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TRADITIONS
One of the most endearing and remarkable traditions of the Lodge was its annual observances of the feasts of the patron saints of Masonry—St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist—on June 24 and December 27 respectively. The tradition, started in 1844, was discontinued in 1990 when the by–laws were amended to remove those days as stated meeting days. In the early years members of the Lodge would march in procession every December 27 to a church where eloquent speeches were made and a sumptuous feast was provided. The members then marched back and appointed the incoming officers. The feast on December 27, 1845 cost the members $72.00, a sum that indicates the importance attached to the occasion.
Masonic Lodges honor the illustrious Bro. George Washington every year during the month of February by having special programs and speakers. On January 4, 1851, Captain and Brother W. F. Tunnard, owner of a large carriage and buggy manufacturing business in Baton Rouge and a member, presented the Lodge with an engraving of Washington as a Mason.” On October 2, 1852, the Lodge commemorated the centennial anniversary of George Washington’s Raising as a Master Mason. In 1923 a visiting brother presented the Lodge with a piece of the cornerstone from the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Virginia. A similar presentation was made to the Lodge in 1990, when Judge William H. Brown, then serving as Senior Warden, presented a piece of the Berlin Wall. Bro. Brown is currently serving the Grand Lodge of Louisiana as the Grand Senior Deacon.
One of the early practices of the Lodge provided arbitration for difficulties between brothers. According to the by–laws, a committee of five was appointed, two members each chosen by the brothers involved, and one elected by the Lodge, to bring about peace and harmony. A committee resolved a dispute in 1849 by asking James Harrison Dakin to pay Joseph N. Young the cost of repair to his buggy. The records indicate that several committees successfully arbitrated differences between members and preserved the sanctity of the Fraternity. The last such committee report found in the Lodge archives is dated November 1, 1873, when the committee had effected a reconciliation between two brothers who made mutual apologies and are now in bonds of friendship.”
Another interesting ritual of the early years is the one associated with funerals. The Masonic funeral processions, accompanied by bands, went from the deceased brother’s residence to the grave site. Whenever a member of the Lodge passed away, the brethren, clothed as Masons, customarily wore badges of mourning” for thirty days. The minutes of July 31, 1848 indicate that ladies accompanied the brethren in the funeral procession, for on that day, a Bro. Hall was thanked for kindly and voluntarily furnishing carriages for the use of ladies on this solemn occasion.” The minutes and cash receipts indicate that the funeral expenses of the deceased member were paid by the Lodge. According to the minutes of January 19, 1849, it was mandated that the hitherto repealed custom of dropping the right hand glove in the grave of a deceased brother be again resumed until shown by proper authorities the said custom is unmasonic or incorrect.”
In matters of clothing, R. A. Williams in 1949 started the tradition of presenting the Past Master with a Past Master’s apron. T. Champ” Glaze, Master in 1954, started the custom of Lodge officers wearing dark suits to the meetings. The custom of the Master of the Lodge wearing a Homburg Hat” was started by Jared Y. Sanders, Jr., in 1955.
In 1926, E. L. Jordan, the outgoing Worshipful Master, presented the left hind foot of a graveyard rabbit to C. J. Bogan, the incoming Worshipful Master, as an omen of good luck. This tradition continued until 1932 and was resumed in 1989 when Naresh Sharma, the Worshipful Master, found a graveyard rabbit and gave its left hind foot to Calvin L. Elliott, the incoming Master.
In September 1991, the Lodge, under the direction of Dr. George H. Jones, started holding bi–annual Guest Nights,” at which time the members have the opportunity of inviting non–Masons to the Lodge to learn about the Fraternity. Judge William H. Brown was the Master at this time. |
