"We are exceedingly happy to know that you take an active part in all that concerns the well-being of our Order, and hope you may long be spared to support the benevolent principles of our constitution, laws, and lectures of our extensive Society. "Be pleased to convey to our Brethren at the antipodes how pleased we are to know that, although so far from us, they so cheerfully earry out everything that can tend to the consolidation and extension of the Independent Order. "In bidding our shores farewell-it may be for ever, we hope you may arrive safely at your distant home; and, in your future journey through life, that you and yours may enjoy all the happiness this world can afford. "We remain, yours fraternally, on behalf of the M.U., WILLIAM ALEXANDER, G.M. JOHN SCHOFIELD, P.G.M. REV. THOMAS PRICE, P. PROV. G.M. WILLIAM AITKEN, P. PROV. G.M. JOSEPH WOODCOCK, P. PROV. G.M. HENRY RATCLIFFE, Corresponding Secretary. "Manchester, November 10th, 1858." LIVERPOOL NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE. At the meeting of this important association, held in October last at the St. George's Hall, Liverpool, Mr. Charles Hardwick, P.G,M., by invitation from the central committee, read a paper upon "Friendly or Benefit Societies, their errors, and the means of improvement." Mr. Hardwick's sentiments on this subject are well known to the readers of our Magazine. He entered at length into the discussion of the principal points at issue between the patrons of "office clubs" versus the selfgoverned bodies, and contended that the true duty of the upper classes was to aid by their countenance, and by the diffusion of sound information on the subject of finance in a popular form, the efforts of the provident and industrious portion of the community, but to leave management and the practical details in the hands of the members themselves. The paper, which was well received and listened to with marked attention, was read in the section devoted to subjects having relation to "Social Economy," Sir James Stephen occupying the chair. STATISTICS OF THE NORTH LONDON DISTRICT. December 14, 1838. To the Editor of the Old-Fellows' Magazine. Sir,-Will you please to find a corner, in the next issue of the Magazine, for the annexed return. By so doing, you will perhaps assist in disabusing the minds of our members of the slander too carelessly thrown on Benefit Societies by the Times of yesterday. I am aware that it is not always easy to answer the sophistical arguments which appear in that paper; but all men possessing an average of common sense will admit that a plain statement of facts like those accompanying this note, are worth all the ifs and supposes which the scribblers to the Times have caused to be inserted therein. I am, Sir, yours truly, JAMES ROE, Secretary to the North London District. M.U. A Return is issued to the Lodges of the North London District, shewing the income and expenditure of the Sick and Funeral Funds for the year 1857. Seven Lodges have not supplied Returns, as called for, and have caused delay in publishing. Sixty-four Lodges numbering 6483 members, have forwarded Returns to the District Secretary, and the following is the result :-- Increase by Income over Expenditure in 60 Lodges Net Increase Capital at begining of Year..... 3633 17 6 67 11 01 3566 6 51 ...... TOTAL-Capital of Sick and Funeral Funds of 64 Lodges £40,373 14 6 PRESENTATIONS AND ANNIVERSARIES. ABERDARE DISTRICT.-Presentation to a Young Lady.-On Tuesday, Nov. 23, 1858, the members of the Sunnybank Lodge, with many visitors, met for the purpose of presenting the daughter of the Rev. Thomas Price with a mark of their esteem, a large Family Bible, bound in the most costly manner, on the corners of which, in gold letters, was the following inscription: "This Bible was presented to Miss Emily Price by the Sunnybank Lodge, I.O.F., for eminent services rendered by her father, the Rev. Thomas Price, P.P.G.M., of the Aberdare District, to the above lodge, 1858." The presentation was made by D. Thomas, P.P.G.M.; and Miss Price returned thanks in some Welsh stanzas, one of which we give for the benefit of our Welsh friends, Meistr cadeirydd, ac anwyl gyfeillion, I fydaid o fodau, sy'n gorwedd mewn pechod. The meeting was afterwards addressed by her father, the three district officers, P.P.G. Masters, Jones, and Botting; Lewis, Thomas, Morgan, and Jones;-all testifying to the services which called for this expression of their regard by the members of the lodge. A BERSYCHAN, PONTYPOOL DISTRICT.-On the evening of Wednesday, 25th August, the members of the Union Lodge, and of various lodges of the district, assembled at the house of Mr. David Nicholas, Union Inn, Abersychan, for the purpose of presenting P.P.G.M. William Fisher with a small token of respect for his valuable services to the Union Lodge and Pontypool District. Prov. C.S. Thomas was called to the chair, and P.P.G.M. Joseph Ellis acted as vice-chairman. The chairman, after a few compli mentary remarks, presented a purse and £5 to P.P.G.M. William Fisher, as a small token of respect for his superior management of the district, while acting as their chief officer. Mr. Fisher responded briefly, but very feelingly. During the course of the evening numerous songs were sung and toasts proposed. ATTLEBOROUGH, WARWICKSHIRE.