New Masonic Schools At Bushey, Hertfordshire.

our Institution , and in that respect we have the finest feelings towards her . As the Queen of this great Empire , we feel that she , having reigned and ruled now over Go years so well and so magnificently , to-day is the admired of all sovereigns . There are some here who remember her when she ascended the Throne , and the bright and thoughtful anticipations of that time have been more than fulfilled with the result of a reign which is

altogether unparalleled in English history . To-day we find her well and hearty and we are delighted , and we are pleased to find she can visit so many parts of her dominions . The reception which she had in Ireland was one which made us feel that her Majesty had touched a kind and tender side of the Irish people ; no one could have received hfer Majesty with greater enthusiasm than those kindly-hearted Irishmen . ( Applause . ) It may be said

that there are nationalities and powers and dynasties who envy England . I have no doubt about it ; but with reference to her Majesty the . y all feel a reverence for her . ( Applause . ) She has reigned well and happily , and has made a mark which centuries will not efface . I give you " The Oueen . " May she continue long to reign over and rule a loyal , a devoted , a free , and a happy people . ( Loud applause . ) The toast having been drunk with enthusiasm , the National Anthem

beng sung , The CHAIRMAN gave " The Health of his Royal Highness . " He said : We thank his Royal Highness for his kindness and goodness in coming here to lay the foundation stone of our new Institution . He isacting for H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , and we can all say as Masons that we are delighted that the Prince of Wales escaped from tbe would-be assassin . ( Applause . ) VVe trust he may be long our Grand Master , and be always so well represented as he is to-day . We have to thank the Past Grand Master of

England for coming here to-day and performing this ceremony , in the skilful and able way that he did on this occasion . We feel that he has done a great work for our Institution ; he has laid a stone of a building which we trust will be able to cope with all the requirements of the Boys ' Institution during * the next century . It is ioo years ago since our School was founded , and only some three or four boys were brought together for education . You see now within the century , or before the completion of the century , a foundation stone has been laid , and a building begun , which

we hope may stand tor years , and be a memorial of the spirit and the great heart of Freemasonry . When I tell you that £ 100 , 000 , or nearly that amount , is the contract , without the extras—those who know anything about a building know what extras mean—and when we know this building will of the work

take two years to complete , you may judge of the immensity which is begun and and so well and ably initiated by his Royal Highness to-day . VVe are going to accommodate a larger number of children than we have on our list . We find the building we are about to leave , although the stone was only laid in the early sixties , is now altogether unable to supply the necessary accommodation to the boys coming within it .

Therefore it is necessary to have this larger building , enabling 400 boys to De educated at the present time , while provision can be made in the future for another 100 without the uniformity of the building being interfered with . We thank the Grand Ofiicers for being here to support his Royal Highness . We trust the interest taken in the Institution may never fail . His Royal Highness will preside oter the Festival in July next —( applause)—when thank

more will be said about our object and our aim . We have to-day to bis Royal Highness for coming here to lay the stone and supporting us , the executive , in the way he has done . His Royal Highness will have established a record , inasmuch as in July next he will have served more Chairmanships of the Festival of the Masonic Charitable Institutions than any other Grand Master . We feel delighted he has taken this great interest in

us . As Vice-President and the acting representative of H . R . H . the Prince ° f Wales , our Grand Master , we feel he is entitled to all our thanks . I am deli ghted to see the Orient well represented , and you will be interested to know that I have received an intimation from a brother here , that the Ameer of Afghanistan , though not himself a Mason , desires to give two gold medals to the boys who pass the best examinations in , the School . ( Loud applause . ) That shows the cosmopolitan nature of our Institution .

« shows that we go to the hearts of all people . We Jock to our children and we educate them well , and if you give children a good education , you may depend upon it they will become good parents in good time . We feel deli ghted with our Institution ; and I have the greatest pleasure in proposing the health of his Royal Highness , hoping that he may live long and be useful , not only to this great Empire , but to this Institution in which he has shown so mu ; h interest . ( L ud applause . )

New Masonic Schools At Bushey, Hertfordshire.

