Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
History Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.
the Book of Constitutions of the Atholl or Ancient Masons—for 1813 , the editor being none other than Bro . Thomas Harper , Deputy Grand Master , and a Patron and one of thc principal supporters of the Institution . This is what Bro . Harper has placed on record in his official and editorial capacity : "July 3 , 1798 . A meeting took place for the purpose of establishing a Masonic Charity for educating and clothing the sons of indigent
Freemasons . A subscription was opened to carr ) ' this object into execution , and six children were immediately put upon the establishment . " He then goes on to describe the progress made by the Institution in the inierim : " Since that period the Charity has been gradually approaching to its present flourishing state . Aided by the very liberal contributions of the Masonic Craft in all parts of thc world , of the Grand Lodge in particular , the
Right Worshipful the Grand Master , his Grace the Duke of Atholl , the several Grand Officers individually , as well as of many others not of the Fraternity , but who have felt proud to assist so laudable an Institution , its funds have generally increased , and the establishment has been extended . The number of children who partake of the benefits of this Charity , which was originally only six , has been gradually enlarged : and at the
celebration of the jubilee , when all ranks of society joined in joyful commemoration of our gracious Sovereign's long and happy reign , the establishment was increased to 50 , that being the number of years during which his Majesty had then held the dominion of these realms . " In the beginning of the paragraph that follows , Bro . Harper very briefly describes the work that was being done by the Charity and the hopes of its Directors . " The
children admitted in this Charity are clothed and put out to school , in thc neighbourhood of their residences , at the expense of the Institution , the funds not being yet extensive enough for the erection of a school-house ; which object , however , by the aid of future voluntary contributions , the Directors of the establishment hope hereafter to accomplish . " A more detailed account would have been acceptable to the brethren of the present
day , who know the school as it is and how it has expanded into an Institution of which not only our Freemasonry , but the country likewise , has every reason to be proud . But thc official publication containing thc rules and regulations for the government of the whole body Masonic is obviously not the place in which we can expect to find an elaborate history of one of its subordinate parts ; and at all events enough is said to prove how generous
must have been thc support of thc Atholl brethren when it enabled the Directors to increase thc number on the establishment from six to 50 in the brief space of 15 years . If confirmatory official evidence is needed of the justice of Bro . Harper's account , we shall find it in thc records of thc United Grand Lodge for thc year 1 S 14 . In the minutes of the communication held on thc and of March of that year wc read as ; follows ; " Thc Board of Schools reported that
there were two Institutions under the auspices of thc United Grand Lod ge , one for the maintenance , education , and clothing of thc daughters of indigent brethren , and thc other for thc clothing and education of thc sons of indigent Masons . " Having described thc then state and income of the Girls ' School , the minute goes on to say : " Thc other Institution has also been supported by private subscriptions and by grants from the Grand Lodge at
various times , amounting together to upwards of . £ 800 , and by a recent regulation of the Fraternity to which thc said Institution was attached , the lodges in thc London district paid upon thc initiation of every Mason five shillings towards its maintenance , and thc Governors possess thc sum of ^ 500 Navy Five per Cents standing in thc names of Robert Leslie , Robert Gill , and Thomas Scott , as Trustees ; the number of boys at present on the
establishment is 55 , and the annual expenditure is about / . 410 or £ 7 ios . for each child clothed and educated . " A few words arc added to the effect "that thc regulations of both Institutions appear well calculated to promote their respective objects , " and then , having advised Grand Lodge to continue the same measure of support towards the school as had been afforded
by the Atholl Grand Lodge during the last 18 months ol its separate existence , thc Board concludes by recommending and urging " most strongly the necessity there is that the same exertions which have heretofore been made should continue to be used to assist the two Charities , by the donations of lodges as well as the subscriptions of individuals . "
These are the official , and therefore authentic , accounts of the state of the Boys' School before and immediately after thc Union ; but , satisfactory as they undoubtedly are , they help us but little towards a knowledge as to the manner in which the progress thus indicated was made , or the regulations which had been framed for its government . For this we must turn to Bro . John Cole ' s " Illustrations of Masonry , " published in 1801 . Bro . Cole
was initiated in , and a Past Matter of , Ancient Lodge , No . 195—now the Lodge of Prudent Brethren , No . 145 , and likewise a Past Master of Modern Lodges Nos . 113 , 249 , and 466 . Moreover , he was among the most liberal supporters of the Charity , and his work—which , by thc way , brought him a little later on into hot water with the Modern Grand Lodge—though it was " most humbly inscribed" or dedicated "to his Royal Highness
George , Prince of Wales , Right Worshipful Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons , " was published for the express purpose of assisting the funds of the Institution , the following note appearing on the title page " Part of the Profit of this Publication to bc applied in Aid of the Masonic Charity for the Sons of Indigent Freemasons . From this source we learn that the Charity , which was established in 179 8 , was " sanctioned by his
