Mark Benevolent Fund.

• Bro . ALFRED WILLIAMS responded . The Mayor of WORCESTER proposed " The Visitors . " Bro . SELFE , from Australia , responded , and assured the brethren that the hearts of Masons in Australia beat as warmly to the Masons of England as they did towards the Masons of Australia . The toast of "The Ladies " closed the proceedings .

STEWARDS' LIST .

LONDON . Lodge £ s . d . The Chairman , Lord Egerton of Tatton ,.. 105 o o Grand Masters , Bro . S . B . VVilson 15 15 o Grand Stewards , Bro . C E . Soppet 26 5 o Bon Accord , Bro . G . Cooper ... 12 17 o Old Kent , Bro . I . L . Mather ... 42 o o

Bro . Major VV . E . Williams 7 12 g o „ George Kenning ) 5 5 o S „ John Mason 16 2 o 22 „ R . J . Voisey 11 11 o UNATTACHED . Bro . Alfred Williams ( Pres . ) ... 10 10 o

„ R . Berridge ( Hon . Treas . ) 10 10 o „ R . P . Spice 5 5 ° „ C H . Driver 15 15 o „ C . F . Matier ( Hon . Sec . ) 46 o o „ Samuel Kelly 5 5 o „ Geo . Lambert ... ... 10 10 o „ Dr . Geo . Mickley ... 550 „ Baron De Ferrieres , M . P . 5 5 o „ Wm . Kelly 10 ro o „ Thomas Cubitt 5 5 o

PROVINCES . BERKS AND OXON . Province Bro . T . J . Pulley ... 5 5 o Lodge 27 Bro . Edwin Head ... ... 5 10 o 55 „ R . E . Baynes ... ... 10 10 o 22 5 „ A . H . Simpson ... 10 10 o 235 „ R . Glasspool ... ... 31 10 o 247 „ . !• M . Dormor ... 15 16 o 257 „ Rev . E . De Ewer ... 300 BUCKINGHAMSHIRE . Province and Lodge 163 Bro . Thos . Taylor iG lG o

CHESHIRE . Province Bro . Rev . C . W . S . Stanhope ... 5 5 0 Lodge 196 Bro . VV . H . Finchett ... 15 15 o CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND . Province Bro . P . de E . Collin .,. 550 EAST ANGLIA .

Province . Bro . Nath . Tracy 52 3 o Lodge . 112 Bro . F . S . H . Dyer ... 35 o o 205 „ Geo . Graveley ( See Temperance-in-the-East , No . 350 , Middx . ) 334 Bro . Benj . Chennell ... 31 10 o GLOUCESTERSHIRE .

Province . Bro . John Walker \ 10 10 o „ Geo . Norman j 10 to o HANTS & ISLE OF WIGHT . Lodge . 54 Bro . Henry Stone ... 52 10 o 305 „ F . Powell 10 10 o KENT . Province . Bro . Rev . H . Cummings 105 o o

Lodge . 226 Bro . W . A . Weston ... 30 10 o 237 „ J- A . Anthony ... 550 294 „ S . G . T . Bourke ... IO 10 o 332 „ William Kipps ... 550 LANCASHIRE .

Province . Bro . G . P . Brockbank ... 10 10 o Lodge . T . I . Bro . E . G . Harwood .,, 15 15 o 32 „ Frank A . Huet ... 550 34 ,, W . J . Cunliffe ... 2100 158 „ J . D . Murray ... 550

LEICESTER , NORTHAMPTON , AND DERBYSHIRE . Province . £ s . d . Bro . Miles J . Walker ... 26 5 0 Lodge . 246 Bro . J . H . Lawson ... iS 7 6 302 „ Percy Wallis ... \ „ 339 „ VV . L . Ball ... J o O 15 0 LINCOLNSHIRE . Province .

