Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

The Quarterly Court of Governors and Subscribers to this Institution was held on the gth inst ., at Freemasons' Tavern , Bro . Horace Brooks Marshall , Patron , J . P ., P . G . Treas ., in the chair , and a number of other brethren were present . After the reading and confirmation of the minutes of the last Quarterly Court in July ,

The CHAIRMAN said that before commencing the general business of the day it was his painful duty officially to inform the brethren that on the 28 th August last , at a ripe old age , passed away , amid the lamentations and tears of the children she loved so well , the late esteemed and venerated matron of theSchool , Miss Jarwood . In undertaking the difficult task of filling up that onerous and responsible position , the Board of Management had been

so fortunate as to secure the services of a lady who , like the late Miss Jarwood , was educated in the School , passed through the office of pupil teacher , and had during the last 18 months been responsible as acting matron of the Institution , and had carried out her duties so efficiently as to give entire satisfaction to the Committee , who felt assured that Miss Buck would spare no endeavours to continue to repay the love of the children , and to win the

esteem and regard of the management , which should always exist in wellregulated establishments , which they reckoned theirs was , between the staff and the managers . To mention another sad event , words failed him to express in adequate language the great loss the Institution had sustained by the removal to another world during the past few weeks of Bros . Joshua Nunn and E . C . Mather , who , for a number of years , devoted great time ,

spared no labour , trouble , or money for the benefit of the Institution . In extolling the virtues of a colleague , it seemed to his mind to be something like sounding one ' s own praise . He would only therefore say of their departed brethren that they , like every individual member of the House Committee , ever had in the management of the Institution but one aim , object , and desire—to serve the interests and comfort , and to promote the welfare , of the fatherless children the subscribers had committed to their care . It now

only remained for him to propose what , he was sure , they would carry with great unanimity of feeling , "That the Secretary be directed to write letters of condolence to Mrs . Nunn and Mrs . Mather , expressing the sincere and deep regret of this Ouarterly Court of Governors and Subscribers of the Royal Masonic Instiuition ( or Girls at the great and irreparable loss they had sustained . " Bro . EDGAR BOWYER seconded the motion .

The motion was carried . The CHAIRMAN said that , arising out of this report he had just given , he had to declare that there was a vacancy in the Trusteeship of one of the funds of the Institution—the Sustentation Fund . According to the laws of

the Institution , this vacancy must be filled up that day , and he had the privilege , as their Chairman , to propose a brother who was well worthy of the honour , senior member of the House Committee—Col . James Peters , P . G . Swd . Br . —who , during the last n years had given such great and assiduous attention to the duties and management of that Institution .

Bro . E . LETCHWORTH , P . G . D ., seconded the motion . It had been his p leasure to serve nine years on the House Committee with Col . Peters , and he could testify to the very great attention of that brother to all matters connected with the welfare of the Institution during that time . He felt that the Governors of the Institution could not do better than adopt the proposal of the Chairman .

The motion was carried . Col . PETERS , in thanking the brethren for his election , said he should endeavour to carry out the duties devolving upon him to the utmost of his ability . He was not at present aware what those duties consisted of , but when he got into work he hoped to do them to the satisfaction of the Craft , ( Cheers . ) The CHAIRMAN then proposed the motion of which he had given notice ,

" That on the death of any Life Governor or subscriber his executors shall during the current financial year be entitled to receive and sign the voting paper such deceased Life Governor or subscriber would be entitled to had he been still living , and lhat the laws of the Institution be altered accordingly . " He thought this motion would at once commend itself to

the brethren ' s acceptance , and at an events that it would meet with favourable consideration . It would be beneficial to so vast an Institution as this , and he could not divest his mind of the idea that when a benefactor passed away if the votes were sent to his executor , it , giving him a little patronage , might induce him to add to the funds of the Institution .

Controller B AKE wished to second the motion , but not in its entirety , but was stopped by the Chairman , who said he must either second it as a whole or not at all . Bro . J AMES STEVENS seconded the motion as a whole . Controller BAKE thought " Life Governor " should be struck out , but that the Life Subscriber should have his vote for the whole year .

Bro . A . H . TATTERSHALL thought the words "during the current financial year " should be struck out , and substituted for them should be , " at the next ensuing election . " He thought the privilege should be granted for only one election after the death of the subscriber . The CHAIRMAN said his proposition was nothing more than was carried

out by every voting Charity outside Masonry . Bro . C . F . HOGARD said they already had a law validating voting papers signed by the subscriber while he was alive . He objected to making it a vote for life and one year afterwards . Bro . TATTERSHALL moved his proposition as an amendment . Bro . J AMES STEVENS seconded .

Bro . C . F . HOGARD , believing the whole thing was wrong , moved the previous question . The CHAIRMAN begged thc brethren not to vote for the previous question , as his motion could not then be put . He would accept the amendment of Bro . Tattershall rather than that his motion should be thrown out on the previous question . It had been his privilege for the last 35 years to be on

many Finance Committees of Philanthropic Institutions , and the Secretaries had put before him the satisfaction which executors of deceased benefactors had expressed with receiving voting papers . It was on that ground , and that ground only , he made his proposition—forthe benefit of the Institution . He could not divest his mind of the belief that when these voting papers

got to executors and beneficiaries who were outside the Masonic body , those persons would say it was a compliment to them , and for that reason they would send a cheque for five or ten guineas . The cost of the extra printing and paper was nothing , and could be no detriment to any individual subscriber . If the voting papers were used , it must be for the benefit of some candidate ,

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

The previous question was then put and lost , and the amended resolution was put and carried . Bro . HENRY A . HUNT , Vice-President , moved , "That the House Committee be authorised to expend the balance of the grant of gth January last , together with a sum not exceeding £ 500 , in the erection of a boundary wall along two sides of the newly-acquired land . " Bro . Hunt said that the piece of land in question was of great advantage to the Institution , but it was absolutely necessary to build a wall round it . The children of the neighbourhood came up to the fence and climbed over it .

