The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-11-28
An Entertaining Account of the Recent Trip of the
Grand Master and Other Masonic
Dignitaries to the Far West.
NOTABLE PERSONS AND CITIES VISITED ON THE TOUR
By DIR. M. o. RICKETTS,. ST. JOSEPH, MO.
Past Grand Master of Masons.
CHAPTER v.

entered the hall preparatory to TAX
ing the first flight of elevators to
the office, a stranger poked his head
out of the door to room IA and said
in a dry, husky voice:
Mister, if you are going to the Of
flee please ask the porter to bring
me a cocktail right away"
l could see at a glance that this
stranger was suffering, and realized
from the unhesitating in
which he prescribed for himself that
his trouble was one of long standing,
and hat he knew the treatment best
adapted to give the quickest relief.
l waived my desire to be ethical, and
did not stop to ask anything about
his school of practice, but ordered his
prescription filled. Later l saw the
porter leaving his door with an empty
glass, with the exception of a big red
cherry which was in it, and l on
cluded the stranger did not think as
well of the cherry as he thought of
the spirit in which it was brought.
George believes that prevention is
better than cure, and to guard against
pneumonia he asked me to bring him
something hot to drink. When | re-
turned with the pass key l told him
the cafe had not opened as yet and
hat l could not get coffee for him,
but that would light my spirit lamp
and heat some water for him. | have
eve been able to account for the
p%rovocation which could have caused
my erstwhile friend and brother to
use the language he handed me. He
claims to have been trying to tell me
where to get Off" and if the climate
to which he consigned me is half as
fervid as his language I am sure to
never have any trouble with my host
of friends for whom George wanted
to run an excursion to this perpetual
Death Valley of the spirit world over
anything hot.
The auto ride gave us an excellent
opportunity of seeing Denver. We
visited many places of interest and
among them the fine city parks, the
geological garden and many of the i'm
portant public buildings. The state
museum wasea place of great interest
and had an attractive display of the
natural of Colorado. It's
mineral, game and fish display was
to us wonderful, and especially inter
esting was the radium which we saw
or in the classic language of George
w. K. Love, manifestations of radio
activity
Our people are making progress
along the lines of business. We saw
several drug stores, two well equipped
newspaper offices, an undertaking es
Enlistment, several doctors and law
yers. Our people are the owners o
any number of good homes and many
pieces of valuable property. We saw
the usual club, barber shop and poo
hall, as we'll as restaurants and clean
ing and pressing shops.
Grand Secretary Sprague is vel
known to many of our readers, an
we want to say that his life in Den
yer has been one worthy of emulation
He owns a beautiful modern home be
sides five other properties which ar
income producers. Mr.. Sprague ha
been in tn eemploy of one firm 70
the last twenty-six years, and hai
worked himself up to a position o
trust and remuneration.
Grand Master Rector is one of tn,
really big men of Denver. While h
was unfortunately born at a time whel
the gateway of opportunity vas eS
tremely narrow for men of his rae
and his educational advantages wer
limited to less than a week in schoo
he has made good. The position o
honor which his Grand Lodge ha
thrust upon him is being worn witt
Measuring the distance he has travel
ed from the point at which he startet
one can not avoid the conclusion tina
he has travelled far. Rector is elC
quent and witty. He has the happ
faculty of being caustic without beinI
offensive. We called his attention
to the failure to receive our GRAM
Master with Grand honors. He ad
mitted the oversight and said he wa
glad | reminded him of it. He sal
he often had occasion to realize tn
truthfulness of the statement brough
out in a story which he had heard
and then proceeded to tell the follow
ing:
"A preacher was trying to saw
piece of board and had great difficult
in doing so for the reason he coul
not hold the board in place. A FOOLS
boy came along and told him if h
would lay the board in a nearb
trough he could saw it withou
trouble. He found that what the foo
ish boy said was true and turned t
him and said: John l have ofteI
heard that you could learn somethin
from a fool and now | believe it
John said; 1t must be true for Other
wise / could moi account for the fac
that a good many people go to you
church."
We met the charming wife of MI
Sprague and her sister who gave u
teaching in Kansas City to take tn
cottage course in a home over whic
she presides as wife and mother. MI
Howard the Master of Centenia
Lodge and Bro. Hill, P.G.L., of tn
Grand Lodge Of Colorado accompanie
Ius on the trip about the city and wer