Grace John , Duke of Atholl , in 1801 . " Bro . Cole , too , is more precise in his statement as to the origin of the School . " The United Mariners' Lodge , No . 23 "—now No . 30—'' observing with concern the distressed circumstances of several of their brethren , and the exposed situation of their children , at the same time viewing with pleasure the daily progress making in the Freemasons' Charity , in St . George's Fields , for I < emale Children
induced them at a meeting held on the 3 rd day of July , 1798 , to consider of means for to establish a Masonic Charity for Clothing and Educating the Sons of Indigent Freemasons ; and for that purpose they immediately opened a subscription , which at their second meeting increased beyond their most sanguine expectations , that enabled them to receive six children to the benefit of this Charity ; but , as it is their intention to extend the same , the
Fraternity at large , the humane and benevolent in general , are therefore most earnestly solicited to contribute towards accomplishing this laudable undertaking , whose object is to clothe and instruct the Sons of Indigent Freemasons , and to train them up in the knowledge of virtue and religion , and to inculcate strongly on their minds obedience to their superiors . "
But even Bro . Cole ' s account , though more precise , is as regards the design of those who founded the Institution scarcely less meagre than Bro . Harper ' s , as quoted from the * ' Ahiman Rezon , " and it is from the pages of a non-Masonic work that we have been fortunately enabled to obtain a slightly fuller and more particular sketch of our Boys' Charity . Highmore , in his " Pietas Londinensis , or the History , Design , and Present State of the
History Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.
various Public Charities in and near London , published in 1810 , devotes a few pages to " The Masonic Charity for Clothing and Educating the Sons of Deceased and Indigent Freemasons , " and from his version we have taken the liberty of quoting the following paragraphs . He begins thus : " The benevolent regulations and design of this Institution are to raise the means of clothing and educating the sons of deceased and indigent ancient PVeemasons ; and it was founded in the year 1798 , with the aid of a number of
brethren of other lodges . The assistance and encouragement which it has since received from its noble patron , his Grace the Duke of Atholl , the R . W . the Grand Lodge , a number of the Grand Officers , lodges , and brethren of the ancient Fraternity , have enabled the Governors , & c , annually to clothe and educate 30 boys , to which number such augmentation will from time to time take place as the funds of the Charity will permit . Children are eligible to be admitted at seven years of age , and are continued until they arrive at
the age of 14 , during which period they are taught reading , writing , and arithmetic , and when they quit the School are ( in certain cases ) bound apprentices to suitable trades , premiums being allowed towards placing them out to the best advantage . Every child applying for admission must (\{ resident within the Cities or suburbs of London or Westminster ) personally attend the Committee and produce a certificate from the Master and Wardens of the lodge to which his father shall belong , certifying that he is a
member thereof , the Grand Secretary s certificate of his being duly registered for three years in the Grand Lodge books , together wilh certificates of his parents' marriage and his own baptism . But where the candidate happens to be fatherless , the matter is left to the discretion of the Committee . " After two paragraphs relating to the Committee , dates and place of meeting , & c , he continues : "The Governors , anxious to render the benefits of the Charity as extensive and efficacious as
possible , intend ( as soon as a fund can be raised for the purpose ) to purchase or build a schoolhouse , sufficiently capacious to contain the children , and wholly to maintain as well as to clothe and educate them . Until that desirable period shall arrive , they will continue to bc carefully educated at respectable schools adjacent to their parents' residence , and annually supplied with decent and appropriate clothing , viz ., coats , waistcoats , breeches , shirts , shoes , stockings , and hats . There arc now on the list of candidates
for admission a number of poor and deserving children , some of whom are orphans , several fatherless , and all anxiousl y waiting to be admitted j but thc limited state of thc finances of the Charity will not permit an extension of the present number . " The account concludes : " There are 31 boys on this foundation , who are at present educated by different masters ; there are 34 subscribing lodges , besides the R . W . Grand Lodge at the Crown and Anchor , Strand . The officers are—his grace thc Duke of Atholl ,
Patron ; four Trustees ; Robert Leslie , Esq ., Treasurer , Tokenhouse-yard ; Kennedy Johnston , Esq ., Surgeon , Watbrook ; Wm . Hancock , Esq ., Secretary , No . 28 , Tokenhouse-yard ; and Benjamin Aldhouse , Collector , Wellstreet , Spitalfields . " Any slight inaccuracies in the foregoing passages must not bc allowed to wei g h too seriously against their undoubted value . Thc work was published in 1810 , when the number of children clothed and educated \ vas 50 ; but the materials for so important a work must have taken a long time to
collect , and there is fair reason to suppose that the account was derived if not from official sources , at all events , from information which had been made known , and was accessible to the general public . At any rate , thc "Rules and Regulations" in force in 1801 have been preserved to us in Cole ' s " Illustrations of Masonry , " and a comparison of Highmorc ' s version in its entirety with them fully justifies such a presumption . That our readers , however , may know what these Rules were , and see how far what we have quoted from Highmore above is in agreement with them substantially , it seems desirable to quote them in full .
