The Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Istitution For Boys.

whose services have been engaged during the last two or three years , show how excellent is thc training which " Our Boys " are now receiving , while the results at successive Cambridge local and other public examinations prove incontestably that

educationally they are capable of holding their own against other youngsters of equal . or even a more advanced age . Thus the governing authorities under the new regime are able to show—firstly , that the funds of the Institution are being wisely and economically

administered , that is to say , wisely , so far as the husbanding of its resources is concerned , and economically as regards the expenditure year by year ; and . secondly , that this economy has not been obtained at the expense of efficiency , but , on the contrary ,

that economy and efficiency have gone together hand m hand during thc whole of the period that has elapsed since thc present regime was inaugurated . There need , therefore , be no misgivings on thc part of brethren and their friends who may feel inclined

to support our Institution for Boys that the moneys they may contribute will be less beneficially applied than they will undoubtedly be thankfully received . The duties of the Executive are not

discharged perfunctorily . Everything is looked into most carefully , and what is even of greater consequence in the case of an Institution of this character , everything is at all times ready to be looked into , if need be , by a committee of public investigation . Having- thus set forth at some length the claims which the

Institution has upon the support of the brethren , we purpose saying a few words as to the prospects awaiting us at Brighton on thc 24 th June . Bro . MCLF . OD has been working with his accustomed energy in order to bring together a Board of

Stewards , such as , in respect of numbers and influence , may worthily support so distinguished and experienced a Chairman as the Duke of D EVONSHIRE , and we are glad to say that his efforts in this direction have been so far successful that already some

400 ladies and brethren have volunteered their services for the occasion . Those who hail from the " Chairman ' s Province " of Derbyshire—which , by the way , has been very properly husbanding its strength in order to ensure , as far as lies in its power , the

success of his Grace ' s presidency—have been working hard for many months past , and from our experience of what it has done on sundry notable occasions—when the Duke , then Marquis of HARTINGTON , M . P ., presided at the 87 th Festival in behalf of

this Institution in 1 S 85 ; at the Girls' School Centenary in iSSS ; at the Boys' School Festival , at Brighton , under the auspices of Lord LATHOM , in 1891 ; and atthe Jubilee of the Benevolent Institution in 1892—we have every reason to believe that it will fulfil its

part admirably . In 1885 , the Province , which then had only 20 lodges on its roll , raised the large sum of £ 154 6 17 s . in behalf of their chief ' s then presidency , and now that it is stronger and better organised , we may hope thai it will do at least as well ;

while , to mention another case— -at the Benevolent Jubilee in 1862 , it is entered in the returns for £ 1362 16 s . Therefore , as regards this section of the Board , we are confident that Derbyshire will acquit itself with honour . We are likewise hopeful as to the

efforts which are being made by the other Provinces which intend taking part in ihe proceedings , as well as by the lodges in the London district . Moreover , there are still nearl y live weeks remaining , and in that time , brief though it may be , we may he sure that Bro . McLEOD will be able to enlist the services of other

brethren and so augment the Board and bring it more nearly to a level with those he has had thc satisfaction of organising during lhe past years of his Secretaryship . He is the more likely to succeed in this , as during the time that remains , he will have the

field almost entirely to himself . 'I'he other two Institutions have done their work for the present year , but his is still in progress , and we maybe sure , as far as he is concerned , that nothing will be

left unaltenipted in order that the very high average of Returns which has characterised the last five Festivals in aid of the Boys ' School may be fully maintaind .

The Recent Benevolent Elections.

THE RECENT BENEVOLENT ELECTIONS .

The annual general meeting of the Governors and Subscribers of the Royal ¦ asonic Benevolent Institution was held at Freemasons' 'Tavern , on J'riday , the 15 th instant , the chair beinooccupicd , in the absence , through illness , of the Treasurer , Bro . J . . FAKNFU-LIJ , P . A . G . D . C , by Bro . IIENKV SMITH , P . G . D .,

The Recent Benevolent Elections.

