Annual Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

CHESHIRE . With a muster roll of 39 lodges , though it has a Masonic Educational Institution of its own , is variably prepared with a contribution more or less substantial . Two lodges , Nos . 428 and 721 , did duty for it in February ; three , namely , Nos . 89 . 1289 . and 1565 , in May ; and now five others , Nos . 104 , 321 , 537 . 758 , and 979 , by the hands of eight Stewards , have subscribed amongst them £ 164 17 s . Thus one fourth of the lodges belonging to this province have figured at one or other of this year's Anniversary Festivals . For the third time this year

CORNWALL Which has twenty-eight lodges has enterpd an appearance in the subscription list , Bro . Bake having acted on each occasion as lhe representative of No . 1151 , while in May , Bro . Capt . Colvill who was Steward of the One and All Lodge . No . 331 , on VVednesday , acted at the Girls' School Festival in May last for the whole province . Between them they have raised £ 128 7 s .,

making a total for 1883 of £ 243 ios . In previous years , under the auspices of such worthy brethren as Bro . W . j . Hughan , the province has contributed liberally . Passing by a rapid transition from the extreme south-west to the ex treme north-west of England we are introduced to Bro . G . J . McKay , the genial Prov . Grand Secretary of

CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND , Who , not for the first time even in this year of grace 1883 , has taken upon himself to act on behalf of his hospitable province and its 20 lodges . Almost invariably , when he has accepted this responsibility , he has been found equal to the occasion , and Lord Bective , Prov . G . M ., must be more than a little gratified with the result in the present instance . A total of £ 1000 , in

the circumstances of the province , which can boast of no great industrial centre , is splendidly satisfactory . There are also a score of lodges all told on the roll of DERBYSHIRE , Which , in 1882 , raised a fraction over £ 690 for our three Institutions , and was represented at the Festivals both of February and May last . Bro , las . B . Coulson , appears to have acted as representative of the province of

which he is Grand Senior Warden , and Bros . J . R . Cain , W . L . Ball , and G . Day were Stewards for Nos . 353 . 802 , and 1324 respectively . The total resulting from their joint efforts is £ 238 17 s ., giving for the whole year £ 359 4 SAlter this brief sojourn in the Midlands we direct our steps once again to the South West , and find ourselves in the delightful county which as it is washed by two seas—the Bristol and English channels—is appropriately famous for its two C's—to wit , its cream and cider .

DEVONSHIRE , Is a strong province and a liberal one , and its 50 lodges could hardly have put their hands on a worthier or more zealous representative than Bro . J . E . Curteis , a P . P . G . S . W ., whose efforts , we are satisfied , have been most ably seconded by Bro . Lane , No . 1402 , Steward for the

third time this year on Wednesday , and Bros . Rev . P . Williams , No . 112 , and J . Simpson , No . 1254 . The sum total so far , is £ 317 6 s ., which added to former contributions during the current year , amounting to £ 277 14 s ., reaches to £ 595 for 1883 as against £ 565 in 1882 . Turning eastward we come to the contiguous province of

DORSETSHIRE , With its compact array of thirteen lodges , and find ourselves again under the agreeable necessity of expressing our satisfaction at the work that has been done . It will surprise no one to be told that with such bright Masonic lights as Bros . Montague J . Guest , M . P ., Prov . G . M . ; J . M . P . Montagu , Past D . P . G . M . and Prov . G . Superintendent ; and R . N . Howard , Prov . G .

Secretary , this province invariably acquits itself well on these occasions . At the Festival just passed its joint representatives , Bros . Howard and W . Douglas Dugdale , handed in together £ 79 16 s ., and this in addition to contributions at the February and May festivals . It must also be a source of satisfaction to the province that , though Bro . Montagu ' s services

have not been at its disposal in this instance , his name and list will be found among those of the unattached Stewards of the London district . Once again we travel northward to the province that is ruled over by the Marquis of Londonderry , who presided at the Boys' School Festival in 1881 . Of the thirty lodges on the roll of

