Evening star., 1925-01-11
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
OPEN FETE TODAY
Centennial of Founding of
Washington Commandery
to Be Observed.

various sections of the country, this
afternoon will open a four-day cele-
bration commemorating the Tooth an
niversary of the commandery.
The first event on the centennial
celebration program will be special
will be attended by the knights in
uniform. They will assemble at the
Masonic Temple, Thirteenth street
and New York avenue, and march in a
body to the church. Rev. DR. z. b.
IT. Phillips Will conduct the service.
All Communicates in the District have
been invited.
Tomorrow at 1890 o'clock the
knights will leave Twelfth street and
Pennsylvania avenue on special cleo
trio cars for a pilgrimage TO Mount
Vernon. At Alexandria they will be
met by Old Dominion Commandery
and escorted to the tomb of George
Washington. The doors will be opened
and George r. Davis. past commander
of Washington Commandery will
place a wreath on the tomb. Rev. DR..
John c. Palmer, the chaplain, Will
give the prayer
Dance to he Held.
Tuesday night a supper dance will
be given at the New Willard Hotel at
$50 o'clock, a purely social event, and
Wednesday afternoon, in the Masonic
Temple, the regular stated conclave
of the commandery Will be held. This
meeting falls exactly on the Tooth
anniversary of the date the command
cry was granted a charter. In addi-
tion to regular business, a centennial
program will be presented. An ad-
dress VIII be delivered by William E.
Miller, grand commander of the Dis
trict of Columbia, and extracts of the
history of the commandery will be
presented by J. Claude KEEPER, grand
secretary of the Grand Lodge of the
District and past commander of the
commandery. Mr.. KEEPER prepared
the history of the lodge from all
available data. A program of music
also will be given by Templars, and
benediction viii be pronounced by
Grand Prelate James S. Montgomery.
The final event of the celebration
will be held Wednesday night and
will be a reception and banquet at
the New Willard. Mr. KEEPER will be
toaStmaster, and the only speaker
will be DR.. Thomas E. Greene of the
American Red Cross, past grand prel-
ate of the Grand Commandery of
Iowa. Guests will include John H.
Cowles, grand commander of Scot
tish Rite Masons, southern juriSdic-
tion, an honorary member Of the COM
mandery; the grand commanders of
Maryland and Virginia and Grand
Master Leonidas P. Newby of Indiana.
The heads of all Masonic bodies in
the District also have been invited.
An entertainment program has been
arranged and the decorations will in
clude a huge illuminated cross and
crown, the symbol Of the Templars
and the service flag with about 100
stars.
Personnel of Founders,
Washin gton Commandery, No. l, the
oldest commandery in the District,
had it's inception December 81, 1924, in
the old Western Masonic Hall, when
q small band Of MaSons met for the
purpose of forming and opening an
encampment of knights Templar."
James Cushman of Virginia assume ed
the commanders station, and on his
right, as generaliSsimo, was William
Winston Seaton, concluding his third
year as grand master of Masons in
the District of Columbia, later grand
high priest and mayor of Washing
ton. On Mr.. Cushman's left was the
captain general, John Frank, who
was made generalissimo at the first
election and died while in office. The
prelate was Capt Marmaduke Dove,
a naval officer; the senior warden was
Nicholas Blasdell, and the junior
warden. John G.. Mosart. The recorder
was Joseph Ingle. In the succeeding g
seven days, five more meetings were
held, and at the third meeting the
following officers were elected: Nicho-
las Blasdell, first most eminent grand
commander; John Frank, first gen.
eralissimo; Benjamin o. Tyler, first
captain general; John Davidson, first
treasurer; Joseph Ingle. first recorder,
and Thomas J. Sutherland, first senti-
mel. A petition for a charter was ap-
piled for and granted January II.
With the exception of an invita-
tion from Maryland Encampment, No.
/, inviting the local encampment to
participate in the ceremonies incident
to the laying Of the first stone of
the Baltimore and SusQuehanna Rail
road, August s, 1929, only routine
matters are recorded in the minutes.
Old Records Lost
The last assembly of which there
are now any minutes, however, was
that of Good Friday, April IT, 1885,
which was held in Freemason's Hall
in the City of Washington. Only a
fragment Of these minutes, showing
the place and date of the meeting
and the names of those present, is
in existence, the remainder very
probably having been destroyed or
separated from the record book In
the long period of so years during
which the book was lost. 1t was
discovered in the old temple at Ninth
and F streets in 1887, and restored
TO the commandery.
The commandery is believed, In the
absence of records, to have disband-
ed Immediately after the adjournment
of the General Grand Encampm ent,
December 10. 1885. 1t was revived
April "a, 1S47. This condition of
affairs" says Mr.. KEEPER, in his his
tory of the commandery, SIS not to
be wondered at when we consider
the excitement which we understand
overran the country like a tornado
from 1926 down to 1894 We are
told that, at that time, in some por-
tions of this country there was no
safety for any man who had the
courage to avow himself to be a
Mason. that business was interrupted,
churches were broken up and Masons
denied communion with them, and
that during that trying period many
Masonic bodies were entirely swept
away"
COmmandery Is Revived.
April IT, 1S47, a number of knights
Templar, some of them having been
members of the encampment at the
time it became dormant, petitioned
and received permission to assemble
and elect officers under the old
charter. A meeting was held April "a
in Masonic Hall and the followin e
were elected: Benjamin B. French,
most eminent grand commander; Ezra
Williams, generalissimo; H. B. Robert
son. captain general; James King,
prelate; Charles w. Boteler, senior
warden;sO. Whittlesey, junior warden;
Thomas Donoho, treasurer; Joseph
Ingle, recorder, and George Cover
warder Benjamin B. French may