The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-31
SEPTEMBER RICH IN MASONIC IORE|
Historic Events Make Month Memorable To
 The Craft


 rich in Masonic anniversaries.
 Masonic lodges will pay tribute to the great men and good whose birth. days will be remembered at this time, and also pay the tribute of loving memory to me the anniversaries of whose deaths occur in this month. In addition events of great importance in Masonic history have taken place in September.
 Lafayette-One hundred years ago in 1924, Lafayette made his famous visit to the United States. It was in truth a Masonic pilgrimage. He was feted by Masonic grand bodies through out the country and was the recicipent of many honors from the fraternity. His birth on September 6, 1757, will be honored. His eldest son was named George Washington Lafayette, accord ing to Masonic tradition, was made Mason in one of the lodges in the Continental army. Upon his return to Paris after the war he became, a member of Union lodge of that city. :
 Speaking of Masonic visitors, atten- tion is directed to the coming visit of the Prince of Wales. The prince is a member of Household Brigade lodge No, 2614, London, In which he was raised a Master Mason June "A, 1913. Recently the honor of Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Eng land was conferred upon him and in July of this year, he was installed as Masonic Provincial Grand Master for Surrey before an immense cOncourse of English Alasons.
 In Revolutionary Days
 Many of the men prominent in Revo- Hale, who was hanged as spy by lutionary days were Masons. Nathan the British in New York on September 22,1776, was a member of St. Johns Regimental lodge of that city and al- though barely .21 years of age had re- ceived recognition as Mason.
 John Marshall, who was an officer in the American Revolution and later be- came chief justice of the United States, was grand master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia in 1703. He was the most famous lawyer and master of Juris- prudence in American history and served on the supreme court bench for 35 years. John Marshall was born September 24, 1755.
 Gen. Joseph Warren, who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and m whose honor the famous Bunker Hill monument was erected, was a member of St. Andrews lodge of Boston, having been initiated on September 10, 176l.- In 1770 General Warren was the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massa- chusetts.
 Martyred Presidents
 Two martyred presidents Of the United States will be lovingly remem- bered in SeDtember. President Gar field died September 19, 1881, and President Mckinley was shot by an assassin at Buffalo September 6, 1901. Both of these beloved Americans were Masons; Mckinley being Q Knight Templar and a member of Winchester Hiram lodge, No. 21, of Winchester, Virgina, and President Garfield being Knight Templar and a Fourteenth Degree Scottish Rite Mason. His symbolic lodge was Magnolia lodge, No. 20, of Columbus, Ohio.
 Speaking of Masonic Presidents, 1t is interesting to know that the only living ex-president of the United States, is a Mason. To him was acc0rd- ed the unusual honor of being made a Mason at sight by the Grand Master of Ohio at Cincinnati on February 1S, 1909. The same evening he was pre- sent and witnessed the conferring of the Master Mason degree by Kilwin- ming lodge, No. 356 President Taft was born on September 15, 1857.
 Father Of American Navy
 Masonic names are conspicuous on the pages of American history. Cap tain John Paul Jones commanded the U. S. s. Bonhomme Riehard-forty two guns, BOA men-in the naval bat tie of September 8, 1779, with the British frigate Serapis-fifty guns, 320 men-which resulted in the most famous American naval victory of the Revolutionary war. John Paul Jones' Masonic record is well known. His victory of this date enormously in- creased the prestige of the young re- public in Europe.
 The Continental Congress met on September 15, 1774, at which time the American Union actually came into existence, when the delegates from eleven colonies met in conference at Philadelphia. Most of the men con- spicuous in this famous assemblage of liberty were Masons, including Pey- ton Randolph of Virginia, Patrick Henry, and George Washington
 On September 3, 17S3, the Treaty of Versailles between the United, States and England ending the- Revo- lutionary war was signed. Nearly two years had elapsed since the evacua- tiOn of Yorktown. The treaty bore the signature of Benjamin Franklin, who was Provincial Grand Master'of Masons of Pennsylvania in 1740.
 Morgan, Affair-September holds two anniversaries that represent dark pages
 
 abducted from Canandaigua, New York on September 12, 1926, Morgan was a renegade Mason who, it was alleged. had made disclosures of Masonic ritu- and the custom. His body was never found and his disappearance was charged to the Masons. The enemies of Freemasonry seized upon it as a pretext for a violent attack of calum- ny and on September 26, 1892 the first anti Masonic party convention was held at Baltimore with 112 delegates. This was the first and only conven- tiOn of that party. Truth and fair dealing eventually triumphed over falsehOod and oblOQuy and Freemason- " emerged from this struggle a more influential organization than ever.
 The cornerstone of the capitol at Washington was laid with Masonic ceremonies by George Washington on September IS, 1793.
 An incident in the expansion of the young republic from the great west is recalled on September %, upon which date in 1S06, General Zebulon Pike caused the Spanish flag to be lowered and the United States flag to be raised at the Indian village of the Pawnees in Kansns. This was the official act of possession of the coun- try west of Missouri under the Louis jana Purchase Act of 1903. General Pike was a member of lodge No. 3, in Philadelphia. t. '.