The Approaching School Elections.

THE APPROACHING SCHOOL ELECTIONS .

The voting papers for these elections , which , owing to the lateness of Eastertide , will fall in the third instead of the second week in April , have been issued , and weare , therefore , in a position to form a general id ? a cf the pro . 'pects of the candidates . In the case of the Girls' ilection , the proportion

of vacancies to candidates is stghtly more favourable , but otherwise there is no great difference . between the two Schools , nor is there any marked increase in the list of applicants for admission to cither Institution . As regards the general details to which we have been in lhe habit of calling attention , we note , in the first place , that the election to the

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITI TION WR GIRLS , which for many years past has preceded that to the sister School , will take p lace at the Quarterly General Court of Governors and Subscribers , to be holden at the Freemasons ! Tavern , on Saturday , the 20 th April , when , after the transaction of the regular business , a poll will be opened for the election

of 22 children from an approved list of 41 candidates , of whom 19 remain from the election in October , 1 894 , while the other . 22 have had their claims examined and approved in the interval that has sine * ; elapsed . Of these 41 children , there are 11 hailing from London , and two with claims on London and a Province or Provinces , while the remaining 28 are wholly

Provincial or from Districts Abroad . Of the London candidates , No . 1 has taken part in three previous elections , and as she has had the good fortune to accumulate no less than - ' 470 votes , she undoubtedly has a lair prospect of success . No . 3 , who commenced her candidature in April , 1894 , has standing to her credit 1 Niu votes , as the result of her two previous

attempts ,. and . in her case , likewise , if ber friends and supporters exert themselves sufficiently , there appears to be every prospect of her winning a place . No . 6 commenced her candidature at ( he same election as No . 3 , and polled 1056 votes , while . Vos . 12 and 13 , who were candidates for the first time in October , have 1399 and 1279 votes standing to their respective credits .

These three candidates , therefore , are favourably cncumstanced , and as No . 12 has this one and only chance of success left her , we doubt not that her friends will make a grand spurt and see what they can do to prevent her name being removed from the list except as that of a successful applicant . No . id made her first essay in October last , and

obtained 204 S votes , so that she ought to have utile or no difficulty in securing the goal of her ambition . Tne remaining five—Nos . -7 i - ' ' < 33 > 3 > and M —have been newly placed on the list . The two in which London has an interest conjointly with one or more Provinces nre Nos . 4 and 23 , the latter of whom is a new case , with claims on Kent as

well as on the Metropolitan district , while No . 4 , whose father—still living —has been a member of lodges in London , Kssex , and Lincolnshire , and is a I ' . P . G . Chap , of Essex , was a candidate in October , 1894 , and polled 23 ( 11 voles . \\' e may , therefore , reasonably look forward to seeing her among those who will be returned next month among the fortunate winners of

admission into the School . As-regards the 28 Provincial children , Shropshire , East Lancashire , Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , Cheshire , and ¦ Suirey are each of them responsible for two candidates , and there are iS who derive their . claims from the father ' s connection with one , and in five Mses with more than one , Province or District Abroad . The two

Shropshire girls are No . 9 , who was a candidate for the first time in October last , when she polled 1654 votes , and whose name , whether she succeeds or fails in winning a place on this occasion , will be removed from the list ; and No . 32 , who will not be eight years of age till August next . The East Lancashire girls are No . 13 , with six votes in

hand from the October election , and No . 24 . The two from Hampshire and lhe Isle of Wight are No . 18 , who polled 60 votes at the election in October . > 8 . i . | , and No . 22 , a new candidate . The Cheshire girls are Nos . 29 ancl f > , and those hailing from Surrey , Nos , 31 and 41 . Of the remainder , No . 2 i who comes from Kssex , and has been on the list at the last three elections ,

brings forward 2328 votes , so that her prospects are full of promise . No . 5 was a candidate at both the elections in 1894 , but though she derives her claims from the Provinces of Warwickshire and Oxfordshire , she has only - ' 1 votes to the good . No 7 ( Monmouthshire and Somersetshire ) started as a candidate in October , when she obtained 54 votes . No . 8 , whose father was

'" mated in a lodge in New South Wales and subsequently joined others in Somersetshire and Hants and the Isle of Wight , has 16 votes to the good , while No . 10 ( Cornwall ) , No . 11 ( Gloucestershire ) , No . 14 ( Hertfordshire ) , No . 17 ( Warwickshire ) , and No . 19 ( South Wales , East ) will start at

'his election with 15 ( 10 , 6 , 119 , 57 , and 249 votes respectively to 'heir credit . Of these the chances of the Cornish child are •he most promising . There is little to be added . Six of the H girls have lost both parents , five have both parents living , and one

The Approaching School Elections.