I . —That this Institution bear the name of THE MASONIC CHARITY for Clothing and Educating the Sons of Indigent Freemasons . II . —That there be four General Meetings in every year , via ., the first Friday in OCTOBER , thc first Friday in J ANUARY , the first Friday in APRIL , and the first Fnday in July . III . —That an Annual and General Meetingof the Governors and Subscribers to this Charity , shall be held on the first Friday in JULY , of which each Subscriber of ono snail tnree clear notice to attendtne accounts
guinea or upwards nave days' previous , then be audited , and a true state of the Charity laid before the Subscribers , when a new Committee be chosen for the ensuing three months . IV . —Any person contributing the sum of ten shillings and sixpence or upwards , per annum , be deemed a Subscriber to this Chartiy . V . —That a donation of five guineas and upwards constitute a Subscriber for life . _ VI . —That a donation of ten guineas and upwards shall not only constitute a Subscriber for life , but also entitle such benefactor to bc perpetually on the Committee ; and
bc added to thc Committee of 21 . VII . —That the Mastcr for the time being of any lodge contributing ten guineas shall be a Subscriber to this Charity so long as such lodge exist . VIII . —That the Master for the time being of any lodge contributing one guinea per annum bc considered a Subscriber during that time . IX . —That thc executor of any person paying a legacy of ten guineas be deemed a Subscriber for life .
X . —That any Subscriber who shall make up the sum of five guineas within twelve months after the first payment be deemed a Subscriber for life . XI . —That every Subscriber of one guinea per annum have a right to vote at all quarterly and special meetings . XII . —No Subscriber to be permitted to vote at any election or be on the Committee until their subscription of one guinea for the current year and arrears ( if any ) bc paid . XIII . —Any Subscriber being in trade and supplying this Charity shall not bc on the
Committee during the time he serves the Institution . XIV . —That twenty-one Subscribers of one guinea per annum at the least be chosen every three months out of this Charity ( the then Committee to be re-elected ) , who with the Treasurer and Secretary shall bc a Committee , seven of whom shall form a board , elect a Chairman , and do the business of the Charity , order all necessary sums of money to bc paid , all which orders shall be signed by the Chairman and Secretary , and reported at the next quarterly or special meeting .
XV . — 1 hat no bubsenber shall vote or ballot at any General Meeting but those present ( except ladies , noblemen , Members of Parliament , Masters of country lodges , Subscribers not residing within the bills of mortality , and those using the sea , who may ballot by proxy ) , and all matters shall be determined by vote or ballot ( if required ) , and when the numbers are equal , the Chairman then presiding shall have the casting vote . XVI . —That in case of the death , resignation , or dismission of the Treasurer , Secretary , or Collector , a Special General Meeting be called by order of the Committee within fourteen days , to declare the same , and fix the time of election for filling up such vacancieswhich shall be
, by ballot . XVII . —That the Chairman put the question upon all motions made and seconded , declare the majority , and grant a division or ballot , if regularly demanded by three Subscribers , and sign the minutes of the meeting . XVIH . —That there be educated and clothed by this Charity as many children as the annual Subscriptions and Fund will admit . XIX . —That the time for transacting the business of this Charity at the quarterly , general , or special meetings be from six o ' clock in the evening until ten , after which time no business shall be done , except finishing any motion which may be then under consideration . ( To be continutd . )
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
History Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.
