Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-19
DALLAS.
Banquet to the Right Eminent Grand
COmmandery of Knights Templar.
A Bricklayer'S UntimelY Death-J. E. Gilbert
on Trial for Murder-The Parade OF
the Denver ShFiners.
The Templars' Banquet.
THE GAZETTE BUREAU,
S27 MAIN STREET,
DALLAS, TEX, April IS, 1880. }


TO the right eminent grand oommandery
of the Knights Templar of Texas by
Dallas commandery, No. 8, K. T., took
place last night at Turner hall. 1t was
a brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable
affair and one of which Dallas and the
Dallas commandery have every reason to
feel proud. The hall was deliberately
and artistically decorated. Six long
tables, each set for eighty guests, bore
their beautiful burden of everything cal
.culated to please the eye and tempt the
appetite, and presented, when viewed
from the gallery before the arrival of
the Knights and ladies, very beautiful
and attractive appearance. The scene
was made more brilliant after the
Knights and ladies were seated. The
occasion is rare, indeed, that brings
together so many of the chivalry
and beauty of the state. The Knights,
in their well-fittlng uniforms, with their
gilt trappings and emblematio dec
orations were worthy Of the beauty that
surrounded them on all sides, lending to
the occasion that grace and loneliness
which only woman can. The ripple OF
merry laughter mingling with the clink-
ing Of glasses and the hum of CONVERSE
ton made music pleasant to the ears
and caused the hours to pass all too soon
for the mrthful throng.
Grand Marshal Mellersh acted as mas
ter of ceremonies, and filed that difficult
Office to perfection.
The toasts as published in this morn
ing's GAZETTE were respond ed to ac-
ton of the third 1.-THE Valiant knight, -
which in the absence of Sir Knight
Henry Furman of Fort Worth was re-
sDonded to by Hon. F. R. Lubbock of
Austin, and the sixth toast, "Our ST.
lent Ones,'' to which Sir Knight Will
liams responded in place of Rev. j. C.
Carpenter of Sherman. The seventh and
last toast, youth and Age was
Omitted, owing to the absence of Sir
Robert Brewster of Houston.
The first toast, "The Grand Encamp-
ment of the United States, - was elo-
quently but briefly responded to by V.
e. Sir Il. B. Stoddard, grand senior
warden, of Bryan.
Mr.. Lawrence NJ. Knepfly, the newly
elected right eminent grand commander,
responded to the second toast, "The
Grand Commandery of Texas. - After
thanking the grand commandery for
the distinguished honor they had
conferred upon him, and express
ing his qualification that his
affection took place here in the city in
(which he made his home, he declared,
amid much applause, the Texas grand
oommandery the grandest COM
mandery in America. 1t stood prom
inent among the grand galaxy of
grand commanderIes in the United
States. He closed with a beautiful COM
pliment to the magnificent and beautiful
women of Texas, " no are worthy the ad-
miration, the love and the devotion of
every knightly heart and the protection
of every knightly arm.
Governor Lubbock, who was pressed
INTO service to respond to the third toast,
sxThe Valiant knight, was greeted
with an outburst OF applause when he
advanced to speak. In response to vo-
ciferous calls from all parts Of the house
he mounted q chair and turned his silver
tongued eloquenoe loose upon the vast
audience. He said that a mistake had
been made in introducing him
as the oldest knight present. He
was young i'll neutrality-suspicious.
but was old in Masonry. He was one of
the original members of Holland lodge
No. l, organized aud christened under
the Louisiana jurisdiction, which he
Joined i'll 1887. He bad never Identified
but paid his dues for forty years. He
then described the ''Valiant Knight, -
and defined true TemplariSm in words of
elouuence, which were frequently ap-
plauded. No synopsis of Sir Knight
Charles Culberson S response to the toast
''True Women, - can be made that will
do that effort Justice. 1t was the gem of
the evening, and was polished, beautiful,
sparkling, poetic and eloquent, and was
delivered in the ease and grace which
only the finished orator can command.
He spoke of the chivalrous generation
paid to women by the Knight
hood of the world in the early
centuries; how that generation had
grown and deepened with the pass-
years, until to-day woman was the pride
of Masonry, the queen of home. IN
closing, he said: "There is no sunshine
like woman s smile; no music like
woman IS laughter, and no influence like
a woman 8 stainless life.
As he stepped down from the chair on
which he had been standing to the floor,
the Knights nearest him crowded around
him and warmly congratulated HIM on
his beautiful and eloquent tribute to the
fair sex.
Tom Beall OF Ell Paso next made a
fitting and we'll worded reply to ''Our
Mexican Fraters, and Sir Knight
Williams paid an eloquent tribute to
''Our Silent Ones.'' After q response
to "Our Sister Jurisdictions, by Sir
Knight Douglas of Little Rock, Ark,
the gathering dispersed, the lateness of
the hour alone preventing the Denver
delegation of ''Shriners, who arrived
at the hall while the toasts were in
progress. from being heard from. Al
though Ex-Governor Adams was down
for a response, he asked that he be ex-
cused from trying TO hold the audience
after so late an hour.
Fatal Accident.