Bro . HENRY SMITH , D . Prov . G . M . West Yorks ., seconded the motion , thinking the wall should be built as soon as possible . Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , P . G . D ,, as a member of the Premises Committee , would like to say a few words on this subject . It was absolutel y necessary now that the grounds should be properly guarded . It was a very low wall they had now , and from personal observation he should say that

the Institution ' s premises were completely overrun by the children of the neighbourhood . They had been obliged to invoke the assistance of the police to keep the place quiet on Sundays . " The first grant of £ 50 was for a short fence . Grand Lodge voted ^ 1000 distinctly by fitting up this wall , and therefore if they got this grant of £ 500 from the Institution they would be well within what Grand Lodge had given .

Bro . WALTER HOPEKIRK agreed that the outlay would be well made . The motion was carried . Bro . J E . LE FEUVRE , D . Prov . G . M . Hants and Isle of Wi ght , V . P ., moved , to come alter Article 6 of Law 54 as an additional clause : — " Every petition on behalf of a candidate whose father was initiated in a province should , where possible , be accompanied by a recommendation from the Provincial Grand Secretary of such province , who shall be invited

to give his opinion on the circumstances of the case for the guidance of the General Committee . In the event of the petitioner being unable to procure such recommendation and expression of opinion , the fact shall be stated in the petition , with the grounds for such inability , and , if deemed sufficient by the Committee , it may , at their discretion , be dispensed with . " He thought that such a rule would bring information regarding candidates which would be most valuable . It did not affect London brethren , but was

only limited to the provinces . It would afford the General Committee of the School an opportunity of receiving from the Prov . Grand Secretaries an impartial opinion or report on the merits of each case . It could do no harm and might do much good . There were cases within his personal knowledge which he was sure if reported upon b y Prov . Grand Secretaries , would not now have been in our schools and encumbering the lists . On the Boys' School list was a boy who vvas born 13 years after his

father had ceased to subscribe to a Masonic lodge . In the Girls' School some years ago for want of candidates all that were on the lists were admitted . One of those would not go out till 1 S 87 , and he was sureshe would not have been favourably reported on by the Prov . Grand Secretary . Another vvas in the School whose mother was a widow at the time of the election ,

and was carrying on her late husband s business just as well and was as prosperous as when her husband died . She ultimately married a second husband , who had since been the Master of a lodge . That child would not leave till 1888 . He did no think either of these cases would have been accepted if further enquiries had been made . Bro . CHARLES LACEY seconded the motion .

In reply to Bro . HOGARD , Bro . LE FEUVRE said his motion did not deal with districts but only with provinces . Bros . HOPEKIRK , S . G . BAKE , and HOGARD objected to the proposition . Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON trusted the motion would not be carried . The whole body of subscribers had decided that they would adjudicate on the

cases . If this was carried the Prov . Grand Secretaries would reall y be the electors . In a province where there was a Charity organisation that organisation took up the cases . If at any time they had two cases which they knew they could carry , and a third came forward , which would destroy the chances of the other two , the Prov . Grand Secretary would naturally say the third was not a case to be recommended . ( Oh , oh . )

Another Brother thoroughly concurred in Bro . Richardson ' s remarks . Bro . LE FEUVRE , in reply , said his proposal was only carrying out the new rule in the Constitutions that such a report was necessary for country cases coming before the Board of Benevolence , and it worked very happily indeed . Last month there was an occasion when a Prov . Grand Secretary

said he had made enquiries into the case , and he did not recommend it for relief . That was very valuable information for the Board . The motion proposed to get information whicii the Committee might act on if they pleased . The motion was lost .

Scrutineers of votes were then appointed , and the brethren proceeded to the election of 16 girls out of an approved list of 33 candidates . At the close of the poll the following was the result : SUCCESSFUL . Name . Votes . Name . Votes . Vlary Nicholson 23 G 4 Madeline Beatrice Blyth 1795

Dora Ireson 2216 Grace Beatrice Timings 1779 Rose Gertrude Andrews 1974 Elizabeth Waspe 1738 Ethel Gothard 1972 Florence Grace Chapman 1630 Eliza Hamer » 9 ^ 3 Elizabeth Imeson Hornsby 1624 Emily Fison Clarke 1843 Florence Wilson 1578 Winifrid Cleveland Hyde 1 S 20 Bertha Jane Dean 1545 Laura Johnson 1820 Eva Marian Lillywhite 1408

UNSUCCESSFUL . Name . Votes . Name . Votes . Julia Elizabeth Clark 1344 Fanny Maria Harnden 19 G Martha Pauline C . Steng 12 SS Lilian Woods 71 Edith Grace Goodchild 1123 Hannah Maude Longshavv 62 Edith Melhuish SS 3 Maude Mary Marshall 44

Lilian Gertrude S . Ravvlings ... 6 C 4 Aline Mary Norman 39 Eleanor Julia Sutton 373 Isabella Richardson 22 Edith Lilian Proudfoot 279 Ethel Ada Craft 10 Grace Lenore Harris 254 Gertrude Phenix 5 Amy Elizabeth C . Gurney 247 Votes of thanks to the Scrutineers and the Chairman of the day closed the proceedings .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

The Quarterly Court of the Subscribers and Governors of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys was held on Monday at Freemasons' Tavern . Bro . Capt . S . G , Homfray , Dep . Prov . G , M . of Monmouth , occupied the chair .