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with a poll of 1501 votes . Mrs . WARREN , widow of Bro . H . G . WARREN ,

P . G . Stwd ., journalist , and Mrs . FRANKLYN , the former hailing from London , and the latter from Devonshire , shared between them the Widows ' Fund share of the J HERVEY Memorial Fund , Mrs . WARREN receiving £ 7 io ? ., and Mrs . FRANKLIN £ 7 is . 3 d ., and Mrs . MAHOMED received the Widows' Fund half ( - £ 5 ) of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement Fund .

Thus London carried three out of its 19 candidates , and had a hand in the success of Mrs . PULLEN ; West Yorkshire , two of its three remaining candidates ; Kent , two of its five candidates ; and Hants and the Isle of Wight , two of its candidates , and helped in another case ( Mrs . PULLEN ) .

Cumberland and Westmorland succeeded with one candidate , and failed with the other ; while Berks and Bucks , Middlesex , Northants and Hunts , South Wales ( West Division ) , and Worcestershire , who were among the provinces which furnished only one candidate , were successful .

* * * The OWING no doubt to the occurrence of the Whitsun holidays , Girls' School inere nas been during the last fortnight a considerable Festival . diminution in the number of brethren volunteering their

services as Stewards for the Centenary Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . In our issue of the 5 th instant we reported the Board as being in excess of 1200 , and a week later it had reached , if it did not exceed , 1300 . Since then , however , the progress has been slower , and the number now is about 1350 , and if all goes well we shall probably find it a

little below or , belter still , a little in excess of 1400 . But even this is amazing and augurs well lor the success of the Festival itself , so far as the principal objects it is sought to obtain by it are concerned . Unfortunately , a few weeks ago , a brother who we presume is connected with some organ of the daily press , was ill-advised enough to inform one of our leading

newspapers that the proceeds of the Anniversary celebration were expected to reach , if not lo exceed , the huge sum of ^ 40 , 000 , and the result has been that a number of silly reports have been flying about ever since , in which the anticipated total is set down variously at from £ 40 , 000 to as high as £ 60 , 000 , and for aught we know to the contrary , at even a higher figure

slill . This is very much to be regretted , and for more reasons than one . Those who have had most experience in these matters , though they would gladly see their anticipations exceeded , have never extended their estimate beyond from ^ 30 , 000 to £ 35 , 000 , and they have been thus discreet in their reckoning because they know and can appreciate the difficulties which the

Stewards will have to contend with and how hard it is , when a certain high standard has been reached , for even an army of 1400 canvassers to raise an additional £ 1000 or £ 2000 . Thus people who believe there is some truth in these ridiculous stories will consider that , if a lower total is realised , the Festival has been j . comparative failure , or they may stand aloof from

contributing , when they fancy that more than the sum required for the regular and extraordinary expenditure in contemplation is likely to be raised without theirassistance . In tidier case much harm must ensue from givingcurrencvto these silly rumours , and we trust our readers will not lend credence to them merely because they have heard about them or read them in . the

newspapers . A return of from £ 30 , 000 to £ 35 , , or even of £ 38 , 000 , as it will be several thousands in excess of any past Masonic Festival Return , will be something of which it is needless to say we shall all be very proud , and if after all we prove to have been too modest in our estimate a still higher total is raised , then so much the better forthe Girls' School . In

the meantime , we have much pleasure in drawing attention to the fact , as reported last week , that the Executive Committee have succeeded in arranging that the Anglo-Danish Exhibition shall be open exclusively to the Stewards and their friends between the hours of 5 p . m . and 10 p . m . on the

day of the Festival ( 7 th prox . ) , so that the gardens and the additional music will be available as well as the conservatory and the Albert Hall , This is a boon which the Stewards will greatly appreciate , and for which , as it will add to the day's attractions and make their task of entertaining their visitors more agreeable , they will no doubt be duly grateful .

The History Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS

FROM ITS ORIGIN , 1788 , TO ITS CENTENARY , 1888 .

( Concluded from page 296 . ) There is not much else to record . The Levander Memorial Prize for Arithmetic - was instituted in March , 1886 , and the usual distribution of prizes in the May following -was prevented by an outbreak of . German measles . In July , a resolution of thanks aud

congratution was passed to Miss 'Davis on completing her term oi 25 years as Head Governess , and it "was resolved to present her with a testimonial to mark the high sense entertained by the Governors of her services in that capacity . In August , Miss Jarwood , who had been connected with the Institution as pupil , apprentice , Assistant

Matron , and Matron for 67 years , died at the ripe age of 76 , and enjoying to the last the respect and affection of the children and their Governors , the charges for the funeral and mourning to be ¦ worn by the Girls' and the Staff being defrayed , as in the case of Mrs . Crook , out of the funds of the Institution , while Miss Buck

was chosen her successor . Further losses were sustained by the deaths of Bro . Joshua Nunn , P . G . S . B ., who was succeeded as Trustee of the Sustentation Fund by Bro . Col . Peters , P . G . S . B ., and Bro . E . 0 . Mather , an active and energetic member of the House Committee ,

and in October , Bro . Howell , who had been Medical Officer of the Institution for 34 years , during the whole of which period his valuable services had been at the disposal of the authorities , and who , moreover , by his frequent acts of thoughtful kindness towards the children had endeared himself to every one , tendered his

