USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > Beautiful Newton the garden city of Massachusetts > Part 11
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being more and more used. A collec- tion of sheet music is also much in de- mand.
The library has a very full card cata- logue; printed class catalogues are is- sued at intervals and bulletins ten times a year. An unlimited number of books may be drawn by each reader.
The circulation of books to the homes of the readers is now about 285,000 an- nually, which means more than seven books per capita, a very good compari- tern slides have been acquired and are son with other libraries of the state.
GATEWAY, NEWTON CEMETERY.
I 20
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
Charles Ward Post 62, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized in July 1868 with General A. B. Underwood, William B. Fowle, Thomas P. Havi- land, J. Cushing Edmands, Allston W. Whitney, Fred S. Benson, George S. Boyd, Hosea Hyde, Isaac F. Kings- bury and Albert Plummer as charter members.
The Post was named for Charles Ward, a native of the town, and a mem- ber of one of its oldest families, and who gave up his life for his country on the battlefield at Gettysburg.
Charles Ward Post has always been a leader in the work for which the Grand Army, was organized, to assist its needy comrades and those dependent upon them, to inculcate patriotism and loyalty, to honor and respect the flag of our country and to teach the young the true significance of Memorial Day. Since its organization, Charles Ward Post has expended sixteen thousand dollars in assisting the needy, and its relief fund, though still ample for pres- ent needs is considerably reduced as the veterans become unable to continue earning.
Three fairs or carnivals have been held under the auspices of the Post to augment this fund and some $4000 has been raised in this manner. The Camp Fires of the Newton Post are famous for their interest, brilliancy, and wit, and are greatly enjoyed and largely attended by friends from far and near.
The Post has entertained many no- table guests during the existence, in- cluding such well known men as Gen- eral William T. Sherman, General Nel-
son A. Miles, General Russell A. Al- ger, General Simon Buckner, the noted Confederate officer, and General Wheeler, the former Confederate and later a Union general during the Span- ish War.
The Post has three auxiliary organ- izations, the J. Wiley Edmands Camp of Sons of Veterans, the Mrs. A. E. Cunningham Tent Daughters of Veter- ans and the Associate Members of the Post, the last numbering many of the prominent and patriotic men of the city.
The observance of Memorial Day under the auspices of the Post, joined by the Spanish War Veterans of New- ton, the Claflin Guard, the City Gov- ernment, associate members, and citi- zens, has ever been a most notable occa- sion in Newton. The soldiers' burial lot at the Newton cemetery was estab- lished and is maintained by the Post, and in this lot are buried many veterans who otherwise would have been left to sleep in nameless graves.
The headquarters of the Post at the Masonic Building, Newtonville, are most attractive, consisting of a smok- ing-room, relie-room, and Post-room. More than 150 pictures and portraits adorn the walls, illustrating vividly the various battles of the war on land and sea. There are also photographs of noted generals and others. A collec- tion of war relies gathered from South- ern battlefields occupies the octagonal relic-room, leading to the Post-hall, and is of great interest.
The membership of the Post has at times reached nearly 200, but is now about 100. It probably includes, how-
12I
ever, nearly all the veterans of the war residing in Newton, as very few are willing longer to remain outside the ranks of the order.
A few years more, however,-very few now,-and the Grand Army of the Republic will be only a name. No suc- cessors will fill the ranks. The Great Commander above is giving the order "Fall in, fall in," and this one and that one hears the voice, obeys the call, and the great column moves on until all shall be gone.
1879-80, 1881-2, 1883-4-5,
Geo. P. Clark. Henry W. Downs.
Wilfred A. Wetherbee.
Wm. H. Park, Jr.
1886, 1886-7-8,
A. T. Sylvester. Rodney M. Lucas.
1888,
1899-90,
Samuel S. Whitney.
1891-2,
Chas. W. Sweetland.
1893,
J. Erastus Gott.
1894, Willard D. Tripp.
1895-6,
Samuel S. Whitney.
1897-8, Henry D. Degen.
1899-1900, John Flood.
POST COMMANDERS
1901,
George Hill.
1868,
Wm. B. Fowle.
