The International Masonic Gathering.

by our Chairman to couple with that toast the name of Bro . Bmckes , the Secretary of the Boys' School . After Bro . the Rev . P . M . Holden had recited " Sheridan ' s Ride , " Bro . Binckes said : If Bro . Hughan asks indulgence for himself after following the eloquent speeches which preceded his address , how much more ought I to ask indulgence for myself after the eloquent recitation of Bro . Holden ? I feel that after such a stirring delivery everything that falls from me must be " stale , flat , ancl unprofitable . " But at all events , on an occasion so interesting , under circumstances so fortunate and so peculiarly acceptable as those which have brought us here this evening , I have not one dissentient voice to the proposition I start with , that the toast proposed by Col . Oreaton ,

of " Success to our Great Masonic Institutions , " is one that will carry the sympathies of every one around this table who has the interests of our great Order at heart . The observations which fell from Col . Creaton in proposing the toast render it unnecessary for me to weary our friends from the other side of the Atlantic , or those who are here who are conversant with all that is done by our Institutions ; but I think it must be a matter of congratulation to us all , bailing from whatever jurisdiction we may , that we in this little island of England are able to produce in this year something like , £ 30000 for

, our three institutions , and so to support altogether 800 individuals , aged people and children of both sexes ; and of late years we can not only find means for the sustenance of those institutions , but our income , as a rule , exceeds our expenditure . The words first used by our illustrious brother from the other side of the Atlantic would just lead me to say one word as to my ignorance of what organizations they have for charitable

purposes in the United States of America ; but this much I fortunately know , that I ancl others who are in the same position have received over and over again the most gratifying testimony and assurance of the deli ght that they experience in the success that we enjoy ; and I have no doubt that our friends here this evening wdl be the first to follow and co-operate in the work of the great Masonic charities under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England . It is very difficult in speaking at a late hour in the evening , in responding to the toast of " The Masonic Charities" to avoid repeating somewhat of

, what has fallen from previous speakers . I do not wish to weary our friends from the other side of the water , or our English friends , with any statistics . I would only repeat what has been said over and over again , and direct their attention , not so much yours as theirs , to the two great watchwords of our Order , announced by the Prince of Wales at

Ins installation in the Albert Hall , " Loyalty and Charity ; " and in doing so I wish to express an earnest hope that while , as iu days gone by , we looked on that great expanse of water that separates the mother country from its promising child , the great improvements that have been made of late years in navigation and in the means of communication may-, perhaps , quoting the words of a cabinet minister of the present day , lead us to understand that , whether the billows of that great ocean be lashed into f my , they shall no longer be regarded by us as an obstacle that separatesbut we will rather look

, upon them as a link that unites the two great English speaking peoples of the world , whose high and earnest hope will be used in inculcating lasting happiness , the principle of loyalty to our regularly constituted governments , to practising the universal spirit of charity , and in maintaining in all its integrity that unity of speech , heart , ancl action which is the birthri ght and distinguishing characteristic of both .

Bro . James Terry ( for whom there were loud calls ) said : Bro . Kenning , Brethren of America and of England , after the exhaustive , and , I would also say , the very eloquent speech of my friend ancl colleague , Bro . Binckes , very little more is left for me to give utterance ta in response to the toast of " The Masonic Institutions , " remembered in this great assembly—one so kindly collected together by the unbounded hospitality of our host this evening—than to thank him and friends d this for

many good we see aroun room all they have done in clays gone by in support ' of the interest of the whole three of our Masonic Institutions ; ancl I may be , perhaps , permitted to say that the amount of our contributions has been rather under than over stated by our good friend who proposed the toast , ancl also by my colleague , who responded , inasmuch as during the last two years Me nave not onl y had the sum of £ 30 , 000 each year , but we have totalled over