The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-03-31
MASONIC DEPARTMENT
The Last Man" Soeiet,.

/
b We find in the Masonic Review, of CT,
s cinnati' the following interesting sketch
, the Society of the Last Man" in ~,
:. necuon with the announcement of the dea,
{ oi Dr. John l.. Waiter, an eminent Maso
ana citizen of Ohio. He died January l:
e 1881: =
THE LAST MAN
] Inc year 1882 was fatal one in the hi.
Tory OF the United States through the rs~
ol Aslatlc cholera. The dreadfu
l 49, hao secured footing in New Or
,eans' and was cutting a deadly swath north
ward IN the Mississippi Valley. it, advanc
guard reaching st. Louis, where. as I
] spread to the East and to the West tn,
Slctlms tell by hundreds The Both q
SepIeniper OF that year was a gloriOusly
pnght sunday, and on the afternoon ~
.nat gay, IN Cincinnati were gathered IN
the studio of Joseph R. Mason. a prominent
S4ung artist, DIR. J. l.. Vatttier, Dr. James
" Mason, Henry L. Tatem, Fenton Law.
son' VIM. Disney, jr, VIM. Stanberry and
-e aus conversation naturally turned
Pon Tue plague and the havoc it was caus-
ihg' the stalking and uncomfortable pbap.
tom being the one topic EVERYWHERE. Mel
icaI skllI was at fault, and acknowled qed
Itsell beaten at all points by the mysterious
Pestlience that gave no clue to its origin
aAQ. sHecesstnIlY F- fqiled all attemnts at Re-
indifferent TO their fate, and under these
conditions was it that these seven gentle.
men talked of the situation. One of the
number IN spirit of levity suggested the
formation OF society to be known as the
Society of the Last Man, and proposed that
on each recurring anniversary of the organ
lzatlon banquet should be held, at which
1 tn az hut |, l..
covers should be provided for seven.
1t was further arranged that when but
one living representative remained to attend
| the feast, he was to open and drink bottle
OF wine that had been provided at the first
meal
They came together for the first time on
| the night of October 9th 1882, and on that
| occasion bottle of wine, with a tightly
closed cork, was produced, and with great
ceremony placed in a casket of mahogony
made expressly for the purpose
! The repository for the sacred keeping of
this wine of wines" was somewhat in ]
| shape like Bunker Hill monument, in the
base OF which the records OF the Society |
were preserved, and in the shaft was lowered /.
the bottle only to be reached by unlocking |
and lifting the lid. The lid was closed and /
locked, after which the key hole was filled /
with sealing wax in quanaity that admit
ted of the seal of the Society being inn
pressed upon the outside. The key was
now thrown away and lots drawn for the
custody of the charge.
To DR.. Waiter fell the lot for the first
year, the understanding being that after
that it should pass annually from one to the
other. Death spared the little band for the
first four years, and when next they met
there was one untouched cover, one vacant
chair-Dr Mason had died.
Five only were found at the table in 1889,
VIM. Stanbery having crossed the dark
river. The artist, j. X. Mason, followed in
1912, and four sat at the table. At each
recurring year until the fourth, the sa me
number dined together, the casket changing
in 1S49, and to the banquet provided for
seven but three sat down.
This number remained intact until 1855,
when Henry L. Tatem and DR.. Waiter
alone faced each other from opposite sides
of the table. Fenton Lawson was missing.
The casket was now in the possession of the
former, and two months later the fell de-
stroyer seized him, and in his delirium he
cried "Break open the casket and pour out
the wine. 1t haunts me-" The next year
DIR. Waiter was alone at banquet set for
seven, and he performed the sacred obliga-
ton that might have ended then, but did
not as he continued the anniversaries in
solitude and secrecy.
mo toast, no song, no speech was heard,
Death reigne1 where sat the seven"
GRAND Representatives, George |
c. Conner, Grand Master of Tennessee, says,
Grand Representatives:
It seems to me that our system of re-
is purely theoretical-a thing
of diplomas and titles, and devoid of prac-
teal value to the Craft. can conceive
how it could be made very useful in draw
ing the Grand Lodges of the world closer
together. 1t could be of especial value in
North America in giving unity to our efforts
and uniformity to our laws.
Il hold it to be the imperative duty of
each brother who consents to represent a
Foreign Grand Lodge, to be present at the
of the body to which he is
and make known to them what
ever of importance has occurred in the
Jurisdiction he represents, and give careful
attention TO whateveE tEanspires that affects
that jurisdiction.
at has not been the custom of this Grand |
Lodge to give public opportunity to Grand |
to lay before US any mat |
tiers affecting their constituents propose |
to inaugurate that custom to-day, and will |
Immediately after calling to labor this
afternoon, have the Grand Representatives |
honors due their exalted stations"
MERITED PRAIsE.-We observe that the |
ladies are an important factor in Masonry
in Baltimore. In raising money to aid the /
Grand Lodge to tighten its financial burden,
they seem to have been recognized power.
1t appears from the Grand Masters Address
that the Grand Lodge, or the Baltimore
Masons, had Fair Association, with which
the ladies were identified, as shown by one
item: Received "from Treasurer Of La
dies Masonic Fair Association, $23, 382.49."
A pretty good lift from our sister, woman. /
We trust those Maryland ladies, while not 1
allowed to belong to the lodges may all be
so fortunate az to belong to the Masons,
provided, always, that the Masons are acorthy
of such ladies.
AT this time (says the Masonic ADVOCATED, |
when the Lodges in this latitude are settling
down to their winters work, the Lodges of
Australia are discussing the propriety of
taking vacation during the hot summer
evenings. Is it any wonder that there is
no uniformity in aOork -
A Very Young Couple.