The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-03-04

a Mason" regardless of what else
they did or did not.
In consistent as it may appear, near
ly all the lodges at this time and prior
to this found that the greatest diff
Guilty with which they had to contend
was to get the brethren to pay their
monthly dues. Just how they figured
that the fraternity could be supported
without funds 40 one can understand,
but so it was. Scarcely a lodge could
be found free from this evil. In many
cases brethren would neglect their
dues as long as one or two years all
the time contending that they could
not legally be suspended for this
shortening, that Masonry and money
We're two wholly separate considera-
lions. At the Lexington meeting the
Grand Master declared that no less
than 81, 900 in delinquent dues was held
against the brethren, an average of
more than 50 per member in good
standing. This was properly pointed
out as a deplorable condition from a
moral as well as from a financial stand
point. 1t may be said here that if the
members of the Masonic fraternity
had from the very beginning of their
work in Missouri up to this time been
more liberal in their financial support
of the order great monuments would
have been built where now there is
nothing and there would have been
less competition in the form of other
societies.
There was also another fallacy. 1t
was the opinion among many of the
brethren that a member of a lodge.
even though suspended for failure to
pay dues, might remain out as long
as he pleased and return by simply
paying the amount for which he was
suspended and without any voice or
vote of the lodge. Thus it often hap
pened that members would do this
very thing. They would remain out
Masonic loafers-for several years or
until they found their health slipping.
then with long faces and penitent.
would come back to the lodge with
as much sang froid as if they were
comforting an honor upon the faithful
brethren who sympathetically received
them back TO die upon the comforting
bosom of the relief department.
Grand Master Pelham went after
these evils in a manner entirely too
mild, being satisfied with merely orat.
ing against them once in a while, and
it was left to his successors to actual
ly break up the practices by the lay
ing on of strong hands.
The practice of requiring unaffiliat-
ed members to ecure so-called restora-
ton papers came into vogue about this
time and naturally met with a great
deal of objection from what the Grand
Master called sunshine Masons." The
rule required each applicant for res
toration to go through the form of Sc.
curing and paying for a regulation GER
t~ificate before r~eassuming member
ship in a lodge.
An effort was made at this session
to establish an official journal. A pa
per called the Brotherhood edited by
H.. R. Graham, Grand Lecturer, and
others received the Endorsement of
the Grand Lodge and SIS. The latter
no doubt went for board and railroad
fare while the former was discounted.
The election of grand officers fea-
tured the second day as usual. Grand
Master Pelham was reelected. Broth
er A. j. Nash of Kansas City became
Deputy Grand Master, Brother o. H.
Winston advanced TO Senior Grand
Warden and the writer was elected
Junior Grand Warden.
The real politics came in on the Sc
lection of the next place of meeting.
A committee named for hat purpose
had recommend Jefferson City and the
offer was approved. But that was the
year when the people of the state had
been called upon to vote upon the
proposition for the removal of the
capital from Jefferson City to Sedalia.
Naturally each of these cities was
looking out for friends and each want
ed the Grand Lodge meeting. Liberal
promises and bonuses came down from
Sedalia through Brother j. H. Jenkins
and it was voted to rescind the vote
by which Jefferson City was chosen.
Then came the eloquent Inman Z.
Page, president OF Lincoln Institute at