Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

The April Quarterly Court of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls was held on Saturday last , at Freemasons ' Hall . There was a large attendance of brethren , in anticipation of an important discussion on thc different schemes for providing accommodation for an increased number of children in the Institution . Lieut .-Col . Creaton ,

Vice-Patron , presided , and the other brethren present were Bros J . T . Strachan , H . Browse , W . F . C . Moutrie , E . Harris , H . W . Hemsworth , Raynham W . Stewart , Joseph Smith . R . H . Townend , Leopold Ruf , W . H . Absolon , Robt . Kenyon , Charles Pegler , H . C . Burt , H . Massey ( " Freemason " ); C . A . Cottebrune , Jesse Turner , W . S . Gover , S . Rawson , Griffiths Smith , Thomas W . White , H . A .

Dubois , Richd . Spencer , Thos . Massa , George Kenning , E . H . Finney , A . H . Tattershall , George M . E . Snow , John Constable , James Mason , Benj . Head , James A , Birch , Robt . B . Webster , W . Downing , Charles Jardine , Henry Moore , George Bolton , Jno . Bodenham , Thomas J . Barnes , Jno . G . Stevens , Henry Basevi Colonel , W . Home , Fred . Kelly , H . Phythian , Thos . Smith , J . L .

Hime , Thos . J . Sabine , H . Hacker , W . H . B . Tomlinson , Wm . Paas , M . S . ' Larlham , W . H . Radlcy , John Boyd , A . A . Pendlebury , John Hervey , Thomas Fenn , James Brett , Wm . Stephens , Jno . Chadwick , W . Bassett , S Leith Tomkins , J . N . Frost , Dr . F . W . Ramsay , E . J Barron , Hyde Pullen , H . C . Levander , John Read , George Lambert , Robert Griggs , J . Wordsworth ,

H . Cowlard , John Oliver , H . G . Buss , Wm . Mann , F . S Tyerman , Wm . Lane , J . Stohwasser , A . R . Rumsey , F , G . Baker , B . H . Swallow , F . B . Davage , W . Tanford , C . G . Hill , j . Terry , L . Stean , Geo . Neall , Jno . Appleby , W . Hickman , D . P . G . M . Hants , Richard James Spiers , V . P ., P . D ., P . G . M . Oxon ; Samuel May , J . D . Woodland , E . H . Thiellay , W . Stiles , Rer . J . M . Vaughan , Rev .

E . Brette , James Lewis Thomas , Lieut .-Col . James Peters , H . M . Levy , Wm . James Parish , Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , W . J . Murlis , E . Spooner , W . H . Main , II . It . Harper , J . W . 8 i-t ; E . S . Snell , H . Muggeridge , I . R . Gallant , W . M . 813 ; John Symonds , J . E . Walford , P . M . 177 . After the minutes had been read and confirmed , the General Court was elected ; after which

Bro . Kobert Kenyon said he wished to make one observation . As Bro . Raynham Stewart had a notice of motion on the paper very similar to his ( Bro . Kcnyon ' s ) he thought he would be best consulting the interests of the meeting if he withdrew his own motion . ( Hear hear . ) The motion of Bro . Kenyon was then withdrawn . Bro . H . IA . Dubois moved— "That the recommendation of

the Special Committee appointed by the last Special Court of thc nth September , 1875 , be brought up and submitted for adoption . " Bro . H . Browse seconded the motion , which was thereupon put , and carried unanimously . Thc Chairman said that as the report had been printed , and was in the hands of every brother present , he would

move that that report be taken as read , and he would give some further explanation of it presently . Bro . Raynham W . Stewart seconded the motion , which was then put and carried . The Chairman said that before putting his scheme to the meeting he would reid it . It was as follows : — " Modified scheme for large hall and dormitories over , to reduce

