Contents.

CONTENTS .

215 r 'f Smarv Festival of the Girls'School aij S%%W°^^!..^«» Facial "Sanl Royal Arch Chapter of ^

' hit on for Girls from ltS V S '" ' I 7 BS ' ° Irentenary , 1 S 88- { Continued ) 220 Annuaf FestiVal of the Grand Mark A S 4 r ' s Lodge of Instruction ...22 . nmun Masonic Educational Fund 331 Th , " 0 ! d Masonians" Annual Dinner ... 321 Gold ' s History of Freemasonry 231 «? " Site Wedding 233

Reviews 234 Notes and Queries 234 REPORTS OF MASONIC MBKTINQS — Craft Masonry ., 324 Instruction 33 J Royal Arch—Instruction 226 Order of tha Secret Monitor 226

Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 237 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 237 The Savage Club Lodge and the Royal Silver Wedding- 237 Obituary 337 Theatres 327 Masonic and General Tidings 238 Lodge Meetings for Next Week iv .

Ar00101

ACCORDING to our contemporary—the juvenile but vigorous A Grand " South Australian Freemason , " the long desired unity in New Lodges . South Wales—Masonic Unity—is well nigh nn fait accompli . The esteemed Pro G . Master of England , M . W . Bro . the Earl of CARNARVON ,

it is stated , was entrusted by our M . W . Grand Master to make enquiries as to the status , 8 rc , of the body known as the Grand Lodge of New South Wales , which was formed under circumstances that called for our strong denunciation . Now , it seems , a Committee has met composed of the English , Scottish , and Irish Constitutions represented and at work in that

Colony under their respective District Grand Lodges , and a basis of union has been not only submitted but " unanimously accepted . " There are 79 lodges under our jurisdiction in New South Wales , besides many hailing from Scotland and Ireland , so we shall curiously as well as anxiously await the receipt of particulars . The M . W . Bro . TARRANT , the Grand Master of

the new Grand Lodge ( of the Minority ) is laudably seeking to do his part , and we are told is willing to resign that office , provided Lord CARRINGTON be elected Grand Master , and the union is consummated . So long as the rights of those lodges who decline to join this possible new body—should there be any such—are respected , we feel assured that the English Craft will

bid " God speed to the United Grand Lodge of New bouth Wales , whenever it is formed . We entirely agree with the able article by Bro . HUGHAN , as to the formation of new " Grand'Lodges " in relation to Quebec , and in

the same spirit that actuates that well known brother , we are prepared to welcome any Grand Lodge into the fold that is formed by a fair majority of the lodges concerned , and the rights of the dissenting lodges are duly secured , until all eventually become one compact whole .

* * The Cordwainer ^ current wee k has witnessed what is now an event of rare Wan 1 Lodge , occurrence , namely , the consecration of a new London lodge . 4 ' It stands to reason that the Metropolis , which already has some 350 lodges on its roll , cannot need , except here and there , or for some

special purpose , much further in the way of provision for its Masonic requirements . But occasionally the want of a lodge is felt in a particular quarter , or among brethren of a particular calling , and when this want is made known at head-quarters , it almost invariably follows that the prayer of the petitioners is heard , and the Grand Master issues his warrant for the

constitution of the new lodge . Hence the Cordwainer Ward Lodge , No . 22 4 i , which was solemnly consecrated and constituted by the Grand Secretary , Bro . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE , on Tuesday , under most favourable

uspicesand amid surroundings which hold out the promise of a particularly ¦ gnt future . It has begun well , as will be seen from the report of the L oce , edlngs which appears in another part of our columns , and it has our earliest good wishes for the prosperity which no doubt awaits if in the

* # * ? fo . ' ^ SSd ? ^ re P ° duce in another column a notice by our confrere History of Free- ° f the Keystone of the American edition of Bro . GOULD ' S nac- n ' " History of Freemasonry . The ingenuity of the writer , in

be over ln silence the circumstances of the piracy , is doubtless to comf " t " f lent'e '' ' tfl 0 u ^ we fear our Bro . G OULD will derive very cold ataJf tIle prediction that what he loses in actual coin , from the increa A J- a " - ernatl ° nal copyright , he will gain in reputation from the

better d eminatl 0 n of his work . " It may be hoped , however , that of a pr ays are dawning for English authors , and that the passing into law " the n ? ° ^ ' ^ ich is now before Congress , will effectually stamp out ' ^ "g on ' 0 naI S ' ° f literary P irac y > " to quote the title of a sermon now New v ° i tabIe ' recently preached by the Pastor of the Brick Church , in

fr « m the ki- subsec l uently printed . The following is a brief extract ttle Rngli h tl 0 n : " This nation says to the German , the Frenchman , to 'ake it " v " ' ' ^ ^ wr 'tten a book . We want it , and we propose re Print vo haVC n ° rights that we are bound t 0 respect . We shall y ° shall n Ur W ° ' mutilate it and sell it , and do as we like with it , and 11 never receive a penny for it !'"

