Evening star., 1922-02-20
Spccial Dispatch TO The Star.

ALEXANDRIA. February 90 The
twelfth annual convention OF tine
George Washington Masonic Nationai
Memorial Association will meet in this
city at $50 o'clock tomorrow morning,
In the Masonic Temple. 1t is expected
that 200 delegates will attend. Tne
purpose of the association is the erec-
ton Of a memorial temple to george
Washington the Mason in George
Washington Park, at the western eno
of the city.
The proposed temple and landscape
gardening will cost approximately
$4,000, 900. and there will be an en-
dowment fund of s500,00o. More than
a million dollars has been raised in
cash and pledged, tentative plans 1or
the temple are prepared and Will De
submitted for ratification to the as
sociation Tuesday morning. In the
event of their ratification. the actual
work of construction will be begun
. this year.
Plans of Memorial.
The temple will be erected III
George Washington Park. on plot
of ground containing thirty acres the
western slope fronting ALEXANDRIA
The height of the elevation above
tidewater is 145 feet and the temple
will tower 200 feet above this. over
looking and commanding a splendid
view OF Washington and the Potomac
river and bringing Mount vernon IN
plain view.
The proposed temple will be $50 by
200 feet and will comprise lodge, COM
mandery, chapter and rooms 1or
other Masonic bodies, including
room for the members of the assocla-
tion to meet each year. Apartments
have been provided for museum,
memorial hall, art gallery, executive
offices and library. also an auditorium
with a seating capacity of about
1900 persons.
In the room provided for the purpose
will be deposited the relics of Alex
andria-Was shington Lodge. 1t will be
an exact reproduction of the lodge
room erected by Washington's cotem-
poraries in 1902, in which the collec-
tions. now priceless in a historic and
monetary sense, were first deposited
when they came from the relatives and
friends of the great patriot.
The tentative plans have been pre-
pared by Helmle & Corbett of New
York. with OSgood e. Osgood of
Grand Rapids, Mich, as consulting
architects. and Olmsted Brothers of
Brookline. Mass. as landscape archi-
tects.
$6:5.OO0 Received.
The last report on the amount of
money collected. received by Charles
H. Callahan. local secretary. showed
that the cash in the treasury for this
temple was s625.O00. with a large
number of pledges which would rage
H.. ~ n
sI.5o0.0Oo Since the recent of this
information a number of states have
made returns the amount OF which
will not be made public till the meet
ing of the ASSOCIATION Tuesday,
Personal representatives of the as
sOc!ation, working under the i'm.
mediate direction of the various grand
masters, have been appointed In forty
five states and about forty of these
representatives have signif1ed their
intention to be present at next Tues
days. meeting. All but two jurisdic-
tions have Joined the association.
Strange to say. the grand lodges
holding allegiance to Masonry In our
insular possessions. such as the Grand
Lodge of the Philippines and Porto
Rico. have not only Joined. but the
Grand Lodge Of the Philippine Islands
has contributed $500 to the temple
fund Porto Rico also has made a
substantial contribution. and dona-
IlOnS nave pccu ICCclScu iioHi tuc
lodges in the Panama Canal Zone and
Alaska.
Vast Sum to Be Raised.
There are 2.540.00O Free Masons in
continental America, and it is intend
ed to raise a sum equal to 81 per
capita. which, from present prospects.
will be accomplished in a very short
WHILE About $50 representatives
from the grand Masonic bodies in the
United States are expected to attend
this meeting and participate. These,
in addition to the state chairmen re-
ferred to. will make a grand total Of
about 200 delegates who will attend.
This movement has been gradually
growing. The first meeting held here
in 1910 was a small and insignificant
affair. only eighteen delegates being
present. but each year has witnessed
a substantial increase in the number
of Representatives. A large nupber
OF Jurisdictions, and among them
someiof the far western states. have
already contributed their entire
quota.
Massachusetts,. with $4,000 Masons
has collected and turned in $4,000
and the District of Columbia has
exceeded her quota as has also Con-
nectieut. Delaware. North Dakota,
Will Tender Reception.
Delegates who arrive here Monday
will be rendered an informal recep-
ton at night in the Masonic Temple.
The business session of the associa-
tion will convene at $50 o'clock the
morning of February 81 in the Ma