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THE MASTER MASON'S HANDBOOK , by Bro . FRED . J . W . CROWK , with an Introduction by Bro . W . J . HUGHAN , P . G . D ., & c . Th ' Master Mason ' s Handbook is a compendium of all informa tion necessary to a knowledge of English Masonry , comprising—An Historical Sketch of Freemasonry—The Grand Lodge : Its Origin and Constitution—Private Lodges , Metropolitan and Provincial—Visiting Private Lodges-Titles , their uses and abbreviations—The Great Masonic Institutions—The "Higher" or additional Degrees , and how to obtain them . PRICE ls . GEORGE K ENNING , 16 A 16 A , GT . QURICN ST ., W . O

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SUSiiSS S ATURDAY , J ANUARY 6 , 1900 . *

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The School Quarterly Courts will be held on Thursday and Friday of next week , that of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls on Thursday , the nth instant , and that of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys on Friday , the 12 th instant . The business will

be for the most part merely formal and will be restricted to the approval of the lists of candidates for the April elections and the declaration of the number of vacancies to be then balloted for . Perhaps in the case of the Boys' School some further information may be given as to the progress that is being made

with the new School buildings at Bushey , the first stone of which is to be laid by H . R . H . the Duke ol Connaught , K . G ., Past Grand Masler , Prov . Grand Master of Sussex , and Dist . Grand Master Bonbay , on a day to be fixed in the month of May . # * *

The Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution will hold their regular monthl y meeting at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , the ioth instant , when the chief business will be the consideration of the petitions received at the offices of the Institution on or before the morning of Monday , the ist instant . The names of those applicants whose

Masonic Notes.

petitions are accepted will be placed on the lists of candidates for the elections , which will take place at the annual general meeting of the Governors and Subscribers on the third Friday in May . * » *

In the list of those on whom the Queen has been pleased to confer New Year Honours will be found the names of Bro . the Hon . Sir Stafford Northcote , Bart ., Prov . G . Master of Devonshire , and Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . Master of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight . The former , who till quite

recently , was member of Parliament for the City of Exeter , and resigned his seat on being appointed Governor of Bombay in succession to Bro . Lord Sandhurst —whose term of service | is on the eve o l expiring—has been raised to the peerage , while Bro . W . W . B . Beach , who was first returned to Parliament

in April , 1857 , as member for North Hants , continuing to represent the constituency till 1885 , when he was elected for the West or Andover Division of the County , has been made a Privy Councillor . Since the death of Bro . Sir John Mowbray , Bart ., Bro . Beach has , we believe , been " the Father " of the House .

* - * * * As usual , the Secretary of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys has supplemented his statement of income for 1 S 99 with some very interesting particulars showing the financial position of the School during a term of years commencing with 1884 . For the seven

years from 1884 to 1890 , both inclusive , during which the Institution was under the old regime , the average income was £ 14 , 062 is . 8 d ., the most productive year being 1885 , when the amount received reached £ 16 , 272 16 s . ; and the least productive 1888—the yea of the Girls' Centenary—when the total was

£ 12 , 283 2 s . gd . During the period 1 S 91 to 1897 , both inclusive , being the first seven years of the new regime , the average income was £ 22 , 585 is . gi ., the highest total being in 1891 , when the receipts amounted to £ 27 , 297 os . gd . ; and the lowest total that of

1892—the year of the Benevolent Jubilee—when only £ 15 , 606 18 . 7 d . was received . Thus , as regards the respective averages of the two septennial periods , that of 18 91-97 , under the new jyrangements , exceeds that of 1884-90 , under the old , by upwards of £ 8500 .

* * * The centenary year of 18 9 8 , which is very properly assigned a place by itself , produced an income from all sources of £ 124 , 308 8 s . 6 d ., while last year , as set

forth in our Article on " Masonic Benevolence in 1899 , " the total was £ 26 , 408 6 s . 8 d ., including , as the letter accompanying the several statements informs us , some £ 9000 received in respect of arrear donations to the Centenary Festival .

•* A further statement shows that while in 1890 , the last year of the old regime , the invested capital of the Institution was £ 17 , 500 , it is now £ 150 , 116 lis . nd ., in addition to which there is on deposit with Bankers and Sheffield Corporation a sum of £ 22 , 000 , the total

amount of the funds held in reserve for the purposes of the Institution being £ 172 , 116 ns . nd ., in which , of course , is included what remains of the very large sum which will be expended on the erection of the new School premises at Bushey , the amount already disbursed on this account being , we are told , about

£ 31 , 000 . Thus , during the nine years that have elapsed since the Institution was reorganised on its present basis , there has been an increase in the capital of the Institution of £ 154 , 616 lis . nd . In justice , however , to the old regime , and in explanation of the smallness of the capital it had accumulated , it should be mentioned . that during the last 15 years of its

existence it had been able to enlarge the premises at Wood Green , as originally erected 1863-5 for the accommodation of 100 boys , purchased Nos . 1 to 4 , Lindum-villas , and converted them into a Preparatory School , and erected a new Assembly Hall , and , moreover , had increased the number of children on the establishment from about 150 to 260 .

