Show interesting TO FREENA freemasons FREE MASONS SONS florence the Actor though a catholic never renounced masonry the following article trona from the chicago tribune is undoubtedly ot of the greatest interest to late la edita of the fact that the dignitaries ot the koman roman Cat catholic bolic church were satisfied that W J florence bad renounced reno freemas nry in spite bp ue of the fact act that in recognition of the dead actors peace with the tho roman church he wan was accorded the funeral rites of that faith and a solemn aiba ore of requiem ulem was aone acing for or the masal of his a benl I 1 by order of cardinal gibbons ing these facts florence la Is now raid said to have died a freemason in full p in that ancient order it haa has been stated that william J florence had abandoned masonry some years before his death that be hid attended no meetings of the order in which be he bad had achiel ed ad eo so much prominence and bad had in many wave signified bis big desire to make peace with his big church bat but a secret proclamation la addressed to the imperial council of the ancient order of the nobles of the mystic shrine for north america to subordinate temples of this pinnacle degree in the masonic pyramid shows that when mr florence died be was considered by the craft to be in full fellowship to be in good stand me ing as an illustrious noble he must have been in in good standing with bis big blue lodge and in la all the succeeding and advanced degrees up to the very bilt blithest hest this secret pro clama tion came to mecca temple of new now york ot of which florence bad had been a member ever since its organization it is signed by samuel imperial potentate cleveland 0 and frank 31 luce lace imperial recorder chicago it prescribed pres cribei the wearing of the insignia of mourning mo arning I p baj i 3 aurtha ith drapin ir of the altars and tombs within the sanctuaries of the shrine it is is said that william J florence was with df dr walter M 1 fleming the founder of tha the order in america it was in 1870 that mr florence returning from a vacation in ia mhd gee orient rie t broached the euba act of the organization of an american branch of the gre great a t arabic order of mystery lie ile bad had been a roaster master mason many yeas he was a knight templar sixteenth degree and had advanced through the other masonic degrees up to the thirty second dr fleming caned hint war and mecca temple was founded in new york with these two beading a list of nine nine charter members upon this foundation was reared the imperial council for the western bemi hemisphere sphere in 1876 and now there are ua nobles of the mystic mystie shrine in in the united states |