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of Benevolence . He had been asked to withdraw the motion ,, but he asked them to vote for it . One brother who asked him to to withdraw , said , "Oh ! you are only a great Benefit Society . " He believed that Masonic Charity was best demonstrated —( hear , hear ) —best of all in the Lodge ol Benevolence . It had also been said that these grants tended to pauperise the recipients ; but what he understood by a

pauperising gift was the giving something- to a man which tended to prevent him making any exertion for himself ; that which will reduce him to such a level that he will never work for himself again . But he believed in the main that the grants of the Lodge of Benevolence did good to poor Masons and to the widows and children of decayed Masons . They ought not to spend the principal ; it was not expedient to have another festival , and it was expedient , in his opinion , to increase the quarterages in the way proposed .

Bro . HOLDEN , in seconding the motion , said that they had been told that the grants had been increased beyond the annual income ; but they had not heard that the increase of a sixpence would stop the increase of the grants proceeding . If the sixpence extra would make up the deficiency , and if there were a little more discretion in the Board of Benevolence , then he could see that their iunds were likely to regain the position which they

once held . As he had heard a brother say , " We have got lots of money , let us give it ; we have got lots of funds , why should we not distribute them ? " He ( Bro . Holden ) thought they had better get rid of the fund , and then they would be able to call upon the annual income . It was not sufficient that an applicant be worthy and deserving of relief , to warrant the Board in giving i , ' ioo : they ought to look to their income .

Bro . TOMBS spoke to oppose the motion , and did so because he felt that It would disorganize every lodge in his province . He thought that the reception the subject had met with in thc provinces would be warning to the Lodge of Benevolence to be a little more circumspect in the grants they gave ; because it was perfectly preposterous that if your income was ^ 2000 , you should go and live at the rate of ^ " 3000 . With regard to the province

, which he had the honour to represent , it was necessary for him to state one or two facts . They had to pay two shillings a-year to Grand Lodge ; they had to pay another two shillings a-year to their own charity fund . Without referring to the metropolis , he would confine his remarks to the provinces , and especially to the province which he represented . They had a fund , exactly similar to the Lodge of Benevolence , to which they contributed from

2 s . 6 d . to 5 s . ; in fact , they gave from 7 s . 6 d . to 10 s . per annum out of a guinea ; and he might , therefore , say that they had nothing whatever left for anything further . The province recognized the Charities , but also their duties locally ; and the fact was that they did not send up so many applicants to the Board of Benevolence as the metropolis did , because they " relieved them themselves . He thought that the provinces were doing their duty

and ought not to be called upon to contribute to increase a fund for grants contrary to all common sense . He , therefore , opposed the motion . Bro . BIRKENHEAD said Bro . Clabon seemed to have laid a stress upon the fact that they had just confirmed very heavy grants , but it would be difficult for them to discuss the circumstances so as to rsgulate the grants recommended to them . As to the feeling of the lodges in the provinces , it

appeared to be that they must cut their coat according to their cloth . He was there partly to represent North Yorks . Out of twenty-seven lodges there were only one in favour of the motion . Bearing in mind that they sent up for the Masonic Charities about £ 40 , 000 a year , and to the Lodge of Benevolence say £ ' 10 , 000 . They had in the province a benevolent fund ; besides which some lodges had a benevolent fund for educational purposes ,

and for the relief of decayed Masons . Their lodges were ill able to bear the present strain upon them , and he was perfectly sure with this increased grant they would do wrong to themselves and wrong to the order they belonged to . They had greatly increased since H . R . H . had become their head , but they have not increased in what they ought to have , good men and good Masons . He was afraid when these grants appeared in the papers ,

a certain class of men said " What a good thing Freemasonry is ; if anything happens to me . my wife and children will be provided for . " He would like to see men proposed who would belikely nevertohave a claim upon the charities . The subscription to many lodges was very small , some eight shillings and sixpence to ten and sixpence ; he would like to see a yearly subscription of

not less than twenty-one shillings ; more if possible ; so that an intending entrant might be prompted to consider not only the four , five six or seven guineas to be paid the first year , but also that he would have to provide for paying an annual subscription of a guinea . Aftera few further remarks the speaker resumed his seat .

