THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTE FOR GIRLS.
July 6th, 1888.
The centenary festival of the Royal Masonic Institute for Girls was held on the 6th of July, 1888, in the Royal Albert Hall, the Prince of Wales, Grand Master, presiding. Between two and three thousand members of the Craft were present, amongst them being the King of Sweden and Norway, Prince Albert Victor, the Earl of Carnarvon, the Earl of Lathom, the Earl of Zetland, Lord Egerton of Tatton, Lord Leigh, and many other eminent Masons. The galleries were filled by a large number of ladies.
After dinner, the Prince of Wales gave the first toast, which was that of "The Queen and the Craft," and was received with the greatest enthusiasm, the whole of the vast audience rising and joining in singing the National Anthem.
The Prince of Wales then said:—
"Your Majesty and Brethren,—A very high honour and a very high compliment has been conferred upon us this night. At this great and important gathering, probably the largest meeting for a charitable object that has ever taken place anywhere, we have as our guest his Majesty the King of Sweden. I little doubted the manner in which you would receive this toast, because not only are we honouring a distinguished guest, but also a brave ally of ours, and we are further honouring the Grand Master of the Freemasons of Sweden. We all know the deep interest which his Majesty takes in our Craft, and what excellent Masons the Swedes are. In proposing this toast it is specially gratifying to me, for I have looked forward to this occasion for many years, because it was through the King and his late brother that, twenty years ago, I was initiated into the mysteries of the Craft, and I am proud to be one of you, and, still more, to be at your head. I am grateful to the King for having made me one of us. Brethren, I know you will drink this toast with cordiality, and at the same time I feel that it will be right to give this toast Masonically, for in doing so we do honour to our guest and to ourselves."
The toast was drunk with Masonic honours.
The King of Sweden, who was loudly cheered on rising, said:—"Most Worshipful Grand Master and Brethren,—The toast I have the honour of replying to I acknowledge, not only on my own behalf, but on behalf of all the foreign Lodges and Masonic congregations whose principles and constitution are in conformity with yours. On their behalf I would also express the great satisfaction I feel at the honour and distinction to-day conferred upon me by your Grand Master and by you in constituting me a member of your honoured body. I feel much satisfaction in being present at such an enormous gathering as this, and one assembled for purposes of so noble a kind. Patriotic feelings are always noble and honourable, and nowhere have they taken deeper root than in this country, for whose people, ever since my young days, I have felt the most profound esteem. But there is one feeling still more noble than patriotism, and that is the feeling which has its foundation in the Word of God, and unites us in love and charity to mankind. As we sing at Masonic gatherings in my own country, 'There is one God, our Father, so be His sons then, brethren.' This is the bond which exists between us, the rallying cry which unites us, and the lasting tie which binds us. I have the greatest pleasure in giving you 'The Health of our Grand Master, the Prince of Wales.'"
The toast was drunk with full Masonic honours. The Prince of Wales, in reply, said:—
"Your Majesty and Brethren,—You are well aware that during the fourteen years I have held the high office of Grand Master I have striven not to be unmindful of your interests and of those of the Craft, and, though I am prevented by my many duties from meeting you as often as I should like, still I hope that you are convinced that your interests are none the less dear to me. We have heard an address from the King of Sweden this evening which none of us are likely to forget, and I think, if he will allow me to say so, that we Englishmen have reason to envy his facility in speaking our language. It is, I believe, the first time that a foreign Sovereign has honoured a gathering of this kind. I think that we may look upon this as a red-letter day, and we are not likely to forget the King's presence, or the kind and useful words which he has spoken. Our watchword, 'Religion and Charity,' is one which has been inculcated in us ever since we belonged to the Craft, and it is one which we shall do well to remember. If we uphold those principles, and, above all, that idea of patriotism of which the King has spoken, there is little doubt that the Craft will remain as prosperous as it is now, and that our lodges and members will increase. I do not wish to allude to foreign lodges with whom we are not in accord; but I would ask that at any rate we should strive to pick out what is good in them, and remember that we are not only English Freemasons, but Freemasons of the entire universe. I trust that as long as I live, or as long as I may be permitted to hold the high office of your Grand Master, I may continue to do my duty to the Craft and to my country. I wish now to ask his Majesty the King of Sweden to accept the Steward's badge of this festival."
His Majesty was then invested with the badge, amidst loud cheers. The Grand Master then said he had much pleasure in reading a telegram from New York to the following effect:—"Grand Lodge in annual communication congratulates the fraternity in England on the one-hundredth anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Masonic Institute for Girls."
Again rising, the Prince of Wales said:—
"Your Majesty and Brethren,—I have now the honour to give you the last toast, though it may be safely called the most important, as the object with which we have met at this enormous and unprecedented gathering is to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Masonic Institute for Girls. That an institution should have existed a hundred years is one proof that it is a good one, and we have every reason to be grateful to those who, from the commencement up to the present time, have given their energy and their labours to keep going so thoroughly Masonic an Institution.
"As you are aware, the Institution was founded by the Chevalier Ruspini. King George IV. and King William IV. were patrons, besides many members of the Royal Family, and Her Majesty the Queen is patroness now. The school at first contained only fifteen children; it now contains 243, and they are educated up to a high religious standard, combined with education of a general character, including music. Particular attention is paid to needlework and cooking and domestic duties. Only a few days ago I was present here and saw the girls go through their marching exercise, and I never saw anything more satisfactory. There are many commanding officers who would be proud to see their men march and go through their exercise as we saw them performed. I may state the system was established by Miss Davis, who was appointed head governess in 1861, and I am glad to think that at this moment she retains her post. She has been eminently successful, as is manifest by the Cambridge Local, College of Preceptors, and the Science and Art Examinations. It is also satisfactory to notice that, with the exception of Miss Davis, every member of the staff has been educated at the Institution. The Head Governess of the Female Masonic School at Dublin and the Head Governess of the British Orphan Asylum were educated at our school, and during a period of eighty-four years there have been but two matrons, one of whom held the appointment over fifty-two years.
"As you are aware, the object we have in view in meeting here to-night is to make important additions to the present buildings, and provide accommodation for an increased number of children. These additions will cost at least £20,000. In 1838, on the occasion of the jubilee of the Institution, £1000 was subscribed at the annual festival, and in 1871, when I had the honour of presiding, as much as £5200 was collected. But I have now an announcement to make which I think will interest you beyond measure, and that is that I have received the assurance of the Secretary that we have obtained at this centenary festival over £50,000. I may safely challenge anybody to dispute the statement that so large a sum has never been subscribed at a charity dinner. It now affords me great pleasure to propose 'Success to the Institution,' coupled with the name of the Deputy Grand Master, the Earl of Lathom, Chairman of the Executive Committee, and an old and personal friend of my own."
The Earl of Lathom replied, and the proceedings terminated. The grand total of the subscription was £50,472, of which London contributed £22,454, and the Provinces, India, and the Colonies £28,018.