-At the annual audit of accounts of the Loyal Howard Lodge, on the 9th of November last, the balance in favour of the lodge was found to be £1,196 19s. 114d., which, with some interest then overdue, left the capital over £2,000. A vote of thanks was unanimously accorded to Mr. William Taverner, the secretary, who on that night completed his seventh year of office. We understand that a voluntary subscription is being made in the lodge for a testimonial to Mr. Taverner, for his meritorious labours in the lodge of which he has been a member for upwards of eighteen years. BEVERLEY, YORKSHIRE.-On Wednesday evening, October 27th, about 100 members belonging to this district met in the Girl's School-room, near the Minster, for the purpose of witnessing the presentation of an emblem of the Order to the Rev. J. B. Birtwhistle, the worthy incumbent, as a token of gratitude and respect for the valuable services that gentleman had rendered. The proceedings commenced shortly after eight o'clock, and were greatly enlivened by glees and songs. The emblem was in a very handsome and costly gilt frame, the picture representing a widow and her children escaping from Poverty, whose grim hand was outstretched to grasp them, but was frustrated in his design by Charity, who extended her hand to save and protect them. At the bottom of the picture was the following inscription :-"Presented to the Rev. J. B. Birtwhistle, M.A., by the members of the Widows' and Orphans' Auxiliary, belonging to the Beverley District of Odd-fellows, M.U, October 27th, 1858." The chairman on this occasion was Mr. William Edmondson, Mr. William Carr Appleton being selected to present the emblem, while Mr. James G. Crosskill read the following address :— "TO THE REV. J. B. BIRTWHISTLE, INCUMBENT OF BEVERLEY MINSTER. "Rev. and respected Sir,-We, the Widows' and Orphans' Auxiliary, belonging to the Beverley District of Odd-fellows, Manchester Unity, beg to present you with a small token of gratitude and esteem for the kind and disinterested manner in which you have, whenever requested, assisted us by your administrations. We feel proud to think that at one time our society had the honour to number yourself as one of its members, and that in the early days of manhood you thought it not degrading to be counted a brother Odd-fellow, and sincerely do we regret that by reason of unseen and accidental circumstances, you ceased to belong to our brotherhood; yet, knowing that other and more weighty matters had a stronger claim on your time and attention, it pleases us to see that you still have the good and welfare of our society at heart, and are ready at all times to advocate its claims. We cordially congratulate ourselves that we have frequent opportunities of listening to your ministrations, and hope many of us profit by your instructions. Rev. Sir, it now remains for us to present this memento of our gratefulness; and earnestly do we wish you every earthly happiness; also, that you may long live to be a comfort and protection to your own household and a blessing to your fellow men, and when you shall have finished your course on earth, and ended a life of usefulness, may you die in peace with all mankind, enter the Grand Lodge above, and receive the gracious welcome of our Great Redeemer—' Wel done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."" The address was then handed to the Rev. J. B. Birtwhistle, after which Mr. James Carr Appleton presented the emblem in the name of, and on behalf of, the Odd-fellows.-The Rev. J. B. Birtwhistle in a brief but effective speech thanked them for the token of respect. As a minister, he was truly thankful to learn that his ministrations had been approved of, and that by some of them they had been found profitable and instructive. After several speeches, the National Anthein was sung by the whole company. BINGLEY, YORKSHIRE.-On Tuesday, the 12th of October, the members of the Airedale Lodge held a tea party in the Odd-Fellows' Hall, when about 120 members and friends sat down to tea. After tea, a public meeting was held on the occasion of presenting to Mr. Benjamin Beck Skirrow a splendid framed portrait of himself, valued at £15, with the following inscription:-" Presented by the Brethren of the Airedale Lodge, Bingley District, Independent Order of Odd-Fellows, Manchester Unity, to Benjamin Beck Skirrow, P.P.G.M., as a token of their esteem for his zealous and gratuitous services. October 12, 1858." P.G. Joseph Stephenson took the chair at seven, p.m.; and after a few introductory remarks, called upon P.G. Joseph Manson to make the presentation; on which he read the following address, which was neatly written on parchment, and signed by the officers and committee of the lodge, with the seal affixed thereto:-" To Benjamin Beck Skirrow. Sir,-Permit me, in the name and on behalf of the officers of our lodge, to present to you a portrait of yourself, as a memorial of our high esteem for you, and of our sincere gratitude for the zealous and gratuitous services which you have so long and faithfully rendered to our lodge. We esteem and regard our testimonial the more, because we flatter ourselves that it will be handed down to posterity as an heir-loom in your family, and thereby become a lasting memorial of the good and friendly feeling which exists between you and this lodge, whose prosperity you have so assiduously laboured to promote-with the portrait which we have the honour to present to you, and which, we sincerely hope, you and your family may live long to contemplate and admire, we beg your acceptance of our best wishes for your future welfare and happiness." BRADFORD, YORKSHIRE.