Confirmation Of Minutes.

opinion . It seems to us , however , that Bro . MATIF . R ' S answer met the question fairly and squarely . He was asked to obtain the Board ' s opinion upon the point as to whether—( i ) it was necessary or proper that the minutes of each regular meeting of

a Lodo-e should be confirmed ; or ( 2 ) whether , as Bro . MURE put it , "Confirmation of minutes merely meant that the minutes were correctly recorded , " and his reply , made in accordance with the Board ' s instructions , was to the effect that it was their

opinion tin ; Minutes of a Lodge must always be put for confirmation , ' which is not only , as Grand Secretary put it , " the word always used in the Book of Constitutions , " but what is still more to the purpose , the word used and italicised by Bro .

LAMBERT in the question upon which he requested the Board s opinion . Will you , savs lie in effect , obtain their opinion on the questions , " is it necessary or proper to confirm the minutes of each regular meeting of a lodge , or should a vole be taken , "

& c , & c . ? and the Grand Secretary replies that the Board considers that minutes " should always be put for ' confirmation / " the reason he gave being that that was what the Book of

Constitutions required lo be done . There is nothing misleading in this answer , nor do we see how the question could have been answered more directly .

The matter , however , to which we are desirous of calling attention , is that , with all due deference to Bro . LAMBERT and those who are of his opinion , the interpretation he has put upon Article 126 , Mark Pi . of C , is an erroneous one . We demur to

Bro . LAMBERT ' S view " that the ' X . B . ' to Regulation 126 is misleading and irregular , and that onl y in the case of the election ' of W . M . is it necessary to con / inn the minutes , and even in this cast ? it is not the minutes that are confirmed , but the election of

the W . M . as recorded in the minutes . " As regards the " N . B . ' in Article 126 being " irregular and misleading , " and premising ( hat the Mark Rules on the subject of " confirmation " of minutes are , ri-rhtiliiii , almost precisely the same as those of Craft Masonry ,

we are of op inion that " N B . is both regular and necessary . The clause in the Mark Rule 12 b , reads " N . B . —Minutes can be confirmed only at the next rro ' itlttr meeting of the Lodge , " while the . | lh clause of Article 172 , B . C ., of the Craft is , as

we haye said , almost ¦ v-7- - */ - " --- the same , but the word " regular " is not printed in italics . It appears to us ( hat ( his " N . B . " is both " regular and necessary , " in order that W . Masters and others who are supposed to have some knowledge of our laws

anil lo be qualified lo interpret them , may know that it is only al a regular stated meeling of a lodge that the minutes of a meeting held previousl y can be confirmed ; in other words , ( hat minutes cannot be confirmed al a xin'ctttl or eimri / inil meeling .

The next interpretation which Bro . LAMBERT p laces on thai pari of Article <*(¦ of lhe Mark B . of C . —which in this and other respects an- the same as Article i , " o , Craft B . of C . —that treats of the confirmation of niiiiules , 'fhe Law provides— " At ( he ne \(

regular meeting "—thai is , after tbe new Master has been elected— " the first business alter the opening of the lodge shall be the reading of the minutes ol the preceding meeting , and il they be confirmed , so far . at least , as relates to the Election of

Master , he --. hall be deemed lo be dul y Elrclrd , " Mc ., Mc It Seems to US to be difliciill even lo impossibility to twist these words so as to impose upon them a meaning which , we are persuaded , they were never intended lo bear . Bro . LAMBERT '

natural acumen fails him when he goes on lo explain lhat " even in this case it is mil llx * niiiiules that are confirmed , but lhe Election of lhe W . M . as recorded in the minutes . " If Bro . LAMBERT had taken as much trouble to interpret

the Article in ils natural sense , as In- has been to force upon il a non-natural one , which in all probability the framers ol the present Law > nevrr m-n dreamt ol , In * would have n-alix-d

that ill- * law has a lar higher opinion ol eoiilirmalion o | minutes than he appears In base . h i > nol a mere verification oi Ihe correctness et lhe record ol what waa done , but a confirmation in lhe -ense ol a rai iln . it inn of what waa dom * or decided

to b < - done , MI thai lhe lodge m . 'iv be able , il il thinks proper , to re < oiisider the pfoi ei-ding-- of lln * preceding meeting . Bul tinlaw is \ erv particular in la \ ing il down lliat lhe new . MaM't <>| a lodge shall be ret .-iil . nlv elected at one -tate-l meeling , and ij Mich eh-iiion is 1 oiiliriueil at lhe ne \ t , then , and then onlv , 1 an he lie installed in the ( . hair . 'I In * meaning of the pru \ i .-. ion i-

Confirmation Of Minutes.

this—Minutes of meetings must be confirmed , i . e ., ratified at a subsequent , but not necessarily the next regular , meeting , except iii the case of the minutes relating to the election of a new Master who must be installed at thc next regular meeting

subject to the indispensable condition ( hat the choice of the members in respect of their AV . Master for the ensuing year i . s ratified in the manner prescribed b y the law—that is to say , by the confirmation of this particular portion of the

minutes . The other portions of thc minutes may be confirmed or non-confirmed , that matters not as regards the carrying on of the lodge , but in the case of an election of a new W . M . confirmation is necessary or there can be no installation ,

