Contents.

CONTENTS .

ffHistorvof " the " Royal Masonic Institution tor Girls front its Origin , 1588 , to its Centenary , i 888- ( C « i / i «««/ I ) 310 nnebec-K . England 311 Bm-al Masonic Benevolent Institution 311 Provincial Grand Lodge of Gloucestershire 313 Prnvincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire 313 Provincial Grand Chapter of the North and lorKsnire

East Ridings or ... , „ ..... 314 fonsecration of the Nannton Davies Chapter , No . ISJS 314 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of West feneration of the St . Oswald Lodge of Mark Master Masons , No . 387 , at Crowle 31 j fORRESHONDENCJMasonic Offences , & c 317 Bro . Birch's Motion as to Elections 317

CORRESPONDENCE ( Continued)—Our Well-Wishers ; 30 Reviews 3 ' Notes and Queries 3 * 8 REPORTS OF MASONIC MKKTINOSCraft Masonry 3 ' 9 Instruction 320 Rnval Arch 331

Instruction 331 Mark Masonry 33 t Cryptic Masonry 331 Rosicrucian Society of England 33 r Ireland 3 = 3 Board of Benevolence 323 The Craft Ahroad 333 Obituary 323 Theatres 323 Masonic and General Tidings 324 Lodge Meetings for Next Week iv .

Ar00101

THE business transacted at the annual meeting on Friday , MettingoHhe the i 8 th inst ., of the Governors and Subscribers of the R . M . B . L R 0 yai Masonic Benevolent Institution was for the most part

of the ordinary character . The Report presented by the Committee of Management of their proceedings during the past year contained no feature of extraordinary interest , and was adopted unanimously . The audited Statement of Accounts appended to the Report was in all respects

satisfactory , and it will be noticed with satisfaction that the heavy expenditure on the Widows' Fund was caused , not by any excessive outlay in

connection with its administration , but in the purchase of £ 7000 Stock , the dividends on which will constitute a substantial addition to the permanent income of that branch of the Institution . It must have given Bro . TERRY much pleasure to be . ableto announce that Bro . the Earl of EUSTON , R . W .

Prov . G . Master of Northants and Hunts , had kindly consented to preside as Chairman at the next Annual Festival , which will take place on the 27 th February , 1889 . His lordship , during the brief period he has been in office , has already won golden opinions , not only from the members of his

own province , but from the Craft generally , and we venture to think that the brethren will not be slow to appreciate the readiness with which he has undertaken the arduous duty of a Masonic Festival Chairman , and will support him with their accustomed loyalty and generosity . It is also

gratifying to know that the late lamented Bro . EDIAR BOWYER has been succeeded in the Treasurership of the Institution by so estimable a Mason as Bro . J . A . FARNFIELD , P . A . G . D . C , who alone was nominated for

election , and will no doubt justify the choice of the Governors and Subscribers . As for the series of alterations in the rules , proposed by Bro . J . A . BIRCH , P . Prov . G . Warden of East Lancashire , it will cause but little

vexation of spirit among the brethren to find that they were defeated by a heavy majority ; or , we should say rather that the first , which was the only one put to the vote , was so defeated and that the rest were withdrawn . We re S '' t , however , that the inconvenience to the business of the Institution ,

which would have resulted from their adoption , was not more pointedly referred to in the discussion that took place . The convenience of the provincial brelhren was the principal , if not the only , ground on which Bro . IRCH based his resolutions , and it is possible there may be some of our

eaders who will regard their rejection as an evidence of indifference to the 'snes of the country Masons . We believe that had it been a mere ques-10 tl of convenience between town and country brethren , the former would ave been only too pleased to meet , to the utmost extent of their ability ,

wishes of the latter . But the proposed change would have seriously an ged the business of the Institution . In nine cases out of ten the 5 'val takes place on the last Wednesday in February , and when that is r > and the extra labour it entails on the Secretary and his staff overcome , th 6 A ^ vo , ' i » papers to be dispatched by the middle of April , and im ua - Statement of Account to be prepared for the Auditors . The

and 1 , wec * * h ' is none too much for so heavy a pressure of work , the advance of the Annual Meeting from the third Friday in May , when the ff ^ t 0 t ' Monday following the last Friday in April , would have ment T" ° ^ curtai ' S ^ is interval , or necessitating an entire re-arrangepost btisi'ness during t \ xS busiest part of the year . We consider the A pril 0 nement . ° f the Sch ° o 1 Electi ° ns t 0 the last Friday or Saturday in le . n Wwise chanrre . hut as thpse F . lerlinn <; alrparlv nrpwHs tho " srhnnl

ot lh _ ? ' e authorities can more readily afford to make it ; but in the case time th en ^ vo , ent Institution the Festival precedes the Election , and the Wor k th ln tervenes between the two no more than suffices for the re Jecti 0 a to """ done . We believe this was the real reason for the ttle V w » " KIRCH ' S proposals , and it is for this reason we are glad ere rejected .