Bro . Jack Sutcliffe ... 10 10 o MIDDLESEX AND SURREY . Province . Bro . Thos . Clark 25 2 o Lodge . 3 Bro . W . S . Webster ... 32 11 0

5 „ F . T . Bennett ... 34 12 C 7 „ VV . E . Stewart ... 27 5 o 13 „ H . D . Cama ... 10 10 o 104 „ Jabez Church ... 25 4 o 11 4 ,, Chas . Belton ... 10 10 o J 39 ,, VV . Vincent 710 144 „ C . F . Hogard ... 23 2 0 173 „ J . Boulton 21 o o 197 „ Col . H . S . Burney ... to 10 0

211 Mrs . D . P . Cama 52 10 o 211 Bro . John Mason ( see Thistle , S , London ) 15 17 o 236 „ Mexr . Millar ... 10 10 o 23 S „ Alfred Tisley ... 27 5 o 239 » F- J- Tyler 15 15 o 244 „ H . H . Shirley ... 20 9 6 2 S 4 „ Major P . Dunbar ... ig 19 o 315 „ James Terry ... 5 5 ° 331 „ Rowland Plumbe ... 35 14 o 333 „ Newington Bridges 21 o o Tro .. Geo . Gravelv ... ? 2 10 o

MONMOUTHSHIRE . Province Bro . Major A . Thrale Perkins ... ... ... 21 o o NEW SOUTH WALES . Bro . Norman Selfe NORTHUMBERLAND & DURHAM . Province Bro . C . H . Hill Drury 17 1 o NOTTINGHAM . Lodge 26 5 Bro . Henry George ... 43 1 o 344 J , J- Toplis 5 5 o

SOMERSET . Province Bro . C . VV . Radway ... 10 10 o SUSSEX . Lodge 1 C 6 Bro . Fred . Rossiter ... iS 11 o VICTORIA , AUSTRALIA . Province Bro . Wm . Marshall ... WILTSHIRE .

Lodge 17 S Bro . William Nott ... 17 15 o WORCESTERSHIRE . f Bro . A . F . Godson ) Provinces Bro . W . B . William- > 31 10 o ( . son 3 YORKSHIRE ( WEST ) .

Lodge 53 Bro . Fred . Cleeves ... 11 o o VVALES ( NORTH ) . Lodge 321 Bro . Love Jones Parry ... 550 WALES ( SOUTH ) . Province Bro . Sir Pryse Pryse ,

Bart 21 o o DEGREE OF ROYAL ARK 18 MARINERS . IE Lodge l g 6 237 Bro . J . A . Anthony ... I « £ ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES , jji Four Kings Council , Bro . F . T . / £ £ Bennett | j = * S ROYAL AND SELECT MASTERS , o Bro . Thomas Clark I , %

SUMMARY .

Berks and Oxon 82 1 o Buckinghamshire ... ... 16 16 o Cheshire ... ... ... ... 21 o o Cumberland and Westmorland 550 East Anglia its 13 o Gloucestershire 21 o o Hants and Isle of Wight ... 63 o o

Kent i 56 10 o Lancashire ... ... .,, 57 5 o Leicester , Northants , and Derbyshire Si 7 6 Lincolnshire ... . „ ... 10 10 o Middlesex and Surrey 504 2 o The CHAIRMAN LONDON , ig STEWARDS PROVINCES , 09 STEWARDS ... GRAND TOTAL

Monmouthshire ... ... ... 21 o o New South Wales 5 5 o Northumberland and Durham 17 1 o Nottinghamshire 4 S G o Somersetshire ... ... ... 10 10 o Sussex iS 11 o Victoria , Australia

Wiltshire 17 15 o Worcestershire 3110 o Yorkshire ( West ) 11 o o Wales ( North ) 5 5 o Ditto . ( South ) 21 o o ... £ 105 o o 272 4 o ... i , 344 12 6 ... £ 1 , 721 16 6

RESULT OF THE FESTIVAL

Every one must be unfeignedly pleased with the result of this seventeenth Anniversary Festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund . In the more limited sphere of the Mark Degree , it is a success which probably surpasses even tne most sanguine hopes of its promoters and supporters , and though it would not be just to think of instituting any comparison between a Festival 1 100

