THE MASONIC CHARITIES.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 105, 20 October 1877, Page 3

THE MASONIC CHARITIES.

(Form the " Standard ") To those who do not belong to the order, the Freemason seems a harmless gentleman' who belongs to a coterie called a lodge, whereat certain mysterious rites are performed, generally terminating in" a dinner, for the due celebration of which he attires himself in 'a- bright-coloured apron, and, should he belong to any of the higher degrees, with various medals and other insignia. Thus, in addition to being a Master Mason, with possible rant in his lodge, he may belong to a Eoyal Arch Chapter, he may be a Mark Master, a Knight of the Order of the United Orders of the Temple and Malta, or, of. i Eome and -the Eed Cross of Conj stantine, he my s * have taken the 18th or Eose Croix degree, or the still higher degrees of the Ancient .and Accepted Eite, the 30th, 32d, or 33d, the highest possible in Freemasonry. "It is not always, how-, ever, that those who have taken the more elaborate degrees are the best Masons in the' highest sense of the wordy and many of the hardest workers iri the cause of which we shall spe^k presently are those who have 'contented themselves simply with the Master's degree,' and offices in their respective lodges and provinces; Having seen Masons 'at a festival, and having noted the gay apparel in which they appear to lay a foundation stone, the inquirer into the doings of the craft will be told that the head of this confraternity is the Prince of Wales, who occupies the position of Most Worshipful Grand Master, - and that his two brothers, the Duke of Connaught and -Prince Leopold, are both Freemasons, so that there can be nothing in this brotherhood sub^ versive of law or of order, or opposed to the constituted authority of the realm.. He will learn also that 'Freemasonry exists all over the world, and that it has a strange and ancient .history, into which, however, -it is not our purpose to inquire- now, and -he , will see that, as far as an outsider can judge, there is a great deal of dining and much pleasant-social intercourse connected with the practice of Masonry in this country. Andj no' doubt, the popular view of Masonry is that it is an association for the promotion of good fellowship, for the consumption of dinners, and the airing of post-prandial eloquence. A little, thought, however, would convince any one that his ; Eoyal Highness the Prince of "Wales would hardly have become the ' head of the fraternity had such alone been its aims and objects ;. and there' is another side to the Masonic banner, another aspect of the craft, which is not properly,'appreciated, because insufficiently understood, by the outside world We allude to the charities .of Free■masonry, to the vast sums expended annually by the craft for the relief of indigent brethren, for the providing an asylum for aged and distressed-* 1 Masons, its/annuity fund, , and its two magnificent schools for the boys 'arid girls of brethren who are unable to support their children. It may be worth while, then, to glance at the Masonic charities, and endeavour to form some estimate of that side of the Masonic character which is foo little known to those who judge only from lodge banquets and festivals." From the moment of his entrance into the craft a Mason hears with perpetual iteration of the virtue of charity and the necessityof its exercise. It is impressed?upon him, as all* Masons know, pracP tically and theoretically, and the" charge delivered to a brother at his, initiation contains these words : — "Be especially careful to maintain in their fullest splendour those truly Masonic ornaments which have already been amply illustrated— 'Benevolence and- Charity.'" Nor has a man been long a Mason before he becomes aware that the words he has heard have a practical application. He finds out in most cases that his