cost of building from £ 14 , 000 to £ 9 400 to accommodate 56 children instead of 94 . The elevation will remain the same as th- * : more extensive scheme , but the bay window will be omitted . The large hall or schoolroom will remain the same in height , viz ., 21 feet ; the superficial area will be 250 feet less , viz ., 2 C 40 feet instead of 2890 , giving 1 $ feet superficial each for 200 children . [ Note . —The

present assembly hall without da'is is about 9 feet superllcial each for 150 children , the present schoolroom about 1 o feet superficial each for 150 children . ] The large classroom at back on ground floor and lavatory over will be omitted , and thc side back bedrooms fitted as lavatories . Thc dormitories on two pair floor and stairs thereto will be omitted ; thc scheme in every other respect will remain

the same . This will leave sleeping , lavatory , wardrobe , and the other necessary accommodation for 56 atlditional children . " He must also state that it was arranged at the meetings of thc committee that the question of removing the lavatory was to be considered a separate thing from this scheme , because the laundry was a necessity ; it was not large enough even for the present requirements

of the institution . He had , therefore , not included it in this modified scheme . He would move , " That the report of thc Special Committee be received . " That bound the brethren to nothing . He would move something else afterwards . Bro . Griffiths Smith seconded the ] motion , which was put and carried .

The Chairman said he would now move the adoption of the report . Bro . John Constable seconded il . Bro . Raynham W . Stewart said he had an amendment to move , which was that , looking at the wants of the Craft , the part they were about to lay out would seem to be inadequate to meet those requirements . Vie gave his

friend Bro . Col . Creaton the greatest credit for having brought his scheme forward ; but it must be remembered that they had laid out large sums on thc school and they were about , if they carried Col . Creaton ' s scheme , to lay out a further sum , and it would be found when they had done so that by building more , the more they confined the space they hail . He ( Bro . Stewart ) did not care where

tliey went to so long as they got an eligible site ; it mattered not to him whether they went to Banstead or into Essex . But let them consider well what they were about . Let them secure a site of land and put on it a building that was adequate to the wants of the Craft . They found that every time they wanted to accommodate some 10 or 15 children or 20 children they had to put their hands in

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

their pockets and lay out £ 4000 or £ 5000 or £ 10 , 000 . At the present time they had plenty of building , but no land . The railway was on one side , and on the other was a row of buildings . It was said that there were 2 " , acres of land of which when it was to be sold this institution was to have thc first offer ; but they all knew what that meant ; a price was put upon it , and if you did

not pay that price you would not get a second offer , and if they did they would only get 2 J acres for something like £ 5000 . Now , they could do this . They could very well bide their time . They had already utilised thc infirmary ; there was no dispute about that ; and if they were to carry what he hoped they would presently , Bro . Boyd ' s motion for taking more girls in , they

must utilise the infirmary still further . The Chairman said they were in this position -. they had 150 girls in the institution and they could only make up 145 beds ; therefore they had to make up another 5 in the infirmary . Well , there was room for ten and even more : Then let them for thc present hold up their heads , and when thev did act let them do something worthy of the Craft

and really for the advantage of the children ; if they did this it would amply repay them . He therefore moved his amendment , " That it is inexpedient that any further sum of money should be laid out in enlarging the present schools or otherwise , and that in view of its being necessary to remove the school , an eligible site should be sought for , and purchased so as to meet thc wants of the

Craft . " Bro . Dudley Rolls , iu seconding [ thc amendment , said there seemed to him every reason why no further sum of money should be expended cither on the present building or on erecting a further building on thc present site ; and any argument in favour of land being purchased elsewhere with a view to the ultimate removal of the

institution from its present locality he thought had been stated—that the neighbourhood of Clapham Junction was not a healthy one , and when he looked at the infirmary and then at the school house and found that one building was nearly as large as the other , it was very difficult to see how such an impression could be created in the mind of any person . The neighbourhood might be healthy or

