Analysis Of The Returns.

SHROPSHIRE , and it is not surprising , therefore , that on Wednesday , one of the three brethren thus designated , should have given his services as a Steward on behalf of this Province , or that , though unattached , his list should have amounted to £ 55 13 s . It began the current year with a contribution to the Benevolent Institution of £ 210 18 s . Last year it raised £ 26 5 s . for the Old People , £ 770 15 s . for the Girls' School , and £ 10 ios . for our Boys , or a total for the year of £ 807 ios ., while in 188 7 it gave its attention , wholly and solely , to the task of supporting its Prov . G . Master , Bro . Sir Offley Wakeman , Bart ., worthily as Chairman at the 99 th Festival of this Institution , the amount of its contributions being £ 1022 . In 1886 its efforts were more limited , its P . G . M . having been installed only at the close of

1885 , and some time being , of course , necessary that it might settle itself down after the trouble and expense of organising the county as a separate province . However , in this character it has raised upwards of £ 2000 , and Bro . Sir O . Wakeman must be proud indeed to rule over lodges which are so thoroug hly imbued with the spirit of benevolence .

SOUTH WALES ( WEST DIVISION ) , which musters ten lodges on its roll , had an unattached Steward in the person of Bro . John Bourne , whose list amounted to 50 guineas ( £ 52 ios . ) It was among the absentee Provinces in February , but at the Boys' Festival in June last it raised £ 230 15 s ., at the Girls' Centenary , £ 105 , Bro . Aaron

Stone being the active Steward on both these occasions , and at the Benevolent Festival , £ 108 ios . In the year of the Queen ' s Jubilee , it rested , but in 1886 ' the Boys' School obtained support to the extent of £ 210 ; in 1885 the R . M . B . I . received £ 90 ; and in 1884 the Girls' School , £ 262 ios . ; and the Boys' School , £ 10 ios . The Province of

STAFFORDSHIRE , with its 29 lodges , was well represented by Bro . W . H . Bailey , who has undertaken the duties of Steward at several Festivals , and who , on this occasion , raised a list of £ 42 for the Old Concord Lodge , No . 172 , London , and one of £ 8 9 5 s . for Staffordshire , making the total which he obtained for the Institution by the double Stewardship , £ 131 5 - But

confining our attention to the Province , we note that in February , two brethren acting as Unattached Stewards raised £ 21 between them , while last year , so far as it is possible to state the sum , the total raised was £ 617 17 s ., of which the Girls' School received £ 355 7 s ., and the Boys' School £ 262 ios . There was also a Steward sent up for the Benevolent Festival , but the sudden

death of the Secretary of the Provincial Charity Association prevented any return being made . In the year of the Jubilee , the total reached to close on £ 700— £ 698 5 s . being the precise sum—while in previous years an equally useful amount of work was done , and we have no doubt that under its newly-installed Prov . G . Master , Bro . Col . Foster Gough , the Province will be found exhibiting the same zeal and activity .

The next in order of the Provinces is that which furnished the CHAIRMAN

of the day , SUFFOLK , which has a roll of 21 lodges , and labours regularly and successfully on behalf of all our Charities . On Wednesday , its contingent of 18 Stewards was headed by Bro . the Rev . C . J . Martyn , P . G . Chap ., D . P . G . M ., who was Unattached , the remaining 17 representing 15 of the lodges . The total

amount accorded from this district is £ 577 19 s . 6 d ., and , under all circumstances , this must be regarded as a most satisfactory return . In the first place , as we have pointed out in previous analyses , Suffolk is an agricultural Province , while , as regards this particular Festival , we must not lose sight of the very important fact that it was not till after its lodges had laid themselves out to support the Benevolent Institution in February last ,

that Bro . Lord Henniker , P . G . Master , undertook to preside as Chairman . The Province , therefore , did not have a fair chance of showing its full strength , the lists of the seven brethren who acted as Stewards for the Old People having absorbed £ 326 1 is . Thus , during the current year Suffolk has raised £ 904 ios . 6 d ., and as it contributed £ 1105 12 s . in 1888 , namely , £ 45 1 ios . to the Old People , £ 517 12 s . to the Girls' School , and

£ 136 ios . to the Boys' School , the credit belonging to it for its present support is all the greater . In Jubilee year it raised £ 794 16 s ., making a total for the last eight Festivals of £ 2804 18 s . 6 d . It is greatly to be regretted that Lord Henniker should have been prevented at the last moment , by a family bereavement , from fulfilling his promise to preside ,

but it will be seen that he sent a liberal subscription , and it is impossible he could have had a more efficient representative than our Rev . Bro . Martyn , who is one of the most generous and energetic supporters of our Institutions , and who , besides personally raising an excellent list , was well supported by his lodge , which contributed £ 63 by the hand of Bro . W . L . Mason .