» We gladly avail ourselves of the present opportunit y for expressing our indebtedness to the courtesy of Bro . Thomson Foley , P . M ., P . Prov . G . Supt . of Works N . and E . Yorkshire , Secretary of the Constitutional Lodge , No . 294 , Beverley , in forwarding us copies of the inscriptions attached to the wreaths sent

by the Earl of Londesborough , Past G . Warden Eng ., and Lodge No . 294 , respectively , to be placed on Washington's tomb on the occasion of the celebration of the centenary of his death on the 14 th December last , together with the very appropriate set of verses which accompanied them . Bro . Foley tells us that Lord Londesborough ' s wreath was circular , five feet in

Masonic Notes.

diameter , while the Iodge wreath was of a corresponding size , but in the form of the square and compasses . The tribute of respect thus paid by his lordship and our brethren of Constitutional Lodge to the memory

of the great statesman and soldier , who did so much towards establishing the independence of the Unite d States will no doubt have been appreciated in the highest degree by the present generation of Washington ' s compatriots .

* * * The New Year ' s entertainment to the inmates of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution took place on Wednesday , when there was a numerous gathering of the Committee of Management and their friends to do honour to the occasion . Everybody , but more

especially the indefatigable and ever-green Bro . James Terry , the Secretary of thc Institution , and his staff , did their very utmost to minister to the pleasure of the Old Folk , who , under the auspices of Miss Norris , the respected Warden , did what was possible on their part to make the visitors comfortable . When dinner was

over , and the Committee and their friends had taken the needful refreshment , an excellent programme of music and other entertainment of a hi gh character was successfully carried out in the Hall , light refreshments being handed round at intervals during the evening , and then the visitors left for town , as they had gone down

in a special saloon carriage , which , by the courtesy : of the South-Eastern Railway Company , had been reserved for their accommodation . The usual gifts of tea for the ladies and tobacco for the brethren were distributed , while Bros . T . Hastings Miller and George F . Cook ,

made generous contributions towards the feast . The entertainment was , as it always is , a great success , and it would be difficult to determine whether the inmates or visitors were the more deli ghted with what passed during the afternoon and evening .

* * » A full report of the proceedings will be found in another page , and from this it will be seen that Bro , Terry felt himself justified in speaking encouragingly

of the prospects of the Festival which will be held next month , and about which we shall have some few observations to make next week . I n the meantime , it is comforting to learn from Bro . Terry ' s own lips that the outlook is most promising .

* » * We have much pleasure in acknowledging receipt of copy of the Transactions of the Prov . Grand Lodge and Chapter of Durham during the past year , supplemented by an account of the Festival held under the presidency of Bro . Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart ., Prov . G . Master , on the 12 th April , in behalf of the Educational and Benevolent Charities of the

Province . Reports of the proceedings at the year ' s gatherings appeared at the time in our columns . We shall , therefore , content ourselves with offering a few remarks as to the statistical and financial position of the Prov . Grand Lodge and Chapter , and the Institutions they support . According to the Returns , the

aggregate membership of the 37 lodges on the roll is 3220 , as compared with 3092 for the previous year , the increase being 128 , and the average per lodge 87 . The Royal Arch chapters are 13 in number , being in the proportion of about one to every three lodges ; while the number of companions is returned as 528 .

of whom 466 are described as " paying members , " theaverage per chapter being somewhat in excess of 40 of all descriptions , and of slightly less than 2 ^ of paying members . The strongest lodge and chapter are the St . Hilda , No . 240 , South Shields , the lodge having 218 members and the chapter 74 .

* •• As regards its finances , the position of the Province is satisfactory . The Provincial Grand Treasurer ' s Statement of Account shows a lot & l of Receipt by the Provincial Grand Lodge , including a balance of over £ 354 , brought forward from previous year ,

amounting to £ 882 , the Expenditure being £ 502 , and the balance in hand at the close ( 31 st August last ) £ 3 80 . In addition , Provincial Grand Lodge has a capital of over £ 2393 invested in 2 } per cent . Consols . The Provincial Grand Chapter account is on a much more modest scale , but there remained a balance in

hand at its close . As for the Provincial Charities , there is not much that need be said . Thanks to the splendid success of the Festival , held in their behalf in April , the Educational Fund , which provides for the education of 19 children , has an invested capital of

£ 3096 , while the Hudson Benevolent Fund has one of £ 3000 . We most heartily congratulate our Durham brethren on the prosperity of the Province—a prosperity which there are good grounds for believing will be maintained in future years .

The usual New Year ' s entertainment to those of the pupils of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls who remain at School during the Christmas holidays took place on Wednesday , the 3 rd instant , under the auspices of the House Committee and Secretary , whose efforts to delight their young charges were , it is hardly necessary to say , most successful .