Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

desirous to discharge their respective duties . He could not boast of any service to the Craft at large in performing the ritual ceremonies , but he yielded to no one in earnestness ot desire to serve as far as he vvas able the claims of the Institutions of which English Freemasonry was so justly proud . He hoped the Chairman and brethren would not think him boastful or egotistic when he said it had been

the great privilege of his son and of himself to serve the office of Steward at each of the Institutions' Festivals every year since the date of their initiation—( cheers)—and , vvith the blessing of the Great Architect of the Universe , it was their intention to aspire to and hold the honourable office every year until they were summoned to the Grand Lodge above . ( Applause . )

Bro . F . A . PHILBRICK , Q . C , Grand Registrar , proposed The Chairman , " and said a high honour had fallen to him that night to propose the health of that distinguished Mason , Lord George Hamilton , their brother in the chair . It had been said that the accident of birth was not always happy , but to be born to a name , not merely noble by the rank vvhich distinguished it , but ennobled by the qualities of those who had borne the name in preceding generations , was not

alsvays an advantage to him who came in the present . The test of being worth y of distinguished ancestry and of shedding lustre on the historic name was one which had . been amply fulfilled by the distinguished Chairman that evening —( hear , hear)—with whom they knew the honour of the country vvas secure . Notwithstanding the cares of office , he was able to come down and testif y his warm interest in this great Institution , his participation and active

concurrence in those feelings towards it vvhich animated the great Masonic Craft . It vvas a great honour to the Institutions and peculiarly honourable to the Chairman . In the great County of Middlesex the seed had been sown ; the Chairman was a Past Master of a lodge in that county . The seed had borne good fruit ; and they had reason to be proud of Lord George Hamilton , Past Senior Grand Warden .

The CHAIRMAN , in replying , said he thanked the brethren for the honour they had been good enough to pay him , and for the more than kind manner in vvhich Bro . Philbrick vvas pleased to speak about himself ( the Chairman ) and his family . It vvas quite true that he came , in a sense , from a good Masonic family , for his father had the honour for many years of his life of being Grand Master of the Craft in Ireland , and vvhen he died the brethren were kind enough unanimously to elect

his ( the Chairman ' s ) brother as his father ' s successor , and he believed such hereditary succession vvas somewhat rare in the annals of Freemasonry . He ( the Chairman ) had been unduly promoted in the ranks of Freemasonry . He spoke in the presence of many svho had done much more than he had done . He was in one sense a Freemason of a good many years standing , for it vvas many years ago that he vvas initiated in a lodge in Ireland , and he then took his other Degrees in

a small , humble , and poor lodge in the north of Ireland , and during the last two years , surrounded by all the paraphernalia and splendour of this English Grand Lodge , the great central administrative body of the United Kingdom , his thoughts had often gone back to the humble lodge and the home in which he learned what little he knew of Freemasonry . He was happy to say that in Ireland Freemasonry was carried on in a most fraternal spirit . His lordship then

proceeded to propose the toast of the evening , " Prosperity to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys . " He had no doubt those of the brethren vvho took an interest in this Institution had both their hearts , their purses , and their glasses equally well charged , When he vvas asked to undertake the very high honour of presiding at this 92 nd Anniversary of the Institution , he was quite aware that certain difficulties had , during the past 18 months , beset that Institutionand it

, was with the deliberate knosvledge of those difficulties , and the manner in which those difficulties had been overcome , that he undertook the duty of Chairman , This great Masonic Institution of free education mainl y depended for its continued existence upon the annual subscriptions and support vvhich it got ; it had little endowment . He would not go into its past history , because most likely the great majority of the brethren present were more acquainted vvith

it than he was ; but he would just lay before them a few facts . In 1865 the School building capable of holding 100 scholars was completed , and the annual income at that time was not in excess of . £ 4500 . At the present moment there were no less than 26 3 scholars associated vvith the Institution , and the income had correspondingly risen for the past 10 years to considerably over £ 12 , 000 . If anybody would take the trouble of making a calculation they would find that whereas 23 years

ago it cost about £ 45 per scholar to maintain that scholar for the year , that same rate of expenditure had practically continued up to the present day , and that the increased subscriptions and the increased income vvhich the Institution during the past 10 years attained had not gone on extravagant management , but in maintaining an increased number of scholars in practically the same ratio . In any great school if the supervision vvas not exceedingly strict no doubt defects in the

organisation and administration of that school might creep in . He did not wish to enlarge on that fact , but undoubtedly the Committee appointed last year made a most exhaustive examination into the management of the School ; they made recommendations for adoption by the House Committee , and , therefore , he mi ght say the School embodied all that was good in the past , but it had amalgamated vvith that the reform profor the

