The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-08-13
MASONIC GRAND CHAPTER.
1t win Assemble At Topeka Next
Week

nuHurou anu Sixty Thousand Royal
Arch Masons Will Be Represented
Special Ceremony-ProminentM asons
Who VIII Be Present.
The eyes OF the Free Masons of Amer
ca will be turned toward Topeka, Kas.,
during the week beginning with the ed
of this month. The occasion is one
which occurs only once every three years
the triennial convocation of the Gen
eral Grand Chapter of the United States.
1t is the Royal Arch Masons who will
thus assemble. and as thu t degree is one
to which the mem bers of the sublime
fraternity most aspire, the proceedings
will have an interest and an Importance
commensurate with the elevation of
that dignity and with the comparative
rarity of their enactment. Apart from
these considerations, moreover, the unus-
ual nature of the deliberations will lend
interest to what is said and done by
these three hundred odd delegates in the
name and by the authority of the 100, 600
Royal Arch Masons whom they represent
will be promoted to the degree.
All the Past Grand High Priests will
take part at the Topeka gathering. In
addition to them thele will be a repre-
sentatioh of every grand schapter in the
Republic, comprising the three council
officers of every one OF them. This
Council does not meet frequently, and as
such a concourse Of Masonic dignity is
not witnessed oftener than once every
three years, the interest of the fraternity
in it may be understood.
The convocation was to. have been held
some weeks ago, bat owing to the strike
and the consequent impossibility of Sc
curing transportation for the delegates,
the General Grand Chapter postponed the
gathering until the date named above.
However, it is likely that the necessary
postponment will only result in a more
distinguished gathering than might
have been the case otherwise. The State
of Maryland will have the honor of send
ing the most exalted members of the
convocaton. Comp. George L. McCahan,
General Grand High Priest, acts as
General Grand High Priest, and in that
capacity will preside at the deliberations
of the assent bly,. Ohio is represented by
General Grand High King Reuben G.
Leyn,mon, Mason whose name is al
most household word in the fraternity
mem bershp. From Georgia comes Gen
eral Grand Scribe James W. Taylor, and
from Michigan General Grand Treasurer
Daniel Striker. Nor is there dearth of
distinguished mem bership from the East,
not to speak of mem bers who owe their
pre-eminence to what has been accom-
plished by them in the lower ranks of
the Masonic hierarchy. There are, for
instance. David F. Day, Past General
Grand High Priest; William ]. McDon-
aid, who is deemed the most popular
Mason, personally, among the Royal
Richard Parker, of Syracuse NY, and
James D. Pollard, Frederick E. Barnes
will also attend, and he has special
prominence is delegate in view of the
prospect of his election by the conyen-
tion to the Office of General and Master
of the First Vail.
Nevertheless the Eastern delegations
will not have all the prominent men,
Corson, and Kentucky Bernard G.Witt,
who is now General Grand Master of the
Second Vail, but who is to be promot-
ed to the Third liz room of Nathan
Kingsley, of Minnesota, a prominent
delegate and Mason, whose next dignity
Will be General Grand Royal Arch Chap
lain. Indeed. the convocatian will
result in general shifting of positions
since it has to choose a successor to a
deceased dignitary. This choice of
officers may make the Deputy General
Grand High Priest the General Grand
High Priest. as George L. McCahan has
administered his arduous duties with
marked distinction, and conoededly de-
servesst the promotion in store for him.
1t is hardly necessary Sto specify the
opening proceedings, as they will con-
form to the Masonic ritual and proceed
ure, which are known even to the
tyros in the degree of Royal Arch
Moreover, there will be an Infinite
amount OF detail labor to be gone
through in the session, for the convoca-
ton will not merely have to deal with
the business of the forty-tnree Grand
Chapters leach representing State of
the Royal Arch degree, except Pennsyl-
vania Tand Virginia.) There will be
some 1850 subordinate enrolled Chap
tiers to deal With, exclusive of % subordi-
nate Chapters in the Territories, and as
tho Sandwich Islands opd ba Cbipo,o