the Book of Constitutions of the Atholl or Ancient Masons—for 1813 , the editor being none other than Bro . Thomas Harper , Deputy Grand Master , and a Patron and one of thc principal supporters of the Institution . This is what Bro . Harper has placed on record in his official and editorial capacity : "July 3 , 1798 . A meeting took place for the purpose of establishing a Masonic Charity for educating and clothing the sons of indigent
Freemasons . A subscription was opened to carr ) ' this object into execution , and six children were immediately put upon the establishment . " He then goes on to describe the progress made by the Institution in the inierim : " Since that period the Charity has been gradually approaching to its present flourishing state . Aided by the very liberal contributions of the Masonic Craft in all parts of thc world , of the Grand Lodge in particular , the
Right Worshipful the Grand Master , his Grace the Duke of Atholl , the several Grand Officers individually , as well as of many others not of the Fraternity , but who have felt proud to assist so laudable an Institution , its funds have generally increased , and the establishment has been extended . The number of children who partake of the benefits of this Charity , which was originally only six , has been gradually enlarged : and at the
celebration of the jubilee , when all ranks of society joined in joyful commemoration of our gracious Sovereign's long and happy reign , the establishment was increased to 50 , that being the number of years during which his Majesty had then held the dominion of these realms . " In the beginning of the paragraph that follows , Bro . Harper very briefly describes the work that was being done by the Charity and the hopes of its Directors . " The
children admitted in this Charity are clothed and put out to school , in thc neighbourhood of their residences , at the expense of the Institution , the funds not being yet extensive enough for the erection of a school-house ; which object , however , by the aid of future voluntary contributions , the Directors of the establishment hope hereafter to accomplish . " A more detailed account would have been acceptable to the brethren of the present
day , who know the school as it is and how it has expanded into an Institution of which not only our Freemasonry , but the country likewise , has every reason to be proud . But thc official publication containing thc rules and regulations for the government of the whole body Masonic is obviously not the place in which we can expect to find an elaborate history of one of its subordinate parts ; and at all events enough is said to prove how generous
must have been thc support of thc Atholl brethren when it enabled the Directors to increase thc number on the establishment from six to 50 in the brief space of 15 years . If confirmatory official evidence is needed of the justice of Bro . Harper's account , we shall find it in thc records of thc United Grand Lodge for thc year 1 S 14 . In the minutes of the communication held on thc and of March of that year wc read as ; follows ; " Thc Board of Schools reported that
there were two Institutions under the auspices of thc United Grand Lod ge , one for the maintenance , education , and clothing of thc daughters of indigent brethren , and thc other for thc clothing and education of thc sons of indigent Masons . " Having described thc then state and income of the Girls ' School , the minute goes on to say : " Thc other Institution has also been supported by private subscriptions and by grants from the Grand Lodge at
various times , amounting together to upwards of . £ 800 , and by a recent regulation of the Fraternity to which thc said Institution was attached , the lodges in thc London district paid upon thc initiation of every Mason five shillings towards its maintenance , and thc Governors possess thc sum of ^ 500 Navy Five per Cents standing in thc names of Robert Leslie , Robert Gill , and Thomas Scott , as Trustees ; the number of boys at present on the
establishment is 55 , and the annual expenditure is about / . 410 or £ 7 ios . for each child clothed and educated . " A few words arc added to the effect "that thc regulations of both Institutions appear well calculated to promote their respective objects , " and then , having advised Grand Lodge to continue the same measure of support towards the school as had been afforded
by the Atholl Grand Lodge during the last 18 months ol its separate existence , thc Board concludes by recommending and urging " most strongly the necessity there is that the same exertions which have heretofore been made should continue to be used to assist the two Charities , by the donations of lodges as well as the subscriptions of individuals . "
These are the official , and therefore authentic , accounts of the state of the Boys' School before and immediately after thc Union ; but , satisfactory as they undoubtedly are , they help us but little towards a knowledge as to the manner in which the progress thus indicated was made , or the regulations which had been framed for its government . For this we must turn to Bro . John Cole ' s " Illustrations of Masonry , " published in 1801 . Bro . Cole
was initiated in , and a Past Matter of , Ancient Lodge , No . 195—now the Lodge of Prudent Brethren , No . 145 , and likewise a Past Master of Modern Lodges Nos . 113 , 249 , and 466 . Moreover , he was among the most liberal supporters of the Charity , and his work—which , by thc way , brought him a little later on into hot water with the Modern Grand Lodge—though it was " most humbly inscribed" or dedicated "to his Royal Highness
George , Prince of Wales , Right Worshipful Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons , " was published for the express purpose of assisting the funds of the Institution , the following note appearing on the title page " Part of the Profit of this Publication to bc applied in Aid of the Masonic Charity for the Sons of Indigent Freemasons . From this source we learn that the Charity , which was established in 179 8 , was " sanctioned by his
