Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADER— FACE . The Approaching Elections for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution .., 203 United Grand Lodge ( Grand Festival ) ... - - 20 + Grand Officers ... ... ... ... ... r - 20 5

MASONIC NOTESGrand Lodge Festival ... ... ... ... - 2 ° 9 Quarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter ... ... ... - ° 9 Consecration of the Old Masonians Lodge , No . 2700 ... ... ... 2 ° 9 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... 212 Reviews ... ... ... ... ... ... 212 Supreme Grand Chapter of England ( Agenda Paper ) ... ... ... 212

Provincial Grand Chapter of VVest Lancashire ... ... ... 212 Consecration of the Old Masonians Lodge , No . 2700 ... ... ... 213 Provincial Grand Lodge of Guernsey and Alderney ... ... ... 213 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ' ... ... ... 213 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 21 4 Mark Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 215 Knights Templar ... ... ... ... ... ... 21 ° Our Portrait Gallery ... ... ... ... ... ... 21 G Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... — — 216

The Approaching Elections For The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution

THE APPROACHING ELECTIONS FOR THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION

The voting papers for the elections which will be held at the annual General Meeting of the Governors and Subscribers of tlie Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution on Friday , the 20 th May , were issued towards the end of last week , and will be found , as usual , to contain formidable lists of candidates with the

announcement that only a very limited number of vacancies will be available . Thus for THE MALE FUNDwhich , however , has some slight advantage over the Widows '

Fund , as the numberof candidates is smaller and that of vacancies more considerable—there are 57 candidates and 14 vacancies , including the three deferred , there being 35 of thc former remaining from the 18 97 election and 22 whose names have been

placed on the list during the time that has since elapsed . London is responsible for 18 and the Provinces and Abroad for the remaining 39 . The highest on the list of the London contingent stands at No . 5 , and has accumulated 13 S 2 votes in the course

of four previous ballots , and will have an additional 40 recorded in his favour . No . cS , who has been three years before the voters , starts with fair prospects on his fourth attempt , as there are 261 S votes already to his credit , and ( hough we doubt

not that the competition will be a very keen one , his friends and supporters ought to experience no great amount of difficulty in securing his election . No . 11 , who has been the same length of time on the list , is even better circumstanced , with 3250 votes

from May , 1 S 97 , - 20 additional to be recorded in his behalf , irrespective of what his friends may be able to poll for him . No . 15 , who was a candidate for thc first time in 18 9 6 , has 116 7 to the good and 40 more to be recorded for him . Of the 10 brethren

who were candidates last year for the lirst time , No . 18 has 222 votes to his credit ; No . 20 , 2360 votes with 40 to be added ; ^ o . 22 , 8 70 votes plus 20 ; No . 23 , 1366 votes plus 40 ; No . 24 , 7-1 7 votes ; Nos . 27 and 28 , 255 and 774 votes respectively ; and

Nos . 30 and 31 , 550 plus 40 , and 44 plus 40 voles respectively ; while No . 34 brings forward 5 6 3 , and will have a further 40 votes recorded in his favour . 'I'he remaining candidates from London '• ink as Nos . 42 , 44 , 50 , and 5 6 respectively . Of the 39 hailing

roni the Provinces and Abroad , Devonshire sends up six , namel y , No . 2 , who will make his 14 th application next month , with no more than 277 votes to help him on the way ; No . 3 , w 'io starts on his ninth attempt with 6 9 votes in hand ; No . 6 ,

The Approaching Elections For The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution

who brings forward six votes from his four previous attempts ; No . 12 , who has 54 votes from the last two elections ; and Nos . 47 and 51 , who will be candidates for the first time at this election . Cheshire , Kent , and West Yorkshire are each of them

responsible for four cases , the Cheshire quartette ranking as Nos . 7 , 14 , 16 , and 29 , and having 13 , 28 , 19 , and 15 votes respectively . Of the Kentish four , there are three that stand well—¦ No . 9 , who has 975 votes to his credit ; No . 10 , with . 3412

votes from three previous elections ; No . 17 with Soo votes from last October , and 20 to be recorded ; and No . 25 , who polled 7 8 votes last year ; while the West Yorkshire four are new candidates , ranking as Nos . 41 , 43 , 4 8 , and 53 respectively . East

Lancashire has had throe . new applicants placed on the list since last election , namely , Nos . 45 , 55 , and 57 , and Sussex two at Nos . 49 and 52 . Thc hvo candidates from Somersetshire , namely , Nos . 37 and 40 , and Nos . 38 and 54 from Dorsetshire

are also new cases to be dealt with on their merits for the first time next month . The other 12 are distributed in singles as follows : No . 1 ( Northumberland ) , who has 425 votes to his credit towards his 15 th application ; No . 4 ( Nottinghamshire ) , with 65

votes from live elections ; No . 13 ( Suffolk ) , with seven votes from 18 9 6 and 18 97 ; No . 19 ( Victoria ) , with 1808 votes from last year ; No . 21 , from the Western Division of South Wales , who starts with two votes ; No . 26 ( Norfolk ) , who has 03 * 5 votes in

hand ; No . 32 ( Lincolnshire ) 17 votes ; No . 33 ( Warwickshire ) , with seven and two voles respectively ; No . 35 ( Cornwall ) , who starts with 744 votes ; and No . 36 ( Oxfordshire ) ; No . 39 ( Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ) ; and No . 46 ( Surrey ) , the last three

being applicants for the lirst time of asking . Considerably more than half of the brethren on the list have subscribed to a lodge or lodges upwards of 20 years , there being one who was a member for over 45 years and a second 42 years , and there are

over 20 of them who have subscribed between 10 and 20 years , there being only two who were members for less than io years . Some few among them held office in Provincial Grand Lodge ,

and there are also a few who , in the days of their affluence , subscribed to or served as Stewards for this or one of the other Institutions .

For THE WIDOWS' FUND , the candidates are 62 in number , of whom 24 remain , from last year ' s election and 3 8 have had their names placed on the list

since , while the vacancies for competition amongst them , inclusive of the three deferred , are only eight . Here London ' is responsible for 20 of the applicants , and the Provinces and Abroad for the remaining 42 , there being four of thc London 20

who were on the list at last October election , namely , No . 17 , with mo votes in hand ; No . 18 , with 350 ; No . 19 , with 300 and a furlher 20 to be recorded on her behalf ; and No . 21 , who starts with 16 74 votes to the good . Nos . 26 , 27 , 31 , 34 , 35 ,

4 ° . 4 > 45 > 47 » 4 , s > 49- 53 . 55 . 57 . 5 $ . and 60 are new candidates . Of the 42 from the Provinces and Abroad , Devonshire sends three , namely , No . 4—an applicant for the 12 th timewho has 223 votes , and Nos . 46 and 61 , both new candidates ;

Lincolnshire three—No . 8 , with 51 votes from five elections , and Nos . 30 and 33 new candidates ; Warwickshire thrce—No . io , with 449 votes from four elections ; No . 14 , with 15 votes from

three , and No . 16 , with 1211 votes from two elections ; and West Yorkshire Nos . 29 , 41 , and 5 6 , all new to the experience of the . ballot . There are nine Provinces each furnishing two candidates , namely , Bristol , which is responsible for No . 5 , who has