MassachusettsHamiltonHistoryCh24
CHAPTER 24: JOHN T. HEARD
Grand Master Lewis declined re-election and John T. Heard was unanimously chosen to succeed him.
John T. Heard was born in Boston May 4, 1809. In his boyhood he attended the local schools, but his youthful years were spent in Ipswich. He fitted for college at the Academy at Lexington. He did not, however attend college, choosing rather a business career. He commenced active business at the age of twenty-one. His business, that of distilling, was very prosperous and he retired with an ample fortune in 1861. The rest of his life was devoted to the care of his estate and the administration of trusts which were put into his hands.
In 1851 he was appointed Senior Aid on the military staff of Governor Boutwell with the rank of Colonel, by which title he was often designated thereafter. Politics did not attract him, although he was a keen student of public affairs. He did once run for Congress, but rather half-heartedly. His district included one of the less savory sections of Boston and one electioneering trip through it was enough for him to lose enthusiasm for his possible constituents. He was defeated at the polls and was probably glad of it. Many offers of appointive positions were made him but the only ones he would accept were seats on the Board of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library, the Cochituate Water Board,and the Directors of the Houses of Industry and Correction.
Bro. Heard took his degrees in Columbian Lodge in 1845 and was immediately appointed an officer. He served as Master in 1854 and 1855. He served the Grand Lodge as Grand Marshal in 1851 and 1852 and as Senior Grand Warden in 1856. Bro. Heard was a member of St. Andrew's Chapter and of Boston Commandery, but his interest was concentrated on Symbolic Masonry. Indeed as he grew older he came to believe that the so-called higher degrees were a liability to Freemasonry, rather than an asset. He felt that they diverted time, interest, and money that would be more profitably employed in Lodge work.
After his administration was over he remained very active in the Grand Lodge to the end of his life.
Bro. Heard was greatly interested in historical and antiquarian subjects and prepared many papers, Masonic and other, along these lines.
He was a born investigator, patient, painstaking and accurate. Among his contributions to the Grand Lodge was an exhaustive report on the Charity Funds of the Grand Lodge (1857) which ran to sixty-four pages and showed every dollar of receipts and expenditures from the establishing t of the fund in 1809. Another was a report presented on December 14, 1870, on a question submitted by Montacute Lodge, of Worcester, "to determine whether the title of Viscount, created in 1564, in favor of Sir Anthony Browne, was 'Montacute' or 'Montague' and, 2d, to ascertain what were the arms of the family of Anthony Browne." This report runs over ninety pages in the published proceedings and is accompanied by tables of genealogy and drawings of coats of arms. The amount of research put into the report is astonishing and involved a journey to England in search of material not accessible in the United States. On the occasion of the dedication of the first Temple on the present site (known as the Winthrop House) he painstakingly traced the St. John's Grand Lodge, the Massachusetts Grand Lodge and the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts meeting by meeting from tavern to tavern until they finally came to rest. He prepared biographical sketches of all the Grand Chaplains, published as an appendix to the Proceedings of 1873. In 1856 he published his history of Columbian Lodge, a work of great value.
Portraits and descriptions unite in delineating a very striking personality, a typical "solid man of Boston" of the period. He was tall and rather portly, and in manner dignified and impressive, but never haughty or aloof. His features, bordered by the very common side whiskers, were regular, the eyes keen and level, but not unkindly, the mouth and chin firm and decided, the whole face that of a capable man of affairs. On Masonic occasions he always appeared in full evening dress and he revived the use of the cocked hat, which had been discontinued during the persecution, but has been worn by Grand Masters ever since. As Master of his Lodge and as Grand Master, he took the full responsibility of his office, without ever becoming arrogant. He knew how to put aside, gently but very firmly, every, even the slightest, attempt to infringe upon his prerogative, whether by the veteran Secretary of his Lodge or the great Grand Secretary, Charles W. Moore, and all without leaving the slightest rancor behind. The entire community joined with the Fraternity in respect for his great ability, his blameless integrity, and his irreproachable life.
