Contents.

CONTENTS .

L EADERS— PAGE - Perpetual and Life Presentations ... ... .. ¦ •••35 New Zealand ... ... ... ... ••••••35

Bro . Klein ' s Illustrations of Our Hidden Mysteries ... ... •••3 ° Hidden Mystery , No . I ... ... ... ... -.. •••3 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys ( Quarterly Court ) ... ... « - •••37 Consecration of the Royal Oik Ark . Mariners Lodge , No . 41 S ... ... 3 $ Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... - 3 S

M ASONIC NOTESQuarterly Court Royal Masonic Institution for Hoys ... ... ... 4 > Ouarterly Court Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... ... ... 41 Grand Lodge of New Zealand ... ... ... ... •••4 1 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 3 Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... ... ... ... 42 Reviews ... ... ... ... ... •¦••••4

Board of Benevolence ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 Craft Masonry ... ... ... .,. ... ... 42 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 45 lodges and Chapter of Instruction ... ... ... ... ... 44 Arcient and Accepted Rite ... ... ... ... ... 44 Obituary ... _ ... ... ... ... ... ... 44 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... - ... ... ... 4 G

Perpetual And Life Presentations.

PERPETUAL AND LIFE PRESENTATIONS .

The subject of Presentations was discussed at considerable length at tin ; Quarterly General Court of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls on the 13 th inst ., and it is satisfactory to know ( hat by the decision arrived at the question whether

Perpetual and Life Presentations shall for the future be granted , and if so on what terms and conditions , has been referred back to the Special Committee appointed to inquire into it for further consideration and report . It will be in the recollection of our

readers that at the Ouarterl y General Court of the same Institution in October last a motion was submitted by Bro . Sir JOHN 1 ! . MONCKTON , P . G . W ., that the offer of a sum of £ 1155 by

bro . GEORGE HKATO . N , of the Province of West Yorkshire , be accepted as the price of a Perpetual Presentation , but exception was taken to the offer on the ground that ( he sum was not an

equivalent considering the character and extent of the ri ghts and privileges secured by such presentation . It was therefore resolved that the question be referred to a Special Committee of three , to which the two other Institutions should be invited to

furnish each an equal number of representatives . The Committee accordingly met , and having discussed the question in all lis bearings , determined , not unanimously , but by a majority , to recommend that for the future there should be no more

Perpetual Presentations . This report was delivered at the Quarterl y Court on the 13 th instant , and Bro . W . RL'SSELL , Prov . G . Treasurer of Kent , proposed that it be adopted , basing his arguments in favour of this course on the grounds of expediency and

linance . His main contention was that our Institutions would heiielit more as the reci pients of an annually-recurring sum ' dian of a single lump sum which would never recur ; " but he uPo ollered , as an alternative proposal , a sort of composite plan

b y which a total sum of £ 135 6 was to be insured , £ 840 of this I'eing devoted to the purchase of a life annuity of £ 40 for 32 y « 'ars , while the i nterest on the balance of , ( , ' 516 invested in ( "iisols , and yielding 2 ' } per cent ., would furnish the sum to be

l ' i'u as the annual premium for lhe assurance of / , ' 8 . io at £ 1 13 s . l ' cent . A long discussion ensued , the general feeling of the ^ "urt appearing to be in favour of retaining these Presentations , , ln 'l in the end an amendment , proposed by Bro . C . E . KKYSER ,

""""" " I hat the question be referred back to the Committee to ^ 'I'ort on the terms on which Perpetual Presentations can be ^ - ' "pted in the future' '—was carried ; but , on the suggestion of - ^' 0 . RUSSELL , with the addition of such words as would allow

Perpetual And Life Presentations.

of the Committee dealing with the whole question of Presenta ^ tions , both Perpetual and Life . There are many reasons why we should be pleased with the decision at which the Quarterly Court of the Girls' School

arrived on this occasion . In the first place , it must be apparent to everyone that having regard to the present state of the money market the sum of £ 1155 is not an equivalent price to

pay for the right in perpetuity to present one child to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , which certainly expends at the rate of £ 40 per annum upon the education , clothing , and maintenance of each of the children elected to its benefits . In the

next place , it is not so very long ago that the Province of Kent paid £ 1260 for the "Eastes" Perpetual Presentation to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , nor are we aware of there being any such difference in the cost per child at the two

Schools as would justify the difference between the 1200 guineas already paid by Kent to the Boys' School and the 1100 guineas offered by Bro . HriATON last year to the Girls ' s School for what are virtually equivalent rights . When these rights were created

in 18 70 , thesumof 1000 guineaswas deemed a sufficient price to pay for the purchase of one of them , but the value of money now is less than it was then and it is probable that even the 1200

guineas paid , as we have said some short time since , by the Province of Kent is too small . However , the whole subject will be carefully considered and we shall probably know in April next what are the recommendations of the Committee .

As for the contention that these Presentations exercise any influence upon the number of vacancies to be balloted for at the elections by Subscribers' votes , we must confess that we see in it no reason for abolishing them . There are not many of them

to begin with , while a glance at the School lists of candidates during the last two or three years will suffice to show that candidates have been withdrawn from the ballot because they had been nominated under this or that Presentation . Moreover .

the children and annuitants who are nominated must have the same qualifications as those who are balloted for , so that in both cases it is the same class of people who are benefited , while the advantages conferred are the same in both . But even

assuming for the sake of argument that nominations do occasionally influence the number of vacancies to be filled by the ballot , we question seriously if this slight alleged detriment is not ovcrweighed by the encouragementwhich the existence of the right

of Perpetual and Life Presentations offers and the opportunity it affords to lodges and Provinces of securing for one or more of their own affiliated members or their families the benefits conferred by our Institutions , and at the same time perpetuating

the memory of some distinguished , brother , lodge , or Province . In short , it seems to us that on comparing the reasons in favour of the retention of this right of Presentation with those that

have been urged against it , the former preponderate , and we trust , therefore , that while the sum to be paid may be increased , the right will under no circumstances be abolished .

New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND

The New Zealand Craftsman for last month contains a report of the semi-annual meeting of the body styling itself the Grand Lodge of New Zealand , which was held at Freemasons ' Hall , Auckland , on the 27 th October , 1897 , under the presidency of Bro . WILLIAM BARRON , M . W . G . Master . There appears to have been a fair attendance of Grand . Officers , and a . 11 the