it might not ; but assuming it to be thc most salubrious spot on the face of the earth no one could be blind lo the act that it was situated lear the largest railway junction in the kingdom , Clapham Junction , which had a vast traffic passing over it Irom numerous lines , and trains were passing within a few feet of the school room ; but large as that traffic was now it was constantly and rapidly

increasing . It therefore seemed in the course of a few years the neighbourhood would become densely populated and that shortly it would be totally unfit for the school . The railway would have to widen their lines ; thc school and grounds would be taken by the railway , and compensation would be paid . The money of this institution was not subscribed with the idea of getting compensation from

railway companies . If the railway companies did take the property , vhethcr the institution had a school elsewhere or not , they would give a fair and adequate compensation for whatever property they might be required to take . Again , large sums of money had already been expended on the old building , and it had now been proposed to spend a still larger sum upon it although it was never

designed for any alteration or enlargement such as had been proposed . Whatever amount might be spent on it it would never be anything out a mere makeshift building at the best . They ought not to look on the matter superficially ; they should look at it with reference to the wants of a future lime . If there were any difficulties in the way of removal they were not great or

unsurmoutitable . The school must eventually be removed , and it was thc reverse : of economy to spend a sum of money on the present building . They had large sums of money at present invested : the subsciiptions were constantly and regularly increasing , and there was no doubt that the increase would be largely augmented if it was known that the money was going to bz laid out elsewhere to

increase the benefits of the institution . There was no reason why they should not look this matter boldly in the face , and at once agree to purchase a site elsewhere with a view to a comprehensive scheme worthy of the Craft , He opposed the present scheme on the ground of the welfare of thc institution , and because he thought it would be found to be one of the greatest blunders ever committed . Il

had been hinted that the proposer of a scheme had a personal interest in it , but he hoped it was not so . Bro . Henry Browse said that the schemes had undergone great consideration at the hands of the committee , and he regretted he could not be of Bro . Rolls's opinion . Although the committee was not unanimous on the scheme , he thought it was the best scheme they could adopt for thc

present . He did not dispute that thc time was coming when this institution would have to remove further from London than it was at present . It was the first of the institutions that moved away from London . They went from St . George ' s Fields to Clapham Junction , and he believed he was right when he said that Lord Alford , the lord of the manor of Wandsworth Common , gave them

the laud . Let them not remove till they had get the money . What did removal mean ? It meant the expenditure of at least £ 70 , 000 . Let them put up with the building they had now . If they removed they must be prepared to take 300 children . Let them pause a little before they attempted it . They were told that the present was an cl 1 building . It was 1852 when it was opened , and he could not conceive how

that could be called an old building . He called it a young building . Then they were told that the railways must take the property . He was quite of opinion that it was probable the railway would want thc property ; but they cjuld not do so for three to four years , as the act would have to be applied for and obtained , and notice would have to be given , and in the meantime they would be able to get the money together , which would go a long way towards put-

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

ting up the new building . If , however , they went awa y now , the building would only be sold at the price of old materials . Surely they would not be blind enough for that . He was not desirous of waiting five years while 40 children were knocking at their doors ; he was desirous of having 50 more children in the institution . The infirmary could not accommodate more than 18 or 20 beds , and that was

not half enough for them . If they adopted Col . Creaton ' s scheme they could take in 50 children more , which he thought was as large a number as the Craft would require of them for the next five years , In that time they would be able to sec what they were about , and would be able to accumulate a large sum of money to carry them elsewhere . He asked the brethren to pass Col . Creaton ' s resolution .

