Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-06-09
cRAND LODGE TO HOLD CElE'
DRATioN IN CEDAR RAPIDS
THIS WEEK.
PETITION FOR CHARTER
GRANTED IN YEAR 1s4o
Sessions to Be Held Tuesday, We'd
nssday and Thursday-oldest Mason
In state TO Attend ssssions-He is
- Nathan sehofisid, ,of. Pocahontas, In
Hi. Ninety Second Year.

Cedar Rapids, June "A diamond
d. ,,,h,Iea comes but once In the history
81 any organization. In connection
with its meeting in Cedar Rapids next
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
the Grand Lodge OF Iowa, A. +. ana A.
NJ, will celebrate the seventy-titth an
ptyersary of it's founding at Greene
Tuesday evening at O'Clock.
While the diamond jubilee meeting
"a nd the ssyenty sixth annual commuh-
ication of the Grand Lodge does not
pegin until next week schools OF IN
.struction began yesterday at the Con-
sistory building and will be contih-
ued on different degrees today ana
Monday. I..
Previous TO the special program al
Greerie's Tuesday evening delegates
and Visiting Masons will assemble AT
the Masonic library at o'clock, Wheh
ines will be formed for a short parade
under the escort of Apollo Command
cry Knights Templar and the Masons
Of Cedar Rapids with the Shrine oano'
The route will be as follows west
in First avenue TO Third street, south
in Third street to Third avenue, west
in Third avenue to Second street, north
in second street TO Greenes. II the
evening is rainy the parade VIII De
called off. .'
The Grand Masters dinner Will De
served in the Consistory home We'd
.nesday evening. Sessions of the Grand
:. Lodge will be held at Grsenes 8.
% NaC
Grand Ledge Of Iowa is coincident
with the history of the state itself. 1t
was on July ,, 1898, that President Ssn
Buren,, under an act of congress, APP
pointed Robert Lucas first governor
OF the territory of Iowa. He had pre-
viousiy held the same office in Ohio.
When he came TO Iowa in that year
and established the head Of the ter
ritoriaI government at Burlington, for
in those days a governor had the right
10 name the capital of his territory
there came with him his private secre-
tary, T. S. Parvin, father Of \. r.
Parvin, of Cedar Rapids, now grand
secretary OF the order.
Petition in 1910.
Masonry within the borders Of the
state dates in reality from Nov. ~,
1910, when a petition signed by mem
! bers of the order living in the then
capital OF the territory, and recon-
: mended by Napoleon lodge No. % OF
ST. Louis, was presented to the Mis-
souri, grand lodge. The dispensation
for this, the beginning Of the craft in
& Iowa, was granted by the deputy
grand master of Missouri on Nov. 20
of that year. 1t became Des Motnes
lodge No. Al.
Mr.. Parvin, or Father" Parvin, as
he was later called, and Governor
Lucas were instrumental in preparing
the petition and obtaining the dispen-
sation. Included in the membership
/. of that first lodge were members Of
the territorial legislature.
Oldest Mason Expected.
Among the prominent Masons eX-
rected to attend the grand lodge ses-
sion, here next week is the Oldest living
Mason in the state, Nathan ,Schofield,
of Pocahontas. He is in his ninety
second year He is the only survivor
Of the Grand Lodge Of 1858.
He and his brother drove from Iowa
City to Des Moines to attend the lodge.
The river was high and floods We're
common that year making travel diff
ficult and at times impossible in some
localities. At the close of the Grand
Lodge he and his brother and some
companions decided to travel to their
home near Dubuque by water. TAX
ing a boat they went down the Des
Moines river to keokuk. Then they
went up the Mississippi to Dubuque
and from there a short railroad took
them to Manchester and from there
they drove TO their homes.