The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-20
KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS
The Celebration of Its 32nd Ami
Versary by a Grand Ball.
HOW THE ORDER HAS GROWN
Organization of the Grand LODGE
I'm Butte on Jan. Ia. i665-His-
tory of the Origin Of the Se-
cret Society Years Ago.

cation of the order of knights of pv.
thias. which occurred yesterday. was
celebrated by the Butte Knights with
a ball at Renshaw hall. attended by
the Uniform Rank In full uniform. The
AFFAIR was happy one, and the mem
bers OF the order in Butte relt that they
had especial cause for celebrating the
growth of Pythianism in this city and
In this state. The first lodge, known as
Damon, No. 1. was organized in Butte
in 1879, and the moving spirit in 1t was
+. A. Miles, a member of a Salt Lake
lodge. The charter membership was
small In numbers, but the growth of the
order in Montana, from the small be-
ginning, was rapid, until now there are
50 subordinate lodges in the state with
total membership of more than 1000
with more than $4,000 in assets and
thousands and thousands of dollars ex-
pended In relief work among the mem
| pers, their widows and orphans.
The history of the organization of the
| order throughout the country is brief,
but interesting. The original meeting
at which the ritual of the order of
| knights or Pythias was first read and
the primary steps taken to establish the
order was held in Washington, ID. c.,
| on the evening of Feb. 10, 1864. The or
| der grew out of q vocal social called
the Arion Glee club and the organizers
were ]. II. Rathbone, Robert A. Cham
4 pion, ID. l.. Burnett, T.. S. Kimball w
| III. Burnett, Charles II. Roberts and a
| Mr.. Driver. At a previous meeting of
| the Glee club, Mr.. Rathbone had stated
that he had in his possession the ritual
| or secret society which he had writ
| ten some time before while teaching
| school in the Lake Superior country.
and which he was DESTROYS of nSw ush-
ering into existence. Mr.. Champion to
whom Mr. Rathbone had read his ritual
while both were engaged at the United
States general hospital at Germantown.
Pa, In 1868, strongly urged the founda-
ton OF society to be known as a mu-
tual protection association among the
clerks of the several departments of the
city of Washington, its members to con-
sist of only those in clerical employ
ment. 1t was concluded, however, to
defer action until the next meeting of
the club on Feb Is, at which time, af-
ter the usual vocal rehearsal, the mem
bers were sworn to secrecy and the
ritual was read but final action was
not taken until Friday evening, Feb. 10,
at which time a special meeting was
held, to- which all department clerks
had been invited. Washington Lodge
No. i was then organized, and the ini-
tiatory degree given.
The new order had been christened
Knights of Pythias by Justus Henry
Rathbone, the founder. Joel r. Wood
ruff and Joseph T. r. Plant have been
at various times given the credit of
founding the order, but there are in ey-
istence documentary proofs the ritual +
was prepared complete before Plant or
Woodruff had any connection with the
order. Rathbone was born in Deerfield,
Oneida county, New York Oct 90 1899
The order, as everyone knows, was
founded on the story of Damon and Ply
thias. The order, as stated, started
a N in. Of
According to the last general reports,
which have been compiled only up to
the 1st of January. 1894, there were
6,00S subordinate lodges in the United
States, with a membership of 1855.
with assets valued at $7,06S, 05i. An idea
of the amount of relief work done by
the order may be gathered from the
fact that in 1892 and 1893 nearly two
million and a half dollars were disburs-
ed. Included in the order are the Py-
THAN Sisters, the Uniform Rank and
the Endowment Rank. Considering the
small population of Montana, the
growth of the order in this state is
fully up to that of older states, and
equal to that of any other secret order
The grand lodge of Montana was or
ganized In Butte on Jan. IA. 1885, with
the election of the following officers of
the frst grand lodge; Past grand chan
cellor, t. III. Kleinschmidt of Helena;
grand chancellor. Lee Mantle of Butte;
grand vice chancellor S. d. Beebe of
Dillon; grand prelate, Rev. E. j.
Groeneveld of Butte; grand master of
the exchequer, ]. e. Richards of Butte;
grand keeper of records and SEAL John 1
G.. Evans of Butte grand master at !
arms. George f. Barnaby of Bozeman: /.
grand inner guard, p. C. Dear of Miles ,
City; grand outer guard, ]. +. Stevens .
Of Fort Benton; supreme representa-
tives, w. L. Bretherton of Butte and c. f,
X. Cole of Helena.
The subordinate lodges in Montana at {
that time, and organized in the order I
named were: Damon of Butte, with a G
of so; Pythagoras of Boze- ,
man, with a membership of As; Myrtle
Of Helena, with a membership of rs;
Crescent of Fort Benton, with a MEM
oership OF 80; 1vanhoe of Butte, with a
membership of Il; Valley of Deer
Lodge, with a membership of A; Cru
'ade of Miles City. with a membership
If 80; Occident of Dillon. with a MEM I
oership of Sc; Oswego of Butte, with a
of IS; Yellowstone of Liv-
ngston. with a membership of 80. maxi I
ng total membership in the state on
Ian. 1, 1895, of 545, and with reported
lssets of s5.o2o.7s.
The eleventh convention OF the grand
odge was also held in Butte on May
4. 1895. The reports of the officers at
hat session showed a total member
NIP IN the state or 1,Sob or whom 1876
we're initiated during the previous year.
There were IL past grand chancellors, |
03 past chanceliors, 1881 knights. 80
squires and As pages. There are at
resent SO subordinate lodges I'm the
tate. The grand lodge. at the last re-
ort had n cash balance of 81. 2Ss. rs on
and, and the subordinate lodges. not
investments, 0S.195.0S. and
he lodge assets were valued at s44.O36
The present officers of the grand lodge
re: Grand chancellor. Or. J. S. Ham
lond OF Butte; grand vice chancellor,
: ]. Porter OF Miles City; grand prel-
re. w. f. Wright of Butte: grand Il
eeper of records and seal. Jacob Loeb m
( Helena; grand master OF the ex- m
hequer, Charles Wegner OF Great OF
alls; grand master AT arms. w. ii. 1 v
TT OF Helena: grand inner guard. J. IL. l 3
emley of Glendive; grand outer guard, ~