Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-24

| Massachusetts now exercises such over four
| lodges in Chile and one in China.
| Prominent in History.
1.-THE Masons of Massachusetts, have been
unusually distinguished in many ways
| One hundred years ago the corner stone Of
| the state house was laid with Masonic GER
emonies, Paul Revere being at the time
| grand master. When George Washington
as President stood on the old state house
balcony and gave his last salutation to the
| people of Boston, his fellow Masons enter
| tanned him, and the Masons participated
| with Lafayette in laying the corner stone
| of the Bunker Hill monument. On receipt
of news of the death OF George Washins
| ton the Grand Lodge Of Massachusetts
| forwarded resolutions of coincidence to his
widow and requested lock of his hair
The request was promptly granted, ana
| this lock of hair Is still in possession of our
lodge, incased in gold urn, made and en-
| sraved for it by Paul Revere" t.-.
MAY I see it?' 1 asked, whereupon the
grand recorder went into vault. unlocked
| a repository there. and brought forth
! small, odd black walnut case. which ne
| opened with rusty key, and from within
| disclosed this rare relic of two colonial he
| roes. The urn Is of plain gold. about SIX
| inches in height, and when the top Is un-
| screwed. reposing on satin under glass Is
| lock of human hair that has been thus pre-
served almost a century. Quite as remark
| able is the work of the hand Of the en-
graver. Paul Revere. which. while worn,
is still clearly legible in the inscription:
| This urn incloses a lock of hair OF the
| immortal Washington. Presented to the
| Massachusetts Grand Lodge by his amlaole
widow. Born February II. 1852. obi. De-
| eember IA. 1T99."
Brought to This City.
| An impressive feature of the institution of
| each succeeding grand master Of the Mas
sachusetts lodge is the transmission OF
the custody of this urn, with its precious
| contents. On the occasion of the laying of
the corner stone of the Washington monu-
ment this urn was carried from Boston to
| figure in tie ceremony.
The archives of the Massachusetts Grand
| Lodge are replete. with historic interest.
| The walls of the rooms within the temple
are covered with portraits of the heroes
conspicuous no less in the history Of the
nation than in, that of Free Masonry.
Here and there. fifteen in all. are queer.
old-fash ioned ale, rHugs. decorated with
try in colonial days. The library here is
the largest exclusively Masonic library in
| the country
'In addition To- all. the other history of
serson. New England witnessed the most
rancorous outbreak of the anti-Masonic
| tinued till the revival, of Free Masonry in
| 1872 This arose from a good-for-nothing
In New York stdte c9ntriving, to gain adj
| HllSSlOH INTO our fraternity ana, after pass
| ing the first degrees, che published what he
| paEaded as an heNposare+ Of Free Masonry.
| 1lf-advised brethren, deeply stirred by his
| treachery, KIDNAPPED this man and spirited
| him away to Catrada,h where he was drop
| ped. On the whole body Of Masons through
| Gut the country straightway fell the onus
OF general belief that the man had been
murdered by the iAfasons This was never
proved; still, as "a result of this episode,
politicians seized upon the opportunity to
make capital. and here in New England
the matter divided father and son. arrayea
| brother against brother, and wife against
| husband. The matter died a natural death
| in the course of ten or fifteen years. and
during the political events of 1910 Free
among men, and has steadily advanced
| ever since"
| The One Woman Mason.
rs there any truth in the oft-repeated
story that George Sand was initiated
Free Mason" asked.
Mot any more than in the story that
Mary Ellen Lease was, think. There is
just one authenticated instance Of a woman
| becoming Free Mason. There Is the
lady's picture on the wall and the story
| underneath"
Il saw the likeness of woman of COM
| handing presence. her face betokening
| strong mind, firm will and noble impulses
| Her dress of an early day was distin-
guished by the Masonic jewel she wore.
| X,
| ing the familiar square and compass Of
| the Masonic order.
Her name was Honorable Mrs. Aldworth
of Newmarket, County Cork. She was the
youngest child Of Right Honorable Arthur
| st. Leger, created first Viscount of Doner-
allie. in 1703 and she was initiated In
| Doneraille House in Lodge a of Ireland
| The story of her Initiation is told by a rela-
| tive, to whom she related 1t.
| Lodge was being held in a room of
Donerallle House, which. as was common
| IN those days. was separated from an ad-
joining room by stud and brick work The
| young lady, being giddy and thoughtless,
| determined to crafty her curiosity, and
| made her arrangements accordingly. With
pair of scissors she removed portion of
| brick from the WALL and was thus enabled
to behold everything that passed in the
| room Thus she witnessed the first two
| degrees OF Masonry, which was the ex-
| that night.
The Discovery.
Becoming aware, from the words of the
brothers, that they were about to separate
the embarrassment and danger Of her posi-
ton overwhelmed her, and she was near
to fainting. Overcoming her fears with a
| great effort, she attempted to flee from the
| room, but in SO doing ran against a piece
OF furniture, which fell with loud crash
Instantly the tyler. who was stationed on
the landing outside to which opened the
doors Of both the rooms where the lodge
and the young lady were, rushed In upon
| her. candle in one hand and a drawn
sword in the other. Tie br others followed
and but for the simmediate appearance of
| the young lad1H brother, her life would
doubtless then and there have paid the PEN
atty of what WAS estsemed crime. Her
| brother having IesusG1tated her from the
| fainting condition. intoi which terror precipi-
| tated her, she was PLACED under charge Of
| the tyler in room where for two hours
she lister ed to angry discussions and calm
debate. her. Death being proposed and sec
| onded. Finally ghe Was given the choice
of submitting to theyordeal she had wit
messed of the two degrees, and If she re-
| fused. the brothers were again to consult
| Notwithstanding all she had seen and
heard, the your gowemsn, with secret pleas
ure gladly and uphesitRtingly accepted the
offer. and was accordingly initiated. Her
subsequent career, characterized by sound
wisdom and good works, caused her to be
an honorable acquisition of the order into
which, by an odd combination of woman's
curiosity and mans charity, she forced an
! entrance"
This story gave my own curiosity new
| life and I asked Grand Recorder Nicker-
son whether by becoming member of the
| Eastern Star organization I might not OBJ.
| tain possession Of the secrets OF Free
| Masonry.