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Article THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. Page 1 of 2 Article THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
fTlHE very large additions which have been made -I during- the past few years to the number of annuities dispensed by this Institution has placed it in the foremost rank among the Charities of England , while the extent of its munificence has acquired for ifc such a
reputation as has brought credit to the brethren who established it , to those who have raised it to its present greatness , and , above all , to those who maintain it by their
contributions . To each and all of these brethren the thanks of the Craffc are due , and are frequently given , while , in addition , the supporters of the Charity have
won the thanks—aye , and blessings also—of the many aged brethren and widows who have been relieved through its funds in the declining years of their life . We trust the day is far distant when ifc will become necessary to in any way curtail tbe operations of this truly noble
Institution , but as we have invariably pointed out , whenever an increase in its sphere of operations has been proposed or carried out , extension nofc only means increased responsibilities for the time being , but also increased expenditure
year by year so long as it is desired to maintain the extension . We say , so long as it is desired to maintain the extension , but who is there , with the true spirit of Masonry in his breast , who does not desire to maintain , and even extend the benefits which this Institution
bestows on aged brethren and the widows of deceased Freemasons ? With every desire , however , to extend the operations of the Institution there is another , and a greater object to
be achieved—to raise the funds necessary to carry the Charity out on its present basis ; and although this difficulty has been nobly mastered in the past , there can be no gainsaying the fact that at the present time there is a
prospect , if not a probability , of its mastering every effort which the brethren of England can put forward on behalf of the Institution , and those who are seeking admission to its benefits . The receipts of the year are largely
dependent on the result of the Annual Festival held on behalf of the Institution , and the receipts of that Festival are in turn largely dependent on the number of Stewards who take part in it . This year the number of
the latter is terribly short of the total of last year , and it may therefore be expected tbat the total amount realised by the Board of Stewards will also be a long way short , although at present there
are no means of forming an estimate one way or the other . All we can do is to argue by inference , and unfortunately there is very little need to take an extravagantly gloomy view of the case to make it apparent that a great falling
off must result from this year ' s Festival as compared witb what was announced last February . At the Festival of 1885 the total announced showed an average of about _ £ 53 per Steward , and afc the present time there are sixty-seven
Stewards less than at the corresponding period of last year . Ifc is but fair then to imagine that the year ' s total may show a falling off of upwards of three thousand five hundred pounds , indeed that it must do so unless this year ' s
Stewards are able to do much better than their brothers were able to last year , and so raise the average . But is there anything which can for one moment induce us to hope that this year ' s lists will be individually larger than
The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
lasfc year ' s ? we fear not . Rather may we look for a fallingoff , for everything at the present time points to a diminution in the flow of benevolence rather than to an increase . Business has been bad for some time ; appears to be getting
worse , and presents the gloomiest of prospects for the future . How , then , can we expect increased benevolence ? There may be a willingness to erive more ; we believe there always is whenever more is needed ; hut without the moans
to carry the wish into execution the besfc of desires are unavailing , and meanwhile those who are the worst oft cannot find that little help which moderate prosperity , afc ordinary times even , would place it in the power of their
fellows to bestow . What can be done to help them , or where shall we look for relief for the many whose past services to the Craft have given them a claim on every Mason of to-day , for relief as far as their circumstances in life permit ? We can only look fco the Craffc afc large , and appeal to every brother to help his local Steward to tho
besfc of his ability , and thereby endeavour to make the Festival of the present year as great a success as any which have preceded ifc . At the present timo there are one hundred and twenty .
nine candidates seeking admission to the benefits of the Benevolent Institution , while afc the same time there aro but eighteen vacancies which can be divided among that
large number of applicants ; add to this the six deferred annuities which the Institution is able to afford , and we have one hundred and five candidates for whom absolutely
nothing can be done . No doubt every one of these old people has been looking forward to the week which is now closing for many months past , for most of thera must have been aware that it was on Wednesday that the Committee had to decide on the number of vacancies to be filled
at the coming election . Ifc was in the power of the Committee to decide on an extension or a curtailment of the number of annuitants , or simply to decide on filling the vacancies caused by death during the past twelve months .
They adopted the latter course , but not without making a strong effort to meet the increasing calls on the Charity by afc least a small increase in the number of beneficiaires . Wiser counsels , however , prevailed , and in face of the facts we have just referred to in connection with the
approaching Festival , the Committee decided to simply continue as they had been doing the past year . We approve of their decision , but we regret the circumstances which have made that decision necessary . All we can hope for now is ,
that the Festival may prove a surprise—that a much larger amount may be announced than is expected , aud that , in consequence , ifc may be found possible to increase the number of vacancies previous to the election .