Grace John , Duke of Atholl , in 1801 . " Bro . Cole , too , is more precise in his statement as to the origin of the School . " The United Mariners' Lodge , No . 23 "—now No . 30—'' observing with concern the distressed circumstances of several of their brethren , and the exposed situation of their children , at the same time viewing with pleasure the daily progress making in the Freemasons' Charity , in St . George's Fields , for I < emale Children
induced them at a meeting held on the 3 rd day of July , 1798 , to consider of means for to establish a Masonic Charity for Clothing and Educating the Sons of Indigent Freemasons ; and for that purpose they immediately opened a subscription , which at their second meeting increased beyond their most sanguine expectations , that enabled them to receive six children to the benefit of this Charity ; but , as it is their intention to extend the same , the
Fraternity at large , the humane and benevolent in general , are therefore most earnestly solicited to contribute towards accomplishing this laudable undertaking , whose object is to clothe and instruct the Sons of Indigent Freemasons , and to train them up in the knowledge of virtue and religion , and to inculcate strongly on their minds obedience to their superiors . "
But even Bro . Cole ' s account , though more precise , is as regards the design of those who founded the Institution scarcely less meagre than Bro . Harper ' s , as quoted from the * ' Ahiman Rezon , " and it is from the pages of a non-Masonic work that we have been fortunately enabled to obtain a slightly fuller and more particular sketch of our Boys' Charity . Highmore , in his " Pietas Londinensis , or the History , Design , and Present State of the
History Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.
various Public Charities in and near London , published in 1810 , devotes a few pages to " The Masonic Charity for Clothing and Educating the Sons of Deceased and Indigent Freemasons , " and from his version we have taken the liberty of quoting the following paragraphs . He begins thus : " The benevolent regulations and design of this Institution are to raise the means of clothing and educating the sons of deceased and indigent ancient PVeemasons ; and it was founded in the year 1798 , with the aid of a number of
brethren of other lodges . The assistance and encouragement which it has since received from its noble patron , his Grace the Duke of Atholl , the R . W . the Grand Lodge , a number of the Grand Officers , lodges , and brethren of the ancient Fraternity , have enabled the Governors , & c , annually to clothe and educate 30 boys , to which number such augmentation will from time to time take place as the funds of the Charity will permit . Children are eligible to be admitted at seven years of age , and are continued until they arrive at
the age of 14 , during which period they are taught reading , writing , and arithmetic , and when they quit the School are ( in certain cases ) bound apprentices to suitable trades , premiums being allowed towards placing them out to the best advantage . Every child applying for admission must (\{ resident within the Cities or suburbs of London or Westminster ) personally attend the Committee and produce a certificate from the Master and Wardens of the lodge to which his father shall belong , certifying that he is a
member thereof , the Grand Secretary s certificate of his being duly registered for three years in the Grand Lodge books , together wilh certificates of his parents' marriage and his own baptism . But where the candidate happens to be fatherless , the matter is left to the discretion of the Committee . " After two paragraphs relating to the Committee , dates and place of meeting , & c , he continues : "The Governors , anxious to render the benefits of the Charity as extensive and efficacious as
possible , intend ( as soon as a fund can be raised for the purpose ) to purchase or build a schoolhouse , sufficiently capacious to contain the children , and wholly to maintain as well as to clothe and educate them . Until that desirable period shall arrive , they will continue to bc carefully educated at respectable schools adjacent to their parents' residence , and annually supplied with decent and appropriate clothing , viz ., coats , waistcoats , breeches , shirts , shoes , stockings , and hats . There arc now on the list of candidates
for admission a number of poor and deserving children , some of whom are orphans , several fatherless , and all anxiousl y waiting to be admitted j but thc limited state of thc finances of the Charity will not permit an extension of the present number . " The account concludes : " There are 31 boys on this foundation , who are at present educated by different masters ; there are 34 subscribing lodges , besides the R . W . Grand Lodge at the Crown and Anchor , Strand . The officers are—his grace thc Duke of Atholl ,
Patron ; four Trustees ; Robert Leslie , Esq ., Treasurer , Tokenhouse-yard ; Kennedy Johnston , Esq ., Surgeon , Watbrook ; Wm . Hancock , Esq ., Secretary , No . 28 , Tokenhouse-yard ; and Benjamin Aldhouse , Collector , Wellstreet , Spitalfields . " Any slight inaccuracies in the foregoing passages must not bc allowed to wei g h too seriously against their undoubted value . Thc work was published in 1810 , when the number of children clothed and educated \ vas 50 ; but the materials for so important a work must have taken a long time to
collect , and there is fair reason to suppose that the account was derived if not from official sources , at all events , from information which had been made known , and was accessible to the general public . At any rate , thc "Rules and Regulations" in force in 1801 have been preserved to us in Cole ' s " Illustrations of Masonry , " and a comparison of Highmorc ' s version in its entirety with them fully justifies such a presumption . That our readers , however , may know what these Rules were , and see how far what we have quoted from Highmore above is in agreement with them substantially , it seems desirable to quote them in full .