Ar00102

BOTH the elections at the annual meeting of the Benevolent Fund Election Institution on Friday last were well contested , the voting , R . M . B . I . especially for the Male Fund , being unusually heavy , so that the work of the Scrutineers was very far from being a sinecure . Both lists

of candidates were more fortunate than could have been expected , to this extent , that between the declaration of vacancies in February and the day of the poll , several deaths occurred , and it became possible , therefore , to elect a larger number . Thus , for the Male Fund there were originally 16 vacancies , namely , 13 immediate and 3 deferred , but seven more annuitants

died subsequently , and the immediate vacancies were increased to 20 , while , on the other hand , two of the candidates also died , so that the number to be elected was 23 , including the 3 deferred , from a list of 65 applicants . The successful were thus distributed , London , which had at first 26 candidates , but on Friday last through the death of one only 25

candidates , was so fortunate as to carry 10 , among them being the two who stood highest on the poll . Of the 40—in the first instance 41—provincial candidates , only 13 succeeded in obtaining places , North and East Yorkshire , which had five , obtaining the Sth place for one of them with 2145 votes , while East Lancashire , which sent up four , secured , the election

of one with 1813 votes , and placed a second at the head of the unsuccessful list with 1692 votes , the lowest successful candidate polling only 23 more votes Hants and the Isle of Wight polled 2241 votes for Bro . HAXTHAUSEN , who stood 5 th , and Kentsecuredthe 17 th placefor Bro . HOILE with 1928 votes , both these provinces , as well as that of Devonshire , furnishing three candidates ,

Of the two brethren from VVest Yorkshire , one died before the election and the other stood 21 st on the list with 1788 votes , and two of the other provinces which sent up two candidates succeeded in carrying one each , Bro . SMITH , hailing from Middlesex , standing 6 th with 2214 votes , and Bro . LUFF , from Suffolk , being 14 th with 2036 votes , but Berks and Bucks failed with both

its candidates . Of the rest , Durham placed its candidate , Bro . J OBLING , at No . 12 with 2079 votes : Bro . WALLACE , from Gloucestershire , for whom 228 S votes were polled being third , the Oxfordshire candidate , Bro . CODD , being No . 4 with 2244 votes ; the West Lancashire man , Bro . SAMUEL BRAY , 22 nd with 1733 votes- Bro . SOMERTON , from Lincolnshire , carrying

the 13 th place with 2049 votes ; and Bro . BENNETT , Sussex , the 10 th place with 2098 votes . The three brethren who obtained some sli ght consolation for their failure were Bios . DUFFIELD ( East Lancashire ) , and FRY ( Warwickshire ) , who divided between them the Male half of the J HERVEY Memorial Fund , Bro . DUFFIELD receiving £ 7 ios ., and Bro . FRY £ 7 is .

3 d ., while Bro . THOMAS SMITH ( London ) , secured a moiety of the Lodge of Emulation Fund . It will be seen from the foregoing remarks that the poll proceeded regularly , the highest successful candidate ( London ) scoring 2408 votes , and the next , also from London , 2306 votes , while Nos . 21 .

22 , and 23 , polled 1788 votes , 1733 votes , and 1715 votes respectively . As for the general total , 13 , 859 votes were brought forward , and 47 , 86 7 votes were issued , amounting together to 63 , 726 . The total poll appears to have been 62 , 750 votes , so that the spoiled and unused votes numbered only 976 , our remark as to the contest being severer than usual being amply justified

# _ ¦ # The Wido ¦ ^ w'd ° Pplicantsforannuitieswerelessfortunatethan those Election on the Male Fund . They were 62 in number , and therefore R . M . B . I . there were a ] most as many 0 f them as 0 f t | ie iatter , but the

vacancies , taking the immediate and deferred together , were but 15 , or about two-thirds of the male vacancies to be competed for . Consequently the polling was in this case also very heavy , though the proportion of spoiled and unused votes was more in keeping with our experience of past elections . The votes brought forward were 7375 , and the votes issued 50 , 252 , giving a

total of 57 , 627 , and of these 52 , 942 votes were passed by the Scrutineers , the unused and spoiled being 4685 in number . Mrs . PULLEN , the widow of Bro . HYDE PULLEN , who hailed originally from Kent—though as a P . D . G . M . of the Isle of Wight , and formerly Assistant Secretary of the Supreme Council Ancient and Accepted Rite , she most probably received a large

measure of support from Hants and the Isle of Wi ght and the London brethren—headed the poll with 295 8 votes , Mrs . COOLEY ( Kent ) being second with 2797 votes ; Mrs . READ ( Hants and Isle of Wight ) third , with 2505 votes ; Mrs . HARDING ( Worcestershire ) fourth , with 2496 votes ; Mis . HARRISON ( Middlesex ) fifth , with 2434 votes ; and Mrs . VASEY sixth , with

2351 votes . Mrs . HARTLEY ( Cumberland and Westmorland ) was placed seventh , with 2333 votes , and then followed two West Yorkshire candidates—two having been nominated under the Jubilee rights of Presentation , and so provided for—Mrs . WRIGHT with 2193 votes , and Mrs . Moss with 2172 votes . The Berks and Bucks candidate—Mrs . FORD—stood

next with a poll of 2158 votes ; and then came two candidates from London , Mrs . YEOMAN and Mrs . SOMERS , for whom were recorded 2132 votes , and 178 4 votes respectively . Mrs . GRIFFITHS ( South Wales , West Division ) with 1755 votes stood next , Mrs . WORLEY ( Northants and Hunts ) being close up with 1720 votes , and Mrs . THEMANS ( London ) bringing up the rear