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:ItrreThan/»00 AttendedMasmeanuetthattheagrithatto fepfrKKftk-yitd**Is2teJ8ity-ryy-h,isi'»rea*Ct.The north roopt of the A. and M. College Mess Hall was comfortably filled with attendants at the annual Masonic banquet given in honor of the birthday of George Washington, the Mason. There were over six hundred Masons, De Molays and guests on hand for the big celebration and it is thought that this is the largest of similar gatherings to have been held on last night, anywhere in the state of j Texas.The keynote of the meeting whs sounded by the Toastmaster Geo. C. Purl of Dallas, member of the state legsilature, when he said that with all the institutions and buildings that the Masons had sp nsored and promoted, there was one thingthat was lacking and that was uMasonic dormitory at the A. and M. College. His suggestion brought deafening applause and when he asked for a vote on how many of the De Molays would stress the need for such a building in their latters home, they voted unanimously to do so to bring the necessary pressure to bear toward thisend,Walter Downard. Worshipful Master of Brazos Union Lodge No. 129 introduced the Toastmaster, Mr. Purl, who came down here from Dallas just for the occasion, and he in turn called upon Rev. R. L. Brown, Baptist student pastor at College, for the invocation. The excellent repast set out under the able and efficient direction of W. A. Duncan, consumed the next period and this was followed by the musical andthe founding of the institution, which date is next October.The Spirit of Aggieland was then plaed by the orchestra and tlte Toastmaster, who presided over the meeting with ready wit and humor and a command of the situation at all times, called upon the De Molays present to sing it, which they did, and added to the harmony by whistling the chorus.iK. J. Dunn was called to the platform and commended in per-«*n by the Toastmaster for having composed the music to the words written by Marvin Minims, cadet; t the College and before the even-dosed Mr. Purl took a copy the music and promised to get sung and played over the Dallas dio and elsewhere and that he tuId familiarize it in the Dallas and M Club tha* Marion S. Church and others would be humming it all ihe time.inof* *vvAThen Jimmy Hooks, A. and M. cadet and formerly of the Masonic Orphans Home at Fort Worth, was called upon and he spoke of the institution and what the boys and girls did there and what they learned. lie closed by saying that they vere taught to live honestly and with lives of service in any community and to pay their debtsand be iv.lgious in thought andactiof.speaking prog-11 he manThe Toastmaster here discussed for some time the life of George Washington and told of two personal incidents in the great statesman’s life io show the character ofand the Mason, and thenram.The orchefttra composed of i introduced William G. Beil, ofhebyhohengby%»-10)ta»R. J. Dunn, leader; E. E. Umlang, piano; J. W. Dorsey, Violin; O. G.Carlson, flute; and A. J. Moore, clarinet; furnished splendid music of classic nature throughout the repast.Immediately following the consumption of the banquet, the toastmaster called upon the audience to stand and sing one stanza of America, after which he called upon Charles E. Friley, representing T. O. Walton, who extended a most hearty welcome for the A. and M. College and Bryanand delivered something of a me morial talk on this the comment oration of the 53rd anniversary ofAustin, Right Eminent Grand Commander, who was graciously loaned to the evening’s banquet by the Nava ia order, they having had a meeting scheduled for the same night hut holding the inspection in the afternoon out of courtesy to the Bryan lodge. He talked along the lines of Masonry, making a splendid talk and with a depth of feeling and an exhibition of oratory.P, S. Park was the next speaker, hv stressed the value to him of the friendship of the men who sat in the banquet hall, most of whom lie -aid, he could call by their first names.Toastmaster Purl then paid quite a eulogy to the speaker of the evening, Dr. Dewitt McMur-ray, editor of the Dallas Semi-Weekly Farm News and noted as a speaker and wTiter, in introducing him. Mr. McMurray delighted the audience with several humorous stories of more than usual wit and then launched into a tribute to the American Flag and all that it has stood for ard expressed the gratitude that it had never been grounded ir disgrace or flown over a questionable action. His talk was patriotic in nature, to the flag, to Washington, the man, the general, the ||»tesman, the citizen and the Masor, and, incidentallyson, the World-War figure and the exponent of the principle of world-wide peace.The reference to Masonry and what it accomplished in the beginning of the history of this land was the keynote of his address, which was filled with splendid quotations, some from his own pen and one of which was used and set to music by the government in one of its bond drives, and this part of his address is given herewith. It isentitled What Every MasonShould Know” and is taken from the Christian Science Monitor, November 17. 