Anniversary Festival Of The Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

SUMMARY OF THE PROVINCES . £ s . d . { , s . d . Bedfordshire 92 18 o Lincolnshire 10 10 o Berkshire 117 ' 5 ° Middlesex 37 6 iS 6 Bristol 10 10 0 Norfolk 134 15 o Buckinshamshire 435 4 6 Northants and Hunts ... 99 15 o

Cambridgeshire 2-2 , 5 o Northumberland So 17 0 Cheshire 42 o o North Wales 2 S 9 2 7 Cornwall no 5 o Oxfordshire 56 5 o Derbyshire 590 0 6 Shropshire ... 139 13 o Devonshire 2 ( 5 5 o South Wales ( East Division ) . 350 o o Durham 130 o o Staffordshire 24 G 15 o Essex 99 12 o Suffolk 290 5 0

Gloucestershire 99 15 0 Surrey 194 17 0 Hants and Isle of Wight ... 316 2 0 Sussex ... 65 S 17 c Hertfordshire 26 4 iG o Warwickshire r 42 16 r Jersey 10 10 0 Wiltshire 113 o c Kent 397 10 6 Worcestershire 42 o c Lancashire ( East Division ) ... 16 S o o Yorkshire , ( North and East ) 293 11 c „ ( West Division ) ... 220 10 o Yorkshire ( West ) 4454 15 c Leicestershire and Rutland ... 42 o 0 1 Foreign Stations 105 o c

GENERAL SUMMARY . 1 S 4 STEWARDS—LONDON j ? 7 oS 2 11 o 430 STEWARDS—PROVINCES £ 11 , 500 5 7 £ iS , 82 16 7 Bro . RICHARD EVE proposed " The Chairman . "

The CHAIRMAN responded , and after thanking the brethren for theii cordial reception of him eulogised the great efforts that had been made tc support this Festival . He was very proud of the great result which Londor had produced and he was especially proud of his own Province of Wesi

Yorkshire . He thanked them from the bottom of his heart . Times wen not prosperous , yet West Yorkshire had come to the rescue . Out of thi 7 6 lodges of the province there was not one absent on this occasion . I there was anything that would justify his acceptance of the office of Chairman it was this .

Bro . J AMES TERRY briefly replied to the toast of The Other Masonit Institutions . " Up to the present a total of £ 50 , 000 had been subscribed tc the Masonic Institutions for 1894—nearly £ 1000 a week on the whole year . Bro . W . F . SMITHSON , replied to the toast of " The Stewards , " of whorr there were 614-Bro . GERALD LODER , M . P ., proposed " The Ladies , " to which Bro WILLIAM THOMAS , Derby Allcroft Lodge , responded , after which th ( brethren separated .

A pleasant concert was afterwards given under the direction of Bro Charles E . Tinney . The performers were the Queen Vocal Quartette : Mis ; Stanley Lucas , Miss Isabel Wyatt , Miss Amy Sargeant , and Miss Lucit Johnstone ; MadameVera ; the Westminster Singers : Bros . Walter Coward Harper Kearton , Charles Ackerman , and W . H . Brereton , and Bro . Carlt Ducie , solo pianist .

An agreeable feature of the day was the performance of the Londor Military Band , under the conductorship of Bro . Warwick Williams , whicl gave a very finished rendering of an excellent programme . Bro . Morley acted as toastmaster .

Analysis Of The Returns.

ANALYSIS OF THE RETURNS .

There are some , perhaps , who may feel a little disappointed that the 96 th Anniversary Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys has not yielded a larger total . Such brethren are inclined to infer that because the Festivals in aid of this Charity have been such marked successes since the new regime was inaugurated , the total should always be on an unprecedented scale . For ourselves , we weie sanguine of a good result , but not of one that should eclipse all previous efforts . We pointed out in some of our more recent notes that with an average

of about £ 30 per list , the same total would be realised as was obtained for the Girls' School Festival last month , and as a matter of fact that sum has been exceeded by a round . £ 500 ; and as we know that such a result can have been obtained only by the earnest advocacy of an able Chairman , the exceeding loyalty of h ' s large and influential Province , the untiring efforts of the Secretary and the Board ot Stewards , and the generosity of the Craft , we are content with the knowledge that a great success has been achieved , nor shall we { allow this

