To Our Readers .

TO OUR READERS .

The FRBEMASON is a Weekly Newspaper , price 2 d « It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Subscription , including postage : United America , India , India , China , & c

Kingdom , the Continent , & c . Via Bnnelisi . Twelve-Months ios . 6 d . 12 s . od . 17 s . 4 d . Six „ , 5 - 3 d . 6 s . 6 d . 8 s . 8 d . Three „ 2 s . 8 d . 3 s . 3 d . 4 s . 6 d . Subscriptions may be paid for in stamps , but Post Office Orders or Cheques are preferred , the former payable to

GEORGE KENNING , CHIEF OFFICE , LONDON , the latter crossed London Joint Stock Bank . Advertisements and other business communications should be addressed to the Publisher . Communications on literary subjects and books for

review are to be forwarded to the Editor . Anonymous correspondence will be wholly disregarded , and the return of rejected MSS . cannot be guaranteed . Further information will be supplied on application to the Publisher , 198 , Fleet-street , London .

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NOTICE . To prevent delay or miscarriage , it is particuarly requested that ALL communications for the FREEMASON , may be addressed to the Office , 198 , Fleet-street , London .

To Advertisers.

TO ADVERTISERS .

The FBEEMASON has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , its advantages as an advertising medium can therefore scarcely be overrated . ADVERTISEMENTS to ensure insertion in current week's issue should reach the Oflice , 198 , Fleet-street , by 12 o ' clock on Wednesdays . IMPORTANT NOTICE .

COLONIAL and FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS are informed that acknowledgments of remittances received are published in the first number of every month . It is very necessary for our readers to advise

us of all money orders they remit , more especially those from the United States of America and India ; otherwise we cannot tell where to credit them . Several P . O . O . ' s are now in hand , but having received no advice we cannot credit them .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

BOOKS RECEIVED . "Keltt ; " "Der Bund ; " "Mull Packet ; " "Medical Examiner ; " "Keystone ; " "Bauhutte ; " "The Broad Arrow ; " " The West London Express ; " " I'he Corner Stone ; " " Voice of Masonry ; " " The Masonic Review ; •' " Proceedings in the Grand Lodge of Massachusscts ; " "LaVnz dc Hiram ; " " El Cincel ; " "The Advocate ;" " The Hebrew Leader ; " ""Loomis ' s Musical and Masonic Journal . "

Births ,Marriages And Deaths.

Births , Marriages and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . 6 d . for announcements , not exceeding four lines , under this heading . ]

BIRTHS . BENNETT . —On the 17 th inst ., at The Hotel Windsor , Brussels , the wife of J . R . Sterndale Bennett , Esq ., of a daughter . LAMUEKT . —On the 20 th inst ., at Broadwater Down ,

Tunbndge-wells , the wife of E . T . Lambert , Esq ., of a daughter . STONEV . —On the iqtli inst ., at Little Heath , the wife of Major F . S . Stoney , R . A ., of a SOP . THOMPSON . —On the 7 th inst ., at Cavendish-square , the wife of E . S . Thompson , M . D ., F . R . C . P ., of a daughter . & 1

un na . BLOXAM . —On the iCth inst ., at Thorncliffe , Niton , I . W ., Mary J ane , widow of J . C . Bloxam , Esq ., BVAM . —On the 18 th inst ., at Warbltngton Lodge , Havant , Elizabeth Augusta , wiaow of the late Gen . E . Byam , in her 76 th year . CUNNIN ' GIIAM . —On the 24 th inst ., at his residence , Hailsham , Sussex , James Mackay Cunningham , M . D .,

Assistant-Surgeon R . V . A .., and for many years Parochial Medical Officer of Hailsham , aged 73 . KINO . —On the 18 th inst ., at Archer-street , Vanxhall , Edward Henry King , aged 61 . LUTED . —On the 19 th inst ., suddenly , at Cowes , Isle of Wight , John Luter , much esteemed and regretted . WARREN . —On the 20 th inst ., at 2 r , Finborough-road , South Kensington , Jane , the devoted wife of Edward Charles Warren , Esq ., late of Richmond , Surrey , in her Goth year .

