Bartolomeo Ruspini

BY THE END of the eighteenth century, London's population had risen to 800,000, farm houses were close to the City centre, stagecoaches rattled down its streets, night watchmen with their lanterns cried out the hours and hackney chairmen shouted, "By your leave there!" and then often knocked unsuspecting pedestrians into the foul smelling gutters.

The cramped living conditions meant that smallpox and other infectious diseases were commonplace. Life was harsh and regular work did not guarantee survival.

According to one estimate, the average age of death amongst unskilled workers was nineteen. Infants and children under five, invariably from the working-class, made up almost half of all the deaths in London during the latter part of the eighteenth century.

But beneath the squalor and misery, a new spirit of philanthropy was beginning to stir. John Howard worked to improve living conditions in the overcrowded prisons and hospitals, William Wilberforce campaigned to abolish the slave trade. And the colony of New South Wales was founded, with the intention of introducing a milder form of punishment— deportation!

The year 1788 marked the beginning of a new era in many walks of life. In January, the first issue of The Times Newspaper was printed (it was previously called the Daily Universal Register) and before the month of March was out, the school first known as the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls, was founded by Chevalier Bartolomeo Ruspini.

He and his colleagues wanted to put into practice the real teachings of Freemasonry and in so doing, they sought to benefit people other than themselves.

The decision taken by Chevalier Ruspini and eight other fellow Masons to found a school for the daughters of Freemasons who had fallen on hard times, was indeed very far sighted for the age, especially as an elementary education did not become compulsory until 1876.

Ruspini's legacy has not only proved to be long lasting, but also represented a shining example to everyone of philanthropy in action. He is remembered as a good neighbour and friend to children. Today, the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys (RMTGB), continues the good work begun by Chevalier Ruspini all those years ago.