Analysis Of The Returns.

one of our most popular Prov . G . Masters—Sir Francis Burdett , Bart . — may always be reckoned upon as a steady and liberal contributor . On Wednesday nine of these lodges sent up thirteen Stewards—Lebanon Lodge , No . 1326 , of Feltham , being represented by as many as five brethren—and among them they contrived to enrich the Benevolent Institution to the

exlent of £ 322 9 s . In June last it gave to the Boys' School £ 157 ; in May to the Girls' School £ 354 ; and in February to the R . M . B . I . £ 213 , making a total of some £ 724 for 1884 , while in 1 SS 3 it raised £ 616 , and in 18 S 2 £ 1212 , giving an aggregate of about £ 2874 for the last ten Festivals , or an average per Festival of over £ 287 . Turning our steps westwards we come next in order to

MONMOUTHSHIRE , Which , though it musters only eight lodges , figures in the present Returns for £ 200 , per Bro . Samuel Davies , as Steward for the whole province , and that , too , nothwithstanding it raised over £ 307 for " Our Boys " in June last . In 1 SS 3 it raised £ 23 6 for " Our Girls , " so that it has now gone the round of the three Institutions , having raised at the three Festivals specified over £ 743 . And yet it is a weak province , as far as mere numbers go !

NORTH WALES AND SALOP , With its 28 lodges , does not show to advantage by comparison with its immediate predecessor , the total of its two Stewards' lists—Bro . Spaull's for the whole province , and Bro . J . C . W . Lister's for St . Milburga , No . 1120 , Ironbridge—reaching only £ 97 5 s . 6 d . However , in June last , it raised £ 186 for the Boys' School , and in May £ 70 for the Girls , making a total for the year of £ 256 . In 1882 it contributed £ 537 . We shall probably hear of it again before the present season is ended .

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Has a capital plan for making the most of its resources . It supports our Institutions turn and turn about , and thus is in a position to concentrate its strength . On Wednesday one of the Nottingham lodges—the Annesley , No . 1435—played the part of representative of the province very satisfactorily , the list of Bro . Wm . Phelps , its Steward , amounting to £ 158 13 s .

In June iast it raised over £ 23 1 for the Boys , and nearly £ 143 for the Benevolent , or together £ 374 . In 18 S 3 it gave the Benevolent £ 190 , so that the next time it appears in a Festival return we may look to see it helping the Girls' School . At all events , if not always represented , it figures well when it does send up a Steward or Stewards from one or more of its 14 lodges .

OXFORDSHIRE , With its modest array of 10 lodges , is a compact little province , and , what is far more to cur present purpose , it makes a point of being regularly represented on these occasions . It could not in reason be expected that its total should ever be a formidable one , but it contributes promptly at all times and freely whenever there is a special call to be answered . On Wednesday

its five Stewards , three of whom hailed from the Alfred , No . 340 , Oxford , made up a total of close on £ 105 , or about £ 15 more than it raised for the same Institution last year . Its total for 1884 was some £ 293 , of which the smaller half figured in the returns of June last , and it has always maintained a fair average—at all events , since so much prominence has been

given to these anniversary celebrations . Strangely enough we miss the familiar presence at this gathering of Apollo University , No . 357 , a circumstance which is perhaps more noteworthy , as the Chairman , Sir M . Hicks-Beach , Bart ., M . P ., was initiated into our mysteries by its then acting VV . M ., Bro . Beach , M . P .

In respect of SOMERSETSHIRE , Whose chief is Pro Grand Master of England , we have but little to say , but that little is infinitely to its credit . Its returns on Wednesday reached a total of £ 175 , of which £ 105 , per Bro . Cater , stands credited to the Royal Cumberland Lodge , No . 41 , Bath , while Bro . Tompsett , acting for the province , is responsible for the balance . As Somersetshire has 25 lodges

on its roll , the figures we have just given are not , perhaps , very formidable , but it distinguished itself greatly in February , 1884 , when Bro . Else , Lord Carnarvon ' s Deputy , raised a total of over £ 500 , and that after it had contributed upwards of £ 357 to the Boys' School the June previous . The fact is Somersetshire , like all our other provinces , finds it cannot always be as generous as it would wish to be , and the times just now are somewhat trying .

