The York Grand Lodge.—A Brief Sketch.

In many respects the career of that extinct Grand Lodge was of a truly Masonic character , and though it finally succumbed to adverse circumstances , I am not aware of any unfraternal conduct ever having been charged against it , or ' ^ Vdidmy best to write a history of its eventful past in "Masonic Sketches nd Reprints" 1871 being the first work of the kind published , and fortunately

, , rreeded that year in recognizing two valuable volumes of its Records and of t old MSS of the " Old Charges , " which had strayed to London , through the 'lutaken zeal of Bro . Godfrey Higgins , of " Ancalypsis" fame . These were turned by order of the Grand Master ( the late Earl of Zetland ) in the

handsomest manner to the " York Lodge . ' ¦ . In writing this sketch , the memory of two deceased brethren is ever before me viz ( 0 the late Rev - - F - A - Woodford , M . A ., who was the first Brother actually to ' do justice to the extinct " Grand Lodge of all England , " and to whom I was mainly indebted for the information which led me to make two or three pilgrimages to the Northern City , and ultimately to publish many of the ancient records . Bro . Woodford encouraged and helped me to the full extent of hi < Dowers , and spared no pains to make my work as complete as possible ,

besides also writing a paper for my "Masonic bkerches , " entitled ' the Connection of York with the History of Freemasonry in England , " which is not only one of the best things he wrote , but no better work has ever been done on the subject ; and ( 2 ) , Bro . J . Todd , who was so long the honoured custodian ( and immediate successor of the lamented Bro . Cowling ) of the York Relics , whose valuable aid to me personally I shall always gratefully remember , and whose Auction to the interests of the " York Lodge " will long be acknowledged .

This is but a brief notice of a very important subject , and as my deficiencies wiII be remedied by a paper by the Worshipful Master during his year of office , many points herein left unelucidated will be attended to by a brother who has no equal in his knowledge of the personnel of the York Gratia Lodge and its subordinates . I hope on some other occasion to have a few words to say as to the Koyal Arch and Knight Templar Degrees at York . ( To be concluded ) .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

A Quarterly Court of Subscribers to this Institution was held at Freemasons ' Hall on Friday , the 12 th instant ; Bro . Richard Eve , P . G . T ., in the chair . There were also present Bros . C . E . Keyser , George Everett , J . J . Thomas , W . Russell , C . Pulman , A . C . Webb , J . Dorton , H . Massey , R . Clowes , George Wood , H . A , Tobias , Stanley J . Attenborough , J . W . Burgess , John Strachan , Q . C , E . Hobbs , Percy Ravenscroft , James Speller , John W . Gibbs , R . S . Chandler , W . J . Mason , J . H . Whadcoat , and J . M . McLeod ( Secretary ) . After the minutes had been read and confirmed , and the other preliminary business disposed of

, Bro . R . EVE , P . G . Treas ,, Patron and Trustee , Chairman of the Board of Management , moved— "That Law 20 A be altered as follows ( the words in italics being an addition to the existing Law)— " Any Masonic Charitable Association ( whose rules must first have been duly registered in the books of the Institution ) upon payment of donations amounting to 50 guineas , arising frotn ^ the periodical

subscriptions of its members , shall have the privilege of nominating one of its executive officers as a Life Subscriber with one vote at each election of boys , and foi every completed sum of 50 guineas so subscribed he shall receive an additional vote , or , in lieu thereof , the Association may nominate a second executive officer for the like privileges . " Bro . W . R USSELL , P . A . G . D . C , seconded .

Bro . J STRACHAN , | Q . C , G . Reg ., enquired what the other donations were except those subscribed ; it was desirable that the brethren should know in order that they might thoroughly understand why it was necessary to add these words . Bro . MCLEOD said the proposed alteration in Law 20 A arose from an in > vestigation which had been made by a joint Committee of the three Institutions ,

who found that it was necessary to guard against wrong doing . It had been found that large donations had been claimed by one of these Associations which were part of money which had not been subscribed periodically , so that it would have come to this that they would have claimed for more votes than they had paid for . The motion was carried .

