The Next Festival Of The R.Oyal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE NEXT FESTIVAL OF THE R . OYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

It is about time wc reminded our readers lhat the day on vvhich the next Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution will be celebrated is by no means far distant . Within three months from now it will have come and gone , and the fortune in store for this most excellent Charity vvill be known throughout the Craft generally . We need not , therefore , make

any apology for presenting to our friends such a resume of its present circumstances as may have the effect of inclining those lodges and brethren vvho have not yet committed themselves to the support of either of our Charities to render to this particular Institution such aid as it may be in their power to give during the coming year . In the first place then , so far as the

arrangements of the approaching anniversary are concerned , vve repeat what we vvere in a position lo announce a fortnight since , that Bro . Col . G . NOEL MONEY , C . B ., Prov . G . M . of Surrey , has very kindly undertaken to preside as Chairman , the date and place of meeting being the 28 th February next and Freemasons' Tavern respectively . As for the Board of Stewards , which

will support the Chairman , and on the success of whose canvass so much depends , vve are not at present in a position to speak very hopefully . Bro . TERRY , the Secretary of the Institution has , as usual , been untiring in his efforts to obtain the services of brethren to act in this capacity , but vve regret to say that up to now those efforts have not been such as he and the friends

and supporters of the Institution must desire . In ordinary years vve look to sec about this time the Board constituted to the extent of from 150 to 200 brethren , but we regret to say the number , according to the latest information that has reached us , is only about 110 . There is , therefore , a considerable amount of leeway to be made up , and we sincerely trust that in the course

of the next few weeks such an addition will be made to the Board as will bring it as nearly as possible to a level with the average of past years , so that about Chiistmastide we may feel ourselves justified in hoping that the return of subscriprions and donations vvill not after all be so very far below the returns of ord ' nary years . Then knowing , as vve do , vvhat heavy

demands were made upon the Craft in 1892 , when the Jubilee of the Institution vvas celebrated vvith such magnificent success , vve fully recognise that the claims of our two scholastic Institutions must be kept prominently before thc Masonic public . But , at the same time , we bear in mind that those vvho find themselves compelled to apply for the benefits of the Benevolent

Institution are old men and women , who are for the most part without friends as well as without means , vvho have little or no chance of bettering their sad condition by any efforts of their own , and vvho have , indeed , as a rule , no other prospect awaiting them , if they fail in their attempts to bc elected upon the funds of this Charity , than that of the Union . And these arc brethren ,

or the widows of brethren , who , through adverse fortune , have fallen into a state of abject poverty and distress . They vvere at one time in comfortable circumstances , while not a few of them lived in a condition of aflluence ; but their means have left them , and the one hope that sustains those applicants whose claims upon the Institution have been admitted is that they may

secure election as speedily as possible , and so end their days in comparative comfort . Unfortunately , there is a limit beyond vvhich it would be an act of the highest imprudence to extend the benefits of such a Charity as this , and that limit , at all events for the present , has already been reached . The expenditure in annuities alone is about three times as great as the

permanent income , and the Committee of Management and their worthy Secretary havc as much as they can to do to raise the sum annually required to meet the expenditure . Therefore it is that though only two years have elapsed since the response to our appeal in their behalf was so nobly made at the aforesaid jubilee , we arc again importuning the Craft generally to be generous as heretofore in their support of the " Old People ' s" Festival .

1 he following circumstances vvill , no doubt , serve to emphasise this appeal At the annual election in May last , there vvere , in spite of the efforts vvhich of late years have been made to keep the lists within reasonable bounds , no less than 115 candidates , namely , 60 men and 55 widows ; but of these it was possible to elect only 20 men and 12 widows , the three deferred

annuitants on each Fund being included in these figures . Thus there were left unprovided for , but still eligible for admission to the benefits of their respective Funds , 40 men and 43 widows , and though these numbers will , in all probability , be reduced between novv and thc election in May ,

1894—indeed , if our memory serves us rightly , a few deaths among the accepted candidates have already been reported by the Secretary—it is tolerably certain that close on So of this year ' s unsuccessful candidates will figure in the lists of next year . To these will have to be added the candidates accepted during the current year , and if these constitute a fair average contingent , vve