lodge contributes to certain of the Masonic charities, nor is he likely to escape being requested to give his mite by some brother anxious to take up a good ' steward's list of subscriptions at a forthcoming festival. He will find also that ii.digent brethren aw occasionally relieved by the lod^e itself, ardilat as Mr • I'hill'rick, Q.C., taid lie other day, at one of the .festival, the Masonic chariiies, are an open proof that the principles of Freemasonry were carried into practice and were not the dead "letter they were sometimes considered Looking to the charities them sjelves, he will find that the English Freemasons support three great institutions — (1) the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution, (2) the Masonic Institution for Boys, and (3) ; the . Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ; while it must be rioted that a special board of. benevolence is attached to. the Grand; Lodge^ for the purposes implied in its natne. The -Royal Masonic Benevolent lil-' sintutipn for. aged Freemasons arid widows :of Freemasons was, as. we learn from a summary of its objects, compiled by- the energetic^secretary," Mr J. Terry, founded in 1842 by tfie Grand " Lodge during the GrandMastership of his late Royal High-ness-the Duke of Sussex. Since that time it has steadily .prospered ;' to use the secretary's words, "The brethren jnpbly did their duty when? they established it ; the generation that succeeded has cheerfully maintained it." The objects of this institution are explained by its i name, and.it is needless to add it does in-, calculable good. If it is. distressing to read over theV'list^ of candidates; .it is pleasant to think "that so iriany of the sad cases of; want and distress are Tejieyed, , format .''tie/ last meetingbut One; all the' ! male-, can- , didates on the list yrer^e ; out ballot,, while; a£^; last election 29 aged brethren and 24 widows were put on the ? list as annuitants. As-, ; may. be. ;. imagined, , this vast amount* of charity demarids a corresponding expenditure ; nor is the craft behindhand with its contiributions. The result of : the, last f estiryal," presided over Jby the late^Earl of Shrewsbury, was the magnificent ' sum ; of £ 12 ,866, and the annual in-, come, of the institution is\£2,34l. To sum up v : its: work, : weimay note . that since its f orination 439 brethren arid 216 widows of Ereemasoris have been elected^ annuitants. And at the last election 145 brethren were in receipt'ofj £5,800^ 125, widowisr werei receiving £4,000, : and 14 widows at half their deceased husband's annuities^ £280, or in round numbera the brethren arid widows of brethren derived £10,080 in one year from the benevolence; of the craftV Surely that is carrying out the . injunction of the charge we quoted above in .no niggardly spirit, and, benevolence and charity are indeed' . -amply . illustrated." '*' | ,; Next comes the Royal Masonic ( Institution for Boys, the flourishing school at' Wood-green j; near the Alexandra Palace: Originally . suggested, as far back as 1732 it was partially carried out at ,the;end of that century, but strange to say up to 1857 the moneys subsenbed was spent in clothing the boys and putting them to; school in .the-"rieigb.-borhood^of their own homes, and it was^n6TuniaFlßs7 r t^^^ of the present 1 sehbol was formedv 'while about five years ; afterwards , the nandsdriie ; building' we now /see was erected. The education given is sound and, practical ; Jalad js^taught English thoroughly well, Latin, French, and^ German, and the xudi-" ments of Greek if required. Mathematics are well ' attended to, 1 land drawing has wisely been added to the curriculum. The school has' an admirable, gymnasium, baths, and playgrounds, while the sanitiary arrangements of the dormitories, Ac, are eiceptionally good. H«re?some, 169 bays are educated, at a cost of £6,842 per annum, or, £40 9s Bid; per boy. That sum has been spoken; of as excessive, but it decreases year by year, and on that point we may quote the following passage from the report :'— " It must always be borne in mind," it says,, " that the object of this jnStitutioii isi -by ; eliminating, from its administration r'all trace; Of 1 '" charity " in the cold signification of the word, to; elevate the moral tone of the pupils, and to" give~theirT $}je i sjame . edupational advantages wpuld^havie3^d^i|E|§^6^^fe of!;^Heir pareii^ been i spared^ &uis •fitting theifefdr^ tionß -they : -were iri~ '«ll^'^~u v iu'ati7'|li^^; bability destined to fill. And thiß must always be kept>in view when the cost of the education given in this school ib ' considered j or compared with that of other schools." There is little need. for such an apology. -. At the cogt _of some £40|bdb the English Freemasons" have built a school which is in many "respect^ a model establisninent, ajicL

