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CONTENTS . L EADER— PAGE The Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... 287 Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... ... 2 S 7 Distribution of Prizes at the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... 294 Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of North and East Yorkshire ... ••••¦••¦•- •¦•295 The Craft Abroad ... ... — •••' - - 295

M ASONIC NOTESLaying Foundation-stone of the New Buildings of the 'Boys' School at Bushey ... - •••— •••— 297 Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Staffordshire ... 297 Bro . VV . J . Hughan ' s Oration at the Consecration of the Three Pillars Lodge , No . 2 S 06 ... ... ... ... - 297 Mark Masonry in West Yorkshire ... ... ... ... 297

Quarterly Communication of District Grand Lodgeof Bengal ... ... 297 Correspondence ... ... ••••••••••••29 s Reviews ... ... •••»¦ - •••- 29 S New Masonic Schools at Bushey , Hertfordshire ... ... ... 29 S Craft Masonry ... ... ••••••... ... 300 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... - - ... 302

Scotland ... ... ... ... •••- - 302 Instruction ... ... ¦¦••••— — »•302 Science , Art and the Drama ... ... ... ... ... 3 ° 3 Presentation and Dinner to W . Bro . W . Fisher , P . A . G . P . Eng . ... ... 304 Provincial Grand Lodge of Guernsey and Alderney ... ... ... 304 The Craft Abroad ... ... ... ... ... ... 305 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 306

The Girls' School Festival.

THE GIRLS' SCHOOL FESTIVAL .

The hopes and expectations , the doubts and difficulties , of the last 12 months are set at rest . The 112 th Anniversary Festival in behalf of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls has been held , under the presidency of the Earl of DARTMOUTH ,

Provincial Grand Master of Staffordshire ; and the agreeable duty now devolves upon us not only of declaring the result a success beyond what the most sanguine friends of the School had ventured to look forward to , but also to congratulate all who have

assisted in any way in bringing about this grand result on the good fortune which has attended their efforts . This is the first occasion on which his lordship has presided at such a Masonic gathering , and he must have been indeed gratified both with

the support received from London and the other Provinces , and , in a still higher degree , with the loyalty shown towards him by his own particular Province . We were inclined to think that Staffordshire must have reached the end of its tether in 18 98 ,

when a body of 204 of its brethren acting as Stewards at the Boys' Centenary compiled amongst them £ 3845 for that Institution . But , in spite of the almost infinite variety of demands which have been made throughout the whole of the country in respect of

tlie war in South Africa , the Province has surpassed itself , and with a few more Stewards to share in the labour , has managed to beat its previous best by an appreciable sum . Moreover , the response of the Craft generally has been most handsome ,

and the £ 21 , 000 of Lord DuNGARVAN ' s year ( 1 S 99 ) must now yield precedence to Lord DARTMOUTH ' S £ 23 , 000 . As for the Secretary and his staff they have , as usual , done their utmost to secure success , and . now they have their reward in the

knowledge that their efforts have proved successful . The Institution , too , will benefit in more ways than one . It will be able to increase its invested capital , and will , at the same time , be encouraged by this latest evidence of the high estimation in

which it is held to render itself , if possible , still more efficient as an Educational establishment . We trust the triumph of Wednesday may be repeated in May of next year , when , as was

announced in the course of the proceedings , Earl AMHERST , M . W . Pro G . Master , R . W . Prov . G . M . Kent , has consented to occupy the chair in behalf of " Our Girls . " ,

Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

The Royal Masonic Institution for Girls celebrated the 112 th anniversary of the Institution , at a Festival held on Wednesday evening last at the Freemasons' Tavern , over which the Earl of Dartmouth , Prov . G . Master for Staffordshire , presided . His lordship was supported by over 760 Stewards , of whom more than 200 were from his own Province .

