Contents.

CONTENTS .

Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 547 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 548 Freemasonry in New Zealand . ' 54 8 Provincial Grand Lodge of Derbyshire 548 The Royal Cumberland Lodge , No . 41 548 Thc Charities in South London 540 Presentation to Bro . J . Murlis , P . M . and Secretary Lodge 164 a 549 Freemasonry in Jamaica 549

Scotland 549 REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry S 50 Mark Masonry 553 Ancient and Accepted Rite 553 LEADERS 554 C ORRESPONDENCEA Rectification 554 Red Cross of Constantine 555 lloyal Arch Laws 555 A Correction 555

Grand Lodge Officers 555 High Grade Masonrv 555 The Late Bro . John ' Hervev , P . G . Secretary 555 ' Cosmopolitan Masonic Pocket Book" .. 555 Reviews 555 Masonic Notes and Queries 556 Royal Arch S 56 Ancient and Primitive Rite 55 G Literary , Art , and Antiquarian Notes 556 Masonic and General Tidings 557 Lotlge Meetings for Next Week 557 Advertisements I ., II ., III ., IV ., 558

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

The monthly meeting of the General Committee of this Institution vvas held last Saturday at Freemasons' Hall . Bro . Raynham W . Stewart , P . Grand Deacon , occupied the chair . There were also present Bros . Leopold Ruf , Charles

Sanders , Charles John Perceval , William Roebuck , J . G , Chancellor , George Coppin , VV . H . Saunders , Rev . A . F . A Woodford , Richard Tyrrell , Donald M . Dewar , S . Rawson , S . Rosenthal , Henry Young , Alfred Williams , Thomas Bull , Herbert Dicketts , Arthur E . Gladwell , C . G . Rushworth , Frederick Adlard , W . Paas , Rev . C . W . Spencer Stanhope , G . C . ; W . H . ferryman , F . Binckes , Secretary ;

and H . Massey ( Freemason ) . Bro . BINCKES having read the minutes of the former meeting , they were put and confirmed . The minutes of the House Committee were read for information ; and the report of the Special Committee on Collingwood ' s case was also read . On the recommendation of the House Committee an

addition of £ 10 a year was made to the salary of thc Foreign Master of tlie School . Bro . RAYNHAM W . STEWART rose to propose the motion of which he gave notice at the November meeting : "That it be an instruction to the House Committee to obtain plans and estimates for thc erection of a schoolhousc , with convenient offices , on the vacant space of ground in

front of the present building for the purpose of accommodating 150 children , but that only so much as will accommodate 50 children be erected at present . " Bro . Stewart said his proposal was for the consideration of the Committee whether they should erect a preparatory school upon the land at Wood Green , opposite the present building , that land being the property of the Institution . He

proposed his motion for this reason , that he thought the time had arrived when the benefits of the Institution might be further extended , both for the advantage of the Institution and _ of the children of such unfortunate brethren as required education in the School . Having regard to the fact that the subscribers some time ago came to a resolution that no child should remain in the Institution after

fifteen years of age , instead of as formerl y sixteen , the Institution vvas benefited considerably , and it gave a little fund which would enable the brethren to do what he asked . But , of course , the question arose as to finding the means for thebuilding . There were some funds that could be appropriated for that purpose , but he did not propose that the brethren should take the whole of those funds , because

that vvas a matter to be considered after the proposal had been taken up by the brethren . His great object in the J'rst instance vvas to demand that the children sent up to the School at seven , eight , nine , or ten years of age , who were reall y only fit for an infant school , and were employing the attention of a large staff , might by being sent to a preparatory school first give the staff the opportunity of

uevoting their energies to older boys . This would be S wu y f ° r t , le * 3 ene"t of tne Institution . Thc younger children in the preparatory school might be placed under the care of ladies , who would be quite competent to eduj ate tnem up to ten years of age , when they could be drafted into the senior or upper school . That was his idea , and in puttinc- it forward he would propose that the

oui ding should be a separate building . To their present oui ding they had at various times added three wings . It nail been said that there was room to nut another . Now , iu , vaf a fact tllat there was no room for more wings , and tne staff also vvas not sufficient for more children to be laKen on . They must not destroy the space of ground at Present eXlStinir . and Which was n o-ronl- mntMoraflnn lulion

the health and exercise of the boys were taken into •¦ ccoiint . On the other side of thc road they had two acres w » r ° ' on which they cou , d erect a school . That land as very well drained , and they were only getting £ s or t ? fn f' ? ar from ' for graz ! n If . the Committee entermit * . , Pro osaI 't would be sent to the House Committee , who would obtain details , plans , and estimates , and anri rCP c 0 rt w 9 uId come back to th

