"The Polite Letter Writer" For Masonic Stewards.

me to remind you of the peculiar claims it has upon our support , and to beg you will favour me with an early reply to this appeal in its behalf , stating the sum I may have the pleasure of entering upon my list , either as a donation or annual subscription on the occasion of thisthe last of the three Charitable

, Festivals . "I am , clear Sir and Brother , " Faithfully and fraternally yours , ce ^

" Steward . " There cannot be a question that under the present high charity pressure brought to bear upon the Craft it is extremely difficult to get subscriptions ; but unfortunately , the genius that devised the plan of deluging brethren with the circulars was wanting

when framing the form , as the following instances prove : — "I need hardly say how anxious I am that the interests of this truly Masonic Institution may not suffer in my hands ; and that the character of our lodge may be fully sustained , permit me to remind

you of the peculiar claims it has upon our support . " The above is very cool . I presume the Royal Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and their Widows is a truly Masonic Institution , because it really does what the Board of Benevolence repudiates—materially helps to support Freemasonsa truly Masonic obligation . As to the claims " our lodge" has on its own " character" they are obvious to all its members ; at any rate the SteAvard Avho

adopts the formula does not say the Girls' School has any peculiar claims , but the lodge has claims on —itself ! _ " Stating the sum I may have the pleasure of entering upon my list , either as a donation or annual subscription on the occasion of this , the last of the three charitable Festivals !"

If this latter statement is true we wanted no neAV and more commodious hall in Great Queen-street for the festivals , for the plea put forward is that this occasion will be " the last of the three charitable festivals !" Really , Sir , it is quite time an end was put to such

nonsense , if the Committee of the Girls' School sanction such au absurdity , or suppose that the stewards sent by the various lodges require to have a note written for them , on the ground of their generally neglected education , let the Committee frame one which is readable , and not such sheer nonsense as the specimen page of " The Polite Letter Writer for Masonic SteAvards" would cause the latter to

endorse . Not being a Steward on the occasion , the half hundred specimens sent are entirely useless to me ; and if I had undertaken to have served that office they would still have been the same , from their dogs-eared and creased condition Avlien they arrived . Part of a " Polite Letter Writer ' s" instructions used to be

" do not send your letter in an unbecoming state to put into a gentleman ' s hands . " Hoping these hints may not , in future , he lost upon the Editor of the next edition of " The Polite Letter Writer" for Masonic Stewards , I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours truly and fraternally , | A LOVER OE PLAIN ENGLISH .

Masonic Mems.

MASONIC MEMS .

THE MASONIC MIRROR

A Grand Council of the Illustrious KuigUts K . H . 30 ' U to be held on the 2 Sth inst ., there being twenty-three candidates for advancement . The Mount Lebanon Chapter ( No . 73 ) , will he consecrated on Thursday , April 20 th , at 4 p . m ., punctual , by Comp . H , Muggeridge , P . Z ., at the Green Man Tavern , Tooley-street , Southwark .

The Boys' School.

THE BOYS' SCHOOL .

We once more remind the brethren that the election of twelve boys into this school takes place on Monday next , the 17 th ; and that we are seeking support for two boys who have already gone to the poll seven times without success , evidently from the want of some brother taking up their cause . The following ave the cases as extracted from the balloting paper issued at the last election : —

CRABTREE , BENJAMIN TOWNSHEND . Born Gth March , 1853 . His mother , Mrs . Alice Crabtree , is the widow of the late Samuel Crabtree , who met with his death , 3 rd Jan ., 1 S 61 , from an accident , while following his occupation of a builder , at the Victoria Railway Station , Pimlico , leaving five children , three of whom are entirely dependent upon the widow for support . WILSONROBERT CHRISTOPHER . Born 5 th October

, , 1852 . His father , Bro . Joseph Wilson , aged 5 S , was formerly a chemist and druggist , of Kendal , but is now in poor circumstances , suffering from a diseased knee joint of 32 years' standing , accompanied with popliteal aneurism . Has a wife and six children , three of whom depend upon him for support .

In the seven ballots already taken , Crabtree has polled Id 3 votes , and Wilson 72 , whilst something more than 500 each will be required to ensure success . AVe , therefore , urgently call upon the brethren who have not pledged their votes to any particular candidates to forward us their balloting papers ; and we remind them that the balloting papers for any of our Charities

will be acceptable , as they can all be used to ensure the return of these friendless boys . We have to acknowledge the receipt of proxies from Bros . J . LI . Evans , President of the Board of General Purposes ; Col . Burlton , P . Prov . G . M . Bengal ; Col . Goddard ; E . E . Wendt ; W . Smith , C . F ., G . Steward ; the Rev . Dr . Richards ,

Hastings ; G . Molesworth , Chichester ; Webster , Lynn ; Atkinson , Middlesborough ; Ayres , Seaham Harbour ; J . Bailey , Sunderland ; Bowes , Warrington ; Long , Devizes ; Perrier , Lota , Cork . The friends of the candidates should inform Bro . H . G . Warren what number of votes they can count upon .

Metropolitan.

METROPOLITAN .

Ai . -uiox LODG-E ( No . [ 9 ) . —The brethren of this lodge congregated for the last meeting of the session on the evening of Tuesday , April < tth , when the three ceremonials were most praiseworthily performed by Bro . Poulton , AV . M ., the recipients of the initiative and progressive arcana being Mr . Bhigrove , the eminent musician and performer on the English concertina , Bro . Morton being passed to the degree of F . C . and Bro .

, Harvey raised to that of M . M . Several most , important alterations were inserted in the by-laws , and on a proposition being made that a rural excursion and banquet should take place in the summer , it was put to the brethren and carried nem . con . The lodge being closed in due form , a banquet succeeded , at