At the March Quarterly of 1857 the Grand Lodge reaffirmed its settled policy of not using Grand Lodge funds for the relief of particular Lodges. Evening Star Lodge, of Lee, had lost by fire its hall, furniture, and Charter. The property was not insured and the Lodge, estimating its loss at $500.00,petitioned for assistance in replacement. While the Grand Lodge deeply sympathized with the Brethren and voted to issue a duplicate Charter without charge it did not "deem it good policy to establish a precedent for the Grand Lodge by recommending any draft upon the Treasury in cases of this character." Unquestionably the decision was correct. No matter how appealing the case the precedent would have been very dangerous and might in time have involved the Grand Lodge in very serious financial difficulties.
At the same Communication a letter was received from the Bunker Hill Monument Association, of which George Washington Warren, a former Grand Marshal who was to be Deputy Grand Master in a few years, was President. The Association proposed to inaugurate a marble statue of Joseph Warren on Bunker Hill on the 17th of June following and invited the Grand Lodge and the Lodges generally to assist. The invitation was accepted and the ceremony was successfully carried out, about a thousand Masons being present. There was a Knights Templar escort of about 150. There was a sequel which was not so pleasant. The Chairman of the Association Committee of Arrangements wrote that the expenses had been unexpectedly large and asked for a contribution from the Grand Lodge. The report to the Committee to which the latter was referred was a bit caustic, "The heaviest portion of this incidental expense was the erection of a large pavilion with seats therein. This expenditure was not made at the request of the Grand Lodge, or for the accommodation of its officers or members and in the opinion of your Committee was a useless and imprudent outlay." At the instance of the Grand Officers a platform had been erected for their accommodation. This, the only expense occurred for the benefit of the Grand Lodge, cost about $50.00. The Masons attended as guests of the Association which gained fully as much from their attendance as the Fraternity did from being there. The Committee did not "feel authorized to recommend the appropriation of a large sum." They did, however, recommend an appropriation of $100.00. This was duly paid and with it, and the rather sharp comments of the Committee, the Association, perforce, had to be contented.
Grand Master Heard, like the sound business man that he was, spent the first three months of his administration in a careful study of the problems before him. The result was certain suggestions made by him at the March Communication, as follows:
- 1st. Public Dedications and Consecrations; to these he was disinclined, and thought they had better be omitted.
- 2nd. The Gd Lecturers, or such Brethren as they may recommend for the approval of the Gd Master, should alone be employed by the Lodges in teaching the Work and Lecturers.
- 3rd. The By Laws of the Lodges should be put into the hands of a Committee of the Gd Lodge, for examination and correction, if needed.
- 4th. A Com. should be appointed to rearrange and provide for the better security of the valuable archives of the Gd Lodge.
- 5th. More ample accommodations are required by the Fraternity than the present apartments in the Temple afford.
- 6th. The death of Dr. Kane was noticed in appropriate terms and resolutions to his memory suggested.
All the suggestions were fruitful except the first. That dealt with a question upon which there had long been, and still is, wide difference of opinion.
A Committee was appointed which examined the by-laws of Lodges as suggested.
Arrangements were made for the-better instruction of the Lodges.
A Committee was appointed to consider the question of better accommodations. This, as we shall see, led to very important results.
The Dr. Kane referred to was, of course, the Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane who had died on the preceding sixteenth of February. A set of resolutions was adopted and sent to Dr. Kent's father who made grateful acknowledgement of them. The Committee on better accommodations reported at the June Quarterly that it was not practicable to provide them in the existing Temple but that there was a prospect of an advantageous sale of the property. At the September Communication the Trustees were directed to accept the offer of the United States government to purchase the Temple property. At The December Quarterly a Committee was appointed with power to secure a site for a new Temple and to procure plans and estimates. Another Committee was appointed to secure a temporary meeting place if necessary. This Committee arranged for satisfactory quarters in Nassau Hall and time was thus obtained for careful selection of a new site.
The old Temple was sold to the United States for $105,000. The property known as the Winthrop House, on the corner of Trernont and Boylston Streets, the site now occupied by the Grand Lodge was purchased and remodeled for the use of the Grand Lodge. The property, as its name indicated, was a hotel. After the reconstruction a portion of it continued to be used as a public house and was rented for that purpose. The cost of the new building, ready for occupancy was $140,000. There was a mortgage of $45,000 on the property when the accounts were finally adjusted.
At the March Quarterly of 1857 Wlnslow Lewis presented the following vote:
"That a committee be appointed with full power to procure a new banner for this Grand Lodge, and also to propose a new motto, as a substitute for the present one; which motto if approved by the elected officers, shall be in future used on the seal and banner of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts." The vote was adopted and "Referred to the mover."