P . D . P . G . M . West Yorkshire . The Report of the Committee of Management for thc past year was read , adopted , and ordered to be entered upon the minutes , the most important announcement contained in it being to the effect that the ultimate total of the

donations and subscriptions to the recent annual Festival was £ 20 , 08 4 I 5 * ^ was further announced that , in consequence of the deaths which had occurred among the annuitants on the two Funds since the vacancies were declared in February last , the

number of candidates to be elected at the meeting would be 21 to immediate and three to deferred annuities on the Male Fund and 16 to immediate and three to deferred annuities on the

Widows' Fund . Accordingly , as soon as the ordinary business had been disposed of and Scrutineers appointed , the poll was opened , and , in the course of the afternoon , the result was made known as follows . Firstly , as regards the

MALE FUND , for which there were originally 60 candidates , but two of them having died since the issue of the voting papers , the number was reduced to 58 , of whom 19 hailed from London and 39 from the Provinces . One of the two Cumberland and

Westmorland candidates , who brought forward nine votes , had the honour of heading the DOII with 4 650 votes , and was closel y followed b y the Warwickshire brother , who , at his very first attempt , scored 4502 votes . The third highest , who started with 6 7 8 votes , and

made up his total to 44 88 , was a London brother , and then followed one of seven candidates from Devonshire , with 4455 , of which only 17 remained from last year ; a London brother , who started with 3166 votes to his credit , and finished up with 4282

votes ; a new candidate from London , who received 20 votes , and polled in all 4214 ; and the Guernsey and Alderney candidate , who obtained 4208 , of which 116 3 were brought forward from last year . No . -S hailed from Kent , and with the 20 votes allowed

him , polled right away 4197 votes , while one of two Cornish candidates stood next in order with 418 7 votes . Thc ioth was a London brother , who received 4121 votes , and so , too , was his immediate successor , who was close up with 4109 votes , of which ,

how * ever , no less than 3181 already stood to his credit from last year . No . 12 was the only one out of the four Cheshire candidates who secured a vacancy , and this he did b y polling right away 4013 votes , an East Lancashire brother being next

with 4006 votes and the Hertfordshire candidate close up with 3949 votes . A second Kentish brother polled 3934 votes , and thus secured the 15 th vacancy , while one of four , or , as one of them had died , of three , Suffolk candidates , who brought forward

1910 votes , came next with a total of 3884 votes . No . 17 , from London , obtained at once 3817 votes , another hailing from the same district , who had 2666 votes in hand , and raised his poll to 3 816 , being next , and the second East Lancashire candidate , who

was a new applicant for the first time , close up with 37 ^ 4 votes . One of two Sussex brethren , who brought forward 17 6 votes , secured the 20 th place with 3743 votes , and the Cambridgeshire brother the remaining immediate annuity with 3733 . The

deferred annuities fell to two London brethren and a West Lancashire brother , one of the former , who started with 1469 votes augmenting lhat number to 3731 , the West Lancashire applicant securing on this occasion the whole of his votes , 3 ] ' 9

in number , and the other London candidate polling 3515 , of whit * ' 2405 stood already to his credit from May of last year . It will he seen from the figures we have quoted how close and , at the same time , how heavy , was the polling , there being a difference ol

only 1135 votes between the candidates who were placed at Nos . i and 14 with 4650 and 3515 votes respectively . Moreover , there were as many as eight others who polled upwards of ' 4 votes , and of these the brethren who obtained 3325 and 33 ° '

votes , with the two highest unsuccessful widows , will have apportioned amongst them the dividends on the "J Hl * "Rv 1 ' - Memorial Fund , " while the brother who stood third on the unsuccessful list with 2916 will receive one-half of the grant of A

by the Emulation Lodge of Improvement . The next / iv- in order obtained 2456 , 2094 , 1632 , 144 6 , 31 * 1 ( 1 1403 votes respective !** - The next highest was No . I on the list , who is now in a posit ' "

to carry forward 79 6 votes to his 15 th ballot . There were J- * - * many as 14 candidates for each of whom less than loo votes * * ¦ ' ' polled . The votes brought forward werc 25 , 839 , and tl | 0 *