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Liverpool Theatres, &C.

LIVERPOOL THEATRES , & c .

Week ending" March 15 . ROYA L ALEXANDRA THEATRE , Limc-strect . —Lessee Bro . E . Sakcr . Mr . C . Matthews in " L ' scd Up , " & c . ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE , Great Charlottc-strcct . —Lessee Mr . H . Leslie ; Manager , Mr . Arthur Garner . M r Barry Sullivan in " Hamlet , " ' * The Gamester , " " Macbeth , " & c PRINCK OF WALES THEATRE , Clay ton-square— Lcssccr Mr . Selton fairy . " Rumpcsiiltskin , " and " Vesta's Temple . "

THEATRE ROYAL Willinmsniwjuare . —Lessee , Hro . Dc Frcccc . Hymn ' s burlesque , "La Sonnu mbula , " and Miscellaneous Entertainment . ST . JAMES'S HALL , Lime-street . —Proprietor , Bro . S . Hague , special Artistes and Programme . CIRtX'S , William Brown-street . — IIoMen's Comic Manni kins , with Pantomime of " Beauty and the Henst . " TMll ;\ V ~ STAR ~ MUSH ; " lIATi ~^ - *> V Uro . Saundeii . Lu-ln , Opera , and Special Mifccllaneous Attractions . OTUNDA THEATRlTami ^ fusiG ~ HX "" lX .--Proprietor , Mr D . Grannell . ' * No Soni , ' , No Supper , " and Miscellaneous Entertainments .

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TheFreemason,SATURHAY , MARCH 15 , 1 S 73 .

The Boys' And Girls' Schools.

THE BOYS' AND GIRLS' SCHOOLS .

The Joint Committee for amending and assimilating the lawsof these two Institutions would have inflicted lasting injury upon them if it had been permitted to work its will . Br depriving

duly qualified Lodges and Chapters ot the right of voting at General Committees , an important section of supporters would have been alienated in the future ; and bv nutting the Secretaryships

up to auction , ns it were , an element of discord and unfairness would have been infallibly introduced . Bro . John Symonds , as the spokesman of the Joint Committee , contended that the General

Committee is already an " unwieldy body , and that the disfranchisement of lodges would he useful , inasmuch ;< s it would reduce the numbers of those entitled to join in the management

of affairs . But , as was pointed out by Bro . J . C Parkinson , who once more led a successful opposition , the fault of the body which reall y governs the Charities is not that it is unwieldlv ,

but that it is too compact . To speak plainly , an opinion lias been long abroad that the Masonic Schools are too exclusively in tin

hands of a clique j and this opinion has been considerably stiengthened by the events of the last few months . The proposition to place " the

The Boys' And Girls' Schools.

appointment and dismissal , ( there was the rub !) of Secretary in the hands of voters by proxy followed too closely upon the warm discussions arisinsr out of Bro . Little ' s Candidature and

election not to look like a counter demonstration , and though we are aware , from the assurances of the Joint Committee , that nothing was further from its thoughts , it will be useful to call

attention to a few salient points , which almost justified the belief . First , however , let it be remembered , that the dismissal of a Secretary by proxy-papers would make it possible for that

functionary to be discharged by people who never saw him , who knew nothing of his character or work , and who would be liable to be

influenced by hearsay , or by the representations of any third person who took the trouble to canvas for and collect their votes . This was a

sufficiently radical change ; and , as it was slipped into the proposed Laws after Bro . Little ' s appointment as Secretary , his friends may be pardoned if they considered it aimed at him . If

it be asked why the Joint Committee should be credited with any such predilections or dislikes ? the answer is , that such Committee was largely leavened by those brethren whose public acts

and utterances were popularl y supposed to be against Bro . Little , rather than in his favour . It would not be difficult to particularise thtse , or to give each man a distinctive label from his

own speeches or acts ; but it is perhaps wiser to let byegoues be byegones , and to explain to the brethren in the provinces that it was from

no unwillingness to make concessions to them that the rejection of the proxy proposition was moved and carried . Let concessions

come in the shape of an alteration in the constitution of the House Committees , and no difficulties will be raised , unless it is b y those who regard their own election thereto a matter of indefeasible and prescriptive right .