Bro . W . Sutton Gover thought it would be a disastrous thing to have the institution in two places . Common sense pointed to having it under one management . When they moved , let them move altogether . Let them remain where they were ; and if the railway wanted the land , they would have to pay full compensation . It had been urged that it was a disadvantage being so near a railway which was in

connection with all the London termini . What greater advantage could there be , he would ask , for supervision and control ? They should , he thought , remain there as long as possible . It had been said , " with bated breath , " that somebody had said somewhere thu the situation was unhealthy . Well , it was the first time they had heard it ; they had always thought it one of the healthiest spots , anti

on that very ground it was best adapted for an institution of this sort . After all the arguments had been wei ghed , he thought it would be found that the best thing that could be done was to remain where they were . He was now going to tread on thc most perilous ground which had been introduced by one speaker . He would be loth to suggest that ar-y brother would place himself in such a position as

to advocate a scheme in which he had a personal interest in the remotest degree . He ( Bro . Gover ) would not suggest it ; he would scorn and repudiate such an insinuation . He could not imagine a brother would do such a thing . It woultl be an eternal disgrace , and he was sure no brother would incur it . The object of all of them was the benefit of the institution . ( Hear , hear . )

Bro . Rolls said he did not suggest it , but said that such a statement had been made . Bro . Robt . Kenyon said that when he opposed the . adoption of the original report , which recommended an outlay of £ 22 , 000 or £ 23 , , he considered , as a governor 6 f the institution , he had a right to do so . Opposition in these meetings was the means whereby the best cause was

arrived at . With respect to the statement about a personal interest in a scheme , he could only say that it did not apply to him ; but when a person got up in a public body to suggest a thing , unfortunately he was likely to be maligned , and his motives to be misunderstood and called in question . He believed that if his scheme had been adopted it would have led to that land being presented as a free gift to the

institution . He was not , however , wedded to his scheme , but he was opposed to what he considered a lavish expenditure ot money upon a site which was proved to be a small space , and totally in adequate to the purposes of the school . 1 le wished to call attention to the fact that he had never charged any member of the committee with insincerity , for he held that their motives might be as pure and

white as thc driven snow . Yet the mistake remained of crowding in a small space of ground at Clapham Junction a building which of itself would be highly detrimental to thc interests of thc children placed in it . It was a small space of ground ; it did not exccetl 2 J- acres ; and if tbey were going to crowd another building on the ground , and go on adding more children they would have no space for

future requirements . He thought it an error in judgement to spend thousands of pounds on it . If they were going to admit a larger number of children he thoughl they should begin their time on a healthy spot , somewhere where they could get a large plot of ground and plenty of air ; a place which would be equil to large additions foe years to come . I le wished as much as Bro . Browse to see

300 children in the institution . He would go further and say , he should be glad to see 500 children in it . They had spent £ 15 , 000 already at Battersea . He had certainly succeeded in one sense in his opposition as he had reduced the proposed expenditure from £ 25 , 000 to £ 9030 or £ 10 , 000 . This was admitted by the synopsis that had been placed before the brethren . I le had merely risen for

the purpose of setting . himsclf right . His object in proposing a scheme was the benefit of the institution , and if any suggestion had been intended that he had any personal interest ir . it he threw it back in the teeth of him who made it . He wanted to preserve the funds from a lavish expenditure . The brethren were not only guardians of tlie children , but guardians of the money ; they had been many

years accumulating . and it was their duty to see tbat in pro viding a building for the reception of more children the ) were not incurring such an expense as would deprive them of the means of supporting thos ,- children when the ) had been admitted . Bro . James Mason , P . G . S . B ., in supporting Col . Creaton ' s scheme contended that there was plenty of land on

the present property for an addition to the building . Bro . Joseph Smith , P . G . P ., took the same view , and was glad to find that Bro . Kenyon ' s opposition had resulted 1 " a saving of expenditure ofthe institution . Bro . John Symonds , P . G . A . D . C , said that the gr « advantage of Gothic architecture in which style the Girls School was built , was that it admitted of additions being

made to it without running the risk of deforming it . The Chairman said his reply should be very brief as th * subject had been fully ventilated ; but on the subject ofthe healthiness of Battersea Rise he would read the following letter from thc medical officer of the institution : — " The Old Vicarage , Wandsworth , S . W . " April 7 th , 1876 .