-On Thursday evening, 25th November, about eighty members and friends of the Industry Lodge assembled for the purpose of presenting to P.G. George Hey, permanent secretary, a splendid electro-plated tea service, as a mark of their approbation of his conduct during a period of twenty-eight years. The lodge now possesses a surplus of £1,055. During P.G. George Hey's stewardship, the lodge had paid out upwards of £2,000 for sickness, and more than £1,000 for funeral expenses; and from the 1st May, 1858, to the present time, they had paid £40 in sick pay and other expenses, and still had a clear gain from that time of £47 3s. ld. The toasts were interspersed with some excellent oratory and vocalization. BURSLEM, STAFFORDSHIRE. The members and friends of St. John's Lodge celebrated their anniversary by an excellent dinner at the Swan Inn, on Wednesday, November 17th. Prov. D.G.M. Edwin, the chairman, congratulated the company on the cheering prospects of the lodge, which had been in existence upwards of thirty years. After the usual loyal and patriotic toasts, the chairman spoke in eloquent terms on the progress of Odd-Fellowship; and, in responding to the toast-"The Independent Order, Manchester Unity," Mr. Glass explained the nature and objects of our Society. Some, he said, had thought that Odd-Fellowship was born in the camp of Augustus Cæsar, and some in the Garden of Eden! but he thought, after careful research, that some fifty years ago it was introduced by some men in humble life, and they had derived the idea from the principles of "Freemasonry." It mattered little, he thought, where it came from, there could be but one opinion formed of it, and that was, that it was calculated to do very much good. That it was thoroughly English in its character and constitution he could prove from the following statistics:-In England there were 40 counties, and Odd-Fellows were to be found in every one of them. In Wales, 11 out of 12: in Scotland, 10 out of 32; and in Ireland, 3 out of 32 counties in which they were found. In the Isle of Man there were 8 lodges; in the Isle of Wight, 5; in Guernsey, 3; and with regard to foreign countries, wherever Englishmen were found, Odd-Fellows were also sure to be found. In the Cape of Good Hope there were two lodges and 140 members; in Canada, 25 lodges; in Australia, 64; in Calcutta, 1; in California, 1; in Demerara and Barbadoes, 3; in North America, 6, in France, 1; Rouen, 1; Malta, 1; and in New Zealand, 18 lodges. Twelve years ago the Order numbered a quarter of a million, but some alteration having been made in the system, 20,000 seceded. Since that period wonderful progress had been made! and in six years the entire number of seceders was made up; and at the present time, although there were 21 lodges less, there were 51,060 members more. This was to be accounted for from the fact that small lodges had been incorporated. The annual contributions of the Order amounted to £280,000, and they were paying to the sick and for funerals £160,000 more. Here, then, was a noble institution, which none but Englishmen could work. Every seven years they were paying away something like a million of money. The St. John's Lodge numbers 160 members, with a capital of £2,553 3s. 8d. Twenty widows receive pay from its funds. The weekly sick pay is 9s., and funeral money £10.-On Thursday afternoon the Widow add Orphans' tea meeting, in connection with the lodge, took place, when upwards of sixty sat down to a comfortable tea, P.G. George Mountford in the chair. CREWE.-On Saturday, 2nd October, the brethren and friends of the Loyal Strangers' Home Lodge met at the Adelphi Hotel, and sat down to a substantial dinner, provided by Brother John Furber, P.D.G.M. Henry Hawkins presided, and the vice-chair was filled by P.G. Joseph Cook. The Strangers' Home Lodge was opened in December, 1848, by a few members with a very small fund. It has progressed steadily and quietly, and at present numbers 53 members, and having satisfied all demands, has a balance of £230,―a proof that working men are capable of managing their own affairs. DUBLIN DISTRICT ANNUAL BALL-On Monday, the 22nd of November, the annual ball in aid of the Widows' and Orphans' Fund took place in the Rotunda, and was most numerously and respectably attended. The entire suite of spacious rooms were thrown open, and presented a very animated appearance, being tastefully decorated with banners, flags, and evergreens, and the brethren of the different lodges appeared in regalia. The ball was got up under the superintendence of Prov. G.M. Thos. Gray, Prov. D.G.M. James A. Hyde, and C.S. John Quigley, no fewer than 1,500 persons being present. FORDINGBRIDGE, SOUTHAMPTON DISTRICT.-The members of the Loyal New Forest Lodge wishing to present Brother J. Bonnett, P.G., with a testimonial, for his services as honorary secretary for three years, a subscription was entered into, when the sum of £5 7s. was raised, with which was purchased a handsome gold guard chain, and P.O. certificate of merit in a gilt frame. A special meeting of the members was convened on Wednesday evening, and the testimonial was presented, on behalf of the members, by the medical officer of the lodge, T. B. Rake, Esq., who made some very eulogistic observations on Brother Bonnett, who accepted the gift in a few feeling and appropriate words. GLASGOW.-The nineteenth anniversary of the Loyal Robert Burns Lodge was celebrated upon Thursday, 18th November, 1858. Upwards of forty |