ted to be the patroness of the institution."

The toast of "Earl de Grey, the Grand Master," was then proposed by the
Royal President, and Lord Clonmell proposed "The Past Grand Master, the
Earl of Zetland." "The Deputy-Grand Master's Health" was proposed by
Mr. C. Sykes, M.P., who dwelt upon the great zeal and ability the Earl
of Carnarvon had shown in following Masonry.

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in proposing the toast
of the evening, said, "in general he felt diffidence in asking
for subscriptions for charities over which he sometimes
presided, but he had not such a feeling on that occasion, when
he looked round and saw on all sides the brethren of the craft,
for he knew that one of the main principles inculcated in the
minds of Freemasons was charity. He knew that the brethren
composing the vast assemblage before him had come with one
object, to support this excellent institution. A very full and
able report had been drawn up, and therefore it was not
necessary for him to address them at any length. He might say,
however, that the institution was founded for the clothing,
maintenance, and education of the daughters of decayed
Freemasons, and it provided that the daughters of trustworthy
Freemasons should not be left to the pangs of misery and
ignorance. One important point was that it was supported
entirely by voluntary contributions, and since its foundation in
1788 it had educated, clothed, and maintained nearly 1000 girls.

"It was specially interesting for him to be connected with that
institution, as his grand-uncle, George IV., when Prince of
Wales, was an earnest supporter of it, and was present at its
foundation.

"It had been the great object of the committee to give the girls
a good, sound, simple, and useful education--not what it had
become the fashion to consider education, but an education
without any 'padding.' In these days education was more thought
of than it was fifty years ago, and, indeed, it was the great
topic of the day. But before this time the Freemasons were among
the first to set a good example, and having set this good
example early, it was their duty to keep it up. The committee,
in order to test the standard of education given in those
schools, entered some of the names of pupils for the Cambridge
Local Examinations, and, with very few e