Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-10-31
ONE HUNDRED YEARS LODGE.

rude. Illustrating this social CONDITION
good old Christian lady years ago relat
ed to me an experience OF her own whlcf
occurred when she was little girl. In
minister of the parish called at her home
The family supplies happened to b.
"shy'' on rum and her good mother
ashamed at the prospect of not being abl'
to entertain her guest after the manner
usual in those times, called the little CIR
into another room, lifted her out OF
back window and sent her post haste to {
neighbors to obtain a supply OF the "ar
dent" wherewith to regale the parson
As bearing upon the liquor question
we notice that the Grand Lodge OF Yer
mont on October IL, 1926, by vote OF
yeas so, nays IS, adopted resolution
''that no ardent spirits or public dinner
shall hereafter be furnished this Grand
Lodge at any of its communications;
and on October 9, 1927, the Grand Lodge
recommended to all subordinate lodges to
/ '.dispense with the use OF ardent spirits
! on all public occasions" This action OF
the Grand Lodge, though not mandatory
in nature, seems to have exerted an IN
fiuence in this, and presumably in other
subordinate lodges. Although that rec
ommendation was not Immediately ac-
cepted and adopted, yet it led to discus
sion and agitation. Accordingly, VIC find
in the record of the communication CT
Rising Sun lodge held January 6. 1880,
the following :-''Voted to reject the reso-
luton of J. Warren relating to ardent
spirits proposed at the last communica-
tion' Just what the j. Warren resolu-
ton was am unable to say, as the rec
ord of the communication at which it was
proposed has not come to light or has
been overlooked in the great mass Of Ia
pers. But undoubtedly it was a resolu-
ton to adopt the recommendation made
by the Grand Lodge some two years be-
fore; and although the resolution vas re-
jected at that time, still the record serves
to show that the question was receiving
serious consideration and that the Grand
Lodge recommendation was already be-
ginning to bear good fruit.
The original bylaws of Rising Sun
lodge were adopted by the lodge on the
9TH day of Z ecem Der, l; OF, just about two
months after the charter was granted.
In locking over the old bylaws, many
peculiar things are found, but only a
few of them can be mentioned. In Arti-
Gle 10, it was provided that ANY brother
requesting a special lodge for the priv
lidge' of Icing passed or raised shall be
liable to defray the necessary and usual
expenses of such ledge" We can only
surmise whether these necessary and
usual expenses" inclI Fed the gin, rum,
brandy, crackers al d chess.' Article
provided that lin Il e a sence of the mas
ter, the 'seignor' officer present shall
have a right to pr 81 lie, etc. No limit
as to the necessary r, : OF such an officer
is provided. This practice was, of
course, at variance with present Masonic
law and usage, which provides that
lodge cannot be opened unless one of the
three first officers is present.
Another amusing provision relates to
the authority of the master. Now wor-
shipful masters of lodges in all ages have
been vested with power and authority
somewhat autocratic in nature, but in
those days their reign might appear to
have been alb ,olute indeed, since it is pro-
vided in Article of the original bylaws
that ''w hen the master shall give notice
to attend to business, all debate shall
cease and entire silence shall ensue."
come now to speak of some events
which occurred during the dark days Of
the anti-Masonic or Morgan excite ment
from 1924 to lS47. 1t is a period in the
history Of Rising sun lodge to the i'm
perishable glory of which 1 fain would
rear an enduring memorial. Upon il |
would iGscribe in characters of living
light the names of such men as Gen. Low
el Hubbard, James p. Cleveland, Sr., Will
liam Pierce, Capt. Joseph ParKhurst, Ze-
bina Whitney, Charles 5. Button, John
Warren, Edwin Pierce, and-but l cannot
mention them all-those grand old men
whose intexibIe fidelity to their trust.
whose loyalty and devotion to principle,
and whose courage for the right carried
Rising Sun lodge safely through the criti-
cal period of its existence. Those grand
old men who would have yielded up
their lives rather than their principles,
eXclaiming like the Grand Master of old,
My life you can have-my integrity
never!" There were times when they
met as best they could ION high hill or
in low dale" and kept alive the Mason
ic fire on cur altar during that wild tenn
pest of fanaticism and persecution which
ragged like a moral pestilence over the
land for the space Of more than two dec
AIDES. But they need 10 monument OF
bronze or stone. The memory OF their
lives and their deeds is enshrined forever
in the hearts of their brethren, and there
it will remain bright and honored long
after tablets of stone and statues of bronze
or marble would crumbie into dust
They have all gone to their last reward in
the Great Beyond. Honor to their mem
DRY! Peace to their /ashes! | had the .
honor and the good fortune to know per
sonally some OF these men, among them
Lebina Whitney, VIM. Pierce and James
?. Cleveland, Sr. I have heard them re-
late the story Of some of the events of
those dark and trOuhlous times. Brother
Cleveland lived to tecore the sole surviv-
or of those early defenders of the faith.
He was member of Rising Sun lodge
5eventy-six years. He was present in
the lodge room and was secretary pro tenn
at the communication of Sept. 81. 1881,
when the motion to surrender the charter
was made. | shall be able to describe to
you in considerable detail just what oc-
Cured on that really momentous occa-
sion. The written record is still as clear
and legible as when it was made by
Brother Cleveland's own hand, and also |
had the story by word of mouth from
both Brothers Cleveland and William
Pierce. l have said lthGt Brother Cleve- j.
land became the sole survivor ..of all the
early defenders. He was buried with
Masonic hOnors at Randoiph. VT Sent /