Provincial Grand Lodge Of Durham.

Bro . Sir HEDWORTH WILLIAMSON replied , and referred to the festival in most gratifying terms . He also expressed their thanks to the Cathedral authorities , and the University Warden and Senate , who had so generously p laced the Castle and its magnificent rooms at their disposal . ( Cheers . ) ^ At the banquet at the Town Hall , there was a large gathering . The chair was occupied by the Rev . Canon Tristram , D . D ., F . R . S ., Dep . Prov . G . Master , P . G . Chap . Eng .

Th <* toast of " The Queen " was given from the chair , and subsi quently the CHAIRMAN also sufimitted " The Prince of Wales and Officers of Grand Lodge , Present and Past , " and spoke of the great interest which Royalty had always taken in Freemasonry .

The Dean of YORK responded to the toast . The CHAIRMAN gave the toast of "The Durham Masonic Charities . " Bro . RICHARD LUCK , P . G . D . Eng .. replied to the toast in an eloquent speech , and subsequently "The Health of the Chairman " was toasted . The Durham Quartette , consisting of Messrs . Jackson , Welch , Nutton , and Peacock , rendered some glees in excellent style .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

The Quarterly Court of Subscribers to this Institution was held on the 14 th instant at Freemasons' Tavern . Bro . Richard Eve , P . G . Treas ., Patron of the Institution , and Chairman of the Board of Management , was voted to the chair . Supporting him on the dais were Bros . C . E . Keyser , P . G . D ., Treasurer ; J . E . Le Feuvre , J . J . Thomas , Stanley J . Attenborough , R . V . Vassar-Smith , Harry Manfield , Harry Bevir , Richard Clowes , George Everett , W . Russell , C . Pulman , Oliver Papworth , W . A . Scurrah , H . Pritchard , and J . Morrison McLeod , P . G . S . B ., Secretary .

The minutes of the Quarterly Court of January 13 th last having been read and confirmed , the minutes of subsequent meetings of the Council were read for information . Bro . RICHARD E VE then rose to propose , as he said , merely pro forma as C'nairman oi the Board of Management , the suggested alteration in Law 30 . The proposal was : " That Law 30 be amended to read as follows ( the words in italics

being an addition to the existing Law ) " : — ' Plurality of Votes applies only to Elections of Boys ; nevertheless , upon any question before a Quarterly or Special Court or Council , a Donor or Subscriber who has a vote in his own right may also Vote on behalf of any Lodge , Chapter , or Society , or any ollice therein , of which he is a Subscribing Member and the duly accredited Representative . ' " He said questions had arisen on this point whether if some papers had been put

in claiming to vote , although the persons presenting them were not members cf any lodge , chapter , body , or society , they should be allowed to vote . It was felt desirable by the Board of Management that a limit should be placed upon the power of voting in that direction , and the alteration suggested was intended to carry out that idea . Where the person representing the body voting was a member there was no difficulty , but it was intended to prevent the power being

extended to bodies of which the person presenting the proxy was not a member . Upon that ground the Board of Management—and upon that ground alonewanted it to be particularly laid down that any person who was not a member of a lodge , chapter , society , or Charitable Association , should not have the oppor . tunity of voting for thatsociety , chapter , or lodge . The brethren would see the

reasonableness of the restriction , because in the case of proxies given when incorporated bodies were concerned they were always given to some member or a shareholder ; they were not given to be used by people who were not members or shareholders . It was on that ground the Board of Management brought the alteration before the brethren , of which , he was quite sur » , they would see the reasonableness .

Bro . WILLIAM RUSSFLL , P . A . G . D . C , seconded the proposition . The brttViien Urew that it was not many years ago that the rules of the Institution , u . re ' r ;< m > d with thc wmor-t care . But from time to time it was found there 1 ,-rl hn-i . Irtli oversights which had crept in and it had been necessary to amend I ' .-. t- tults . When Rule 30 was Warned it was with the idea that the Committee were s Bv . - . td ot Dirwiors arranging for the voting power of the shareholder of a

company . That was the general scheme and the general idea . It was found afterwards , however , that the rule was a little too elastic and votes were being conferred which really were not intended to be conferred . He would try to make the point clear by an analogous statement . Suppose there was universal suffrage in this country . If there was universal suffrage of Englishmen they would not have a Greek , a Russian , or an Italian who was living in this country coming up

