The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-04-22


souri, was stimulated by the advent of
this great body Of Negro men.
There came up from Kansas City,
among it's large delegation, a new
light upon the Masonic armament, one
calculated not only to penetrate many
of the dense traditions of the parent
body, but to shine with brighter and
brighter luster as it rose higher above
the horizon. 1t vas in the person of
a young Mason, just elevated to the
mastership of his lodge, but long be.
fore elevated to a high place in the
esteem of his fellow citizens on &C.
count of the unusual talents of leader
ship and trustworthiness which he
possessed-Nelson c. Crews.
There had long been a tradition in
the Grand Lodge that a young master
should be seen but not heard for at
least two or three years, in fact, to
speak out earlier hal this was an
open bid for a good setback, some.
times complete humiliation. Nelson
Crews at nee broke through this ira.
dition by appearing on the floor at the
very first session to respond to the
address sof welcome delivered by the
mayor of Cape Girardeau. He made a
great speech, too, in which he so warm.
ly accepted the greetings on behalf
of the Grand Lodge and set forth the
interests of his own race, that the
mayor rose for the second time and
complimented the body upon the in
telligence of it's representative speak.
er.
Crews had come to the Grand Lodge
with the avowed intention of waging
a relentless var upon the long tenure
of office idea and he was not at all
pleased that Past Grand Master Pei
ham had fallen so easily back into
the office of Grand Secretary when
Brother Chinn went to the Grand
East. At this point he began at once
to organize for a different order OF
things and assumed the management
of a movement to elect DR.. NJ. o. Rick
etts as Grand Secretary. HEREFORD
and George H. Green Enthusiastically
supported Brother Crews in this con
tention and it took a mighty maneu.
vering of the proxies to head off the
Ricketts, boom. Brother Pelham was
reelected, but the reform had been
started, this time to finally achieve
its aim, for it was not long afterward
that a constitutional amendment was
carried which limited the tenure of Of
flee in the grand mastership and the
rotation plan was ~fiscreGfted alto
gether.
In his annual address Grand Mas,
ter Chinn was called upon to note
the death of Past Grand Master Moses
Dickson, n of the founders of the
jurisdiction and one of the most re-
markable men that the race has yet
produced, cultured, genial, energetic
even in his old age, and possessed of
a natural power of leadership which
amounted almost to magnetism. 1t
was Moses Dickson who gave the pres.
ent form to the ritualistic and cere.
monial work of the Heroines Of JeTi
cho, al order which is nationwide
and which is the Oldest adaptive fe-
male society i the world. Moses
Dickson afterward founded the Inter.
national Order oil Twelve, a secret be-
nevolenU society which has at this
time seventeen jurisdictions in Ameri
ca and a membership of over 100, 900.
The death of Rev. p. Hubbard, P.
D. G. NJ, was also noted with sorrow,
especially as his taking AVA occurred
at a time when he was upon the point
of attaining the highest honors of his
church and when he was in the height
of his fame as a minister and scholar,
Upon the recommendation of Grand
Master Chinn a special committee vas
appointed to revise the constitution
of the Grand Lodge and Brother Toe
E. HEREFORD was appointed chairman
of the same, thus assuring the en-.
couchment of provisions limiting the
tenure of office n the restriction
of the proxy system.
At this time and for many years
previous there was in the Grand Lodge
a most scholarly and capable brother
by the lame of George H. Green. He
was n of those Masons, much of
the VIM. Cross or A. B. Moore char
acter, of lovable disposition, never
seeking personal advancement, always
ready for work. always reliable and al
ways true. His lofty ideals and his
modest demeanor were ever a source
Of inspiration to his brethren and to
this very day he has lived the life of
an open. honest. studious Mason. above
blame and above reproach.
Before the close of the session Rich