We shall not , for the present , at all events , carry the argument , further , but we shall g ladly give publicity to the opinions of those who take a special interest in this question .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES HY H . R . H . THE PRINCESS Oh" WALES . Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales , on Tuesday afternoon , attended at the Royal Albert Hall for the purpose of presenting * the prizes to the successful pupils of the Royal Masonic Institution " for Boys . Her

Royal Highness was accompanied by the Most Worshipful Grand Master , H . R . H . the Prince of Wales ; the Earl of Lathom , Pro Grand Master ; Earl Amherst , Deputy Grand Master , and Countess Amherst ; while in attendance on her Royal Highness was I . ady Emily Kingscote , and on

H . R . H . the Prince of Wales Major-General Sir Stanley Clarke . Bro . Lord Llangattock , Prov . G . M . South Wales ( E . D . ) , and Lady Llangattock ; Bro . the Earl of Radnor , Prov . G . M . Wilts ; Bro . Lord Leigh , Prov . G . M . Warwickshire , and Lady Leigh ; Bro . VV . W . B . Beach , Prov . G . M . Hants and the Isle ol Wight ; Bro . Lord Skelmersdale , and Lady Templetown were among other distinguished persons who had seats neir their Royal Highnesses .

The Royal party was received by the members of the Board of Management , Bros . C . E . Keyser , Treasurer ; the Rev . H . Hebb , Head Master of the School ; and J . M . McLeod , Secretary . On the Princess ol" Wales taking her stand at the table , Miss Keyser , daughter of the Treasurer , who has promised £ yh 10 towards building the

chaptl for the ncw School shortly to be erected at Bushey , presented her Royal Highness with a handsome bouquet . The whole of the company then joined in singing the National Anthem , Bro . G . !< * . Smith , Past Grand Organist , playing thc organ . The solo was rendered by Mr . Herbert Hilton .

lhe following is the report of the Head Master , ( he Rev . Harry Hebb , a copy of which was in the hands of all the company . The report and the list of prizes and their winners were printed by the boys at the School , and the work was highly creditable * . Gentlemen , —

I have ( he honour ( 0 submit to yon for the ninth time a short account of the work and conduct of the School during the past year . 'The work has been tested in a variety nf ways . Eirsl , by the 'Teaching Staff ; full delails have been laid before you by mc at your successive monthly meetings .

Secondly , by outside Examiners ¦— the Rev . T . J . Sanderson , M . A ., late EL-DOW of Clare College , Cambridge (" appointed by the University of Cambridge Syndicate for the Examination of Schools ) , Edwin Lott , Esq ., Mus . Doc , and Inspectors irom South Kensington—who periodically visit tbe Classes in Mathematics and Natural Science . The report of Mr . Sanderson dealing with the general class-work of every boy in the School lias been published in full for the

information of friends of the School , and I would , therefore , only call attention here to the words in which he sum * , up a long and minute report * . " A satisfactory Examination was passed , showing a general improvement since my last visit . The discipline of the School , so far as it came under my notice , was excellent . " Or . I . ott also states that the work and progress of lhe year have been better than ever

before . 'Thirdly , very many boys have entered for public examinations of various kinds . I append a list of these and 1 can honestly say that if in some previous year the number of certificates has been slightly greater , yet the work has never been 01 fuller or better iju . ility . I would especially call attention lothe successes of J . A . Coupland gained direct from the School .

In forming a judgment on th' * work of the School we ought to consider two points . The lirst is that owing to the insufficient accommodation of our buildings we have lo discbarge nearly all our buys a . s soon as tbey reach 15—the number over that age being at present only seven . How terribly this cramps me in the organising of a boy ' s educational life ' . How hardly it presses on the boys

themselves . A large proportion / ... must enter forthe Cambridge Local Junior at 1 1 . ! at ihe latest or th < y cannot enter at all . 'The candidates for lhe Senior are ol course in a still worse case . It means in fact that in a School where from the very nature of things development is later and the preparation needs to be more deliberate than usual , boy ¦ are unduly hurried in order to gain these certificate' ; brlorc leaving School , and fail to do theniselve full justice . I rejoice greatly

that the generosity of the Cult in Ihis centenary year is supplying us with larger and better cpiippcd buildings at Mu-diey , whereby we shall be enabled largely to incrcise the number of boy-. r ( lained to a higher a *; e . This will enable us to take our pal . lie examinations more deliberately , to get into touch with the hig her examinations , and solo establish a definite and permanent standard of education in lhe Si hool .

'The ¦ ¦ ecoiid point for consideration is the very wide training the School is now a . ' ning . Si , on a- , our school life is , yet it is not focusscd on any s ) J ) g ' - Kxaiiiinntnm , leinpiing u ¦ to i ram . A limitation of that kind mig ht brini ! »* ¦ *' b * w lecerliii . . ! . ¦ ., | , ' „ 1 ii would fo div limit tbe education the school ought to ¦** i <* . 1 J , ea- : ri ,, l ,,, „ ,. ); ,. , * - „ . rmn . ailum a- , wide as possible Thus in addition