St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-09
WHITE-PLUMED HOST
Twenty Thousand Knights
TemplaP Join in the Pan
oply Of War.
A Marvel Of Musical Motion
and Flashing Of Bright
ColorS.
No Spectacle Combining So
Much Ever Seen Before in
America.
President Harrison and Cap
ital Citizens Give the
Knights Welcome.

WASHINGTON, Oct. s.-The national
capital was in blaze of glory to-day to
celebrate the official opening of the
twenty-fOurth triennial cOnclave of the
Knights Templar of the United States
with grand parade, the most magnifi-
cent event of the week. The day was
given to pageantry and display. and 90
600 Joined in the panoply of war, amid
the symbols of the order, with flying
banners, sand with the step and bearing
of knights militant, presented Templdr
array such as never before witnessed in
the land. The city has put on its best
garments. The day opened cloudy, but
by 9 o'clock clear, bright, beautiful
weather prevailed, and demonstration
and display, unprecedented in magnifi-
cence, unriValed in magnitude, was
assured, The city was aStir
early, and by 10 o'clock martial
airs could be heard in any and every
directions, while hundreds pof Templar
organizations were marching to their
respective rendezvous, and streams of
people were pushing their way to the
line of march. Holiday was written on
the faces of all. The children were eX-
cused from school, the government de-
partmentS and stores were closed. and
business for the greater part of the day
was suspended. By 10 O'Clock, an hour
before the procession was TO move, it
seemed as though the population of the
city
HAD DESERTED ITS HOMES
md oil IN - I,n
cessiOn, which beginning at the capitol,
extended up Pennsylvania avenue past
the executive mansion to Washington
circle. and then back through K street
to Ninth street, near Masonic Tenn
pie, where the grand encampment
opened at the close of the parade. The
main body of the procession formed in
the streets about the capital, by 1870
o'clock, and waited the arrival of the
officers of the grand encampment, with
Gen. Charles ROome, most eminent
grand master, and his personal staff. in
carriages, under escort of the first diviS-
ion, The knightly escort with Emi-
nent Sir Myron NJ. Parker, chief mar
shal: Sir Knight Harrison Dingman.
chief of staff, and host of sir knights
as aides-de-camp, leading, soon ap-
preached and halted on the spacious
piazza at the east front of the capitol. A
few minutes later word from Chief
Marshal Parker put the head of the
column of the grand parade and escort
of the grand encampment in motion.
Around the columned portIeOs of the cap
ftOl, down the concreted roadways of
the capitol grounds under the SWaying.
Overreaching bOughs of the autumn
tinted trees the grand procession swept
with the stately glide of a gigantic and
many-cOlored serpent. 1t was flash of
color. a CLEAN of snowy plumes, a
glitter of bright steel and
RHYTHM OF GRACEFUL. MOVEMENT.
Such a sight, in all the magnificence of
its splendor, has never before been
seen in this city, famous for the num-
Der and grandeur of its parades. The
wide plaza to the east of the great
white marble building was packed
with thousands of knights, but as the
procession moved there seemed to be
no diminUtiOn in the number of those
who stood, like statues, waiting for the
word of command that put them in
motion. AS the snowy columns.
resplendent in many hues. swept
onward the firmness and precision of a
machine, up the broad and gaily deco
rated avenue. the eye grew confused
with the number and the growing brill
fancy of Its hueS. There were acres of
snowy plumeS. streaming and sWaVIpp
in the crisp October air hike meadows of
white lilies; there were mileSOf gleam-
ing swords: there were leagues of
bright.cOlored banners that huttered
in true knightly splendOr of color above
the vast and the Steady-mOVing host.
and the finishing touch to a picture un-
paralleled in its brilliancy and its beau
ty, music lent their sweetest charm.
The clear. piercing tone of the corDet.
the mellow melody of horns, the drums
deep thrOb and the flies shrilI cry.
all blended with the notes from
many other instruments to stir the
heart through the ear as wildly
as the harmonious motion. the gorgeous
col0rS and the magnitude of the masses
had stirred the heart through the eve.
Ii the procession was superb in the
magnificence of its Splendor, the eity
was gorgeous in its holiday attire, and
its quarter of million of people turned
out to give its guests an old-faShiOned
welcome. Old and young, male and
female. rich and poor, black and white.
native and foreign, the whole popuIa-
tiOn of Washington, it would seem, was
on the line of parade. Every house
along the broad avenue was a mass of
cOloTed flags of many nations wreathed
in all manner of devices, cOnjOiDed with
the peculiar insignia of the knights.
Every house was also gay with Sight
seerS. Every window was radiant with
the bright tintS of ladies' dresses. Even
the housetOps were crowded with peo-
pie The various stands erected at the
angles of the avenue and the intersect-
ing cross streets were denSely packed
with human beings, who. without regard
to rank or dress, were mixed with that
SENSE OF PERFECT EQUALITY
nowhere else seen than at a passing
show or except in Masonic lodge room:
while the sidewalks were dense with
the refuent tides of curious humanity.
And well they might be curious, for no
sight parallel to this had ever been seen
in the capitol city. The grand COM
mander of each jurisdiction might we'll
have called to the people as the crier
did to the Roman populace at the cele-
bratiOn Of the secular games, which oc-
CURED but once in century, to come
and see what they had never before
seen and would never see again. There
have been larger paradeS in Washing
ton. There have been presidential in
auguTal professions that numbered
more people in line. The grand review
in 1865 filled Pennsylvania avenue,
one of the great and memorable tho
roughfares of the world, all day for
two successive days, from curb to curb,
with its quarter of a million soldiers
returning home from successful war.
But no spectacle combining so much of
that WHICH was grand in its proportions,
beautiful to the eve and stimulating to
the fancy, as this Knights Templar pa
rade, was ever seen here before. There
were 10000 knights in procession. Their
chaste but picturesque uniforms, their