Our Provincial Charities.

OUR PROVINCIAL CHARITIES .

. Of late years great endeavours have been made , and very successfully made , to lighten somewhat the demands upon the resources of our Central Masonic Charities . As the Craft has increased in numbers , so have the candidates for the benefits of these valuable Institutions increased . Indeed , there ^ have been times when it has been found necessary that the

Governors ana Subscribers should take counsel among themselves with a view to raising the standard of qualification for candidates , so that the numbers on the lists at the different elections might be brought within more manageable compass , and the result of these deliberations , particularly in the case of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , has been very

satisfactory . But many of the Provinces have likewise rendered material service in the same direction , and many a country child , who might not have been eligible for the Girls' or Boys' School , or , being eligible , might have stood but a sorry chance of being elected , has good cause to thank the brethren in the Province in which it dwelt for having provided it with

a sound education and thereby placed it on the road to win for itself an honourable livelihood . Among the Provinces which have established for themselves local Charities cither for educating the sons and daughters of their poorer or deceased members or for contributing permanently towards the maintenance of poor brethren and their

widows , the twd I . ancashires , Cheshire , North and East Yorkshire , Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , and Devonshire stand out prominently ; and as showing what these local Charities are capable or desirous of doing , we call particular attention lo the two reports we published last week of certain meetings held in connection with the Devonshire Educational Fund and the

West Lancashire Alpass Annuity Fund for Widows . The meeting in respect of the former , which was held for the election of two out of a list of five candidates , was presided over by our esteemed Bro . W . J . HUGHAN , P . G . D ., who , in the course ot the proceedings , delivered himself of certain remarks which were both weighty and pertinent . He bestowed a judicious

measure of praise upon the Committee of Management for the excellence , and , above all , for the economy , of their administration . He very wisely suggested that , in the event of the funds being sufficient for the purpose , something should be done to assist those children who have completed their education under the auspices of the Fund towards their further

advancement in life ; and he even went so far as to call in question the expediency of husbanding any portion of the benefactions that were received by investing them in Government or other sound interest-bearing securities . He did not consider , as he remarked , that it was wise to have " large sums of money funded . " Posterity has done nothing for us , and he saw no reason

why we should do anything for posterity . On the contrary , he " thought posterity should do its full part just as the Freemasons of tbe present day were doing theirs . " As regards his proposal for doing something further to promote the welfare of the children who have been educated by the Fund , we are entirely in accordance with our worthy brother , and so should we be

in respect of his other suggestion as to not accumulating funds for the use of posterity , provided it were in our power to establish it as a certainty that posterity would always find itself in a position to do what was needful . But even in our own generation the support received by a local or general

Charity is likely to fluctuate , and , as a matter of fact , does fiuctua'e at times to a very considerable extent . Hence arises the necessity , even for our own requirements , of laying by a portion of the moneys received from year to year , so that , when any depression of a commercial or other nature overtakes us which is calculated to diminish the amount of donations and

subscriptions , we may still be in a position to satisfy—partially , if not entirely —the obligations we have undertaken out of the interest on our funded property . And so it is with posterity , which may have all the will ' to'do what we are doing , but not the wherewith , owing to political or commercial

troubles , to gratify its wishes . In that case , likewise , the interest on the moneys which have been funded in prosperous times will prove of incalculable value , and may , indeed , be the means of enabling a Charityto continue its beneficent work , in spite of the depression by which it is surrounded . *

The other meeting we had the pleasure of reporting was the festival in aid of the Alpass Benevolent Institution , and was held under the presidency of Bro . Lord SKEI . MERSDALE , son and heir of the ever-popular Pro Grand Master , who is at the same time Prov . Grand Master of West Lancashire .

In such a Province it is only to be expected that things should be done on a larger scale , and we were not surprised to find that the subscriptions received on the occasion amounted to from ; £ 1300 and 1400 , with a chance of still further increase , before the year has run its course , to £ 1500 . In this case , the Fund , though it was eslablished only as recently as 1885 for

Our Provincial Charities.

providing annuities for the widows of poor brethren , can already boast of a funded capital of not far short of ^ 5000 , and we have no doubt that one of the results of this very successful gathering will be a still further increase of this amount . But whatever the policy that may . be

pursued by these local Charities , it is in the highest degree satisfactory to know from these and the other reports of meetings which we are called upon to publish from time to time that the assistance they are rendering to the cause of Charity is of so substantial a character .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Jersey

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF JERSEY

The annual meeting of the above Provincial Grand Lod ge was held at the Masonic Temple , on the 31 st ult ., under the presidency of Bro . Col . E . C . Malet de Carteret , assisted by Bro . Dr . J . Le Cronier , D . P . G . M . After the usual formal business of reading the convening summons , calling the roll of lodges and of Prov . Grand Officers , reading and confirming the minutes of the last general meeting , and receiving the report of the Audit Committee ,

