My Brethren:

At our first Stated Communication this month on May 8th we will be visited by the Alexandria-Washington Chapter, Order of DeMolay. We are the sponsoring body of this Chapter and a large attendance on this night would be greatly appreciated by your Officers and it would show these young men that we really care about the Chapter. Our Brother John Callas will explain to us on this night something about DeMolay.

A member of Prince William Chapter, who came in second last year at conclave in the Oratorical contest, will present his oration at this meeting and Right Worshipful Robert C. Coe, DDGM for Masonic District I-B will speak to the members of the Chapter about Masonry. Questions from both Masons and DeMolays will be encouraged on this evening.

The second Stated on the 22nd our speaker will be Brother Mallery O. Wooster who traces his ancestry back to the Revolutionary war and is an expert on Revolutionary war history. His subject will be "Patriotism, Our Flag and The War of the Revolution". Brother Wooster is well known in Knights Templar work and I know that he will have some interesting information for us. Our Lodge education committee will also have a short presentation for us on this evening. Brother Skip Callahan has researched the meanings behind many of the symbols of masonry and has put together a series of short talks for us on these symbols.

Brethren, as you see by the Trestleboard we are visited by Lodges from other jurisdictions on practically every Saturday now. If you have not traveled to other states to see their degree work put on, this is your opportunity to do so. Many of the Lodges use elaborate costumes to perform their work and I know that all of them will welcome your attendance at these meetings.

If we are to be awarded the James Noah Hill man award again this year brethren, you all must help. We are required to have at least a $3.00 average contribution to the Masonic Home of Virginia, along with many other things to again obtain this award. Your Officers can take care of all but the contributions to the home. When you sit down this month to write those checks for your monthly bills, please send a check made out to "The Masonic Home of Virginia" to our good Secretary who will see to it that it gets sent to the Home. Anyone who gives as much as $100.00 becomes a member of the Grand Masters "100 Club" and is presented with a certificate attesting to this. Remember Brethren, no Federal money is used to finance our Masonic Home, these aging Brothers and Widows of deceased Brothers depend on us to keep the Home operating.

Our annual Lodge Picnic this year will be held, as usual, at the Fort Hunt Picnic grounds in Area "A" on June 28th. Watch the June Trestleboard for more on this.

Do We?
Do we ever stop and wonder, when we took our degrees and why?
Is it for a lack of interest that we pass the Lodge night by?
Do we have anything in common with our Brothers but our dues?
When we're asked to grant a favor, do we grudgingly refuse?
Do we read our monthly notice, on which brains and time are spent?
Or do we throw it in a basket with some junk not worth a cent?
Do we know that there is something besides the signs and words and grips?
That's for the good of all mankind and it doesn't fall from the officer's lips,
Do we stand shoulder to shoulder, and help with all our might;
Or do we, like many others, keep safely out of sight?
Do we all as Master Masons use the trowel as we should?
To spread the cement which unites us into a great Brotherhood?

Sincerely and fraternally,

Donald M. Robey
Worshipful Master

CANDIDATE INSTRUCTION - Every Tuesday and Wednesday, 7:00 until 9:00 in Alex-Wash Lodge Room.

YOUTH MEETINGS AT GWMNM - Alexandria-Washington Chapter, Order of DeMolay; Robert Lamons, Master Councilor; Brother Angus S. Lamond, Jr. Chapter Dad. Meets in North Room 2nd and 4th Saturdays at 7:30 P.M. All Master Masons Are Invited to Attend.

May 14, 1925 - Bro. G. W. Zachary, custodian, recommended having some miniature silver trowels made to be sold as souvenirs of visiting the Lodge room and the Lodge voted to have this done.

May 13, 1875 - On motion of Bro. G. W. Rock it was resolved; Whereas more modern lesser lights have been substituted for our ancient and time honored ones, and this Lodge being desirous of perpetuating to the latest period of recorded time our history, and these lesser lights, having been carried for long years in our public processions and being noteworthy as having been used at the funeral of our Illustrious Past Master, General George Washington. Resolved, that Brother W. S. T. Phillips, one of our Stewards be respectfully requested to restore our ancient lesser lights to their pastime style and design so they may be always used for the purpose above indicated in procession.

On motion of Brother Franklin L. Brockett it was resolved that the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge be requested to furnish for the use of the Lodge in it's forthcoming history the steel plates upon which were engraved the likenesses of Washington, Randolph, and Brooke which appeared in the reprint of the Grand Lodge proceedings recently published.

May 27, 1875 - Brother Kosciusko Kemper, Mayor of the Town of Alexandria, was Raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason.

May 12, 1825 - Brother James English was examined on the Entered Apprentice Degree and passed to the Degree of Fellowcraft.

Dr. Thomas Semmes, P. M. was born in Prince Georges County, Md. , August 13, 1778; resided in Alexandria for about thirty years; was for ten years Master of the Lodge, and as such welcomed Gen. La Fayette on his visit to the Lodge on the 21st of February, 1825. Same day was present at the Masonic Banquet, given at Clagett's Hotel, in honor of La Fayette. Died at Alexandria, July 31, 1833, aged 55 years. In token of the high estimation in which Dr. Semmes was held by the Lodge, it was ordered on August 13, 1833, "that the hall and rooms of the Lodge be clothed in mourning for the space of twelve months. " He was the father of Thomas Semmes, Jr. an eminent young lawyer, and of Douglas R. Semmes, Esq.

George Deneale, P. M. was born in Fairfax County, Va. , in J 766. Came to Alexandria to reside about the year 1790. On the extension of the jurisdiction of the U. S. over the town and county of Alexandria, as a portion of the District of Columbia, in 1801, Colonel Deneale was appointed the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the United States for Alexandria County. Prior to 1800 he was Clerk of the Common Council of Alexandria. He was a very active and intelligent Mason. He was present at the Funeral Lodge held on the 16th of December, 1799, to make arrangements for the interment of General Washington, and had command of the military at the Funeral on the following Wednesday. He died in the summer of 1818 in the 52nd year of his age. His daughter, Ann Lucretia, married Charles T. Stuart, of Alexandria in 1820.