con-eitment to be alloyed by any suspicion of dissatisfaction because Jit is out of our power to record a still greater . The general result may be stated briefly . The Board of Stewards numbered 614 ladies , Lewises , and brethren , there being 51 ladies , nine Lewises , and 554 members of the Craft , and the grand total reached ^ 18 , 582 16 s . 7 d . London , represented by 184 Stewards ( 160 brethren , 21 ladies , and three Lewises ) , returned ^ 7082 us . ; while the Provinces , with 430 Stewards ( 394 brethren , 30 ladies , and six Lewises ) , compiled the balance of . £ 11 , 500 . 5 s . 7 d . Taking

LONDON first , we note with pleasure that 116 out of its 184 Stewards represented amongst them 110 lodges and lour chapters , while Bro . McLeod represented the Committee Dinner Club , and that 44 brethren , 20 ladies , and the three Lewises were Unattached . The sum thty raised was , as we have already said , . £ 7082 us ., the following being the lists which yielded from £ 100 upwards . Bro . W . Thomas , representing the Lodge No . 2160 , worthily namtd after the late Bro . Derb y

Allcroft , P . G . Treas ., Ins standing to his credit the largo sum of . £ 417 i 8 » ., and well deserved the cheers which greeted the announcement of his list . Bro . E . Rogers , tf ihe Earl of Carnaivon Lodge , No . 16 42 , compiled the sum ol X ' 210 , the third and fourth in older being liro . N . Robinson , of Constitutional Lodge , No . SSi wi'h £ m 9 * -, and Bro . VV . R . Plaford , Kilburn Lodge , No . ifioS , with £ 155 . Bro . J . J . Howes , of the Wtst Smithfield Lodge , No . 1623 , had the satisfaction of raising . £ 141 15 s ., and then close together

we have Bro . James Willing , jun ., Treasurer of the Board of Steward .- - , who represented the Strand Lodge . No . 198 7 , and compiled . £ 125 , anrl Bro . C . E . Keyser , P . G . D ., Treasurer of the Institution , who , as Steward for the Lodge of Antiquity , No . 2 , compiled a total of . £ 120 15 s ., of which . £ 105 was his own donation . Bro . G . Rawlinson , Aldtrsgate Lodge , No . 1657 , scored a total of , £ IJI ife , the next two being bracketed togtther as having raised , £ iofi is . each , namely , Bro . T . VV . Traill , Br ; tan lie Lodge , No . 33 , and liro . George S . Denney , Loyalty Lodge , No

1607 . I he lollowing four Ste * Mrds returned £ 105 each , namely , Bro . J . G . Cobb , Strong Man Lodge , No . 45 ; Bro . Thomas Prior , St . James' Lodge , No . 7 ( 15 ; Bro . W . Hicklin , of the Golden Rule Lodge , No . 1261 ; and Bro . i ) . G . Elliott , of the St . Bo ' . olph ' s No . 2020 . Bro . Win . S . Morris of the London Rifle Brigade Lodge , No . 1962 , compiled £ 103 10 ., while Bro . F . R . Kenning , Lion and Lamb Lodge , No . 192 , returned a solid - £ 100 . Other good lists

were those of Bro . Alderman W . Vaughan Morgan , Burlington Lodge , No . 96 , for ^ 73 101 . ; Bro . R . GilUrd , City of London Lodge , No . 901 , for , £ 72 gs . ; Bro . J . G . Twinn , Lodge of St . John , No . 1306 , for £ 86 2 s . ; Bro . A . H . Bevan , Friends-in-Council Lodge , No . 1383 , for . £ 88 4 s . ; Bro . W . Chappie , Hyde Park Lodge , No . 14-25 . £ 8 i ' &• i Bro . S . J . Derham , Rose Lodge , No . 1622 , £ 74 us . ; Bro . Typke , Mizpah Lodge , No . 1671 , £ 84 ; Bro . R . A . Gowan , King Solomon Lodge ,

Analysis Of The Returns.