1902,
Colon S. Ober.
1869,
J. Cushing Edmands.
1903,
George L. Keyes.
Adin B. Underwood.
1904,
C. C. Patten,
1870, Charles P. Clark.
1905,
Wm. T. Shepherd.
Wm. W. Carruth.
1906,
Henry Haynie.
1871,
Geo. F. Brackett.
1907,
W. W. Montgomery.
1872,
Geo. F. Brackett.
1908,
Richard E. Ashenden.
1873-4,
Hosea Hyde.
1910,
Isaac F. Kingsbury. Albert Plummer.
1875,
W. C. Emerson.
1911,
Charles Ogden.
1876,
David A. Conant.
1913,
Joseph O. Perkins.
1877,
Thomas Pickthall.
1913,
Wm. H. Partridge.
1878,
Wm. W. Carruth.
1914,
Geo. M. Fiske.
F. H. Graves.
1909,
James E. Reid.
David A. Conant.
1912,
NEWTONVILLE SQUARE, 1902.
I22
THE MASONIC FRATERNITY
The Ancient Order of Free and Accepted Masons is represented in this city by two subordinate or "Blue" lodges, Dalhousie and Fraternity, by the Newton Royal Arch Chapter, by Cryptic Council, Royal and Select Mas- ters, by Gethsemane Commandery, Knights Templar, and by Palestine Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, all of whom have a large, enthusiastic and constantly increasing membership.
Free masonry appeals to the think- ing mind and attracts to itself men from every walk in life. It is an order whose creed is the "Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man", and is founded on liberality, brotherly love and charity. It is not a rival of the church but it inculcates a religious mor- ality, a belief in a Supreme Being, and a reverence for his Holy Name.
DALHOUSIE LODGE
It is fitting that these attributes should have been realized more keenly during the strenuous period just be- fore the Civil War, and that the first meeting of Masons in this community was held on St. John's Day, June 25, 1860, a dispensation granted on Au- gust 3rd of that year, and an organiza- tion effected on the 26th of the follow- ing September. The first officers were: Wor. Bro. William D. Coolidge, Wor- shipful Master, Albert A. Kendall, Senior Warden, and S. H. Munson, Junior Warden. In January, 1861, Wor. Bro. Coolidge, who had been elected Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, was succeeded by Peter C. Jones as Worshipful Master.
The name of Dalhousie was taken in honor of the Earl of Dalhousie of Scot- land, who, in 1769, had granted letters of deputation to General Joseph War- ren, as Grand Master of Masons in Boston. The Dalhousie arms were also adopted by the lodge as a seal.
The first meetings were held in the old Tremont Hall (which stood at the southwest corner of Washington and Walnut streets, Newtonville, until torn down in the abolition of grade crossings in this city.) Succeeding meetings were held in the Swedenborgian Chapel, then located on Bowers Street, later remov- ing to the old church building at the corner of Washington Street and Cen- tral Avenue, which was the lodge room until 1874, when Claflin Block was erected and more commodious quarters secured in that building. The growth of the lodge, however, was so rapid that in 1895 the present beautiful Masonic Building was erected and Newton members of the fraternity now rejoice in the possession of one of the best ar- ranged and equipped buildings in the country.
Dalhousie lodge, chartered in 1861, with a membership of 27, now boasts of a membership roll of over 700 members and a record of fraternity which is hard to equal.
