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CONTENTS . PAGE L EADERFestival Prorpcrts for 1902 ... ... ... ••• 5 7 The Ancient and Accptcd Rite ... ... ... ... 5 ° S PriRTRY— " "

Sonnet for the Month of October ... ... ... - 5 ° S Provincial . Grand Mark I-odge of South Wales ... ... ¦•• S ° S Consecration of the Polytechnic Lodge , No . 2 S 47 ... ... ... 5 ° Science , Art , and the Drama ... ... ... ••• S

M ASONIC NOTESThe School Elections ... ... ... ... 5 » 3 Monthly Meeting- of the Committee of Managament of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... 5 ' 3 The Pope at d Freemasonry ... ... ... ••¦ 5 ' 3 Correspondence ... ... ... — — 5 ' 4 Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham ... ... ¦•• ••• 5 ' 4

Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ••• ••¦ 5 ' 5 Consecration tf the London Welsh Lodge , No . 2 SG 7 ... ... ... 5 ' ° London ' s New Civic Chiif ... ... ... ... - 5 «> Disabled Soldiers ... ... ... ... - - 5 ' 6 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... — 5 ' 7 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ••• 5 ' 7 Instruction ... ... ... ... ••• ••• S' 7 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 5 l 5 >

Festival Prospects For 1902.

FESTIVAL PROSPECTS FOR 1902 .

Last week we had the pleasure of announcing that R . W . BIO . Sir A . F . GODSON , M . P ., Prov . Grand Master of Worcestershire , had very kindly undertaken to preside as Chairman at the Anniversary Festival which will be held towards the end of

February , 1902 , in behalf of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . Thus as thc lodges have only recently resumed their meetings after the summer recess , the three Institutions may be said to start fairly on a level as regards the

work of enlisting the services of brethren as Stewards and canvassing for the donations and subscriptions on which they rely for the wherewith to meet their annual outlay . In the order of time thc Benevolent Festival takes precedence of the others

and it happens that in this particular campaign it is the last for which a chairman has been obtained . Still , between the day usually appointed for thc celebration and the announcement of Sir A . F . GODSON ' chairmanship , an interval of five clear months intervenes in which to work the oracle in behalf of

our "Old People , and Bro . IERRY , as his successful labours of the last quarter of a century have shown , is not the man to let the grass grow under his feet while there is anything to be done which is calculated to prosper the cause of the Benevolent

Institution . Moreover , Worcestershire though , as far as we have been able to trace , it lias never hitherto fulfilled the role of " Chairman's Province , " has borne its part bravely at the Boys ' Centenary and other Festivals , and is well known to be as

generousl y disposed towards our Charitable Institutions as its respected chief . Thus , so far as the Chairman and his Province ¦ ire concerned , thc success of next year ' s Benevolent Festival may be looked upon as a foregone conclusion . But

Worcestershire is not a strong Province , it has but 15 lodges on its roll , 'ind such efforts as it is able and prepared to put forth will need t" he generally and freely supported by London and the other

Provinces . This we have every reason to hope will be forthcoming and it will be Bro . TKRRY ' S chief care that as much of > t as is possible may be enlisted .

Our Scholastic Institutions are more fortunately circumstanced . Their respective Chairmen were announced earlier in the year , and , what is of far greater importance , those Chairmen ai c at the head of Provinces , of which one is more than eight

Festival Prospects For 1902.

times as large as" Worcestershire , and the other three tim is as large , while both have distinguished themselves as " Chairman ' s Province " at several of our anniversary Festivals . The 114 th Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls wi 1 be held

about the usual time in May , and will have for its Chairman the Earl of LATHOM , Prov . G . M . of West Lancashire . The name of LATHOM is sufficient by itself to conjure the guineas out of brethren ' s purses . The services impartially rendered to all our

Institutions by his lordship ' s lamented father still remain , and are likely to remain , a cherished memory throughout the whole - English Craft , and as this will be the first occasion since his installation as Prov . G . Master on which the present Earl has

occupied thc chair at any Festival on his own account—when he presided at a former Girls' Festival , it was as the representative of his father—we may be sure that his Province of West Lanca shire , with its formidable array of 127 lodges ' and over 8000

brethren , will be only too anxious to demonstrate its loyalty by contributing a handsome total of donations and subscriptions . It has done so at previous Festivals , when the amount of its Returns has exceeded £ 2000 , £ 3000 , £ 4000 , and in iSni—when

the late Earl of LATHOM did what he could to restore confidence in the administration of the Boys' School by presiding as Chairman at its Festival that year—upwards of ^ 6000 . . And the example which we are anticipating will be set by the

"Chairman ' s Province " of West Lancashire , will no doubt be followed by London and the sister Provinces . At all events , we may rely upon Bro . HEDGES , as Secretary of the Institution , to leave no stone unturned in order to bring all possible grist to the Girls' School mill .

The 104 th Festival in behalf of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys will be held about the usual date in June , and will , have for its president Bro . Colonel DAVIS , A . D . C , Provincial Grand Master of Surrey . The Surrey chief , like his colleague

of West Lancashire , has his spurs to win in this particular branch of Masonic duty , but , like Lord LATHOM , he is an earnest Mason , and will put his shoulder to the wheel in furtherance of any cause he has undertaken to promote , and more

especially of such a cause as Charity . If , however , Colonel DAVIS himself is new to this kind of experience , his Province is not . Under the guidance of the late General BROWNRIGG and Colonel MONEY it loyally performed its part

whenever one or other acted as Festival Chairman ; while in 18 9 8—during thc presidency of its then Prov . Grand Master , the Earl of ONSLOW—it stood high among the contributing Provinces to the Boys' Centenary , ft has 45 lodges and a

corresponding roll of members . It is , moreover , a Home Province , and twice during thc present year we have had evidence of what such a Province is capable of doing when it has resolved

on doing honour to a popular chief , and at the same time promoting the sacred cause of Charity . Here , again , we may rely on the Secretary—Bro . MCLEOD—doing all in his power to

ensure success . For these reasons we consider—so far as it is possible to form an opinion while the events we are looking forward to are still distant—the Festival prospects for 1902 are decidedly

encouraging . The real work of organising the Boards of Stewards has just about begun in earnest , and , as we have already remarked , those who know what Secretaries TERRY

HEDGES , and MCLEOD have succeeded in doing in the past in organising these Boards look forward with confidence to . their present efforts being similarly successful .