Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-11-03
centennial Gel EBRATION
sTAUNTON LOD gle,
No. l3. A. f. & K.-M.

remony, the first of its kind performed here
and which none now living will survive to see
repeated. being the cele bration of the centen-
NAL anniversary ofthe organization of Staun-
ton Lodge, No. ID, A. F. & A. NJ.
1t attracted very large audience. the STAGE
the parquette, the dress-circle, ani the bal
comics all being filled.
The members of Staunton Lodge and visit
ing members assembled at Masonic Temble
at O'Clock, and at o'clock marched to the
Opera House in the following ORDER
Stonewall Brigade Band Knights Templar
as escort; Master Masons; Stationed Off GERS of
visiting Lodges; Grand Officers; Orator; Sta
toned Officers of staunton Lodge, No. 49,
Sir Knight w. B. McChesney was Chief Mar
shall, with Brothers II. N. McIlhany and John
w. Stout as Assistant Marshals.
They all wore handsome gold-fringed blue
silk badge with the inscription in gold letters
-'17S6, Centennial Staunton Lodge No. 10 A.
f. and A. M, October Is. 1886. Staunton. Va"
The Band played whilst the procession was
entering the building. E. M. Cushing, present
Master of Staunton Lodge. No. Is, presided.
After rapping to order. he said it was the
custom of Masons to invoke divine blessing
and assistance, and announced that prayer
would be offered by the Chaplain, Rev. J. G.
again played.
Then Grand Generalssimo w. H. H. Lynn
of the Grand Commandery gave an interesting
sketch of the history of staunton Lodge, which
he delivered in very good style as follows:
One hundred years ago to-day, Staunton
Lodge was regularly constituted by a charter
granted by the Graad Lodge of Virginia, and
it might not be inappropriate on this centen-
NAL occasion to make BRIEF mention of those
who had actively participated in symbolic
Masonry as members as well as Matters of the
Lodge since Alexander Long was installed as
its first Master one hu ndred years ago.
1t was list which embraced many distin-
gufshed citizens. Along with, and following
Alexander Long, were-Wm. Chambers and
Michael CARRIER, David and Joshua Parry, Vim
cent Jewett Tanp, Robt. Grattan, Alex, Hum
phreys, Jacob Kinney. John Fackler. Benz. ii.
Brady, John Wayt, Samuel Clarke Cthe first
Mayor OF StauntOn). RObt. Williamson, Levi
l.. stevenson (fOr a number of terms Master of
this Lodge, also Grand Master of Masons of
Virginia; for seventeen years Grand Lecturer
of the Grand Lodge Of Virginia. and for many
years thereafter Grand Lecturer of the Grand
Lodge of North Carolina, and who handed
down unimpaired the Masonic work received
from the lips of the distinguished Cushman)
David w. Patterson. also Grand Master as well
as Master of This lodge; Lewis Hartman, the
Staunton and Augusta; Isaac Collect, John
Merritt, John EagOn, Nicholas G. and Jefferson
Kinney, the Circuit and County Clerks of Au-
gusta; Chapman Johnson, Daniel Shelley and
Thomas ]. Niche. the famous lawy ers; Adam
Lushbaugh, Kenton Harper, John Carroll,
Merrill Cushing, Gather of the present Mastery
Phillips, Robert Hemphili, James Points,
master of this Lodge, Grand Master of Virgin
la, and for many terms U. s. Marshal of this
ed educator; John B. Garrett, Chas. ii. Lewis.
Samuel E. Clarke. j. d. Imboden, Henderson
M. Bell Thos. R. Blackburn, Gen. ". H. Har-
man. (many times Attorney for the Com mon
wealth for Augusta, aud Master of this Lodge
and Grand Master of Virginia, who fell at
Waynesboro' during the civil war; Thos. P.
Eskridge, W. L. Balthis, mayor of StauntonG
DR.. A. NJ. Faunteroy. and about ITO other sur
vivlng members including our last three
Worshipful Masters John Howard Wayt J.
Adds u Cochran, and E. NJ. Cushing.
Under such Masters and with the assistance
of such members, Masonry has pursued the
for the fact that the old Lodge on the hill and
the new Hall on Main street. were and are
known as Masonic buildings, and an OCCASION
al public appearance with white gloves and
aprons to pay the last tribute of respect to a
departed brother, it would scarcely have been
known to many that Masonic body existed
in stanton.
Just so it is in all communities: yet the in
f1uence of Masonry, though the cause is unseen,
has everywhere beer felt for good, the wonder
of all save those within her walls, and her
charity has been so dispensed. that not only
m members. irregular in lodge attendance, but
even the recipients themselves in many in
stances are ignorant whence the relief has
come. Unself1Sh in purpose, untiring in zeal
and unwearied in effort for the attainment of
noble ends, she should have universal apprOV-
al. On the contrary. The shafts of envy, mall
ice, and ignorance have oft-times been hurled
at her. but panoplied in the armor of conscious
they have fallen harm essly at her
feet. nor has she ever stepped aside to essay
public defence, for Masonry neither seeks, nor
wants, nor needs defence. She has witnessed
the rise and fall of princes and poteniates, the
growth and decay OF kingdoms and empires,
yet unchaneing and unchanged, she stands to-
day after the test of ages, strong as when she
first started on her career, a proud monument
to those who originate ed and those who have
upheld her hands in disseminating the cardi-
nal virtues of Temperance. Providence, FOrti
tude and Justice.
The speaker then proceeded to correct the
impression, which he said obtained in many
minds, that Masons regard the Order as SUBJ
stitute fol the Church. While the Bible was
the foundation ard corner stone Of Masonry,
and if Nasons lived up to their professions
they could not fail to live good lives yet they
In no way considered the order substitute
for the Church. which had a divine mission, a
higher, grander, hOllier mission-to which
Masonry could only lend feeble helping
hand-the redemption of sin stricken world.
At the conclusion of his address, he said he
had been commissioned to introduce the orator
of the occasion, whereupon he introduced R.
T. W. Duke. jr.. Past Master of Widows Son
Lodge of Charlottesville.
Mr. Duke then delivered a most able and
eloquent address of about an hour in length
His voice was good, his enunciatiom clear and
his address was sound and marked with deep
thought. The following sketch will give some
idea of the drift and purpose of this able ad-
Dress
"History ,"says the philosopher, counts time
not by the Hours, but by the Ages" Standing
in the presence of an organization whose origin
is lost in the mists of antiquity, we may well
counts Tine not by the eentu
claimed the idea of dwelling upon the antiquity
of the order or of eXtOtling its deeds of charity
and Kindness believing that they spoke for
tn emselves; and after short alldsion to the
Centennial OF the Lodge and of the noble men
whose names were on IT'S rolls, reminded them
of the fact that in the ear gifts foundation one
Mason-- Edmund Burk e--was thrilling England
with his elOquence in the Warren Hastings
and another-Robert Burns-in
that year published the first collection of his
poems!
He said that his first idea was co choose that
period as the subject of his address, or to con-
draw auguries of the future, but remembering
that Yesterday is Times, Tomorrow Gods,
day alone our own" he preferred to address
them upon questions of the day.
The speak er then alluded to the grave Ques-
tions that face the present generation and said
that the peculiar characteristic of the age was
Haste and mad desire to get wealth. This
hurryirg madness had permetted all ranks of
society. and the rapid accumulation OF wealth
had brought about dangerous iil-feeling be-
tween capital and labor. AS one of the factors
in making men conservative the Masonic Order
was not to be disregarded. and he had accord
ingly chosen as the subject OF his address, 1.-THE
Conservatism of Free Masonry"
The speaker did not claim that Masonry by
Itself could hope to check the haste and evil
tendencies of the age, but that, as it tended to
make men conservative, it could give great aid
in helping all efforts in that direction. The
conservatism of the order was then shown at
length and with some particularly OF detail,
by describing its adherence to an unchanging
and interchangeable ritual, and to ancient and
venerated customs and ideas; that it inculcated
respect for ancient landmarks, and enforced
habits Of obedience and admiration for law
and order, and its teachings tended to make
men respect each others natures, foibles and
needs
sharp contrast was drawn between the Or
ders that only admitted laborers in the mar
rowest sense of the word to their membership,
and the Masonic order which knew no class
rich or poor brain or hand-worker, and the
speaker urged with much force, that by unit
ing wage-payer and wage-earner in Masonic
lodges much might be done to reconcile the
laborer and the capitalist.
Asa last and still stronger evidence OF It's
conservatism, he alluded to the fact that the
tendency OF all Anarchists was to Atheism,
and that Atheism and Masonry could not exist
together. Across the portal of her mysteries
stands the fmpenetrable bar that turns BACK
the rash and giddy footsteps of the fool who
says there Is no God.'
The necessity of belief in God and respect for
Gods laws, was then urged as the greatest neeo
OF the age, and as the only remedy for the dls-
eases OF the body polite ard the spread OF Ma