To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

The FREEMASON IS a Weekly Newspaper , price 2 d .. It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Subscription , including postage : United America , India , India , China , & c Kingdom , the Continent , & c . Via Brindisi .

Twelve Moiths 10 s . 6 d . 12 s . od . 17 s . 4 d . Six „ 5 s . 3 d . 6 s . 6 d . 8 s . 8 d . Three „ ' 2 s . 8 d . 3 s . 3 d . 4 s . 6 d . Subscriptions may be paid for in stamps , but Post Office Orders or Cheques are preferred , the former payable to GEORGE KENNING , CHIEF OFFICE , LONDON ,

the latter crossed London Joint i- ' tock Bank . Advertisements and thtr business communications should be addressed to thc Publisher . Communications on literary subjects and books for review are to be forwarded to the Editor . Anonymous correspondence will be wholly disiegarded , and the return of rejected MSS . cannot be guaranteed . Further information will be supplied 01 application to the Publisher , 198 , Fleet-street , London .

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TO ADVERTISERS . The FREEMASON has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , its advantages as an advertising medium can therefore scarcely be overrated . SCALE OF CHARGES FOR ADVERTISEMENTS . Whole of back page £ 12 12 o Half ,, ,, 6 10 o Inside pages ... 7 7 ° Half of ditto ... ... ... ... ... 400 Quarter sitto ... ... ... ... 2 10 o Whole column ... ... . .. ... ... 2 10 o Half ,, ... ... ... ... 1 10 o Quarter ,, ... ... ... ... ... 100 Per inch ... ... ... ... ... 040 These prices are for single insertion ? . A liberal reduction is made for a series of 13 , 26 , and $ 2 insertions . Further . particulars may be obiained of the Publisher , 198 , Flect-strief , London . ADVERTISEMENTS to ensure insertion In current week ' s issue should reach the Office , 198 , Fleel-slreet , by 12 o ' clock on "Wednesdays .

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IMPORTANT NOTICIi . COLONIAL and FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS are informed that acknowledgments of remittances received are published in the first number of every ironth .

It is very necessary for our readers to advise us of all money orders they remit , more especially those from the United States of America and India ; otherwise we cannot tell where to credit them . Several P . O . O . ' s are now in hand , but having received no advice we cannot credit them .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

A review of banking ' s Milton ' s " Comus" in our next . A review of " Freemasonry , " by Willoughby , in " Macmillan ' s Magazine " for June , will appear in our next .

BOOKS RECEIVED , & c . "Advocate ; " "Hebrew Leader ; " " Der Tiiangel ; " " Masonic Monthly ; " " Constitution of the Grand Commandery Knight Templars of Pennsylvania ; " " Keystone ; " "Freemasons' Repository ; " "Hull Packet ;"

"Medical Examiner ; " " Scottish Vicemason ; " "Masonic Eclectic ; " " Risorgirncnto ; " "Broad Arrow ; " "La Voz de Hiram ; " "Sundeiland Tim's ; " Milton's "Comus , " with Glossary and three essays ; " . Macmillan ' s Magazine ;" " Dick Radclvffe ' s Plant and General Catalogue . "

Births,Marriages And Deaths.

Births , Marriages and Deaths .

BIRTHS . BLAKK . —On thc 6 th inst ., at Tuam , Co . Galway , the wife of H . A . Blake , of a fon . CI . EMOW . —On the 10 th inst ., the wife of R . H . Clemow , of Anderton's Hotel , Fleet-st ., of a daughter . REID . —On the oth inst ., at Linden-gardens , Bayswater , the wile of W . S . Reid , of a daughter .

MARRIAGES . COCKDURK— J ENKISSON ' . —On the 5 th inst ., at St John's , Yealand Conyers , Jamison Cockburn , M . B ., C ! M ., of Ulverttone , to Eliza , daughter of J . Jenkinson , Esq ., of Yealand . SCOTT—CUHLINO . —On the 3 th inst ., at St . George's , Ramsgatr , thr Rev . William John Scott , of Ealing , to Mary Louisa Rosa , daughter of H . Curling , Esq ., of Ramsgate .

DEATHS . CORK . —On the 10 th hist ., in lur 44 th year , Caroline , the beli . ved wife of Thumas Corn , of 21 , Clissold-road , Stoke Nrwington . LESLIE . — On the 8 th inst ., at Greenhill-terrace , Edinburgh , Mary , infant daughter of A . Leslie , C . E . MCDANIHI .. —On the 14 th ult ., in the City of Washington U . S . A ., John Robin McDanicl , aged 72 ,

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , 15 J , 1878 .

Provincial Funds.

PROVINCIAL FUNDS .

We like from time to time , to lay before our brethren a financial precis of the Provincial Balance-sheets , and we take up to-day that of a very distinguished province , namely , East Lancashire , and we are glad to do so for a special reason , which will be seen later on . East Lancashire begun 1878 with

£ s . d . Balance March , 31 , 1878 750 7 3 From Lodges and Fees ... ... ... 3 68 5 6 Dividends ... ... ... ... ... 90 13 11 Banker ' s Interest ... ... ... ... 10 1 . 1 4

£ , 4 20 1 0 There were expended £ s . d . In Donations to the R . M . B . Institution ... 300 o o „ to the E . L . Sytematic M . E .

and Ben . Institution ... ... ... 300 o o Local Grants for Relief ... 42 10 o Prov . Grand Secretary ... ... ... 250 o o Printing and ether Expenses 15 , 9 15 y Balance ... ... ... ... ... 367 13 S

£ 1420 1 o Now , this Balance sheet is very remarkable for thc fact that nearly one-half , or ' 50 per cent ., of the income has been spent in Masonic charity : — £ 641 10 s . We feel bound , therefore , to hold up the example of East Lancashire to the imitation of all our provinces , and to the admiration

and recognition of all members of the Order . There is no great use , that we can see , in keeping large balances at our bankers ' . Let our Masonic income be spent in the relief of local and Masonic indigence , and of general Masonic charity . We greatly admire the Masonic spirit of our good brethren in East Lancashire .

