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poLD AND HUNGRY . FIELD LANE REFUGES AND MISSIONS . This cold weather brings great suffering to the very poor and homeless . The petitions for Coal and Bread Tickets are more than we can supply . OUR REFUGES ARE FULL . WILL YOU HELP US BY A DONATION ( HOWEVER SMALL )? Treasurer- -W' . A . BEVAN , Esq ., 54 , Lombard-st ., E . C . Secretary— PEREGRINE PLATT , Vine-street , Clerkenwell-road , E . C .

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GOLDSMID , WINE & SPIRIT MERCHANT , 7 6 , FINSBURY PAVEMENT , LONDON , E . C . PRICE LIST FREE ON APPLICATION . jCg- SPECIAL OFFER . — Every tenth order from readers of the Freemason , a Box of Havana Cigars will be sent FREE .

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NOTICE . A SPECIAL EDITION will be issued on SATURDAY MORNING containing a full Report of the Quarterly Court of the R . M . I , for Boys , with result of the Election .

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SATURDAY , APRIL 13 , 1901 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The Quarterly General Court of the Governors and SuV cribers of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls was held in the large hall of Freemasons ' Tavern , on Thursday , the nth instant . The chair was occupied by Bro . Henry Smith , P . G . D ., P . D . P . G . M . West Yorkshire , and as usual at election time there was a full attendance of brethren . After the

transaction of the regular business the poll was opened for the election of 15 from an approved list of 22 candidates , and the names of the Successful children will be found in our advertisement columns . The votes polled for the Unsuccessful will be carried forward to the October election .

• • * The regular monthly meeting of the Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution was held under the presidency of Bro . J . A . Farnfield , P . A . G . D . C , at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday , the 10 th instant . The Secretary reported the death

of two annuitants ( one male and one widow ) . Bros . Farnfield , Kempton , and Tobias , were appointed a Sub-Committee to prepare the draft of the . annual P . eport , which will be submitted for the approval of the Com mittee at its meeting on the Sth May , and for adoption by the Governors and Subscribers at the annual General Meeting on Friday , the 17 th May .

* * * The date fixed for the Festival in aid of the funds of the East Lancashire Systematic Masonic Educational and Benevolent Institution , which was postponed from last year in consequence of the absence from England at the seat of war of the Prov . Grand Master—Lord

Stanley , M . P . —is Wednesday , the 26 th June , and brethren who are desirous of acting as Stewards on the occasion are requested to send in their names as soon as possible to the Prov . Grand Secretary , Bro . Newton , Past G . S . B . The first Festival washeldsome years since under the presidency of the late lamented

Ilro - Col . Le Gendre N . Starkie , Prov . G . Master , who did so much to promote the success of this local Charity , and it is intended on this occasion to set a Part so much of the aWint raised for the purpose of Purchasing a Perpetual Presentation to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution as a memorial of his

Sreat services to the Province . The sum required is JSSO guineas , and the Committee of this Systematic Educational and Benevolent Institution are in hopes hat the proceeds of the Festival will be about ^ 6000 . so , there will be sufficient for the Presentation , while the balance will be about equal to the total contribu-¦ onsto the former Festival , which , if we remember

Masonic Notes.

rightly , yielded between , £ 4400 and ^ 4500 . tru st the aspirations of our East Lancashire brethren may be realised . The Institution for many years past has been doing splendid work , and well deserves their support . » » *

It is evident from the statements contained in Bro . J . Armstrong ' s letter of the 26 th ult ., which appeared in our last week ' s issue , that the late Bro . John Lane must have been wrong in the conclusion he arrived at in his " Masonic Records " as to Lodge Unanimity ,

—now No . 89—Dukinfield , which was warranted by the " Moderns " in 1754 , having " lapsed about 1805 . " The evidence to the contrary , as derived by Bro . Armstrong from the Lodge minutes , appears to us to be overwhelming . The minute of April ist , 1 S 07 , which

Bro . Armstrong gives at length , reads— " This Lodge Unanimity , No . m ( Moderns ) , removed unanimously from the sign of the Buck and Hay Thorn , Back Square , Manchester , in the County of Lancaster , to Mr . John Bradley ' s , the ' Old General , ' in

Duckinfield , in the County of Chester . " Both the houses here mentioned are given in Bro . Lane's work , the Lodge having been located , according to him , at the "Buck and Hay Thorn" in 1803 , and at the " Old General" on ist April , 1807 . What induced Bro .

Lane to assert that in the interval the lodge " lapsed about 1805 " it is impossible to say ; but Bro . Armstrong's evidence negatives the assertion , as far as we are able to judge . Moreover , Bro . Armstrong tells us

that three of the brethren present at the meeting were old members of the lodge when at Manchester , and , further , that " mine host of the ' Old General ' in Duckinfield" was " a member at , and before , its removal . "

» * This is not the only instance in which Bro . Lane , while strictly accurate in his statements of fact , has erred in his statements of opinion . Some years ago , in the case of the Sun , Square , and Compasses Lodge

—now No . 119—Whitehaven , the warrant of which was withdrawn in 1806 by the "Ancient" Grand Grand Lodge , but restored early the following year , Bro . Lane argued in certain correspondence in the Freemason that in this case also there was such a gap

between the withdrawal in 1806 and the rc-grant , or restoration , in 1807 as to justify him in holding that the two were not one and the same lodge , but different lodges , notwithstanding that both met in the same town of Whitehaven . Here in order to distinguish the two he enters them as 157 A and 157 B .

Moreoverand this , we hold , ought to have carried weight with Bro . Lane—this lodge , as well as present Unanimity , No . 89 , has had a centenary warrant granted to it , No . 119 in 1885 , and No . 8 9 in 18 70 , and we all know that before such a warrant is granted , a lodge must furnish the Grand Lodge authorities with evidence which proves continuity of working for 100 years .