' . , ' "A K Ior a > a to only one branch ot Masonry , and those which are for tl u ° aP ^ tll e whole Fra temity , we may nevertheless point out , or tne benefit of those who are curious in statistical matters , that Wednesday s total stands fairl y on a level with the sums which a quarter of a cen-

Mark Benevolent Fund.

tury since were wont to be announced at the close of our principal Charity Festivals . If we compare the result of this particular Anniversary with those of its predecessors , on behalf of the same Fund , we see at a glance that the highest recorded sum—the £ 833 of last year , when Bro . Major Woodall , P . G . M . M . M . of North and East Yorkshire , occupied the chairhas been more than doubled . This shows , of course , how great an

advantage it is to have a good system of organisation framed after the best models . In 1 SS 4 there was a very good Board of Stewards , composed of 47 brethren , all anxious and willing to do their best for the success of the meeting ; but there was no regularly-arranged sub-division of duty . On Wednesday there was a Board of 88 Stewards , the majority of whom represented lodges or provinces , and , for the first time in the history of this

hund , the brethren were classed under the section or province to which they severally belonged , or , perhaps , as it is no uncommon thing for a brother to belong to more than one section or province , it would be more accurate to say , under that which he had undertaken to represent . This may seem a small matter to mention ; but a Steward will tell \* ou that it makes all the difference in

the result achieved between working at haphazard and working for a particular district . In the one case the same ground is traversed by several ; in the other , one brother , or it may be more than one , has a certain portion of the work assigned to him , and he meets with little or no interruption in his canvass . This is why the Festivals of our great central Charities have been so magnificently productive of late years , because the different Stewards have worked different lodges or districts , and this it is which accounts for the

unexampled success we have just recorded . In these circumstances it would be an act of grave injustice il we did not accord a full measure of praise to the Grand Secretary , Bro . F . Binckes , and Bro . C . F . Matier , who occupies the position in the Grand Secretary ' s office held bv the late Bro . Dewar . Both worked splendidly , while on Bro . Matier devolved in an especial manner that work of organisation on which we have rightly laid so much stress , and which has borne such splendid fruit , splendid even beyond our most sanguine expectations .

The total , as stated elsewhere , reached £ 1721 i 6 s . Gd ., being the joint contributions of London as represented by 19 Stewards , of whom 11 were unattached , and 24 provinces with 69 representatives , of whom no less than 22 , or nearly one-third , hailed from the Metropolitan province of Middlesex and Surrey , the total of these latter being about equal to the result of a whole

Mark Benevolent Festival such as it was half a'dozen years since . The London total is £ 272 4 s ., and considering ^ hat , in the Mark Degree , there is no special district or area marked out as holding directly under the Mark Grand Lodge , the result is very gratifying . The principal lists are those of Bro . C . F . Matier unattached , £ 46 , and Bro . J . L . Mather , P . M . and Steward for the Old Kent Time Immemorial Lodge , £ 42 .

faking the Provinces seriatim , we find their aggregate contributions amounted to £ 1344 12 s . 6 d . Of this sum BERKS and OXON , with 7 Stewards , Bro . T . J . Pulley acting for the province , and the other six for as many lodges , raised £ 82 is . Bro . Thomas Taylor , as Steward for the Province of BUCKINGHAMSHIRE , as well as for St . Peter and St . Paul , No . 16 3 , made up a list of £ 16 16 s . CHESHIRE , two Stewards , Bro . the Rev . C . VV . S .

Stanhope , D . P . G . M ., acting for the province , and Bro . Finchett for the Earl of Chester Lodge , gave ; . £ 2 i . Bro . Collin for CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND contributed £ 5 5 s . EAST ANGLIA , with four Stewards , raised £ IIS 13 s ., the list of Bro . N . Tracy , Prov . G . Sec , amounting to £ 52 3 s ., Bro . Dyer ' s , Isaac Newton University , No . 112 , to £ 35 , and Bro . Chennell's , York , No . 334 , to £ 31 ios ., Bro . Graveley ' s amount obtained from