Bro . RICHARD EVE next brought forward the following motion , of which he had given notice ; " That the following be a new Law of the Institution : No . 68 A . —The Board of Management shall have power to place ( without election ) on the list of boys maintained and educated out of the establishment , any duly qualified boy , who , by the death or permanent incapacity of his father whilst engaged in time of war in the Naval or Military service of his Queen and Country , may become entitled to receive the benefits of the Institution , provided

that at the time of such occurrence the father was a subscribing member to some lodge . The number of boys to be maintained and educated under this Law shall not at any one time exceed the number of five . " He said that at the last meeting of the Council it was thought that some such rule as that proposed by the motion should be added to the laws of the Institution . In the present war in South Africa there was , no doubt , a large number of Masonic brethren who had lost their lives or been disabled in the service of their

Queen and Country , and this law might be necessary to enable the children of such officers or men to be p laced upon the benefits of the Institution so far as being educated and maintained out of the Institution , without being elected in the ordinary course . He knew it was asking for great powers from the Board of Management that they should have the ability to put on the list a boy without being duly elected . In the minds of many brethren the Board should not have such great power . Still , he thought the good which would arise fr om carrying

into effect such an alteration would be of very great interest to all of them , and so far as the Institution was concerned it would show how desirous the Board were to give the benefits of the Institution to those who were really entitled to them , He would move the resolution in the words in which it was before tho Court , but he might tell the brethren that he had had conversation with those who felt that the power , if it was lb be used at all , should be used by the Quarterly Court rather than by the Board of Management . The Court met every three months . He was not wedded to the exact words of his proposition , but would concur in

any amendment which would go so far as to give some body power to place a boy on the list without election . The Board of Management did not ask for power to be given to them which really was the power of the Court , and ought to be exercised with great caution . There might be those who were entitled to place their boys on the list in preference to those named . Still , he was inclined to think some move should be made in the direction indicated , and he merely moved his proposition profii-ma that the Board of Management have the power , although he felt at the same time that the power should be exercised by the Quarterly Court , and he left it to some one else to move an alteration .

1 "Masonic Sketches , " ( 1 S 71 ) : " Old Charges , " 1 S 72 and 1895 ; "Memorials , " 1 S 74 ; "Origin , " 1 S 84 ; " Apollo Lodge , " 1 SS 9 , Htighan .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

Bro . H . A . TOBIAS , P . G . Std . Br ., seconded the motion . Bro . J . STRACHAN , Q . C , G . Reg ., thought there should be a slight amendment . Bro . R . EVE said , as he had given notice of the motion in particular words , he could not alter them . If any one else chose to move an amendment he could do so .

Bro . STRACHAN suggested an amendment giving the power to the Quarterly Court . He thought the words should be— "The Quarterly Court , on the recommendation of . " Bro . R . EVE said that was what he should like . Bro . STRACHAN said yes , for the Board of Management had by its rruchinery power to recommend .

Bro . C . PULMAN desired to know what was meant by the words in the motion " whilst engaged in time of war in the Naval or Military service , " which was a very wide expression . A man mi ght be engaged at Deptford or some other place —the War Ofiice for instance . He thought it should be " whilst engaged in active service at the seat of war . "

Bro . R . EVE thought it would be best to proceed with one question at a time . If the amendment of Bro . Strachan was carried , as he supposed it would be , any other amendment a brother might propose could be made . What was now desired was to make the Quarterly Court , on the recommendation of the Board of Management , the authority to place a boy on the list . Bro . f . STRACHAN said it had been suggested to him by the Secretary that , as there might be a very urgent case to be dealt with immediately , the words should be " A Quarterly or Special Court . " Bro . J . W . BUROESS seconded the amendment in this latter form .

Bro . RICHARD EVE said they were all desirous of doing something and they had to consider what was best to be done . He might at once say that he should vote for the amendment . The amendment was carried .

Bro . W . RUSSELL , P . A . G . D . C , objected to the word " whilst" as being too vague , and he proposed to insert in its place the words " caused through being actively , " Bro . R . CLOWES , P . G . Std . Br ., intimated his opinion that at the seat of war " might be advantageously introduced . He seconded the amendment . Bro . J STRACHAN threw out for the consideration of the brethren the

possibility of a brother being sent to an infected district and thereby losing his life ; would not his son be as much entitled to the benefits of the Institution as the son of a brother shot by a bullet ? If a brother had been killed by a mosquito while actively engaged , surely he was killed in the service of his Queen and Country . He did not think there ought to be any distinction whether he was in the country or out of the country .

