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CONTENTS . PAGE , North Wales Masonic Charitable Association ... ... ... 19 ' Camacnnrv in Norfolk ... ... ... ... ¦ ... 'Qt

Royal Afasonic Institution for Girls ... ... ... ••• > 9 2 Lodeesof Instruction ... ... ... ••• •¦• ••• 192 Annual Festival of the Woking Emulation Lodge of Improvement ... 193 rwenarv Celebration of the Prince George Lodge , No . 30 S ... ... 194

Annual Supper of the United Mariners Lodge of Instruction ... ... 195 Masonic Notes ... ... ... - - - ' 97 Correspondence ... . ... - - - 9 » Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... ... ... ••¦ 19 =

Dramatic Performance for Masonic Charities ... ... ¦•• ' 9 Obituary ... - - - •¦• •¦• - . ' 9 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ••• ••• ' 99 Royal Arch ... ... - - - - - 200 Mark Masonry ... ... ... ... ... - 200 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 202

North Wales Masonic Charitable Association.

NORTH WALES MASONIC CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION .

North Wales is not by any means what would be called a strong Province . During the last few years it has established two new lodges in towns previously unfurnished with any convenience for the performance of Masonic duties . But , even with

the addition of these , there are but 20 lodges on the roll of Provincial Grand Lodge , and sundry of these are located in small and comparatively unimportant towns . Nevertheless , since the

year 1885 , when it was dissociated from Shropshire , and formed into a separate and distinct Province under Bro . Lord HARLECH , it can point with pride to some very good work that it has clone in behalf of our Masonic Institutions . We are reminded of this

by the remarks which we made in our Analysis of the Returns at the Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys in the summer of last year , and which are quoted in the report of Bro . C K . BENSON , the London Representative of the Province . In

these remarks , after enumerating the sums raised by North Wales to the three Festivals , we added : " This gives a sum of £ 302 8 s . for the whole year , but is below the average of the three preceding years , the year 1892 having yielded . £ 495 12 s ., of

which the Girls' School received only £ 3 6 15 s ., the balance being pretty equally apportioned between the ' Old People' and ' Our Boys : ' 18 93 , £ 474 18 s ., of which this Institution absorbed the bulk ; 18 94 , £ 400 17 s . 6 d ., of which the same Charity secured

£ 2 9 i 4 s . However , the Province has done admirably during these four years , and it is probably by chance that the Returns are lower in the present year . " This testimony of ours as to the readiness of the Province to do its part in the charitable work of

I ' rcemasonry is borne out by the reports of the " North Wales Masonic Charitable Association " for 1895 . True , the Committee commence by expressingtheir regret that they should be under the Necessity of reporting "that there has been no material increase in

" ^ number of lodges represented on the A and B Fund lists forthe past year . In fact , owing partly to the accounts being closed on tlle 3 ist December instead of being carried on far into the new ) e ; i r , there has been some reduction in the number of subscribers ,

"hose names they are able to show in the report for the year I ( 95 " Still , on referring to the statements of account of the ' rill ( l B Funds respectively , we find as regards the former that le receipts , including balance of £ 4 . ios . 6 d . brought forward

r ° "i icS ' cj ^ amounted to £ 14 8 7 s . 6 d ., while the amount distributed ^ lls means among the three Institutions was £ 126 , the balance gaining in hand at the close of the year being , £ 22 7 s . 6 d . , lc l > or Provincial Fund account shows a total of receipts ,

uding balance brought forward of ^ , ' 8 3 19 s . 7 d ., amounting 1 I J 4 t > 5 s ., the expenditure reaching £ 54 8 s . gd ., and the ' ancc remaining to the good of the fund being £ 91 16 s . 3 d .

North Wales Masonic Charitable Association.

I his balance , indeed , would have been considerably larger had it not been for the outlay incurred in revising and printing the by-laws . Still it is impossible not to appreciate the full force of the appeal made by the Committee in the last paragraph but

one of their report , in which they beg " to remind the brethren of the great principle of Masonic Charity , and to entreat all , both individually and collectively , to do their utmost to strengthen and support them in this good work . " The lodges contributing to

the A or London Fund are only seven in number , while the number of those whose contributions are entered in the B Fund Statement of Account is 14 . As regards the A Fund , the figures contained in our own remarks , as quoted by Bro . BENSON from the Boys '

School Analysis of last year , show that a great deal more was done for the central Charities in London than appears in its account . Still , it is eminently desirable that the area of the Fund work should be enlarged . It is an easy method ,

that of contributing so much per annum in order to obtain life votes or votes in perpetuity , and we strongly counsel all brethren and lodges in the Province of North Wales , who do not feel equal to the payment in one sum of the amount qualifying them for Life

Subscnberships , to avail themselves of the opportunity afforded them by their Provincial Association . As regards the B , or Provincial Fund , which has been established ( 1 ) for the Education and advancement in life of the children of deceased or

indigent North Wales brethren , and ( 2 ) for making grants for relief to distressed brethren or their children , or the widows of deceased brethren or their children , it is one that naturally commends itself to the support of all lodges and brethren in the

Province , and we should gladly see the amounts contributed by them on a larger scale . However , there is a good working Committee with an experienced Chairman—Bro . C . K . BENSON

—which regulates the affairs of the Association , and we doubt not that in future reports we shall find that these appeals for a more extended support throughout the Province have been entertained to good purpose .

Freemasonry In Norfolk*

FREEMASONRY IN NORFOLK *

Chapter VII . treats of the " Order of the Temple , " the " Ancient and Accepted Rite , " and " Mark and Ark Masonry , " each of these systems being dealt with separatel ) , while the constitution and subsequent progress of the several lodges

belonging to each are accurately traced . In respect of the Templar Order , Bro . LE STRANGE states that "Sir JOHN MITCHELL RAMSAY , better known as the Chevalier RAMSAV , " was the chief agent in engrafting Knight Templary and the

High Grades generally upon Speculative Freemasonry , and that he ( RAMSAY ) , " in 1728 proposed to the Grand Lodge of England a new system of Masonic degrees , of which that of Kni ght Templar was one , but his proposals found no acceptance there . "

There is probably a considerable amount of truth in the allegation that RAMSAY was mainly responsible for the introduction of the High Grades into Freemasonry . The late distinguished brother who edited KENNING ' S " Cyclopaedia of Freemasonry "

states in his article on RAMSAY—who , by the way , was ANDREW MICHAEL , or according to FINDEL , MICHAEL ANDREW , but not J MITCHELL EAMSAY— " We fear that to RAMSAY must be

attributed that wondrous amplification of Masonic grades which has again led to Rites , " & c . FiNDKL , too , says : "He opened the door to the so-called High Grades , of which the injurious