Festival Of The Mark Benevolent Fund.

FESTIVAL OF THE MARK BENEVOLENT FUND .

We remind our readers that the 2 ist Anniversary Festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund will be held at the Freemasons ' Tavern on Wednesday next , the 24 th instant . Bro . Sir LIONEL E . DARELL , J . G . Warden , will occupy the chair , and the number of brethren who have undertaken to support him as Stewards is

between 150 and 160 , both London and the Provinces being well represented . We dare say , however , that Bro . C . F . MATIER , Secretary to the Fund , will give a most cordial welcome to other Mark brethren who may be ready to serve on the occasion , but have not yet handed in their names . We hope ,

also , that the Returns will be on a worthy scale . The Fund has latterly enlarged its sphere of operations very considerably , and more money is needed now than in the old days , when it contented itself with affording relief to casual distress . We trust ,

therefore , that the Report and Return which we are looking forward to publish next week will present a total such as the Chairman , his Stewards , ancl the brethren of the Mark Degree will have good reason to be proud of , ancl one which will be substantially beneficial to the Fund .

Irregularities In Lodge Procedure.

IRREGULARITIES IN LODGE PROCEDURE .

Bro . E . WOODALL PARKER , Dist . G . M . of the Punjab , in his address to the brethren at the regular Quarterly Communication of his District Grand Lodge , on the 13 th April last , drew particular attention to certain strange irregularities which had been

. brought to his notice as having occurred in sundry of the lodges under his authority . Some of these are not only strange in the sense of being unusual , but they are likewise of so extraordinary a character as to make us wonder how any Master , possessing

even a slight acquaintance with our laws and ritual , could ever have allowed them to be committed . . We are aware that many Masters are not as conversant as they might be with the ritual ; but their weakness in this respect is readily condoned , owing to the

excellent qualities they otherwise possess . But it is difficult to understand how any W . M . could be guilty of the grave irregularity of initiating a candidate first and having him balloted for afterwards . This is , indeed , putting the cart before the horse with

a vengeance * yet such a case is cited by Bro . PARKER as having taken place , and we are told the excuse offered by the Master for his oversight was that " he thought the ballot had been taken at a previous meeting , " an excuse which , as the Dist . " * 7 properly observes . " was absurd , as the minutes were

present for reference . " The error was rectified by the re-admission of the candidate ; but we agree with the Dist . G . M . that such an omission as that of the ballot should have been impos-? ' e ' In another case , a candidate was initiated with onl y three i . ¦ - " •^* . VLIU -VJ u v , u , uutuu * , v / *> U-J tmiiat ^ u n ILII \ jiiiy LIU * V *« brethren

present—the Master and two M . M . ' s . Here Bro . ARKE R remari < s "the brethren concerned were old and not unwtinguished Masons , and it was astonishing to find them plead-Iiur ° ranCe ° f the sim P Iest laws and usages of the Craft . " dat US CaSG ' ^ ' ^ * * ge made due submission , and the candiorcT . " * mitted m a regular manner . The third extra" wlA ** - ^ regularity which Bro . P ARKER cited is that of a lodge . and ' f ^ ' " § the working , divided itself into two lodges , ber- Ti * as su * different rooms ; certain brethren having

° ne D by the lodge to go into another room , and confer niu , , e § ree * while the lodge proper was working in another . " It m eth H ^ r ' Deen a most ^ g " er * i ° brother who originated this co ' urs § ett ^ ng rapidly through a heavy day ' s work , but , of \ Vro ' Bro . PARKER very properly points out , it was all so if- 0 ur wonder is not so much that a person possessing that nt m ? ' ty should have been so profoundly ignorant , but his aco a * Sln § ^ one ara ° ng the members present was able , by an err , i : ance with the Book of Constitutions , to prevent such the prAi lg Committed . We trust that when we again have District c ° f read * n S one of Br 0 * PARKER ' S addresses to his ^ te the ^ ^ Lodge we shall find he has been able to congratusimila- * . re ^ en under his rule on the avoidance of these and uiar errors .