Bro . J OHNSTON said that he rose , as a Provincial Grand brother , to represent a number of brethren who were unable to be present on account of distance or the nature of their avocations . He was Provincial Grand Secretary for the Western Division of Lancashire , and he would address himself to the point whether there was any claim upon them as there was in respect of London brethren . In the north of England they had many

brethren going about from town to town seeking work , whom they had frequently to relieve . So much had such claims increased upon them , that in some parts they were oblighed to have Relief Committees , at which they had from three to four applicants for relief at a time . In Liverpool they were rather worse off than in other towns , because , from one reason or another , they had brethren who had returned from the

Colonies with the idea of improving their position , and being disappointed of their object , desired to return to the Colonies ; and these brethren were passed on to Liverpool by the brethren in the inland towns , who only paid their railway fare . They had always been able to comply with the demands upon them , and they had always been able to find the money where it had been to help a worthy brother . They had to pay two shillings to Grand

Lodge and two shillings to Provincial Grand Lodge , besides other calls ; they were educating 1 S 40 children ; they had an annuity fund on which there were forty annuitants . They sent up to Grand Lodge two shillings out of every brother's subscription ; they were doing their share fairly and manfully , and if further money were required , and further claims made upon themhe was quite sure that if the brethren were satisfied of the justness

, of those claims the money would be provided ; but , on the part of his province , he must vote against this motion . The brother concluded that good would result by increasing thc time during which a brother must have been a Mason to render him eligible as an applicant , from two to live years . Bro . J AMES STEVENS said that he lor one would most certainly support

Bro . Gabon ' s motion , only that he would wish to go further than the motion went , by stipulating for equal quarterages being required from metropolitan and ' provincial brethren alike . The provincial brethren at the present timecontributcd aboutas much asthe metropolitan , and they had their own funds from which they derived an additional benefit ( which the London brethren did not enjoy ) before they came to the Board of Benevolence ,

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which they frequently did , for further assistance . He asked them to look back . Did not the provincial brethren who were relieved represent two thirds of the amount of that number ? He would propose that every Mason in hngland should pay equal quarterages to Gra ., d Lodge , and if provincial brethren desired to have additional local relief funds , by all means let them do it . As a man , he said , he was willing to pay the six shillinjrs a

year proposed , but he was averse to being mulcted in a larger sum than the provincial brethren . Bro . TENNANT opposed the motion . Bro . Clabon seemed lo think it a very easy matter to increase the quarterages , but to him it appeared to be a matter ot the greatest importance , and " he submitted that Bro . Clabon had not made out a sufficient case to induce Grand Lodge to give a vote in

favour of his motion . What were thc facts 7 Up to the year 1 S 80 thc grants had amounted to very much less than the income ; but for some reason , in 1879 , the expenditure increased from £ 4924 to £ 7 606 . Up to the year 1 S 79 the expenditure had increased gradually , as had the income ; but from what cause I do not know . That misrht be explained bv

savinsthat the Board had been most lavish in its expenditure , but he was unwilling to believe that . But there was another reason why this motion should not be agreed to , and that was , that if this £ 4000 , the estimated amount , was added to the l < und of Benevolence , it could only be done by being extracted from the funds of the various provinces . ( Cries of Vote , vote . ) ABOlV

u Cx , > , n re Pb ' . said that brethren would kindly remember that there had been no word of opposition from London , and he should first like to look at the results of what had been done that evening as between London and the provinces . Out of ei ghteen cases twelve were provincial and six London , and all the large ones were provincial . He asked the country brethren to give one shilling a year—all this grand oratory had been against paying one shilling a year .

Ihe vote of Grand Lodge was then taken with the following result ; For Bro . Clabon s motion , 1 S 2 ; against , 1 S 6 . The motion was therefore lost . Bro . CLABON said that if thc first motion had been carried he would have wished to press the other ; as it was he begged to withdraw the other . After some opposition permission was granted to Bro . Clabon to withdraw his second motion .

Bro . BUDDEN rose to propose the following resolution : IiberTar ^ n ^ nces f ' ^ ^^ ° bj ' eCtS ° ^^ asonry is to promote the nf W ^ tZT / J ^ Most Worshi p ful Grand Master His Royal Highness the Prince rnllS ^ f M ?* * g - ° i' ^ a F *? 1 National 'nstitution called The Royal Sn ? ft . r „ hsS H- = R T » - ^ rtly of a charitable foundation of 100 or more Scholar-S „ ™ ? n ]^ - ' ' £ . ness «**«« ithe co-operation and assistance of all public Corpoiations and great associations throughout the land . > Z tZrrt ^ M ° St W . " P "' Grand Master has rendered great and valuableservices to the Craft during his Grand Mastership , this Grand Cod ™ in rpmonit !™ of

M « Wn ^ lJMrf " fr 1 | choh » ' » PO » the aforesaid Royal College of S i ! m I k ° General Pu . P ° sf s be instructed to carrv this resolution into effect at the proper time by two or more instalments , as the Board may decide . Bro . BUDDEN , in making the proposition , said at that hour he would be as Onet as possible , and would , therefnrp . .- >«! .- it- hrotu ™~ ^ ~~~ ~ ... UI .

