Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-08-30

1t Cos p. NJ. Tho departure of the
Knights was preceded by Il short parade,
The route of which was us follows
Along Seventh street from Market to
King and thence to Second, to Market,
70 Seventh, to Washington, to Tenth, to
adams, to Park place, TO Van Buren,
nreet, to Delaware avenue, to the rail-
toad station. The men were in full
Uniform and made splendid appear
ince. On their arrival at the station
bome OF the Pythians were joined by
their wives. The division will partici-
pate in the big parade and other festivi.
lies associated with the biennial session
sf the Supreme Lodge Of the World.
The session OF the supreme body be-
gan on Tuesday. supreme Chancellor
w. w. Blackwell presided and the at.
tendance was large. The business con.
sisted chiefly of presenting and referring
reports.
The report of the supreme chancellor
document which will attract wide
Intention, both inside and outside the
prdor, especially for the vigorous man
her in which ne deals with questions
Using from what he terms an organized
rebellion of certain persons who have
persisted in publishing and using Il Ger
man translation of the ritual of the
prder despite the refusal Of the Supreme
Lodge to permit such TRANSACTIONS. The
lupreme chancellor makes strong plea
Tor Americanizing the order. lie gives
lhe following as the statistics OF MEM
bership of the order according to I'M
official reports to July 1st, 1894: Grand
lodges, 3D.; subordinate lodges, 6,9G2.
Total number of members, 46j,74l, Il net
Increase of 72,025 members during the
past two years. The financial condition
pf the order is, he states, most satisIac-
tory, Notwithstanding the fail ure OF the
former supreme master of exchcquer.
mo small amount Of friction" the
report says, has been engendcrCd dur.
Ing the past two years, growing out of
the action of the Kansas City session,
pissolving all connection heretofore
nominaily recognized as existing be.
tween the Pythian Sisters and the
Supreme Lodge, and thereby bringing
his institution under the han of pro-
Icription through the adoption OF new
ritual"
Considerable space is given in the re-
port to detailing the circumstances at
lending the failure, in May, 1898 of 5. j.
Wiley of this city, the late supreme
master of eXchequer. The supreme
chancellor recounts difficulties met by
him and his associates in endeavnliug to
effect settlement, because Mr.. Wiley
had transferred securities he held to his
bondsmen. A final statement was OBJ
tanned, in which Mr.. Wiley acknowl.
edged an Indebtedness to the order Of
S7O,720.6l, including $l0,5G4.97 of cash
and notes belonging To the Hines mem
orial fund. Alter Mr. Wiiiey's rcslgna-
ton was accepted, settlement was
effected out OF court by the transfer 10
the order OF 81 acres Of land adjoining
Wilmington, valued at S3l 900, subject
to mortgage Of rs 900. ami stock in a
dental manufacturing company, valued
at S32, 200. The new supreme master Of
eXchequer has been required to furnish
bond through guarantee company,
and in addition, he has required the
banks in which the funds Of tie order
are deposited to furnish indemnity
bonds.
"Some years ago this body the re-
port states, granted permission to the
grand lodges to locally legislute Us they
might desire upon the saloon element
question and the eligibility Of owners
and tenders thereof to MEMBERSHIP il.
Dur order. Under this permission several
grand lodges have since declared saloon.
keepers and har-tenders ineligible 10
membership upon the ground OF their
business engagement having strong ten.
dency TO the cultivation OF immortality,
1awlessness and other disreputablr
habits in contradistinction to the teac..
ings of our order. Surprising US it may
Seem to some, it is nevertheless dumyIi-
strable that the grand lodges which
have taken hold of this question and
legislated to exclude this doubtful ma
terial have not only succeeded in Sc
curing the best material, but they also
stand as the most active and progressive
among the grand Jurisdictions. Ii il was
the wish of the Supreme Lodge to OK
pertinent when permission WIS granted
grand lodges to locally test this qucs.
lion, am glad to report the experiment
most satisfactory. In fact, so strongly
I'm | convinced that the step is one ia
The interest of law, order, morality, re.
spectability, better citizenship and Il
higher knighthood, that | am CON
strained to conclude that the time has
come when we, as a great fraternity
should put aside policy, expedency Of
any other question of doubt that may
stand in the way and declare ourselves
the leaders Of reform by maniully facing
Ibis important question and declaring
that no saloon keeper, bartender OF
professional gambler shall hereafter be
considered as eligible TO apply for mem.
beEhip in any lodge of this order"
G7any topics are discussed and recon.
Esohdations made concerning the work
of the order. 1t is recommended that
the term of officers of suh0rIiuut.