Contents.

CONTENTS .

L EADERS— PAGE Masonic Benevolence in iSgg ... ... ... ¦•••••' Ars Ouatuor Coronatorum ... ... ... ... ¦••2 The late Bro . John Lane , P . A . G . D . C . ... ... ... ... 2 Science , Art and the Drama ... ... ... ... , — 3 The Thomas Foxcroft Masonic Manuscript ... ... ... ... 4

RED C ROSS OF ROME AND CONSTANTINEDivisional Conclave of Kent ... ... •¦••¦••••5 M ASONIC NOTESThe School Quarterly Courts ... ... ... ... ... 7 New Year ' s Honours ... ... ... ... •••7 New Year ' s Entertainment to the Inmates of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... ... ... •••7 Transactions of the Provincial Grand Lodge and Chapter of Durham ... 7

New Year ' s Entertainment to the Pupils of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... ... ... ... ¦•¦ 7 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ¦¦•S The Berkshire Contingent of the Imperial Yeomanry Cavalry ... ... S Mark Masonry ... ... ... ... ... — S The Recent Washington Centenary Celebration ... ... ... S Indefinitely Postponed ... ... ... ... ... •••D Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of North Wales ... ... ... 10

KNIGHTS TEMPLARProvincial Priory of Kent and Surrey ... ... ... ... 10 POETRYReady ! Aye Ready ... ... ... ... ... ro Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 11 New Year ' s Entertainment by the Benevolent Institution ... ... 11 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 16 Instruction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 16

Masonic Benevolence In 1899.

MASONIC BENEVOLENCE IN 1899 .

Considering how large a sum was raised for the purposes of our three Alasonic Institutions in iSgS wc must confess to a strong feeling of surprise at finding the total for the year , which ended on Saturday last , is so far in excess of the average of the

last io or a do / . en ordinary years . In 18 9 S , thc amount paid into the exchequers of the three Charities approximated very closely to £ 162 , 000 , the precise sum being £ 161 , 925 iSs . 3 d ., of which £ 126 , 27 6 IGS . id . fell to the share of fhe Boys' School , the

Benevolent Institution being benefited to thc extent of £ 19 , 170 , and thc Girls' School to that of £ 16 , 479 . In the year , which may be taken as a fair average of the five years from 1893 to 18 97 , both inclusive , the total was , in round figures , £ 65 , 000 ,

ol which the Benevolent Institution received £ 20 , 7 82 , the Girls ' School , £ 20 , 913 , and the Boys' School , £ 24 , 187 . Last year the total amount received was £ 81 , 294 ios . 5 d ., or ouly about £ 1600 short of the total for 1888—the year of the Girls' School

Centenary . What materially enhances the significance of these Keturns is that the Donations and Subscriptions , exclusive of those received from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , constitute four-fifths of the total , thc receipts under this head in the case

of the Benevolent Institution being £ 21 , 260 12 s . ; in that of the Girls' School , £ 22 , 177 15 s . 4 d . ; and in that of the Hoys' School , £ 21 , 023 13 s . 2 d . ; or together some £ 64 , 580 . Moreover , what is to the full as gratifying is that the

total thus received is larger by about £ 17 , 000 than the aggregate of the amounts announced at the Festivals of thc three Institutions . These are splendid results after a year so trying as 18 9 S—that of the Girls' School being both the highest of the

three returns and the highest recorded for that Institution—about l . ijcioo of this excess being due to thc receipt of arrear Donations " 1 respect of the Boys' Centenary . Of the othe ^ items of receipt 'here is but little to remark . They consist for the most part of the

grants from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , and the dividends on invested capital . We notice , however , that the Girls' School has had the good fortune to receive a legacy of £ 1000 , while thc sum

° f £ 1260 figures among the receipts of the Benevolent Institution , being the sum paid , under the old scale , for a Perpetual I reservation from the Province of Kent . But we need not pro-

Masonic Benevolence In 1899.

long these observations further than to congratulate—as wc do most cordially—the whole body of thc English Craft on this additional and most satisfactory evidence of thc generosity it is exhibiting towards our Central Charities . The following are the several statements of recei pt by our

Benevolent and Scholastic Institutions during 18 99 . They arc arranged in the order in which their respective Festivals were held , and are , to all intents and purposes , such as we received them from the Secretaries—Bros . TERRY , HEDGES , and MCLEOD —to whom , for their courtesy in transmitting them to us , we tender our most sincere acknowledgments .

ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION . ^ Donations and Subscriptions ... ... ... , £ 21260 12 o Dividends ... ... ... ,,, 4288 11 5 Donation Grand Lodge ... ... .,, 1600 0 o

„ Grand Chapter ... ... ,,, i $ 0 0 0 Perpetual Presentation ... ... ... 1260 o o Interest on cash at call .. ... ... 36 16 s . Profit on Fire Insurance , return of Premium ... 24 1 11

. £ 28 , 620 1 9 * Festival announcement £ 18 , 207 , ultimately increased to £ 20 , 162 .

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS . * Donations and Subscriptions ... . £ 22 , 177 15 4 Subscription from Grand Lodge ... 150 o o „ Grand Chapter ... 10 10 o £ 22338 5 4

Interest on Investments ... ... ... 2661 10 10 Interest on Deposits ... ... ... 114 15 10 Receipts for Musical Instruction ... ... 131 10 o Legacy ... ... ... ... ... 1000 o o Receipts under Law 104 ... ... ... 20 o o

£ 26 , 266 2 o * Festival Announcement £ 21 , 045 3 * - 3 '' - ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOVS . 'Donations and Subscriptions ... ... ... , £ 21 , 023 ' 3 ~ Grand Lodge Subscription ... ... ... 1 50 o o

Grand Clnpter Subscription ... ... ... 10 10 o Dividends and Interest on Cash at Call ... ... ~ 4 88 4 S 6 Income Tax on Dividend for three years refunded ... 107 7 4 . Music Fees ... ... ... ... ^ 0 6 o

Science and Art Department ( Grants earned ) ... 41 2 I Prize Funds ... ... ... ... 1450 Sundry Receipts ... ... ... ... 50 14 7 Rent of Bu .-liey Grove Paik ... ... ... 40 o o Maintenance Refunded ... ... ... 30 o o

£ 26 , 408 6 S * 101 st Festival Announcement £ 8599 , since increased to £ 9035 . K The following table shows the recei pts of the three Institutions during the seven years from 1892 to 18 9 8 , both inclusive

together with the yearly totals of those receipts during that period ; the yearly average of receipt by each Institution ; and thc average receipt per Institution for the whole of the septennial period :

R . M . B . I . R . M . I . G . R . M . I . B Total . 18 93 £ 20 , 436 2 8 £ 17 , 052 3 2 £ 21 , 56 3 8 . 11 £ 59 . 05 ' 14 9 1 S 94 20 , 782 3 11 20 . 945 7 1 24 I 8 J 16 8 65 . 012 7 8 1895 21 , 720 10 6 18 , 211 o 6 2 : 3 , 6 9 6 18 1 62 , 628 9 1 1896 25 , 650 16 6 19 , 664 3 11 23 , 603 ' 2 o 68 , 918 2 5 1897 27 , 12 9 o 1 21 , 405 14 3 23 . 303 5 7 71 , 8 37 19 n 18 9 8 19 , 170 4 4 16 , 47 8 14 10 126 , 276 19 1 161 . 925 18 3 1890 28 , 620 1 9 2 ( 5 , 266 2 0 2640 S 6 8 81 , 294 10 ' 5

the ^ l'iTrs ] £ l 63 S ° l 9 9 ^ ' 39 . 5 9 £ 268 , 038 17 o £ 570 , 66 9 2 6

^ eTyears ) ' * 8 6 £ ' ' ? 4 ° £ 3 H ' ' 5 3 £ 8 ' , S 24 3 3 Average per Institution ... ... £ 27 , 174 14 5 The following is a statement , month by month , of the cases relieved , and the sum expended in relieving them , by the Board of Benevolence :