The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-26
GRAND MASONIC FESTIVAL.
st. John, Bangor and Portland.
GOOD WEATHER, GOOD FELLOWSHIP AND
GOOD TIME.

| The ancient order of Freemasons, like all the
associations of Craftsmen or Guilds in Great
Britain in the Middle ages, chose patron saints,
| and in time the custom became universal among
them to dedicate their lodges, as their societies
engaged on large sdifices were called, to the
two saints John, whose festivals are intended
to occur on the summer and winter solstices,
or the longest and shortest days of the year, a
very neat arrangement of the early Christian
Church by which they utilized the two great
heather festivals which their backslidng con-
verts were too unwilling to give up. Thus st.
John the Baptist's day falls upon the oath of
June, and St. John the Evangelist's day upon
the 9th of December.
Portland Commandery Of Knights Templar
have been accustomed to celebrate the festival
of st. John the Baptist by either visiting some
Commandery abroad or by receiving guests
here. Bangor has been visited by them two or
three times; in 1872 they visited Montreal and
in 1873 they visited st. John. This season they
invited the Templars of these three cities to
visit Portland and celebrate the festival here.
We were sorry to find that the Montreal En-
campment failed to come; probably the unus-
ually grand scale on which the day was cele-
brated in their own city proved too much for
them and they found themselves obliged to re-
main and participate.
Our citizens have noticed with pleasure tho
character of the gentlemen composing two En-
equipments from st. John and the Commandery
from Bangor. They are men of high social and
business standing in their own cities, and we
cordially echo the words of our Mayor, who
said he was proud and happy to welcome them
to the hospitalities Of Portland, aud we are
gratified that the duty of greeting and, enter
tanning these distinguished visitors fell into
such worthy hands. The Portland Templars
have extended abundant and elegant hospitality
and We have the satisfaction of knowing that
their munfcence has cultivated in the breasts
of . large number of the best citizens of Bangor
and st. John feeling of cordially and kind
illness toward our city. Heaven itself smiled
benignant on the festival in the two finest days
of the season.
Their reception, marchings and visit to the
Islands we have already described. The grand
banquet of Wednesday night at Fluent Hall.
closed too late for an account yesterday morning
1t was an elaborate and brilliant affair, the par
ty taking their seats at about P. NJ.
The spacious and elegant banquet hall pre-
sented beautiful appearance as the Knights
marched in. On platform at the upper end
was Chander's Band in the midst of abundant
floral and evergreen decorations. Across the
upper end of the floor stretched table flom
which three other tables extended the entire
length of the hall, handsomely spread and ele-
gantly adorned with flowers. Here the Tenn
pars weary with their days junketings, sat
themselves down and after grace BY Chaplain
Leonard, attacked the appetizing viands with
hearty good will, the band all the while dis
coursing excellent music. When the discus
sion of the solid viands had ceased the COM
pany was called to attention by Commander
Frank G. Stevens who introduced Edward c.
SWEET as POSTMASTER for the occasion. The
regular toasts were then presented, with a
running fire of witty comment from the toast
master who knows how to do this sort of thing,
as follows:
1.-The day we celebrate.
Response by Past Commander Franklin Fox.
1.-THE Grand Commandery of Maine.
Response by Past Commander Stephen Ber-
~ for Grand Commander J w. Ballou detain-
ed at home by illness
Hist. John and Union De Molay Encampments
Responses by Commander E. j. Wetmore,
Lieut. Commander j. G. Forbes for St. John
and Commander D. r. Munroe for Union De
Molay.
IV-St. Johns Commandery of Bangor.
Response by Commander A. M. Babb and
Jere. Fenno
v--Richard Cour de Lion Encampment of Mon
treal.
Response in absence of Encampment by s.
G. Andrews of Portland.
VI-Our fair city.
Response by Mayor Geo. P. Wescott.
VII-The Queen of England.
Response by Henry Leonard of st. John.
The President of the United States-ofered byJ.
q. Forbes OF st. John.
Response by Rev. Henry c. Leonard of Port
land Commandery.
st. Alban Commandery.
Response by A. A. Strout.
The Grand Chapter of Maine.
Response by Grand High Priest Fl. II. Bur-
bank.
The Ladies of Northumberland by M. Chamber
lam of St. John.
Response by Stanley T. Pullen of Portland.
Grand Master Charles f. Stansberry, of
w dSufuSbou. II. VI, Wao COoSeOus @Au A00O Oh
eloquent response.
Several other speeches were made and stories
told, notable among which was the story of
"Webster at Rochester" by E. G. SWEET, and
the celebrated ''fy" story by the venerable and
ever delightful Ira Berry. whose brightness
time has not even begun to dim.
Geo. w. Snow of Bangor recited poem pre-
pared for the occasion, Astounding in personal
and local hits, and Commander Stevens gave
some beautiful and appropriate verses of fare
well, which were heartily appreciated.
The banquet closed at about half-past one in
the morning with jovial song.
Yesterday morning the Templa1s started at
an early hour and took their guests in carriages
about the city and envirors. At eleven o'clock
Portland Commandery again appeared in uni
form and escorted the visiting Knights to
| Fluent Hall, where lunch was set out Here
| the personal parting took place, and one who
witnessed it would hardly believe in the ira
ditional phlegmatic character of the Briton.
| The ST. John Knights enthusiastically demand
ed that those assembled should meet again in
| their city next year. Mutual cheers were ex-
changed, AUD Lang Syne" was sung in
| unison, and when high twelve struck they took
| up their route for the depot where special
train was in waiting, which started at half-past
| twelve for Bangor. There the st. John Knights
| were to be guests of their Bangor brethren for
the night, and this morning they will pursue
| their further course to st. John.
The Portland Committee provided for the
comfort of their guests en- route by putting a
| supply of refreshments on the train to cheer
them on their way. Thus ended Masonic
| festival as thoroughly enjoyed as any that ever
occurred in Portland, and friendships have
been formed which will terminate only with
life.
| He EXPLAINS Nathan Wood came tG
this Office some weeks since AMI represented
that he had sold certain parties ''porous plast
ers' unmarked, and that they marked them
and thereby got into trouble with one Mr.
Allcock's plaster people. As the remarks were
made in connection with the difficulty of Mr.
F. e. Jordan, in Boston, we were left to infer