The following persons have served as Masters of the lodge:
Albert A. Kendall 1860-1861
George E. Bridges 1862-1863
Cephas Brigham 1864-1865
Luther E. Leland 1866-1867
Marcus T. Heywood 1868-1869
Horatio B. Hackett
1870-1871
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MASONIC BUILDING
William R. Wilson
1872-1873
Stephen W. Trowbridge
1874-1875
Charles N. Brackett
1876-1877
James B. Fuller 1878-1879
Wilfred A. Wetherbee 1880-1881
Edwin W. Gay
1882-1883
Henry H. Mather
1884-1885
Albert L. Harwood,
1886-1887
John W. Fisher 1888-1889
Geo. P. Whitmore 1890-1891
Robert Bennett
1892-1893
George A. Gleason
1894-1895
Winfield S. Slocum
1896-1897
Frank R. Moore 1898
Wallace C. Boyden
1899
Clarence E. Hanscom
1900
John A. Fenno 1901
Mitchell Wing 1902
Edward S. Benedict
1903
Samuel F. Brewer 1904
Oliver M. Fisher 1905 Henry L. Fairbrother 1906
Edward W. Cate 1882-83-84 1911-12
H. Stewart Bosson
1907
Horatio B. Hackett
Harry N. Milliken
1908
William O. Hunt 1913
Chas. E. Hatfield
1909
Edward E. Savory 1914
Carlyle R. Hayes
1910
Edward C. Wyatt 1911
Arthur G. Hosmer 1912
Fred M. Blanchard 1913
Frederick S. Fairchild 1914
Allen D. Cady 1915
FRATERNITY LODGE
Fraternity Lodge was instituted September 3, 1875, and had a precari- ous existence for nearly ten years, when its charter was surrendered, and not revived until 1911. Since that time it has had a rapid and substantial growth and has the most pleasant fraternal re- lations with the officers and members of Dalhousie lodge.
The following persons have served as Masters of Fraternity lodge:
Horatio B. Hackett 1875-76-77
William W. Keith 1878
William I. Goodrich 1879-80-81
William S. Osborne 1915
I24
NEWTON ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER
Newton Chapter of Royal Arch Ma- sons was instituted in 1869 with Gen- eral Adin B. Underwood as its first High Priest, and has also had a splen- did record for consistent fraternal work in the higher branches of Ma- sonry.
Henry A. Thorndike 1890-1892
Elliott J. Hyde
1892-1894
Charles F. Mason 1894-1896
Albert L. Harwood
1896-1898
John Glover
1898-1899
Charles F. Mason 1899-1900
Edward P. Hatch
1900-1901
Charles D. Burrage
1901-1903
J. Franklin Rider 1903-1904
Frank Farwell Morris 1904-1905
Austin H. Decatur 1905-1906
Adin B. Underwood
1869-1871
Albert M. Miller
1906-1907
Cephas Brigham
1871-1872
George E. Bridges 1872-1873
Chas. E. Hatfield
1908-1909
John M. Griswold
1873-1874
Horace A. Carter 1909-1910
James A. Greenwood
1874-1875
C. Arthur Boutelle
1910-1911
James B. Fuller
1875-1876
Richard W. Vose
1911-1912
John S. Hayes
1876-1878
William H. Bliss
1912-1913
William R. Wilson
1878-1880
George A. Miller
1913-1914
William H. Colgan
1914-1915
David W. Farquhar 1882-1883
Henry O. Martin
1883-1884
Lewis E. Binney
1884-1886
George G. Davidson
1886-1888
William O. Hunt
1888-1890
Wm. Lee Church
1907-1908
William H. Young 1880-1882
GETHSEMANE COMMANDERY, K. T.
Gethsemane Commandery, Knights Templar, has carried the name and fame of this city all over the length and
The following persons have served as High Priests of this Chapter :
NEWTON CORNER IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES. HALL AND CENTRE STREETS.
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breadth of the country. Instituted in 1872, it now has a membership of over 600 and the work of its escort at the Triennial meetings of the Knights Templar of the nation, has attracted the most favorable attention of the fra- ternity. One of its Eminent Com- manders has served as the Grand Com- mander of the Grand Commandery of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and it numbers in its membership many of the prominent residents of the city.
The following gentlemen have served as Eminent Commanders of Gethsem- ane Commandery :
Henry O. Martin 1874-1875
James M. Greenwood
Henry C. Hayden 1876-1877
Robert L. Davis
Robert L. Davis 1878-1879
William W. Keith
Charles R. Brown 1880-1881
Henry C. Hayden
James B. Parker 1882
James B. Fuller
1882-1883
James B. Fuller
Moses Clark, Jr.
