The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-16
CRAND.LODGE
VIRGINIA. As0.N||!S S
All Old Officers REFLECTED arid
Mitch Other Business
Transacted.
ENTERTAINED BY ORPHANS.
a Royal Supper Follows the
Labors of Very Busy
Il Day 5
ENTERTAINED BY ORPHANS

had to contend with. Such OF the visit
Ing craftsmcr&as had not boon assigned !,
to committee work spent the morning
hours taking iii the towi, and seeing the
Sights. The committees, I however. and i
there nre n nunbcrof them wero kept
very busy all day dissecting tho reports 7
fof the grand officers and the trustees OF
tho Masonic institutions, which, were sub
mitted, soma Of them without reading,
at the Tuesday night session OF tho enc 4
hundred and twenty-seve annual conf ~
tn,uncatlon OF the Grand Lodge. .I
Masonry Progressing.
These reports, which were the subjects
Of committee attention yesterday. y show
that masonry was never more prosperous
In old Virginia than now Eleven sinew
lodges are now working under dlspen sa-a
ton, and all OF them, having fulfilled
the requirements, are ~ applicants {53 for
charters ut this session. Y y, The Il Increase
In membership for the past year has been
$40 In tho State. There has been little or
no ction. } and &e harmony II prevails
throughout the grand jurladiction.ss 8f&# ~
A. The busiest commit ttce at work yes ter
day was perhap Il tho Grand N Working
Committee, Of which 1Vorshlpful w. r.
Rhea OF Albemarle county, 4 Is chairman
and grand lecturer ~ very Ia rye class las
|of5craftsmen In search OF Ma SOM c 3krlo Wl-
edge, attended the MI day session Of the iplI
committee, and heard and saw all OF the
degrees cXampliflcd.
"A Pleasing Entertainment,
Yesterday afternoon N r,lbors OF 81 tho
Grand II Lodge " were entertained "a BY y IN e2
children 81 the Masonic Home Of this
city which charitable instl tuition Is IN #
der the lnanag ement Of tho Grand Lodg
There q are now about sixty orphans 8of
virginia NIasons being cal red for in. this
home. & They appeared yes terday q It err
noon before the Grand Lodge. and under
the guidance OF Mrs, II. A NJ. Bar bour, the
superintendent and r1atrOn and e other
teachers rendered m scal I'd seiec TONS
etc. & n q III 35 s3ll3s
g. At the close OF thls pl easing enter Mt r
3tainment# the youngest Mason 4 3 In the
world made his appearance 3, y t !, per
son Of John Blair Kerrs. s& THIS interest
ling younsster has a Ms hist ory555 " ~ Is
worthy of record. II wo years q 60 n last
December the Grand 11odg In session
There was being presid ed over bySt y q then
Grand Mas tera Ell 0. 81 kerns, Of Fla fax
county. 81 while he % &c was IN session lon
Grand Master Kerns received a tel esram
|announclng the arrival fat his house. Q
a bouncing baby boy Tho Grand Lodge
claimed the Ypriyilegebo Of naming tho
young Mason, and dubbed him John Blair
lin honor OF tho first grand master Of
the Grand Lodge OF Virginia.. At tho;
close Of the orphans entertainment yes
terday afternoon ] ohn Blair Kerns made
This appearance In his nurse arms. 6Iie5
was seated Iii "the grand east, adorned
iwithsta past grand masters wei and n q
received witt, Masonic II lionors. $5R The u ~
tile two year-old laughed and croWed as
II he Thought the whole business was vas
mighty funny, and, indeed, It was.
The Nights w ork.
The Grand Lodge WAS opened in ample
forln'3 at $50 fo' clock last night. Right
R1YorshpfulR Grand Master Thomas IL N.
Davis iii "A the chair, and all the station
ed officers In their places. The first
business wa Il the election of officers for
tho ensuing year, and lit being what the
politicians would call an ff-ycar, the
old officers were reelected as follows:
I Grand Master, Thomas N. Davis. of
Iynchburg Deputy Grand Master, 81 Kos
clusko Kemper. o 4 Alexandria; Grand
Senior Warden. s. J. Quinn, of Freder-
lcksburg Grand Junior Warden, D. J. w.
Eggleston, OF Richmond: \ Grand Treas
5urer, II. Fred Pleasants, OF Richmond;s
Grand Secretary, George w. Carrlngton,2
OF Riohmond; Grand Senior Deacon, John
w. llcllan,. s5 OF Acconac county; Grand
Junior Deacon, w. p. "Wednesday, Of
Stanton. i.F3 d
Tho grand master then made the fol-
lowing appointments n. Grand Chaplain,
George H. Ray. of Petersburg; Grand
,Tiler, w. c. WILKINSON, Of Richmond;
Grand Pursuvant, J. II. Pampln, of
Richmond Grand Steward, William
Kraus, Of Richmond, n .it Isl
Historic Gavel.
K Past Grand Master r. n. w. ID Duke
claimed the floor after tho election Of
officers and in a speech that was florid-s
sly eloquent and vigorously patriotic In
tone and gesture. presented to the Grand
Lodge for the future use OF its pre-,
siding officer. silver mounted gnvel,
made from the timbers Of tho old capital
building, now being torn down. This
historic emblem and implement of au-
thorlty Is the gift to the Grand Lodge
OF Major ]. W. richardson, the register
OF the land office and keeper OF tho
capitol. ISL 5 A
THE Grand Master, In a few appro-
pirate words, accepted the glvel on hes
half Of the Grand Lodge, and assured
$thedonor that 1t would be used for many
generations to come,
The Grand Lodge heard and acted upon
4 the reports Of several of Its standing COM
mittees. butmost3 Of tho work done was
4 OF a secret character, v sfi
The Committee on Appropriations rec-a
commended that the State be divided into
six districts instead Of four. as now. and
that the number of lecturers, In addition
to the grand lecturer, be increased to slX.
The FInnnce Committee having already
arranged for the increase expense, the
Recommendation OF the committee was
Al 10 o'clock tho Grand Lodge was
f"cnlled from labor to refreshments" and
Grand Steward Krause "assembled he
craft" In the Banqlrt hnll, where M e'c-
"a mt supper was served,
a Trio Grand Lodge Will meet at
.,.i. ~ prOha hly COM