The Removal Of The Boys' School.

Institution ; and , secondly , that Bro . EVE ' S motion , passed after a very full discussion , on the ioth April last , conferred on the said Board of Management full power to purchase a site , and erect thereon a new School , and at the same time , to dispose of

the present land and premises to the best advantage . But we have Bro . EVE ' S assurance that the Board of Management will not close upon anything " except in a very temporary form" and " with reservation that it must receive the

sanction of the Court , " and likewise that , " however much power mi g ht be g iven them , he should never have thought of exercising it without coming to the Court for approval . " Under all these circumstances , it appears to us that the Provincial Chanties

Association of North and East Yorkshire is behindhand in reference to the matter . It is four years since the Board of Management , which represents fairly . well the general body of Governors and Subscribers , was authorised to entertain

negotiations for the sale of the property at Wood Green ; it is more than two months since that , after a very full discussion in the Ouarterly General Court , thc same Board was authorised to

purchase a site and erect on it new School Buildings , and we repeat we have the promise of the Chairman of the Board that this will not be done until after the approval of the Court has been , o-iven . Hence this N . ancl E . Yorkshire Association is not

onl y behind thc age in condemning a project to which everybocby alread y stands committed—namely , that the Wood Green site and buildings shall be disposed of—but likewise it is requesting that a course shall be followed which we have the promise ofthe

Chairman of the Board of Management will , under any circumstances , be followed , that is to say , that no purchase scheme will be adopted which has not received " the approval of the Court . " Was it worth the while of the Provincial Charities Association of North and East Yorkshire to pass such a resolution under the circumstances we have detailed ?

The Masonic Vagrant.

THE MASONIC VAGRANT .

Our old acquaintance , the "Masonic Vagrant , has turned up again , and , to all appearances , finds that his endeavours to impose upon a benevolent Masonic public are as successful as ever . True , the particular Vagrant against whom wc were warned

last week by one of our correspondents , has been sentenced to terms of imprisonment by two different magistrates , and cautioned by a third ; but , notwithstanding the difficulties and disappointments which these proceedings must have entailed , he

labours persistently in his vocation of Vagrant , and , to judge from the statement contained in the opening paragraph of our informant ' s letter , with , as we have said , no inconsiderable measure of success . He is an old hand at the business ,

havingbecn engaged in levying toll on the unwary for several years . It does not appear that he troubles lodge Almoners to any great extent , his custom , we are told , being to call at the private residences of well-known Masons on a Sunday , using the name of

another Mason as an introduction and recommendation . Whether this man mi g ht not be able to earn an honest livelihood b y the exercise » of some of that ability and ingenuity which enables him to fleece so many members

of our Society is a question we shall leave to others to discuss . The point which we are most anxious to consider is whether it may not be possible to put an end to the annoyances to which kindly brethren are subjected by people of

this class , and the difficulties which the truly deserving brother experiences whenever his hard necessities at any time compel him to solicit assistance . We believe it is possible , at all events , to reduce them to an inappreciable minimum . Last year thc

Province of Kent took the matter up , and thc Almoner of one of its lodges brought it before Provincial Grand Lodge , when it was agreed to refer the whole subject tothe consideration of the lodges and report the result at the next meeting of that lod ge ,

which will be held shortly . The Almoner of a lodge in Surrey likewise made a move in the same direction , while correspondents from other Provinces also made it apparent that the " Masonic

Vagrant" was a person it was very desirable to get rid of as speedily and as effectually as possible . What result will follow in the Province of Kent from last year ' s reference to the lodges ' remains to be seen , but no attempt to cope with the evil vvill

The Masonic Vagrant.

prove successful unless the matter is taken in hand seriousl ynot b y fits ancl starts , when the success of the Vao-rant is somewhat more in evidence than usual , but vvith a fixed resolve to put an end to him , or , at least , to

make the pursuit of his nefarious practices still more hazardous . It will be said that a man who pursues his callinoof impostor after he has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour is not so easil y to be got rid of .

But if a register of all such people were kept and copies furnished periodically to lodge Almoners and others , on payment of a small fee , it would not be very long before his facilities for levying toll successfull y would be very seriousl y restricted .

