies for its occurrence .

We understand that his Royal Highness , the M . W . Grand Master , has been pleased to grant warrants for the constitution of several new lodges , among them being the following , which will all be located in the London District , namely : the Justinian , No . 26 94 , which will be connected with the legal profession , have Bro . C . Swinfen Eady , Q . C , Past Pep . G . Registrar ,

as its first W . M ., and meet at the Inns 01 Court Hotel * , the Arcadian , No . 2696 , which will hold its meetings at the Hotel Cecil ; the St . Michael le Queene Lodge , No . 2697 , to meet at the Salutation Hotel , Newgatestreet ; the Brondesbury Lodge , No . 2698 , which will be located in Kilburn ; and the Wandle Lodge , No . 2699 , to meet at the Town Hall , Wandsworth .

We have been , as in past years , favoured with a copy of the " Transactions of the Provincial Grand Lodge and Provincial Grand Chapterof Darhatri in 18 97 . " We shall lose no time in noting at length the proceedings during last year , the strength af the Province in lodges and chapters and membership as

compared with the preceding year , and the position of the local Charitable Institutions . Meanwhile we may state lhat the year 1897 has been a most successful one , and that our Durham brethren must be harder to please than we suppose them to be if they are not satisfied with the results of the year ' s labours .

» * The Grand Lodge of Colorado he ! I its 37 th annual communication at Denver in tbe latter half of last September . The G . Master , Bro . George W . Roe , was unfortunately prevented by serious illness from presiding , but his place was ably filled by his Deputy ,

Bro . Cromwell Tucker , who before the session was ended , was elected and installed G . Master . There are 91 lodges in the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge , and the roll of subscribing members is 7335 , or rather more than in the preceding year , Bro . E . C . Parmelee is still the G . Secretary .

» * * We learn from the Voice of Masonry for last month that the Grand Lodge of Louisiana has sustained a heavy loss by the death , on the 28 th November , 18 ^ 7 , of one of its most distinguished members—Bro . John Quincey Adams Fellows . Bro . Fellows was born at

Topsham , Vermont , on 3 rd April , 1825 , an ( *** thus in his 73 rd year . In 1 H 50 , he migrated to New Orleans , where he resided continuously till the day of his death . He was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana during the years i 860 to 1865 both inclusive ; Past G . H . P . of the Grand Chapter , and Past General Grand Secretary of the General Grand Chapter of the United

States ; Past G . Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters ; Past G . Commander and Past M . E . Grand Master of the Grand Encampment , U . S . A . ; in the Order of the Temple ; and an Officer of the Supreme Council , 33 ° , Ancient and Accepted Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the U . S . A . He was buried with Masonic honours under the anspices of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana .