Provincial.

charity—which is one of the few , but most striking , points of Freemasonry—which are alike open , and appreciated by the initiated , tis well as by the world at large , who are not Masons . Besides , it will be a spur to private lodges to contribute to the funds . I shall not detain you long in quoting what other provinces have done , but I will limit myself to the two last and most recent

examples . First , I take the province of Sussex , which at their meeting of the 2 Sth August voted a sum of £ 20 on the motion of the G . Sec . of the province , Bro . Pocock , a brother so universally esteemed for his Masonic worth in the province , that the lodges of that province , on that day , presented him with a testimonial on vellum , accompanied by a silver cup of the value of sixty guineas , In which was contained a purse of one hundred guineas . Well , the motion of Bro . Pocock was thus conceived : —

" That two governorships for fifteen years in the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for aged Freemasons and their AAldows be purchased from the funds of this Provincial Grand Lodge at a cust of £ 20 , and that the privileges of one be given to the AA . M . ( for the time being ) of the Royal York Lodge ( S " o . 394 ) , and of the other to the AV . AL ( for the time being ) of the AVellington Lodge ( No . 426 ) . "—Unanimously adopted . The next example was that of the Prov . Lodge of Hampshire ,

which voted that a sum of twenty guineas be allowed annually if two or more brethren accepted the office of Steward to the charities , and if only one brother accepted such office , that the sum of ten guineas should be paid him , which , added to his five guineas , and a few subscriptions from his own lodge , would give him a fair start . This plan works so well , that that year this very brother who proposed this motion was enabled to collect £ 100 from the province for the annuity fund during the year 1 S 60 . Nowbrethrenit was

, , entrusted to me , either as a joke or seriously I cannot say , but I rather incline to the former , that I shall be met with the response that we should keep our funds for local purposes , and not send them to London . Though this may be the line of opposition used , I beg Provincial Grand Lodge to reflect seriously before it adopts such a plea to reject my motion . In the first place , let it not be stated that a province of the standing and influence of that of Northumberland is one that contributes but little to the general charities of

the Order to which all the members who , through the calamities of ¦ fortune , may be brought to require their aid for themselves or their children are eligible . Now , -while wc bad no local fund of benevolence , it was certainly our first duty to concentrate all our efforts to create one . Thanks , however , to the initiation of such a fund by our R . AV . G . AL , and ably assisted by many of my colleagues ancl brethren here present , we have an ample and a yearly increasing fund . I don't propose to touch that fund or its resources ; my proposition only goes to apportion , ichenever the fund will allow it , part of the Fund of General Purposes . Of the ten lodges of the province , there are only four that are subscribers or governors to one or more

of the charities , and those lodges are Nos . 24 , 586 , 624 , and 706 —if am wrong , the brethren present can correct me—and of these I think only two at most are governors to all the charities . Now , R . AA . Sir , from my knowledge of the Prov . G-. M . ' s sentiments on this point , I am convinced that nothing would have given him greater pleasure than to be able to use the words of the address of the P . G . M . of Hampshire , Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis , Bart ., to his Provincial Grand Lodge : —¦

" That the increase of lodges , and the consequent increase of members , have led to an increase of charity , not only local , but in support of the general charities of the order : one , the Royal Masonic Benevolent Annuity Fund , received from this Province , by the liberal response of the lodges and brethren to the application of Bro . J . E . Stebbing , the Steward of this year , the large sum of £ 100 ; and it may , I trust , he confidently anticipated that the lodges and brethren will afford a similar generous support to the

next Steward or Stewards who may take that honourable and truly Masonic office on the next occasion . Propositions will this day be submitted to your consideration for further aiding our brethren in acts of charity , and for disposing some of our funds for benevolent purposes ; and in all which , 1 am sure , you will act with that liberality which has over been conspicuous in this province . " Now , then , having stated so much from the example of other

provinces—though I could have brought you more numerous similar examples—I beg to offer a few remarks on the supposed opposition , that we should retain our funds at home , and not send them to London . Such a sentiment , I must say , does not accord with that universality that Craft Masonry glories itself to be the representative , and would ill become us , a province attached to the Grand Lodge of England ; for if a similar course should be adopted by each province in England , we should soon have our noble

charities collapse in their usefulness , and while ranking as tlie first in the land , both for means and the benefits they confer , they would almost be annihilated . Let it not be said , * because these charities are located in London , therefore we in the provinces