SURREY sent up five Stewards , four representing as many lodges , and one Unattached , the aggregate of their lists being £ 138 13 s . 6 d . This is a smaller total than we have been accustomed to , but in February it raised £ 255 8 s . 6 d . for the Old Folks , while its contributions last year were close on £ 1300 , of which the Girls'School received some £ 1148 , and in 1887 it raised within two or three pounds of £ 800 .

WORCESTERSHIRE , 'ike other provinces of moderate size , has been resting somewhat after its heavy work of last year . It has only a dozen lodges on its roll , yet in February it contributed £ 77 is . to the Benevolent Institution , and on Wednesday its two Unattached Stewards—Bros . A . F . Godson , M . P ., and Thomas Arter , who both acted in February—compiled a total of £ 36 15 s ., making the amount for the current year £ 113 16 s . In 1888 , it raised

£ 94 ios . for the Benevolent , £ 695 iSs . for the Girls' School Centenary , and £ 57 15 s . for the Boys' School , or , altogether , £ 84 8 3 s ., Bro . Arter having been Steward at all three Festivals , and Bro . Godson at two of them . In l 88 7 , it made up a total of £ 280 ios ., of which this Institution received £ 212 5 s ., while its aggregate for the three years , from 1884 to 1 S 86 , both inclusive , was £ 1236 17 s . This is a record of which our Worcestershire fiends have every reason to be proud . It is only a short while since that we had occasion to congratulate

NORTH AND EAST YORKSHIRE on the success which attended the first anniversary of its Educational Association , when the large sum of £ 1000 was raised for the purposes of that local Charity . Under these circumstances , the contributions of £ 105 to the Benevolent in February and of £ 42 on Wednesday are the more Welcome , because they show that while the Province is anxious to promote its ° wn Association , it is not unmindful of the claims of the General Masonic

Analysis Of The Returns.

Charities . In 1888 , it raised for these same Institutions over £ 832 , of which the Girls' School received nearly £ 7 63 , while in the five preceding years it averaged £ 532 per annum , the amount being almost always distributed equitably among all three Charities . Its neighbour ,

WEST YORKSHIRE , which ranks third in point of numerical strength among our Provinces , figured on Wednesday for £ 225 15 s ., which is certainly less than it usually returns , but in February it gave £ 415 , and that after contributing £ 3800 , including its two Perpetual Presentations to the Widows' Fund of the R . M . B . I ., in 1887 , £ 3362 8 s ., of which the Girls' School received £ 2702 8 s . at the Centenary Celebration , in 1888 , the total for the two years being £ 7162 8 s . Beyond this , it is unnecessary to carry our inquiries .

THE ISLE OF MAN , which has only been erected into a Province since 1886 , and has but seven lodges on its roll , had one Steward—Bro . A . W . Brearey—representing the Tynwald Lodge , No . 1242 , Douglas , who handed in a donation of £ 10 ios . Last year , it was represented at the Girls' Centenary , and contributed

£ 38 14 s ., that being its first appearance at one of our Festivals . However , though as a Province it is remote from our headquarters , it is pleasant to know that its sympathies have been enlisted in behalf of our Institutions , and that it is ready to contribute to their support from time to time , though the sums it remits are on a moderate scale .

The Districts Abroad sent up four Stewards , of whom two hailed from Bengal , which , in the early days of this Institution , was a frequent contributor to its funds , their lists amounting together to £ 57 15 s . Bro . Seva Ram , of the Punjab , gave £ 10 ios ., and there was also a Steward from one of the lodges in Western Australia , the York , No . 21 iS , whose amount , however , is not stated . Thus from foreign parts the Girls' School has received as yet £ 68 5 s .

CONCLUDING REMARKS . Having completed our task of examining the lists , we must caution our readers against indulging in any feeling of disappointment at the comparative smallness of the General Total . It is true that we must go back many years in order to find one as small . But formerly these Festivals did not play so important a part in our proceedings , and the Institutions being themselves so much smaller , did not stand in need of so much help . Moreover , as the last year ' s Return was so magnificent , it is in the order of things that there should have been a very considerable reaction at the present Anniversary . But , as half a loaf is better than no bread , the Authorities will , no doubt , contrive , with the surplus remaining from last year and the Returns we have been examining , to make both ends meet in the year 1889-90 .

Distribution Of Prizes.

DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES .

Bro . the Rev . C . J . Martyn , P . G . C , D . Prov . G . M . Suffolk , distributed the prizes to the successful schola rs of this Institution on Tuesday , in the absence of Lady Henniker , wh o , by the death of the Dowager Lady Henniker , was unavoidably kept away . A large number of friends and subscribers to the Institution were present , and , by their applause , showed

their appreciation of the results obtained . Among the brethren and ladies present were the Earl of Euston , Bros . Edward Terry , Grand Treas . ; Rev . Richard Peck , P . P . G . Chap . Suffolk ; C . F . Matier , Thomas Fenn , Frank Richardson , Kingston , George Gardner , Mrs . Edward Terry , Miss Nellie Terry , Miss Kingston , and Bro . F . R . W . Hedges , Secretary .