they support it well, whilst, if the office expenses have been high in proportion to the number of boys, it is obvious that as the school enlarges they will be in better relation to the expenditure. We understand, too, that Mr Bir ekes, the secretary, looks 1 forward to a triumphant festival with i a grand subscription list next month, when he expects 1o realise .-6L300 or £1400; one bi-o'her laving expressed his 'determination of taking up a list x>f £1000. One suggestion has indeed, been made regarding this and the other school, and that is the provision of exhibitions and other adequate' machinery for helping the chilarfeh^nto the world after leaving the schools. The answer of the managers is, of course, that you cannot eat your cake and have it afterwards, which is no doubt true, 'and that if. they made such provision they would have to admit fewer pupils. But it is possible to have two cakes j- and it should be the aim | of the craft some day to make this extension, and; in addition to boardj ing, 'lodging, and educating the children, .to endeavour to give them a I start in life. If a .small portion of j ; tne initiation fee of every Mason adniitted into the craft were, as has been .suggested, set aside for the purposes of the charities, there would-be > no ; ■ difficulty in increasin g the" ; scope of ; the .schools as well as adding largely to the Benevolent Fund. < -' Last is the Royal Masonic Institution for Giils, founded in 1788 at the iSUggestion of the Chevalier ORuspini^surgeon dentist to ! George •£V> ''Mrst' established near the Obelisk St. Greorge's-in-the-Peilds, it waS renioved in'lßsl to Battersea Rise^ a firiej pile of buildings was erected. : There 162 girls are clothed, fed, and educated, and it ' may be noted that,- with a useful and practical ;. training, every possible sanitary arrangement is made to ensure the health and safety of the children. The ordinary expenditure of tlie school .was last year £5572. New gildings have been erected, costing" ?£3832 ; there is a balance in hand of upwards of £3700, and it is hdped to make up the number of childiJfeh accommodated to 220. At theylas't festival, which has just been .field) (M? Little, the secretaryj was able to notify the receipt of subscriptions to the amount of £9828; ;-while-Ijh§re,are,still22 stewards' lists to. epm,ejsn,;.so ■ that the total will be considerably over £10,000. Nor do the English Freemasons alone make \pro.yision.,f or indigent brethren, and ,f6rth'e'educa&on;of children. There is a Masonic fund in Scotland, and th!e I>]ike. of Connaught presided last wsek afcfl, festival in Ireland, when it was announced that the Freema^ 'sons' schools had received upwards of £7690 during the year. . These facts and figures speak for themselves. Here we have a sum of somie £40,000, subscribed during •the year to three charities alone, wnic|i dpes not include the innumerable special grants made by lodges. It isobvious, then, whatever may be thought of /Masonic regalia by the outside ; world, ; that Freemasonry db^sva vast : amount of good, and that . 'charity and benevolence are v practical parts of its creed. No man-, in fact, can rise to any conspicuous position in Masonry without giving away a considerable sum , of money, -spent on such charities .; so that his standing in Masonry — that is to say, if he is an active member of a lodge, atM/takes provincial rank, or rank in Gr&iad Lodge— is to some extent th;e f of his benevolence. Contributions to the charities form part of the expenditure of every lodge of any standing, and should, -wejiiay observe, be sent up by all lodges, without exception. The patronage of Royalty has, we are glad to say, done much to stimulate activity arid emulation in this direction, and some of the most recently established lodges are setting an admirable example in this respect. "W^e may instance, among others, the Bayard, which, though only a young lodge founded last year, has already: contributed nearly £300, to such purposes. But we have said enough to disprove the accusation sometimes roughly put, that Masonry, is "all eating and drinking;" that it is a merely social institution like a club. Apart from its special aims known only to the brotherhood, as was happily- observed in a recent speech on this question, " every Mason -is to his ability, to let^ (pi&ritry be a part of his o^o^ry^f^Wiel\ indeed, as we have fSeeiii, ijltna^'jdbi^ation , fulfilled, and open-nanded is the charity of the craft. These splendid institutions are enlarging their spheres of usefulness each year with the increased support accorded to them, while it is ' important to remember that the sums raised for charity have more than kept jmce with the many adhe-, sipns to the ranks of this great confraternity. ,