Royal Benevolent Institution For Aged Masons And Their Widows.

many years presided over East Lancashire with excellent results . ( Cheers . ) He only hoped that in his ( A'iscount Holmesdale ' s ) future career , he might resemble in his rule that ivhich lie had heard of the rule of Bro . Blair ( cheers ) , whose health he UOAV proposed in connection with the Provincial Grand Alasters . ( Cheers . ) Bro . BLAIR , Prov . G . M ., East Lancashire , returned thanks on behalf of the Provincial Grand Masters for the manner in ivhich the toast had been drunkand the kindness with which his name

, had been coupled ivith it . Ifc gave him great pleasure to meet so many brethren on so good an occasion . He had been many years a Freemason ; indeed , he had groivn grey in the service , anel always held the Order in the highest estimation ; but there was nothing which recommended it more to his consideration than the fact that

it had , for its foundation anel basis , charity . He regretted that their excellent institutions were not so well known and appreciated in the provinces as they should be ; but they were becoming knoivn , and he felt assured would be liberally supported . He had the honour to preside over a province containing 1800 Freemasons ; and ivhen he proposed to come to London to support this institution , he found there ivas plenty of brethren' to come to support their Grand AIaster , ancl at the same time eA'ince the interest they

took in the charity ; ancl he felt assured that Avhat AA'ould be clone that day by the brethren of East Lancashire was only an earnest of what they intended to clo in the future ; and he hoped that their funds would so increase that there should be no poor brother in distress but wovld at once find relief anel support . ( Cheers . ) Bro . BLAIR next proposed " The Health of the Chairman . " The noble lord was a young man , but he had seen a great deal of service , having fought the battles of his country in the Crimea .

( Cheers . ) lie had since come home sound ancl unhurt , ancl taken upon himself other duties , having offered himself and been elected as member for AA'est Kent , since which he had also accepted the office of Provincial Grand Master of Kent ; and having fought the battles of the country abroad , ho was noiv amongst them to fight the battles of charity at home . ( Cheers . ) They kneAV IIOAV well the noble lord hael presided over them that evening ; ancl he , thereforehad great leasure in proposing " The Health of A'iscount

, p Holmesdale , Prov . G . M . for Kent . " ( Cheers . ) A'iscount HOLMESDALE , who rose amidst loud applause , had the pleasing duty to perform of acknowledging the kind manner in which his name had been received by the brethren , and the kindness AA'ith Avhich liis health had been proposed by the R . AA ' . Bro . Blair . He coulcl assure them that it ' , in taking the chair that eveninglie had been of the least service to the charithe was

, y , amply repaid for any trouble he had taken , and right glad ivas he to be among them . ( Cheers . ) He hoped ancl trusted that their meeting would be advantageous to this charity , ancl he trusted further that , without egotism , he might be allowed to thank the large number of brethren by whom he ivas surrounded for the support he had

received . AA'hen he was requested to take the chair , lie consented to do so with a great deal of pleasure , feeling that whatever anyone might say in depreciation of Freemasonry , that they need only point to their noble charities as evidence that at least they tended to do some good to their feUoAv-men . ( Cheers . ) He UOAV came to the toast of the evening , " Success to the Royal Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons anel their AA'idows . " ( Cheers . ) This institution Avas somewhat than

younger their other charities , the Boys' and the Girls' Schools , but it was growing so rapidly thafc it Avould soon equal , if not outstrip , those institutions . The Fund for Aged Masons was only established in 1842 , since which they had dispensed in relief £ 15 , GS 8 amongst their distressed brethren . That fact alone spoke stron" -ly ° in favour of a hotly ivhich , after all , formed but a small section of the people of England , and reflected no slight credit on the managementIt

. proved that the time bestoived by the brethren on the charity hud not been thrown tnvny , ancl that their money had not been thrown into tho gulf , which appeared to bo the case in more general institution less economically managed . Ho was happy to say that their funds were increasing from veav to year , and would doubtless continue to do so while the iusUUit-ion was so well managed . They had noiv no less than seventy-two aged Masons on thenfunds

- , receiving amongst them £ 1500 u-ycar . They must recollect that tiiis arose principally from the ' voluntary contributions ofthe brethren , though Grand Lodge gave them £ 500 , and Grand Chapter £ 100 a-yc-ar . He also found that the dividends from funded property noiv amounted to £ 102 . That last item was most satisfactory , as it shelved that to that extent they had a firm and solid foundation for the future support of their brethrenwhilst

aged , each year they found numerous brethren anxious to cserve as stewards , anel assist by theiv liberality their noble charity . Tlie Widows' Fund was founded only in 1850 , since which fiffcy-two wieloAvs had become recipients of their bounty , ancl £ 3190 had been paid to them , lie would now call their attention to the , present position of the institution . There w'ei-e now twenty-tivo candidates for admission on the Male Fund , and seventeen for admission on

