The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-04-19

were present. among whom were Past Com
manders .. l.. Spaulding and D. b. Anger, of
Charlotte Commandery, Detroit, Mich. The
latter was warmly greeted by his many old
friends in the commandery. At the request of
this commandery Winchester Commandery
No. attended the funeral of Sir j. w. d.
Gray at Winchester, Va. A regular meeting
for business and drill will be held by the drill
corps Wednesday evening, April %, in the
Grand Lodge library. AS the triennial ap
proaches the drill corps is making large acces-
sons to its membership. The grand officers
were in attendance and witnessed the confer
ring of the Sd degree. The invitations were
designed by Gedney tS Roberts, and on the
front bore very handsome steel engraving of
George Washington.
Stansbury Lodge No. "A will give an
entertainment and sociable at Grand Army
Hall Thursday evening, which promises to be
one of the pleasantest Masonic affairs of the
season. There will be music, flag drill by
young ladies, and fancy dancing by children.
The floor will be cleared at 10 o'clock for
dancing. The entertainment is for the benefit
of the building fund of the lodge and Masons
should contribute literally to this worthy
cause. Stansbury Lodge is very far removed
from the centre of Masonic attraction No
lodges are located in the immediate vicinity,
and it is SO situated that brethren from the
city have to make long journey to visit.
Yet, in spite of these drawbacks, there is
uOWutTc III IL ulOTe loyal anu
thriving body, ever willing to contribute to
any worthy cause, hospitable in the extreme,
with careful, conscientious staff OF officers
and an esprit du corps throughout the entire
membership which is pleasant to witness and
very gratifying in its results to the lodge. 1t
is named after one of the ablest Grand
Masters who ever filed that Office in the
District of Columbia, and has on its rolls
many brethren prominent in the various
Masonic circles.
A mistaken impression seems to prevail that
the successor of Albert Pike as Grand Com
mander of the Supreme Council, A. A. S. r.,
Southern jurisdiction, is about to be named,
chosen, or elected as the case may be. This
is an error, as the office will not be filled by
an election until the meeting of the Supreme
Council in October, 1892. In the mean time
the Lieutenant Grand Commander, j. c..
Bachelor, will act as Grand Commander,
with full power and authority His residence
is in New Orleans but it is understood that
he will live in this city, at the House of the
Temple, until the next meeting of the SUI
preme Council Any attempt to name the re-
suit of an election two years hence is at this
time mere guessworl 1t will be time enough
when the Scottish Rite have begun to fully
realize the immensity of their great loss to
take these matters into consideration, and any
further public discussion of the succession at
this time would not only be premature and
ill-advised, but indelicate and distasteful to
the Masons who SO deeply and truly mourn
the death of Gen. Pike The subject is one
that will call for the most careful thought
and consideration at the hands of the Supreme
body, but one which they are thoroughly com
petent to decide when time has softened theil
grief into the feelings of regret with which We
all look forward to and backward on the
inevitable.
Mingled with the sadness which the death
of Gen Pike has occasioned, the Scottish Rite
Masons of this city should feel proud of theil
local organization and discipline which, il
equaled is certainly not eXcelled anywhere
in the Southern jurisdiction, and reflects very
highly upon their loyalty and intelligence. IL
the hour of his death the three presiding off
cers-AleXander II. Holt, Joseph c. Taylor
and William Oscar Roome-reported to the
acting Grand Commander, and from thai
moment until his remains were carried into
the vault at Oak Hill there was ever besid,
his body a Knight Kadosh in uniform, guards
who were not there for show, but in silen
testimony and dignifed bearing, yoicing tn,
| general grief of their brethren. The Write
| had occasion many times to visit the cathedra
during the late hours of the night, when thu
| building was closed and none We're in tn,
chamber of death but the guards and himself
yet unmoyeabe, silent, and statue-like the
! stood at the head and foot Of the casket, will
| their drawn swords and accoutrements flash
| ing back the subdued light of the candles
and there they stood until relieved, honorinl
and guarding the dead. Nor was it difiicul
| to obtain brethren for this duty, simple init
nation being all that was necessary to secur
a number of volunteers more than sufiicien
for the service. The arrangements for tn
services decided upon were all placed by tn
Supreme Council in the hands of the loca
brethren, and they were unremitting in thei
endeaYors to carry out the Instructions of tn
higher body to the letter. They appreciated
the great responsibility under which the,
We're placed, and they filed the trust i'm
plicitly, faithfully, and conseientiously il
every detail.