The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-07

lone wolf by nature, ana WisnIui
for other people to let me alone,
come good luck or bad. But my
grandfather on my mothers side,
old Judge Delatour, he was fierce
Mason. You mayn't remember If,
being so young at the time. but
they had an nti-Masonic Conven-
ton in Baltimore in 81. The old
man was still raving about it when
l was a kid, so / got the idea that
Mason and Anti-Mason was some
kin to the civil war, and it's never
left me. Always I've taken an in
terest in anything concerning 'ern,
for Grandpa Delatour was an old,
old man when | was young, and he
used to take me out for walks and
discourse to me as he couldn't to
grown man.
"Well, when was in Wyoming.
here come scientific scout, dig
ging up the wishbones of them lit
tie insects they had before the big
freshet. Nice little pets, about
three box-cars-and-a-half long,
with seven double sets of teeth rum
ming from their gizzards clean
around outside to the tips Of their
tails. He was good old boy, the
professor, and nights around the
FIRE he used to tell us stories. He
told us about the Aztecs in Peru.
and the way they and the Span
iards mixed it up. You could al
most say they had hard feelings to-
ward one another, and then about
the temples in Uxlnal, Yucatan.
The old man said that the Aztecs
and the Mayas were the first Ma
sons-years and years before they
converted Old King Solomon, and
that Masonry was sun-worship
really. He said all the Masonic
truck was to be found on those old
temples. l don't know anything
about it, that's what he said. But
you don't expect a nice thin little
old gent with specs a quarter of an
inch thick, and whiskers like an
Angora cat to string you for the
fun of the thing. Then he told
about some Asia folks-now. what's
their darn names? Sounds like
grammar when l used to study it.
What was it we done now"
"Parsees? l suggested.
There you are now! Right for
a dollar! Thern's they-Parsees.
Well, they, are out and out SUM-
worshippers, and they have Mason
didoes they cut. He also told us
that the Hops and some other
southern tribes had their picture
writing ceremonials, which was
Masonry, pure and simple.
well, next comes Mr.. Johnson.
He was one of these nice upstand-
ing men with hot temper and a
high, proud chest; a good lad.
Johnson, with wife and two kids
to support. He had a little wheat
ranch of his own, but you got to
have rain now and again for wheat.
When Johnson started to raise
wheat it quit raining, so he went to
work on the ranches. He kept
about two jumps ahead of the
mortgage, and that wore on his
temper. Next thing the Mason bug
hit us. I'don't know how it start
ed, but here and there the boys
talked in groups about brotherhood
and nanging-together and all that.
Seemed to me the punchers held to-
gether about as well as any body
of men. must have seen lots and
lots of Masons. in my time, with
out knowing it, but what | never
did see was lots and lots of men
spraining their backs to help each
other out.
"Masons, Socialists, Christians,
call 'em what you please, number
one, me, l. myself is the first party
to get consideration. And that's as
it should be, too. Lots of times you
monkey with another mans bust
ness and he's fit to kilt you for
meddling. But calling a man
names, good or bad, don't make any
permanent alteration in his DISPOSE
ton, and I'll bet money on that.
Johnson got the Mason notion
hard. Finally. somebody from
Minneapolis come up to form a
lodge. l don't know as there was
the proper secrecy about the pro-
El1I,. I-..o,, -,