The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-21
THE KNIGHTS NEW HALL
THE DEDICATION BY GRAND CHAN
CELLOR HUNNICUTT.

| Anniversary of Their Order-The Pa
rade of the Uniformed Divisions
The Dedicatory Ceremonies at the
Hall-Grand Chancellor Hunnicutt's
Address-The Dedicatory Hop.
The Knights of Pythias hall, at Barnard
and York streets, was formally dedicated
last night. The exercises were not only i'm
pressive in the beginning, but they We're en-
tertaining to the close. The day was gala
one in the Pythian calendar, marking as it
did the twenty fourth anniversary of the
| order.
During the afternoon the two uniformed
divisions, Du Guesclin No l, and Teutonia
No. 4, paraded through the principal parts
Of the city in the drilling rain. At 7 80
o'clock the divisions rendezvoused at their
armory, where the battalion formed, and
under the command of Col. r. f. Harmon,
marched in driving rain to the Screven
House, where they escorted Grand Chan
| cellor j. NJ. Hunnicutt, of Atlanta, and the
| grand and subordinate officers Of the order
to the new hall.
| Chancellor Commander w. X. Pearce
| presided. On the left of the officer a beau
tiful basket of flowers sat on the pure white
marble, while smaller basket of rare
| blooms hung from the center arch in front,
the silken banners of the two divisions
leaning on either side of the arch. The
hall was crowded to its utmost limit. Col
| George Z. Fry and Hon. p. W. Meldrim
occupied seats on the platform, and there
was an array of beautiful women and
manly Knights.
THE OBLIGATORY SERVICES
The exercises opened by d triple challenge
at the outer portal, which was duly com
municated to the Chancellor Commander
| by the Master alarms. This triple chal-
lenge," said the Chancellor Commander,
| Indicates high authority at our portals
and the Master-at-Arms was ordered to
communicate with the sentries announcing
on his return, that the Grand Chancellor
and grand officers of the Grand Lodge of
the Division of Georgia desired ad Hattance
| to dedicate the new Castle hall TO Pythiau
uses. The portals were opened and tue dis
tinguished visitors marched i'll to music by
| the orchestra.
The Grand Chancellor asked the usual
questions as to the order and system of the
various lodges, which being answered ia
! vorably, the Grand Chancellor directed the
| officers of the subordinate lodge to give
way to the officers of the Grand Lodge,
Grand Chancellor Hunnicutt taking the
| gavel from Chancellor Commander Pearce.
Grand Probate E. H. Nichols offered up a
fervent prayer, in which he especially asked
for the protection of the new building from
natural and Unforeseen causes, that it might
be transmitted unimpaired to their children
| and their chidrcn's children. The dedica-
| tiOn ode was then sung, Come, Brothers.
Friends, in Friendships name"
The skull, symbol of mortality, or pass
ing away, was laid on an altar with crossed
swords, and "A sprig of myrtle, the emblem
| of friendship, was laid upon them A pas
sage of scripture was read by the Grand
Prelate followed by the singing of the
| Opening Ode, in which the knights and
| ladies joined.
THE GRAND CHANCELLOR'S WORDS
AT its conclusion Grand Chancellor Hun
nicutt said: "In the name of Damon and
| Pytbias, in the name of Friendship, Char
| ity and Benevolence. dedicate fthis castle
hall to Pythian uses" The dedication was
then proclaimed by the Grand Master-at-
Arms in front of the Grand Preate's altar,
and the subordinate officers resumed their
several official stations.
After an overture, Bohemian Grip by
the orchestra, Grand Chancellor Hunnicutt
was introduced and delivered a brief adj
| dress. 1t was the twenty-fourth consecutive
night he had been called to speak to his
brother knights, during which time he has
| met and shaken hands with nearly $500
members of the order in Georgia, Florida
and Alabama, and he expects to visit the
lodges in South Carolina yet. He could
not, therefore, address the Savannah knights
at length He dwelt upon the early history
| of an order which, born at Washington city
| in the throes of the civil war
in 1864, had increased until the letters F. c..
b. were now emblazoned upon the breast
plates of over 100000 knights. He likened
| ~. 81 ID 1
| but one wing, in which the male bird with
an iron ring on the other side, and the
female bird with a hook on on its wingless
| side, linked themselves together and thus
united were. wellsswinged for lofty flights
His explanation why the ladies were not
admitted to the order was in humorous
vein, and created great merriment The
knights preferred that they should be
wives, not sisters and he asked the question
of the young ladies, and answered it for
them, too if they would not much rather
be the wives of brave Knights than sisters.
| Mr.. Hunnicutts speech was received with
long continued applause.
THE PROGRAMME.
Mrs. Ida Wades soprano solo was so
beautifully sung that the applause did not
| subSde until she came forward and gave
the audience another selection which was
cheered to the echo.
| L. =. QUO NOBel gave some nne rem
ditions on the either, which he had to repeat
| in response to an encore.
Col George T. Fry, Knight, and promi-
nent member of the Atlanta bar. was called
out and made an eloquent impromptu ad-
dress. He likened himself to a conscript
who, having grown somewhat rusty in the
ORDER had a hesitancy in meeting the
trained Knights, and being a bachelor was
COMPOUNDED by the battery of bright
sparkling and beautiful eyes of the
fair ladies trained upon him, but
he felt secure, he said, behind the array of
Knights in armor who stood between.
! After turning a neat joke at Grand Cham
cellor Hunnicutt's expense, he addressed
himself to the cardinal principles of the
Order and his definitions Of charity and
| friendship were replete with some of the
choicest gems of literature, and delivered
with burst of emotional eloquence His
remarks were listened ID with undivided
interest and were heartily applauded.
Mr.. MELDRB's ADDRESS.
After an overture by the orchestra,
Lucia de Lammermoor," Hon. p w. Mel
drim made the closing address Of the eve
! ming: Ancient as Compared With Modern
Knighthood.n The speaker was suffering
from a severe cold and had just returned to
| the city after days of arduous professional
labor, but he spoke earnestly and learnedly.
He began by reciting the story of the rider
less horses, which, being left on the beach