The Next Festival Of The R.Oyal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

shall probably find the total array of candidates which , for the past year or two has shown a tendency to diminish , at least as formidable as ft was in May last , if , indeed , it docs not more nearly appproach to the 137 who were on the lists in 1892 . Then , as regards the monetary side of the question , there are now 192 men receiving / 40 per annum

each and 240 widows £ 32 per annum each , these 432 annuitants who constitute the present fixed establishment receiving amongst them . £ 15 , 360 ; while the sum distributed amongst the widows vvho are allowed to receive half their late husbands' annuities increases the total required for annuities alone to very little short of ^ 16 , 000 . Another ^ 3000 a year is required . f . qf

expenses of management and maintenance of Asylum at Croydon , so that the total sum required each year to enable the Committee of Management to carry on the Institution under existing circumstances is about £ ig , ooa . To meet this outlay there are the grants from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter amounting together to ^ 1750 , and the interest on the invested capital , whiclj

yields about £ 3500 a year ; the two heads of receipt furnishing a total sum of £ 5250 . Thus our readers will have no difficulty in perceiving that in order " to make both ends meet and leave a slight margin over for contingencies an annual festival in aid of the R . M . B . I . should yield between ^ 14 , 000 and ¦ £ 15 , 000 . In the Jubilee year £ 69 , 000 was returned , of vvhich £ 50 , 006 was

invested , the permanent income being thereby increased by about £ 1500 a year . But at the Fesival in February last the Returns reached only to about j £ S 8 oo , a very admirable return and one most creditable under the circumstances to all who had a hand in obtaining it , but still short of the year's requirements by , in round figures , some £ 6000 . Hence

it becomes all the more incumbent on the Craft to render such assistance to Bro . Colonel MONEY , who will preside , as will enable the authorities of the Charity to carry on their beneficent work without trenching even in the slightest degree on its hard-earned capital . Let the year ' s requirements be satisfied out of the year ' s receipts , but in order to ensure this

very desirable consummation , a much more numerous Board of Stewards will be required than Bro . TERRY , withall his energy , has hitherto succeeded in obtaining . We therefore and most earnestly reiterate our appeal to those lodges and brethren who are not , as we have said , already com " '

mittcd to thc support of either of the thrce Institutions to permit themselves to bc enrolled as Stewards in behalf of our " Old People's " Institution . It is much in need of their support , and we trust that on the appointed day it will be forthcoming .

United Grand Lodge Of England.

UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND

The Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England was held on Wednesday evening , in the Temple , Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen-street . Bro . the Right Hon . trie Karl of Mount Edgcumbe , Deputy G . Master , presided , Bro . W . W . Br . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . M . for Hants and the Isle of Wight , acted as Deputy G . M . ; Bro . Thomas Frederick Halsey , M . P ., Prov . G . M . for Herts , as Past Grand Master ; Bro . Victor A . Williamson , C . M . G ., acted as S . G . W . ; and Bro . the Right Hon . A . Akers-Douglas , M . P ., the J . G . W . of the year , was J . G . W . There vvere also present :

Bros . Lord George Hamilton , M . P ., Prov . G . M . for Middlesex ; H . D . Sandeman , P . D . G . M . Bengal ; S . Cochrane , G . Treas . ; L . G . Gordon Robbins , G . D . ; Col , G . Noel Money , C . B ., Prov . G . M . Surrey ; Sir Albert Woods , K . C . M . G ., C . B . ( Garter ) , G . D . C . * , Thos . Fenn , President Board of General Purposes ; Robert Grey , President Board of Benevolence ; E . Letchworth , G . Sec ; K . A . Philbrick ,

O . C , G . Reg . ; R . D . M . Littler , D . G . Reg . ; Samuel Pope , Q . C , P . G . D . ; Horace B . Marshall , P . G . T . ; Ralph Gooding , M . D ., P . G . D . ; Ex-Sheriff Hutton , P . G . D . ; Richard Eve , P . G . Treas . ; and about 800 other brethren . After Grand Lodge had been opened in due form and the minutes had been read by GRAND SECRETARY and confirmed ,

Bro . the Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMIIE said : I will novv read the communication I received from Sir Francis Knollys on behalf of his Royal Highness the Grand Master : Marlborough House , 21 st October , 18 93 . Sir Francis Knollys is desired by his Royal Highness the Most Worshipful

Grand Master of Freemasons of England to thank the Grand Officers and brethren of United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England for their address and kind congratulations and good wishes on the occasion of the marriage of his Royal Highness the Duke of York with the Princess Victoria Mary of Teck . —( Applause ) .

Bro . the Karl of MOUNT EDGCUMBE : Brethren , —I will first of all move that the letter vve have received from the M . W . G . M . be entered on the minutes of the lodge . Bro . W . W . B . BEACH , D . G . M ., seconded the motion , which was then put and carried . Bro . ALFRED COOPER , P . M . 259 : Most Worshipful Grand Master in the chair . —No one can appreciate more than I do having the [ great pleasure of