posals management of the future . Therefore , he thought that every Freemason nosv present might be sure that if they would only give to the School in the future that support which they had alread y given , it would claim even a greater part among the Masonic Charities than it had yet taken . He rather laid stress upon that point . He had had a good deal to do in his life vvith institutions whose income depended on the annual benevolence of a particular bod

y and of the public , and he was quite aware that wherever there was a good system of management , on any enquiry into it whether that enquiry to a certain extent tended to shake the confidence in it or not—they could not after that enquiry get the same amount of contributions and subscri ptions . But if this great educational Institute was to play the same part in the future as in the past , it was essential that they should all

bestir themselves and take care that even if , as he feared that ni ght , the subscriptions would fall short of the past year , he hoped that would onl y be an inducement to the brethren next year to bring them up to the old standard What was the fact ? This Institution of all the three Masonic Charities had the smallest sum invested . The income derived from that source did not exceed ^ 700 a year , and thtre were 26 3 boys in the School , and those boys could not be educated

, according to the report of the Committee vvhich enquired into the matter , at a less sum than £ 43 per annum . Anyone who had had to do with first-class education would say that that was not an excessive sum for boys from 8 to 15 . As Freemasons they vvould be ashamed of themselves if they attempted to stint the quality of the education they gave those boys , because , after all , what did this great Institution do ? To his mind it vvas the most important of the

three Institutions . In the competition of life , somebody must from time to time go to the wall , and every one ofthose nosv present knewthat in every section of society in which they moved they found individuals and families fell from the hi gh stations which they inherited . The onl y means of setting such a famil y on its legs again and restore them to their lost status of comfort and opulence was to give the boys a thoroughly good education , with the knowledge that if they utilised the advantages and vvhich

opportunities , through kind friends , were thus afforded to them they might resuscitate the fortunes of their family , and once more place them in the position they formerly occupied . Therefore , in an Institution such as this , _ which dealt vvith the education of boys , no more important education could be given than one which vvould reall y benefit them most ; because pure benevolence meant , after all , the making comfortable the lives of those who had been fairly comfortable . To g ive a good education to a sharp and aspiring boy meant giving

a chance to the rising generation to take advantage of those opportunities which mig ht have been neglected . Therefore , if they wished to get at the sources of want they should direct their attention to the improvement of schools rather than give more money to mere charitable institutions . Every person vvho was charitably disposed should look after the money he gave as if he was investing it in his own interest . He was glad to find an almost unanimous feeling in this

great gathering . Let them see what had been cone to this School . In the first place he vvas bound to say that from what he could see , although he svas going into controversial matter—although there had been faults in the past management of the School , there vvas a brother well known for his energy who had done much in the past to bring the School before them . ( Cheers . ) Let them , therefore , whilst freeing the management of the School from any

defects and faults which by investigation had been proved to exist , place it on a more satisfactory footing in the future . The Committee had been successful in many things . They had secured the services of a most capable Head Master : —( applause)—and he ( the Chairman ) had in his hand a little specimen of what well-applied tact and energy mig ht do in a small and incidental matter . This specimen was the first number of the Masonian , vvhich was printed at the School ,

and anybody vvho looked at it would see that this Tittle periodical was got up in an admirable manner . It vvas very well printed , and every one would say it reflected the hi g hest credit on the School , because many of the boys vvho were engaged in setting up the type were novices and under ten years of age . It might be some satisfaction to know that if an editor of one of the great dailies had a strike among his compositors the Masonic Boys' School would be

able to come to his rescue . This vvas a Tittle incident , but it was like a straw which showed which way the wind blew , because no school could have undertaken the printing of this periodical unless there vvas instilled into that school a feeling of esprit de corps , and he was highly g lad to hear that there were indications in many directions that the boys' athletic tendencies were being cultivated , and that the boys were showing , as all English boys did , a partiality for kicks and hard

knocks . ( Laughter . ) If he mig ht make one more observation he vvould say that one of the games which he hoped would be encouraged in that Schoolthough he did not in any way wish to disparage lawn tennis , which , however , vvas played with a hollow and soft ball—the game the boys played vvith vvas a hard and whole ball . If a boy had his eye on defending himself and got the onslaughts of a hard ball he would be able to get on vvith a soft ball . ( Hear , hear . ) He had

now detained the brethren longer than he had intended , but he hoped the collection that night might be in excess of what vvas anticipated . If they would be kind enough to recollect that he undertook the duties of Chairman of this Festival in the belief that the subscriptions would be below those of the past , that he did so intending to appeal to them that in future they should bring up the subscriptions to their old standard . If they did he should feel

that he had not spent his evening in vain among his Masonic brethren , and in that gathering his few words vvould have been successful in enabling this great Masonic Educational Institution for the future to enter upon a career of renovated activity upon an enlarged basis . He now asked them vvith all heartiness to drink " Prosperity to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys . " The toast having been heartily drunk ,

