The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-20

| the lOuges IN my DOMAIN as much as prac-
| ticable, though by no means as much as
my own personal pleasure suggested, and
| except where the invita- ions confiicted, L
! have tried TO accept their generous calls
wherever the good of the order demanded
| my presence. 1t was suggested to my con-
| sideration early in my term of Office the
wisdom of a series of public installations
in all the large cities of the state. 1 found
after conference with my deputies that
the scheme was impracticable, and it was
never consummated. / was not adverse to
the conclusions reached by the combined
judgment of my deputies and self, as l
question seriously whether public Install
atoms are productive of the advancement
of the order. The installation service it
self has nothing of interest to the public
and in itself affords but a prosaic enter
tainment in which the order holds up to
those who are not of the household of faith
none of the beautiful lessons which makes
1t so venerated by loyal knights. Unless
these exercises can be supplemented by an
address of a knight Of ability and elo-
quence in which the beauties of the order
can be panoramered to the public, they
are best omitted than celebrated. In this
unitarian age but few grand chancellors
can do the amount of visitation that the
advancement and good of the order re-
qure. Regardless of what may be his de-
sires in the premises, his duties at his
home would debar his carrying out
this most important feature.
do not underrate the i'm
portance of these visltations and believe
that the presence of a grand officer at a
lodge would stimulate the lethargic into
activity and the active ones into renewed
energy. | would hail the day with pleas
ure when our new constitution incorpor-
ates provision requiring a visitation by
either the grand chancellor or some other
named grand officer to every lodge in his
a in tr{na n Sc.
viding for the payment Of his expenses,
connected with the functions of such du-
ties. Our fiscal ability may not warrant
such a provision to-day, but when that
era is reached l know of no more bene-
fetal legislation that can be enacted. With
almost hundred castle halls located in
every section Of the state, some not even
on the line of a railroad, the performance
of this duty by any one individual is inn
practicable and impossible unless his en-.
tire time is dedicated to this work. / be-
lieve it would easily repay the grand lodge
If this duty was imposed upon some off,
cial and its beneficial results would soon
be evidenced in the renewed life in the old
lodges and the intelligent work in the
new ones. No more important problem
confronts this body than the solution of
the question, how can we best enthuse
renewed vigor and intelligent performance
of the work of the order into our castle
to your consideration the question Of a
compulsory annual visitation upon every
castle hall in the domain by some author
lied officer of this grand body, whose
duties would contemplate an exemplifca-
ton of the secret work of the order"
Speaking of the good work of the Pyth-
ian press, the grand chancellor reports
as follows:
Il know no more valuable adjunct to
the prosperity of the order and to the in
telligent comprehension of it's virtues
than the Pythian press, and know of no
more splendid representative of the Pyth-
ian press of the country than is to be
found in our own Pythian Lodge Secret,
the official organ of our grand lodge. We
point to 1T with pride as a paper worthy
our cause and demanding our most SUBJ
stantial support and continued official rec
ognition. Would deem it wise provision
that required it to be kept on file in every
castle hall in the domain"
With reference to the uniform rank the
grand chancellor reports:
1.-THE creation of this rank has done
much to illumine our order, and should
receive every possible encouragement at
our hands. 1t has become an integral part
of the order and does more to bring into
prominence the merits of our organization
than any of it's other adjutants. The high
success it has attained under it's present
officers is matter of great qualification
| to the order. The financial announcement
| extended to it by our grand lodge is, in
| my judgment most beneficial and serves
| in great measure to keep 1t up to the
| high degree of excellence it has now at
| tanned"
Under the head of appeals in the grand
| chancellor's report there is brought before
| the Grand Lodge of Georgia a very sensa-
| tlonal affair without any names being CIV
| en-. The public generally will recall, how
/ % ri T
| and will be interested to know that the
| case was brought to the attention of the
| grand chancellor, both the accused and the
| victim of the murderer being Knights
| Upon the subject of appeals this is what
| the grand chancellor reports:
zone of the most conclusive signs of the
| harmony that exists throughout this do
main Is to be found in the fact that since
my induction into Office, year ago. not
/ single appeal has been made from any
| Of my district deputies. No more conclu-
sive argument could be suggested against
the necessity of a tribunal than is TO
| be found iu the fact that had a tribunal
| been in existence during the year 1896 and
| 1897 the tribunals only duty would have
| been to have assessed its own mileage and
/ drawn its own per diem. While no an
/ peals from my district deputies ever
reached me as grand chancellor the only
matter of Importance in which my judg-
/ AAANhN wac dpPtaitu " was an issue pend
/ ing between brethren of the LaGrange
| lodge, in which the following question
| was submitted: An unfortunate dificultv
occurred between two brother Knights. IN
which one killed the other. They were
/ both members of the same lodge. The
brother who was unfortunate enough to
have done the killing was indicted by the
courts of the county for murder and was
incarcerated in jail pending his trial.
| While thus confined in Jail certain men,
bers OF the lodge desired to bring charges
| against him for conduct unbecomine, n
! brother, arising out of the killing, as set
out above. Upon the wisdom Of this trial
in the lodge there was a considerable
division of sentiment. In that emergency
! was appealed to by both sides.
promptly but firmly insisted that no pro-
ceedings should, could or ought to be
| brought against a brother while under
indictment of a state court and pending
the trial thereof wherein the facts that
were 70 determine his life or liberty in
the state courts were the same as those
that were to be used In the lodge to show
the conduct unbecoming a brother. That
LII