Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-06-10

Inc rebuilt NAH was ucuiCdlcu 80
ruary &c. 1900, by Grand Master Win
field S. Choate. On March 1, lsO2.
| for the first time the lodge was able
to report a membership OF 100 TO the
Grand Lodge.
The earliest mention of the World
war In the records of the lodge was
July Z, 1917, when note was made
Iof the receipt of letter from Wor.
Brother John S. Milliken, who was
serving in the Medical Corps of the
Army. On August 4, it was voted
to present to all members Of the
lodge who were in the service of their
country, Masonic Identification med
ais. Several men who were about to
enter the service, received the de-
gr out of time, the Grand Master
granting dispensation. Eighteen
stars were upon the lodge service
flag before the end Of the war.
On January Z, 1921, the past mast
ers Of the lodge occupied the stations
and conferred the Master Mason De-
! gree upon Emery o. Beane, he being
the, fourth generation to receive the
degrees in Lafayette Lodge in Il
years. Edward G. Palmer was APP
pointed as District Deputy Grand
| Master that year and was installed
in his home lodge June 4.
At 6:15 o'clock the evening of June
IL, 1921, the Masonic block was
struck by bolt of lightning and was
very quickly in flames. Before the
| resulting confiagrat1on could be ex-
tinguished, every building except one,
| constituting the business section of
the town was destroyed. The lodge
charter and nearly all of the lodge
belongings with the exception Of its
records was lost in this fire.
Plans for rebuilding were soon I'M
der way and progressed without
serious interruption. Readfield
| Grange offered the use of its hall for
meetings and neighboring lodges also
| offered their help. The corner stone
of the. new building was laid on
Septsmber 10, 1921, by Grand Master
| Edward w. Wheeler and the Grand
Lodge and on March 9, 1922, the
beautiful new hall was dedicated the
Grand Lodge being present with Past
Grand Master Thomas H. Dodge act
| ing as Grand Master.
During the 100 years Of LAFAYETTE
Lodge 397 have received the Master
| Mason degree. Today the member
ship is 1913. Forty-six men have
served the lodge as Masters. Today
| there are five members of the lodge
who have been Masons for 40 years
of more. They are George A, Russell,
| 81 years; William G. Hunton, 81
years; George w. Manter, 4S years;
Melville w. Manter, A years. John
w. Manter, A years
Afternoon Program
This afternoon service which fol.
lowed an automobile parade from the
Masonic hall at Readfield to the
church was attended by a large
number of Masons and their families.
Rev. Costello Weston, past master
of the lodge acted as master Of cere-
| monies, with Benjamin III. Winter,
the present master and Rev. A.
Francis Walch. Grand Chaplain, up
on the platform. Several musical sell
ections were presented by the Gar
! net Male Quartet of Bates College
| The invocation was pronounced by
the Grand Chaplain. The ushers
| were students at Kent's Hill Semin-
! airy, members of the Order of De-
| Molay, six different chapters being
| represented.
After a delicious banquet which
was served by Morris Tapley as
caterer, with corps of lodge mem
bers as assistants, j. Orville Newton
acting as POSTMASTER, introduced
Judge Harold E Cook. Deputy
Grand Master, who brought the
| greetings of the Grand Lodge. Fudge
Cook spoke briefly with regard to
the George Washington National
Masonic Memorial at Washington, d.
c. which is now in the process OF
construction. 1t will house a price,
! less collection of memorabilia of
WASHINGTON iYn1tydjr,or
| articles closely connected with his
| career in the Masonic order. The
| memorial will cost about S3,000,000
and it is most worthy project.
| Past Grand Master Thomas H
! BODICE, whose subject was Masonry"
! touched on the fundamentals of
| Masonry and their application to the
| individual, social and moral life. He
| pointed out that the first declara ton
! of a Mason is his belief in God and
! declared that good Mason is bound
to be a good citizen, to support his
| government, and to be charitable and
his charity is not bounded by his
lodge connections.
Judge Albert NJ. Spear, Past
| Grand Master, spoke first of the
higher application of natures laws,
! showing how the entire universe is
| RULED by certain we'll defined prin-
ciples. He declared that it is diff
ficult to determine what law has con-
| tributed to Masonry and what
| Masonry has contributed to the law
Law works directly, Masonry works
indirectly by the application of the
teachings of the lodge room.
! 1t is known that Masons contri-
buted much to the principles of the
constitution, Liberty, Equality and
! Justice, their Masonic teachings thus
being a guiding influence in the
| that Masonry has called to the great
| spoke of Chief Justice Marshall, who
| was Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Virginia, General Andrew
Jackson, Grand Master of Tennessee;
| Henry Clay, Grand Master of Ken
| lucky, James K. Polk and many
| Others.
Judge Fred Emery Beane, past
master of Kennebec Lodge No. 5
! spoke on Much to Remember" His
| talk was an extemporaneous one In
which he spoke of the old days when
! he was student at Kents Hill
seminary, later going to Westbrook
seminary. He recalled the fact thai
although himself a member and past
master of Kennebec lodge, he re-
ceived his Masonic degree in Lafay-
cite lodge, where his father and
| grandfather before him had become
Masons, and where his son Emery o
Beane of Augusta has since followed
in the footsteps Of his forebears.
Other speakers were Judge Herbert
e. Foster Of Temple Lodge No. %
| who spoke on "Our Mother Lodge" ;
Rev. Costello Weston, past master OF
/ Lafayette Lodge, whose subject was
Lafayette Lodge; B. Ralph Cram
past master of Vernon Valley Lodge
! No 90 SnaalSinp on "Onr Elder