The doors were opened to visitors at three o ' clock , and at four the proceedings commenced with the singing of the "Old Hundredth . " It will not be out of place here to give the excellent results obtained at the recent examinations . At the Cambridge Local Examination 20 girls were entered , out of which number no fewer than 18 passed ; and at the College of Preceptors' Examination 29 girls passed out of 30 entered .

The various items in the musical portion of the programme were excellently carried out , as were also the recitations .

The gold medal for proficiency ( with £ 5 from Bro . Wm . Winn ) was taken by Maude Hill , who was warmly applauded on her taking the . prize ; Norah Besly took the Silver Medal for Good Conduct ( with £ 5 from Bro . Winn ) . In the Cambridge Local Examination , 3 rd Class , Honours fell to Maude Hill , Ethel Fallding , and Helen Foxall . The following- satisfied the Examiners— Georgiana Smith , Alary Sherinp-ton , Isabel McLeod , Caroline Weare , Annie Brockbank , Amy Cutbush , Edith Matthews ' Hannah Inglis , Kate Wortley , Florence Habgood , Daisy Capon , Dorothy Ainsworth , ' Louise Haigh , Marion Warner , and Norah Besly . In the College of Preceptors' Examination the Prize Winners were Beatrice Knott , Mary Tanner , Lucy Smith , jane Turner , and Beatrice High . For General Proficiency the 3 rd Class Prize was won by Ettie Chapman , the 4 th Class by Ellen Grammer , the 5 th Class by Hester Burt , the 6 ; h Class by Ethel Sanders , and the 7 th Class by Helena Tims . For Needlework , Mary Hirst Ethel Hippey , and Kate Allatt took prizes . For Order and Attention ( as proved by conduct marks throughout the year ) , Florence Dunlop and Ethel Gothard were winners . The Personal Neatness prize was won by Kate Sharland .

The prizes given by friends of the Institution were awarded as follows , namely : — Religious Knowledge ( Bro . Robert Grey ) , Maude Hill . Genera ! Proficiency ( Bro . William Winn ) , Ethel Kallding and Helen Foxall . Arithmetic ( Bro . Thomas Fenn ) ' Ethel Fallding . Music—First Prize ( Bro . J . H . Matthews ) , Louisa Pincombe . Music Second Prizes ( "Wentworth Little" Memorial ) , Gertrude Greenwood , Jane Hutchings and Maud Keily . Music—Third Prizes ( Bro . and Mrs . Louis Hirsch ) , Kathleen Gibson and Amy Cutbush . French ( Bro . Eugene Monteuuis ) Maude Hill . Drawing ( "John Boyd" Memorial ) , Ruth Byers , Maud Skurray , and Matilda Bennett . Elocution ( Bro . Robert Grey ) , Maude Hill , Evelyn Conti , and Bertha Dean . The best Prefect ( Bro . Col . Ward ) , Georgiana Smith . Good Conduct—First Prize ( The Supreme Council , 33 ° ) , Florence Mason . Good Conduct—Second Prizes ( Bro . Frank Richardson ) , Hilda Newman and Kate Wortley . Needlework—First Prize ( Mrs . D . P . Cama ) , Millicent Wotton . Cookery—First Prize ( Mrs . D . P . Cama ) , Ruth Byers . Cookery Second Prize ( Bro . Ralph Glutton ) , Esther Robey . Cookery—Third Prize ( Bro . John Faulkner ) , Minnie Wedgwood . Usefulness in Domestic Duties ( " Yates " Memorial—St . James ' s Lodge , No . S 42 ) , Esther Robey . Calisthenics and Deportment ( Bro . Col . James Peters ) , Charlotte McMillan and Hetty Wrightson . Swimming ( Miss Godson ) ,

Mary Nicholson , Jane Smith , and Lucy Smith . Amiability ( Bro . John Faulkner ) , Mary Tanner . On the latter taking her prize the whole of her schoolfellows , who select the winner , rose and applauded her . Junior School—General Proficiency ( Bro . Frank Richardson ) , Winifred Chinneck . Arithmetic ( "Henry Levander" Memorial ) Margaret Carter .

The music governess must have felt gratified at the manner the "iris who took part in the various trios , duets , & c , showed the visitors how they had benefited from her excellent teaching . Seven pianos were called into requisition . The "Tyrolienne Variee" was played by 21 girls ; Lichner ' s " Polonaise , " by 14 girls ; " From foreign parts , " by 14 girls ; Beethoven ' s "Septett , " by 14 g irls ; and "Minuet , " by seven girls . The time was excellent . The recitations were by Bertha Dean , Evelyn Conti , Daisy Capon , and Maude Hill .