The Recent School Elections.

receiving further support to the extent of 2672 , was thus able to secure the ioth place with 3796 , a Londoner being very close up with 3 6 3 8 votes , which will be carried forward to the election in 1898 . Other unsuccessful candidates who polled

well were three from London with 2 SS 4 , 2544 , and 2504 votes respectively ; the Kent and London boy , with 2318 votes , and another Londoner with 2179 votes . There wen : also six other

boys who polled upwards of 1000 votes , the highest of the six being from London and polling 1 S 42 , and live others polled each of them over 600 . ft should further be mentioned that the two candidates who were withdrawn came from Hants and

the Isle ol Wight and Middlesex , and had they gone to the poll they would have stood a capital chance of succeeding , as the former brought forward 24 n votes and the latter 2200 , to which in the former case were added 61 votes , which were polled for

him inadvertently . As already stated , one of the last cases was successful , and the other failed , so that his name will be removed from the list ; but the remaining 30 wil ! carry forward such votes as they have received to next year ' s spring election .

As regards the votes brought forward and issued , the former numbered 20 , 169 , including those which lapsed through the two withdrawals , and there were 29 added under Law 33 , the number issued for this occasion being 84 , 524 , of which , as we pointed out at the beginning , there were only 3039 unused .

Perpetual Presentations.

PERPETUAL PRESENTATIONS .

A long and important discussion took place at the Girls School Quarterly General Court on the 7 th inst ., upon a motion submitted by Bro . Sir JOHN B . MONCKTON to the effect that a sum of lloo guineas be accepted from Bro . GEORGE HEATON as

the price of a perpetual presentation of one girl to the Institution , and ultimately the Court , very wisely in our opinion , resolved , at the instance of Bro . RICHARD EVE " that the further consideration of the proposition be deferred for the present

until the managing bodies of the three Institutions shall have appointed a committee of three from each hotly to consider whether any perpetual presentation should be granted , and if so , on what terms , and such report shall be presented to this Court . "

It is before all things desirable that upon a question of this kind , the benefits conferred by our three Institutions should be ap-, praised at , as nearly as possible , the same value . Considering the very large amount which must be raised annually in order

to enable them to fulfil the obligations they have severally contracted , the competition amongst them for the required donations and subscriptions is exceedingly keen . Yet , the three have always been found working together smoothly and liar .

moniously , and each in turn has been ready to assist the others in obtaining support . Moreover , as regards our Schools , ever since the right of perpetual presentation was first granted until quite recentlv , the same sum of looo guineas has

been paid for it by each of them , while iu the case of the Benevolent Institution which grants two classes of annuitiesfor men and women respectively—differing from each other in amount and terminable onlvby death in both classes , not only has

a different price been charged for the right of presentation to each kind of annuity , but that price has been in each case regulated by considerations which apply specially to the nature of the benefit conferred . Thus the sum paid for a perpetual presentation to

a male annuity of / 40 has been 1200 guineas and for a female annuity of £ 32 , looo guineas . Hence , so far as this right of perpetual presentation is concerned , it cannot be said that any one of our three Institutions has enjoyed any advantage over the

other two . But two or three years since , the hoard of Management of the Boys' School , conceiving that , in view of the greater cheapness of money in these days and the greatly improved education il was giving the pupils , the sum of looo guineas was

no longer a fair equivalent for the right , increased the amount to be paid to 1200 guineas , while , if rumour speaks true , even this increased sum is looked upon as being insufficient . It is

not surprising that , under these circumstances , the motion of Bro Sir J B . MONCKTON to accept lloo guineas as the sum to be paid for the right of perpetual presentation of one girl to the Institution for Girls should have met with the most strenuous and , as it proved , successful opposition ,

Perpetual Presentations.