to vote . That was precisely the case here . If a person who was not a member of a lodge , chapter , & c , brought proxies of that lodge , chapter , or society , they had a foreigner coming , and wished to vote for his object . Well , that was not right . ! f a lodge or other association wanted to send up a representative to vote for it that representative ought to be a shareholder in the body wishing to vote , and having an individual interest in that body by being a member of it . If they did

not prevent it being done by a person not interested in the particular body voting they would be giving power to an energetic person to stump the country—a person having the confidence of everyone and get proxies for lodges , chapters , and associations and hold them for himself in his own pocket . In such a case he held thc Institution in the palms of his hands , The brethren rescued the Institution 20 years ago from this position . It was before that time held in the palm of the

hand of one or two . Let them not drift into that state . As an illustration of the point he was upon let them take a very well-known and a very good man—the Secretary , Bro . McLeod , of the Boys' Institution . Suppose he went round to lodges and other Masonic bodies throughout the country and asked for their proxies—no doubt such a well-known and popular man would readily get the proxies—he could then hold them and acquire control of the whole Institution and its Board of Management . Such a state of affairs was never intended by

Rule 30 ; it was intended that every body of Freemasons or Subscribers should have a voice in the management of the Institution , and if the words proposed to be inserted in the rule were inserted the Board of Management were of opinion the brethien would be doing this—they would not be curtailing anyone ' s just privileges—any privileges of a lodge who chose to send up a member to represent it . At the present moment it was in the power of one , two , or three energetic men to get possession of an untold number of proxies and obtain control ot the Institution . Was that the wish of the brethren ' t

Bro . ROHI ' KT WVLIB , P . G . D ., Dep . Prov . G . M . West Lancashire , strongly objei led because it put a very heavy tax on provincial lodgss . It was all very well for brethren in London who could come to the meetings oi the Institutions at an expense of Ss . or 2 s . 6 d to attend , but in the case of distant provinces like West Lancashire , with 121 lodges , to send representatives up the lodges would be put to A cost of 600 guineas if each lodge sent a representative . All that provincial

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

lodges wished to be declared was what was meant by accredited representatives . It seemed lo him the Institution did not want controlling in that way at all . They wanted it distinctly stated what the Committee meant by a duly accredited representative . Many lodges in his province mi ght wish to express their opinion through him who might not be a member of those lodges ; they would not want to send each a special person to represent them incurring travelling expenses half a dozen or 20 times over .

Bro . F . B . WESTLAKE , P . Prov . G . W . Devonshire , said , as representing a county a long way from London , he thought this proposition should receive careful alter tion before tbe brethren committed themselves to letting the proposed additional words go in . Representation went with subscriptions . No doubt they would find difficulty in getting subscriptions to the Girls ' , Boys ' , or Benevolent Institutions if the breihren felt they were r . ot represented at the Courts of those Institutions . He did not see why there could not be a proper arrangement to

prevent all difficulty in the matter . One or two energetic persons who were popular—and the Secretary had been instanced in this respect—might swamp the country ; but if an accredited representative were allowed for the provinces the difficulty would be got over . They would not be put to the expense of sending up a representative of each lodge in the province—in the case of his own province it would be 70 or So lodges—when no harm could be done in having one accredited representative .

Bro . RADCLIFFE , P . M . and Sec . 211 , asked whether anything had taken place which gave rise to the proposition of the Board of Management to alter Rule 30 . Bro . RICHARD EVF . replied that he did not know that there had been . With respect to the observations made by other brethren , he might say he was a subscribing member of eight lodges , and he was in five provinces . Nothing would prevent them from making him their representative . He never had been applied to . He could see the possibility where representation was extended that

a person might represent a 1 undred lodges in Lancashire and Yorkshire , and that might seriously affect the natur il objects of the Institution . Individuall y , he had formed no predilection for lhe proposition . The brethren had heard what Bro . Russell had said . It was 1 ot intended to reduce the privileges of any brother , province , lodge , or otherwise . The Board thought it a reasonable proposition that the proxy holder should be a subscribing member of the lodge , chapter , or body he represented . But it was for the brethren to decide . He did not wish to stifle discussion ; he invited it .