No . 2029 , ^ 84 ; Bro . O . C . Robson , Harlesden Lodge , No . 2098 , - £ 92 8 s . ; Bro . Schreiber , Tivoli Lodge , No . 2150 , ^ 70 ; Bro . W . Castledine , Rye Lodge , No . 2272 , . £ 79 16 s . ; and Bro . A . H . Oakley , Borough of Greenwich Lodge , No . 2232 , . £ 89 5 s . Miss Chapman , as Steward for the Barnet Lodge , No . 2509 , which was consecrated a few weeks since , returned £ 61 195 . ; and Bro . T . Blanco White , who , only a few days ago , was installed as the first W . M . of the Fulham Lodge , No . 2512 , . £ 4 6 14 s . Turning now to

THE PROVINCES , we note with pleasure , not only that the "Chairman ' s Province" of West Yorkshire has amply fulfilled the expectations of the brethren generally that it would grandly support its new chief , but likewise that most of the other Provinces have well recognised the claims of our Boys' School upon their support . Of the 46 districts into which the Craft at home—outside the Metropolis—is divided , as many as 37 were represented 011 Wednesday , the number of brethren who acted as Stewards on their behalf being 430 , and the sum total of the lists they handed in

; £ n , 700 5 s . 7 d . The following were the nine absentees , namely : CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND ( 20 lodges ) , which was represented at the Girls' School Festival last month by Bro . Thomas A . Argles , whose list amounted to £ 178 ios . ; at the Boys' School Festival of 1893 to the extent of £ 63 8 s . j and by Bro . Mekay , D . P . G . M ., at the Jubilee of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution to the extent of ^ 420 . D ORSETSHIRE ( 13 lodges ) has taken part in the Benevolent and Girls ' School Festivals of the current year , contributing £ 157 ios ., per Bro . W . Douglas

Dugdale , to the former , and £ 35 , per Bro . Major W . Watts , to the latter . HEREFORDSHIRE ( 5 lodges ) has done nothing for a considerable time , and though it contributes to our Charities through the medium of its Charity Association , it would enhance its reputation if it figured at shorter intervals in the proceedings at those Anniversary gatherings . M ONMOUTHSHIRE ( IO lodges ) sent up as many as eight Stewards at the recent Girls' School Festival , and their lists reached the very excellent sum of ^ 295 us . ; in 1893 , it contributed . £ 272 8 s . 6 d . to the Old

People , and in 1892 £ 316 18 s . to this Institution , with a small supplementary list of £ 21 to the Old People ' s Jubilee . NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ( 16 lodges ) has been an absentee from all the Festivals of this year , the last occasion on which it took part in a meeting of this character being at the Girls' School Festival in 18 93 , when it raised £ 131 5 s ., while in 1892 it contributed ^ 157 ios . to the Benevolent Jubilee and ^ 34 13 s . to the Boys' School . SOMERSETSHIRE ( 26 lodges ) is evidently reserving itself for next year , when Bro . Viscount Dungarvan , its Prov . G . Master ,

has undertaken to preside at the Anniversary of the Benevolent Institution ; on no other ground , indeed , can we account for the absence of so influential a Province from all the Festivals of the year , more especially as for years past it has taken part in one or two , if not in all the annual meetings of this description . SOUTH WALES , West Division ( 10 lodges ) , raised £ 154 12 s ., per Bro . the Rev . W . J . L . Stradling for the Benevolent Institution in February ; - £ 177 ios . to the Girls' School last year ; and £ 161 is . 6 d . to this Institution in 1892 . The CHANNEL ISLANDS ( 5 lodges ) raised upwards of ^ 240 for the Benevolent Jubilee

in 1892 , and in 1893 , £ 57 15 s . for the Benevolent Institution , and , £ 31 ios . for the Girls' School , Bro . J . Balfour Cockburn , the P . G . M . nominate , having made donations of ; £ io ios . to the same two Institutions during the present year . The ISLE OP MAN ( 9 lodges ) figured in the Girls' School Returns last month for ¦ £ 46 4 s ., and in those of the Boys' School for - £ 31 ios . in 1893 , while in 1892 it raised . £ 5 2 ios . for the Benevolent Jubilee , and £ 46 2 s . for the Girls' School . These nine Provinces account for 114 lodges , which had no part in the proceedings of Wednesday ' s meeting .