, . the usual stereotyped apologies , and to consider them " as read . " He had hoped that some brother of distinction in Grand Lodge , and of well-known repute in the Craft , would have brought such a motion forward , rather than one from a remote province , and little known to the members and officers of Urand _ Lodge . His remarks should be entirely confined to askintr and

f „ T , ? u v . " ,, ' l l r 0 Uld Grand Lod & e devote a"y portion of its funds to the charitable loundation of this institution ? and if the answer to hUH nL t - i i VaSmtIleaffi u r tive--11- ° S Grand Lodge to make this donation -. In answer to the first question , that whatever doubt might have existed on this point was entirely dispelled by a letter addressed bv the

n-Mvrw - ° u- l 0 dges and cha P ters on the re S ' ster of Grand Lodge . ill ^ ' ^ ' u ^ CapaC 1 , ty as headof tlle Craft desired " that each ™ Kf „ ft I S UU bC aSk ? , ° contri ° ute in their corporate capacity , and that individual Masons should be also asked to contribute a guinea each to the object , which their Grand Master has so much at heart . " Now , it a private od ge has the power to devote nart of its f „ nH < : t „

r , T 7 , SO u ¦?* "i eady used that Power-and if a Provincial ip -fr !/ r - devote a P ° rtio 11 of its fundslo 'his object-and r ™ . 1 11 " aI . ° dffCS have aIread > ' exercised that right-surely ^ ^ 0 dge $ } aIso , P ° ssess the right to contribute to the same charirtl r « E 5 . f dC"y that ngh - Grand Lod S ' was t 0 ^ y that a Provin-S M J \ n , l' ° A ' ° r u- " pnvate Iod £ * neater powers , and a more widely extended set of ob jects on which to exercise those n ™ than rmnA

wage itself . A part could not be as great as the whole ; nor could a fraclonhavemorepowerthana whole number ; neither could a single lodge-which ThffinM ^ ff ? 1 Gra ' L ° dge ~" avea power superior to it . Ihe Grand Lodge , then , had the power , and could assist this charity , as it WV „ K M ™^ . Previousl y other special and deserving cases-such as thc tS , „ T ^ Un ^ v- u Insh 1 <> mine Fu"d > the National Lifeboat Institution , and 0 hers . . With regard to the second question- " Ought Grand Lodge to assist this institution V " -he answered yes : for three reasons . ,.

nfrh ^ c . K 1 Y ° J ot thc " « reat relations , " if not one and t * fb ^ r » Sn ^ , , " * !» S doms , containing as it does the best blood fh ^ i rf ^ « f * i »» the whole empire s and it ought to take its place by institution ° h , f n nT b < £ ie ?'" Prom ° tin * what was not ollIy a great national daSilt lnH C a 7 ty aS WelJ' 3 - T ° set a" exam P to the P ^ vinreouest o f ^ \ 1 vfr ^ ° enco » ge 'hem to respond ' favourably to the l W ? J 0 9 Lod the directing

. T ^ ,, f ^; - ; . : -W ™ . ^ . " 4 ge was naturXf'lr T ^ T 'I * » . Craft ' Prwincia { -d >^ odges wouS natural 1 y follow its lead , either in giving or witholding support . It would be impossible to ask private lodges , with " any chance of success , to give to a chanty which Grand Lod ge declined to aid . 3 . As a solid and substainia expression of the hanks ot Grand Lodge , and a ° timelyand graceful recSt . oi of the vuiuable services rendered to Grand Lodge , and to thc Craft at large , by _ their Royal and Most Worshinful Grand MalP AS

whose orand Mastership the Order has flourished beyond all former precedent . The brother who had proposed there-election of His Royal Highness last year showed that during the five years of the Prince of Wales ' s administration of the Order the number of lodges had multiplied fifty percent , faster than at any former period ; and that during the same time their three irrcat Chanties had received increased contributions to thc amount of . £ 70 , 000-thc annual collective income having risen from £ 26 , 000 a vear to ir ~ . r 1

„ £ 4 ° , ? oo a year . Bro . Budden said that Grand Lodge had drawn largely on the time and attention of its Grand Master , and in a princel y way he had honoured the draft . This Grand Lodge and the whole Craft lincl , drawn largely on the position and influence ol their Grand Master , as the Heir