The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-30


A. B. Pool, Austin Canon, John A.
Miller, E. ]. Bartlett and Joseph Elmer
son were made Masons this first year.
No Deaths for Eighteen Months.
For almost a year and a half the
lodge was without a death, when the
death of Senior Warden o. o. Kelsey
occurred, leaving US with a member
ship of twenty-nine at the close of the
first charter year, September 80, 1871
In its. fourth year, while c. L. Hey
! wood was master, it was decided to
rent the third floor of the adams
building, just south of the Union
Pacific hotel and depot, altho a ma
teriaI reduction in rent of 5000 saAyear
was offered the lodge if it would re-
| main in the quarters where organized.
During the latter part of 1859 Sam
uel Dolman circulated a petition ask
! ing mat the organization be- named
Golden Rule u. d. This petition was
written on a sheet of note paper and
was signed by twenty-seven> resident
Masons A substituted or secondary
| petition Isl on file, written on a sheet
| of legal cap paper. in a more elaborate
form, but notice, it asks that the name
be Doric U. ID. Yet the name Golden
Rule was used instead of the New
Hampshire name Doric. 1t seems I'M
explainable how this second petition,
circulated early in 1870, should have
lSupp1a4leQ Ln0 OTISlIldl pGlllAOu. 1nlS
second petition contains only thirteen
of the original twenty-seven petition
| ers, but had secured the following five
! new names: VIM. X. Elliott, j. f.
Fiero, g w. Higganbotham, A. J.
Pliley and ]. N. willard. None of
these five new petitioners became
members. These five Having had rec
| ognition as petitioners it seems should
be added to the twenty-seven original
ones. making a grand total of thirty
two names on the two petitions, of
which we have noticed only twenty
one ever became members, while
eleven were never enrolled as elected
members of this lodge.
| As previously stated, seventeen of
| the petitioners had been regularly en-
rolled before the end of the first char
/ ter year, September 80, 1871. -Four
other petitioners Joined later as fol-
! lows: DR.. NJ. A. Campdoras, January
t18, 1872; J. NJ. Steel. February rs,
\ 1874; A. c.. wallace. April II. 1881,
and 3. f. Kistler, February %. 1882.
While this last one of the twenty one
] did not regularly unite with this lodge
until 6ver twelve years after he had
| signed the first, or original petition.
this long delay did not deprive him
and the other three, who were enrolled
after the close of the charter year,
from the distinction of belonging to
the charter family even tho part of
them had not shared in the very early
tests and trials.
History Is Prepared.
A history prepared six years ago
! by Brothers Ferdinand Voiland, II. L.
! Sherburne, Aaron Sheetz, and VIM. S.
BergundtheI, makes particular mems
bers of the twenty-one original petit
| TONERS. three of who have since died.
The Rev. Joshua Barratt, our Jealous
and faithful chaplain, died April 81.
1915. He was made a Mason in
I Rochester, Ind, June 3, 1868. Rob-
ert H. Waterman of Atchison, Kan,
Nov. 16, 1917. Our highly esteemed
Past Master Samuel Dolman died
Sept. 20, 1919, lacking only two days
of being eightyfive years old. He
was the real moving spirit in start
ing this lodge thru the circulation of
the original petition in 1869. while
connected with the r. L. Coldren Lunl-
Der company, located acre SIS Kansas
avenue from the Union Pacific depot.
He was s. w. while under dispense
ton, serving much of the time as
master. He was the first master I'M
der charter, serving six Consecutive
terms, with only two Interruptions,
/ the first in 1873 when G. L. Haywood
| consented to serve during Mr.. Dol
mans absence from the city. While
/ his early activity diminished, his in
| terest in this lodge and his zeal in
high class Masonry continued until
! his death. He was made q Mason
! March IA. 1857 in Tecumseh lodge,
No. 15, which was organized, January
| IL, 1858, continuing until October "a.
/ S74 as the Oldest numbered lodge in
Shawnee county. Later hey secured a
demit and Joined Topeka No. II,
which was organized Nov. 25, 1857.
Two Charter Members.
OF the two surviving charter mem
! bers, c. L. Haywood and myself, J. w.
| Priddy, Mr.. Haywood was made a
| Mason September 13, 1864, in Bucks
port, Me. Early records show he was
! an active member, serving as S. D., S.
W.. W. NJ. and thirteen years as treas
urer- will say little of myself save
/ that I was made a Mason too hastily,
| by special dispensation, 1 took the
first degree on Saturday night and
the second and third on the following
TueEday night, December u 1868, in
Warren, Ind Soon after 1 was elected
secretary. serving until 1 came to
| Kansas, October, 1869.
Less than twelve years after this
lodge was organized, when B. f.
TONER Joined. there were only ten of
ltce other twenty remaining. Past
Master A. c.. Beckwith. residing IN
Logan street. was then in poor health
anu died the following year, OctoD er
8, 1889. =
Some Statistics.
II may be interesting to know some
of the statistics concerning the MEM
bership of Golden Rule. No. 80, for
the fifty years ending exactly on
March II, 1920. Reports show losses
in 1878. 'S3, '91, 1902, '04 and '07
ranging from two to seven, with no
gain or loss in 1895, but with COM
mendable gains for the forty-three
years, ranging from one in three cases
, only to maximum of 40 in 1911 and
the same in 1919, with good prospect
for as many during this calendar and
Masonic year.
In the fifty years work, 697 had
raised to the sublime degree of Master
Masons. There were 179 affiliations
few of these were re-entries, like