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

happy to give any information in his power , but he thought vvhen they saw the large number of children that were coming forward for the benefits of the Institution , the small number they could receive , and the large number that were unsuccessful , they would say the time had come vvhen the Institution should turn round and see if they could not do something for these children . Bro . W . ROEBUCK seconded the motion . He was quite

in favour of a separate Institution for the younger boys , for more reasons than one . One of those reasons was that the new School would be a kind of preparatory school to the other Institution . Another reason , which was most important , was that if they were to add to the present buildings , the existing cooking apparatus , the dining accommodation , and several other necessary accessories would not be sufficient for the extra number of children . These appliances were

already taxed to the fullest extent ; and , if an addition vvas made to the present building , it would require a separate building to be attached to provide for the increased number of scholars . As the proposed new building vvas to be for junior children , that was another reason why the building should be separate and distinct . Bro . S . RAWSON , Past District Grand Master for China , enquired whether estimates had been obtained for the work

proposed ? Bro . RAYNHAM VV . STEWART said no . Bro . RAWSON thought in that case the Committee could hardly entertain the question . Bro . RAYNHAM \ V . STEWART said that the proposition was that the House Committee should obtain plans and estimates , which they would submit to the General Committee , and the matter would come on before the Quarterly Court .

Bro . the Rev . A . F . A . WOODFORD , Past Grand Chaplain , thought there was only one objection to passing the motion at the present time—whether they could raise a building on the ground . If there was an unoccupied building there it would be a different thing . Bro . F . BINCKES , Secretary , said the ground was now let for grazing purposes . Bro . S . RAWSON asked if it was not used for a cricket

ground for the Institution ? . Bro . RAYNHAM STEWART said no ; the cricket ground was on the land on which the present building was erected . Bro . F . BINCKES observed that the proposition made by Bro . Stewart was similar to an idea suggested by himself many years ago—that there should be a preparatory school connected with the Institution . This matter had been very muchcanvassedsinceBro . Stewart rrave his notice in

November , and he ( Bro . Binckes ) had had very many enquiries addressed to him about it . Some brethren fancied that the Institution were going to commit themselves to a very large expenditure . In his position of Secretary a great part of the work would devolve upon him in the present . He thought he vvas right in stating the views of the brethren , so far as he vvas able to gather them , were that it would be unwise to go before the House Committee or the

Quarterly Court to incur any expense in building , or to touch one single shilling of the £ 15 , 000 which was invested , and which had been raised after many years of hard work by the Freemasons of England . During thc past twenty years Freemasonry had been increasing to an enormous extent , and the demands on the Institution had been very great . It was quite impossible to predicate with anything like certainty what the increase or prosperity of Masonry would be

doing the next fifteen years , and those who , like himself , had lived through a generation had seen that they had raised an enormous building , in which at the present time there were 215 boys receiving the benefits of board , clothing , and education , instead of seventy-two . That showed that a great deal of hard work had been cast upon the brethren of a past generation . He had addressed this subject to the Stewards

of the next festival in the circular hc had sent out , to see if they approved of the present motion if it was adopted . He hoped to find the funds to erect an additional building ; but he did not hesitate to say now that he should oppose most strenuously the touching of one single shilling of the £ 15 , 000 which had been raised by great sacrifice by the brethren already . Next year he hoped that £ 15 , 000 would be increased to £ 20 , 000 ; but even that was a very small

backbone on which such an Institution as this should have to rely . Tlie demands on the Institution at the present time were £ Sooo or £ 9000 a year , which was a large sum for maintaining the objects of the Freemasons ' bounty . The Institution was increasing from year to year , and it was quite impossible to say what would be the condition of the Institution in time to come . £ 20 , 000 would be required for the erection of the new building , and then

there would be £ 3000 or £ 4000 a year required for the maintainance , education , and clothing of the children . Under such circumstances it would be an enormous responsibility for those who were living , and who had already done the great work ho had referred to , who had contributed so freely and so generously to the funds of the Institution , to ask them again to put their hands in their pockets to do a new tvoik . He hoped thc younger members of the Craft would say they would do what their elders had done . If

they did hc should say by all means let this be carried out . He hoped the motion would be unanimously adopted ; and that it would go forth to thc Craft as unanimously adopted , but . be should earnestly dissuade this Committee or the Quarterly Court from calling on the Craft for any large sacrifice for the purpose , or from asking the brethren who had already done so much for the present building to do more than they had done . Nodoubt seven years would not elapse before a similar thing would occur , and they would have a larger number coming forward for the benefits ofthe Institution .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

