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CONTENTS . LEADERS— PAGE Approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... 155 Western Australia ... ... ••¦ — ' 55 Grand Imperial Conclave ... ••• ¦¦• — > 56 Consecration of the Rose ( Mark ) Lodge , No . 534 ... ... ... 157 Provincial Grand Lodge of Herefordshire ... ... - - 15 S Craft Masonry ... « - — — ' 5 s Science , Art and the Drama ... — ••• ' 59

MASONIC NOTESMeeting of the Board of Stewards of Recent Festival of the Benevolent Institution ... . ... — - - - l 6 > Monthly Meeting of the Committee of Management of the Benevolent Institution ... ... ... ... - l 6 t Congratulations to Bros , the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London ... 161 Address delivered by Bro . R . F . Gould , P . G . D ., at the Lodge Fortitude

and Old Cumberland , No . 12 ... ... ... ... 161 Royal Arch Freemasonry in Burma ... ... ... ... 161 Correspondence ... ••¦ — ••• — ! ^ Reviews ... ... — — ••• l " Craft Masonry ... ... — - — — l 62 Royal Arch ... ... ... - ¦•• ••• - * Ancient and Accepted Rite ... ... ... •¦• 'C 6 The Recent Benevolent Festival ... ... ... ••¦ ¦•• ifiS Masonic and General Tidings ... — ... — ¦•¦ lCS

Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

Now that the Benevolent Festival has been held and has proved such a splendid success , we are encouraged to hope that the 112 th Festival in behalf of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls will be similarly successful and that some two

months hence , we shall be in a position to congratulate the House Committee and Secretary on a big Return , either actually or proportionately , such as was announced in the hall of Freemasons ' Tavern on thc 27 th February last . The celebration of this

notable annual event has been lixed for Wednesday , the ifith May , and will take place , as usual , at Freemasons' Tavern , under the presidency of the Earl of PARTAIOUTH , Prov . Grand Master of Staffordshire-. The last occasion on which thc ruler

of this Province presided at one . of our anniversary gatherings was in 18 77 , when at 24 hours' notice the late Earl of SHREWSBURY and TALBOT took the place of the late Prince LEOPOLD , Puke of Albany , as Chairman of the Benevolent Festival , while

in 1 . S 75 , his lordship occupied the chair on his own account , havino- some time previously consented to do ^ o in thc interests of thc same Institution , and Staffordshire played the part of the "Chairman ' s Province . " But in those days our Festivals were

only just beginning to assume the importance which has since been their lot . The preparations were not on thc same extensive scale as now , nor were the Boards of Stewards as numerous . Moreover . Staffordshire , as a Masonic Province , has grown in

strength and influence , the lodges having since then increased from about 20 to 34 , while what Staffordshire , as a whole , can effect , when it has made up its mind to do a thing handsomely , was made manifest in 1 S 98 , when , with a contingent of 204

Stewards , it raised the large sum of £ 3845 for the Boys' Centenary , Again , Lord DARTMOUTH , as a Festival Steward , has more than once shown himself to be an able and willing supporter of our Charities , and we are , therefore , strongly inclined to hope that

he and his Province together will approximate very closely to , if they do not beat , the record of 18 9 S . At all events , it is a distinct advantage for thc Girls' School to have the head of such a Province presiding as Chairman at one of its Festivals ; and if

London and thc other Provinces give as generously as we hope they will , there may not after all be a very marked difference between the total announced in May next and that which it was the privilege of Bro . HEDGES to announce in May of last year .

Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

Already we believe there are upwards of 300 ladies and brethren who have volunteered their services as Stewards , and in the two months that remain for the work of preparation , we have no reason to doubt that the number will be substantially augmented .

It is , indeed , very necessary that the success of last year should be repeated . The record total of ^ 21 , 000 in 18 99 was obtained because the Craft considered it was its duty to make good the deficiencies of 18 9 8 , and a supreme effort was made in

order to bring about this consummation . But much of the benefit derived from that effort will be sacrificed if , under the auspices of such a Chairman as Lord DARTMOUTH , loyally

supported as he is certain to be by such a Province as Staffordshire a resolute attempt is not made to emulate the success of the preceding Anniversary .

There arc several reasons wh y we should address this appeal to our readers and the Craft generally in behalf of our senior Institution , one of the most important being that its permanent income , including the modest grants from Grand Lodge and

Grand Chapter , of £ 150 and 10 guineas respectively , amounts only to about £ 2500 , while the expenditure it stands permanently committed to for educating , clothing , and maintaining over 270 girls falls not very far short of £ 14 , 000 ; for the deficiency

° f j ^ 11 , 500 , it has only its annual Festival to look to . Another and equally valid reason is that the money obtained at these gatherings is certainly well spent . There is no better managed scholastic Institution of its class in the United Kingdom , none

at which the children are more carefully tended or better trained mentally , morally , and physicall y than at our Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . A visit to the School at Battcrsea Rise will show this , while the results of the different public

examinations at which " Our Girls" arc entered in competition with the girls of other Middle Class Schools confirm it . It was onl y a fortnight since that we were able to announce that at thc Cambridge Local Examinations in December last out

of 45 girls who presented themselves—two in the senior Division and 43 in the junior and preliminary Pivisions—there were only three who failed to satisf y the examiners , certificates being granted to the two seniors , to 20 juniors , and 20 at the

preliminary . In addition , nine honours were awarded and several distinctions in one or more subjects . Nor is it the least instructive feature of our School that all the members of Miss REDGRAVE ' staff of governesses , herself included , as , well as of the

Matron s , arc former pupils , who are thus able as governesses to turn to account the training they received as children . We trust , therefore , that this appeal of ours will not be made in vain ,

and that it will be found when the eventful 16 th May conies round that last year ' s total , if not equalled , has been very closel y approached .

Western Australia.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA .

It will have been seen from our report of the proceedings in Grand Lodge on the 7 th instant that the brethren present were practically unanimous in according recognition to thc Grand Lodge of Western Australia , as formed by the lodges

constituting the District Grand Lodge of that Colony under the English Constitution , and , if possible , still more unanimous in refusing the application for recognition " from an irregular bod y styling itself the Grand Lodge of Western Australia . " Of the latter body we know little or nothing . No one appears to be