There are , at present , brethren who sit upon the House Committees of both the Boys' and Girls ' Schools . Why did not the Joint Committee introduce a short law to disestablish these

pluralistsand what were Brc . J . C . Parkinson and Bro . the Karl of Limerick about to overlook such an obvious mode of crowning the useful work of amending the Committee ' s " amendments ?"

The answer to the hrst question is , that Bro . Browse , the Chairman of the meeting at which ( lie laws were submitted , is himself on the House Committees of both the Boys' and Girls' Schools ,

raid that there has not yet been an instance recorded in history of a pluralist bringing in a measure to abolish himself . Why the opposition did not repair the omission is not so clear : and it is left to

the Life Governors of the Charities to declare , by their votes at the next election of the House Committees , if they approve of any one brother being on both , and whether it will not be well to infuse

some new blood into each . If brethren f . om the provinces can be found who can guarantee a regular attendance , we should be heartily glad to know that the " concession" had been made of

electing them to the Committees . If there be any other reasonable way of bringing provincial brethren more prominently to the front in matters

of administration , we should rejoice to welcome and endorse it . But votes b y proxy , save for the election of boys and girls , are clearly inadmis-

The Boys' And Girls' Schools.

sible ; and those who are not willing to make the sacrifice involved in a personal attendance at the Committees , must be satisfied to entrust practical details to those who are able to give time , thought , and energy , as well as money , to the good cause .

The Joint Committee have discovered by this time that they made a mistake in supposing that by putting up the Secretaries as whipping boys they were making a " concession" which would

be either useful or popular . Bro . J . C . Parkinson ' s anecdote of Artemus Ward was strictly to the point , and may be meditated over with advantage by these guileless advocates of

vicarious saenhce . It was in the hei ght of the American war , that the humourist declared publicly that every true patriot must be prepared to make sacrifices for the State , and that he , for

Ins part , was ready to ofr ' er up all his wife ' s relations on the altar of his country . A Joint Committee composed of House Committeemen which carefully preserved the constitutions of the

House Committees intact , and even exempted the Collectorships from the conditions to which they had no hesitation in submitting the Secretaries , furnishes too complete an analogy to the

American story to be readily forgotten . The anecdote exactl y hit the temper of the meeting , and the next time any select Masonic Committee submits propositions for protecting- itself , and for

jeopardising the interests of other people , it will be met ( as Bro . John Symonds was at the meeting , when he explained with much ability and good humour how necessary it was . to make

some " concession , " and how utterl y impracticable it would be to have provincial brethren on the House Committees ) , with pleasant laughter and jocose cries of" Artemus Ward ! " " Artemus Jl'ardV '

The Festival Of The Masonic Benevolent Fund.

THE FESTIVAL OF THE MASONIC BENEVOLENT FUND .

The final meeting of the Board of Stewards of the Masouic Benevolent Festival was held on Friday , the ; th inst ., when Bro . Major Creaton , I ' . G . D ., the Chairman , presided . The accounts were submitted and passed ; and a debate followed upon the confusion which prevailed on the night

of the festival with respect to the hats and coats of . the brethren present . Explanations were tendered , but considerable dissatisfaction was expressed ; and it seemed clear , from the statements made , that the arrangements had been far from perfect . After votes of thanks had been

passed to Bro . Major Creaton , as Chairman , and Bro . Joshua Nunn , as Treasurer of the Board , Bro . J . C . Parkinson rose to propose a cordial vote of thanks to Bro . Sir Albert Woods and Bro . Thomas Fenn for the excellent and careful manner in which they had superintended and

carried out the arrangements for the reception of the Prince of Wales and the other distinguished visitors , on the night of the festival . After expressing warm acknowledgments to those brethren , and his satisfaction at having so pleasant a duty entrusted to him , Bro . Parkinson

added that it was with deep regret he had an announcement to make to his brother Stewards , which he felt sure would fall upon them as disagreeably as it had done on him . It appeared that , in addition to these legitimate Directors of Ceremonies , there had been another and self-appointed Director , who

had comported himself with so much rudeness to a distinguished brother at the Prince of Wales ' s table , that his conduct had been , in Bro . Parkinson ' s hearing , made the subject of inJignant complaint . This particular Steward had ^ peremptorily , and in the rudest way , ordered the brother in question out of his seat ; and had