I . —That this Institution bear the name of THE MASONIC CHARITY for Clothing and Educating the Sons of Indigent Freemasons . II . —That there be four General Meetings in every year , via ., the first Friday in OCTOBER , thc first Friday in J ANUARY , the first Friday in APRIL , and the first Fnday in July . III . —That an Annual and General Meetingof the Governors and Subscribers to this Charity , shall be held on the first Friday in JULY , of which each Subscriber of ono snail tnree clear notice to attendtne accounts
guinea or upwards nave days' previous , then be audited , and a true state of the Charity laid before the Subscribers , when a new Committee be chosen for the ensuing three months . IV . —Any person contributing the sum of ten shillings and sixpence or upwards , per annum , be deemed a Subscriber to this Chartiy . V . —That a donation of five guineas and upwards constitute a Subscriber for life . _ VI . —That a donation of ten guineas and upwards shall not only constitute a Subscriber for life , but also entitle such benefactor to bc perpetually on the Committee ; and
bc added to thc Committee of 21 . VII . —That the Mastcr for the time being of any lodge contributing ten guineas shall be a Subscriber to this Charity so long as such lodge exist . VIII . —That the Master for the time being of any lodge contributing one guinea per annum bc considered a Subscriber during that time . IX . —That thc executor of any person paying a legacy of ten guineas be deemed a Subscriber for life .
X . —That any Subscriber who shall make up the sum of five guineas within twelve months after the first payment be deemed a Subscriber for life . XI . —That every Subscriber of one guinea per annum have a right to vote at all quarterly and special meetings . XII . —No Subscriber to be permitted to vote at any election or be on the Committee until their subscription of one guinea for the current year and arrears ( if any ) bc paid . XIII . —Any Subscriber being in trade and supplying this Charity shall not bc on the
Committee during the time he serves the Institution . XIV . —That twenty-one Subscribers of one guinea per annum at the least be chosen every three months out of this Charity ( the then Committee to be re-elected ) , who with the Treasurer and Secretary shall bc a Committee , seven of whom shall form a board , elect a Chairman , and do the business of the Charity , order all necessary sums of money to bc paid , all which orders shall be signed by the Chairman and Secretary , and reported at the next quarterly or special meeting .
XV . — 1 hat no bubsenber shall vote or ballot at any General Meeting but those present ( except ladies , noblemen , Members of Parliament , Masters of country lodges , Subscribers not residing within the bills of mortality , and those using the sea , who may ballot by proxy ) , and all matters shall be determined by vote or ballot ( if required ) , and when the numbers are equal , the Chairman then presiding shall have the casting vote . XVI . —That in case of the death , resignation , or dismission of the Treasurer , Secretary , or Collector , a Special General Meeting be called by order of the Committee within fourteen days , to declare the same , and fix the time of election for filling up such vacancieswhich shall be
, by ballot . XVII . —That the Chairman put the question upon all motions made and seconded , declare the majority , and grant a division or ballot , if regularly demanded by three Subscribers , and sign the minutes of the meeting . XVIH . —That there be educated and clothed by this Charity as many children as the annual Subscriptions and Fund will admit . XIX . —That the time for transacting the business of this Charity at the quarterly , general , or special meetings be from six o ' clock in the evening until ten , after which time no business shall be done , except finishing any motion which may be then under consideration . ( To be continutd . )