The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-02-05
I. o. OF o. f.
AN INTERFERING OCCASION.
LAYING OF CORNER STONE.

The msn who plants young tree, knowing that
its shade and full grown beauty will be not for him
but for those who come after, does much the
same act as those who, covering with mortar and
cement the massive cornerstone in which are de-
posted The commonplace things of to-day, hands
down to those who shall live a century afterwsrd,
interesting relics Of what TO that age, will have
become the distant past. The inscriptions upon
ancient tablets and tombs were written for the
benefit Of who living to-day, in the certainty
that spite Of cIumbling empires and decaying
cities, human enterprise would at some future
day, however distant. unearth them. Aud the
corner stones which to-day in countless buildings
here, elsewhere, all over the civilized world, con-
tain within them peculiar memories of the time
when they we're laid in their places, are so many
long links joining the past to the future and are
each and every one OF them destined at some far
of day TO delight the curious or furnish food for
the reflective.
These were the thoughts suggested yesterday
in viewing the interesting ceremony of depOsiting
within the cornerstone Of the New Odd FellO vs.
Hail on Camp street, opposite Lafayette square,
a copper box, containing variety of articles de-
scTpuye OF the social, political, financial, scien-
lifc and religious situation Of New Orleans, or in
fact, the country to day. The box was the same
ere which had on the 18th OF April 1850, been de-
tCs'td IN tie cornerstone Of the massive build
ing subsequently destroyed by fire. the corner
OF Camp and Lafayette streets. After the fire
The box had been taken from is bed of granite,
and il being opened, its contents were found to
be 10 perfect state Of preservation All these
were displayed yesterday, and were replaced in
The box, IN which, through sixteen years of toll
and turmoil without, they rested quietly. The
articles were these: Copies o. the CRESCENT,
Bulletin, Delta, True Delta. Picsyune Bee and
Courier; $50 gold coin Of 1850, bright and shiny
as when ned out from the mint round tin box
containing smaller u. ). coins; collection Of
foreign coins, presented by w. Solomon, among
them, one oblOng coin, picked mp on the battle
Eelc OF Lecualtpan, Mexico, FebTulry 25, lS4S
charter, constitution and bylaws Of Grand Lodge,
on parchment; printed sheets of verses by Geo.
Washington Dixon, and package of yellow corn;
together with these was solid silver plate, four
inches square. upon which were engraved the
names Of the directors Of the association, VIZ:
John Orchard, NJ. w. G.. A.; VIM. H.,Rice, T.
n. Blake, J. A. Amelung, J. d. Bein, J. Il. Bet.
chel, z. CCnd fl, J. o. Nixon, A. l.. Phelps, II. G.
stetson, I. H. Shields, Hy. Bier, Thos. w. Van
Nyck. George Purvis architect.
All these memeutoes Of the former hall were
first re-depOsited in the box by Most Worthy
Grand Master NJ. +. Wilson. IL then became ne.
cessary TO add 10 these by also Gep0siting similar
relics OF the present day. Times have changed
sadly during the past sixteen years, as those Of
our descendants who inspect the contents of the
box, and contrast the two sets Of relics, will
plainly see and wonder at First, there was de.
pOtl;td silver plate. similar IN size and shape 10
The other and inscribed as folOws: " Odd Eel
lows Hall Association, New Orleans, Jan. 18th,
ls6S. n. E. Wilson, Most Worthy Grand Master
Board Of Directors: E. NJ. Rusha p. G. p. Rep.
W. Grand Lodge; :. +. Moore, 2. G.; Geo. Nun
gessor, p G. NJ; A. Wallace Hunter, 2. @. NJ:
Luther Homes, p. G. ~; Bernard Cohen, p. d.
G. b.; Geo. w. Roper, p. G.; S. G. Duulap, P. G.
NJ; Eugene p. Burger, p. G.; Gardner Smith, P.
G. NJ; Howard Nillspaugh, p. G.. NJ; Josiah Fol
ger, secretary; VIM. Thlel, architect: Pile &
Murray, builders"
San pies Of the various smaller denominations
OF United States and city paper currency; the Con-
suiution and proceedings Of the grand lodges of
the state and the United States; reports Of com.
niltees; copies of the New Orleans CRESCENT
Picsyune, Times, Bee, Commercial Bulletin,
Weekly Mercury, German Gazette, Republican,
Tribune and Christian Advocate; a French coin
picked up on the battlefield Of Chalmette; aud |
lest, (uot least, peThaps) list Of the representa-
tives Of the press Vrl sent al the ceremony were
ell placed in the box and then the ld was sealed: !
what eyes shall next look upon its contents, who
OF US can say?
The scene described occurred in the Office Of the |
secretary of the Grand Lodge, corner of Camp |
street end Commercial alley. The box was thence |
carried to its resting place and safely deposited |
after which, at No. 80 Camp street. the partici. |
pants in the interesting ceremony met around the
social board and pledged in toasts the success OF
the undertaking that day inauglrated.