Bro . VV . H . SAUNDERS vvas on the whole with the mover of the resolution , but he thought it would ill become this Institution to father another vvhen it had so small a fund in hand . He would offer a suggestion that instead of erecting any massive buildings , which so many Institutions were fond of doing , they should look out for some building already erected whicii would answer the purpose . There were many buildings in the neighbourhood of London which

could be adopted for the purposesof a junior school , instead of expending large sums of money on a stiucture which perhaps in ten or fifteen years would be unable to meet the demands on the Institution . He yielded to no one in wishing the Chairman ' s scheme to be carried out in its fullest sense , but he thought it was better to feel their feet before they attempted to run . The buildings he had referred to could be had for a very small sum , and it would not require

much expenditure to adapt them for a junior school , and he would suggest that in the reference of this matter to thc House Committee they should give them the power of considering the scheme proposed by the Chairman with the alteration he ( Bro . Saunders ) had proposed . Bro . BINCKES thought it was within the scope of the Committee to adopt the suggestion made by Bro . Saunders . Bro . HENRY YOUNG , Past Grand Sword Bearer , wished

to know whether the feeling of the Committee vvas that the funds should be taken from those alread y in hand . He gathered that the Chairman wanted to raise the building with the funds already in hand . If that vvas not the opinion of the Committee where would tho funds come from ? Was an alternative proposition presented to the Committees . If not it appeared to him that a strange proposition was being put . If the Chairman proposed to take

the money out of tbe existing funds he would hnd that thc brethren throughout the country would oppose it . If it was proposed to raise the money as a new fund , the brethren might subscribe their five or ten guineas to it and leave the old Institution in the lurch . Bro . S . ROSENTHAL said the money was raised for the present building with ease . They had to borrow money , but it had all been returned . There would be no difficulty

in getting the money . Bro . HENRY YOUNG thought that first of all it should be settled whether thc present fund should be touched before making the reference to the House Committee . Bro . RAYNHAM VV . STEWART said they were told by the Most Worshipful the Grand Master at the recent

banquet at the Mansion House that the Craft was increasing at the rate of 10 , 000 every year . There were 1 S 00 lodges . He'did not think that if an appeal for funds for the new scheme were properly put before the Craft there would be found to be any lack of funds to carry out the scheme .

Bro . the Rev . A . F . A . WOODFORD , P . G . C , said there was a feeling in the Craft in the provinces that this proposition of Bro . Stewart's meant that the Institution was going to commence great building operations again . There was in West Yorkshire , and Lancashire , and also in Cheshire , as his friend at his side , the Grand Chaplain told him , a very strong objection to a renewal of large building operations . He thought there should be first a distinct

understanding that the Committee were not committing themselves to a proposition to build , and , secondly , that they would consider the proposal of Bro . Saunders to hire a building till the matter of a new building had been well brought before the Craft at large . On both points it should be understood that they were going to assist the Institution , and not take any of the existing funds . He thought it would be utterly childish of this society to

appeal to the Craft to build a new school , costing £ 20 , 000 , and then ask them to increase the present Boys School . It vvas a question whether the building could be increased or not . He had heard it stated in that room that if they wanted to increase the building for another 100 boys there would be no difficulty in doing so . The proposed new building , as he understood , was for fifty boys , to be _ increased afterwards to accommodate 150 . -He was anxious

on every ground that the Boys' School should be increased . It was a matter in which great interest was taken , and he , as closely connected with the elections , strongly felt that the list of candidates was largely increasing . There was a large balance of unsuccessfulcandidatcs after last election , and he thought there would be a larger balance in April , and a still larger in October , vvhen he assumed there would be 100 unsuccessful candidates . They must look at the

present state of things , and not be guided by anything that had taken place in the past . They must , in his opinion , gradually increase the School , and the question would be how they were to do it , whether by erecting a new building , which might be strongly opposed by the brethren in the provinces , or whether they should take an already existing building . There might be something added to Bro . Stewart ' s motion , which would fjive the power to the Committee to consider

the proposition . If such an addition was made to thc motion , he thought it would be generally agreed to . Bro . C . J . PERCEVAL opposed the funds of the old Institution being touched for the new , but he approved of a scheme which would give a primary education to the younger candidates , which would relieve the masters , who should give a superior education to the older boys from employing their time in elementary education . He ,

however , would suggest that a sum of £ 20 a year might be voted for educating the younger candidates out of the School . Bro . BINCKES said that Bro . Perceval ' s suggestion vvas one that revived the old plan adopted by the Boys' School , which militated against the success of the Institution . The boys used to be educated in that manner , and they vyere then a scattered band , under no immediate supervision . The Boys' Institution at that time had no School , whereas the Girls' had a School from the very foundation . A great