1884-1885
Henry J. Preston
Albert L. Harwood
Lewis E. Binney
George T. Coppins
Rufus G. Brown
George Breeden
Frank K. Porter
Clarence Tebbets
Samuel Shaw
Frank L. Nagle
Edmund G. Pond
William F. Jarvis
J. Franklin Rider
W. E. Peterson
Asa C. Jewett
W. L. Church
Charles J. Shepard
Austin H. Decatur
CRYPTIC COUNCIL
Cryptic Council Royal and Select Masters was granted a dispensation on
December 22, 1873, and the first meet- ing was held for organization on Janu- ary 15, 1874, Henry O. Martin being the first Illustrious Master.
Meetings were held until July 1, 1886, when the Council voted to sur- render its charter, and it was not re- vived until January 13, 1913, since which time there has been a steady and gratifying growth and a present mem- bership of about 120.
The following persons have served as the Thrice Illustrious Master of this Council :
John W. Fisher 1914
Charles E. Fogg 1915
PALESTINE CHAPTER
Palestine Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, an organization composed of ladies whose male relatives are mem- bers of the Masonic fraternity, was or- ganized in 1908 and has a flourishing list of members.
The Chapter has been served by the following Worthy Matrons:
Mrs. Ettie L. Lowell 1908
Mrs. Laura M. Wingate 1909
Mrs. Etta Whitney 1910
Miss Myrta Kimball 1911
Mrs. Dorothy Sprague 1912
Miss Annie M. Gorse 1913
Mrs. Marion I. Fogg 1914
Miss Margaret L. Sandholzer 1915
Moses Clark, Jr.
James B. Fuller
1886
James B. Fuller 1913
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THE I. O. O. F.
Odd Fellowship, founded to carry out in the daily intercourse of its mem- bers the fundamental principles of the order,-friendship, love, and truth,- which induces the rich to help the poor, the well to nurse the sick, the learned to instruct the unlearned, and make all men seek to imitate the goodness of the Father of all men, and in so doing rec- ognize the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man, is represented in this city by three lodges, Waban Lodge No. 156 at Newtonville, Home Lodge No. 162 at Newton Highlands, and Newton Lodge No. 92 at West New- ton, by one encampment, the Garden City Encampment No. 62 at Newton Highlands and by three Rebekah lodges, Highland Rebekah Lodge No. 82 at Newton Highlands, Tennyson Rebekah Lodge No. 119 at West New- ton, and Sumner P. Lawrence Rebekah Lodge at Newtonville.
The first lodge instituted in Newton was Elliot Lodge No. 58, which was formed at Newton Upper Falls on Jan- uary 30, 1845, and continued its exis- tence until May 30, 1851, when the charter was surrendered. When rein- stated, February 25, 1870, it was moved to its present location in Needham.
About the time Elliot Lodge sur- rendered its charter, owing to the strong prejudice in the public mind against all secret societies, many lodges surrendered their charters, some of them being reinstated later. For fif- teen years no new charters were granted, but from 1866 the growth of the order has been rapid and perma- nent.
The next lodge organized in Newton was Waban Lodge No. 156, which was instituted in the village of Newton, April 19, 1871, and later, removed to Newtonville, December 1, 1901. Home Lodge No. 162, was instituted at New- ton Upper Falls, April 3, 1873, and re- moved to Newton Highlands in Octo- ber, 1887. Newton Lodge No. 92, was instituted at West Newton, June 15, 1887.
A brief account of the most trying time Odd Fellowship has ever experi- enced will be of interest. When the Grand lodge met in Baltimore in 1861, war had been declared. Sumter had been fired on, the battle of Bull Run had been fought and brothers of the South had taken up arms against brothers of the North. When the roll was called, the seats of all the representatives from south of Mason and Dixon's line were vacant, and though previous to the session an attempt had been made to form a Grand Lodge of the Confed- erate states, it had been frustrated. The sessions of 1862 and 1863, held in Bal- timore, were repetitions of the session of 1861. War was still raging, and the representatives of the South were still absent. The session of 1864 was held in the city of Boston. It was felt that the war was drawing to an end. The South was growing weaker and less able to carry on the struggle. In 1865 the ses- sion was held in Baltimore, every state being represented except Florida and North Carolina. The brothers of the North showed their brotherly feeling toward the brothers of the South, many of whom had lost all that they possessed,
127
by remitting the tax of all the Southern jurisdictions to the Grand Lodge for the years 1861-1864.
