The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-02-23
Will be Erected by the Masons at
Alexandria, Va, to the Father Of
His Country

Alexandria, Va, to the Father of
His Country
Alexandria, Va, Feb. 23.-The move
ment to erect a permanent Masonic
memorial to George Washington took
its first definite form yesterday when
Gen. j: NJ. Dickinson, secretary Of
war, and the grand Masters of many
Masonic lodges met here with other
distinguished men of the fraternity to
form a National Masonic Memorial
association. Perhaps no Masonic cele-
bration ever held anywhere in Amer
Tea has beene more elaborate.
On Historic Ground
The memorial would stand on
Washington street. Close by is the
old Christ church where, in his ma
ture years, Washington served as
vestryman. On a field not far off he
held his last military review. Across
shaded green in the stately old
court house he cast his last vote, and
there his will is filed.
Alexandria, by undisputed consent
Is the natural site for the memorial.
Washington moved to Mount Vernon
when he was sixteen with his half
brother, Lawrence, and until the chill,
raw day of his death it was his home
and Alexandria was his home town.
He became member of it's council.
represented it in the house of bur-
gesses, endowed it's schools, establish
ed it's fire department and was mas
ter Of it's lodge.
Met in Washinston's Lodge
The men who will form the asso-
citation met yesterday in the same
Alexandria Washington lodge room
where Washington occupied the mas
ter's chair. While no fixed plan could
be announced prior to the assembly OF
all the grand masters, it is in short
the purpose of the lodge to raise 81,
100000 to build and endow the me-
mortal The institution will be unique
among the memorials of the WORLD
and will permit every grand jurisdic-
ton TO honor every Mason it esteems
TO be deserving with a leaf in its hal
of fame, a photograph and a bio.
graphy.
The gathering of such men o
prominence in the old lodge was i'm
pressive. Alexandria Washington
Lodge No. % made Washington it
worshipful master in 1888. At his re
quest in 1871, it laid the conversion
OF the District of Columbia and tW,
years later assisted in laying the cor
nerstone of the national capitol. Ii
1899 it performed the ceremonies o
his funeral
In it's halls. crowded with preciou
mementoes, his memorial was organ
lied yesterday. There hangs the oil
charter granted by Edmund Randolph
grand master of Masons in Virginia
in 1888. Close by. it's pendulum cor
cut and its hands pointing to twenty
minutes after ten in the evening-th
hour and minute Of his death-stand
the old bed chamber clock. No none
could buy this silent old tale beare
Nearby in a case is the little trowe
he used in laying the capitol corner
stone. In another are his weddin
gloves, his pocket compa sses, far1
spurs, piece of his tent used at York
town, his old ashioned medicin
scales and an eloquent token of HI
reverence for his mother a littI
knife she gave him as a reward fc
his obedience and which he treasure
for fifty-six years.
The Williams picture. painted frol
life in 1894. hangs on another wall.
cannot escape the eye, for it is muC
unlike the accepted likenesses
Washington. 1t shows the man in h
extreme old age and is the only oris
inal life picture extant, in Masonic Re
gala. His Masonic apron embroidel
ed in gold with French and America
flags entwined. presented to the lods
in 1912 by his nephew Lawren(
Lewis, hangs nearby. The only oris
inal paint of Lord Fairfax, Washing
tons early patron and friend. is al:
there.
The masters chair. occupied
General Washington in presiding ov
the lodge. stands in a glass case. fro
iS n
binary occasions. 1t is 122 years o
and was in constant use for III year
Scores of other things of his day. Il
old chairs and benches of the lod;
still in use. the front door key of Il
Bastile. presented in 1925 by Lafa,
cite, which have come from relativ
and friends. are valued beyond est
mate.
There had been sentiment again
choosing a new site for the memori;
but for a great many reasons the OF
proposed on Washington street is be
ter fitted to the purposes of a n
tional undertaking and the necessiti
have outweighed the patriotic sent
ment and have won a graceful co
sent to the new site.
Yesterdays first meeting held in t
lodge room. adjourned al noon and ;
went to Mount Vernon by a speci
train. The party of distinguished m
walked along the bluff that overlook
the majestic river and laid a wrea
upon the tomb. They then returned
the lodge at Alexandria for conferri
degrees.
Last night, at the annual banqu
of the old lodge Secretary of W
Dickinson, James d. Richardson. so
ereign grand commander, Scott
Rite Masons, Representatives Charl
G.. CARING and Champ Clark and t
Rev John Wesley Hill. d. D., Of NJ
York, made speeches.