Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-02-25
MASONIC SCHOOL
IS BEST YET HELD
Total Enrolment nj Masonic 1nstruc-
ton Held in Rock Island More
Than Five Hundred.
LOCAL COMMITTEES ARE LAUDED
Visitors Express Surprise at Magnl-
tude OF Government Arsenal
During Visit There.

close last evening with the confer
ring of the third degree on candi-
date for membership in Rock Island
lodge, No. 65S The session was fit
ting climax to the best school of in
struction that was ever held in this
district, both from the standpoint OF
interest and attendance. The total en-
rollment during the school reached
the flattering figure of 504, and in
cluded the grand master, one past
grand master, the grand secretary
grand orator, district deputy grand
master, three past grand examiners
five grand examiners, Is grand lee
turers and 80 officers of lodges.
The school was in direct charge OF
the board of grand examiners COM
posed of Anthony Doherty, Clay City
Ill, chairman: S. C. D. Rea, Benton
H., secretary; H. S. Wiley, Buffalo
ILL.,. Maxwell Levy, Chicago, and R. C
Davenport, Harrisburg, Ill.
In bidding goodbye to the assem-
bled craftsmen at the close of the
school, the chairman and each mem
Der of the board gave unanimous tes-
timonial to their complete satisfac-
ton with the arrangements for theiI
entertainment while in the city anC
for the accommodations extended by
the local Masons. Chairman Doherty
alluded particularly to the opportun.
ity afforded and publicly thanked the
colonel commanding and his assist
ants for the cOurtesies extended. Il
/ was revelation to all of us he said
/ and until we visited your great plan
over on the government island, We
/ had no idea that anything of the
! kind existed so close to our very
doors. We were astonished to learI
/ Of the magnificent system which
! Uncle Sam employees in running thi.
great equipment factory and are al
most overwhelmed with the though
of the numerous devices which ar,
! here brought into being daily. In tn,
midst of the horrible carnage which
| is causing the rivers of Europe to rul
( red with human blood, we have caus
+! to congratulate ourselves that, thu
! far, we of this nation have beef
spared from being drawn into tn
world conflict"
Patriotism Emphasized.
Other visiting members of the boar,
of grand examiners and grand lodg
officers voiced the same sentiment
and expressed their great apprecia
ton of the opportunity of seeing wit
their own eyes some of the novel &C
coutrements with which the Goth cen
fury soldier is equipped to go int
battle. 1T was great education an
We cannot say how much we are in
| debted to Colonel Burr and his aid
for the great object lesson we hay
witnessed" was the way one of ther
expressed it.
An emphasis of the idea of patriot
ism was one of the distinguishin
features of this school, as it has bee
OF the two state schools, which i'm
| mediately preceded it, at Carbondal
and Decatur, and, indeed, at each c
the district schools held under tn
auspices of the grand lodge. A fea
ture Of the opening of each of the ser
arate sessions was the presentatio
in the lodge room of tl.s Unite
States flag with appropriate Cere
mony. This ceremony was worked OF
by the board of grand examiners O
the suggestion of the grand maste
and is recommended for the use {
each constituent lodge in the Illino
jurisdiction. 1t was received wit
great enthusiasm by the representa-
tives of the lodges here this week an
Will, no doubt, be practiced quite ger
orally throughout the state
Degree Work of High Order.
The degree work was of yer
high order and the visiting grand LEI
turers who assisted in its exemplifics
ton received many compliments 0
! their proficiency. The chairman {
the board was profuse in his EXPIRE!
sions of thanks for this assistance an
was especially complimentary in h
communication of the efforts of F.
Patterson and R. c. Mitchell, master
OF the two Rock Island lodges, in prt
viding for the splendid arrangement
which made the school so remarkab
! successful. Each days program VIZ
carried through without hitch an
every wish of the visiting officers VIZ
anticipated by these thoughtful craft
men.
While the Rock Island school fe
just little short of the total attent
ance reached by Decatur, yet is SUI
passed it in number of grand lurisdi
tons represented, no less than
listed on the register, scattered fro
Massachusetts to the Philippine i
lands, there being also one memb
present from Ontario.
I The next state school will be he
IN Rockford week after next and w
be IN charge of the same board
grand examiners.
II Asst CHARGE nM EpCMru