People will not follow the occupation of Vagrant when they fine ] it yields them more kicks than half-pence . If Almoners and others will keep on sending us the names of the impostors as they turn up , we will compile the register and forward copies

monthly—or oftener or less often as may be found desirable— \ n strict confidence to all who may desire to have them , on payment of a small annual fee sufficient to cover- the ^ cost of compilation and distribution .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Lincolnshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF LINCOLNSHIRE .

By command of the Prov . Grand Master , Bro . the Right Hon . the Earl of Yarborough , P . G . W . of England , the above Provincial Grand Lodge was held in the Masonic Hall , Grimsby , on the 12 th inst . The brethren , to the number of about 250 , assembled at noon , and having signed the attendance sheet , at once took their places under their respective banners , after which the Prov . Grand Master , the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , and Prov . Grand Officers entered and opened the Provincial Grand Lodge .

After the roll of lodges and the roll of Prov . Grand Officers had been called , the minutes of the last Prov . Grand Lodge held at Lincoln , on Thursday , June 27 th , 1895 , were read and confirmed . The Prov . Grand Master then

delivered his address . The finance statement of the Prov . Grand Treasurer , Bro . C . M . Nesbit , was presented , and showed the Prov . Grand Lodge to be in a flourishing condition . The returns of the lodges from the Prov . Grand Registrar , Bro . H . Watson , were then received , together with the report of the Committee , an abstract of accounts of the Prov . Grand Lodge Fund of Benevolence , Oliver Memorial Fund , Smyth Scholarship Fund , and Sutcliffe Fund .

Bro . VICKERS , P . G . Sec , presented the report of the Prov . Grand Charity Committee , and the Prov . Grand Charity Stewards ( Bros . B . BEESON and F . BARRETT ) appointed at last Prov . Grand Lodge to act on behalf of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , also presented their report , which showed that during the past year ^ 1500 had been sent to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls from Lincolnshire .

Bro . W . H . SISSONS , D . P . G . M ., proposed " That this Provincial Grand Lodge desires to record its high appreciation of the services of Bros . Bennett Beeson , and Frank Barrett as Provincial Grand Charity Stewards from 1 S 94 to 1896 , and has much pleasure in presenting to them the suitable Charity jewels , to which they have become entitled by their services . " This was carried .

The Committee appointed to make special arrangements for holding the Provincial Grand Lodge last year , upon the occasion of the installation of the Right Hon . the Earl of Yarborough as Prov . Grand Master , presented their report and financial statement , after which the inventory of the property of the Prov . Grand Lodge was presented by the Prov . G . Director of Ceremonies .

Bro . C . M . Nesbit was re-elected Prov . Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year , and two Auditors for the Prov . Grand Lodge Fund of Benevolence were also appointed . It was decided that the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls should be the Charity to have the support of the province next year , and Bros . B . Beeson , Grantham , and F . Barrett were re-appointed Prov . Grand Charity Stewards .

Upon the recommendation of the Committee of the Prov . Grand Lodge Fund of Benevolence , it was decided— " That a sum of 150 guineas be granted to the Prov . Grand Charity Stewards , Bros . Beeson and Barrett , as a contribution for this year to the Provincial Benevolent Fund , " the votes secured thereby to be placed in the name of the Right Worshipful the Provincial Grand Master . "

The Prov . Grand Master then appointed and invested the Prov . Grand Officers for the ensuing year as follows : Bro . C . Maddison ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ Dr . Behrindt ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . *

„ Rev . H . W . Hall ... ... ... )„ -. „ Rev . G . S . Tyack ... j Prov . G . Chaps . „ C . M . Nesbit ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ H . Watson ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . „ 13 . Vickers ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec .

„ Dr . Alexandra ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ G . Doughty , M P . ... ... .. Prov . J . G . D . ,, G . B . Dickinson ... ... ... Prov . G . S . Wks . „ G . F . Barrell v ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ F . Fletcher ... ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ G . P . Pullen ... . ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . " £ ' rV £ '" - ProvGStdBrs . ¦

, . . . „ F . F . Sowerby ... ... ... r , uv ' "' " „ H . Healey ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Org-„ A . Ramage ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Sec . „ T . Nettleship ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ A . H . Read .. .. ... ... Prov . A . G . Purst .