Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-04-10
Masonic splendors.

The dignity and traditional grandeur of
Freemasonry was largely indicated and il
Illustrated when, on Wednesday night, in the
Royal Alpha Lodge, in London, in the pres.
ence Of a large company of Masons, Prince
Edward, heir presumptive to the English
throne, was initiated by the Prince of
Wales, his father, heir apparent, Grand
Master, and at the same time working
Mason in the office of Worshipful Master.
The lodge is private, and its working dates
from 1922. The bylaws of the Royal Alpha
restrict the number of members to thirty
three, nearly all officers or past officers of
the Grand Lodge of England. Also the
principle that no visitor can be received
enables the work to be carried but in the
presence of lodge-members only. Williss
Rooms, near st. James Palace, was the
meeting place. The lodge was laid out in a
first. floor apartment, garnished with fine
portraits in oil of Past Royal Grand Mas
tiers, Wershipful Masters, and Wardens.
There were chairs in gold automatically
decorated, and other appointments in keep
ing. The Prince of Wales took the Wor-
shipful Masters chair, donning above his
Grand Masters clothing the blue collar of
a working Mason, the pendant being the
instrument which forms the rule and proves
the perfect man and marks him as master
of the arts and sciences. All the officers
wore the blue collars of working members
of the Speculative craft over purple and
gold Grand Lodge citizenship pendants in
silver, the centres being works of art in
enamel, with rays studded with diamonds.
The candidate was prepared in an adjoin-
ing room for the ceremony. The craft does
not admit illiterats persons, and the first
act required of q seeker after Masonic
knowledge is to prove himself capable of
entering upon the study of the liberal arts.
The Prince was then admitted with full
solemnity within the portals in the manner
in which all enter the craft. AS the son of
Mason, the initiate, under the laws of the
craft, could have appealed for permission
to enter the ranks before attaining the full
age, but having waited until mans estate
he could declare his freedom. He did so as
we'll as his desire in order to render greater
service to his fellow creatures and to ao-
quire knowledge to enter within the ranks
of the craft. By the Worshipful Masters
command the Senior Warden invested the
initiate with the apron, white, lined with
satin, typical of purity; and his attention
was called to the fact that no badge more
ancient was borne by any order in the
world than that of the ranks in which he
then stood as he entered as apprentice.
The ceremony was performed with all
the grace and dignity which characterize
the Grand Master and his officers, all skill
ed craftsmen, and all noblemen or titled
persons. When the ceremony was COM
pleted the young Prince was seated in the
place of honor, and witnessed such work
as is restricted to the First Degree. The
Lodge being closed in due form after its
labors, the members adjourned to ban
quet, where the initiate, sitting next his
Worshipful Master, according to anoiei t
CUSTOM received the congratulations of his
elders. The young Prince showed the deeT-
est interest in the work. and the affair must
be of interest to craftmen all over the
world.