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Article Untitled ← Page 2 of 2 Article MASONIC BENEVOLENCE IN 1886. Page 1 of 1 Article MASONIC BENEVOLENCE IN 1886. Page 1 of 1 Article OBSERVATIONS ON BRO. LANE'S "MASONIC RECORDS." Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ar01000
those of every previous year . But it maybe pointed out by some , there have latterly been created many additional annuities , and where the amount annually distributed among our worthy old men and women pensioners was once only about £ 5 , 000 , it is now close on £ 14 , 000 . This is perfectly true and vastly
to the credit of our Society . Yet , in spite of these large increases from time to time , here we have nearly 130 or 140 men and women all advanced in years , all more or less without the means of support , except such as their relatives and friends , oftentimes in as great a state of poverty as themselves , can eke
out to them , and many sore stricken with illness or with their mental or physical powers for the most part broken down and incapable of further profitable exertion . This is a terrible picture to present to our readers , especially at a time when we are all looking forward so hopefully
to the somewhat brighter prospects of the New Year ; but it is in no wise exaggerated . Here are the two sides to this dreadful picture—On the one hand , some 130 or 140 old brethren and widows of brethren imploring us for the means to enable them to live out decently the brief remainder of
their days ; on the other hand , a present income which , having regard to the actual and deferred vacancies to be filled , will permit of there being elected about one in every thirty . The question to be considered now is—Cannot the brethren—and we know they vvill if they
canenable the Chairman and his Board of Stewards to raise such an amount of subscriptions at the Festival in February as vvill justify the Committee of Management in recommending to the general body of Governorsand Subscribers a substantial increase in the numberof annuitants ,
and , by so doing , reduce the large body of applicants to more manageable dimensions ? If they can , it vvill be a graceful act towards an Institution vvhich is doing so much good , while , if there were a sufficient increase in the Board of Stewards between now and the date fixed for the celebration
and the subscriptions and donations already promised were large enough , the Committee might at once , and fittingly , mark the Jubilee Year of Her Majesty , who is herself a Widow , by determining , at their meeting in
February , upon an extension of the widows Fund . We trust our readers will turn this matter over between now and Shrovetide , and as a result that the coming Festival will be conspicuously , and beyond all former anniversaries , successful ,
Masonic Benevolence In 1886.
MASONIC BENEVOLENCE IN 1886 .
The Returns we publish as usual show a very decided falling off , both severall y and collectively , in the amounts received by our three Institutions during the year 1886 , the onl y one of the three vvhich shows anything like a fair approximation to the total of the receipts for the previous year being the Girls' School , whose incomings were—in round figures—onl y £ 1200 less than in 1885 , while both the Benevolent and Boys' School show a decrease
as compared with that year amounting in the case of the former to somewhat less and in the case of the latter to rather more than £ 3200 . The decrease for the whole three taken together is as much as £ 7 600 . Indeed , taking the returns for the seven years , 1880-86 , we find that onl y in the case of 1881 are they below those of 1886 . But notwithstanding this , the yearly average for 1886 is higher by close on £ 300 than it was in 188 5 , this being
due to the fact that the period includes the years 1883 and 1885 , from vvhich the Returns were the highest ever recorded , being over £ 56 , 000 for the former and over £ 54 , 000 for the latter . If we take the three Institutions separately , we find that the Benevolent has increased its average bv some £ 60 , and the Girls' School by home £ 360 , while the Boys' School average is lower than it vvas last year by about £ 120 .
No doubt the figures we append vvill cause a considerable amount of anxiety among Craftsmen generally , but though we have no wish to make lig ht of the decrease they exhibit , we take the liberty of reminding our readers that the years 18 S 3 and 1885 , vvhich stand out so prominently as compared vvith the remaining years of the present septennial period were of an exceptional character . In both the Boys' School made a special
appeal to the Craft , in 1883 for funds to undertake the erection of the Preparatory School , and in 1 S 85 for further help towards completing the necessary expenditure for that object , while in the latter year the Benevolent Institution was also most urgent in its request for the means to cope , if possible , and to some extent , vvith the heavy list of applications as compared vvith the number of vacancies to be filled . If then we set these special claims aside , we shall have the consolation of knowing that the Returns for
1886 are not quite as unfavourable as they appear at first si ght . That they are below the requirements of our Institutions , especially in the case of the Benevolent , which is in a worse plight now than it vvas at the beginning of 1885 , is certain ; but it must not be supposed that the decrease from an ordinary year ' s return is represented b y the whole of the £ 7600 , but by a part only—a very considerable part , it is true— the rest of the decrease being due to the removal of the exceptional causes which led to su : h high figures in 188 3 and 1885 .