Bro . Sir John Monckton was Chairman of the Board of Stewards , and the Hon . Presidents were : Bros . His Excellency Idris Ragheb Bey , Grand Master Egypt , Vice-President ; Alderman Sir Reginald Hanson , Bart ., M . P ., LL . D ., P . G . W ., Patron and Treasurer of the Institution ; Thomas Fenn , P . G . W ., P . President Board of General Purposes , Patron : Robert

Grey , P . G . W ., Patron ; Edward Terry , P . G . Treasurer , Patron ; W . H . Bailey , P . G . Treasurer , P . Prov . G . W . Staffs ., Patron ; R . Loveland Loveland , Q . C , D . L ., J . P ., President Board of General Purposes , Vice-Patron ; Edward Letchworth , F . S . A ., G . Secretary , Patron ; J . H . Matthews , President Board of Benevolence , Patron ; Peter De Lande Long ,

P . G . D ., Patron ; Frank Richardson , P . G . D ., Patron ; Ralph Glutton , M . A ., P . G . D ., Patron ; C . E . Keyser , M . A ., J . P ., E . S . A ., P . G . D ., Patron ; R . V . Vassar-Smith , P . G . D ., D . Prov . G . M . Gloucestershire , Patron ; Lt .-Col . John A . Bindley . V . D ., P . G . D ., P . D . Prov . G . M .

Staffs . , * H . A . Hunt , P . G . S . of W ., Patron ; James Stephens , P . D . G . D . C , Patron ; F . B . Westlake , P . D . G . D . C , Prov . G . W ., Devonshire , Patron ; E . M . Money , P . A . G . D . C , Patron ; Stanley J . Attenborough , P . A . G . D . of C , P . P . G . Reg . Surrey , Patron ; Charles Hammerton , P . G . S . B .,

THE EARL OF DARTMOUTH . Patron ; Alfred C Spaull , P . G . Std . Br ., Patron ; Oscar Philippe , P . G Std . Br ., Patron ; Col . C R . Lyne , D . P . G . M . Monmouthshire ; W . T , Page , D . P . G . M . Worcestershire ; F . James , P . D . P . G . M . Staffs ., Vice-President ; Horace B . Marshall , M . A ., D . L ., J . P ., C . C , Patron ; Alfred

James Thomas , Patron ; Arthur Betts , Pation ; J . W . Elvin , Patron ; J Slyman , P . P . G . D . West Lanes ., Patron ; J . B . Ashwell , P . P . G . W , Staffs ., Treasurer Prov . Charity Committee Staffs ., Vice-President ; T Taylor , P . P . G . W . Staffs ., P . President Prov . Charity Committee Staffs ., Vice-Patron ; J . F . Pepper , P . P . G . W . Staffs ., President Prov . CharitA

Committee Staffs . ; and H . P . Smith , P . P . G . W . Staffs ., Sec . Prov . Charity Committee Staffs ; with Bro . Lieut .-Col . G . W . Walker , P . G . S . B ., Dep . P . G . M . Staffs ., Vice-President , as Hon . Treasurer ; and Bros . Daniel Mayer , S . G . D ., Patron , and John H . Whadcoat , J . P ., C . C , J . G . D ., P . P . G . W . Dorsetshire , Patron , as Chairmen of Ladies' Stewards .

The brethren from Staffordshire occupied the whole of the central table in the body of the hall . At the Chairman ' s table were Bro . Sir John Monckton who occupied a seat at the immediate right , Bro . Col . J . A . Bindley P . G . D . on the left ; Bro . J . W . Brown , S . G . W . of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania ; Bros . H . Manfield , G . Treas . ; E . Terry , P . G . Treas . ; E .

Letchworth , G . Sec . ; Dr . Orwin , Henry Neville , Major H . Wright , Capt . Walter Ford , T . A . Howell , Medical Officer of the Institution ; J . Slyman , West Lanes . ; C Letch Mason , Lieut .-Col . Walker , Staffs . ; H . Percy Smith , Staffs . ; T . J . Barnett , Staffs . ; B . Ashwell , Staffs . ; H . Brooks Marshall , W . Lake , Asst . G . Sec . ; R . Manuel , J . Terry , Sec . R . M . B . I . ; J . M . McLeod , Sec . R . M . I . B . ; Hugh Gcrdon , Imre Kiralfy , J . Stephens , P . D . G . D . C . ; Rev . H . A . Hebb , M . A ., Head Master Boys' School ; and C . E . Keyser , P . G . W . The House Committee , among whom were Bros . Frank Richardson , A . C . Spaull , J . H . Matthews , and Ralph Glutton were engaged in presiding