At the June Quarterly the following report was rendered:
"The Com. appointed with full powers to prepare a new seal for the Gd Lodge submit the following Report,
That the seal so long in use was so much effaced, that it gave but a very imperfect impression, and that in its best state it bore nothing significant of Freemasonry, saving the Arras of the City of York, England. The supporters were two nondescript animals, perhaps beavers-perhaps lizards. The crest was a helmet.
The motto was in still worse taste "Follow Reason." How this came to be adopted by the Gd. Lodge of Mass. our best Masonic Antiquary cannot determine. It has no especial reference to the principles of the Order nor to that diffused philanthropy which is its boast. It might serve for the Anarchists of the French Revolution, but not for us.
Your Committee therefore have almost entirely changed this old seal, and adopted one which it is hoped will be deemed to be in better taste, & more explicit significance. The shield is divided into two parts - on one represents the arms of Mass. the other those of the Ancient City of York: from whence originated our denomination of Ancient York Masons.
The crest is a dove with the Olive Branch; symbolic of that peaceful mission we all profess. The supporters are two angels bearing the symbols of Justice and Truth.
The motto is from that well known sentiment of Terence.- Homo sum, nihil humanum a me puto and tersely expressed in those three words humani nihil alienum - which may be freely translated "Man everywhere - our Brother" or our hearts are for all mankind" or "nothing which relates to man is alien to us."
The heraldic description is as follows:- Arms - A shield parted per pale azure and or, the dexter side bearing the arms of Mass. the sinister those of the Masonic Fraternity of York Masons, viz: or and a chevron gules, between three towers argent - an open pair of compasses. Crest. A dove holding in its beak an Olive Branch. Supporters. Two angels proper,- that on the dexter side holding a flaming sword, the sinister supporting a branch of Palm. Motto. Humani nihil alienum.
which is respectfully submitted by
W. Lewis. Chairman.
As the report simply recorded something which had already been done it passed, so far as the records show, without discussion or even a vote to accept.
Who, if anyone, was associated with Lewis in the production of this astonishing document, for astonishing it is, we do not know. It seems impossible that the scholarly and accurate Lewis could have prepared it and surprising that he should have signed it. There were probably several reasons why it was accepted so quietly. The new seal had been "adopted" and apparently already cut. Very probably few, if any, of the members of the Grand Lodge knew, or even cared, much about the matters involved. It is likely that many of them had never seen the seal. Moreover the Grand Lodge was intensely occupied at this time with the sale of the Temple, the acquisition of new quarters, and the preparation and procuring of the new Act of Incorporation.
In the very first line of the report the Committee claims "full power to prepare a new seal for the Grand Lodge." A glance at the vote given above shows that no such power was granted to the Committee. Nothing whatever was said about a new seal: the committee was to"propose a new motto." Curiously enough the records of the Grand Lodge and the several editions of the Grand Constitutions up to this date contain no description of a seal and no vote adopting one. The nearest thing to it is a vote of the St. John's Grand Lodge on July 10, 1752, "that a silver seal be cut with the Masons arms for the use of all the Lodges in Boston, to be kept by the Grand Secretary." It is not surprising that a seal cut in silver should be so battered by a hundred years of use that the impressions made by it would be very imperfect.
The report goes on to say "in its best state it bore nothing significant of Freemasonry saving the Arms of the City of York, England." In fact the Arms were exactly what the vote of 1752 said they were to be, "the Masons Arms." The Arms were not those of the City of York at all. They were the Arms assumed by the Masonic Guild of England when it was incorporated by Henry IV in 1412. The design on the shield was three castles, emblematic of the work of masons, one at each upper corner and one at the bottom. On the shield was what Is known in heraldry as a "chevron," a design exactly similar to a Masonic square, with the point upward. On the chevron was a pair of compasses superimposed "chevronwise," in the language of heraldry. The supporters (figures at the side of the shield) were beavers emblematic of industry and constructive building, well known characteristics of those animals. And this was the seal that bore nothing significant of Masons. A seal supposed to have been that of the First Lodge later came into use by the Grand Lodge and on this the supporters were lizards, why, nobody knows. The seal of the St. John's Grand Lodge and the Massachusetts Grand Lodge were identical except for the name encircling the seal. This matter,therefore, presented no difficulty at the union in 1792.
The report goes on to say "The motto was in still worse taste, Follow Reason. How this came to be adopted by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts our best Masonic Antiquary cannot determine." "Our best Masonic Antiquary" was pretty bad or he must have suffered a serious mental lapse. The Henry Price warrant was issued by Viscount Montague. Follow Reason is a literal (but hardly adequate) translation of the old French "Suivez Raison" which had been the motto of the Montagues for more than three centuries. Surely this is sufficient indication of how it came to be adopted by the American Grand Lodge which owed its existence to Lord Montague. The French word "raison" is difficult to translate except when aided by context. It means "right" as well as "reason". Many free translations of the motto have been suggested. Perhaps "Be right and reasonable" would be as good as any. The angels were probably suggested by the cherubim with wings extended over the Ark of the Covenant which appears on the Arms of the United Grand Lodge of England and on those of several American Grand Lodges. The substitution was not a happy one.
The matter rested here until 1898 when John T. Heard submitted a paper to the Grand Lodge pointing out the weakness in the 1857 report. Perhaps he would not have acted had Lewis been still alive. This paper was referred to a very able Committee which, in 1880, submitted an exhaustive report and recommendation. The recommendation was adopted, fixing the seal of the Grand Lodge in its present form, The principal change was a division of the shield with the old Arms on one side and the Arms of Massachusetts on the other. We got back the beavers and the old motto.
Concurrently with the negotiations for the sale of the Temple and the acquisition of new quarters the question of incorporation was raised. It will be remembered that the Grand Lodge had been incorporated, but had surrendered its Charter in 1833. It then reverted to the status of a voluntary association and put its property into the hands of Trustees.
It now seemed desirable to re-incorporate. On March 1, 1859, the act now in force was passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor. It authorized the Corporation to hold real estate up to $200,000 and personal property up to $50,000. Successive amendments have raised these amounts to five millions and one million respectively. The Act was accepted by the Grand Lodge on March 8, and a Board of Directors was set up "with full power to do and transact any and all business of the Corporation in any way relating to its property, real and personal". Except for some changes in the make-up of the Board the Grand Lodge still functions under its Charter as arranged when the Charter was accepted.
Grand Master Heard was re-elected at the December Quarterly of 1857, In closing his first year of service, Grand Master Heard presented a very interesting and valuable account of his stewardship.
There were then eighty-eight chartered Lodges in Massachusetts and five under Dispensation, The number of Initiates for the year was 1042 and the total membership 5320. At this time it was still far too common for candidates to take the degrees but not to sign the by-laws. The old problem of the unaffiliated Mason was still troublesome and its solution was yet far in the future.
The most striking feature of the report is the Grand Master's statement that he had during the year visited every chartered Lodge in Massachusetts and one of those under Dispensation, In order to do this he had traveled 2104 miles, by railroad 1522 miles, by horse conveyance 505 miles and by steamboat 77 miles. While the Grand Master did not state it in his report it is the fact that he did all this at his own expense.
The Grand Master soon discovered that the ritual work in many Lodges was in a very poor condition and immediate measures to bring it up to standard imperatively needed. He therefore at once appointed two special Grand Lecturers to supplement the work of the two regular ones. These Brethren set to work promptly and efficiently with excellent results. The Grand Master also urged that the Lodges use greater care in the instruction of candidates so that"suitable proficiency" should not be a meaningless phrase. The Grand Master's suggestions at the March Quarterly had all born good fruit except one. The matter of printing the records of the Grand Lodge was referred to a Committee which put in a rather long adverse report, which was accepted by the Grand Lodge. In his account of his first year the Grand Master returned to the subject, expressing his regret and discussing the Committee's report at length. His efforts, however, were fruitless and many years were to elapse before the records were finally printed. At the December Quarterly two amendments to the Grand Constitutions were proposed. The first reduced the candidate's fee to Grand Lodge from five dollars to three. The Committee to which this was referred reported adversely at the March Quarterly, but their report w»s laid on the table. On being taken from the table in June the report was rejected and the original amendment was, after a long discussion unanimously adopted.
The other amendment had to do with the qualifications for holding certain offices in Grand Lodge. Article 5, Part 1, of the Constitutions of 1843 read as follows: "No Brother shall be eligible to the office of Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, Grand Wardens, Grand Treasurer, Recording Grand Secretary, Corresponding Grand Secretary, or District Deputy Grand Master, unless he be a Past Master." It was proposed to change the last clause to read "unless he be a Past Presiding Master of a regular Lodge within the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge." The proposed amendment was referred to a Committee and died in its hands. The Committee never reported. The subject was so delicate that the Committee did not dare to tackle it. It had always been held that the Past Master degree in the Royal Arch Chapter met the constitutional requirement. As a consequence, of the twenty-five Permanent Members of Grand. Lodge at that time eleven, including four of the ei&ht Past Grand Masters, had never been Masters or regular Lodges. It may readily be seen that the proposed amendment stirred up strong feeling. Here the matter rested until 1864 when the amendment was again presented. At the December Quarterly of that year it was adopted on the strength of a very exhaustive report which dealt at length with the question "Who are Past Masters." The report shows clearly that Ancient Craft Masonry knows nothing of any Past Master's degree confirmed by any so-called "higher body," and that the interpretation given to the constitutional requirement was entirely unsound. As adopted the provision that the Lodge presided over must be in this jurisdiction was changed to read "under the jurisdiction of some Grand Lodge." This wise provision was to give us some very distinguished Grand Officers in later years who had served their terms as Masters in other jurisdictions.
How and why the practice thus abolished grew up cannot be known with certainty at this distance of time. Very probably it was owing to the dearth of available material. When the Constitutions of 1843 were adopted the Fraternity was at a low ebb. Few Lodges were functioning outside of Boston and as late as 1857 the study made by Grand Master Heard, showed wide-spread inefficiency. The Lodges were for the most part small, comparatively isolated, and very loosely run. While the Grand Lodge contained a group of men whose knowledge of the laws and principles of Masonry has never been excelled, there was an appalling amount of Masonic ignorance in the Craft in general. Under these conditions it would seem only natural to desire to make the field of choice for Grand Officers as wide as possible. Adherence to the present rule would have deprived the Grand Lodge of the services of Paul Dean, George M. Randall, Edward A. Raymond and Winslow Lewis. It would be rash to say that there were no Past Masters in the jurisdiction who would have made as good Grand Masters as they did, but certainly they were good ones. At the December Quarterly of 1857 Grand Master Heard was re-elected.
At the June Quarterly an appeal was received from the Grand Lodge of Virginia for assistance in raising money for the purchase of the Mt. Vernon estate. Virginia asked that every Mason in the country be asked to pay one dollar for that purpose. The task of raising the necessary funds {$200.00) was in the hands of the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association of the Union and fears were entertained that the Association might not be successful. At the September Quarterly the Committee to whom the appeal had been referred offered resolutions, which were adopted, expressing full sympathy with the movement, pledging co-operation when notice of its necessity should come from the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and declaring that unless the Ladies Association succeeded before February 22, 1859 "it would be the imperative duty, as well as the precious privilege, of the Masonic Fraternity of the Union" to supply what money might be needed to complete the purchase. The Association was, however, successful and the contribution did not need to be called for.
At the same Quarterly a report was made and adopted on an appeal from Honolulu, Sandwich Islands (now Territory of Hawaii )v for aid in building a Temple. The Lodge claimed that its position at the crossroads of the world (there was no Panama Canal) made it the recipient of many calls for relief and that the money needed for meeting such calls was swallowed up by rents and other unavoidable expenses. The Committee was very sympathetic, but could not recommend any appropriation of Grand Lodge funds for so distant an object, especially in view of the fact the Grand Lodge was just losing its own home and would need all its resources to provide a new one.
On October 2, 1858, Grand Master Heard laid the corner-stone of the Minot's Ledge Lighthouse. He reported it to the December Quarterly in the following terms:
"The corner-stone designed for the Minot's Ledge Lighthouse was examined, in accordance with ancient Masonic custom, on the second of October, the Grand Officers having been previously invited for the purpose by Capt. Alexander, the superintendent of the work. It had been contemplated to perform the ceremonies on the foundation for the structure, but it proving to be inaccessible on account of the roughness of the sea, they took place on the neighboring shore."
Minot's Ledge is a very dangerous rock perhaps a mile off the shore of Scituate, near the entrance of Boston Bay. A lighthouse of experimental construction had been built upon it some years before. The living quarters and lanters were elevated on metal pillars. It was thought that this structure would offer little resistance to the waves which would pass through it freely. There came, however, a very violent storm from the north east and the whole thing was swept into the sea. It was decided to replace it by a circular stone tower, This was a task of tremendous difficulty, especially in its earlier stages. The rock had to be leveled for the foundation of the tower and the stones dovetailed into it. The rock was bare only for a few hours a day on the lowest spring tide, and then only in calm weather. During the first year only thirty hours of work were possible and during the second only one hundred and fifty-seven. It took six years to build the lighthouse. It is no wonder that the Grand Lodge did not get out to the rock to lay the cornerstone.
At the December Quarterly an order was passed authorizing the District Deputy Grand Masters to hold quarterly meetings for consultation, the expense of the meetings and of the attendants to be paid by the Grand Lodge. This later developed into the present custom of the Grand Master holding a meeting of his Deputies every Grand Lodge day.
At the end of the year it appeared that the number of initiations for the year had fallen from 1093 to 951, although the total membership had increased from 5320 to 5960. The decline in initiations clearly reflects the severe financial panic of 1857. The next year returning prosperity brought the Initiations up to 1188, a rather remarkable gain.
Grand Master Heard was installed for the third time December 27, 1858. On this day Grand Master Heard revived the Grand Feast, as a feature of the observance of St. John the Evangelist's Day. Henry Price had been enjoined to observe the day, and it had been observed without fail in every succeeding year. For nearly a century the feast had been an important part of the observance of the day. In the poverty and general disorganization of the persecution period the feast had been abandoned. The feast was now revised in all its former state, and has not since been omitted. In this as in many other ways Heard showed his regard for ancient usage. He was a great believer in the importance of tradition, dignity, and ancient usage, and in this he was not mistaken. Adherence to these things has done much to give the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts the position it holds today.
At the December Quarterly of 1858 the annual report of the Trustees of the Temple was referred to a Committee to inquire into the reason why the government had not paid for the Temple and to consider the subject of directing the Trustees to pay over to the Grand Treasurer all funds in their possession. At the meeting of December 27 a long report was presented. The Trustees were rather severely castigated. The Records ,of the Trustees "do not contain in all cases"'a true and accurate record of all their acts and doings of and concerning the premises.'" There is no suspicion of dishonesty, but "the requirements of the deed of trust have not been strictly complied with," and the report submitted to the Committee does not comply with the terms of the deed. The Grand Lodge had passed a vote directing the Trustees to make certain adjustments of rent with the tenants, but the Trustees disregarded the vote on the ground that the Grand Lodge had no right to prescribe their actions in this matter. The Committee thought that their independent position was authorized neither by the spirit nor the terms of the Deed of Trust.
Two days after the appointment of the Committee the government paid over the purchase price of the Temple. This terminated the trust and the Trustees were out of office. The Grand Lodge passed two resolutions, one settling the matter of rent and the other directing the Temple Trustees to pay to the Grand Lodge all moneys in their possession. This money was used in the purchase of the Winthrop House. The incorporation of the Grand Lodge on March 1, 1859, put the control of the property of the Grand Lodge, both real and personal, in the H»ads of the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
is showing the persistence of certain questions and the attitude of this Grand Lodge it is well to record that during 1859 two communications were received from the Grand Lodge of Maine. One was a formal request for an exchange of representatives. This was courteously declined on the ground that the Grand Lodge had recently decided the representative question adversely. The other was a printed circular calling for a General Grand Lodge. This was simply filed without answer,
On August 2, 1859, the Grand Lodge laid the corner-stone of the Pilgrim Monument at Plymouth on invitation of the Pilgrim Society.
In October of 1859 a communication was received from the Superintendent of the "American Masonic Home," and this was followed up by an agent, who was present and made an address at the December Quarterly. It was proposed that the "American Masonic Home" should be a national asylum for Masonic orphans, to be established in Washington. Grand Master Heard disapproved the project and the Grand Lodge, very properly, took no action on it. The project never materialized. Why so unpractical an idea should have been entertained by anybody is difficult to imagine. It is just possible that it may have been thought that if the nation-wide interest of the Masonic Fraternity could be enlisted in such an undertaking it might do something to strengthen the bonds of national unity, which in this fateful year were being visibly sprained toward the breaking point which was soon to come. Probably it would have had little effect, but people grasped at straws in those days.