The Centenary Festival Of The Girls' School.

THE CENTENARY FESTIVAL OF THE GIRLS' SCHOOL .

THE ARRANGEMENTS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE .

Last week we were able to make the welcome announcement , but in general terms only , that the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M . and President of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , had graciously consented to take the chair at its Centenary Festival , that his Royal Highness had appointed Thursday , the 7 th June , for the celebration , and that the Executive

Committee of the Board of Stewards , acting in concert with the School authorities , had arranged that the Festival should be held in the Royal Albert Hall , South Kensington . We are now in a position to gratify the very natural curiosity of our readers as to the more important details of the arrangements which the Stewards Committee have found it necessary to

make in order to ensure , as far as it is in their power to do so , that this important gathering shall be a conspicuous success , or , to repeat the very words we made use of in our latest article on the subject , " a landmark in the annals of our Charitable Festivals . " The Executive Committee have been working very hard in order to perfect these arrangements , and though it is

quite possible that changes or modifications may be made in some of its minor parts , the scheme as a whole may be considered settled . And that it will prove successful we have no manner of doubt . On the only two occasions on which the Royal Albert Hall has been used for Masonic purposes , that is , at the installation of the Prince of Wales as Grand Master

in April , 18 75 , when upwards of 8000 brethren were present , and at the Masonic Jubilee meeting in June of last year , when an address of congratulation was passed to her Majesty the Queen amid the loyal acclamations of 6000 brethren , the arrangements made by the Managing Committees went smoothly throughout , not a single hitch even of the most trivial character

occurring from the beginning to the end of the proceedings ; and the success achieved at the two assemblies already held augurs well for that of the third assembly which is now in prospect . Indeed , if it were merely a question of accommodating the 2000 or 3000 ladies and brethren who , it is expected , will be present , the Hall is so vast and the

entrances so numerous that the meeting might well be left to arrange itself . But on this occasion it will be necessary to convert the Hall into a huge banqueting room , and it has been ascertained already that , with the utmost economy of the space available for tables , it will be a matter of extreme difficulty to dine more than the 1200 or 1300 brethren—there or thereabouts

—who have given or intend giving their services as Festival Stewards . There will , of course , be the usual array of distinguished Masons present as invited guests , but this will probably not affect the total number we have just stated , as among so many Stewards there is certain to be a proportion of absentees . But it has always been the custom at these festive

gatherings to make provision for ladies—who usually dine in a separate hall , and " assist" after dinner at the speeches and concert—and brethren who are not Stewards , to whom tickets are issued by the Managing Committee , This custom will be observed in the present instance as far as possible , and ladies and non-stewards will be admitted by tickets obtainable only from

members of the Board of Stewards , a less substantial kind of refreshment being provided for them in the rooms adjoining the principal hall . In fact , the only difference between this and an ordinary Masonic Festival , except in respect to the numbers present , will be that the brethren who are not Stewards will have the society of the ladies to compensate them for

their exclusion from the dinner tables , while the fair dames and damsels who honour the gathering with their presence will have attendant upon them a more than usually numerous contingent of Masonic cavaliers , with whom , during the earlier period ot the proceedings , they will find it possible to chat or flirt as the feminine spirit of the moment may inspire them . Thus between the Stewards who will dine and the non-Stewards and ladies who

will content themselves with the lighter refreshment of pleasant badinage and material champagne cup , it is on the cards that from 2000 to 3000 people will be present on the occasion ; and as the Grand Hall itself will be splendidly decorated with flags and banners and appropriate Masonic devices , while the brethren will wear their full Craft regalia , there is every

likelihood that the Centenary Festival of our senior Institution will be celebrated with a magnificence hitherto unequalled , or even unapproached . But the Festival itself , though the more important part of the celebration , is still only a part . The distribution of prizes will take place , in the Hall likewise , on the Monday preceding , when the children , accompanied by

their governesses and matrons , will be present . On this occasion , the Stewards will be admitted by virtue of their Stewardship , but ladies , children , and other brethren , will be admitted by tickets , obtainable , as for the banquet , only from members of the Board of Stewards , and we have no doubt the attendance will be as unprecedented at this interesting ceremony as at the Festival 3 , few days later . The scene indeed will be one