Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-04-14
Telling Arraignment of
the Magazine RE
former
NOTABLE CEREMONY
Participates In Laying of Cor
ner Stone of Great Legis-
Iative Office Building.

Washington, April 14.-In the pres
ence of a distinguished assemblage,
with the president of the United States
taking a prominent part, with the SUI
preme court and senate and house of
representatives and the diplomatic
corps as spectators, and before a large
concourse of people, the corner stone
of the office building for the house of
representatives was laid with impress
sive ceremonies under the auspices of
the Masonic fraternity this afternoon.
PresIdent's Address Main One.
The address of the day was made BY
President Roosevelt, on the Man With
the Muck-Rake" Other speakers in
cluded Walter A Brown grand master
of the Masons; Congressman Joseph
w. Cannon and William p. Hepburn,
and former Congressman J. d. Richard
son of Tennessee, grand commander
of the supreme council of Scottish
rite.
Precedents Established.
One hundred thirteen years ago
President Washington, assisting the
acting grand master Masons of Vir-
ginia and Maryland, laid the corner
stone of the nations capitol. Fifty
eight years later President Fillmore
laid the corner stone of the extension
to the capitol. also assisting the Ma
sonic fraternity in their solemn rites
of consecrating the building ito a holy
purpose and lofty IDEAS" Today, with
even more impressive ceremonial, the
corner stone of the largest office build
ing solely devoted to the primary pur-
lott g.. j
legislature in the world was laid with
the Masonic fraternity active partici-
pants, assisted by President Roose-
welt, who, like Presidents Washington
and Fillmore, is a Mason.
Large Box Placed.
Previous to the ceremonies a copper
box two and a half feet long and Is
inches wide was placed in the stone in
the presence of the grand treasurer of
the grand lodge. The box contains
many rare and unusual articles, to-
gether with coins of the United States
and the series of postage stamps now
in use.
The building was dedicated today
and will be classic in design. Archi-
tecturally the front is divided into
two parts, the lower corresponding to
the first story of the building, consti-
tuting a "rusticated' base, on which,
extending through the second and third
stories is a colonnade surmounted by
its entablature and balustrade
Total Frontage Third of Mile.
Some idea of it's size is given by the |
following frontages: On B street, 476
feet: on New Jersey avenue, 47O feet;
ON First street, 452 feet; on C street, |
34S feet; making a total frontage of
1.740 feet, or approximately one-third |
of a mile. The building will contain |
40 rooms for members, together with |
a multiplicity of caucus rooms audi |
eDce rooms, postofflce. restaurant, and
other features of a modern office build |
ing.
The Presidents Address.
"In Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress you
may recall the description of the man
with the muck-rake, the man who could |
look no way but downward, with the
muck-rake in his hand; who was of
fered a celestial crown for his muck
rake. but who would neither look up
nor regard the crown he was offered,
but continued to rake to himself the
filth of the floor.
should See Evil.
'In Pilgrims Progress the man with
the muck-rake is set forth as the eX-
ample of him whose vision is fixed on
carnal instead of on spiritual things.
Yet he also typifies the man who in
this life persistently refuses TO see
aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes
with solemn intentness only on that
which is vile and debasing. Now, it
is very necessary that we should not
finch from seeing what is vile and
debasing. There is filth on the floor,
aud il must be raked up with the muck
rake; and there are times and places
where this service is the most needed
of all the services that can be per-
formed. But the man who never does
anything else, who never thinks or
speaks or writes, save of his feats
with the muck-rake. speedily becomes.
not a help to society, but one OF the
most potent forces for evil.
Commendss Reasonable Vigilance.
"There are, in the body polite, eco
uomfc and social, many and grave
evils. and there is urgent necessity for