Ihe PROV . GRAND MASTER formally addressed the brethren on the position and progress of Masonry in the island , taking for his text the fact that there had been the large number of 45 erasures of members by different lodges during the year for non-payment of dues . He pointed out to the brethren present the urgent necessity for a most careful scrutinyof the moral character and reputable circumstances of all intending candidates for

Freemasonry , thereby safe-guarding and promoting the real interests of the Craft . He then gave an account of the welcome he received as Steward for the Boys' Festival , and expressed his extreme gratification at the success of the boy Campbell , who came in fourth on the list at the recent election , this being only his second trial . The P . G . M ., in conclusion , alluded with sympathy to the very serious illness of the Prov . G . Tyler , Bro . Rogers , on which account it had been decided to hold no banquet this year .

Bro . G . J . Renouf was re-elected P . G . Treasurer ; and a hearty vote of thanks was , on the motion of Bro . Dr . A . C . GODFRAY , P . G . S ., seconded by the D . P . G . M ., accorded to Bros . Terry , Naylor , F . Richardson , and A . W . Beckham for their very valuable assistance during the recent election for boys . The following officers were appointed :

Bro . S . Gilley ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ F . J . Godfray ... ... ... Prov . I . G . W . „ Rev . R . Peek ... ... ... Prov . G . Chap . „ G . J . Renouf ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ C . Marctt ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg .

„ Or . A . C . Oodlray ... ... ... p . G . Sec . „ J . C . Barrette ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ Dr . M . Le Cronier ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . „ F . A . Juhel ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . of W . „ T . Addcrson ... ... ... Prov . G . D . of C . „ II . Brodhurst ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ E . C . M . de Carteret ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ J . de la Perrelle ... ... ... Prov . G . Std . Br . ,, F . Le Boutillier ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst .

„ J . J . D'Authrean „ F . Clark „ P . J . Le Musurier ... ... ... f Prov . G . Stwds . „ A . de Carteret „ F . Gicquel ... ... ... .....

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Leicestershire And Rutland.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND .

The annual communication of the above Provincial Grand Lodge was held at the Freemasons' Hall , Leicester , on Friday , the 27 th ult ., under the banner of the Commercial Lodge , No . 1391 , Bro . the Right Hon . Earl Ferrers , Prov . Grand Master , presided . There was a very large attendance of Provincial Grand Officers , also of Masters and brethren from each of the 14 lodges in the province . Those present included

Bros . S . S . Partridge , P . A . G . D . C . England , Dep . P . G . M . ; Hon . Paulyn Hastings P . S . G . W : ; E . P . Steads , P . J . G . W . ; Rev . H . W . Fitch , P . G . Chap . ; Rev . H . S . ' Biggs , B . A ., P . G . Chap . ; W . J . Freer , P . G . Reg . ; E . Holmes , Prov . G . Sec T . B . Laxton , P . S . G . D . ; W . J . Curtis , P . J . G . D . ; G . W . Rawson , P . G . S . of W C . J . Wilkinson , P . G . D . C . ; T . S . H . Ashwell , P . G . Std . Br . ; W . F . Hill , W . Bramley , W . Atkins , and R . R . Blackwell , P . G . Stwds . The lodges were further represented as follows : Bros . C . Bennison , W . M ., C . E . Stretton , P . M ., P . P .

S . G . W ., R . Michie , P . M ., P . P . J . G . D ., W . M . Williams , P . M ., P . P . G . R ., J . H , Marshall , P . M ., P . P . S . G . W ., W . D . Grant , J . W ., C . Lakin , Sec , E . H . Butler P . P . G . Std . Br ., W . H . Scott , P . P . G . Org . Lines ., W . Tyler , J . W . Barker ' W . E . Keites , N . Scorgie , J . Bond , and T . R . Evans , of 279 ; W . S . Fulshaw , J . W . 50 ; T . B . Neal , W . AL , F . J . Baines , P . M ., P . P . S . G . W ., E Taylor , P . M ., P . P . A . G . D . C ., B . A . Smith , P . M ., P . P . J . G . W ., G . Newsome , P . M .,

Treas ., P . P . S . G . D ., T . G . Chirlesworth , P . AL , P . P . G . Std . Br ., G . Neighbour J . W ., VV . A . Spencer , S . D ., VV . Bream , Stwd ., and W . H . Chamberlain , of 523 ' J . Price , W . AL , G . Dean Orchard , I . P . AL , Rev . Canon J . Denton , P ., VI ., P . P . S . G D . ' W . S . Allen , P . M ., P . P . J . G . W ., J . Hassail . P . M ., P . P . J . G . D ., W . A . Musson P . M ., P . P . J . G . W ., and J . Turner , S . W ., of 779 ; F . Birch , W . M ., J . Raven l . P . M ., G . C . Oliver , P . M ., P . P . G . P ., J . J . Knowles , J . W ., and H . Walker , Tyler