derive no advantages ; because it has been proved more than once , ancl even lately by a circular that was sent to all the lodges by a committee appointed in London to make up these statistics , that the provinces contributed the greatest amount of candidates for the charities , while the funds were contributed in greater proportion by the London brethren . AA e need not go far in our parallel of

contributions to the General Charities by provinces . The Province of Durham , as a province , contributes both from its general funds as well as from the private funds of lodges and individual members , in the proportion of 5 to 1 compared with Northumberland . Let us compare the amounts contributed this year by the stewards for Northumberland and Durham . They are both very energetic brethren , who are always ready to promote the interests of Masonry , not only in the Craft degreesbut also in the other branches of the

, Order . Both , through their exertions , have attained high positions in the respective degrees to which they belong ; both are excellent working Masons , both having given great attention to the charities of the Order ; but here the parallel ceases . The fruit of their exertions towards the Royal Benevolent Institution was not equal . The Province of Durham , through their steward , presented a list of £ 140 to the funds of the charity ; the steward of Northumberland felt that his subscription was so small in comparison to the province

he represented that he did not take his subscription up , but sent it . I will not name the amount ; I will leave him to state it to Grand Lodge himself , and trust that any one who may follow him in such office may meet with better success . The Province ought to do more . The amount required to enable each lodge to be fifteen years , or a life governor , to each charity , is as follows : — - In the Royal Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and

their AAldows , each lodge , by the payment of £ 10 in one or more payments in two years , constitutes the lodge a life governor— -that is , during its existence , entitling it to two votes for annuitants on the particular fund to which the subscription is paid ; and by a donation of £ 5 . in one payment , to two votes for fifteen years . In this charity only ( each lodge has , besides three votes for each male , and one for each female annuitant to be elected , in consideration of the grants from the Grand Lodge ) the donations and annual subscriptions on account of the Male Annuitant Fund are

kept separate and distinct from the AVidows Fund . In the Boys' School , donations of ten guineas in one sum , or within two years , constitute the lodge life governor ; and of five guineas in one payment , governor for fifteen years . In the Girls' School , the payment of twenty guineas in three years constitutes a lodge a life governor ; and of ten guineas iu one payment , fifteen years' governor . : j ; I shall now sketch you out the scheme by which I wish to enable

you to form your opinion as to the feasibility of my proposal . The income of General Purposes averages yearly £ 32 ; the expenses £ 10 to £ 12 per annum . AA e have , therefore , about £ 20 to deal with ; and lately , you know , we have used this surplus to meet such cases of distress that did not come within the rules of our Benevolent' Fund ; therefore , not only I do not wish to appropriate the whole of this surplus yearly , but all I desire is that we

should adopt the principle , to save discussions , whenever the Grand Lodge Committee should deem it practicable to recommend the Grand Lodge to vote £ 10 or £ 20 towards the purchase of a life governorship for one of the lodges of the province from the Fund of General Purposes . I propose that two principles shall guide the committee in the selection of the lodge—that is , to receive the grant of Prov . Grand Lodge towards the purchase of a life governorshi .

p 1 st . I propose that a roll be formed of the lodges from the amounts each has contributed to the funds of the province since 1844 , the date of the foundation of the Fund of Benevolence of the province , placing the lodge that has contributed the highest amount first on the roll , and so on in succession . If I were , however , to make the roll from the regularity of payments to the Fund of General Purposes , the lodges would not stand in the same rank in the roll ; but as the amounts owing to the Fund of

General Purposes are small—and before a Governorship is balloted for , I have no doubt every lodge will pay up their indebtedness , in order to be eligible— -I propose adopting the mode above stated . The roll , therefore , of lodges , as for the largest amounts paid by each from the year 1818 to 1860 , will be as follows : — 1 st , Lods : e No . 624 . 6 th , Lodge No . 554 . 2 nd „ " „ 733 . 7 th „ „ 957 . 3 rd 586 . 8 th 919 .

„ „ „ „ 4 th „ „ 706 . 9 th „ „ 985 . 5 th „ „ 24 . 10 th „ „ 161 . Thus , it would follow that the first lodge to which Prov . Grand Lodge would have to allot the first Governorship to one of the Charities would be Lodge No . G 24—and then the others in this rotation . The second part of my scheme proposes that any lodge con-