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CONTENTS . PAGE . LEADER SThe Mark Benevolent Fund Festival ... ... ... ... 3 S 3 Bro . W . J . Hughan , P . G . D . ... ... ... ... ... 3 S 3 Consecralion of the Zodiac Lodge , No . 2615 ... ... ... ... 3 S 5 provincial Grand Chapter of Middlesex ... ... ... ... 3 S 6 Recent Boys' School Festival ... ... ... ... ... 3 S 7 Harrod ' s Stores ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 S 7

Annual Picnic of the Gallery Lodge , No . 192 S ... ... ... 3 S 7 The Gresham Life Assurance Society , Limited ... ... ... 3 S 7 MASONIC NOTESOuarterly General Court of the Girls' School ... ... ... % Sg Proceedings of the District Grand Lodge of Canterbury ... ... 3 S 9 Centenary Celebration of Franklin Lodge , New Hampshire ... ... 3 S 9 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 390 Festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund ... ... ... ... 300

Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 393 Obituary ... _ ... ••• ••• ••• ... 393 Lodge of Instruction -... ¦•¦ ... ... 393 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 394 Summer Outing-of the Justice and Royal Oak Lodges , Nos . 147 and S 71 ... 39 G Royal Arch Masonry ... _ ... ... ... ... ... 396 Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... ... ... ... 396 Accident Insurance Company , Limited ... ... ... ... 39 G

The Mark Benevolent Fund Festival.

THE MARK BENEVOLENT FUND FESTIVAL .

The 28 th Anniversary Festival in behalf of the Benevolent Fund of Mark Grand Lodge was held at Freemasons' Tavern on Wednesday evening . Bro . C . LETCH MASON , Prov . G . Master for West Yorkshire , presided as Chairman , and the ladies and

brethren who supported him as Stewards to the number of l 70 had the satisfaction of raising a total of Donations and Subscriptions amounting to . £ 2411 18 s . 6 d ., or between £ 50 and £ 60 in excess of the record year of 1890 , when the Earl of Eu . STON ,

now Pro Grand Master , occupied the chair , and a Board of 16 9 Stewards raised a total of £ 2354 is . The result must be extremely gratifying to Bro . MASON and his Province which so loyally and generously backed him with contributions to the

extent of £ 751 5 s ., while London—under which are included the Lady Stewards and General Board as well as the lodge representatives and Unattached brethren—also distinguished itself by raising ^ 630 9 s . There were also , irrespective of West

Yorkshire , 2 Q Provinces which figured in the Beturns , and these , with two Stewards from a Council of Royal and Select Masters and a Knight Templar Preceptory , furnished subscriptions amounting to £ 1030 4 s . 6 d . We most cordially congratulate

Hie Chairman , the Stewards , Bro . C . F . MATIER , Secretary of the Fund , and his staff on a result which is in all respects so satisfactory . The sum thus obtained will , with the interest on invested capital , not only suffice to provide the . outlay on the

several branches of the Fund , but will likewise admit of a substantial addition being made to the invested capital . We cannot hope that a success like this will be repeated from year to year ,

but we trust that future Festivals will yield enough for tire year ' s outl ay with a fair surplus over and above for investment so that , in the course of time , the Fund may possess a capital proportionate to its wants .

Bro. W. J. Hughan, P.G.D.

BRO . W . J . HUGHAN , P . G . D .

J here is no special virtue that we arc aware of in a 33 rd ¦ nnivcrsary . When a person has completed an existence of 21 ) ears he comes of age . He is no longer an infant in lhe eyes nf rfl 1 l | ie law , but becomes charged with all the responsibilities of

ii'inhood and may lawfully exercise its many privileges . It is , c rctorc , an epoch in bis career and is usually celebrated with ' » e pomp and circumstance which befit bis rank and station , 4 » * l " -- " v-iiwuiilJVtlUV . Vy miLV . ll wv-ilV lli . i I ClIIIV CILIU DLlUlUlli

? n , custom has ordained that married couples in well-to-do ^ » rnstances should celebrat e their crystal , silver , golden , and ' ? weddings , while institutions , especially those which look llc ipall y for their support to the voluntary contributions of

Bro. W. J. Hughan, P.G.D.

the benevolent , arc careful to celebrate the jubilee or ccnlenar ) of their foundation . But if a 33 rd anniversary has about it nc particular attribute ; if it marks no particular epoch in a man ' . ' career , in his tenure of any important of / ice , or in his membership

of any important society , there is no reason why it should not be made to serve the purpose of the useful but unornamental peg so that we may depend from it a record or description of any services he may have been able or privileged to render to the

community generally or any one of its well-nigh innumerable sections . Thus on Tuesday , the 14 th hist ., our respected Bro . WILLIAM J AMES HI'GHAN , presently residing at Torquay in the County of Devon , who was born on the 13 th

February , 18 41 , completed the 33 rd year of his membership of our ancient and honourable . Society , and we know of no just cause or impediment why we should not avail ourselves of the opportunity thus conveniently afforded us of

laying before our readers a full and particular account of the many and valuable services which he has rendered to Freemasonry during the greater part of that protracted period . On second thoughts , indeed , we realise that , though , as we have

before said , there is no special merit about a 33 rd anniversary , there is one very special reason why this task of describing his services more fitly devolves upon this journal than upon any other Masonic journal or writer . The Freemason first saw the

light in the month of March , 186 9 , and from that time forward till now there has hardly appeared a single number which has not contained a contribution of greater or less importance from his pen . Moreover , his contributions have been made voluntarily ,

without hope or expectation of any fee or reward . He has availed himself of our columns with the purpose of enlightening his brother Masons , and , by so doing , has materially enhanced the value of our publication . We are , therefore , under a deep

debt of gratitude to him—not he to us—and it is just possible he will regard this attempt to describe his career in Masonrywhich , though emanating from the pen of a partial writer , is

neither necessarily nor intentionally partial in its tone and character—as tending in some measure towards a requital of the manifold kindnesses he has invariably shown us throughout the

whole period of our existence . Bro . Hv'GHAN , who , by the way , though of Scotch parentage , is a Devonian bred and born , was initiated into Freemasonry in the St . Aubyn Lodge , No . 954 , Dcvonport , on the 14 th July , 186 3 ,

passed v . C . on the iith of the following month , and raised to the Sublime Degree of M . M . on the Sth September next ensuing . In 1864 , having in the meantime gone to reside at Truro , he was elected a joining member of the Phoenix Lodge

of Honour and Prudence , No . 331 , and served it for a time as Secretary , while in 1866 he joined the Lodge of Fortitude , No . 131 , and having been appointed S . W . the following year , he was , in 1866 , elected and installed in the chair of Master . Ten years

later he was elected to a second term of office in the same capacity , and is still a subscribing member , while the lodge , on its part , has again and again shown its appreciation of his many services , both to itself and the Craft generally , by presenting him

with sundry tokens of its affection and respect . In July , 18 G 9 , he was appointed Prov . Grand Secretary of Cornwall , and retained the . office until 1871 , when he resigned it , and declined the further Provincial honours that were offered him :

but in 188 7 , the year of the QUEEN ' S Jubilee , he had conferred upon him , by the Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMUE , the brevet rank of Past Prov . S . G . Warden . In the interim , the M . W . G . Master was p leased to express his readiness to confer upon him office