The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-05-25

Saturday, 31st.
Coo,mdadeyies Knights -Tcmp1ar, - Masonic
Temple-De Molay No. 4, Tuesday, 9th; Wash
ington No l, Wednesday, 2Sth.
Ancicm and .icccpted Scottish RHe.-Sanctu-
airy, 1907 G street-Robert De Bruce Council of
Kadosh, Tuesday, 9th
Dawson Lodge No. 16 will confer the first de-
gree Monday evening.
Acacia Lodge No. IS will transact routine
business Tuesday evening.
Stansbury Lodge No. "a will confer the sec
ond degree Monday evening.
Federal Lodge No. l expect to confer the
second degree Tuesday evening.
Potomac Chapter No. s will confer Past and
Most Excellent Tuesday evening.
The Grand Lodge will meet Wednesday even
ing and eXemplify the third degree.
Washington Commandery No. l will confer
the ''Order of the Temple" Wednesday evening.
Arminius Lodge No. 25 will transact the rou-
tine business of the communication on Monday
evening.
Mount Vernon Chapter No. 8 will confer the
Mark or the Past and Most Excellent Monday
evening.
If YOU have a friend who is school teacher
vote for him or her in THE SUNDAY HERALD
contest for a free excursion to Europe.
Washington Council No. /, Royal and Select
Masters, will confer the Royal and Select de-
grees at the stated assembly on Saturday, May
81, and will also act on the proposed amend
ment to the bylaws relative to changing the
date of the assemblies, which are now held on
the last secular day of each month except Feb
ruary.
May having five Thursdays and the same
number of Fridays the following bodies will
skip week in their regular meetings: La Fay
cite Lodge No. 10, Mount Horeb Chapter No. {,
Lebanon Lodge No. Z, Hiram Lodge No. II, and
Co11rnhio CnDman6ary No This m
cause the calling of several special meetings
during the week, but as far as is known none
have been arranged as yet.
Very cordial and fraternal relations are exist
ing between the lodges of Alexandria and this
city, and visiting parties from both cities may
be seen nightly in the lodge-rooms. At the last
communication of Harmony Lodge No. II
delegation from Andrew Jackson Lodge, of
Alexandria, consisting of several Past Masters
and about twenty brethren, were present. and
witnessed the comforting of the third degree.
Wednesday evening witnessed an event which
rarely occurs in the Masonic jurisdiction of the
District of Columbia, or, in fact any other juris-
diction. 1t was the instituting of the new lodge
Osiris No. %. The cathedral Of the Scottish
Rite in which this lodge has held its meetings
since the dispensation for its formation was
granted by the Most Worshipful Grand Master
James A. Sample, and the room in which it will
continue to meet, was crowded by large as
semblage of Masons who desired to witness the
exercises incident to the institution of a new
lodge. The ceremonial was very impressive
and was conducted by the Grand Master, as
sisted by the officers of the Grand Lodge. At
its close the brethren present retired to the
banquet-room, where a bountifu collation. in
honor of the occasion had been prepared. The
following are the officers of the new lodge Will
liam Oscar Roome, w. M: Landon Cabell Will
hanson. S. W.: Alonzo Joel Marsh. j. W: Will
liam Van Week. Secretary; William q. Burns,
Treasurer; Rev. Josiah B. Perry, Chaplain: J. c.
Taylor, Marshal: Frederick E. Tasker, Senior
Deacon; Alfred NJ Lambeth, Junior Deacon:
Samuel Herman, Jr., Steward Robert W. Ste
Yens, Steward; Thomas j. Edwards, Tyler
Masonry to be fully appreciated must be
thoroughly understood, and this knowledge
can only be gained by hard study and constant
research. An order SO ancient with so rich q
literature and many other attractions, cannot
fail to awaken the curiosity of the student and
Undue him with a desire to search the records
Of the past, that his knowledge may prove OF
benefit to other members of the fraternity not
so studiously inclined In this connection the
following beautiful symbolism, clipped from
the address of Brother o. A. Bassett, p. G.. NJ
of Kansas, will be interesting and valuable
reading to the MasOns of Washington "Among
the Romans two feasts were celebrated, one OF
the 2lst Of June and the other on the 22d O
December, at the time when the sun in its ap
parant iourneyings north and south reached
those points which 1t never passes goes be
yond, known as the summer and winter sol
stices. These points are the JdHlid coli anC
was assigned the duty of opening and CLOSING
these doors, hence he was the god who pre-
sided at these solstital feasts, and he was spe
cially invoked at the beginning and close O
each. The customs Of the Roman people fol
lowed the Roman standards, and as the empir
extended these feasts became known through
out the greater part of the then civilized world
When Christianity came TO mingle its rays wit
the light Of civilization the customs Of the pee
pie were changed only so far as was necessar
in abandoning idolatrOus practices in deterenc
to the purer doctrines of the new religion, an
accordingly the Church established two of il
principal festivals, one on the oath of June an
the other on the 27th OF December, making
lapse of a few days in the time OF the obserN
ance of the festivals which these were il
tended to supersede. The transition from
pagan TO Christian festival was made easy b
assigning to each a saint, and as before on
god with two faces had presided at both, undt
the new dispensatiOn two saints bearing on
name were selected, and the Saints John becam
the representatives of the Janua of the Roman
the doors superior and inferior. Whether our al
cieut brethren celebrated the pagan festivals
Janus may not now be known, but if they di
the earlier Christian Masons were doubtless pc
suaded to change TO the observance of the fest
walls established by the Church because Of IL
high esteem in which they held these saints, VII
were eminent Christians and patrons OF Ere
masonry, and 10 whom tradition states Mason
lodges were anciently dedicated. The philos
phy Of FreemasOnry has been so much neglectC
that its beauties, even in the symbol TO which a
tenton has been called, are more than half col