The Contest For The Secretaryship Of The Girls' School.

THE CONTEST FOR THE SECRETARYSHIP OF THE GIRLS ' SCHOOL .

This contest , which is just now very lively , seems to promise to assume larger proportions than has ever been known in its previous history . Probably a larger number of Life Governors will record their votes , than have ever yet been known , and it seems at this moment most

difficult to predicate who will be the successful candidate . We believe that we are expressing the feeling of all true friends to the Institution when we say , that we hope that the best man , absolutely , be he who he may , will succeed , that the most thoroughly qualified candidate will

obtain the majority of votes . Such appointments ought not , under any circumstances to be attained , either by the undecorous eagerness of a clique or the underhand manifestations of a job , but should be awarded to merit , to experience , and to thc most competent .

Unfortunately , as we all know too well , in thc affairs of the world , in the transactions of this life , personal influence and private interest too often favour an antagonistic and countervailing power as against ihe claims of the meritorious and the efforts of the qualified , Far too many

of the anangements of our public institutions are made in a haphazard way , and depend rather on the leanings and activity of personal idiosyncrasies , than on any abstract principles of justice , right , or even common sense . Without attempting to-day to anticipate what the verdict

of our Masonic jury on July nth will be , without seeking to favour | this or that special candidate , we surely cannot be doing wrong in reiterating our hope and wish , that the election will not be influenced by any private or personal considerations , but will honestly seek to

pntthe right roan in the ri ght place , " to select the candidate who , humanly speaking , is the best fitted for the important duties he has to perform . Shall we be found fault with if we either attempt to sketch out shortly our idea of what the Secretary of the Girls' School should be . ? Considering the peculiar nature of the Institution of which he

The Contest For The Secretaryship Of The Girls' School.

is to be Secretary , he must in the first place be a man of unblemished character , and morally looked up to and regarded by all his brethren . Me should be a reli giously minded man , no bigot or fanatic , but one whose practical religiousness is best shown forth in the kindness , gentleness ,

affability , and consideration of all his words and ways . He must be a good man of business , conversant with the technical duties of his office , and modest in demeanour , if firm in princip le , and must never forget that he is the Secretary , and as such , amenable to the superior authority of

the House and General Committee . If in addition to all this , he is a good Mason , and thoroughly imbued with the kindly , fraternal , tolerant principles of our benevolent Order , he will find , not only the greatest pleasure in advancing the interests of the Girls' School , but by

h \ s genial temperament and zealous efforts , he will render himself acceptable to the many friends of the Institution and best advance the claims of the great and lasting characteristic of our fraternity—Charity ! We do not think that it is absolutely necessary that the Secretary should be a man of

' ' many words or versatile talent , an eloquent orator , or a " buon camarado . " All these things , not to be blamed in their way , are in our opinion subservient far to the higher qualifications of amability of temper , integrity of life , those pleasant straits in a man ' s character , which make him

alike , loved , respected , and confided in by his fellow men . If some may be disposed to say we create too high an " ideal , " if others may think we seek to erect too lofty a standard , let them remember , that in life we always ought to advance

and to reform , and that the emphatic motto of true Freemasonry is ever " Excelsior . " Let us hope that July nth will witness the election of a Secretary to the Girls' School , who may enjoy alike the entire approval of the authorities of the School , and the warm adhesion of the Craft .

The Cheshire Educational Masonic Institution.

THE CHESHIRE EDUCATIONAL MASONIC INSTITUTION .

We should have alluded to this interesting report last week , but a press of other matters lcept our " Leader " out . The Institution is able to boast of much material prosperity , whereat we truly rejoice , inasmuch as wo consider all such prov ncial institutions , a step in the right

direction , though the " steo , " in our opinion , does not go far enough . The Society has now £ 3000 funded property , having been 15 years in existence , and its annual income and expenditure are as follows : It ended 1876 with a balance of £± 76 6 s . and has since received in

fees , donations , and subscriptions from lodges , £ 328 ns . 6 d . ; interest of funded property £ 117 js . 3 d . ; and Miscellaneous , ( including two Masonic balls and an amateur performance ) £ 60 is . ; in all £ 97 , 17 s . jd . It has expended in payments for " Education of sixteen children

£ 97 5 s . 8 d . ; and payments for advancement of five , £ 24 9 s . 7 d . It has disbursed for printing and small expenses £ 34 7 s . id . It has invested £ 335 , 1 s - a"d had a balance of £ \ 6 \ 8 s . at the close of 1877 . We note that the payments for the children vary , ( mainly according to age ) ,

from 1 E 2 3 s . od . tha lowest , to £ \ o 10 s . the highest , and that the average amount is £ 6 per head , So in the payments for advancement , the amount varies from £ 6 5 s . 1 id . to J 2 \ 3 s . rid , and the average amount to £ 4 17 s . od . and a fraction .

There is no doubt a good deal to be said , especially from the economical side of it , as regards the limitation of provincial educational work , but we have always thought that the time might come when our provincial educational Institutions might become preparatory schools

( conducted on one principle ) for our great Metropolitan Academies . This may be a dream of the future , and our younger brethren may live to see it realized , but in the meanwhile we welcome all provincial and all local effort to

ensure that the children of our deceased brethren receive the inestimable advantage of a sound and good education . One question we should like to have answered , " what steps are taken to see that the children do receive a befitting education . "