The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-08-25
4 BIG MASS MEETING
OF MASONS.
Adopt New Plan to Raise
Money at Masonic Fair.
All Encouraging.

Last night there was very enthusiastic
mass meeting of Masons in Masonic hall
to discuss further ways and means of
carrying on the great Masonic Fair in
October and raising money for the Ma
scnic Temple. II was a splendid meeting,
the biggest, so several OF the speakers
said, ever held in Raleigh, outside of the
Grand Lodge meetings.
Judge T. b. Womack was called upon
to preside, and he briefly introduced Col.
Noble f. Martin, the manager and direc-
tor of the fair.
Col Martin spoke on the plans that
would be used In the raising of sums
OF money, in small quantities, for in
stance selling shares In various articles.
For this purpose he had prepared num-
Der of small books corresponding to the
articles that had been donated. For
Llnstance a piano is one of the articles;
book calls for 100 chances, or shares, in
the piano There are one hundred num-
bered spaces in the book, where the one
| who takes a share is to write his or
her name and address. Each share in a
piano Is % cents. All the other articles
are ten cents a share.
Grand Secretary Jno. C. Drewry said
that the first thing he had done was to
address q letter to the secretary of every
| lodge, asking for the address of each
member OF his lodge. Then a letter was
sent to every one of these members, call
! ing for help III the building of the tenn
pie. This had resulted in very greatly in
creased interest in Masonry in general
! This year would show an increase of
about 1000 Masons in the State. Then
/ Brother +. D. Winston had been doing
a great work all over the State in getting
\ subscriptions for bonds. He was in Char
! lotte last night, and expected to raise
one or two thousand dollars there The
results he had achieved in small towns
were astonishing.
! Everybody was talking about the fair
One ola Confederate veteran had sent in
20 cents, saying he wanted to be repre-
| sented IN a small way. That was an evi-
dence of how Masons were interested
| The work had been Systematically done
| Each class OF manufactures had been
taken separately and circular letters sent
! to ea9h and the different lines of busi-
ness had taken up likewise. The com
mltteeS had been met with hearty CO.
operation and good will. All had been
most encouraging. Many who were not
Masons had come forward and offered
their help. Every citizen Of Raleigh was
interested in the building of the Masonic
Temple here. He felt very much encour-
aged by this meeting. 1t was the largest
turn out of Masons he had ever seen
IN Raleigh, outside of a meeting of the
Grand Lodge.
Col. Martin said he had been asked
what kind OF a fair they were going to
have, whether there would be any hoo
chee-koonchees or fakirs. There would
be absolutely nothing of the kind, he
said. The standard of Masonry must be
held higher than anything else. There
would be nothing here that would cause
any maiden to blush. They must have
the help of the best women of the city,
or the fair would be failure and they
had then. These remarks were greeted
with much applause.
Then Mr.. N. B. Broughton was called
on. He said that Mr.. Drewry had very
wisely said that this was = biggest
meeting of Masons as such ever held in
Raleigh, but we must remember that this
was the biggest thing they had eyed un-
dertaken. and one in which all Masons
land especially all citizens of Raleigh were
vitality interested. Col. Martin was emil
pently the right man in the right place
He had examined his schemes for rails
ing money, and there was absolutely no
objection to them as lotteries or anything
of that kind.
Judge Womack stated that Col. Mar
tins plans were not in any way lnlmical
to any law of. North Carolina, and that
was the only way In which they could be
Objectionable.
Mr. Broughton added that these plans
were very similar to church devices useG
for raising money only he thought the
Cclonel's plan a little better than any of
the others.
After the speeches every man in the
room took one of the books to fill out
with names .of share-takers. Mr. Here
wick. a visitor from Syracuse, N. Y,
donated four pairs of lace curtains.