The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-19
THE KNIGHTS GATHERING.
THE FIRST SESSION OF THE GRAND
LODGE LAST NIGHT.
Two Hundred and Seventy-fve Knights
Receive the Grand Lodge Rank--Re-
ception at the Crawford Grand
Judge Reeds Speech in Full.
Hundreds Arrive on Every
Train--The Program
for Today.

This week promises to reveal the Peer
less Princess in all her beauty. The
beautiful city will appear still more beau
tiful in her robes of regal splendor. Be-
tween eight and ten thousand visitors are
expected to visit Wichita during the week,
| and although the city has the best hotel
accommodations in the state, the local
committees are at loss to know where to
quarter all their guests
The headquarters of the Brigade have
been established at the Carey, and those of
the Grand Lodge at the Metropole. The
headquarters of the local committee are in
the second story of the old court house,
where members are to register as soon as
they arrive. Over 1,400 names filled nu-
merous pages of the register up to last
evening.
A great throng. surging to and fro, was
seen on the streets last night The police
force has been augmented by a number of
specials, but an old officer remarked last
evening that for the large number of Wis
itors, it was the most orderly gathering
that had ever assembled in the city.
The grand officers of the order have
nearly all arrived. Those present at the
meeting last evening were n. L. Hol-
lowell, of Kingman, grand chancellor; l..
Ravens, OF Fort Scott. and Morgan Cara
way. Of Great Bend, post grand chancel-
lors; l.. S. Sprague, Usage City; grand mas
ter of exchequer; Gus j. Neibert, of
Kansas City, grand keeper of the recorder
and seals, Charles Goultson, of Manhat-
tan, grand outer guard; Tom c. Copeland,
of Waverly. grand master at arms 9th
ers will arrive this morning.
Pursuant to the program the Grand
Lodge officers and members, led by
Browns Military band, were escorted to
the United States government building by
the Uniform Rank h of p of Wichita
This division do escort duty and are pres
ent at the arrival of all trains coming into
town.
At 7:30 the Grand Lodge convened in
special session for the purpose of confer
ring the Grand Lodge degree. 1t was
found that 1870 lodges were represented.
There are PA lodges i'll this district who
will each send representative. The
Grand Lodge rank was conferred upon 275
at the session lasrevening, but as small
per centage of the candidates have arrived.
the lodge will sit several times more to
confer this degree.
Many words of praise of the beautiful
lodge room in which the Grand Lodge sits
were sung by the visiting Sir Knights.
The hall was grandly decorated. The
furniture and carpets have all been put
in. The windows were decorated with
feStooning with United States flags with
the word welcome embossed in each with
the colors of the order. All agree in ex-
pressing that it is the finest decorated
lodge room in the state in which the
Grand Lodge ever sat.
At 9 o'clock the Grand Lodge adjourned
until this morning at 8 O'Clock, and
marched to the Crawford Grand.
The members of the Grand Lodge and
the speakers occupied the stage. All the
seats were filled. Sir Knight Bridenbaugh
presided and after a few well chosen re-
marks of introduction, introduced Mayor
Carey, who spoke the following welcome
in behalf of the city of Wichita:
Gentlemen of the Pythian Circle:
bid you a hearty welcome to the city of
reputed hospitality, and L now venture
the prediction that her reputation in this
regard, will be sustained during the time
of your sojourn amongst us. Wichita
may well feel proud of the distinguished
homer of being selected, as place for the
trious order. will not take up your time
in naming any historic facts connected
with this respected society, as there are
several gentlemen OF well earned orator
ical fame, who will be called upon to adj
dress you, and who will no doubt dwell
at length upon the origin and progress of
the order
During the last few years. have travel
ed many hundreds of miles, and | have
had occasion to make many observations
regarding the makeup of the society. and
[ am happy to state, that wherever l go,
with rarely an exception, the man who
wears K. p. badge, is highly respected
in the community in which he lives. In
| am proud to be numbered as
a member of the order. l most earnestly
hope that our citizens in general, and our
resident Knights in particular, will see to
it that no pains are spared, in endeavor-
ing to do honor to those who have honored
US by their presence on this occasion.
trust that your labors at this
meeting may be crowned with abundant
success, and that you will all feel amply
repaid from having made US this visit.
Again, gentlemen, as the chief executive
of the city, l extend to you cordial greet |
ing.
He was frequently interrupted by hearty
applause.
The Arion quartette rendered some choice |
after Mr.. Carey's speech and
were heartily applanded and responded to
an encore.
Ed. O'Bryan was next introduced and |
spoke welcome in behalf of Warwick |
lodge of this city. He said;
Friends and Brothers:
On behalf of Warwick Lodge, No. a, X. |
Of p, of Wichita. and her members I rise |
10 give you cordial greeting.
We want to give you an old-fashioned |
Kansas greeting Aye. more than that. |
we want to give you a good, old-fashioned |
Wichita greeting. We want TO give YOU |
such a welcome that when you leave us |
md return again TO your homes and take |
I'D again your different vacations IN life, |
among the pleasant things you will have |
o remember will be the greeting OF Old |
Warwick.
We invite you to our city-our Castle !
our homes. The freedom of our /
,ity has already been extended TO you by |
,ur honorable mayor Old Warwick eX-
ends TO you freedom of her Castle hall; |
her 800 members the freedom of their |
homes and the warmth of their affections. |
Old Warwick is glad to welcome those
If you who hail from that wonderful. Off
spring of nature, who rs Minerva sprang
ull armed from the head of Joye, has
'isen from desert and prairie TO be a
powerful commonwealth. already clamor-
ng for place among the sisterhood OF
tates, Oklahoma, and as we extend our
oythian hands of friendship TO you to-
hight, let us hope that Kansas will meet
Oklahoma on such friendly relations
l believe that a welcome, pure aud SIM
BE, from brother TO brother, is the noblest
md grandest thing on earth, and there is
nothing under the blue canopy of heaven
AN equal such a welcome, when given
rom the heart, and the Pythiau members
# old work gives you such a welcome, and
Tou can give them no greater pleasure
han to accept their welcome as freely as
-iYen Again. on behalf of Old Warwick.