We give the returns as they have been furnished from headquarters , a slight re-arrangement of the details having been found necessary in the case of the Girls' School , so that our readers may be in a better position to compare the different heads of Receipt for the three Charities .
ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION . Donations and Subscriptions ,,. ... ... £ 14 , 435 ' 8 6 Dividends ... ... ... „ , ... - , 8 93 4 6 Grand Lodge ... ... ... ... ... 1 , 600 o o Grand Chanter ... ... ir-. « „
Legacy ... ... ... ... ... 25 o o Rent of Meadow ... ... ... ... 18 o o Interest on Cash at Call ... ,,, .,, ... 72 10 6 £ 18 , 194 13 6
Masonic Benevolence In 1886.
ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS . Donations and Subscriptions ... ... ... £ 12 , 096 8 6 United Grand Lodge—Annual ... ... ... 150 o o >> » „ —Special ... ... ... 1 , 000 o o Supreme Grand Chapter ... ... ... ... 10 10 o
Dividends—including "Sus ' qntation accounts" ... ... 1 , 771 11 10 Admissions under Law LXIII . ... ... ... 150 o 0 Music Fees ... ... ... ... ... 195 g 0 Interest on Deposit ... ... ... ... 5 8 17 3 Legacies ... ... ... ... ... 95 o o Miscellaneous .,. ... ... ... ... 19 5 3
£ iS . S 4 6 18 10 ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION PO' ? BOYS . Donations and Subscriptions ... ... ... £ 12 , 164 9 5 Music Fees ... ... ... ... ... 100 8 o
United Grand Lodge—Annual ... ... ... 150 o o Supreme Grand Chapter ... ... ... ... 10 10 o Sale of Lists of Subscribers ... ... ... 180 Dividends ... ... ... ... ... 5 S 0 o o Legacy ... ... ... ... ... 50 o o
¦ 413 , 056 15 5 The above are the figures forthe year 18 S 6 , while the annexed table shows ( 1 ) the amounts received by each Institution during the Septennial period , 1880—1 SS 6 , the fourth column containing the aggregate of the three for each year ; ( 2 ) the average per year for each Institution , as well as for the three taken together ; and ( 3 ) , the average receipt per year per Institution * .
R . M . B . I . R . M . I . B . R . M . I . G . Total . 18 S 0 £ 16 , 301 4 10 £ 15 . 673 is S £ 17 . 787 10 11 £ 49 * 762 11 5 1551 17 , 736 14 6 12 , 9 * 33 9 11 12 , 557 4 7 43 , 287 9 o 1552 16 , 595 7 7 14 , 879 15 8 15 , 969 15 S 47 , 444 18 11 1883 18 , 449 6 o 25 , 010 1 7 1 12 , 650 1 2 56 , 110 4 3 1 S 8 4 10 , 901 7 8 13 , 993 10 11 14 , 928 19 o 48 , 823 17 7 1555 21 , 374 7 1 16 , 272 16 o 16 , 768 19 6 54 , 416 2 7 1556 18 , 194 13 6 13 , 056 15 5 15 , 546 18 10 46 , 798 7 9
the ° 7 yea ° r S . }^ I 28 j 553 ' 2 £ m , S 8 i 0 S £ 106 , 209 9 8 £ 346 , 6 43 11 6
per year . } * £ lS . * 3 4 H 5 £ > 5 , 9 S 3 0 1 £ 15 , 172 ' 5 8 £ 49 , 520 10 3 Average per year per Institution ... ... £ 16 , 506 16 8 The following statement gives the number of cases relieved and the total of the sums voted in each month of the year b y the Board of Benevolence .
Month . Cases relieved . Amount . January ... ... 27 ... ... £ 715 February ... ... 34 ... ... 1015 March ... ... ... 50 ... ... 1071 April ... ... ... 40 ... ... 925 May ... ... ... 33 ... ... S 75
June ... ... ... 33 ... ... S 95 July •••... .. 32 ... ... 760 August ... ... 1 4 ... ... 480 September ... ... ifi ... ... 500 October ... ... 2 9 ... ... 940 November ... ... 41 ... ... 1060 December ... ... 44 ... ... 1447
3 S 3 £ 10 , 683 With reference to these figures , we are desirous of pointing out , in order to prevent any confusion ol ideas that mi ght arise among our readers , that the difference between the totals given in our yearly summary at the
close of Volume XIX ., and those above , is due to the different modes of reckoning the year in the two cases . In the summary the period vvas from ist December , 1885 , to 30 th November , 1886 * here it is from ist January , to 31 st December , 1886 . We drew attention to the number of cases and amounts granted last week .