1919. It runs as follows:in these days when the nation appears to be turning with new interest to the faith of its founders, and time-honored maxims and slogans are once more coming into use. many a reader of history, refreshing his knowledge of the early struggle for independence will,no doubt, come upon the well-known triad, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”, without discovering anything in the early popularity of these words to suggest a Masonic relationship. Probably there are even members of the Masonic order who have never conferred themselves with such animplication. Yet unyone, within or without the fraternity, taking the trouble to research for facts, will very likely be surprised to find how generally the leading men concerned in establishing the United States as u nation were Masons. All the familiar historical incidents, when re-read in thelight of Masonic facts, assume a| dependence on lines similar toThenew interest, if not a new signifi-j those followed later in the princicance. “Paul Revere’* Ride” so pal declaration. With such a showwell celebrated by Longfellow’s verses, might be famous, likewiseing in the preliminaries of national experience, Masonic participationas a Masonic exploit. Not only, was only to be expected in the ac-whs Revere himself a Mason bud tual inception of government. It|so was Robert Newman, who hung the signal lantern in the Old North Church, and so was also, William Dawes, who gave the alarm by way of Roxbury, as Revere did by way of Charlestown. James Otis, the Bostonian whose pamphlets inveighed against the arbitrary measures of the Crown and paved the way for revolution, and Patrick Henry whose eloquence in the Virginia House of Burgess, helped to bring the South to the support of the i ause, were Masons, so were Samuel Adams, Joseph Warren, and Josiah Quincy who joined with Otis and Revere in laying plans for the revolution at the Green Dragon Inn. The famous Boston Tea Party, according to the information gathered by Madison C. Peter*, in preparing a little volume Masons as Makers of America,” was projected in the residence of a Mason, and its descent upon the ships at T wharf was led by member* of St. Andrews Lodge, headed by PaulRevere, then one of its jurior officers.EfegeveimanHovcomStelt;to \tort cali of seal ed,maigroJthetha teeJult;vis act ingsioanLawa tio ha’nelt;It is a matter of fairly com-knowledge that MasonicKMnames were numerous amongst the signers of the Declaration ofIndependence. As a matter offact there were 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence andall but six were members of thefraternity. The signers of the completed document formally representing congressional action, wasa Mason, John Hancock. Masonswho took a hand in writing the Declaration were: John Adams,Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert Livingston. Some say that Thomas Jefferson, also a member of this committee, was likewise a Mason. Certainly Richard Henry Lee was. He drew up the preliminary resolutions on independence. And Masons largely composed the conven-tin which met at Charlotte, N. C. in May ’75, to prepare the so-called Mecklenburg Declaration of Innot surprising, therefore, to find that 50 Masons sat in the Constitutional Convention in a total of 55; and Masons and Masonic paraphernalia played an important part in the inauguration of the First President, himself a member of the order, or even that the governors of all the 13 states at that time were similarly distinguished.Perhaps the most striking prevalence of Masonry, however, was in the personnel of Washington’sarmy. Of his 27 major generals,20 were Masons. That their pledges of fraternal support might have counted heavily to his benefit in the trying days that were to come can perhaps be inferred from the fact that of the non-Masoni? major generals, one was Lee, notorious for his Monmouth failure»Jlt;^j another was Gate*, who constantly plotted to undermine and supplant the commander-in-chief; thethird was Thomas Conway of the infamous Conway cabal; and the fourth Thomas Mifflir, whose negligence as inspector of the army made his dismissal necessary. In the whole list of Washington’s brigadier generals, numbering over 50, only one, Stephen Moylan, was without Masonic degree. Many Masons gave distinguished service. There was Ethan Allen of Ticon-deroga fame; Capt. Corcoran of Allen’s Green Mountain boy*; Colonel William Barton, capturer of General Prescott of the King’s forces and llenderson, the hero of Ifctrlem Heights, who captured by the British, was paroled through the interposition of a Masonic brother. Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution, w-as a Mason; so was a Polish Jew named Haynij Solomon, a Philadelphian, who is j said to have given upward of $650,000 to the support of America in the great struggle. John Marshall, Alexander Hamilton and Junies Madison, all were Masons.It is a record that may well lead members of the order to look to their laurel*.onroiexlMi1 a shlt; taiMithlt;evwlyemiHbdo'Mftht!t
Newspaper Details
Bryan Daily Eagle
Bryan, Texas, US
Tue, Feb 23, 1926
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Jeff D.
NA, NA 19 Jun 2022
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