The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-01-08

To PAtAfSSS--SCeAAeS u OAAEHtdsA
Ceremonial Re-Enacted.
NEW YORK, December 80.
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 members
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 a
grand Masonic requiem mass for the
repose of the souls of Sidney z. Nichols,
H. 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 a full lodge
in session on the stage. It's members
wore rich regaIia. In set Masonic terms,
the 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 afllic-
ton. A candlestick, with seven burning
candles, stood near the Prompter's box.
1t was flanlzed by tall candelabra and Ma
sonic bannerets and gonIalons. These
emblems remained in the foreground DUR
ing the entire ceremony, and even when
the curtain was lowered.
The second part of the pageant was de-
voted to the funeral services in honor of
the dead. A catafalque, surInounted by
a bier and coffin, all covered with a
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 a
scene from s'Aida,'' which gave the rite
an Egyptian coloring. The scenery rep
resented the interior of temple on the
Nite. The solemn strains of Men
delsshon's
"sONG WITHOUT WORDS"
arose from the orchestra as an army of
neophytes in black gowns with triangular
aprons of a violet hue, and cabalistic
caps issued from the wings of the stage.
They marched and cOuntermarched around
the catafalque, and were finally ranged in
solid columns on the right and on the
left A chorus of forty voices, with an
organ accompaniment, then intoned the
INTEGER WIFE ,t.
and nineteen tiny girls dressed in white
with siIvered sashes and bearing baskets
of flowers, moved around the bier scat
tering roses at its base. A fiaxen-haired
little one, as beautiful as an angel, took
her place in front Of the catafalque, while
her sisters ranged themselves at its side.
When the baskets were emptied, the little
ones melted within the wings, and the
orchestra played BethOYens funeral
march. A file of acOlytes, clothed in
hooded white gowns, entered from the
left of the stage, and another file, arTayed
in hooded black gowns, came in from the
right. Both files wore triangular aprons,
red in color. Their broWs were crowned
with flllets of silver. 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. H. Hobart Ward, re-
splendant in the robes of a Jewish high
priest, descended from a platform at the
back of the stage. Walter NJ. Fleming
and John (. Collins, the assistant priests,
accompanied him. Fleming'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 a dais over
looking the catafalque. Seven men clad
in black gowns with white surp!ices,
bearing broad red crosses on the breast
and back, then stepped to the front and
halted near the SeYen-cOrnered candle
stick. The first uttered an aphorlsm on
life and death, and said in a solemn tone
of voice:
"To the memory of Chas. S. Arthur,
Charles Blackie, Gustavus A. Fuller,
Gregory Satterlee, Sidney 7. Nichols,
Hugh Gardner, Isaac IL. Brown, and
Lewis f. HOppel."
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 vas continued until similar honor
had been paid to all of the dead, and the
lights of the brazen seven armed candle
sticks had been totally extinguished 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
RossinPs
PRAYER FROM "MosEs."
The high priest then delivered a short
invocation, and the acolytes raised their
torches and again marched round the
funeral pile. After another chorus the
marching and counter-marching was re-
sumed A black-robed figure alternated
with whife-robed figure, and in this
order the file stood on the right and left
of the catafalque. Miss Christine Ross
wog sang the solo: 'F.s
81 WILL EXToL THEE,
in a pure tone of voice; alter which
Priest Collins, Priest Fleming and High
Priest Ward delivered short funeral ora
tions.
The pans of fire at the corners of the
catafalque burned out during the funeral
addresses.
OF the three speeches, Mr.. FIeming's !
was much the best. In the language OF
an intelligent Mason, Fleming "was
THE MARC ANTONY or 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 a crypt under /
some old Egyptian temple The stage |
was daEkened, and th5 black and white |
figures Teappeared with dimmed torches, |
which threw iured light on their silver |
fllets. They InaFched and counter 1
marched, forming triahglcs, squares and !
crosses, and various other Masonic en- /
blems.
When the sombre, draped figures were T
again ranged on each wing Of the stage, I
the bier and coffin, with heavy pail, were
brought in, the red crossed figures acting /
as pall-bearers.
CHOPIN's FUNERAL MARCH
was played, after which there were more
aphorisms on life and death, and the co.,
fin was raised and borne to an imaginary /
tomb in the wing of the stage.
A benediction was next announced and /
the curtain fell.
In the last scene, the lodge was
again in session. jerome Buck made the
peroration, and the lodge was closed in