Imperial Valley press., 1924-12-01
SOLEMN RITES
MARK OPENING
OF COURTHOUSE
Many From All Parts
of Valley Attend
Ceremony

With all the Solemnlly ana III
pressiveness of the Masonic ritual
provided for such purposes, and III
the presence of q crowd of people
estimated at several thousand, the
cornerstone of Imperial county 8
new $350,000 court house was laid
Saturday afternoon ~ the Califor-
MIA Grand Lodge, Free andsAccept-
ed Masons.
The ceremony was presided over
by David j. Reese of Ventura,
Grand Master of the lodge, assisted
by other officers of the lodge, mem
bers of the Knight 'Templars, Sciots
and other Masonic organizations OF
Imperial Valley and San Diego.
Following this ceremony, the flag
of the United States was raised to
the flagstaff or the new building,
by the Imperial County Interpost
Council of the American Legion, es-
corted by delegations of legionaires.
Shortly after 3 o o'clock, the pa
rade which preceded the exercises
at the court house, formed on Nam
street and marched west with the
Knights Templars, headed by the ma
fionai colors and the Teinpiar flag,
leading. the way. Members OF the
Seiots and valley Masonic lodges fol.
lowed, with the Officers of the Grand
Lodge bringing up the rear.
Arriving at the court house, the
Masonic bodies took their places III
the stand erected for them 'at the
northeast corner of the bulldlng'
with the officers of the Grand Lodge
occupving the seats in the front
rows. The ceremony opened with
Noland's orchestra playing on
ward Christian Soldiers followed
with prayer by Grand Chaplain
Robert j. Taylor of C!aremont, and
an ode by the Masonic quartette.
j. Roy Adams, of Imperial, chalr,
man of the hoard of supervisors or
Imperial county, then gave snort
address, reviewing the various steps
in the work which resulted IN the
building of the new court house ana
extended a formal invitation TO the
Grand Lodge of California to lay the
cornerstone and dedicate the new
building in accordance with the Ma
sonic ritual.
On behalf of the Masonic lodges
of Imperial Valley, Howard Jones or
Holtville presented silver trowei'
to the Grand Master, TO be used IN
the corner stone ceremony and then
To be retained by him as 4 memento
of the occasion.
In accepting the :rowel, the Grand
Master expressed thanks to the I'M
perial Valley lodges and to the sup
ervisors of Imperial county for the
invitation given to the Grand Lodge
, He then outlined the ceremony 10
he followed in the exercises, stress
ing the significance which the Varl
ans rarts OF the ritual bear, not only
for those of the Masonic fraternity
but for all who endeavor to i've VI
to the higher ideals of life. lie re
viewed the work of the operative
masons OF ancient times which i
reflected in the work of the modern
sneculative Masons and then pro
ceeded with the actual work OF SET
ting the cornerstone, assisted ny 'h'
Grand Lodge officers.
Conforming to the Masonic ritual
n copper box was placed within th'
stone. containing documents con
! trihuted bv various valley organiz
atoms. These included list OF I'm
perial county officers, list Oh con
tractors employed IN the cohs'ruc
tion Of the Imperial county couf
house; specifications and contrac
forms. valuation and tax rates o.
i IMPERIAL county for l924-25; bookie
of facts ON Imperial county; teie
phone directory of Imperial county nv,
copies of valley newspapers lhciu'' cruz
ing Holtville Tribune, bfawie'
News, Calexico Chronicle, lmperia
Enterprise, Calipatria Herald, I'm
perial Valley Press, Imperial Naile;
Farmer; year book of the Woman
| Ten Thousand Club; list OF memoel
of the Imperial Bar association
summary of the proceedings OF IN
Masonic Grand Lodge; membershl
OF Masonic lodges OF Imperial eoui
! ty; directory of York Rite Mason'
: bodies of Imperial county and rosie
of Imperial Valley Pyramid No. 3
: Ancient Egyptian Order of seiot
+ and list of American Legion men
: bers of the valley.
' In the actual work of placing Il
5 stone, the Grand Master Yves assis
e ed by Don Wells and Ralph Swea
, igen, architects of the building an
/ James w. Cass Of FL Centre.
(ContinueG ON Rage Twol