The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-27
ALL DOORS WIDE OPEN.
Never Before Has There Been
Such an Amin ated Throng
at the Hub.
HONORs TO THE CALIFORNIANs.
Everywhere Are Displayed Banners
and Bunting Bearing Masonic
Emblems.

BOSTON, MASS, Aug. 26.-Boston Is
like a maelstrom to-day. Its crooked
streets are seething with moving masses of
people, above whom flutter and sway flags
and banners and bunting bearing the
colors and all the emblems of Masonry.
The crash of brass bands and bass drums
salute the ear from every direction as the
rapidly arriving communicates OF Sir
Knights, coming from every State in the
Union, are escorted to their quarters.
The city is charged with life and excite
ment No such display of bunting and
elaborate holiday dressings has been seen
here in years, if indeed ever before. Every
courteous and hospitable attention is being
shown to the visitors. The city authori-
ties have given the cue to the private citi-
zen in this matter. The City Hall is SIM
| ply buried under mass of tastefully
arranged red, white and black, with the
''In Hoe Slgno Vinces" spread over its
| gates. Ali the other public buildings are
arrayed in like manner, with an absolute
prodigality of decoration, and at night the
city is ablaze with light, and the elaborate
designs of the day are repeated in vari-
colored electric lamps.
Those treasures which Boston holds so
close to her heart and guards SO iealously
through fear of the vandals are to-day
thrown wide open in a seeming complete
reliance upon the knightly honor of all
the people now within her gates. Doors
| that were closed even to the Christian
| Endeavorers, as being too sacred for Or
dinary humanity, are now unlocked. For
| the second time in the history of several
decades, the rusty old hinges turned to-day
at the granary graveyard in the heart OF
| the city in which the fathers of the Ameri-
can revolution lie buried, staff marking
| the resting place of the parents of Benia-
min Franklin and sacred stone has stood
by the grave of Mother Goose for 200 years.
Across the way, also, the graveyard of old
J Kings Chapel has been opened wide with
other celebrities. Hester Prynne of the
sScarlet Letter." and many of the publicly
executed witches" of her time were buried
there. These things are among Boston's
dearest treasures, and that she allows the
throngs to look upon them is worth noting
as significant.
The usual fee for climbing Bunker Hill
monument is not required during the con-
clave, ana so, indeed. every individual, by
/
legion of invited Knights Templars, is lit
orally granted the freedom of the City.
The atmosphere is charged with hospi-
tality and good feeling
| Golden Gate Commandery of San Fran
cisco has felt this, not alone in general
way, but has been the object of signal
demonstration. Standing back from
crowded Washington street. just opposite
their headquarters, is the old building of
the Kearsarge Association. with an ample
area in front. 1t is one-time school,
house with large hall on the first floor.
an ideal hall to rendezvous from for the
parade or receive their friends. It is
owned by the city, and the city promptly
rendered it to the commandery without.
solicitation, so it may be said that Golden
| Gate Commandery has the most ample and
| fitting headquarters of any in the city. It
has been busy day tor its members. An
| immense wire netting was swung this
morning across Washington street from
| the roof of the hotel to the upper branches
of the trees in the grounds of their annex
across the street, upon which the legend
| Golden Gate Commandery No. Is, K. T.,
stationed at San Francisco" was written
| in letters to be seen a half mile away.
| From the fact that this headquarters is on
the line of march, one of very few that
are, the grand parade, eight miles of
Knights Templar, will pass under this
| banner tomorrow.
| The annex was appropriately decorated
to-day and Zerubbabel was released in the
yard to enjoy bath. This had the effect
of clogging traffic on Washington street
and filling an army of Boston small boys
with keen delight. Zerubbabel himself
| was evidently pleased. Golden Gate put in
most of the day in visiting the Boston
communicates. Oakland Commandery and
the Grand Commandery of California ar.
rived to-day and were escorted to head
quarters at the Hotel BartoI. They report
| having had long march at Montreal and
were very tired. California Commandery
| No. is nicely located at the Parker House
and put in a pleasant day visiting other
communicates and points of interest.
! WITH MILITARY PRECISION.
knights TempIar Committees Doing Their
WorE Like Veterans.
| BOSTON, MASS, Aug. 26.-The busiest
place in Boston is the headquarters of the
| Triennial Conclave committee of Knights
/ Templar Early in the morning the chief
of each subcommittee was at his desk
ready for the business of the day. The
scene was decidedly suggestive OF the head
quarters of the commander-in-c of an
army that after weeks of preparation was