The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-08
GRAND LODGE OF SORROW.

/ Hcrmltted 20 WltneSS-SceneS OF OrtenCa
Ceremonial Re-Enacted.
NEW YORK, December SO.
The Grand Lodge of Sorrow, Ancient
and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Ma
Sonry, was held in the Academy of Music
Sunday evening. The auditorium was
filed, nearly every prominent Mason in
the city being present. The lodge held
funeral services in memory of member;
ranging from the fourteenth to the thirty
third degree of Masonry, who have died
within the last six years. The ceremony
may not inappropriately be termed q
grand Masonic requiem mass for the
repose OF the souls of Sidney z. Nichols,
II. Gardner, Charles Blackie, George W
Roome, James NJ. Martin, Gustavus A.
Fuller and sixty-two other lamented citi'
zens who have died rich in Masonic honors.
The services opened with & full lodge
in session on the stage. Its members
wore rich regalia. In set Masonic terms,
tlse Lodge of Sorrow WAS opened, the
venerable Master saying that they had
met to honor the dead and sympathize
with friends and relatives in their sfiiic'
ton. A candleStick, with seven burning
candles, stood near the Prompter's box.
1t was fianked by tall candelabra and Ma
sonic bannerets and gonfalons. These
emblemS remained in the foreground dur
ing the entire ceremony, and even when
the curtain was lowered.
| Tho cacoDA ,,,,+ h. Vacant 1xro q do
voted to the funeral services in honor OF
the dead. 4 catafalquc, surnounted by
bier and i collin, all covered with i
black pail, stood in the center of the
stage. A pedestal, topped with a blazing
| pan of fire, stood in each corner of the
| funeral pile. The stage was set to i
scene from ''Aids," which gave the rite
an Egyptian colorilg. The scenery rep
resented the interior of 4 temple ON the
Nile. The solemn strains of Men,
! delSshon'S
''SONG WITHOUT WORDS"
arose from the orchestra - an army of
neophyteS in black gowns with triangular
| aprons of violet hue, and cabalistic
| caps issued from the wings of the stage.
| They marched and countermarched around
| the catafalGue, and were finally ranged in
| solid columns on the right and ON the
! left \ chorus of forty voices, with an
| organ accompaniment, then intOned the
INTEGER vITE
and nineteen tiny girls dressed in white
! with Silvered SaSneS and bearing baskets
| of flowers, moved around the bier scat
-. -, h.; Il
! little one, as beautiful aS an angel, took
! her place III front OF the catafalque. while
her sisters ranged themselves at its side.
When the baskets were cmpticd, the little
ones melted within the wings, and the
orchestra played Bethoven's funeral
march. file of aco.yteS, Clothed in
hooded white gowns, entered from the
left of the stage, and another file, arrayeI
in hooded black gowns, came III from the
right. Both files wore triangular aprons,
red in color. Their br0ws were crowned
with fllets of silvcs. They marched and
countermarched around the catafalQue,
keeping step To the mournful strains of
dirge, and drew up in front of the neo-
phytes, the white GOWNS on the left and
black ones on the right.
Then General j. IL. Hobart Ward, re-
-
priest, descended from Il platform 81 the
back of the stage. Walter VI. Fleming
and John L. Collins, the assistant priests,
accompanied him. Flemiu9's arms were
bare. Both he and Collins wore rich
robes, and might have been easily mis-
taken, in view of their surroundings, for
priests of Isis and Osiris.
The three priests mounted n dais ever
looking the catafaiquc. Seven meE clad
il black gowns with white Surplices,
bearing broad red crosses ON the breast
and back, then stepped to the front and
halted near the scvcn-cornered candle
stick. The first uttered an aphorisn on
life and death, and said i'll 4 solemn tone
of voice:
'To the memory of ChGs. 5. Arthur,
Charles Backie, Gustavus \. Fuller,
Gregory Satterlec, Sidney Z. Nichols,
Hugh Gardner, Isaac Ii. Brown, and
Lewis T. Hoppcl."
He then stepped to the brazen candle
stick, and turned out one of the seven
lights. Then one of his companions Ut
tered another aphOrism, named seven
more of the dead, and turned out another
of the seven lights.
This WAS continued until similar honor
had been paid to all of the dead, and the
lights of the braZcn seven armed candle
sticks had been totally eXtingulshed. The
Seven knights of the Cross then retired
to the back of the stage, and Miss Jennie
Fish, Frederick Harvey and Carl Bergs
passed around the catafalque and sang
RoSsini'S
PRAYER FROM "MosES."
yhe high priest then delivered a short
4 - -.
torches and again marched round the
funeral pile. After another c.orus the
marching and counter-marching was re-
sumed. A blacK-robed figure aternatcd
with u white-rObeG figure, and in this
order the file stood on the right aud left
of the catafalque. Miss Christine Ross
wog sang the solo:
81 WILL RXTOL THEE"
In pure tone of voice, after which
Priest Collins, Priest Fleming and High
Priest Ward delivered short fuDerai ora
tions.
The pans of fire at the corners of the
catafalque burned out during the funeral
addresses.
OF the three speeches, Mr.. Flcming's
was much the best. In the language OF
an intelligent Mason, Fleming "was
THE MARC ANTONY OF TIE OCCASION"
After the addresses and appropriate
music, the curtain fell.
In the third part Of the funeral cere-
monies the scenery had been changed. 1t
apparently represented crypt under
some old Egyptian temple. Iae Stage
was darkcned, and the black and white
figures reGppeared with dimmed torches,
which threw lured light ON their silver
fillets. They marched and counter
rnarchcI forming trianoIes SQUARES aud