The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-17
Balance as previously shown
PYTHIANsDAY

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PYTHIAN.DAY
There is one special matter that / think
should receive your candid attention at
once and that is regarding the celebration
of Our Annual Pythian Day. 1t IL general
ly understood that the Uniform Rank as
an organization will not in the future, as
in the past, act in conjunction with the
Lodges in maintaining an annual celebra-
ton. Without this we lose an attraction
that we always appreciated and it is ques-
ton whether the Lodges will continue the
interest without the establishment fur
nished by the Uniform Rank.
lowing that they will not, wish to sug
gest that as the lodges generally are SO
widely separated from common center, it
might be advisable to establish districts for
the purpose of convenience and economy of
expense to the lodges in celebrating an an
nual Pythian day. The districts to be so
divided to include the largest number of
lodges continuous to a common center.
Each district could manage it's own celebra-
ton and thus create a local interest and the
lodges in every section of the jurisdiction
could participate with minimum of time
and expense.
Grand Chancellor's Report.
The report of Grand Chancellor Isaac l..
Elder, begins by thanking the members of
the Grand Lodge for their hearty co-opera-
ton during the year past. The report then
reviews the prosperity of the order during
the past year, gives a summary of decisions
rendered and other regular work of the
office, relates the events of Pythian day at
Bath, August 10th, and of the special session
hrIY apxy1 in, oit To and
Chancellor Blackwell.
Speaking of losses by fire, the grand chan
cellor says:
chronicle SO
MANY MISFORTUNES
to our lodges as during the past year.
Five lodges have had their Castle halls
consumed by fire, losing nearly all their
lodge property and many valuable records.
ION the night of the fifteenth of October,
1898, the Castle hall of Algonquin, No. IS,
was totally consumed by fire together with
all the property, books and records of the
lodge.
January 10, 1894 the Castle hall of Port
Royal, No. e., was also burned; the lodge
losing nearly everything.
by the disastrous fire at Bath in Febru-
airy, 1894, Acadia, No. 10 and Patten. No. Sc,
lost everything.
February 25, 1894, the hall in which Cum
berland, No. s., had it's home was complete
ly burned together with everything it con-
tanned.
I'm each instance we are happy to state
the brothers have arisen superior to their
misfortune and have again begun their work
in no wise disheartened.
'sThese fires occurring within SO short a
time of each other, can but be striking
lesson and must teach each lodge the
necessity of not only protecting their
property with insurance, but also that they
should provide fire proof safe for their
books and records
sit is recommended that the Supreme
Lodge be asked to allow the use of cipher
rituals; that the law asst now stands be so
changed that the terms of office for all D.
D. G.. C.'s and all standing committees next
to be appointed shall expire on the first day
of September, 1895, sand thereafter annually
the date of the commissions of D. d. G.. G.
and the appointment of all standing COM
mittees be on that day and to continue for
one year; that it shall be the duty of our G.
K. r. & S. to instruct our officials and the
officers and brothers of all subordinate
lodges who apply and present to him proper
credentials, in the secret and unwritten
work of our order to the end that, at no
cost to our grand lodge, it may be generally
known throughout our grand jurisdiction
where proper information may be obtained
and.the work be brought into a more uni
form basis.
Lynden lodge at Caibou, is in weak con.
dition. but there are hopes that it can be
saved.
UNIFORM RANK.
There can be no doubt but that the Uni
from Rank is already one of the most i'm
portant auxiliaries to our order and de-
serves both our moral and financial support.
The discipline of the Rank is all that can
be asked and makes it not only the admira-
ton but also the peer of our military organi-
zati ons.
AS branches OF the same order the surbor-
dinate lodge and the Uniform Rank should
go hand in hand, each working for the one
great principle and virtue which is the cor
ner stone of our order.
ENDOWMENT RANK,
For the seventeenth fiscal year the state
ment of membership and endowment is as
follows:
Number of members, March
81, 1898, 32,939
March 81, 1898. $40, ST., 600
Numbers of members, March
81, 1894, 33,721
Amount of endowment
March ID, 1894, ~, 900
The board of control report that the bust
ness during March, 1894, exceeded that of
any previous month in the history of the
Rank.
The status of the endowment rank in
Maine is as follows: Lewiston, number of
members, 26; amount of endowment, S53, OO0
Biddeford, number of members. 9; amount
of endowment, $4,000. Saco. number of
members, IS; amount of endowment, $50, 1000.
Portland, number of members, 49, amount
of endowment, $4,000. South Windham,
number of members, 8; amount of endow-
ment, $13, 000 Bath, number of members, 8;
amount Of endowment, $4,000. Kennebunk,
number of members, 49, amount of endow-
ment, $4,000 Gardiner, number of men,
bers, S; amount of endowment, $4,000. Nor
way, number of members, T; amount of en-
dowment, $4,000. Gorham, number of men,
bers, 10; amount of endowment. $4,000.
Number of sections, 10.
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