Masonic Jurisprudence.

one of explanation and possibl y amplification . We propose to deal with the Fund of General Purposes first of all . The income of Grand Lodge is permanent , ancl casual . The permanent income—permanent as to its sources ancl estimated

with approximate accuracy as to its amount—comprises registration fees , fees for certificates , and fees for new warrants . Details of these arc tabulated and printed in tabular form every quarter and the following abstract will show the steady and uniform increase , We select three normal years :

• Registration and Certificates . Warrants . Total . £ s . d . £ s . d . £ s . d . 1895 First Quarter 2683 5 o no 5 o 2793 10 o Second „ 2136 5 6 l 6 z 5 < - > 22 9 8 I 0 6 Third „ 1461 o o 168 o o 1529 o o Fourth 1862 15 o no 5 o 1973 o o 1 S 9 G First „ 2750 11 6 136 10 o 2887 1 6 Second „ 2259 10 o 94 10 o 2354 o o

Third „ 1611 o 6 6 3 o o 16 74 o 6 Fourth „ 2060 19 o , 99 15 o 2160 14 o 1897 First „ 3172 17 6 173 5 o 3346 2 6 Second „ 2266 13 6 105 o o 2371 13 6 Third , 1554 18 o 6 3 o o 1617 18 o

Fourth „ 2557 15 o 120 15 o 267 S 10 C The totals for the years shown are in round figures £ 8594 , £ 9075 , and £ 10 , 014 . The heaviest contributions it will be noticed come in the first quarter , and the lightest in the third

quarter . A good many interesting deductions can be made from these figures , It is fair to assume that the early months in the year are most popular for both initiations and joinings , and the

holidays may possibly account for the smallncss of receipts under these heads in the third quarter . The cost of the warrant is five , io , or 15 guineas for lodges abroad , in the provinces , and in London respectively , and a similar graduation is to be noticed in the registration fees which are 7 . 6 , 17 . 0 , and 27 . 6 .

Other permanent sources of income are rents , both on account of house property and lodges meeting in Freemasons ' Hall and dividends from Consols . At present 79 lodges meet

in the hall . The casual sources of income are not important as regards their amount . Sales of the Book of Constitutions are , of course , a set-off against the cost of printing , but no separate

P . and L . account is shown . Fees of honour are for the most part applied to the Benevolent Fund , exceptions being made in the cases of Provincial and District Grand Masters , and their respective Deputies , who also pay certain fees to the General Purposes Fund for their patent and registration .

Centenary warrants , warrants of confirmation , sales of charity medals and centenary medals , dispensations , and subscriptions for the quarterly reports go to make up the grand total . Their insignificance , however , may be gathered from the fact that out of a total of £ 16 , 192 14 s . 7 d . in 18 97 , all the above-mentioned minor sources of income only amounted to £ 470 i 8 s . 3 d ., or say 2 \ per cent .

The income of Grand Lodge generally exceeds current expenditure by a large sum , out of which , what may be called the profit grants for special objects are made , and seldom a year passes in which Grand Lodge is not called upon to contribute

what is frequently a very large sum . Indian Famine Funds , tlie War Fund , thc Newfoundland fire , and others too numerous to mention , will at once occur to thc reader ' s mind . The income and expenditure during the three years already quoted are as follows ;

1895 . 18 c /) . 1 S 97 . £ s . d . £ s . d , £ s . d . Income 14 . 856 1 8 ' 5 . 65 ° ' 4 1 l 6 . ' 92 H 7 Exper . diture 10 , 250 12 11 11 , 1 48 12 11 11 , 480 13 8

Balance 4 . 605 89 4 502 1 2 4712 0 11 The expenditure in each case has included £ 800 paid to the R . M . B . I ., and about £ 100 in casual relief . In 1 S 05 sufficient was taken from the balance in hand to

admit of the purchase of £ 5000 Consols . In 1897 £ 2000 was rriven to the Prince of Wales ' s Hospital Fund and 1000 guineas to the Lord Mayor ' s Famine Relief Fund .

Recent payments will be within our readers recollection . An interesting item ol" expenditure was the payment of the cost of publication " of Lane ' s " Masonic Records . " Few , however , will be found to cavil with regard to such an item . The Grand

Lodge Library i * ¦ ane of the most complete of its kind , and is arranged in its new quarters so as to be readily accessible to every Masonic student , and the amount expended on it varies from / , ' so to £ 100 a year , in addition to tiie stipend of the

Sub-Librarian . The Fund of Benevolence is maintained by a levy of is . a quarter upon London brethren—collected from the lodge and half that amount from Provincial brethren . Brethren in Districts ure exempt from payments to Grand

Masonic Jurisprudence.