DURHAM , Two , No . 764 , a Hartlepool Lodge , and No . 1379 , ° f Darlington , were represented by Bros . C . S . Lane , who was also a Steward for the Benevolent in February , and C D . Hill Drury , M . D ., who likewise does duty for Norfolk , of which he is Prov . G . Registrar . Between them they handed in subscriptions amounting to £ 115 ios ., thus raising the total for the year to £ 26 5 3 s . Gd . Last year it gave over £ 412 , and in 18 S 1 close on £ 1024 . A few hours' journey by rail and we find ourselves in

ESSEX , One of the several counties washed by the river Thames . Like the rest of the home counties , it rarely misses the opportunity of being present at these festivals , and on this occasion two of its twenty lodges sent up Stewards , namely , Bros . J . Child , W . M . of No . 453 , and R . Clowes , VV . M . of 650 . Their

lists together amount to £ 15 8 ns . In February it contributed lo the Benevolent by the hands of five Stewards over £ 235 , and in May to the Girls' School , per three Stewards , £ 97 . Last year it gave close on £ 354 among the three Institutions . Westward Ho is the direction we are next bound for , to

vy ,., . , GLOUCESTERSHIRE , Which , with its fourteen lodges , raised last year no less a sum than £ 548 tor the two Schools and the Benevolent , and in 18 S 1 , £ 1547 , the Girls ' School receiving £ 1000 , while the remainder was very fairly apportioned Between 1 the Benevolent and the Boys' . This year it had already subscribed nearly £ 250 , all of which save a modest « euineas found its wav into the

colters of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , when on Wednesday its sixteen stewards , including the D . P . G . Master , Bro . J . Brook-Smith , had tne satisfaction of handing over to Bro . Binckes the capital sum of £ 586 2 s ., a contribution which has doubtless made glad the heart of the Prov . Grand ,, £ u- ' , - Bro - Sir M- Hicks-Beach , Bart ., M . P . Two returns , one of which , s the D . P . G . M ' s ., have yet to be received .

thof f J ransition from tne Province governed by this respected chief to inat oi his equall y respected cousin , Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., is a most appropriate one . . IT . HANTS AND THE ISLE OP WIGHT , chief reg ? j lo its performance at the Girls' Festival in May , when its the v V j the chair ar > d the Province with its twenty stewards raised been 2 rnf „^ £ j . , unt of » > " round figures , £ 1 , 307 , might fairly have excused had it absented itself on Wednesday . But three brethren

Annual Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

acting on behalf of two of its 39 lodges , manfully came forward and helped to swell the general total by what , under the circumstances , may certainly be described as the excellent contribution ol £ 374 4 s . fid ., more especially when it is borne in mind that in February it contributed only a few shillings less than £ 150 to the Benevolent Institution . One list has apparently yet to come .

We welcome the appearance of the little Province of HEREFORDSHIRE The more heartily , bet . ause it has been so frequentl y an absentee . On this occasion the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , Bro . the Rev . John Buckle , of Lodge No . 751 , has done good service to the four lodges which constitute the province by handing in a list of £ 35 ns . The next province we come to ,

HERTFORDSHIRE . Though it has but a round dozen of lodges , is a constant and liberal supporter of all three Institutions . Five lodges and the chapter attached to one of them figured at the last Benevolent Festival , and gave amongst them upwards of £ 233 . In May four of its lodges raised over £ 158 for the Girls '

School . On this occasion four lodges and a chapter together subscribed £ 105 , making altogether for the current year upwards of £ 496 . In 18 S 2 it raised but very little short of £ 1050 , more than half of which was subscribed towards the Benevolent Institution . A short stage hence , and we find ourselves in the Chairman's Province of

KENT , Whose contributions are as generous as they are regular . That a province which can boast of some hall-hundred lodges should make a point of subscribing annually to all three of our Charities is , we may almost say , a matter of course . But the fulfilment of a duty is none the less to be commended because it is a duty . Last year , with a somewhat smaller complement of

lodges , it distributed 4976 among the three Institutions , the Boys' School share of which was about one-fourth , while the remaining three-fourths were pretty equally divided between the Benevolent and the Rjyal Masonic Institution for Girls . In February it commenced the annual course of contributions by sending up four Stewards acting for as many lodges , the aggregate of three out of the tour lists amounting to over £ 148 . In May five of

its lodges , represented by six Stewards , raised amongst them in round figures £ 228 . On Wednesday , with Bro . Eastes , D . PG . M ., acting presumably for the province , or , at all events , for those of its lodges which were unrepresented , and 36 other Stewards acting for 30 lodges , with four repre « senting a Rose Croix and three Royal Arch chapters , the Boys' School was

benefited to the extent of £ 1990 , the D . P . G . M . ' s list alone amounting to £ 54 ' ¦ Three out of the 30 lodges just referred to were only consecrated last year . Need we say how intensely pleased every one must be , and Lord Holmesdale especially , at the generous support thus loyally accorded to the Chairman of the day .

