Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-06-11
MASONIC.


The City ProfuseIy Decorated.
NEW YORK, June 2-The Masonic
demonstration to-day is Almost impOs-
ing affair. The weather is delightful.
Flags, banners and buntlngs are every
where displayed, and the streets
through which the procession moves
are crowded. The ceremonies OF IT,
dedication of the new masonic temple,
may be said to have begun yesterday |
afternoon, when the annual session of
th, Grand Lodge of the State was
opened.
Veiy much to the satisfaction of the
thousands who paraded to-day, and to
their sympathizlng friends, who mum
bered many more thousands, the sui
res upon an entirely cioudless sky
The End OF June was ushered III ty |
the most favorable of Eature auspices. |
At al early hour the city was astlr |
with music, with masonic bodies NOV |
ing FROM headquarters to the point |
desi grated for them by the maj shat |
Of the day, an unusual prOmptness |
having been Observer by most OF them, |
and the result Was that at the hour
named for all to be i'll line, very few |
Communicates or lodges were out OF
place. The side streets and avenues
.eadiug to the head of the line were
gay with the music and hloatlng ban
ners OF Knights Templar. Everywhere
the red cross showed In the sun, and
the familiar motto,
In Hoo sIGNO vINCEs
met the eye at every turn. Soon after
nine O'clock three guns were fired III
quick succession from Washington
square, and immediately the signal to
move was communicated to the head
of the line at Nineteenth street by the
waving of suIdons. Marshal Preston
and aids then took their positions at
the head of the line, and the process
sion, Lnnrshalled i'll twenty divisions,
took up It's march. Preceding the
Masons came twentyfour mounted
policemen aud two piatoons of officers
on foot The marshaPs staff and
| III Juntud aids were all designated by
| cUn~picuous badges and wore their
| handsome Jewels on the left breast
| Tie com inundrles looked Well, aud the
elegance of the appointments, togeth
! cr with the excellence of the discipline.
| obtained for them many favorable
| comments along the line of march.
Burners were occasionally supported
| by force of Knights arranged In the
| orm of the cross.
The Eveng Post says the principal
| feature was the Detroit Commandry,
No. l. This Commandry is said to be
the most proficient in
THE PECULIAR DRILL
of the Knights Templar of any organ
ization in the country. They we're not
! Il al, 70
greal deal of credit for celebrity and
soldierly precision, for soon after the
line moved hey began their evolE-
tons and continued them at short ill.,
tervals along the line of march, with
out IN the least retardipg the general
movement of the procession. Their
movements included the formation of
line with front of fifty men, and
these were formed with dexterity,
and in such good order, as to provoke
constant applause, and they went Oh
| their way rewarded by a hearty clap
ping Of hands and q fiutter of handker
chiefs from the ladies', who occupied
every available window on Broadway,
| where the procession could be seen to
! advantage. AS the eighth division
passed Fifteenth street the blue lodge
filed into their places, from either side
Of Fifth avenue. Previous to this their
lines had BEEN broken to permit DIS
many of the order as possible to wit
ness the attractive part of the parade.
The remaining divisions up to the
twenty fifth, was each provided with
| bands of music, and consisted of from
ten to fifteen lodges each. Each lodge
WAS represented by from one to two
hundred members, although the divis-
| ions were very uneaqual In strength
of numbers. In the twenty-tifth divis-
ion, st. Johns Lodge, No. l, was the
| Bible on which
WASHINGTON TOOK HIS FIRST OATH OF
OFFICE,
administered to the president of the
| United States. In this division were
also bone the vessels containing the
corn, wine and oil, a gold symbolic
lodge carried by four worshipful mas
tiers and the holy writings, square and
compasses resting upon a cushion of
| purple velvet. The orator of the day,
Judge John L. Lewis. together, with
visiting officers from other jurisdic-
tons, occupied carriages, and i'll the
rear of the line came the commission
ers of appeal, the grand secretary and
/
master, who rode between the grand
stewards bearing their rods of office.
THE DECORATIONS
were numerous and in the main taste
| full, but along Madison and Fifth ave-
nues there was al absence of display,
| with the exception of flags, which were
displayed from the Union League
Club building, few private residen-
ces, and the hotels. The decorations
at the temple were not profuse. but
they were arranged with good taste
and to the best advantage. 1t is est
mated there were not less than 1000
Knights L 9mplar in the line, repre-
scnting about forty lodges of masons.
There we've
| NEARLY TWO THOUSAND LODGES
| represented by an average of one hun
thirty nine in number and the parade
was fully tweLty-four thousand strong.
| The regulations as to dress were al
most without exception complied with,
and the few instances in which they
were disregarded, made the individual
| who wore a low hat, or figured panta-
| looms a conspicuous object in the pro-
cession. With the exception of heats,
which are unavailable in moving SO
large a body, the line moved along the
prescribed route with but little in
terruption, passing through Fifth ave-
nue., Canal street, Broadway. Four
teentb street, Fifth avenue. Twenty
second street, Twenty-third street,
Madison avenue and Twenty
third street to the temple. As the line
advanced it was met with hand clap
ping and hnzzaing on every side, and
numberless women at the windows
freely waved their handkerchiefs. The
entire procession occupied two hours
and half in passing a given point.
Broadway presented an extraordinary
| appearance imme diately below Canal
street. The road way was blocked by
cnriages and wagons flied with spec
tators, as indeed were oil the side
| streets along the line. The houses
were decorated with faos and stream