Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADHRS— _ PAGE . The Approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... 217 Bro . W . C . Parsons's Motion re Candidates for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... ... ... ¦¦•217 Supreme Grand Chapter ( Quarterly Convocation ) ... ... ... 21 S Consecration of the Playgoers' Lodge , No . 2705 ... ... ... 2 i 3

Consecration of the Radctiffe Lodge , No . 2701 ... ... ... 219 Consecration of the St . Lawrence Council , No . 27 , Allied Masonic Degrees ... 219 Annual Dinner of the Old Masonians ... ... ... ... 220 Annual Festival of La Tolerance Lodge of Instruction , No . 53 S ... ... 221 Annual Festival of the Henley Lodge of Instruction , No . 1473 ... ... 221 Craft Masonry ... ... ... .,, ... ... 221

MASONIC NOTHSOuarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter of Fngland ... ... 223 Presentation to Bro . W . W . B . Beach by the M . W . G . M . ... ... 223 Consecration of the Wythenshawe Lodge , No . 26 SS ... ... ... 223 Half-yearly Meeting of the Sovereign Great Priory of the Order of the Temple ... ... ... ... ... ... 223 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 224

Reviews ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 124 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 224 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 225 Mark Masonry .,. ... ... ... ... ... 22 C Royal Ark Mariners ... ... ... ... ... ... 226 Lodges of Instruction ... ... ... ... ... ... 22 G Our Portrait Gallery .,. ... ,,. ... ... ... 226 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 22 S

The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

THE APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

The remarks that we have made in former articles in respect of tliis year ' s Festival in behalf of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls will have had this , if no other , result—that our readers will not be taken by surprise in the not improbable event of the Returns beinar on a far more moderate scale than we have been

accustomed to . When those articles appeared there was always a chance—a very remote one we are fain to admit—that , after all , the prospects might prove more encouraging than we had reason to anticipate . But we are now within a fortnight of the

day on which the Festival will be celebrated , and it appears to us that what was most unpromising two months ago is still less promising now . The number of ladies and brethren whom the worth y Secretary of the Institution has been successful in

inrolhng as Stewards for the occasion is , in round hgures , about - 'oo , and we may expect that between now and the iSth instant » ome 10 or 15 others will volunteer their services ; but the time is too short to allow of their doing much in the way of appealing

to their friends lor donations and subscriptions , and in all probability their lists will be restricted to their own personal donations . We mav , therefore , assume that for all practical

purpose's the Board of Stewards as now constituted will be the Board of the day , and though there have been occasions on which "ne consisting of about _ > oo members has raised a fair total

"i contributions , we are not prepared lor a repetition "I that experience during the year that will witness the Centenary Festival of ' •1 " - ' - Royal Masonic Institution for lioys . Moreover , we have been given to understand that a

l . irger proportion than usual even of the existing Board consists of I "attached brethren , so that the number of those who have taken 1 pon themselves to represent lodges , chapters , and Provinces , isinst , in the nature of things , be exceptionally small . We

naturall y regret that the outlook should be so discouraging . We ' ' \' e always hoped that the experiences of 1 SS 8 , when the ''iris' School celebrated its Centenary , and i 8 g 2 , when the '"•nevolent Institution held its Jubilee Festival , would be repeated

"' ' ^ yS ; but , though in both those years the other Institutions Wi re leagues behind the one that held out special inducements l " lod ges and brethren to support its special anniversary , the ^ 'iims of those other Charities were not entirely lost sight of , and enoug h was raised to enable them to do their work as usual , and

The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

without any serious misgivings on the important question of ways and means . However , the Girls' School authorities , like those of the Benevolent Institution , have wisely prepared themselves

to meet a shortcoming even more serious than any that is likel y to befal them , and there will be no reduction in the actual amount of invested capital which the Institution has been able to accumulate .

We understand that Bro . Alderman Sir REGINALD HANSON , Bart ., M . P ., Patron and Treasurer of the Institution , who has undertaken to preside as Chairman , will derive his chief measure of support from London , and as he is principally , if not entirely ,

a London Mason , we are pleased to hear that the lodges and chapters in the Metropolitan district have thus rallied round him in order to ensure , as far as possible , the success of his chairmanship . But , as at the Benevolent Festival in February , the

Provinces are the weak point in the constitution of the Board of Stewards , and we shall be delighted if the Returns from the country come within measurable distance of the sum that was raised two months since for the Old People . And yet there are

nearly three times as many lodges in the Provinces as in London , while of the children that are being educated in the School , there are certainly twice as many from the former as from the latter .

There is no need for us to say more than we have said in former articles as to the manner in which the Institution fulfils its duties towards the children that are placed under its charge . It is everywhere known that our Girls' School holds a foremost

position among the Middle Class Educational Institutions of the day . No year passes but we have the most gratifying evidence forthcoming of the excellence of the training which the children receive , while it is equally gratifying to know that from no other

School of its kind ( logins go forth into the world better prepared , both mentally and morally , to undertake whatever duties and responsibilities may fall to their lot . We trust this fact will not be altogether lost sight of in connection with the approaching anniversary meeting .

Bro. W. C. Parsons's Motion Re Candidates For The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

BRO . W . C . PARSONS'S MOTION RE CANDIDATES FOR THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

The paper of agenda at the annual general meeting on Friday , the 20 th inst ., of the Governors and Subscribers of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution contains a notice of motion by Bro . W . C . PARSONS—to which that brother drew

attention in a letter we published last week—for the amendment of Rule 13 , page 25 , o ' f the Rule .: and Regulations of the Charity , by adding after the word " proportion " the words " with the exception of two such vacancies , which shall be

reserved for the two candidates who have been longest on the list , if deemed worthy of the same . " In explanation of this , we beg to slate that for several years past it has been a law of the Benevolent Institution to elect for each Fund at each successive

annual meeting three more candidates than there are vacancies immediately available . As vacancies arise the three candidates thus elected become annuitants without further question . The law which has been found to work very well had its origin

in the fact that the Benevolent Institution has only one election in the year . It was felt to be a hardship that in the event of vacancies on cither Fund occurring within a few months of the election they should remain unoccupied for the best part of a