Observations On Bro. Lane's "Masonic Records."
OBSERVATIONS ON BRO . LANE'S " MASONIC RECORDS . "
By BRO . R . F . GOULD . The Hindoo proverb , " The top of the strong will spin without a string , " is held to imply that a man who is fit for a good position vvill generally succeed in obtaining it . But it seems to me quite possible to extend the analogy , and to say of Bro . Lane ' s work that a publication of such merit is
sure to make its way into the public favour without the aid of well wishers , and in spite of any opposition from detractors . The compiler in this instance has brought to the prosecution of his task certain professional qualifications , without vvhich it may reasonably be assumed it would have been impossible to digest and arrange within the period of time actually
employed , what I may venture to term such a vast heap of statistical matter . The work is being ably reviewed in these columns , and if I trench upon the province of the reviewer , it will arise from accident rather than design , but it has occurred to me , that a few remarks from one who has worked his way through the same materials as were used bv Bro . Lane , may not be out of
place , as bearing testimony to the accuracy of his research , whilst leaving untouched , or , at all events , passing over very lightly , those points and matters falling more strictly within the method and arrangement of the work . I do not pretend to have collated the book vvith all the authorities that have been consulted during its compilation * but I have examined a
single portion of it vvith some care—relating to a department of inquiry in which I have been for many years a diligent student—and find that Bro . Lane ' s figures correspond with my own dates and entries , whilst the only difference between us appears to be that our respective methods of arrangement and classification are slightly dissimilar . The subject of investigation was " Military Lodges , " and here I may observe that the index of " Masonic
Records " —always excepting the topographical arrangement of the London Lodges—is so nearly perfect as to invite an occasional criticism , arising out of or suggested by its singular merit . Thus , I demur to the inclusion of the Bedford man-of-war as a vessel in vvhich there was a lodge . It is true Bro . Lane at no time strives to force his own spectacles upon his reader ' s nose , and the latter on referring to the body of the work ( p . 62 ) will find all the evidence arranged , on which the title of the Bedford , to be distinguished by
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ar01000
those of every previous year . But it maybe pointed out by some , there have latterly been created many additional annuities , and where the amount annually distributed among our worthy old men and women pensioners was once only about £ 5 , 000 , it is now close on £ 14 , 000 . This is perfectly true and vastly
to the credit of our Society . Yet , in spite of these large increases from time to time , here we have nearly 130 or 140 men and women all advanced in years , all more or less without the means of support , except such as their relatives and friends , oftentimes in as great a state of poverty as themselves , can eke
out to them , and many sore stricken with illness or with their mental or physical powers for the most part broken down and incapable of further profitable exertion . This is a terrible picture to present to our readers , especially at a time when we are all looking forward so hopefully
to the somewhat brighter prospects of the New Year ; but it is in no wise exaggerated . Here are the two sides to this dreadful picture—On the one hand , some 130 or 140 old brethren and widows of brethren imploring us for the means to enable them to live out decently the brief remainder of
their days ; on the other hand , a present income which , having regard to the actual and deferred vacancies to be filled , will permit of there being elected about one in every thirty . The question to be considered now is—Cannot the brethren—and we know they vvill if they
canenable the Chairman and his Board of Stewards to raise such an amount of subscriptions at the Festival in February as vvill justify the Committee of Management in recommending to the general body of Governorsand Subscribers a substantial increase in the numberof annuitants ,
and , by so doing , reduce the large body of applicants to more manageable dimensions ? If they can , it vvill be a graceful act towards an Institution vvhich is doing so much good , while , if there were a sufficient increase in the Board of Stewards between now and the date fixed for the celebration
and the subscriptions and donations already promised were large enough , the Committee might at once , and fittingly , mark the Jubilee Year of Her Majesty , who is herself a Widow , by determining , at their meeting in
February , upon an extension of the widows Fund . We trust our readers will turn this matter over between now and Shrovetide , and as a result that the coming Festival will be conspicuously , and beyond all former anniversaries , successful ,
Masonic Benevolence In 1886.
MASONIC BENEVOLENCE IN 1886 .