Taking the represented Provinces in their alphabetical order , we record with satisfaction that

BEDFORDSHIRE , though it has only six lodges on its roll , has borne a worthy part in all three Festivals of the year . In February its senior lodge contributed , per Bro . F . J . Coleman , the sum of , £ 102 ios ., while last month Bro . Ketnm , of the lodge at Biggleswade , raised £ 43 is . for the Girls' School . On Wednesday , Lord Ampthill , P . G . M ., with Bro . and Mrs . John Smith , were its representatives , Bro , Smith representing the Province generally , with Lodge and Chapter No . 540 , and

Lodge No . 2343 particularly , handing in a list of , £ 87 13 s ., and the lady a donation ° f £ 5 5 s . Thus the total for 18 94 amounts to ^ 238 9 s ., as compared with the , £ 183 17 s . 6 d . distributed among the three Institutions in 1893 , and the ^ 152 5 s . apportioned between the Benevolent and Girls' School in 1892 . It is with pleasure we notice this steady advance on the part of a Province , which , in point of numerical strength , is nearly , if not quite , at the bottom of the roll or our country districts . Three out of the 15 lodges in

BERKSHIRE sent Stewards to Wednesday ' s meeting , the sum of their lists being ^ 117 15 s . In February four lodges returned ^ 247 13 s . to the Old People , and in May , £ 1 9 6 18 s . 6 d . to the Institution for Girls . This makes the total for the present year £ 562 6 s . 6 d ., as compared with the . £ 724 7 s . raised in 1893 ; ^ 954 - 6 d . — of which ; £ 66 i 9 s . fid . was in respect of thelienevolent Jubilee—in 1892 ; and , £ 385 is . in 1891 ; the total for the four years in which Berkshire has existed as a separate Province being . £ 2625 16 s . It could hardly be expected that

BRISTOL with its modest complement of nine lodges , after raising the very creditable sum of , £ 441 for the Girls' School last month , should be in a position to figure to any great extent in the Returns of Wednesday . But to Bro . Lieut .-Col . Bramble , its worthy Dep . P . G . M ., belongs the credit of keeping it from the list of absentees ,

and handing in , as an unattached Steward , his personal donation of i , io ios Considering , indeed that in 1891 and 1892 this Province took a prominent part in the Festivals of this Charity , contributing . £ 595 in the former year and . £ 316 in the latter , it is matter for satLLiction that it should have been represented on this occasion , more particularly as for some time past it has been engaged in benevolent work in respect of its ovn poorer members .

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE makts quite a brave displiy among the smaller Provinces . Five of its 18 loiges ser . t up St : wardsr , Nos . 591 and 2 ^ 62 having each three representatives , and the others one each . There was also a companion who represented one of its Royal Arch Chapters , together with worthy Bro . James Stephens , of the Boird of Management , seven lady Stewards , including Mrs . Jowett and Mrs . Cannon and her live daughters , and four lewises—all of them minor Cannons . The | total from these 22 Stewardsincluding £ 115 ios . from Bro . and Mrs . Cannon and his H

, . sons and daughters , and . £ 115 10 s . from Comp . Hattersley , No . 2262 , reachtd i , 435 4 s . Gil ., which , added to Bro . Stephens ' s list of ^ 26 5 s . to the Btnevolent Institution in Ftbiuary , and the contributions , amounting to ^ 134 16 s ., to the Girls' S ,: IIOJI in May , "rakes the aggregate for the ytar £ 59 6 5 s . 6 d . In 1891 , when Bro . Lord C . irrington was installed Prov . G . Master , it raised ^ , ' 511 is . tp r the three Ch . irites , . £ 300 of which was in support of his lordship ' s Chairmanship at the Girli-i' Festival ; in 1892 , £ 705 15 s ., and in 1893 , ^ 479 16 s . It is with satisfaction wc rrote that

CAMBRIDGESHIRE , though it is one of the smallest of our Provinces , has taken part in all cr , re ' j Festivals of the current year . In February Bro . Young , of Lodge No . 441 , offered his services as Steward on the very eve of the celebration , and handed in a list ot . £ 10 ios ., while in May he did precisely the same thing , and as the companion representing Chapter No . 441 , swelled the general total with a list of , £ 15 ' 5 s-