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , APRIL 27 , 1878 .

The Annual Festival.

THE ANNUAL FESTIVAL .

The Annual Festival took place on Wednesday , under the presidency of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., when the following brethren were appointed by the G . M . Grand Officers for 1878-9 ¦ ¦ —

The Right Hon the Earl of Carnarvon ( re-appointed ) Pro G . M . The Right Hon . Lord Skelmersdale ( re-appointed ) D . G . M . The Right Hon . Lord Henniker . . S . G . W . Sir Harcourt Johnstone , M . P . ... J . G . W .

Rev . H . A . Pickard G . Chap . Rev . W . A . Hill G . Chap . John Hervey G . Sec . JE . J . £ WTntyre , Q . C . ( re-appointed ) G . Reg . E . E . Wendt ( re-appointed ) G . S . for G . C . Erasmus Wilson S . G . D . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke S . G . D .

J . M . P . Montagu J . G . D . Raphael Costa J . G . D . F . P . Cockerell ( re-appointed ) ... G . S . of W . Sir Albert W . Woods , Garter ( reappointed ) G . D . of C . James Lewis Thomas A . G . D . of C . William H . Lucia G . Swd . Br .

C . E . Willing ( re-appointed ) G . Org . H . G . Buss ( re-appointed ) Asst . G . Sec . W . T . Howe G . Purst . W . Wilson A . G . Purst . C . B . Payne ( re-appointed ) G . Tyler . We hope next week to give a summary of the services of our new Grand Officers .

Our Charities.

OUR CHARITIES .

We are not among those who think , we say boldly at the outset , that our charities are in the " bad way " some florid speakers would fain represent them to bs . The hateful words " jobbing " and "jobbery " have been fully lavished upon them , but as far as we understand English ,

or the true meaning of the words , altogether unjustly , but at the present day , it may be observed , speakers of all parties and denominations are fond , in their zjal and earnestness , of using hard words , forgetting that they " butter no parsnips , ' ' and are " vox et pr . xterea nihil " to the

thoughtful and the logical . The theory of a good many , however , just now , seems to be that of the most memorable " Bartolo , " that given a certain quantity of abuse , or mud , or contumely , some of it " must slick . " We , therefore , dismiss all such allegations as unworthy of calm

consideratian , the more so as we know them to be , from personal experience of many charities , utterly unfounded . But nothing is perfect here , and amendments and ameliorations may be required in all earthly organizations . Indeed , Old Time often brings with it abuses of a good

thing , inasmuch as all of man and ofthe world is liable ever to a process of deterioration . But when we come to look into the proposed reforms , they amount practically to a revolution . The elections are to take place without canvassing , and the Committees are to have somehow

a decisive influence on the result . That is the aim sought for . We have seen a good deal of Committees in our time , and much as we value their services we prefer greatly the open voting system . We are quite sure of this , that any such violent change would be " out ofthe frying

pan into the fire , and that if any tendency to jobbery exists it would be . increased an hundredfold . In charities where the admission represents a considerable monetary value , and is an object to be obtained , it would piactically be most unsafe to bring about such a change , and we have

no hesitation in saying that under such a system half-a-dozen active men mi ght become the rulers of a large number of our Charities . The recent meeting of the Clergy Orphan School . - * , shows that great doubts exist in the minds of many most competent and practical men as to the proposed change , and

Our Charities.

until we have clearer evidence we shall reject and resist , any meddling and marring with those great Charities of ours , which have been the means of untold blessings to many , and are such a credit and ornament to our common country .

The Irish Grand Lodge Returns For 1877.

THE IRISH GRAND LODGE RETURNS FOR 1877 .