A longish trip across country in a north-westerly direction brings us to the great commercial and manufacturing county of Lancashire , one part of which , under the designation of

LANCASHIRE—EASTERN DIVISION , Is under the benign rule of R . W . Bro . Le Gendre N . Starkie , P . G . M . Numer cally this is our strongest Province , its muster-roll showing no less than 93 lodges . As a matter of course , also , it is a liberal and consistent supporter of our three Charities . When , some four years since , its Prov . Grand Master presided at the festival of the Benevolent Institution , the aggregate of its

subscriptions exceeded £ 3500 , and now , under the auspices ol the same grand chief , backed up by Bro . R . Hopwood Hutchinson , P . G . M . Royal Order of Scotland for Lancashire and Cheshire , with thirty-eight other Stewards acting for twenty-six lodges and thc R . A . Chapters attached to two of them , it has raised a total of £ 2 , 100 . Very gloriously done , indeed , East Lancashire !

lhe contiguous Province of LANCASHIRE—WESTERN DIVISION , Though it presents a far less formidable array of Stewards on this occasion , has nevertheless acquitted itself right loyally at those festivals over which its Provincial Grand Master , the Earl of Lathom , Deputy Grand Master of England , has presided , and habitually figures at each succeeding anniversary among the Provinces . It stands next in order of numerical

strength to Lancashire East . 1 his year it followed up its contribution of £ 234 to the Benevolent Fund in February by £ 244 to the Girls' in May , and now it is entered on the list for £ 292 5 s . 6 d ., making for the current year a total of over £ 771 . Last year it distributed among the Three Charities a fraction short ot £ 690 ; and , like its eastern neighbour , it has a Masonic Educational Institution of its own , which is doing very efficient service in helping forward the children of deceased and indigent brethren .

lt is hardly necessary for us to point Out that this is not the hunting season either in

LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND Or elsewhere , but the congenial pursuit of hunting up subscriptions for charitable purposes is proper to all seasons , and our readers may rest assured that , albeit these counties constitute a small province with only ten lodges on its roll , the claims upon its support of our several Institutions are most liberally met . According to that useful little publication , the" Freemason ' s

Calendar and Directory lor Leicestershire and Rutland " for 1883 , compiled by Bro . Sam . S . Partridge , Grand Secretary of the province , its contributions to the three Charities during the six years ending December , 1882 , amounted to close on £ 1600 , and in February , with our respected Bro . W . Kelly , P . Prov . G . M . and Prov . G . Superintendent , for its representative , it gave 35 guineas to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . On

Wednesday this was supplemented by a splendid £ 405 from the youngest lodge in the province , the Albert Edward , No . 1560 , Leicester , per Bro . Capt . J . G . F . Richardson , Past P . G . S . B . Last year the Benevolent Institution and the Boys' School received from it , the former £ 152 15 s ., and the latter £ 89 5 s ., or together £ 242 . Again in the course of our itinerary we are under the necessity of transporting ourselves to the borders of Old Father Thames in order to pursue our analytical labours in the proposed order of sequence . But this time it is

MIDDLESEX , The Masonic domain of Sir Francis Burdett , Bart ., the number and variety of whose titles to our respect might fairly justify his adoption of the proud device " Nulli Secundus , " which demands our attention . Three of the 32 lodges on the roll of this province and the chapter attached to , 1 fourth

contribute , by the hands of five worthy brethren , the sum of £ 141 17 s . fid . which , added to £ 356 8 s . 6 d ., contributed to the Benevolent Fund , and £ 117 13 s . fid . to the Girls'School , raises the total fortius year to ! £ 6 ifi is . fid . In 1882 the three Institutions received amongst them , in almost equal pre portions , the sum of £ 1212 .