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CONTENTS . PAGE L BADBRThe Year ' s Festival ... ... ... ••••••393 Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex ... ... ... ... , — 393 Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk ... ... ... - 394

Board of Benevolence ... ... ... ... - - 395 The New Masonic Hall , Leeds ... ... ... ••••••395 Cheshire Masonic Charities ... ... - — •••39 ° Craft Masonry ... •••— •••— - 39 ° Science , Art , and the Drama ... ... •» ¦¦••••397

M ASONIC NOTESOur Special Installation Number ... ... ... ... 399 Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk ... ... 309 Annual Meetirg of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex ... ... 399 Death of Bro . Samuel Pope , K . C , P . G . D . ... ... ... 399 Death of Bro . T . S . Farvin , P . G . Master ot the Grand Lodge of Iowa ... 399

Reviews ... . •¦ ••••— ¦••— — 4 The August Magazines ... ... ... — — •••4 °° Craft Masonry ... ••••¦•— ••••••4 00 Royal Arch ... - - - - - - 4 ° i The Craft Abroad ... ... ... •••- - 4 ° ' Instruction ... ... ... ••••••••••••4 ° Obituary ... ... - ••••••- •••4 ° 2 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ¦••4 ° 4

The Year's Festivals.

THE YEAR'S FESTIVALS .

It is marvellous how the support that is given to our Central Charitable Institutions and , indeed , to all such Institutions , whether Central or local , has gone on increasing during the last few years , and that , too , without special inducements of any kind

being held out to the brethren , and in spite of the numerous claims that have been made upon them in connection with the war in South Africa , In 1898 , the total subscribed to the two Schools and the Benevolent Institution amounted to about

, £ 160 , 000 , but of this huge sum quite £ 141 , 000 was raised for the Roys' School in respect of its Centenary Festival . Naturally , after such a stupendous effort , there was in 18 99 a great

reduction in the year's Returns , and the total contributed to the three may be roundly set down at £$ 0 , 000 , oi which the Girls ' School obtained £ 21 , 000 , the Benevolent Institution £ 20 , 000 ,

and the Boys' School , what in the circumstances was the very fair total of £ 9000 . Last year substantial progress was made , and while the Girls' School and Benevolent Institution may be held to have obtained between them some £ 46 ,

000—the former having the advantage to the extent of a few hundreds—the Boys' School was in a position to point to a return to something like its old form and obtained a total of contributions to its iojnd Festival of £ 17 . 000 .

the aggregate of the Returns to . the three Institutions being £ 63 , 000 , This year there has been a still further advance , the Benevolent Institution having been supported in February , when the Earl of WARWICK , Dep . G . Master , Prov . G . Master

Essex , presided for it as Chairman , to the extent of £ 26 , 430 ; the Girls' School in May , when Earl AMHERST , M . W . Pro G . M ., Prov . G . Master of Kent , was in the chair with £ 26 , 520 ; and the Boys' School last month , under the presidency of Bro .

the Right Hon . W . W . B . BEACH , M . P ., Prov . G . Master of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , to the extent of £ 23 , 020 ; the total being £ 75 , 970 , or within measurable distance of £ 76 , 000 . Moreover , the number of those who volunteered their

services as Stewards was large in proportion , there being 607 who acted for the Old People in February , 713 for the Girls ' School in May , and 553 for the Boys' School last month . If

we compare this year ' s Returns with those ol 18 S 8 , when the Girls' School celebrated its Centenary , and special inducements \ yere he'd out to the brethren to give their services as Stewards ,

The Year's Festivals.

we find that the aggregate for the latter year stood at about the same figur . \ In 1892 , when the Benevolent Jubilee was celebrated , and realised £ 69 , , the proceeds of the whole three

Festivals was only about £ 92 , 000 , and then there were similai inducements offered to brethren , either to become Stewards or subscribe more generously than in ordinary years .

If we go a little further , and tack on the proceeds of the Mark Benevolent Fund Festival and of a principal local Fund or Association , we shall find the figures still more amazing , Thus last year , when the Earl of El'STON , M . W . Pro Grand

Master , presided at the Anniversary Festival on behalf of the Mark Benevolent Fund , a " record " Board of 302 Stewards compiled a " record" total of donations and subscriptions amounting to £ 5113 ; while Warwickshire , at the Festival held

in Stoneleigh Park—the seat of its respected Provincial Grand Master—the sum of £ 3150 was subscribed for its Benevolent and Pupils' Aid Fund ; and North and East Yorkshire raised £ 1050 for its Educational Fund . If wc add these amounts to

the total of £ 63 , 000 above mentioned for the Central Charities , we have something like £ 72 , 300 for 1900 , irrespective of what we know was contributed to other local Charitable organisations . This year the Mark' Benevolent Fund Festival , under Bro .

Lieut .-Col . CLIFFORD PROBYN , Past Grand Treasurer , yielded a fair average total of £ 2022 , while the Festival , at Manchester , uuder the presidency of Lord STANLEY , M . P ., P . G . M . of East Lancashire , on the 26 th June , in aid of the Systematic

Educational and Benevolent Institution realised £ 9379 , and the still more recent Cheshire Festival £ 2063 . Thus , if we add these three amounts to the £ 7 6 , 000 subscribed to the Central Charities , we have the grand total of nearl y £ 89 , 500 ,

irrespective of what has been , or is being , subscribed to other local Funds . In fact , if we reckon what is disbursed bv the Grand Lodge Fund of Benevolence , and the moneys raised for Charities and Funds beyond those we have specified , we shall not be

exaggerating if we place the year ' s contributions towards our main and subsidiary Charitable organisations at £ 100 , 000 for the year , or , reckoning the interest at 2 . \ per cent , the

equivaof a year ' s dividend on a capital of four millions . This is a grand and amazing total for a Society which does not number more than from 120 , 000 to 130 , 000 1112 ml ) ers .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Essex.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF ESSEX .

The annual meeting of the above Provincial Grand Lodge was held on Thursday , the 18 th instant , at the Public Hall , Loughton , under the presidency ofthe Prov . Grand Master , the Right Hon . the E id of Warwick and Brooke , Dep . G . M . of England , and as usual attracted a Urge assembly of brethren from all parts of the county . The local arrangements

for the meeting were in the hands of the W . M . and members of the Bagshaw Lodge , No . 1457 , which holds its meetings in the Public Hall , and to their efforts no little of the success of the meeting was due . The proceedings commenced at four o'clock , when the Prov . Grand Master , accompanied by his officers , entered the hall , and was received with the honours due to his rank .

Bro . Richard Clowes , P . G . Std . Br ., P . P . S . G . W ., acted as Dep . Prov . G . M ., in th ; absence of Bro . Colonel Lockwood , M . P . The minutes of the last annual Prov . Grand Lodge , held at Clacton-on-Sea , having been confirmed , The Prov . G . Secretary announced that communications of regret at their inability to attend had been received from Bros . Earl Amherst , Pro

G . M . ; Col . John Davis , Prov . G . M . Surrey ; Lord Geo . Hamilton , M . P ., Prov . G . M . Middx . ; Lord Henniker , Prov . G . M . Suffolk and the Isle of Man ; the Earl of Strad broke , P . G . W . ; His Honour Juige Philbrick , Q . C ., P . G . W . ; T . F . Halsey , M . P ., Prov . G . M . Herts j Hamon le Strange , Prov . G . M . Norfolk ; E . Letchworth , G . Sec ; J . S . Eastes , D . P . G . M . Kent ; the Mayor of Colchester ( Claude E . Egertcn-Green );