The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-09-13
THOSE GERMAN RITUALS.
SUPREME LODGE. KNIGHTS OF
PYTHIAS FoRBIDS THEM
All Rituals Must Be in the English Ian.
guage to the End That Loyalty to
Our Government Shall Be
Taught in Pythian Lodges.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6.-The much
mooted question was decided by the
supreme lodge of the Knights o
Pythias today by decided vote
against permitting the use of the ritu-
al in other than the English language.
Two votes were taken, the first on the
substituting of the minority report, to
give the German lodges five years of
grace in which to adopt the English
ritual, resulted "A to Al against the
minority reports. Then the majority
report was adopted by vote of 70 to
36. The gist OF the majority report is
found in the following recon-
mendatior: "That the supreme
lodge re,anuounce and re-sffirm
the declaration made at the
Kansas City session, that henceforth
aud forevermore the ritual used in
this ana all other English speaking
nations shall be printed in the Eng
lish language only, and that If the
standard OF our order shall be planted
in any country speaking other than
Z the English language the rituals
therein used shall be printed and ali
\ concerns over which this body has
scontrol shall be conducted only in the
Language of such government, to the
end that it may be known to all men
\ and to all nations that around the
affairs of Pythian Knights are taught
as one of the cardinal principles of our
order undying loyalty and devotion
to the government to which they owe
their allegiance, whether it be the
land of their birth or the country of
their adoption"
1t also commended the supreme
chancellor for his action in unfolding
the law in this matter and was
signed by four members of the COM
mittee, Stanton Il. Carter, Thomas
Mears, II. p. Hunt and A. A. Mayors.
John H. Russell of Indiana wGs the
author of the minority report which
recommended that lodges which
have remained loyal to the supreme
lodge and were working with rituals
in other than the English language
when the last ritial was promulgated
be furnished with rituals in the Ian.
guage they were previously using for
a period of five years, after which they
should surrender them and use only
the English. Three hours of debate
was had over the question, The
principal speech for the minority was
made by Representative Featherstone
of Wisconsin, and for the majority by
Representative Carter of California.
1t was argued against the minority
proposition that if five years were
granted the German lodges they
would apply for another extension OF
time at the end of that period and the
whole question would have to be
fought over.
Sitting in committee of the whole,
\ "a lodge has approved the unanl-
r<1Sus report of the committee on the
State of the order recommending that
Tsaloon keepers, bar tenders and pro-
fessional gamblers be declared lnelll~
gible to membership, but moi affecting
those who have already become men,
bers. The question has Tot been
acted upon by the supreme lodge
proper. The same committee recon-
mends that the supreme lodge pro.
claim against the use of the name OF
Pythianism in connection with size
ranks. A request has been tele-
graphed to the supreme lodge 10 IN
Astitute a search tor b. f. Franks ni
sBelle PLANE, Iowa, who came 10
Washington to attend the encamp-
ment and has not returned to MS
home. His friends wire that one OF
his children Is at the point of death,