Bro . S . J . ATTENAOROUGII , P . A . G . D . C , understood Bro . Pulman to mean if a brother was engaged at home during the time of war . Bro . C PULMAN said he would suggest " while engaged in active service at the seat of war . "

Bro . E . HOBBS : Engaged out of England . Bro . C . PULMAN : He might be engaged in loading ships , or he might be a man at the War Office looking after the telegraph . Bro . RICHARD EVE : " Or being actively engage ! . " He then put the motion "to insert after the words ' by the death or permanent incapicity of his father ' the words " caused through being actively " ' engaged in time of war , ' &~ . " Bro . E . HOBBS would suggest the introduction of the words " out of the United Kingdom . "

Bro . R . EVE said any case that might come up would be discussed by the Court . The motion was then carried . Bro . R . EVE : That will come up at the next Quarterly Court for confirmation .

The next business was the consideration of the recommendation from the Council of December 29 th , 1899— " That 30 be elected from an approved list of 42 candidates at the election on 23 th April , 1900 . " Bro . S . J . ATTENBOROUGH moved the addition of one more candidate—Geo , Elliott Austin—a very sad case from Shropshire , whose petition was refused by the Petitions Committee because the father had not subscribed for seven yearsbut

, only six-and-a-half . He submitted that the boy came within Law 72 , which provided for a father ' s " incapacity , occasioned by . lunacy , paralysis , blindness , fire , shipwreck , or other calamity . In this case the " other calamity " was a severe attack of influenza , and at the same time the serious illness of his wife ; the whole home was broken up . Bro . G . EVERETT , P . G . T ., seconded .

Bro . RICHARD EVE said Law 74 was " The list of candidates should be closed at the last meeting of the Council prior to the Quarterly Court immediately preceding such election , and no candidate , unless so approved , shall be place ] on the list for such election . "

Bro . ATTENBOROUGH said that was discussed before the Council . The Quarterly Court was the governing body of this Institution . Bro . RICHARD EVE did not think the matter could be brought before this Court . The petition could be brought again before the Committee . The Council had gone into the matier and determined it . The course prescribed by the rules had been taken . They were bound by their rules . He put it to the Grand Registrar whether they could go beyond them .

Bro . C . E . KEYSER , P . G . D ., said the boy was young—only seven years of age . This point was never mentioned before the Petitions Committee . The widow was naturally anxious to get any boy into the Institution . It would be better that the matter should be brought up again , and come on at the October election .

Bro . RICHARD EVE : The rule is quite clear when the list of candidates shall be closed . Bro . Attenborough can bring the point up to the Committee again . I do not think his points have been raised . I do not think I have power to receive the proposition . The case must conform to our rules . I cannot accept it . Bro . ATTESUOROUGH -. I have only done what I was asked to do . I appealed to your sympathy , and I have done my best .

The original proposition was carried , the amendment being withdrawn . Bro . R . EVE reported on the progress made with the new school buildings at Bushey . He said those who lived in the locality would see the progress which was being rnade , and that the building was growing day after day . The con . tractor had been paid large sums of money for the work which he had done under the approval of the architects . In the month of May next the foundation-stone

would be laid by H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , and the arrangements for that meeting had not been made by the Board of Management at present . In the course of time , however , they hoped to have such arrangements made , so that they might have a large and influential party there , and in the course of time a building which would be for the best interests of the Institution . But if any one wished to ask any questions , he should be happy to answer them .

Bro . MCLEOD , at the request of the Chairman , reported as to the income of the last year , 18 99 , which , he said , was . £ 26 , 408 6 s . 8 d . —or only about jJ 3 oo short of the highest year ( except the Centenary year ) , 1891 . Bro . R . EVE said it was a most satisfactory result , and he was sure the Chairman of the 1899 Festival ( Bro . C E . Keyser , P . G . D . ) was to be congratulated upon what he had done . A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings .