Masonic Notes.

illuminated in the evening ; and that the Great Eastern Railway Company have kindly promised to make special train arrangements to enable those present to stay as late as possible . It is expected that the meeting will be the largest Masonic gathering ever held in Essex .

We regret to learn that Bro . the Earl of Jersey has resigned the office of Provincial Grand Master of Mark Masons for the Province of Berks and Oxon , which position he has held for several years . Lord Valentia , it is stated , will probably succeed Lord Jersey as Grand Master of the province .

Our valued contemporary , the Keystone , reports the following humorous post-prandial speech of Grand Master Estee , of California , at an installation recently : " Brethren and sisters , you know if there is anything worse than to deliver a speech , it is to listen to one . I

have stood here for two hours performing my little part , and you have listened to me . Now , vve have in this State a law against cruelty to animals , and it would seem to me g rievous cruelty to further burden you . Friends , I have been here before , though long

ago . Twenty-six years ago , I carried off a wife from your midst , and , though she may not have been the only pretty one , yet I thought so , and have done so ever since , despite the fact that there are many divorce laws in this State . To those here my advice is , let us so

live to-day that vve may be better to-morrow . Let us hope and believe that our efforts may be rewarded by making one heart warm , soften the sorrows of some woman here to-ni g ht , or make softer the path of some lonesome and pitiful person . That is Masonry , and that is

all there is of it . We say it is ancient , that it was founded in Solomon's time , that it was old at the time of Christ . It is eternal . I advise you to live so that people on the outside may honour you as Masons , Practice the same virtues on the outside as you do on

the inside . Remember that nothing you can do as Masons will do you dishonour . They will respect you ; your wives will respect you . And you who are on the outside , if vve have done anything that will tend to impress you with the dignity and worthiness of Masonry , our efforts will not be unrewarded . "

Correspondence.

Correspondence .

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS . To the Editor of the Freemason , Dear Sir and Brother , It is with the greatest reluctance that I break the silence I have hithertosostrictly observed duringthe unfortunate dissensions which have latterly arisen in connection with the government of this Institution . I

had even resolved on passing b y with the contempt it merits the malicious charge made against me at the Special Court on 6 th June—a charge which disgraces him who made it , not me , against whom it vvas made . But , in deference to opinions expressed by many old and valued friends , in whose judgment I have implicit faith ,

and who tell me their defence of my interests is greatly weakened by the absence of any contradiction b y me of this baseless charge , I now offer the following explanation of a proceeding which , with a desire to damage my fair fame as much as possible , my accuser at the Court referred to has magnified into a case oi

forgery . Every Governor is , or ought to be , aware that the Audit Committee was appointed to meet quarterly to examine thereceipts and expenditure for the past quarter , taking particular care to ascertain that the bills and accounts had been properly certified by the House

Committee before they recommended them for payment ; that the vouchers and cheques for the payments ordered by the General Committee agree vvith one another ; that all receipts and payments are correctl y entered and registered by the Secretary , and all balances regularly brought forward . The report of

their proceedings at each quarterly meeting is signed by the Auditors present in the cash book nnd laid beforeand read to—the General Committee , and when adopted and approved by the latter body is regularly entered on the minutes . From the four quarterly reports thus submitted and approved is compiled the annual

statement of receipts and expenditure , the various items under each head of service—wherever ¦ _ head of service occurs in more than one quarterly report — being added together — and the names of the auditors who attended the several quarterly meetings appended in verification of its

correctness . A transcript of this annual statement is then made for the use of the printer , and it vvas to this transcript that I appended the names of the auditors who had already certified to the correctness of the quarterly reports from which it vvas compiled , and to the MS . annual compilation in the cash book itself .

Correspondence.

In doing this I believe I am correct in stating that I did nothing more than is ordinarily done by Secretaries of other corporate bodies ; but I am quite willing to concede that in following this course I may have laid myself open to a charge from those to whom an opportunity for censure is matter for congratulation .

This is the plain , straightforward explanation of a proceeding of mine which , as I have said , has been maliciously enlarged into an accusation of forgery ; and I leave it to the impartial judgment of your readers to determine whether my act as described is not as far removed from " forgery " as the disgraceful

conduct of my accuser is from that enjoined on him by the principles of Masonry . It has been suggested that I should take legal proceedings against the slanderous author of this libel , but , apart from the months of anxiety which the progress of a lawsuit entails—to a far greater extent on a

righteous plaintiff than an unri g hteous defendant—and the not encouraging experiences of recent legal proceedings , I prefer leaving the reputation for honour and integrity , which I have held during the whole of my past career , and which until now has never been defamed , to vindicate itself , as it will do before many months have

passed , from this and similar foul aspersions . There is , however , one circumstance which I consider it right to mention . It is generally accepted that the present turmoil had , at least , its origin in the case of a boy who , by repeated acts of misconduct , culminating in quitting the School premises without leave , incurred

the penalty of expulsion . The extreme sentence , however , was modified at my intercession , the full penalty not having been exacted . For the consequences of this intercession I had to submit to the adverse opinion of the House Committee , while—in a wilfully blind preversion of the course I had recommended—the

boy's relatives , friends , and partisans have pursued me with unrelenting , vindictive hostility . In this particular instance , however , I must say that I much prefer the hostility of a faction which vvith a vivid recollection of the violent conduct of its members , the amenities of social life forbid me from describing in plain terms , to their favour .

Perhaps , also , it vvould be well I should take this opportunity—for I have no intention of allowing myself to be drawn into unseemly protracted discussion—of explaining that my so-called claim to co-ordinate authority vvith the House Committee vvas not supported by the plea that I vvas a " permanent official . " This

term was never used by me . All I intended to convey was that I vvas directly amenable to the general body by whom I was appointed , with duties to discharge in connection vvith the Sub-Committees , whose instructions I was bound to obey , and to whose resolutions it was binding upon me to give effect . Neglect in these

particulars would justify a report to the General Committee , who had the power of dealing with such report as they might think fit . In fact , I did no moreintended no more—than to state that I regarded the appointmentas onefor retention "dum me benegesserim . " This was the very expression I used before the

Committee of Inquiry , and is very different from a claim to be recognised as a " permanent official . " I cannot at greater length trespass upon your space , however imperfectly I may have discharged a duty , as I have said , reluctantly undertaken . —I am , Dear Sir and Brother , yours faithfully and fraternally , FREDERICK BINCKES . July ioth .

To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , In common with other Stewards who attended the Festival on Wednesday last , I received a statement of accounts for the year 1888 , which , at first glance , would seem to be more complete than those of previous years , but a closer examination reaveals some

extraordinary book-keeping and amateur auditing . The balance at the bank January , 1888 , agrees with the figures given at the close of the year 188 7 , but , according to a foot-note on page 2 , a sum of . £ 70 has got into the hands of the Steward and Matron without any entry in the year ' s accounts , How can the Auditors account for this ?

By a singular coincidence , it would appear that the petty expenditure ( , £ 205 5 s . ) is to a penny the same as the outlay under that head last year . Can this be so ? During the year 1888 a sum ( I believe ) of , £ 75 15 s . vvas paid to the servants at Wood Green as for beer money , of which no entry whatever appears in the

accounts . Where vvas this money obtained from ? On page 9 an analysis is made , showing the cost per boy to have been £ 47 5 s . 8 f-d . ; but from that analysis is omitted ^ 841 9 s . 3 d ., repairs and renewals ; £ i 2 _ 18 s . od . farm and garden produce ; £ 75 15 s ., beer money ; so that if these items are ( as they ought

to be ) included , it will bring the cost per head to £ 51 5 s ., irrespective of any charge for interest on the capital of i ' 94 , 650 , which , if taken at 4 per cent ., brings the total cost per boy to ^ ' 65 14 s . On page 2 appears the following item , under the head of receipts : " Charles Greenwood Memorial Prize Fund— £ " 103 13 s ., "

which would appear to be a sum of money intended to be invested for a specific object , but , like Bro . W Winn ' s prize gift and Bro . Edward Cox ' s gift , it has been absorbed into the general funds of the Institution , instead of having been invested as a separate and distinct fund , thus perpetuating the error of former years with respect to money

Correspondence.

given for a defined object . A careful comparison the 1888 with the 188 7 accounts will show that many t the items of expenditure have increased in an extr ordinary manner , totally inex plicable by the variatj ' in the number of boys provided for . ' °

The alteration in the form of accounts shows ththe Finance and Audit Committee thought some chanoneedful , and it is to be regretted that they did not maf ! it thorough and effective so as to present at a glance-i ^ accurate statement of affairs . —Yours faithfully -, ' „ i fraternally , y dni 1 J"Iy 8 th . STEWARD

To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Bro . Greatbatch asserts that I am wrong * iu my contention on one point , " vermin , " because he says he proved a case on two other points , " chilblains and ringworm . "

This is a charming " non sequitur . " His calculations are equally peculiar . Did Bro . Greatbatch ever hear of wear and tear ami depreciation of plant and machinery '¦> A great part of the machinery upon which the ^ 4978 vvas laid out during the 21 years and more of

the existence of the Institution became worn out , and was replaced by other machinery included in this same sum total . No allowance is made by him for this . It would be far fairer to take the number of the boys who have gone through the Institution during that time and

divide the capital expenditure b y that . He would find that it did not average £ 2 per head , much less ^ 15 . I fear that he will find that , with increased heating , & c , the annual expenditure will rise over the present ¦ £ 412 17 s .

The West Yorkshire report was rejected at ; i Quarterly Court by a majority in the proportion of about 20 to 1 . As the whole question at issue will probably before

long come oefore a court of law , if anyone can be found foolish enough to stand by the Report of the Inquiry Committee , I do not propose to continue this discussion any further . —Yours sincerely and fraternally , J" -y 9- A . F . GODSON . THE POET BURNS . To the Editor of the Freemason , Dear Sir and Brother , When my last communication on the subject was penned I understood that Bro . Officer had exhausted his adverse views as to the accuracy of the main fact that the Laureateship actually did take place .

It vvas , therefore , not my intention to further attempt to refute my friends opinions , for which I have all due respect , but , as celebrated authorities have stated that " Until it is recognised that the same strict rules of evidence are applicable to historical composition which are employed in Courts of Justice , and in the practical

business of life , history must remain open to the wellgrounded suspicion under which it often labours , and will , by many , he treated with that despairing scepticism , which is one of the great obstacles to the advancement of knowledge , " and , " when historical facts which in their nature are fairl y open to direct proofare called in

, question , there is no species of trifling more irksome ( to those who have no dishonest ends to serve ) than the halting upon 20 indirect arguments , while the centre proof—that which clear and upright minds fasten upon intuitively—remains undisposed of . " Now , as Bro . Officer states in the Freemason of this date that he feels

assured that '' nothing more of importance can be said , " I may be permitted to add just one very important fact which it must be admitted confirms and supports the question at issue . It is , that out of about 100 members whose names appear on the records as having frequented Canongate Kilwinning Lodge for years prior

to , ancl at , Burns' affiliation , and also subsequent to the year 1815 , when it was resolved " to open a public subscription by the individual members of the lodge in aid of the general subscription by the friends and admirers of the lamented Bard , Robert Burns ( who had been Poet Laureate of this lodge ) for the erection of a

Mausoleum to his memory , " ( vide , minute Sth June , 1815 . ) Search may be made in vain for the record of any exception having been taken to this proceeding , or tu throw any discredit on the Laureateshi p , and " there fc no contemporaneous evidence of any sort or kind to be found against the proposal—in recognition of tho

office—which Bro . Ofiicer asserts " would , had "' happened , unquestionabl y have appeared . " Amongst the members referred to above , mention may be made of Lord Balcarres , initiated 177 S , tJ " - ''j 1825 ; Lewis Cauvin , Burns' French teacher initiated

, 1778 , died 1825 ; Alex . Nasmyth ( painter of the only authentic portrait of Burns in existence ) , initiated 1777 ' died 1840 ; Dugald Stewart , initiated 1775 , died 1828 Sir John Sinclair , of Ulbster , initiated 1771 , died 1835 i Sir Ilay Campbell , President of the Court of Session ,

initiated 1758 , died 1823 ; Dr . Andrew Duncan , founder of the Edinburgh Dispensary , initiated 177-4 ' died 1828 ; Sir Henry Jardine , advocate R . W . Master 1790 , initiated 1782 , died 1851 ; Sir Charles Hope 0 Granton , President of the Court of Session , initiated 1784 , died 1851 ; and many others to whom circulars containing the above resolution were sent . Before closing I vvould refer to the statement in my last'letter to the effect that my chapter on Burns was