Mark Benevolent Fund Festival.

MARK BENEVOLENT FUND FESTIVAL .

The 23 rd Annual Festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund is appointed to be held at the Freemasons' Tavern on Wednesday , the 22 nd instant , Bro . Viscount DUNGARVAN , Past S . G . W ., has very kindly undertaken to preside as Chairman , and the Board of Stewards which will support his efforts numbers at the

present time about 140 brethren . This l unci , as our readers are aware , has had its sphere of operations very largely extended during the past few years . Originally , its purpose was limited , like that of our Craft Fund of Benevolence , to relieving temporarily the pressing needs of worthy members of

this Degree who had fallen into difficulties . Subsequently its scope was enlarged , and there were established , firstly , an Educational and then an Annuity Fund , the children of both sexes of deceased or indigent Mark Master Masons being educated and in part clothed at the cost of the former , while under the laws

governing the administration of the latter , indigent brethren were awarded life annuities of £ 26 each , with a Christmas gift of £ 5 , and the widows of Mark brethren life annuities of £ 21 each , likewise with a gift of £ 5 at the same season . According to the Report of the General Board to the Quarterly Communication

of Mark Grand Lodge on the 2 nd ult ., there were at that time 14 boys and 15 girls receiving the benefits of the Educational Fund , and seven brethren and three widows on the Annuity Fund , the annual sum expended in behalf of the former being about £ 300 , and for the latter £ 205 . As the

invested capital of the General , Educational , and Annuity branches of the Benevolent Fund taken all together is only about £ 9000 , it will be seen at once that , with an expenditure of about £ 600 a year in respect of the Educational and Annuity branches only , it is most important that the Annual Festival should be made as

productive as possible , and that most desirable consummation cannot be accomplished unless ( 1 ) the Board of Stewards is a strong one , and ( 2 ) the efforts of the brethren constituting it to obtain the much needed donations and subscriptions are abl y and energetically directed . Last year the Festival , held under

the auspices of Bro . the Earl of EuSTON , Deputy Grand Master , was the most successful ever known since the Fund was established . The Board of Stewards—which included several

ladies—numbered 179 , and the total obtained was £ 2354 . This year , with only 140 Stewards , the prospect is not so encouraging . We trust , however , that the eloquence of the noble Chairman and the exertions of his Stewards will

secure such a Return as will suffice to meet the requirements of the year , and at the same time enable the General Board to increase by an appreciable amount the invested capital of all three branches . We earnestly appeal , therefore , to our Mark readers and Mark brethren generally to give all the assistance in

their power towards rendering the approaching anniversary a success which will compare favourably with the greater successes of recent years ; and that as one of the many means to this end the number of brethren acting as Stewards will be largely in-creased

between now and the day appointed for the celebration . In such case the probability that Bro . C . F . MATIER , the Honorary Secretary of the Board of Stewards , will be in a position to announce a goodly round sum will be greatly increased .

Approaching Jubilee Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

APPROACHING JUBILEE OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

Bro . TERRY , as Secretary to the Royal Masonic Benevolent institution , has just issued to the Worshipful Masters of lodges a Clr cular letter , in which he calls their attention to the fact that at the anniversary Festival in 18 92 will be celebrated the Jubilee A tne foundation of the Charity . It was in 1842 that the Male vnnuit

y Fund was established by Grand Lodge , and in 1849 , when ncient time had elapsed to show whether or not the Fund was a success , the Widows' Fund was added . At the outset 15 brethren nve widows were elected annuitants , the amount distributed mong the former in annuities being £ 305 , and among the latter ¦ W 5- In the circular referred to , Bro . TERRY , by way of illus-

Approaching Jubilee Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

trating the progress made by the two branches of the Institution , tells us that the number of male annuitants at the present time is 181 , who together receive £ 7240 per annum , and 230 widows , who receive £ 7360 per annum , while , in addition , there are 27 widows , each of whom is

in receipt of one-half her late husband ' s annuity , or together £ 540 . He further shows from the audited statement of account presented at the annual meeting in May last that the total expenditure during the past year in respect of annuities , maintenance of Asylum at Croydon , and cost of management was

£ 17 , 882 , to meet which there is a permanent income varying from £ 3500 to £ 4000 . There is , therefore , an annual deficit of about £ 14 , 000—the exact amount for the last year being £ 13 , 882 . In view of these facts , the Committee of Management have wisely resolved to turn the approaching Jubilee Festival to the best

possible account , with the two-fold object of ( 1 ) increasing the invested capital , and by so doing , the . permanent income ; and ( 2 ) making an appreciable reduction in the number of candidates ; or , in other words , of placing more annuitants on the establishment . Bro . TERRY , therefore , makes it known that the

Committee will use their utmost endeavours to enlist the patronage ] of the most illustrious Freemason in England—who will himself have entered on the Jubilee year of his birth—in behalf of the forthcoming Jubilee anniversary of the Institution , and he makes an earnest appeal to the Worshipful Masters of lodges

to co-operate heartily and energetically with him and the Committe 6 f Management in carrying out their general project . We trust the appeal will be listened to on all sides , and that the additional privileges which will be accorded to Stewards and donors in return for such assistance as they may be able to

render , will have the effect of securing a grand total at the Festival in question—a total which , by strengthening the funds of this important Charity and enlarging its establishment , will be the means of conferring untold benefits on the whole English Craft . We also most sincerely trust that the efforts of

the Committee and Bro . TERRY to enlist the patronage of the illustrious Freemason whose countenance they are seeking will have the desired effect , so that it may be said of the approaching

Jubilee of our youngest Institution , as it has been said of the first centenary of the eldest , that the whole body of English Freemasons , from the highest to the lowest , took part in its celebration .

"History Of Freemasonry And Concordant Orders."*

"HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY AND CONCORDANT ORDERS . " *

Div . XIII . THE CAPITULAR DEGREES . A review of this intensely interesting and instructive section of what is undoubtedly a most splendid volume must be accompanied by a regretful reference to the lamented decease of the author , Bro . Alfred F . Chapman , P . G . G . H . P . of the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in the United States , which took place before the publication of the work .

The origin and antiquity of the Royal Arch Degree have been treated of by Bro . Chapman very fully , and , on the whole , with great success . He has , however , unfortunately in his preliminary observations , in following Oliver and other early writers , perpetuated some errors , which so far detract from the high value of his work .

The earliest reference to the Royal Arch is in Dr . Dassigny ' s " Serious and Impartial Enquiry , " published at Dublin in 1744 ( Hughan ' s "Origin , " p . 47 ) , and the Degree is first mentioned in the Grand Lodge Records of the " Ancients " on 4 th March , 1752 , shortly after the formation of that body , which was only

inaugurated on 17 th July , 1751 , and hence the statement ( on p . 555 ) quoted from Dr . Mackey that it was evolved out of this Schismatic Grand Lodge is absolutely without foundation , for the Degree was worked some 10 years or more before the "Ancients " had any existence . Moreover , Dr . Oliver ' s statement that the