The Returns we publish as usual show a very decided falling off , both severall y and collectively , in the amounts received by our three Institutions during the year 1886 , the onl y one of the three vvhich shows anything like a fair approximation to the total of the receipts for the previous year being the Girls' School , whose incomings were—in round figures—onl y £ 1200 less than in 1885 , while both the Benevolent and Boys' School show a decrease
as compared with that year amounting in the case of the former to somewhat less and in the case of the latter to rather more than £ 3200 . The decrease for the whole three taken together is as much as £ 7 600 . Indeed , taking the returns for the seven years , 1880-86 , we find that onl y in the case of 1881 are they below those of 1886 . But notwithstanding this , the yearly average for 1886 is higher by close on £ 300 than it was in 188 5 , this being
due to the fact that the period includes the years 1883 and 1885 , from vvhich the Returns were the highest ever recorded , being over £ 56 , 000 for the former and over £ 54 , 000 for the latter . If we take the three Institutions separately , we find that the Benevolent has increased its average bv some £ 60 , and the Girls' School by home £ 360 , while the Boys' School average is lower than it vvas last year by about £ 120 .
No doubt the figures we append vvill cause a considerable amount of anxiety among Craftsmen generally , but though we have no wish to make lig ht of the decrease they exhibit , we take the liberty of reminding our readers that the years 18 S 3 and 1885 , vvhich stand out so prominently as compared vvith the remaining years of the present septennial period were of an exceptional character . In both the Boys' School made a special
appeal to the Craft , in 1883 for funds to undertake the erection of the Preparatory School , and in 1 S 85 for further help towards completing the necessary expenditure for that object , while in the latter year the Benevolent Institution was also most urgent in its request for the means to cope , if possible , and to some extent , vvith the heavy list of applications as compared vvith the number of vacancies to be filled . If then we set these special claims aside , we shall have the consolation of knowing that the Returns for
1886 are not quite as unfavourable as they appear at first si ght . That they are below the requirements of our Institutions , especially in the case of the Benevolent , which is in a worse plight now than it vvas at the beginning of 1885 , is certain ; but it must not be supposed that the decrease from an ordinary year ' s return is represented b y the whole of the £ 7600 , but by a part only—a very considerable part , it is true— the rest of the decrease being due to the removal of the exceptional causes which led to su : h high figures in 188 3 and 1885 .
We give the returns as they have been furnished from headquarters , a slight re-arrangement of the details having been found necessary in the case of the Girls' School , so that our readers may be in a better position to compare the different heads of Receipt for the three Charities .
ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION . Donations and Subscriptions ,,. ... ... £ 14 , 435 ' 8 6 Dividends ... ... ... „ , ... - , 8 93 4 6 Grand Lodge ... ... ... ... ... 1 , 600 o o Grand Chanter ... ... ir-. « „
Legacy ... ... ... ... ... 25 o o Rent of Meadow ... ... ... ... 18 o o Interest on Cash at Call ... ,,, .,, ... 72 10 6 £ 18 , 194 13 6
Masonic Benevolence In 1886.
ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS . Donations and Subscriptions ... ... ... £ 12 , 096 8 6 United Grand Lodge—Annual ... ... ... 150 o o >> » „ —Special ... ... ... 1 , 000 o o Supreme Grand Chapter ... ... ... ... 10 10 o
Dividends—including "Sus ' qntation accounts" ... ... 1 , 771 11 10 Admissions under Law LXIII . ... ... ... 150 o 0 Music Fees ... ... ... ... ... 195 g 0 Interest on Deposit ... ... ... ... 5 8 17 3 Legacies ... ... ... ... ... 95 o o Miscellaneous .,. ... ... ... ... 19 5 3
£ iS . S 4 6 18 10 ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION PO' ? BOYS . Donations and Subscriptions ... ... ... £ 12 , 164 9 5 Music Fees ... ... ... ... ... 100 8 o
United Grand Lodge—Annual ... ... ... 150 o o Supreme Grand Chapter ... ... ... ... 10 10 o Sale of Lists of Subscribers ... ... ... 180 Dividends ... ... ... ... ... 5 S 0 o o Legacy ... ... ... ... ... 50 o o
¦ 413 , 056 15 5 The above are the figures forthe year 18 S 6 , while the annexed table shows ( 1 ) the amounts received by each Institution during the Septennial period , 1880—1 SS 6 , the fourth column containing the aggregate of the three for each year ; ( 2 ) the average per year for each Institution , as well as for the three taken together ; and ( 3 ) , the average receipt per year per Institution * .
R . M . B . I . R . M . I . B . R . M . I . G . Total . 18 S 0 £ 16 , 301 4 10 £ 15 . 673 is S £ 17 . 787 10 11 £ 49 * 762 11 5 1551 17 , 736 14 6 12 , 9 * 33 9 11 12 , 557 4 7 43 , 287 9 o 1552 16 , 595 7 7 14 , 879 15 8 15 , 969 15 S 47 , 444 18 11 1883 18 , 449 6 o 25 , 010 1 7 1 12 , 650 1 2 56 , 110 4 3 1 S 8 4 10 , 901 7 8 13 , 993 10 11 14 , 928 19 o 48 , 823 17 7 1555 21 , 374 7 1 16 , 272 16 o 16 , 768 19 6 54 , 416 2 7 1556 18 , 194 13 6 13 , 056 15 5 15 , 546 18 10 46 , 798 7 9
the ° 7 yea ° r S . }^ I 28 j 553 ' 2 £ m , S 8 i 0 S £ 106 , 209 9 8 £ 346 , 6 43 11 6
per year . } * £ lS . * 3 4 H 5 £ > 5 , 9 S 3 0 1 £ 15 , 172 ' 5 8 £ 49 , 520 10 3 Average per year per Institution ... ... £ 16 , 506 16 8 The following statement gives the number of cases relieved and the total of the sums voted in each month of the year b y the Board of Benevolence .
Month . Cases relieved . Amount . January ... ... 27 ... ... £ 715 February ... ... 34 ... ... 1015 March ... ... ... 50 ... ... 1071 April ... ... ... 40 ... ... 925 May ... ... ... 33 ... ... S 75
June ... ... ... 33 ... ... S 95 July •••... .. 32 ... ... 760 August ... ... 1 4 ... ... 480 September ... ... ifi ... ... 500 October ... ... 2 9 ... ... 940 November ... ... 41 ... ... 1060 December ... ... 44 ... ... 1447
3 S 3 £ 10 , 683 With reference to these figures , we are desirous of pointing out , in order to prevent any confusion ol ideas that mi ght arise among our readers , that the difference between the totals given in our yearly summary at the
close of Volume XIX ., and those above , is due to the different modes of reckoning the year in the two cases . In the summary the period vvas from ist December , 1885 , to 30 th November , 1886 * here it is from ist January , to 31 st December , 1886 . We drew attention to the number of cases and amounts granted last week .
Observations On Bro. Lane's "Masonic Records."
OBSERVATIONS ON BRO . LANE'S " MASONIC RECORDS . "
By BRO . R . F . GOULD . The Hindoo proverb , " The top of the strong will spin without a string , " is held to imply that a man who is fit for a good position vvill generally succeed in obtaining it . But it seems to me quite possible to extend the analogy , and to say of Bro . Lane ' s work that a publication of such merit is
sure to make its way into the public favour without the aid of well wishers , and in spite of any opposition from detractors . The compiler in this instance has brought to the prosecution of his task certain professional qualifications , without vvhich it may reasonably be assumed it would have been impossible to digest and arrange within the period of time actually
employed , what I may venture to term such a vast heap of statistical matter . The work is being ably reviewed in these columns , and if I trench upon the province of the reviewer , it will arise from accident rather than design , but it has occurred to me , that a few remarks from one who has worked his way through the same materials as were used bv Bro . Lane , may not be out of
place , as bearing testimony to the accuracy of his research , whilst leaving untouched , or , at all events , passing over very lightly , those points and matters falling more strictly within the method and arrangement of the work . I do not pretend to have collated the book vvith all the authorities that have been consulted during its compilation * but I have examined a
single portion of it vvith some care—relating to a department of inquiry in which I have been for many years a diligent student—and find that Bro . Lane ' s figures correspond with my own dates and entries , whilst the only difference between us appears to be that our respective methods of arrangement and classification are slightly dissimilar . The subject of investigation was " Military Lodges , " and here I may observe that the index of " Masonic
Records " —always excepting the topographical arrangement of the London Lodges—is so nearly perfect as to invite an occasional criticism , arising out of or suggested by its singular merit . Thus , I demur to the inclusion of the Bedford man-of-war as a vessel in vvhich there was a lodge . It is true Bro . Lane at no time strives to force his own spectacles upon his reader ' s nose , and the latter on referring to the body of the work ( p . 62 ) will find all the evidence arranged , on which the title of the Bedford , to be distinguished by