Rock Island Argus., 1896-08-25
FYTHIAN KNIGHTS.
Points from the Annual Report
Of Chancellor Ritchie.
THE GERMAN TROUBLE DISCUSSED
Position of the X. of +. Stated as to the
Foreigners Want No Foreign Born
Members Who Are Not Here to Become
Americans in Language as Well as Ev-
crything EIse-St. Paul Has Her Latch.
key Out for the Grand Army,

| CLEVELAND. Aug. % The Forest City
visitors The Knights of Pythias are here
| by thousands and the brilliant exhibitions
| they will give have attracted other thou
| sands who want to see the show. The
| thing most discussed in the ranks of the
| knights is the annual report of the su-
preme chancellor TO the supreme lodge.
I He says that bad times have hit Pythian-
ism hard, yet the order has grown steadily
larger through the long season Of hard
tines. Losses have been unprecedented
" large, but so have gains. Supreme
, Chancellor Walter b. Ritchie reports in
his annual message that during the two
years ended Dec. 81. lSaj the suspensions
! practically all being for the non payment
| Of dues, amounted to s2,444. These fig
| urcs. he says, ''arc startling, and there
| should come from the supreme lodge some
suggestion or recommendation which
! might be Of benefit to the subordinate
, lodges
The Quarrel libout n Language.
But the portion Of the report that is
| most interesting to outsiders is that re-
lating to the German objection to the use
| Of the United States language solely in
| the ritual. OF this matter Ritchie saws
! that most OF the better class of German
American members have remained true
to the order, in spite of the decision of the
supreme lodge that all lodge work must
| be conducted in the English language ~
.! those who have secc led on this ground
and of those who. sympathizing with
| them, have attacked the order the chan.
ccllOr cmphatically declares: The state
\ mcnt was made that our order was op-
! posed 70 foreigners. This ! resented with
, all the force at my command. Our order
| Is Americans; il stands for country and
| for order but believes in loyalty to flag
and tongue. II welcomes those who come
/ TO us from foreign shores desiring to be
! Americans, knowing our language, OBJ.
| serving our laws and aiding in the pros
pcrity of our country.
| The Order Stands for Amcricanism.
And in using the word country / do
not limit il at all to what is commonly
| called the United States. Our order stands
| for Amcricanism. 1t SAYS to those coming
to our country not caring to know our
! language not caring to observe our laws,
| not caring for our customs, thrice well
| 'oilc VIII DC 'he snip tn;tt small Dear you
! back to the land whence you came. This
order in this country desires no man for a
member who does not wish to know its
| tongue and does not care to familiarize
himself with its laws, and has not pro.
| per regard for its customs and its institu.
tions. Fully % per cent. of the foreign
membership Of our order prior to the
adoption of the new ritual are loyal today
| Oar order is better OFF, our country is bet
| ter off without those who care not for its
tongue, its laws and its Gus oms''
| The following figures are given in the
report: The expenditures for relief in
| 1894 We're Sl.2i3,61s; and IN 1885, 81 $50 63s.
an increase during the past two years of
;2l5,0OO. The number of subordinate lod ges
| on Dec. 81, 1898. was 5,g9S; and Dec 81,
| 1888, 6,i9i an increase in two years of ie6
| The number Of members Dec 81, 1893, was
| 1855: and Dec. 81, 1925, i64, ,539, making
net gain Of 20,92i As evidence that the
subordinate lodges are at work, the mum.
Der OF initiates during the years lSgi-'9l
was lu3, l!2. The Uniform Rank has
grown rapidly. showing an increase for
| two years ended last March of lOf diyi.
| sICnS