. has a father and stepmother , the remaining 29 being fatherless . In 12 cases , the children ' s fathers were contributors to or Stewards for one or more of our Institutions , and several attained to prominent positions in lodge or

Provincial Grand I . odge . . The fathers of five of the girls were subscribing members of lodges for upwards of 20 years , and of 15 others for periods ranging from 10 to 20 years . Turning to the

ROYAI . MASONIC INSTITITIOX FOR BOYS whose election will take . it the ( Juarterly General Court to be holden at Freemasons' Tavern , on Friday , the 19 th April , we note that there are 47 candidates and 23 vacancies to be filled . Of the former 13 are wholly London , and four derive their claims panly from London and partly from the

Provinces , the remaining 28 being wholly Provincial , and in some cases having claims on more than one Province . Nos . 1 and 2 are of London origin and lave made two previous attempts , the former having 415 votes lo the good , and the latter 2401 votes . No . 5 brings forward 888 votes from the two elections in 1 S 94 , and No . 7 had 1641 votes polled for him in October .

No . 14 will start on this occasion with Sdo votes to his credit , and Nos . 16 and 17 with 11106 and 354 respectively , but Nos . 22 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 33 , aud 44 , have had their claims approved since the lists for the autumn election of that year were settled . Nos . 3 and 4 , hailing the former from Gloucestershire and London , and the latter from Durham and London , obtained 1004 and 761

votes 1 espectively from their two previous attempts ; No . 19—from Kent , London , and Gibraltar—has 277 votes in hand ; No . 34—London and Essex—is a new case . Out of the 2 S Provincial candidates , four are from Essex , namely , No . 9 , with 73 votes , No . 12 , with -54 votes , and No . 18 , with 512 votes , while Np . 40 makes hisi /<* £ *

boys , namely , Nos . 20 and 21 , with 324 and 1252 votes respectively , and No . 38 , while the two Surrey boys are placed at Nos . 41 and 43 . The candidate from South Wales East , ranking as No . 0 , has 1521 votes to his credit , and the Northants and Hunts boy at No . S , 205 votes . Nos . io and 11 start almost level , the former with 103 votes which he received from his

supporters in Staffordshire ,. Warwickshire , and Lincolnshire , and the latter , with 107 , from New South Wales , Somersetshire , and Hants and the Isle of Wight . The South American boy , at No . 13 , has 1352 votes to his credit , and the Bermuda boy , at No . 13 , only nine . The rest , that is to say , No . 23 ( Hants and the Isle of Wight ) , No . 28 ( East Lancashire and West

Yorkshire ) , No . 30 ( Northern China and Japan ) , No . 31 ( Warwickshire ) , No . 32 ( Berkshire ) , No . 33 ( Lincolnshire ) , No . 3 ( 1 ( Northumberland ) , - , ° . 37 ( Cumberland and Westmorland ) , No . 39 ( West Yorkshire ) , Nos . 40 and 42 ( Cheshire and West Lancashire ) , No . 43 ( Staffordshire and East Lancashire ) , and 47 ( West Lancashire ) , are all of them fresh

candidates , and will gain their first experience at this election . There * are three children -who have lost both parents , four who have them both living , and 40 who are dependent upon the exertions of the mother . In 1 ( 1 cases the fathers did service as Stewards for , or were contributors to , one or other of our Institutions , and several of them held rank in lodge or Province *

I . astly , the following five children will , if unsuccessful at this election , have their names removed from the list , as before October next they will have attained the age of 11 years , namely : No . 11 ( New South Wales , \ c ) , 107 votes ; No . 16 ( London ) , 100 ( 1 votes ; and No . 30 ( Northern China and Japan ) , No . 31 ( Warwickshire ) , and No . 32 ( Berkshire ) , and we need

hardly say that we appeal in behalf of these five , as well as in behalf of No . 9 ( Shropshire ) , and No . 12 ( London ) , on the Girls' list , to all Governors and Subscribers whose support has not been already enlisted lor other candidates to give them all the help they can , either by their personal votes or by the

influence they may be able to exert amongst their friends . The other- * , who fail on this occasion will still have one or more chances of securing admission into the School ; but in the case of these , if they fail now , they fail altogether .

The West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution.

THE WEST LANCASHIRE MASONIC EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION .

The report for the past year ol the Committee of Management ol the West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution is in its main features satisfactory . There is a falling off in the Returns from the Annual Ball and in the interest on the Invested Capital , and the closing balance of the of

Account is more than ^ 300 less than that 1 S 93 ; but , on the other hand , there is a substantial increase in the amount received as donations and subscriptions from lodges and brethren ; a sum of £ <> w has been laid out in the purchase of a Dock Bond , and , be-at of all , the Committee is able to announce , as " a matter of the greatest satisfaction , " that it has been " able