The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-04-09
GEN AIRERT pIREnEAD

General Albert Pike, Grand Comman-
der of the Scottish Rite Masonry of the
Southern Jurisdiction and the Chief of
the Royal Order of Scotland for this
country, died Thursday evening of last
week at Washington, where lie had lived
for several years. The cause of death
was paralysis of the organs of the throat,
which had prevented him from taking
either food or drink since March 2lst.
1t is said that Gen. Pike has appointed
Josiah II. Drummond of Maine as his
successor as head of the Royal Order of
Scotland, and it is probable that his sue
cessor III the Scottish Rite will be either
Surgeon General j. NJ. Browne of the
Navy, Thomas II. Caswell of California
or Thomas NJ. Dudley of Kentucky. Al
bert Pike was known to all persons in
terested in Freemasonry. He was born
in Boston, Mass, in 1909, and entered
Harvard in 1926, but did not graduate.
leaving college to become Principal of
the NewburypoTt Grammar School. In
1881 he went West and finally settled in
Fort Smith, Ark, where he taught
school and edited a newspaper. lie
fought in the Mexican war and the
Confederate side in the late war. After
the war lie edited the Memphis, Tenn.
Appeal, and then moved to Washington
to practice law. He was an intimate
friend Of Webster, Clay, Calhoun, and
other famous men of dHte-bellum days,
and went into the Rebellion prophesying
its failure.
Gen. Albert Pike was the "Nestor'' of
American Masonry and one of the great
Masonic pOtentates of the world, and an
exceedingly picturefque figure in the life
,,f fln NJ l.
so many years; indeed, he would have
attracted attention in any assemblage of
men. Few Americans-few men in any
countTy-led more eventful life. He
played many parts, and in each and all
of them won more than ordinary distinc-
ton. Away back in 1929 one of the great
English magazines printed some of his
poems, and in commenting ON them de-
clared that America had at last produced
poet. He taught school. He edited
newspaper and he practiced law with, at
one time, the novel clientele of a tribe
of Indians, who in one suit paid him
100000 fee. He was soldier in two
wars. He spoke French, Portuguese,
Italian and Sanscrit No man living
perhaps knew more about the Veda than
he did, and on the shelves of the library
of the SACRED House" in Washington
he has left n splendid monument of his
learning in the form of seventeen mag
nificently bound volumes Of TRANSACTIONS
from the language Of the era when the
East was young and the West a wilder
ness.
His works ON Masonry have become
the classics of the great order, and the
ablest and most learned men in its ranks
in every country in the world accepted
his decision on any question without APP
peal. With all his great requirements
and commanding position of power and
influence, he was the personiiication of
mOdesty. His manners were simple and
unObtrusive. In his official capacity
there was not "A particle of ostentation.
although he insisted on the observance
of all the etiquette due to his position.
but in doing so it was the Order and not
the man he had in view. BY nature and
temperament he was fervid and poetic.
and he enriched the ritual Of the great
organization with a splendid ceremonial
which appealed to the very highest cul-
ture in a scholastic point of view. At
the same time, he excised many pomp-
GUS, meaningless titles and applications
which were repellent TO good taste and
simplicity.
Next to Masonry and all thatcOnceTned
it the two things in which he was most
interested were birds and pipes. At his
home in WashingtOn-'the Holy House
Of the Temple''-every window contains
a bird cage, and burst of song greets
all who pass by it. His meersohaums
were, many of them, genuine works of
art. One of them took the prize at the
Paris National Fair for being the largest
meerschaum in the world, another being
the most beautiful.