The Duke of CONNAUGHT , who was loudly cheered , in response , said : I rise to thank you for the manner in which you have received this toast , and especially your Chairman , for the flattering way in which he has proposed it . I am proud , indeed , to be the representative of your beloved Grand Master on this occasion . I will not fail to tell him of the kind remarks that fell from the chair respecting his escape from the dastardly attempt that was

made against his life . I know that among the many Englishmen and men of all parts of our Empire who have rejoiced at this result , none have rejoiced more than the brethren of the Craft . ( Applause . ) Continuing , in proposing "The Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , " his Royal Highness said : It is a great pleasure to me to have been asked , and to have been able , to undertake the task you kindly allotted to me on this occation . As

Bro . Eve says , I have on many occasions been able to show the great interest I take in our Masonic Institutions , and among these that for the Boys is one of the greatest . I know that there are some brethren here who have their own favourites —( laughter)—but they will agree with me on this occasion that we think the Boys' is the finest of all of them . Brethren , as you have heard , the School started in a small way in 1798 with six boys ,

and you see what enormous strides it has made in the last 102 years . Looking at the plans submitted to me , and also having before me on this table the statistics and the report as to what is intended in connection with these new Schools , I think I may congratulate all the brethren , and I hope the ladies , too , as they have kindly graced our ceremony . I think the building will be worthy of the Craft ; it will be worthy of the beautiful

neighbourhood in which it will be built , and I hope it will be worthy of the children who are to be educated in it , and that they in turn will be worthy of the large sums that are to be expended for their education . In our country I hope we alwaye look to the future as well as to the past , and we desire above all things that the young should be brought up in the way in which they should walk . We hope that the boys who are brought up here may

become good , loyal and brave Englishmen , who will know how to turn to good account the education , both moral and physical , which they will receive . I am sure that nothing has been left out of the calculations of those who desire to make our new school here worthy of the Craft and worthy of the country ; and I feel certain that , carried out on the lines on which it has been and will continue to be conducted , these boys will be a credit to the country , that they will be a credit to those associations in which they have been born ,

URO . C . E . KEVSER , P . G . D . and that they will prove in future that their education has been thoroughly good and thoroughly practical . I have great pleasure in coupling with this toast the name of Bro . Keyser , who has given us the chapel of which I was asked to lay the foundation stone . ( Applause . ) This will give additional beauty to our School , and will also be an important and very essential assistance to the religious education of our children . Although I have not been asked to propose the health of our chairman , still , I feel that I m-ut express the thanks of all present for the manner in which he has presided .

Bro . C . E . KEYSER , P . G . Deacon , ia responding , said : A very great privilege as well as a very grave responsibility has been conferred upon me this afternoon in having to respond for the institution on such an occasion as this , and I feel very grateful to the band for having struck up " Soldiers of the Queen , " and putting a little enthusiasm into my breast , making me able to mlfil better the duty devolving upon me . In regard to this

Institution , there are many of us who will feel a pang of regret at having to leave , when the time comes , a place with which we have so many associations , where we have such beautiful buildings and which for a school not likely to be so large as ours , has every requisite which any Institution can enjoy . We have grown out of Wood Green . As long ago as 1891 , wden the late Lord Lathom presided over our Festival , the necessity was recognised of

taking steps in order to bring the establishment to where we should have more room , more space , and more playground lor our boys . The matter was discussed from that time , and soon afterwards our Board of M inigement obtained the necessary confirmation from the subscribers to ine Institution to look about and take those steps which were requisite . A committee was then appointed of which 1 had the honour of being

chairman , and we had two duties to undertake which I hope we fulfilled to the best of our ability . The first thing we had to do was to find a site convenient from London . Tney could- not go too far away from London , but wished to be well in the country , where they could get good country air and plenty of ground whereon to erect their building . They examined many sites , and they were most ably assisted by a brother whose name , I

hope , will never be forgotten in connection with the last two or three years of this Institution . I refer to Bro . Stanley J . Attenborough . He gave us invaluable service , and we are greatly indebted to him for thc immense gratuitous services which he has rendered to us . Living as he dots at Walford , he first found out this most suitable site , and successfully carried through the negotiations , so that at a most reasonable figure we have