Bro . GEORGE PLUCKNETT , Treasurer of the Institution , in reply , said he thanked the brethren for the liberality and munificence with which all the Institutions were supported , and for the great services which were rendered by the brethren to Masonry . Most valuable time were given to make the Boys' School as perfect as it could be , and to carry out the great objects svhich the Craft had . The School was opened vvith 100 boys , and a few more were admitted every year .

They were only admitted a few each year , but at last they were obliged to make a complete change and admit 200 boys . When an increase svas once decided on , it necessarily follosved that they must make more room . This svas done , and then they had to provide for the pleasure of the boys , to make extra class-rooms , to give better ventilation , to enlarge the place , and soon . For many years the House Committee had felt that a ssvimmingbath vvas absolutely necessary for the health of the boys ,

and for other purposes . The new hall and the nesv buildings for the junior boys had taken asvay much money , and not much was left to make a swimming bath . He hoped and trusted that the few words he had addressed to the brethren would encourage them to provide the requisite funds for its erection at no distant date . Until they had a swimming bath the Institution could not be complete . When

they got it there would be no nobler institution than the Masonic Institution for Boys . Those who were not acquainted with it should go down to it , and see what the Provisional Committee had done , and he knew they would be delighted . He trusted it would not be allowed to languish for want of funds . He could assure them that any money subscribed would be well and properly spent .

Bro . BINCKES , vvho was received vvith enthusiastic cheers , rose to read the list of subscriptions , but commenced by saying that , while being called upon to discharge his ordinary duty , he should be undmindful of any feeling of gratitude that ought to actuate any brother placed in the position which he was in that evening if he did not acknosvledge , in the first place , some complimentary allusions the Chairman had made to him . and the large assembly before him for the manner in

which they had received his name as still the representative of the Institution . ( Cheers . ) In vacating the position he had occupied for 30 years he was delighted to find that on this his last representative occasion among the brethren they had done him the honour of having given him such an opinion as they had . It would ill become him to add any observations to those he had already by the Chairman ' s permission addressed to the brethren

and he only wished with reference to the size of that evening ' s Festival , that more had had the opportunity of listening to the Chairman ' s very encouraging and delightful observations with regard to the merits of the Institution and the work it had to do . He did not think , nay , he might say he vvas sure , that of all the long list of Chairmen vvho had presided over their anniversary festivals , and he had listened to—and he should ask the brethren to endorse ssTiat he said—a more

admirable and sympathetic speech , a more genial speech , a more encouraging speech , than they had heard that evening , they had never heard before . When he knew the difficulties in which the Institution vvas placed in obtaining a Chairman for this festival , they vvould be more grateful than he knew hosv to be of the consent of Lord George Hamilton to preside that evening . He hoped his lordship would never regret the honour he had done them in presiding and the hearty welcome he had received at the hands of the brethren . His ( Bro . Binckes ) only regret

was—and it vvas a great and severe one—that in the face of hostile circumstances he should not be able to witness a more satisfactory result . He did not wish to be personal , but they had given him on the eve of his retirement a hearty welcome , and he should carry with him in his retirement the sympathy ofa large number of good friends . He hoped there vvas a larger success in store for this glorious Institution in the future than it had had in the past . Bro . Binckes then read the follosving

STEWARDS' LISTS .

LONDON . The Chairman gave a donation of £ 52 ios ., vvhich is included in the list of Bro . G . Gardner , Stesvard for the George Gardner Lodge , No . 2309 ( see Berks and Bucks ) . Lodge £ s . d . G . Stesvards Bro . Capt . Jonh P . Probert 22 1 o

Lodge £ s . d . 1 Bro . J . D . Langton ... 10 10 o 2 „ W . Harvey Rylands 52 5 o 4 , ; Rev . A . W . Oxford , M . A . M ... 15 15 o 5 „ E . H . Hartopp ... 51 19 6 6 „ K . Dobree , jun . ... 21 o o 8 „ Edsvard Cooper ... 15 15 o 9 „ Edsvin Waller ... 50 8 o