We give below the printed returns of the Irish Grand Lodge , for which we have to thank a kind correspondent in Ireland , and which call for a few remarks . It will be seen that on the ist January , 18 / 8 , £ 20 : 8 ios . were owing to Grand Lodge by provinces and private lodges , and that there was on that day an available balance

in the Grand Treasurer ' s hands of £ 305 ios . 2 d ., with outstanding liabilities of £ 673 8 s . fc \ . This is nor , in our humble opinion , a satisfactory state of Irish Masonic finance , and ought not to exist . We repeat what we said last year , that we think it would be far better , and make the

accounts more simple and easy to be understood , if , as with us , the funds of Benevolence and General Purposes were kept distinct . As it is , the balance sheet is somewhat involved , and presents ( as regards the Charity Fund ) an unreal balance . The Irish Grand Lodge also publishes in this return the list oF brethren erased

from the Register , of those suspended , of those expelled , and of those restored in 1877 . We doubt very much the legality of such a proceeding , and therefore do not publish the names , though we have the list at 198 , Fleet-street , for the information of our English brethren . We call the special attention of our readers to the following figures : —

£ s . <*• To Balance in Bank as per previous Audit , General Account , 489 8 10 To Balance in Bank Charily Fund Account ... 415 18 3 For Annual Dues ... ... ... ... 471 19 n ,, Fees on passing Officers ... ... ... 37 16 o „ „ cf Grand „ 43 1 o

„ Committee Dinner Cheques ... ... 167 10 o „ Passing Candidates at Committee ... 217 17 6 „ Fines ... ... ... ... ... 40 10 o „ Certificates and Registry 928 13 1 „ Dispensations ... ... 800

„ New Warrants ... ... ... ... Co o o „ Affiliations 95 11 6 „ Collections at Grand Lodge ... ... 43 13 7 „ Charity Fees ... ... ... ... 263 9 1 „ Giant from Charity Fund , returned ... 500 „ Rent , Grand Royal Arch Chapter , 1877 ... 150 o o „ „ Great Priory , 1877 ... 75 o o „ „ Grand Chapter of Prince Masons ,

1877 50 o o „ Rer . t , Subordinate Lodges ... ... 344 9 6 „ ,, J . Power for Stable of No . ifi ( 1 year ) 14 10 o ,, ,, Masonic Glee Union—18 77 ... 500 ,, „ B . Murphy ( lor 1876 ) ... ... 5 , 0 o o

,, ,, do . lor Gas ... ... ... bo o o „ Interest on Masonic Hall Shares ( 1 year ) 10 2 4 ., Sundries ... ... ... ... ... 6 S 6 ,, Sale of Publications , per Lodges 33 10 3 ,, „ „ „ > . Cash 52 4 4 „ Capitation Fees—Dublin Lodges 59 b 10 o

£ 47 82 3 8 £ s . d . By Charity Orders ... 377 4 o „ Rent to Masonic Hall Company , one year 600 o o „ Head Rent of Nos . 16 , 17 , and 18 , Molcswortii-strett , to It . Barrington , including

No . 10 , for 1876 ... 19 11 7 „ Consolidated Rates ... ... ... ... 141 9 2 „ Special Water Rate for Organ ... ... 2 15 4 „ Income Tax ,., ... ... ... ... 48 9 „ Insurance 9 13 u „ Salaries , & c . —Deputy Grand Secretary ... soo o o

„ „ Assistant Secretary ... 170 o o „ „ Office Assisiant ... ... no o o „ „ Tylers—Bro . Downcs ... 113 6 8 „ „ ,, ,, Bachelor ( the late ) ,. ... ... ... .., 39 o o ,, Salaries , & c—Tylers—Bro . Stevens ... 20 o o

,, „ „ ,, Townlcy ... 20 o o „ „ Hall Porter and Charwomen 83 4 o „ Printing—Underwood 140 12 5 „ Stationery and Certificates—Chambers ... 143 13 o ,, „ Curwen and Sundries ... ... 13 1 o

„ Postages 70 11 6 „ Painting , & c . —Messrs . Gibson 789 7 1 „ Architect's Fees 3 8 17 o „ Hodges and Sons 164 16 7

„ McDowell—Furniture 4 $ 16 o „ Bolton—Carpenters 41 9 o , „ Gasfitting and Plumbing n 18 6 „ Sundry Repairs 16 19 1 „ Telford and Sons—Organ 24 1 2 „ Coal and Coke , Firewood , Gas and Candles 294 13 o „ B , Murphy—For Committee Dinners , 1877 136 o o