Masonic Intelligence.

MASONIC INTELLIGENCE .

ROYAL FREEMASONS' GIRLS' SCHOOL . The usual Quarterly Court of tlie Governors of this School was held on the 4 th ult ., at the Freemasons' Tavern , under the presidency of Br , Patten , P . L . G . B . There were also present Br . Crewe ; Br . Adlard ; Br . Young ; Br . Robinson ; Br . Ii . G . Warren ; Br . Bohn ; Br . Symmonds ; the Rev . Br . Portal ; the Rev . Br . Lyall ; Br . Barrett ; El-. Biggs , & c „ & c . The minutes of the last Quarterly Courtand of the proceedings of the General and

, House Committees , having been read ancl confirmed , Br . Symmonds brought up the report of the special committee appointed to inquire into the expenditure of the Institution , with a view to the more economical management thereof . This document stated that , within the last few years , the outlay for the maintenance of the establishment had been greatly increased , by reason of the high prices to which provisions had risen during the same period . There had been also lately , a larger consumption of coals than usual , in order , thoroughly to air the new

building . It was the hope of the committee that , the first-mentioned cause of increased outlay would not long continue to operate , and they recommended a system of contracts for large quantities , and an alteration in tho mode of cooking—suggestions on which the House Committee were already acting with very favourable results . As regarded the cost of fuel they were of opinion , that for the future , it would not be so heavy as it had hitherto been . In pursuing their enquiries into the accounts of the establishmentthey found that a sum of money had been each year allowed to the

, gardener for extra labour , and they recommended that , for the future , such a charge should be disallowed , and that the House Committee should annually nominate one of its members to act as chairman for the year . It was a subject of regret that since 1847 , the income of the institution derived from dividends , had , in consequence of the sale of stock to meet the additional outlay incurred by the building of the new school house , been reduced from £ o < P ] 15 s . Gd . to , £ 246 . They hoped , however , that with larger

donations from the brethren , the General Committee might be enabled to recover ground in that respect , and extend the accommodation of the Institution to a larger number of children than 65 , which was the present limit . On the motion of Br . Portal , seconded by Br . Lyall , the report was adopted , and it was recommended to the House Committee to carry out the suggestions contained in it . The candidates in waiting were then called in , and informed that they were elected to the benefits of the Institution , without the necessity of a poll .

On the motion that the Treasurer be authorized to sign checks for the sum o £ 363 12 s . 8 d . to pay the ordinary expenses of the establishment for the last three months , Br . Barrett moved , as an amendment , that the gardener ' s charge for extra labour should not be allowed , which was , after some discussion , negatived , it being the opinion of the majority of the Court , that their servant had not wilfully misconceived his instructions . The original motion was then agreed to .

On the motion of Br . Symmonds , it was ordered , that the stock of the Institution exceeding , £ ' 2000 , should be sold , and that the amount realized should be placed to the credit of the Sustentation Fund . A young lady , a former pupil of the School , was next elected as Assistant Schoolmistress ; after which , Br . Symmonds brought forward his motion that the badge worn on the children ' s arm should be discontinuedand that their dress should be modernized . He grounded

, his objection to the badge , upon the ground that it was a degradation to the children , as it branded them with the stigma of being recipients of charity ; children of Freemasons , he maintained , ought to be exempted from any such slur , especially as even in the lowest class of charity schools there was growing up an inclination to free the children from every mark that had a tendency to lower them in their own esteem . He had first contemplated the discontinuance of a badge altogether , but to meet the