The History Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Girls

resignation , and was succeeded by his son , Bro . T . A . Ives How ] i In November , Bros . T . Fenn , President of the Board of Genera ] Purposes , and F . Philbrick , Q . O ., G . Registrar , were elected men ' bers of the House Committee vice Bro . Ool . Peters , appoint- ] Trustee , and Bro . E . C . Mather , deceased ; but Bro . Philbrick ha „ since resigned and been succeeded by Bro . Alderman Savory , wil

has on several occasions evinced his deep interest in the School bv inviting the children to his residence at Buckhurst Hill , and wil" doubt render valuable assistance in the work of administration , u the April Court of last year , in order to commemorate the Queen ' s Jubilee , the whole of the candidates , to the number of 27 , wei .

admitted into the School Avithout ballot , and the strength of tlie establishment thereby increased by five to 248 . In the followin » June , Grand Lodge voted a donation of £ 2000 to each cf on j Institutions , and distributed amongst them the fees for admission to the Royal Albert Hall on the occasion of the Masonic Jubilee

gathering , the one-third portion allotted to each being £ 2107 ; and as the Festival in May , under the presidency of Bro . Sir OffW Wakeman , Bart ., Prov . Or . Master of Shropshire , yielded some £ 11 , 760 , what will be memorable in future as the year of Queen Victoria ' s Jubilee , by proving more advantageous to the Treasury of

the Institution than any of its predecessors , appropriately completed a century of beneficent work , of which our ancient and honourable Society may justly be proud , and thus proved the most suitable herald that could have been found of the important Anniversary we are on the eve of celebr / atine * .

This is neither the time nor the place to describe in detail tlio scheme which has been formulated by the House Committee and approved by the general body of Governors and Subscribers for commemorating the Centenary of the Institution . It has been however , officially before the Masonic public for some time past , and

therefore , though the question of carrying it into execution in its entirety will largely depend on the result of the Centenary Festival , it may reasonably be considered as coming within the scope of our duty to lay before our readers its most salient features . Let it suffice , therefore , if wo state that the scheme will include the

re-arran-rement of the existing premises so far as the main pile of buildings is concerned , and the erection of a Centenary Hall , which shall be sufficiently commodious to receive the whole of the children and tlie SteAvards and friends they bring with them on important occasions , such as the distribution of prizes . The cost , ' which has been

estimated at somewhat less than £ 20 , 000 , will be heavy , but there can be little doubt the scheme , when carried out , will be most beneficial , and that the increased cubic space which will become available for dormitory and school accommodation will tend material ])' to promote the health of the inmates . The Junior School also ,

which is in course of reconstruction out of Lyncombe and the adjoining houses , will likewise be more commodious , and , as a consequence , more healthy ; so that as the alterations throughout the

existing premises will be general , and the addition of the new Centenary Hall of considerable advantage , the School in its now aspect Avill be still more creditable to the Society which has been at such pains to erect and maintain it in a condition of efficiency .

It has been said that the extent of the improvements which it is proposed to effect will depend largely on the success of the Centenary Festival , and it will be readily understood that no efforts are being spared to ensure its success . The Prince of Wales , M . W . Cr . M . who is President and Grand Patron of thc Institution , has graciously

accepted tho invitation of the Committee to preside on tho occasion , and a Board of Stewards , consisting of between 1300 and 1400 brethren , has already been formed , with Bro . the Earl of Lathom , D . G . Master , as President , and Bro . Lord Leigh , Prov . G . Master of

Warwickshire , as its honorary Treasurer . JNearly oU irov . " . Masters have kindly volunteered their assistance , and , owing to the large number of guests who are expected to be present , the Festival , which is fixed for the 7 th June , will take p lace in the Royal Albert Hall . The distribution of prizes , which is now considered a pa * - '' °

the annual celebration , will also take place in the same locality on the Monday preceding , and though it would be rash to dream 0 estimating the total of Returns which will be announced , there a '"" good grounds for anticipating that it will be nearly , if not 1 * I sufficient to justify the scheme of extension and improvement ! which Ave have furnished an outline , being carried into executio

forthwith . , We have HOAV completed our task , and it only remains for nS , express a hope that the career of the Institution may be owe 1 ¦ " ¦ * ¦ 'I" ** - 1 LJJll , w U-HV f CU l / UJ . \ J ± VXL \ s J-J . X 13 "JJ . ULL * JH _ -JJ . ¦ ""• "J - | J . p ecl

continued and increased prosperity . As regards the " 1 ' future , it is , humanly speaking , impossible that , with so capabIo w energetic a body of administrators as the present House Com * 1 ^ ' with so devoted a Secretary as Bro . Hedges—AVIIO . during t !* e

years he has been in office has gone on establishing himse" ' ] firml y in the respect of the brethren—and with , such an educa 1 ' staff under so experienced a lady as Miss Davis , Ave can have misgivings . The yearly record of successes achieved by ^ P 0 f at different public examinations , the eminently practical sys j training which has been adopted , but , above all , the * ° ? - ^ - tio » character of the School generally , forbid this . An " ! yeai'S AAdiich is governed as onr frivls' School is must remain—Wfi J . 1 . J

long since it became—an honour to the Society AA'hich esta . and maintains it Avith such generosity , and there is not a 1 ' , ] nU c England who does not pray most fervently that it may ever co ^^ to enjoy—in the centuries to come as in the century now coin ]? ^ the Avilling help of the Craft and the all-powerful protection G . A . O . T . U .