After the organization of the subor- dinate lodge, in response to a demand for a higher branch of the order, the encampment branch was organized. The first encampment in Newton was Newton Encampment No. 50, insti- tuted in the village of Newton, March 29, 1875; in 1882 the members voted to surrender their charter, but it was sub- sequently moved to Waltham and the name changed to Waltham Encamp- ment. Garden City Encampment No. 62, was instituted in Newton, May 16, 1887, and being obliged in 1890 to pro- cure another hall, moved to Newton Highlands January 1, 1891. They were burned out February 5, 1903, and then moved to Newtonville, but in 1895 returned to Newton Highlands.
Early recognizing woman's worth in carrying out the principles of the order, and her endowment by nature with the tenderness and sympathy which espe- cially qualified her for nursing the sick,
members of the order desired to estab- lish a degree for the wives of Odd Fel- lows, so that they might be cared for in sickness, as their husbands were. At first this met with great opposition, and it was not until 1851 that a degree for women was established, called the de- gree of Rebekah. It was an honorary degree, and in 1868 its members were allowed to establish lodges of their own. There are three Rebekah lodges in New- ton,-Highland Rebekah Lodge, No. 82, instituted at Newton Highlands . October 15, 1889, Tennyson Rebekah Lodge, No. 119, instituted at West Newton November 11, 1892 and Sum- ner P. Lawrence Rebekah Lodge in- stituted at Newtonville April 14, 1910.
The Odd Fellows of Newton are do- ing a noble work, walking hand in hand with the Christian Church in visiting the sick, relieving the distressed, bury- ing the dead, and educating the orphan; and either of the lodges in Newton will welcome to its membership any man of good health and good character, who de- sires to help his brother man.
ELIOT BLOCK, NEWTON.
I28
STONE INSTITUTE AND NEWTON HOME FOR AGED PEOPLE.
STONE INSTITUTE AND NEWTON HOME FOR AGED PEOPLE
One of the most interesting philan- thropies of the city is the Stone Insti- tute and Newton Home for Aged Peo- ple, located on extensive and attractive grounds on Elliot Street, Newton Up- per Falls.
The Home was made possible through the will of the late Joseph L. Stone, who provided a fund for the pur- pose of establishing and maintaining a home for the support of aged and re- spectable men and women in indigent circunstances. The trustees of the fund were incorporated in 1894 and in 1911 transferred the property to the Newton Home for Aged People, which had previously incorporated in 1898.
The Home has filled a long felt want in the city from the start, and it was soon realized that better and larger quarters were needed. Under the lead- ership of a competent board of officers, funds were raised and plans drawn for a larger and better building, and a por-
tion of that building has already been constructed at a cost of $42,000. At present the Home can care for 24 in- mates, but when the building is remod- elled there will be accommodations for at least 60 persons, and from the long waiting list of pathetic cases, there should be no delay in its construction.
The officers and directors are Charles E. Riley, president; Joseph Byers, vice president; Albert P. Carter, secretary ; Henry Baily, clerk; and Lewis H. Ba- con, James E. Clark, Mrs. Henry E. Cobb, Mrs. Morton E. Cobb, Calvert Crary, Hon. George H Ellis, Frank Fanning, Mrs. John A. Gould, Oliver M. Fisher, Frank J. Hale, Mrs. George Hutchinson, Mrs. Ellen P. Kimball, Hon. Marcus Mor- ton, Francis Murdock, William Price, Miss Abby Spear, Edgar W. Warren, Henry C. Wiley and Edwin I. Wood- bury. Mrs. Anna E. Hale is the ma- tron.
129
LASELL SEMINARY FOR YOUNG WOMEN
One of the noteworthy educational institutions of "Beautiful Newton" is Lasell Seminary (a private school for girls) founded by Professor Edward Lasell of Williams College, in 1851. "It is located in the village of Auburndale, West Newton, Mass., on the line of the Worcester Railroad, ten miles from Boston and within eight hours' ride of New York and Albany." Thus reads the first catalog of this well known school in 1852-53. The changes that the years have brought to our city are evi- dent when this paragraph is compared with the corresponding one in the latest catalog of 1915. "It is situated on the crest of a hill in the village of Auburn- dale, a part of the city of Newton, is ten miles from Boston on the Boston and Albany Railroad; express trains from New York (now five hours away) stop at Newtonville."