* * * Bro . Armstrong , however , is in the wrong in assuming that Bro . Lane in his " Masonic Records " assigned an " Ancient" origin to Lodge Unanimity of Dukinfield . There is a separate column headed " A "

for these lodges , but Unanimity is entered correctly as 256 at starting , and as having become at successive closings up of the "Regular" or "Modern" Lodges 194 , 154 , 122 ( 1780 ) , 123 ( 1781 ) , in . But this last number has an " A " placed under it to indicate that it was

the first lodge , which worked under the Warrant of 4 Feb . 1754 ; while a second lodge , which he dis . tinguishes in the 1792 column as mi ) , dates from 1 April , 1807 , the former , as he says , having " lapsed about 1 S 0 S . " If Bro . Armstrong will refer to Bro .

Lane ' s book he will find Unanimity , IHA , of Manchester , at the bottom of page 107 , and Unanimity , inn , of Dukinfield , at the top of page 108 ; but in both cases these numbers are in the " 1792 " column , not in the " A" column , which is provided for the lodges of " Antient" origin . » * »

On Tuesday , the 23 rd instant , the St . Andrew ' s Chapter , to be attached to the St . Andrew ' s Lodge , No . 1817 , Shoeburyness , will be consecrated , and the Principals designate installed in their respective chairs .

This will increase the number of chapters in the Province of Essex—of which Comp . Philbrick has been Grand Superintendent since 1883—to 14 , and we sincerely hope the new chapter will materially strengthen Royal Arch Masonry under his rule . » * *

The annual convocation of thc Prov . Grand Chapter of Sussex , of which Comp . Lieut .-General C . W . Randolph is Grand Superintendent , will be held on Saturday , the 20 th instant . The business to be transacted will be of the usual character .

Masonic Notes.

Lord Llangattock , during the half-dozen years or more he has been at the head of the Province of South Wales ( E . D . ) , has thrown a large amount of energy into his work , the effect of which has been that the Province itself , taking a leaf out of his lordship ' s

book , has shown to far greater advantage . Twice during the period of his Prov . Grand Mastership has he acted the part of Festival Chairman ; in 18 97 for the Girls' School , and in 1899 for the Benevolent Institution , and on both these occasions South Wales

( E . D . ) has acquitted itself most creditably , while in the intermediate year it did well for the Boys ' Centenary . The reports and statements in respect of the Prov . Grand Lodge and its Educational and Widows Fund , which were submitted at the annual

meeting in September last , a copy of which we have recently been favoured with , show that last year , as in the preceding three years , the Province continued its good work , and was in a most flourishing state . No

new lodges were added to the roll , but the 23 which constitute the Province appear to have fulfilled their duties in exemplary fashion , even the youngest of them having borne successfully the stress under which all , or nearly all , lodges labour during their earliest

years . ' » * As regards membership , the returns to the 31 st December , 1899 , show an increase of nearly 60 , there being at that date 2006 subscribing members as

compared with 1949 at the close of tho previous year ; or about 87 per lodge . As for the Finances , the Statement of Account to the 16 th August showed a balance to the good on that day of ^ 268 as against one of , £ 228 at the close of the previous account , among the

payments being a grant of 100 guineas to the Masonic Educational and Widows' Fund and 10 guineas to the Masonic South African Relief Fund ; or together £ 115 ios . Of the balance to the good there was on deposit a sum of , £ 120 , the rest being in bank .

• * * The Report of the Masonic Educational and Widows' Fund is , if possible , ; still more gratifying and shows that the Province is as considerate of its own members as it is for the interests of our Central

Institutions . The Treasurer ' s Statement of Account is most satisfactory , there having been an increase on the credit balance of the previous year of close upon £ \ $ oo ; the balance in hand in the autumn of 18 99 being . £ 3035 , and last autumn £ 4529 , while a further

amount was expected to be received between the date to which the account was made up and the annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge . Grants during the year were made for Educational and Benevolent purposes amounting to ^ 170 ios ., while

grants for the ensuing year , amounting to only a few shillings short of £ 200 , were approved . The only other expenditure incurred was a sum of just over £ 10 for a Charity jewel , and Printing and Postages , Among the items of receipt were £ 105 from Prov .

Grand Lodge , - £ 21 from Prov . Grand Chapter , and ^ 100 fro m Lord Llangattock , the total of Donations and Subscriptions from all sources during the year being £ iS ? o . We sincerely congratulate South Wales ( E . D . ) on this evidence of the excellent work it does for and within itself .

* * * It is evident from the Report with which we have been favoured of the proceedings at the regular communication of the District Grand Lodge of Northern China , which was held in the Masonic Hall , Shanghai ,

on the 7 th January , under the presidency of Bro . Lewis Moore , District Grand Master , that Freemasonry in this distant part of the English jurisdiction , though it is necessarily on a modest scale , is in a fairly prosperous condition . There are but few lodges on the

roll , but , according to the reports which were presented at this meeting , they do their work well , and deserve the encomiums passed upon them by the leading visiting brethren of the sister Constitutions—Scottish and Massachusetts . Moreover ,

notwithstanding that a handsome donation was made to the South African Masonic Relief Fund , there was virtually no difference between the balances in the Treasurer ' s Statements of Account for 18 99 and 1900 . We hope—as we believe—that future reports will prove as satisfactory . We may add that the Bro .

E . T . Williams , the first part of whose eloquent panc-ygric on the late Queen Victoria appeared in our last week ' s issue , is the W . M . of the Ancient Landmark Lodge under the Massachusetts Constitution , and this alone will serve to show how completely harmonious are the relations existing amongst the English , Scottish , and American brethren .