The Prov. G. Lodge Of Kent.

THE PROV . G . LODGE OF KENT .

The annual meeting of the Prov . G . Lodge of Kent is invariably one of the most successful , as it is at the same time one of the most agreeable , of the year ' s gatherings . In the first place , the Prov . G . Master , Bro . Earl AMHERST , except some special reason prevents him , makes a point of presiding , and his Deputy ,

Bro . J . S . EASTES , the Prov . G . Officers , and the members of the lodges , are always in great force to support his lordship ; and in the next place , it is invariably an excellent account which those who are responsible to the Province for the conduct of its affairs

are able to render of their stewardship . The meeting at Bromley on the 2 nd instant was no exception to this rule . There was the usual full attendance under the usual presidency , and the proceedings throughout were characterised by the usual thoroughness , good taste , and cordiality . There were , however , two

circumstances which elicited a more than usually strong expression of feeling from those present , and which , therefore , deserve a passing reference from us . One of them—the approaching marriage of the Prov . G . Master—was very gracefully mentioned by Bro . EASTES in the speech with which he prefaced the toast

of ' their chief , and the brethren unmistakably showed how greatly they appreciate the advantage of being governed by such a ruler by the enthusiasm with which they greeted the announcement , and joined in the hearty good wishes which the Deputy appended on this occasion to the toast , as ordinarily drunk . The

other was the resignation by Bro . B . K . THORPE , Past G . Std . Br . England , of the office of Prov . G . Treasurer , which he had held continuously since 18 7 6 , and the duties of which he had performed in the name of his predecessor for the four years from 1872 to 18 7 6 . The announcement was received with the most unfeigned

regret , a resolution expressive of this feeling being unanimously passed , with a rider tacked on at the instance ofthe Dep . P . G . M ., to the effect that a Committee , consisting of the D . P . G . M . and the P . G . Officers , with the Masters of the lodges and the First Principals of the chapters in the Province , should be formed for

the purpose of raising a testimonial to be presented in due course to Bro . THORPE as a mark of the respect and esteem in which he is held , and as some slight recognition of the long and valuable services he had rendered . The other proceedings were , as we have said , of the usual character , and were conducted to the satisfaction of all who had the good fortune to be present .

Freemasonry In Suffolk.

FREEMASONRY IN SUFFOLK .

The circumstances under which the meeting in the Town Hall , Beccles , of the Prov . G . Lodge of Suffolk were held were of an unusually gratify ing character . The Prov . G . M ., Bro . Lord HENNIKER , who had been prevented , by the death of his mother , from carrying out his engagement to preside as Chairman at the

Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , was enabled to be present in Prov . Grand Lodge , though not at the banquet which followed ; the attendance was a full one ; and the record of the past year must have delighted the brethren who were so fortunate as to be present . The statistical returns made by the

Prov . Grand Secretary showed that , after allowing for losses by death and other causes and 76 additions by joining and initiation , the total number of subscribing members in the province was 8 70 , making the average of 41 per lodge ; but , unfortunately , there was a serious increase in the rate of arrears from 6 i * to

nearly 10 per cent . The Report of the Suffolk Masonic Charity Association referred with satisfaction to the continued and hearty support which the province had so generously accorded to the great Masonic Charities during the year , and especially to the splendid position occupied by Suffolk in the Provincial Returns

at the Girls' School Festival , when it was unexpectedly called upon to fulfil the part of Chairman's Province , and acquitted itself so honourably with a total return of close on £ 57 8 , and that , too , after it had raised the considerable sum of £ 337 is . at the Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution in the

preceding February . At the Boys' School Festival , also , on the 3 rd inst , the province figured for £ 137 18 s . 6 d ., so that during the year it has distributed amongst our three great Charities within a fraction of . 61053 . We note also with pleasure that more than one brother expressed the hope that the cloud which is now