Through all these years the school has been steadily at work. Its princi- pals during the first two decades were Dr. George W. Briggs, Dr. Josiah La- sell, and Rev. Charles W. Cushing. The standards were high from the be- ginning, and the principals men of ster- ling worth. For thirty-four years Dr. Charles Cushman Bragdon of Evans- ton, Ill. was principal. He proved him- self the man for the place, freeing the institution from debt, and adding to its numbers and reputation. When he turned it over to other hands in 1908, he had increased its registration three- fold or more, added a new wing and new buildings to the equipment, and intro- duced methods of education for young
women that have since been adopted the country over.
Lasell has always given the training for the home the first place in its plans for the education of a young woman. Its ambition has been to make a home school, homelike in its furnishings, homelike in its atmosphere, and as far as possible homelike in its discipline. Lasell believes in the ability of young womanhood, if properly directed and trained, to make ideal homes and to aid in the betterment of civic life. It is a firm believer in the education which combines the higher academic courses with those of scientific housekeeping, home-making, sanitation, sewing and dressmaking. These were introduced in 1878, and bitter indeed were the crit- icisms made of a school introducing these studies "not fit for a school to teach" and thus lowering the education- al standards. Among the instructors of these early days appear the names of the well-known home economics experts, Miss Parloa, Mrs. Daniell, Mrs. Lin- coln, Miss Barrows, and Miss Talbot.
In 1908 Dr. G. M. Winslow, who had for ten years been at the head of the De- partment of Science, became principal. He has been in sympathy with Dr. Bragdon's methods in the essential points, but has, through improved equipment and increased attendance, extended and widened the influence of the school. Lasell has now in addition to the main building, (called Cushman Hall), Carter Hall, Clark Cottage, Caroline Carpenter Hall, Hawthorne House, Bancroft House and Gardner
130
Hall, the last four having been added under the new regime. The present registration is about two hundred stu- dents from many states in the Union, as well as from England, Mexico, and China. The present senior class of fifty-three is the largest in its history. The faculty, including the officers of ad- ministration, numbers forty-three.
The school curriculum includes col- lege preparatory, home economics, music, and business courses which may when desired be made an integral part of the regular course leading to the La- sell diploma. Separate certificates are given in these courses.
provides not only a fine setting for the buildings, but ample space for tennis courts and hockey games. Athletics are encouraged. A fine gymnasium makes possible proper exercise and indoor sports. The school has its own riding horses and a resident instructor in horse- manship. Under the gymnasium is the swimming pool. Ten minutes walk from the seminary the Charles River runs its winding course, offering de- lightful recreation in canoeing and skat- ing
It is specially adapted to the high school graduate who does not care for a college course, but desires two or three
The campus, covering twenty acres, years of advance study in special lines.
LASELL SEMINARY FOR YOUNG WOMEN
131
CLUBS IN NEWTON
With a city composed of a number of distinct villages, it is only natural that the social life of the community should find expression in the formation of num-
erous clubs, each social unit having one or more, and some having commodious club houses.
THE NEWTON CLUB
The present Newton Club was incor- porated in 1909 by James L. Richards, Stephen W. Holmes, Henry C. French, Edward P. Hatch, George B. H. Ma- comber, Lewis R. Speare, Oscar W. Walker, Albert P. Carter, Charles S. Dennison, William J. Follett, George P. Bullard, James Richard Carter, Charles E. Hatfield, Frank A. Day, Edwin T. Fearing and Charles F. Avery.
On January first, 1916 the roster comprised 216 names, of which 25 were honorary members comprising the min- isters of the city and a number of army and navy officers resident in Newton. All memberships include the ladies of every member's family, admission to the club house on neighborhood nights and on open holidays being included, and also on occasions of lectures, concerts, dancing assemblies and special enter- tainments. The club house is open after 8 A. M. daily.
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