Knights Templar.

Some of the Sir Knights present gave in thei names for installation as Knights of Alalia a t the forthcoming meeting . A very pleasant evening was spent and thc Fratres separated at an early hour .

The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

A desire to give exceptional prominence to the handsome and feeling tribute paid to the service and estimable qualities of the late Secretary to the Masonic Girls' School , Bro . E . H . J ' atten , prompted us to give that portion of the proceedings of the General Committee which referred to him

at length last week , and to abstain , from motives of delicacy , from reporting fully in the same number the discussion which followed , respecting his successor . AVe now continue ancl complete our report of what was declared by common

consent , to be the most animated and vigourous debate which has ever taken place at the meetings of any of our Alasonic Charities . In the numbers who attended it , in liveliness of retort , ancl in the evidence it furnished of a strong divergence of

opinion on matters of principle and points cf order , the last General Committee meeting ofthe Girl ' s School was more liken Grand Lodge Quarterl y Comunication on a " field night , " iu the old clays ,

than the staid and tame proceedings which ordidinarily characterise the afternoons of the last Thursday in the month at Freemasons' Hall . At the close ofthe discussion on Bro . Patten ' s

retirement and pension , Bro . Symonds \ ice Patron , proposeel in the speech reported last week , that the nature , duty , and emoluments of the office of Secretary be referred to the members ofthe House Committee , also the mode of election to the same office .

This having been seconded , Bro . J . C . Parkinson , P . AI . iSr , V . P ., at once moved as an amendment , "That this General

Committee do proceed to the election ol a Secretary at the meeting of the 28 lh November . " Bro . Symonds said that it was not an amendment at all . If put , it must be * put as original motion .

Bro . Joseph Smith : Yes , it may be put afterwards as an original motion . Bro . Joshua Ntinn , P . G . S . B ., as Chairman of the meeting , agreed with Bro . Symonds , ancl ruled that Bro . Parkinson ' s motion could not

be received as an amendment . Bro . J . C Parkinson : Then to make it an amendment , I will move that the nature , duty , and emoluments of the Secretary , ancl the manner of election be not referred to the House

Committee , but that this General Committee do proceed to the election on the 28 th November . Bro . Symonds r J 3 ro . Parkinson must be aware that he cannot alter the laws of the Institution

now , and that this Committee has no power except to act as the laws dictate . His amendment would be contrary to the law , which says that these matters must be referred to the House

Committee , and I submit that it cannot be put . Bro . J . C Parkinson : Surely I may move an amendment to a motion now brought before the Committee ? ( Cries of " Yes , yes ; " '" No , no ;" " Put the amendment ; " " You can ' t ; " "You

can ; " " Bring it on afterwards as an orgmial motion ; " " Don ' t give it up ; " ( during which Bro . Parkinson kept standing until Bro . Nunn ruled , as Chairman , that the amendment could

not be put , as its terms were contrary to the law , which provides that the matters embraced in Bro . Symonds ' s resolution shall be referred to the House Committee . ) liro . Parkinson then resumed his seat , under protest , and not until he had been informed by the Chair that , ho could

The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

only bring forward his proposition later , and as an original motion . Bro . Symonds ' s motion was then put , when Bro . Parkinson and a great number of the brethren abstained frem voting , and it was carried . Then followed a brisk discussion upon the

day at which the House Committee ( now appointed as a Sub-Committee ) ought to present their report . One party among the brethren , held that a few hours would suffice to enable them to inform the General Committee of what they ( the House Committee ) had had ten months

( since the time of Bro . Patten s seizure ) to think over ; while another section of the meeting , foremost among whom were Bro . Nunn , the Chairman , Bro . Symonds , Bro . Browse and other Llouse Committeemen , maintrrined that the duty entrusted to the House Committee could not be performed under 28 days

as a minimum . Bro . Joseph Smith , P . G . P ., wound up a somewhat desultory discussion , with a few shrewd and humorous remarks , ridiculing the alleged necessity for a month ' s consideration , ancl assuring the meeting that any business man could settle all the points referred to the House Committee in a few hours .

Bro . Symonds eventually agreed to alter his motion for the day of receiving the House Committee ' s report from the 28 th ., at which it ori ginally stood , tothe 14 th November . Bro . J . C Parkinson r Aly one anxiety is to see this vacant Secretaryship efficiently and

promptly filled ; and I therefore ask the Chairman formally when the day of the election will be . Let us , at all events , know something definite . There has been , surely , enough procrastination and delay ( Hear , hear ) , and I can see no good reason for the strangely dilatory policy which has been and is being pursued .

Ihe Chairman : Bro . Parkinson asks me to answer his question when will the day of the election be ? If Bro . Parkinson wil ! tell me how many candidates will apply , and how many testimonials we shall have to consider , then , perhaps , I might be able to give him what he asks , a definite answer . As it is , I cannot .

Bro . Symonds thought it would not be practicable to name any clay for the election now . The wiser course would be to leave that in the

hands ofthe Sub-Committee , with the understanding that there should be no unnecessary delay ; but that the General Committee should receive and consider their report , and proceed to the election as early after that as possible . Bro . I . C . Parkinson : Under these

circumstances J shrill propose a motion which will , I hope , have the ell ' eet of clearing the air . I regret , liro . Chairman , to have risen so frequently before , and to have given you so much trouble by my importunity . The amendment you refused to put had beeu carefully considered , ancl I can only

hope that the motion I am about to propose will meet with a better fate , for I must protest against ( his election being delayed unnecessarily upon any plea whatever . 1 have listened attentively to the reasons advanced for the course of vagueness recommended to us , and the arguments which

have been urged with so much ability by Bro . Symonds , and none of them seem to me to weigh appreciably against the plain hard fact that our Girls' School is to day without a Secretary , legally , just as it has been without one , practically , for ten long months . I do not care to

make this matter for blame or regret . I am not here to censure , or even to criticise what 1 have heard animadverted on as the procrastination of the House Committee , in not bringing matters to a conclusion earlier , and in allowing the best part of a year to glide away without making any

sign . 1 prefer to lake a different view , and to admire the delicacy which shrank from bringing the cruel truth home to an aged friend , that i ' or him life ' s business is over ; and to sympathise with the kindliness which , doubtless , prompted our House Committee to hope even against hope that Bro . Patten would once more take his place

m their midst , and so spare them , for the tune , the pain of declaring that his infirmities made his superannuation imperative . But after making full allowance for snch generous and disinterested considerations , it is impossible to close one ' s eyes to the fact that ten months have gone , that for a great portion of that time ihe House Committee , has been perfectly aware of tho im-

The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

possibility of Bro . Patten ' s return—indeed they told me so with the utmost frankness this day month , when I carried the motion , which has resulted in his retirement , ancl that the House Committee ' s views , and plans , and schemes , concerning the emoluments , the duties , the

conditions—perhaps even the candidates—for this office , must be by this time pretty well matured . ( Hear , hear , and laughter . ) AVe have , most of us heard , at all events , of brethren who IHITC been named as likely to become candidates for this office . I confess freel y that I have

considered the subject a good deal , and that I have made up my mind as to which candidate I shall feel it my duty in the interests ofthe Charityfor I have no other motive or feeling—to support . I venture to say that if the heart of every man in

this room were open to us , we should find that he , too , had formed some opinion , and that the judgment he has arrived at will not be sensibly affected by what he will learn from anyreport , howeverlong considered , ancl however long delayed . So far as the House Committee "is concerned .

such is my confidence 111 their knowledge and experience , that I am positive they could retire into an adjoining room , and in half an hour present us with an admirable report upon all the subjects it is proposeel to entrust to them . But brethren , I demur to thc inference that we

are not at all able to form an opinion concerning the qualifications for this Secretaryship , or that the right of private judgment is to be given up . The duty of a Secretary is , I imagine , to discharge secretarial functions , and while it will be necessary to have some technical guarantee that

the brother selected is so far capable ; we , the General Committee , the Life Governors of the Charity , the men charged with the solemn trust of appointing the best man we can secure , are , I submit , bound to exercise our judgment upon qualities on which no number of reports from

Sub-Committees and no multitude of adjournments could by any possibility satisfy us . ( Loud cries of Hear , hear . ) AVhat have we to gain then , what would the Charity profit by deferring the election ? ( Cheers . ) Delays arc proverbially dangerous , and never more so than

in a case of this kind , when candidatures and rumours of candidatures crowd upon each other , and where every clay seems to make the gossip more extravagant . It is an old story that byslanders see most of the game , ancl the House Committee and the proposers of this resolution

would be astonished if they could hear the strange and incredible inventions as to motives and policy which mendacious wise-acres have been setting afloat , and which have been forced upon those who have , or are supposed to have , any influence on this election . I will not

quote one of these gossiping imputations—J repudiate them utterly . Jiut I do venture to warn all concerned that any unnecessary delay in filling up this appointment will be followed hy another crop of mares' nests , the product ol that feverish uncertainty , which I maintain tube as unhealth y

for candidates as it is beneath the dignity of the Craft . Aloreover , who can look at the period ofthe Alasonic year , or the state ofthe Girl ' School Stewards' list without feeling convinced that it is high time an active Secretary were up and doing , if he would retrieve lo § t ground , ancl follow ,

at ever so humble a distance , in the wake of the indefatigable representative of the Boys' School . AVhy , brethren , I hear that our brother Binckes has by his unrivalled energy brought together a list of several thousand pounds for his next festival , and I say all honour to him for it , and

may he soon lind 111 a new Secretary to tne Girls ' School a foeman worthy of his steel , and may the generous rivalry between the two Institutions soon flourish with increasing vigour . ( I [ ear hear . ) hear . ) Emoluments , oilice hours , conditions of service !— -these are details which we can settle

later . Our pressing duty is to secure the very best man we can find , and to bid him God-speed on his holy mission without an unnecessary delay of a single hour . ( Cheers ) . Let the General Committee elect a Secretary with the understanding

that the r-Tiiis of his appointment will be subject to revision , and I have no sort oi doubt but that the best men iu the field will be willing to accept the post on these conditions and without inquiry as to terms- —( laughter)—satisfied that thet « will be equitable and jst . Bt don ' t letuu