It is to be regretted that the discussion turned almost wholly upon figures . We do not suggest that this part of the question should be altogether lost sight of , or that there should not be something like a just proportion between the interest on

the price paid and the cost of maintaining the child presented . But , in our opinion , there are more important considerations than that of figures , and chief amongst these is the one wc have before referred to , namely , that in a matter of this kind all our

Institutions should stand before the Craft upon , as nearly as possible , the same footing . It may not be easy , or , indeed , possible , to bring this about as between the Benevolent Institution , which grants life annuities to men and women , and our two

Scholastic Institutions , which maintain , clothe , and educate children for a term of years . But as between the two Schools it will not do to have one charge I too guineas for a right which the other appraises at 1200 guineas , if not at a still higher

figure . If it is considered desirable—at all events , in the case of our Schools—that perpetual presentations should continue to be granted , it is manifestly desirable that , as in the past , the terms on which they are granted should be the same . The first

perpetual presentation was , if we remember rightly , granted in 186 9 , when the late Bro . STEPHEN BLAIR , Provincial Grand Master of East Lancashire , gave 1000 guineas to the Boys ' School , and it was settled that the right of perpetual

presentation in respect of this gift should be settled upon the said brother and his assigns as a just quid pro quo . It was not , however , very long before a similar gift was made to the Girls ' School , the purpose being the same , namely , to establish the right

of perpetual presentation of one child , the conditions being the same , and the sum paid for thc right the same—1000 guineas . We dare say a Boys' School is more costly than a Girls' School , though the difference in the case of our two Schools is not very

great—not great enough to justify a difference in the amount paid for the purchase of this particular right . At all events , whatever difference may exist now in the cost of maintaining these Schools existed formerly , when the Girls' School , with its

smaller outlay per child , adopted the same price for the right of one perpetual presentation as the Boys ' School with its greater outlay had considered sufficient . We maintain , then , that as between the two Schools , whatever sum

maybe consideied a just equivalent for one right of perpetual presentation to the Boys' School must be taken as a just equivalent for the same right to the Girls' School ; otherwise , if it is determined to be desirable that the grant of this right should

be continued , the Institution which appraises it at the lower sum will have the advantage of that which charges the higher . On the other hand , we trust the sum charged for' this right of

presentation will not be inordinately increased , or it is possible we may find the grant of these rights discontinued because individual brethren or bodies of brethren consider the terms

exorbitant . We trust that no time will be lost in organising a Committee of representatives from our three Institutions , so that it may be able to report the conclusions it arrives at as early as possible .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

The October Q jarterly Court of the Subscribers to this Insti'utioi was held on the 8 ih inbt ., at Freemasons' Tavern . Bro . Richd . Eve , P . G . Treas ., Patron , Chairman of the Bjard of Management , was voted to the chair . Among other brethren present were Bros . C . E . Keyser , R . Wylie , S . K . Benson ( No th Wales ) , Herbert Green , Henry Smith , A . C . Spaull , W . G .

Kentish , D . D . Mercer , W . Russell , J ames Willing , H . Nuding , H . A . Tobias , S . J . Attenborough , John Strachan , Q . C , J . W . Burgess , J . E . Le Feuvre , A . F . Robbins , J . Cleghorn , W . A . Scurrah , James Stephens , and R . CI jwes . The CHAIRMAN proposed the following resolutions :

( I . ) That in addition to the premium votes conferred under Laws 26 and 27 , eyery Steward at the Centenary Festival shall be entitled to premium votes in proportion to his or her personal donation , as follows , viz : two in consideration of the fir ^ t 10 guineas , and one for every five guineas beyond that sum . ( II . ) That for the purposes of the Centenary Festival , Law 28 be suspended , and that in lieu of the " List , " votes conferred thereunder , every Steward of this Festival shall be entitled to two premium votes for every 20 guineas on the gross total of his or her list .

( III . ) That in the case of personal annual subscriptions commenced on the list of a Steward at the Centenary Festival , and continued at intervals of not more than 12 months , the completion of every six guineas so subscribed shall entitle the contributor to all the privileges of a Life Subscriber of , £ 5 5 s . paid in one sum , notwithstanding such contributor shall have received votes as an annual subscriber in the meantime ,