The Girls' School Festival.

THE GIRLS' SCHOOL FESTIVAL .

We publish elsewhere such ample particulars of , as well as the usual analysis of Returns from , the recent Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , that we shall not do more than

express the gratification which , in common with all friends and supporters of our senior Charity , we feel at the success which has attended its celebration . As this is the first occasion or which

Bro . Col . SU-ERANCIS BURDETT , Bart ., P . G . M . Middlesex , has acted as Festival Chairman , he deserves a heartier expression of thanks , especially as he exhibited so much tact and kindness at the distribution of prizes on Monday , as well as at the more

serious fete on Tuesday . The Stewards , too , seeing that their conjoint labours resulted in a far higher total than even the most sanguine had permitted themselves to expect , deserve commendation for the success and energy with

which they must have pursued their by no means enviable task of obtaining the bulk of the supplies for the current year . Lastly , the Secretary and the House Committee , by their general oversight of the arrangements , have materially contributed to

the success of the gathering . For ourselves we can only say that we did our utmost to increase the Board of Stewards , when we felt that it needed strengthening , while as regards the result we are very far from being disappointed at finding it has gone

so far beyond our expectations . We rarely commit ourselves to anything like an exaggerated estimate , and we shall only be too pleased if our future forecasts are as fully exceeded as this has been for the 162 nd Festival of the Girls' School .

The Recent Elections Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE RECENT ELECTIONS OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

MALE FUND .

At both the elections of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution on the 16 th instant , the contest turned out , as we expected , to be very keen , and there was some very heavy polling on behalf of the candidates who were either successful or at the top of the list of those who failed . For the Male

Fund there were originally 68 candidates , of whom 21 had their origin in London , while there were six who had claims partly on London and partly on one or more Provinces , and 41 from the Provinces . But prior to the day of election , three of these 68 died , one beinsf from London , one from North and East

Yorkshire , and one from Hants and the Isle of Wight , so that the candidates who went to the poll were 20 London , six partly London and . partly Provincial , and 39 wholly Provincial , or together 65 . The number of vacancies to be competed for was 19 , namely , 16 immediate and three deferred , so that a candidate

who could rely on a fair amount of support stood an excellent chance of winning a place among the fortunate 19 . As to the result of the poll , a Provincial candidate , from Oxfordshire , and an entirely new case , headed the poll with 3318 votes , and was followed pretty closely by a partly London and partly Provincial

brother , who derived his support from London and Hants and the Isle of Wight , and having 1717 votes in hand from his first attempt in May , 1889 , was fortunate enough to increase his total to 3110 votes . The third place was taken by a London brother , who made his first attempt last year and scored 1 745 votes . On

this occasion he polled 1302 more , his total being 3047 . No . 4 , a new case , deriving support from Gloucestershire and Berks and Bucks , obtained 3004 votes , while No . 5 , from Dorsetshire , who had only 86 votes from two previous attempts , made up his

figures to 286 9 ; No . 6 , from London , with 177 8 votes to his credit from the same number of attempts , obtaining a final total of 28 30 votes . No . 7 , a new case from Kent , London , and Surrey , scored 2812 votes ; No . 8 , who polled 731 votes in May ,

The Recent Elections Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

188 9 , won further support to the extent of 1961 votes , and raised his figures to 26 97 > an ^ No . 9 , a new case hailing from London , obtained 2641 votes . The next in order had claims on East Lancashire and Cheshire , and though he brought forward no votes from his previous attempt in 188 9 , was fortunate

enough to obtain 2631 votes on this occasion , a London brother , with 1241 votes from 1888 and 1889 , being 1 rth with 258 9 votes , and a new case from Lancashire 12 th with 2524 votes . No . 13 , hailing from Essex , started with 411 votes in hand from the 188 9 election and closed with 2447 votes , and No . 14 . one of five

candidates from West Yorkshire , who had 1808 votes already to the good from last year , made his total up to 2439 votes . Nos . 15 and 16 , who complete the number that will receive their annuities immediately , were also West Yorkshire candidates , No . 15 being a new case , and receiving support to the extent of

2422 votes , and No . 16 , with one vote in hand , polling 2415 votes . Nos . 17 , 18 , and 19 , the three who will receive their annuities as vacancies occur , were No . 17 from London with 2360 votes , No . 18 , from Cheshire , with 233 6 votes ; and No . 19 , from Shropshire , with 2315 votes . The next highest on the

poll , who it will be seen , were close at the heels of the last successful candidate , were one of two candidates from Berks and Bucks , who scored altogether 2258 votes ; a North and East Yorkshire candidate , with 2247 votes ; a Surrey , London , and Warwickshire brother , with 2117 votes ; and two London

brethren , with 1966 and 196 3 votes respectively . Another London candidate advanced his poll to 1433 votes , and the brother from Bengal , who was a candidate for the first time , polled 1198 votes . Thenceforward the poll diminished rapidly , the last 13 having less than 10 or no votes at all . Thus London

carried five , or exactly one-fourth of its candidates , as well as three in which it had a part interest with one or more Provinces , while out of the 39 wholly Provincial candidates , 11 obtain places , three of them being from West Yorkshire out of the five sent up . Devonshire carried one of her seven candidates ;

West Lancashire carried one of her two cases , and Essex , Shropshire , Cheshire , and Oxfordshire each its single candidate , the other two having claims on more than one Province . We are sorry to see that not one of the senior candidates , that is to say , of those whose names have been on the list for years

obtained any appreciable increase to their previous totals . No . 1 , who has been before the Governors and Subscribers for nine years , and received only 150 ndditional votes to his previous score of 646 , being the nearest approach to anything in the way

of a fair improvement . As for the votes brought forward and issued for this Fund , there were 16 , 3 6 3 of the former and 61 , 008 of the latter , making a total of 77 , 45 1 votes . The number oS unused and spoiled votes was 5012 , so that the total poll amounted to 72 , 439 votes .

Widows' Fund.

WIDOWS' FUND .

We have already said that the contest in respect of the Widows' Fund was especially severe , the number of vacancies being only 11 , namely eight immediate and three deferred . Our readers , therefore , will not be in the least surprised on finding that the number of votes for the highest candidates on the result

sheet , both those who succeeded in winning places and those who failed being exceptionally high . The highest place on the list was secured by the widow of a most worthy brother , whose services to Freemasonry must be known everywhere throughout England . Hers was an entirely new case , and what is more

singular , though her name stood last on the approved list of candidates , it was found to have secured the first place when the result of the poll was declared , with 4390 votes . And still more singular to relate , the second successful stood at No . 82 on the

list , and polled 4378 votes , the two widows deriving their chief support , No . 1 from Wiltshire , and No . 2 from Gloucestershire . No . 3 , a London candidate , whose husband had done much useful literary work in connection with Freemasonry in his day ,- and who brought forward 2443 votes from two previous attempts ,