the Beaconsfield , No . 205 , forming part of his total of 50 guineas ( , £ 5 2 ios . ) , entered under MiDDLESEXand SuRREY . for Temperance-in-the-East , N 0 . 350 . GLOUCESTERSHIRE , with two Stewards , gave £ 21 ; and HANTS AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT , two Stewards , £ 63 . There were five Stewards for KENT , the total being £ 156 10 s ., and the list of Bro . the Rev . II . Cummings , for the province , £ 105 , the weightiest of all the Stewards' lists . LANCASHIRE

also had hve Stewards , whose lists amounted to £ 57 5 s ., and thc Province of LEICESTERSHIRE , NORTHANTS , AND DERBYSHIRE , four Stewards , who raised amongst them £ 81 7 s . 66 ., the chief items being Bro . Percy Wallis ' sof £ 36 15 s ., and Bro . Miles J . Walker ' s of £ 26 5 s . LINCOLNSHIRE per Bro Jack Sutcliffe , Prov . G . M . M . M ., gave £ 10 ios . ; and

MIDDLESEX and SURREY , with 22 Stewards , £ 50423 ., Mrs . D . P . Cama £$ 2 ios ., and Bro . G . Graveley , £ 52 ios ., being the principal contributors , while Bros . R . Plumbe , No . 331 , F . T . Bennett , No . 5 , W . S . Webster , No . 3 , VV . E . Stewart , No . 7 , A . Tisley , No . 238 , Jabez Church , No . 104 , and Thomas Clark ( province ) raised £ 35 14 s ., £ 34 12 s . 6 d ., £ 32 lis ., £ 27 5 S * J £ 2 7 5 s . > £ 25 4 s ., and £ 25 2 s . respectively .

Of the other represented Provinces , MONMOUTHSHIRE , per Bro . Major A . Thrale Perkins , is entered for £ 21 ; NEW SOUTH WALES , per Bro . Norman Selfe , for £ 5 55 . ; and NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM , per Bro . C . H . Hill Drury , for £ 17 is . NOTTINGHAMSHIRE , with Stewards ( or two of its lodges , contributes £ 48 6 s ., of which Bro . H . George ' s list absorbs . £ 43 IS . SOMERSETSHIRE , per Bro . C . VV . Radway , figures for £ 10 ios ., and SUSSEX , per Bro . F . Rossiter , for £ 18 us . Then follow

VICTORIA , AUSTRALIA—no return—and WILTSHIRE , one of whose lodgesthe Wiltshire Keystone , No . 178—per Bro . William Nott , gives £ " 17 15 s . The two WORCESTERSHIRE Stewards , of whom Bro . A . F . Godon is one , contribute a joint list of £ 31 ios . ; WEST YORKSHIRE , per Bro . Fred Cleeves ' of thc Britannia Lodge , No . 53 , £ 11 ; NORTH WALES , per Bro . Love Jones-Parry , M . P ., G . J . W ., £ 5 5 s . ; and SOUTH WALES , per Bro . Sir Pryse Pryse , who presided as Chairman in 1883 , £ 21 .

The Stewards named in the other entries have severally included the sums obtained for the * ' Degree of Royal Ark Mariners , " the " Allied Masonic Degrees , " and the " Royal and Select Masters " in their totals entered elsewhere in the list , while the return for VICTORIA , AUSTRALIA has yet to be received . We must add that Lord Egerton , as Chairman , eave

a personal donation ol 100 guineas ( £ 105 ) , but subject to the condition that the scheme in contemplation for providing annuities for aged and decayed Mark brethren and their widows is adopted . As the scheme is alread y formulated in its most material points , there is little doubt as to the condition being fulfilled .

In several of the cases enumerated , the sums subscribed are probably only the personal gifts of the different Stewards—the five guineas entitling a brother to the Charity jewel presented by Mark Grand Lodge ; but the list is nevertheless a goodly one , and though it is the first which has been attempted under the

new system , we have no doubt it will be as successfull y followed , and even exceeded at future Festivals . This much we are justified , by the present result , in anticipating , and we trust not many years will elapse , ere the total of 1885 has been doubled in the same brilliant manner as that of 1884 .