We have said that the number of candidates is one hundred and twenty-nine . Of these , fifty-eight are seeking the benefits of the Male , and seventy-one those of tbe
i . emale Fund . There are but twelve vacancies for the aged brethren to fill , and only six available for the widows . Add to these the three deferred annuities in each case , and we have the total of what can this year be done for those
who , m their decline of life , are compelled to seek the help of their brother Masons , or the brethren of their deceased husbands . Can a more forcible appeal for help be made than the bare announcement of these figures , coupled with
tbe assurance that as much is being done with the funds at disposal as is possible to be done ? and that anything further the Masons of England may find ifc in their power to give will be faithfully and zealously applied
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .
fTlHE very large additions which have been made -I during- the past few years to the number of annuities dispensed by this Institution has placed it in the foremost rank among the Charities of England , while the extent of its munificence has acquired for ifc such a
reputation as has brought credit to the brethren who established it , to those who have raised it to its present greatness , and , above all , to those who maintain it by their
contributions . To each and all of these brethren the thanks of the Craffc are due , and are frequently given , while , in addition , the supporters of the Charity have
won the thanks—aye , and blessings also—of the many aged brethren and widows who have been relieved through its funds in the declining years of their life . We trust the day is far distant when ifc will become necessary to in any way curtail tbe operations of this truly noble
Institution , but as we have invariably pointed out , whenever an increase in its sphere of operations has been proposed or carried out , extension nofc only means increased responsibilities for the time being , but also increased expenditure
year by year so long as it is desired to maintain the extension . We say , so long as it is desired to maintain the extension , but who is there , with the true spirit of Masonry in his breast , who does not desire to maintain , and even extend the benefits which this Institution
bestows on aged brethren and the widows of deceased Freemasons ? With every desire , however , to extend the operations of the Institution there is another , and a greater object to
be achieved—to raise the funds necessary to carry the Charity out on its present basis ; and although this difficulty has been nobly mastered in the past , there can be no gainsaying the fact that at the present time there is a
prospect , if not a probability , of its mastering every effort which the brethren of England can put forward on behalf of the Institution , and those who are seeking admission to its benefits . The receipts of the year are largely
dependent on the result of the Annual Festival held on behalf of the Institution , and the receipts of that Festival are in turn largely dependent on the number of Stewards who take part in it . This year the number of
the latter is terribly short of the total of last year , and it may therefore be expected tbat the total amount realised by the Board of Stewards will also be a long way short , although at present there
are no means of forming an estimate one way or the other . All we can do is to argue by inference , and unfortunately there is very little need to take an extravagantly gloomy view of the case to make it apparent that a great falling
off must result from this year ' s Festival as compared witb what was announced last February . At the Festival of 1885 the total announced showed an average of about _ £ 53 per Steward , and afc the present time there are sixty-seven
Stewards less than at the corresponding period of last year . Ifc is but fair then to imagine that the year ' s total may show a falling off of upwards of three thousand five hundred pounds , indeed that it must do so unless this year ' s
Stewards are able to do much better than their brothers were able to last year , and so raise the average . But is there anything which can for one moment induce us to hope that this year ' s lists will be individually larger than
The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
lasfc year ' s ? we fear not . Rather may we look for a fallingoff , for everything at the present time points to a diminution in the flow of benevolence rather than to an increase . Business has been bad for some time ; appears to be getting
worse , and presents the gloomiest of prospects for the future . How , then , can we expect increased benevolence ? There may be a willingness to erive more ; we believe there always is whenever more is needed ; hut without the moans
to carry the wish into execution the besfc of desires are unavailing , and meanwhile those who are the worst oft cannot find that little help which moderate prosperity , afc ordinary times even , would place it in the power of their
fellows to bestow . What can be done to help them , or where shall we look for relief for the many whose past services to the Craft have given them a claim on every Mason of to-day , for relief as far as their circumstances in life permit ? We can only look fco the Craffc afc large , and appeal to every brother to help his local Steward to tho
besfc of his ability , and thereby endeavour to make the Festival of the present year as great a success as any which have preceded ifc . At the present timo there are one hundred and twenty .
nine candidates seeking admission to the benefits of the Benevolent Institution , while afc the same time there aro but eighteen vacancies which can be divided among that
large number of applicants ; add to this the six deferred annuities which the Institution is able to afford , and we have one hundred and five candidates for whom absolutely
nothing can be done . No doubt every one of these old people has been looking forward to the week which is now closing for many months past , for most of thera must have been aware that it was on Wednesday that the Committee had to decide on the number of vacancies to be filled
at the coming election . Ifc was in the power of the Committee to decide on an extension or a curtailment of the number of annuitants , or simply to decide on filling the vacancies caused by death during the past twelve months .
They adopted the latter course , but not without making a strong effort to meet the increasing calls on the Charity by afc least a small increase in the number of beneficiaires . Wiser counsels , however , prevailed , and in face of the facts we have just referred to in connection with the
approaching Festival , the Committee decided to simply continue as they had been doing the past year . We approve of their decision , but we regret the circumstances which have made that decision necessary . All we can hope for now is ,
that the Festival may prove a surprise—that a much larger amount may be announced than is expected , aud that , in consequence , ifc may be found possible to increase the number of vacancies previous to the election .
We have said that the number of candidates is one hundred and twenty-nine . Of these , fifty-eight are seeking the benefits of the Male , and seventy-one those of tbe
i . emale Fund . There are but twelve vacancies for the aged brethren to fill , and only six available for the widows . Add to these the three deferred annuities in each case , and we have the total of what can this year be done for those
who , m their decline of life , are compelled to seek the help of their brother Masons , or the brethren of their deceased husbands . Can a more forcible appeal for help be made than the bare announcement of these figures , coupled with
tbe assurance that as much is being done with the funds at disposal as is possible to be done ? and that anything further the Masons of England may find ifc in their power to give will be faithfully and zealously applied