Bro . W . C . Lui'To *" , Chairman of the Charity Committee of West Yorkshire , agreed with Bro . Wylie , who had pointed out that it was impossible for each lodge to be individually represented ; they could not afford the time foramember to come up . He thought the proposal was providing for a contingency not likely to arise . He thought that it might be provided that where there was a representative who was not a subscribing member of the body giving the proxy , that body should notify that it had appointed him . It was manifestly unfair to large provinces that each lodge should be bound to give its proxy only to a subscribing member .

Bro . BEVIR contended that no man should come to the Court to vote on any question who was not a member of the lodge for which he voted . It had never been heard of in any commercial or other undertaking , and it was contrary to all rules of representation , that a man should go round and get proxies for an Institution of which he was not a member . The constitution of the Board of Management was so fixed that London had half the representation and the provinces the the other half .

In reply to Bio . J . Whilaker Burgess , W . Lanes , a member of the Board of Management , Bro . RICHARD EVE said a province might not perhaps represent the opinion of all the lodges in it , some lodges might have one opinion where other lodges had a different opinion , but a representative must be duly accredited . The motion was then put , when there appeared

For the alteration ... ... ,,. ,,, 56 Against ... ... ... ... ,,. 25 Majorily for the resolution ... ... 31 Bro . RICHARD EVE said he should be one of the first to oppose a motion if he thought it was adverse to the interests of the Institutions or to the provi . -. ces if he found it would so work . Bro . BEVIR said the question was what this Court would think it right to do to-day in the election of thu Board of Mananement .

Bro . RICHARD EVE said if there was any question of a vote the Scrutineers would bring it to him as the returning officer , and he would decide whether a brother was an accredited representative . They might depend upon him to do it fairly . Bro . RICHARD EVE : Brethren , I have much pleasure in proposing that our

Worshipful Brother C E . Keyser , P . G . D ., be elected Treasurer of this Institution . He has held that office for two years , and we are delighted with his services ; he is doing his best to further the interests of the Institutions of our Order . Bro . H . NUDING seconded .

Bro . Keyser was unanimously elected . Bro . C . E . KEYSER : Brethren , 1 will not tak «* up your time , but I thank you sincerely for re-electing me . On the motion of Bro . HM- M \ i * mm . i > , seconded by Bro , H . A . TOBIAS , the following brethren were elected members of the Council : Bros . W . T . Ball , G . Chapman , Thos . Evans , Geo . Glover , E . A . B . Gough , E . P . U . Hallowes , John Harris , S . S . Hasluck , E . Hewett , D . Jacobs , F . W . Levander , and G . W . Munt .

Bro . RICHARD EVE next said he was called upon to make a statement in reference to the progress that had been made in the development of th « Bushey site for the new School of the Institution . At the last Quarterly Court he had very little of a definite character to state to the brethren , but as they would see fro n the report of the proceedings of the Council , something definite had nowbeen done . The brethren had the privilege of seeing the plans , which were highly approved of , which were circulated among the Subscribers—trie plans which were proposed

for the new Schools at Bushey , and he had not heard from any source anything but expressions of satisfaction with them and in their praise . Tne Board had endeavoured , as far as possible , to carry out the plans which were prepared by the architects , and with the assistance of Bro , Roland Plumbe were adopted ; Bro . Plumbe , he was pleased to say , was r . oiv a member of the Board of Management . The plans had been approved by him , and they were a great gratification to the Board , who felt that nothing could be done until the quantities had been

taken out . 1 hat he spoke to the brethren abeut at the last Quarterly Court . The quantities had now been taken out , but the Board had determined not to p lace them until they could see how far they could be carried out within the limits of the estimated sum of X ' , 000 . He could sp . ak for the majority of the Board -it was not desirable to exceed the limits laid down by them , and under the direction of Bro . Roland Plumbe , he was glad to say they were of opinion those quantities had been taken out and if there was a possibility of their

extreme limits of £ 100 , 000 then they would take tenders . They had and they accept d the tender of Mr . John Martin for . £ 98 , 800 , and by the po . vers conferred by thu Quarterly Court his contract for the building of the schools was signed and entered into . Mr . Martin was well known . In two and a half years a building would have arisen which would then be capable of taking in the boys . H merely made this statement because it would be a satisfaction to tli 2 brethren ; _ at the same time , it was a great relief to the Board not to be called upon to exr ~ "' the limits laid down . ( Cheers . ) .