Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-16
NJ; David S. Walton. Benjamin F. Peters
and Levi c. Blake.
Present Officers.

6IeSeuL OmCSIS.
The present official line is as follows: A.
j. White, worshipful master; John H. Wolf,
senior warden; John Scrivener. junior war
| den; John Schultz. secretary; Adam Cad
I dis. treasurer; Jules A. Rodier, senior dea-
| con: E. Hume Talbert, Junior deacon; John
| J. King. senior steward; j. Frank Camp
| bell, Junior steward; P. B. Otterback. mar
| shall; F. S. Hodgson, chaplain; ]. c. F.
Hartley tyler. Naval Lodge now has 260
members and they were largely represented
| in last nights gathering. section of the
| United States Marine Band. especially ap-
propriate to the occasion, furnished excel
| lent musical numbers. and there were sew
eral solos The musical numbers. which
were interspersed through the exercises of
| the evening, were as follows: March, "A
| True Soldier selection, 'Goodby, Little
| Girl, Goodby;" waltz, Blue" march. Dip
| lomat;" vocal solo, w. J. Palmer; selection.
Hearts Message" vocal solo, Carl Mass.
The formal exercises opened by the re-
ception of the Grand Lodge officers. who
were in full regalia and were gracefully
welcomed by Worshpful Master White, and
Grand Master Lurtin CHM replied brlehy
for the Grand Lodge. and then followed
with an admirable address, becoming 10 the
occasion.
THE life of Naval Lodge has been during
a century of remarkable and astonishing
achievements; 1905 to 1905. a wondrous
stretch of years, full of endeavor
complishment and of material welfare in
this lodge, and period which forms the
basis of hope and promise for the future.
Naval Lodge was chartered exactly 1D
years ago yesterday. This part of the Dis
trict of Columbia was then within the
grand jurisdiction of Maryland, hence it
was by the Grand Lodge of that jurisdiction
that you were brought into life and being.
Naval Lodge from the beginning has
held a high place in the councils of our fra
ternity In reviewing the recorded history
of our Grand Lodge l have been greatly
impressed by the devotion of this lodge to
the Grand Lodge and by the splendid rep
resentation which 1t has always had in that
body. You have had three grand masters
Marmaduke Dove in 1899, William Ellis in
1874. and Yelverton P. Page in 1863 they
were all men of superior attachments and
qualifications, and greatly honored this
lodge. the jurisdiction and themselves as
well.
When this lodge was founded there were
less than 200 Masons in the District of Co
lumbia. From this small beginning we have
grown until today number nearly 5000
Masons Our growth has not been alone
in numbers. but in those higher and better
qualities of life which make for character.
for manhood. for refinement, for personal
culture, for higher ideals"
Past Master kenton R. Harper, historian
of the lodge, gave a comprehensive, thor
ough and deeply interesting review of the
story of the lodge. compiled from a history
of that body which he has been for some
years compiling. The fc!. wing are ex-
tracts from his address:
May IA 1905, the Grand Lodge of Mary
land issued the first charter to 'sundry
brethren working under dispensation at
the navy yard at Wash!9 gton and from
the fact of its location and that the war
with Tlfpoli had just enG2d, and the coun-
try ringing with t." exploits of De
catur and his fleet, may be ascribed the
selection of a name. In fact tradition has
1t that from number of vessels of that
fleet which were put out of cimmission in
this city, the lodge gained large accessions
of membership.
For the first fifteen years of its existence
the lodge met in a small two-story brick
structure on 18th street southeast, near
NJ street which is still standing, some
what modernized exteriorally.
The increasing membership however,
necessitatng more commodious quarters.
a two-story building was erected at the
northwest corner of 9Th street and Nir-
ginia avenue southeast, in the years 1920
1921, and this building possesses the distinc-
ton of being the first edifice erected espe-
c!ally for Masonic use in the city of Wash
ington.
In this latter structure, as in the for
mer the first story was used for school
purposes and many citizens now living
received their educational start in life with
in its walls.
THAT the building erected in 1921 was
sufficiently commodious Is attested by the
fact that 1t served it's purpose for forty
six years, and when we consider that the
settlement in the neighborhood of the navy
yard was the most populous in East Wash