Lodge , but generally have to contribute to Local Benevolent Funds . Fees of honour , dispensations for non-residence , and dividends make up the total income . In 1 S 97 thc quarterages amounted to £ 10 , 785 2 s . ; dividends to £ 1170 2 s . 4 c ! . ; ancl fees £ 159 12 s—or i { per cent , of the total of £ 12 , 114 16 s . 4 d .

The Fund is administered by a special Board , whose President was , within recent years , advanced to the rank of an officer of Grand Lodge . The Board is nominally most extensive

comprising all past and present Grand Officers and all Masters of lodges , together with 12 Past Masters who are elected . In actual practice , the latter are often described as the Board . Two Vice-Presidents are also elected .

. Article 234 defines the qualifications of applicants for relief who must have been each of them a subscribing member to a contributing lodge for at least two years—certain exceptions being specified . It is undesirable , and in fact impracticable to make laws and regulations which shall reduce the administration of

charity to an exact science . Certain preliminary conditions are specified in the Constitutions , but their very wording shows the anxiety of Grand Lodge not to fetter the discretion of the Board , e . g ., Article 247

" No petition shall be read unless the petitioner attend the Board in person except in the case of widows and children , sickness , lameness , imprisonment , or residence in the country . "

The amount given vanes from £ 5 to as high as £ 200 , and sometimes even higher , regard , of course , being had in the case of large amounts to any services the brother may have rendered thc Craft .

Every case has to be recommended by a lodge of which the applicant is , or has been , a member , and theveryimportant question is always asked whether at the time he was admitted he was in reputable circumstances . Masonry is not a sick club or a benefit society , although it is a commonly received opinion among thc

profane that it is . I he question asked the candidate for initiation as to the favourable opinion he preconceived of the Order , does not exclude the needy man , who naturally would preconceive the most favourable opinion possible of an Order which hc thought would relieve his necessities whenever they arose ,

Some time ago the District Grand Master of the Punjab referred to many instances that had come under his notice of brethren who spent a large part of their income in joining various lodges and concomitant Orders , and he referred particularly to the case

of a brother who was a member of , and subscribed to , three lodges , two chapters , a Mark lodge , ancl the R . A . M ., and who was applying ( or relief . A creditable record of continuous membership of one lodge is a far greater recommendation to the Board than membership of half a dozen .

Freemasonry in itself is not expensive , but there are many brethren who can attribute some part of their present neediness to the expenses they incurred in connection with the Craft . It is not the two guinea subscription , but the expensive dinner , the costly summer out , the testimonials to retiring officers ,

sometimes even extending to the wives of eminent brethren—no hesitation need be felt by any brother in letting it be known that he cannot afford all these things . If expensive habits are acquired in a lodge room , they will not stop there , and it is far better to make a stand at once than , as the result of it all , to appear before the Board of Benevolence .

There is a phrase , in this connection , which will be familiar to every brother who attends lodge—" without detriment to myself or connections . " That saving clause is to be found wherever the obligations enjoin the sacred duty of charity ancl the relief of distressed brethren .

By Article 245 the Board expects to have laid before it every scrap of information , not only under the heads suggested , but as regards the prospects and the history of thc applicant . Not only is the Board entitled to have evidence in support , but it makes it a point of honour that the supporters shall state whatever they know that might seem to oppose the application .

As funds are not inexhaustible this is onl y fair . We mig ht conclude this article by pointing out lhat lhe sole charge for administering a fund amounting to £ 12 , 000 a year is the small cost of printing summaries of thc cases , whicli comes to about one-third per cent , of the total , or £ 40 ,

Provincial Grand Lodge (Eastern Division) Of South Wales.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE ( EASTERN DIVISION ) OF SOUTH WALES .

The annual meeting of tf . is Provincial Grand I . odge was held at the MasonicHall , Neath , on the 27 th ult ., under the banner of the Cambrian Lodge , No . 3 C 4 . There was a large gathering of wearers of the purp le . Masters , Past Masters , and brethren from the various lodges of the province . The lodge was opened a , t four in the afternoon , and li ord