SOUTH WALES , WESTERN DIVISION , Is on the point of settling down under a new Prov . Grand Master—Lord Kensington—whose induction into his new office appears , however , to have come sufficiently near this particular Festival for it to have been made a suitable opportunity for discussing the necessities of our poor old people , Bro . Samuel Read's list of £ 90 being apparently the outcome of such

discussion . As there are but 10 lodges on its roll , South Wales West follows the wise example set by other small provinces , and gives its chief attention each year to one particular celebration . Last year the Girls' School had the benefit of this arrangement , and was the richer in consequence to the extent of 250 guineas ( £ 262 10 s . ); the year before Bro . Binckes had his turn

, its contribution to the Boys' Festival in 1883 being £ 350 , and in 1882 , when its late chief , Col . Lloyd-Philipps , presided at the Benevolent Anniversary , it loyally seconded his advocacy with some £ 360 . These things are worth recording , if only to show that Lord Kensington ' s province has a mmd to do what is right , and does it . For the 27 lodges of

STAFFORDSHIRE i ' wo brethren did duty as Stewards on Wednesday—Bros . T . Mount Humphries and C . Graham—their joint list figuring up to £ 141 15 s . In June last it raised over £ 313 , in May some £ 181 , and for the Benevolent in

fjebruary £ 152 , making a total for 1884 of . £ 646 , while in 1883 and 1882 us contributions amounted to £ 790 and £ 610 respectively , giving an average for the last 10 Festivals of £ 220 each . There must be some energetic rethren in the province , when we find it so regularly and liberally assisting The same remark is applicable to the case of

,,,. SUFFOLK . Ln ^ vJr ' musters only 2 I 'edges , and is an agricultural county , it has in breih Wa Y eney and nis worthy Deputy , Bro . the Rev . C . J . Martyn , two wh-it" conspicuous zeal , who personally interest themselves not only in Prom . in the province , but likewise in whatever is best calculated to sent " , ? lts D welfare and enhance its fame . Hence on Wednesday its reprc-/• 2 , atIve > Bro . Major Dods , had the satisfaction of handing in a total of * - ° ios ., and this , notwithstanding it raised over £ 600 last year— £ 201

Analysis Of The Returns.

for the Old Folks in February , £ 248 for the Girls' in May , and £ 157 for the Boys in June . In 1 SS 3 the sum of its contributions was £ s 6 S , of which Bro . Binckes was able to announce as the Boys'School share over £ 265 , and in 1 S 82 and previous years its support is known to have been equally generous . There has , indeed , been a considerable amount of Masonic work done of late years in this province , and it is evident our Suffolk friends take kindly to our principles , in practice as well as in precept . Six out of the twenty-six lodges in

SURREY Sent up as many Stewards , of whom Bro . Dr . Strong , the honorary medical adviser of our old people at Croydon , did duty for Friendship and Harmony , No . 1616 . The total of the lists handed in exceeded £ 222 ; that of the worthy doctor being only a few shillings less than £ 100 . In June last it gave £ 252 , in May £ 89 , and the February previous £ 244 ; and in 1 S 83 , when Gen . Brownrigg , P . G . M ., took the chair at the Benevolent

Festival , its total for the year was £ 1083 , of which the Institution that was chiefly favoured received over £ 900 , or most decidedly the lion ' s share . If a table of contributing provinces at our anniversary gatherings were compiled , we should find that Surrey made it a rule to be represented , and is consequently worthy of high commendation for its faithful discharge of an admitted duty . If we look to the number of its Stewards we shall find that

WARWICKSHIRE , With its 30 lodges , makes a fair show . But nine out of the twelve brethren who volunteered their services in this capacity on Wednesday hailed from Lodge No . 74—the Athol , of Birmingham—and they raised amongst them a fraction over £ 9 6 . The remaining three belonged to the Grosvenor , No . 938—also a Birmingham lodge—but somehow the number of brethren who

give their services and the amounts they succeed in obtaining do not strike us as bearing a fair proportion to each other . Nor does it occur to us as being quite in accordance with what people call the " eternal fitness of things " that one or two lodges should bear the chief part of the day's burden . Haying the fear of over-sensitive criticism before us , we shall refrain from saying more . Perhaps it is only a reminder which is needed in order to re-awaken the activity of the bulk of the Warwickshire lodges .

