Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

should throw themselves heartily in the work , and if there is any compliment that I appreciate it is this , that I have endeavoured to know the various lodges in it , to visit them all , to look up what is amiss , to encourage what is good , and to find fault with them when there is anything

ill . I am g lad to say there are no ills ; but we are all capable of improvement , and I have endeavoured to inculcate in my province that we should not use those very solemn words of our ceremonial without meaning what we say . I am glad my province has come out nobly , not

only on this occasion—and I hope you will be pleased with what they have done . I hope you will never meet for enjoyment without thinking of the princip les of Masonry . I venture to say in a colloquial manner , no : formal , that it is an advantageous system I have instituted , of having

Quarterly Provincial Grand Lodges ; because it is impossible for a Provincial Grand Master to know the working of the lodges by his visiting then : only once a year . Therefore I have proposed that we should meet once a quarter . There are eig hteen lodges in the province , we visit a lodge

and we get a great deal of information as to what are the requirements of the lodge . On one of these occasions I took the liberty to tell my brethren this—Brethren , I hope I am not a glutton , but 1 hope if you come to enjoy yourselves you will support the charities . I will not

come to you at all unless you give me a rattling good income to maintain the charities , and I put it in this way—if you will drink a bottle of champagne which costs ios . 6 d . you should put tos . < 5 d . into the box ; if you drink a glass of gin and water , which costs 3 d . you should put 3 d .

into the box . We do not wish the affluent only to support our principles , but that every one should g ive acco / ding to his means , and that thelefthand should not know what the right hand has given . I should be glad if we could do away with the announcing of names and only

g ive the aggregate amount . I hate and detest that a man should put down his name to be holloaed out at a public table afterwards . If he does not do that which he conscientiously can do he is not a Mason , and ought to be ashamed to have his name called out .

'Ihesubscriptions should be collected from lodges in the province and not from the individuals who are subscribing brethren . I pass from this . I have always been in the habit of saying what I think for the good of the cause . 1 now pass to a pleasanter subject , viz ., the claims of this

institution to your charitable consideration * , and I must say in the first instance that I had the pleasure of being able Intake rather a severe critic with me , no less than in the person of my good wife , to youi _ i * hool ( cheers ) , because she said she had seen this collar . m . l this apron , and

it is all very line , but it is a capital cx _ vu- to £ < , out for a pleasant dinner . 1 said the time will come when 1 shall show you we not only enjoy ourselves but do a great deal of good , and the brethren from Staffordshire asked her ladyship to present the pottery to the Institution which was

given by them on Monday . Her ladyship will excuse me observing that whenever she does a good thing she goes into it thoroughly , and she went into the institution with a critical eye to frighten me to death . 1 am glad to hear to-day

she gave no offence . She gave , I will not say valuable hints , because we do not want any , but she called the attention of the matron and mistress to matters that are about to be adopted , and I am glad she made the inspection of the . school , because her ladyship told me some years ago when I first entered the Craft that if there was

anything good to be known iu Masonry she would have known it longsince . Well , I am sure what she saw on Monday was worth knowing ; she was delighted and pleased . I venture to add my testimony to what was a great pride to her , and it induces me to bring the claims of the Institution more sbongly before you . First of all

there seems to be some excellent management somewhere , and though I have , as I said on Monday , the honour of being a soldier , 1 cannot well understand how Miss Davis manages to get those children in such perfect order without a single syllable escaping her lips , or word of command or direction . Iff have any powers of observation I would say that those

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

children are not intimidated by fear , but ruled by affection . The lady that presides over that establishment , and the many brethren who have a share in its management , and the . ladies who assist , are giving the right sort of instruction ; because where you find so orderly , so regular ,

and yet so cheerful a set of girls , you may be convinced we are doing our duty as Masonswe are bringing up girls , who will , I hope some day be the mothers , and happy mothers of families , the kind of people who bring credit to the srreat Craft to which we have the honour to

belong . We have made certain improvements . The large hall was opened on Monday . The year before I believe our worthy Bro . Lord Skelmersdale opened the Infirmary . We are glad to heat it proved most efficacious this year . There were 61 young ladies who had been in it ,

but knowing I was coming to see them they managed to get perfectly well . ( Laughter . ) A nicer looking set of g irls I have never seen . I do not know whether it would be improper , but I think it would be a very nice thing some day to let the boys have a look at them in case they

should like to associate together . ( Laughter . ) When we think that we have educated upwards of 1000 girls since the institution was started , I think we may congratulate ourselves . There are printed reports on the table , which I commend to your notice , because they go into

detail , and I will not weary you with that . On these occasions there is always a treat for the brethren in our excellent programme of music , at which the ladies expect us to join them . I ask you to pardon all imperfections in my chairmanship to-night , I have before presided for the boys , I now preside for the girls , and I hope to

complete the circle by presiding for the old people . All our Institutions rule over our affections . We are not jealous of each other . You know the order in which the festivals are held , and I tell you whilst they endeavour to do good you shonld unite in your endeavours to assist them . I give you " Success to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . "

I he toast ha"ing been drunk , Bro . Samuel Tomkins acknowledged it . It was a great pleasure to Masons to find that their annual charitable festivals commanded not only as much interest as ever , but the interest in them seemed rather to increase . Whilst they had

such a Chairman as the noble Earl , and such admirable followers in the Craft generally , there could be no fear that the interest of past years would fall off in the future . It was a great duty and a great advantage in Freemasonry that there were three objects of charity on which to concentrate their exertions . The first and oldest

was the Girls' School , which had ever been dear to the Masonic body . The noble Chairman had drawn attention to the interesting exhibition he had witnessed at that School on Monday , but the fa-tc he had mentioned were very well known to a great -mnny , and this was one of the reasons that all who cou ' . _ should come forward to

support it . The Secretary ( Bro . Little ) theu- » a ( j the lists , which amounted in the whole to £ 8 , 02 _ , | th several lists yet to come in . ( Immense applause . ) Bro . John Hervey proposed " The Vicel ' atrons , Vice Presidents , Trustees , various Committees and Medical Officers , " who were all zealous workers for the success of the

Institution . Bro . H . Browse responded . There was a strong administration at the head ; but then , it was necessary to have , under their superintendence and guidance , a bod y of persons who would carry out their wishes , and the principles on which the Institution was founded . Those

brethren merited general approbation , and he was glad to say that the Medical Officers performed their duty admirably . They were never wanting in it , and they deserved the best thanks of the subscribers . The Institution had been most fortunate in securing good Medical Superintendents , and to them it was greatly

indebted . ( Cheers . ) The Chairman proposed " The other Masonic Charities , and success to them , viz . —The Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , and the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . " The three Institutions were tria jitncla in uno , and would all be served in their turn . He

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

would couple the name of Bro . Terry with the toast , because he had been in communication with him for taking the chair at the next Festival of the Benevolent Institution , and that brother would , of course , speak well in hopes of favour to come . Gratitude had been said to be a lively

sense of favours to come , and he was in fear that if he called on Bro . Binckes to respond , he would not throw much energy into his reply , because , ashe , the Chairman , had already presided at the Boys' School , Bro . Binckes had , of course , lost all feelings of gratitude . ( Great laughter . )

Bro . James Terry said that as his lordshi p , , had coupled his name with the toast , in hopes of favours to come , he trusted that in January , when his Lordship would preside , there might be a no less magnificent result obtained than there had been that evening . He could only wish and

sincerely trust that the brethren would carry out the duty his lordship had laid upon them , that that every brother should give according to his means . If that was done throughout ihe Craft generally he had not the slightest doubt that an enormous amount of anxiety would be taken off

the shoulders of the Secretaries . of the three institutions as well as of the Committees . In the Masonic recess he would wish the brethren in London and the provinces would not forget the duties that would devolve npon them , but

would wake up their lodges to renewed energy on behalf of the institutions . Bro . Binckes said he stood before his Lordship a melancholy and a disappointed" man . ( Laughter . ) Ingratitude was " as the sin of witchcraft , " and he had no idea lhat he should

be charged with it in any meeting of Masons , least of all did he ever believe that a noble and distinguished brother like my Lord Shrewsbury would stand forward and point to him and say he was an ungrateful man . ( Cheers . ) On the first visit his Lordship paid to the Boys' School

he pledged him ( Bro . Binckes ) with the cold water of ingratitude , but he forgave him for the misfortune he then suffered , and his Lordshi p had more than compensated for it by the admirable manner in which he presided at the meeting that night . To allude

to him ( Bro . Binckes ) , and to couple his name with the sin of ingratitude was to him one of the bitterest regrets he should ever feel in the whole course of his life , whether he looked back upon his nast experience , or ren-nrs-ed TUP

present , or looked forward to the future . But he knew the noble lord ' s kindness , and that he must have his joke ; and they could all allow for jokes , when they looked at the amazing success of that evening . Pie was one of those who

never envied any one the success he achieved He bved the race of life . It was being run now , certainly , at a very severe pace ; competition never was so severe as now . They were doing all they possibly could in their own Order to advance the interests of these various Institutions . Talent was enlisted on behalf of them year after year , and he would appeal to the Craft

throughout the world to tell him where they """¦ H find three festivals so successfully carried out . What was a .. o CEre ~ ate of subscriptions this year ? Nearl y £ 6 , 000 the first ; £ 7 , 000 the second , and now they were told £ 8 , 000 the third . But this did not end the year . They

had their balance sheets to produce up to the 31 st of ii , xt December , and thereought to be larg , additions made to these festival announcements by that time , or else they-who were chat-jed with their responsibilities were idle and unworthy stewards .

Let them see what additions were mvde , what they were doing after the festivals , an _ ' upto the time when their accounts were closed . Do not let the brethren be satisfied ' with giving their donations , tut let then do all they could to induce othrs to come forward

to aid the institutions , tc get brethren to subscibe , even though they wee not Stewards . He must congratulate the Grls' School on the superb and magnificent reult of this festival . There was an honest and hnourable rivalry be ' - tween the institutionshis h

, felt that the more they did to stimulate the b ; thren to generosity the more they were doing tirelieve distress and mitigate the great mass of rr . * fortune which unhappily was growing year by-ear . The toast of " ¦ The Stewais of the Day" was