tho Widows '; and it had been calculated that if all the members of the Order subscribed but 5 s . a-year to the institution , there would be enough anel to spare to take all the candidates on to the funds ; and he hoped and trusted they AA'ould carry that with them to their lodges , and impress ifc on the brethren . Doubtless there might be some in the Orderfcov / homevenos . a-yearivasaconsiderable sum ; but then , there iA * ere the wealthy ancl the noble amongst

them whose contributions ought to make up for the shortcomings of their poorer brethren . Five shillings per annum was bufc a small sum ivith which to make happy their poorer brethren , and he trusted before they left that room they would have given evidence of their determination to support the institution so as greatly to increase its usefulness . He wished not only to appeal to their pockets , however , for the present , but so to rouse theiv benevolence that they would secure the prosperity of the institution in

the future . It would be ahvays most gratifying tohim to be enabled to assist them in the support' of their charities , and AA'ith these feAV imperfect remarks he would leave the toast and the interests of the charity in the hands of the brethren . ( Cheers . ) The toast having been duly honoured , Bro . Farnfield proceeded to read a list of subscriptions , which included £ 500 from AA'est Yorkshire , £ 300 from Kent , £ 227 from East Lancashire , £ 20 from the chairman , £ 20 from Lord de Tabley , & c .

The CUAIRMAX announced that the subscriptions amounted to £ 2982 , with five lists to come in . Last year the subscriptions announced in the room ivere £ 209 ( 3 , showing an increase on the present year of £ S 86 . ( Cheers . ) The noble lord then proposed " The Health of the Right . Hon . Lord Southampton , Past President , the Trustees , Vice-President , Treasurer , Committee , ancl Officers of the Institution . " Lord Southampton had , he believed , been for more than twenty-live years a Freemason , and had been one of the first to assist and foster this institution . They all

knowhow valuable ivas assistance in the early stage of any institution , ancl IIOAV comparatively easy ivas the Avork of those who folloAA'ed in the footsteps of the founders . The duties of vice-presidents we ' re generally looked upon as nofc very onerous—but iu this institution thoy had at least the duty Avhich they had Avell performed , of giving it pecuniary support ; audit ' in other institutions they did the same , they would not see constant appeals to the public to pay oft' large debts of institutions , ivith long lists of noble and titled

vice-presidents . ( Cheers and laughter . ) Ho ivould couple with the toast the name of one of the staunchest friends of the charity , Bro . Barrett , Vice-President . Bro . GEO . BARRETT returned thanks , and expressed the gratitude of the Committee for the liberal support given to the institution , ivhich he trusted would soon be in possession of £ 20 , 000 funded property . The results of that evening ivere , indeed , most gratifying to those AA'I IOlike himself , had laboured hard for the

establish-, ment of Annual Festivals , and proved the correctness of their arguments , that tlie more they asked for money , the greater would be the response , if they only succeeded in showing , as he believed they had done , that they fairly dispersed it for the relief of their necessitous brethren , and their widows . The CHAIIOCAJT then proposed " Success to tho other Masonic Charities . " If ifc ivas their duty to support their poorer brethren , ifc was no less their pride and duty to impart

knowledge to their children , in order to prepare them for after-life . He begged to remind them thafc the Hoys' School Festival Avould take place on the 13 th Alarch , and thafc of the Girls' School on the Sth May ; and he trusted thafc every brother then present ivould also lend his aid , and be present on those occasions . He ivould couple ivith the toast the name of Bro . Crew , the indefatigable Secretary of the Girls' School , regretting that Bro . Thisselfcon had been obliaecl to leave earlv , in consequence of failing health .

lira . CREW thanked tne noble lord for so kindly remembering tho other charities . He sometimes , ' . vltesi he Avent around that hall , folloAved by eighty little girls , the inmates of the school , almost fancied them his OAVII children ; but thoy were , indeed , the children of the bi-etYrreri who so liberally found the means for their support . The Boys' School , perhaps , stood in greater need of aid at present than the Girls ' , that having a prestige of .-isty-six years to aid ifc , AA'hicli tho boys' school stood in need of . But delightful as was the

task fco educate the young , there was no institution more important than that which they hail met to support that evening—to cheer the closing days of theiv distressed brethren , or the widows of those with whom , perhaps , they had enjoyed many happy hours in their lodges ; anel AA'hen he had been asked if he thought ; this institution Ai'ould not injure the schools , he had ahvays ansAveved iu the negative , feeling assured that those ivhu supported the aged would not forget the young . ( Cheers . )

The noble Chairman next gave "'The Ladies , " which was humourously acknowledged by iiro . . loimings , P . G . D . C . A'iscount llor . MKsruIE hadfanolher pleasing -. ii ' y to perfoi-ui , that of proposing '' The Health ofthe Sfev , uvil .-, " to - . vhoui thev iveiv