It may be contrary to the canons of good taste to suggest a comparison between any two of our Masonic provinces , yet we cannot help noticing that

WILTSHIRE , Though it has only a third of its lodges , makes a very good appearance even by the side of Warwickshire . The list of Bro . Chandler , as Steward for the Province , totals up to £ 185 14 s ., and it raised £ 253 in 1884 , £ 185 in 1883 , and £ 300 in 1882 , or something like £ 924 at the last ten Festivals , or about £ 92 per Festival , and every one knows that Wilts is by no means strong even among the smaller provinces . If we turn to WORCESTERSHIRE We find results equally to be commended . Here we have a province with a limited roll or 12 lodges , yet it sent up six Stewards on Wednesday , three of them representing as many lodges , and the other three , including Bro . A . F . Godson , Sir E . Lechmere ' s most approved good Deputyacting

indepen-, dently . Its total was £ 171 3 s ., and in 1884 , 18 S 3 , and 1882 it raised £ 416 , £ 764 , and £ 387 respectively , the several amounts being distributed with a fair amount of impartiality among the three Institutions . This fortunate state of things is but one more piece of evidence as to the beneficial effects of zeal .

NORTH AND EAST YORKSHIRE Has 28 lodges , a popular chief—the Earl of Zetland—and a numerous array of exceedingly active members . A conspicuous result of this is that it now invariably figures to advantage at one of our three anniversaries , and sometimes it secures a very high place among the contributing provinces , as m i 8 S 3 , when it raised over £ 873 for the Boys' Festival , and in 1882 , when the Girls' School benefited to the extent of £ 500 . On this occasion its four

Stewards , headed by the Very Rev . the Dean of York , Past G . Chaplain , as representative of the York Lodge , No . 236 , with £ 8 9 5 s ., gives over £ 200 —in precise figres £ 203 19 s . 6 d . —so that it may be said to have begun the new year well , and must be congratulated accordingly . We feel justified in looking for equally commendable returns at the remaining Festivals of the year , as in 1884 the Province would seem to have enjoyed a well-earned rest in this branch of its labours .

The contiguous province of WEST YORKSHIRE , Owing , it may be , to its being a little out of gear through the resignation of Sir H . Edwards , Bart ., P . G . M ., was not seen to advantage at this Festival , its total reaching only to £ 122 17 s ., which is a mere flea bite in comparison with its ordinary returns , and considering it musters 68 lodges . Butafter

, all , it is not very surprising that even so conspicuous a province as this should occasionally be found among the lesser contributors . Last year its aggregate reached £ 1841 , of which the Girls' School received £ 900 , and , as we pointed out in our analysis of the Returns in June last , in the ten years 1875-84 its contributions amounted to £ 20 , 463 , or not much less than £ 700

per festival . However , if our West Yorkshire friends have been comparatively inactive on this occasion , we dare say it will not be long before its new chief calls the brethren to order and reminds them—if indeed a reminder in this instance is not unnecessary—of the calls which are regularly being made upon them and must be satisfied .

J ERSEY , With its seven lodges , figures for £ i 57 ios ., its representative being none other than Bro . Le Cronier , D . P . G . M ., whose influence may always be commended—in good season of course—on behalf of our Institutions . " Its presence is most welcome , though , like the

CHANNEL ISLANDS , Which has no provincial organisation , we do not seem to expect it . However , Bro . Bichard , of Lodge No . 1 S 09—the Fidelis , of Guernsey—is entered for a list of £ 110 5 s ., so that Bro . Terry , who is evidently well known to the brethren in Guernsey and Jersey , is indebted to them for two very excellent contributions , ' amounting together to £ 267 15 s . This is about £ 50

more than he received last year , when the Channel Islands sent up over £ 21 8 , the Province of Jersey , however , not figuring in the returns for that Festival . Of course , contributions , which in the ordinary course of things are not looked for , are the more welcome for that very reason , and we are glad to find the brethren in these parts have given us this further evidence of their quality . These two lists serve admirabl y as the conclusion to a very handsome array of provincial contributions .