Daily inter mountain., 1899-09-18
Vanguard of the Pythians is in
the City.
THE HEAD OF THE ORDER
Thos. G. Sample, Supreme Chancellor
of the World in Town.
Khorassans' Appeal.

- liC AAOuldId uISCiplGS VI D1AAoIl SAiAN
Pythias will own the town tomorrow,
when the grand lodge of the Knights of
Pythias Of Montana will convene in an
nual session at Miners union hall. The
session promises to be one of the most
important held since the order was in
stituted in the state. The trains of last
night and this morning brought in many
delegates, and there will be few lodges
within the domain of Montana, as their
Pythian jurisdiction is called, unrepre-
sented
No less an important functianry than
the supreme grand chancellor of the world
the Hon. Thomas G. Sample, arrived in
the city this morning. The head and
front of this great order, the leader of
half a million Sir Knights who go forth,
not with lance-in-rest and visor down to
do valorous and merciless battle, but
rather to tell the beautiful story
of the friendship of Damon and
Pythias, and endeavor to teach men TO
love their fellow men and emulate the
example taught by the legend, on which
the story is founded
Mr. Samples home is in Allegheny,
Pennsylvania, and this is his first visit
to Montana. Local knights have him in
custody and are showing him about the
city this morning.
Speaking of the wonderful growth of
the order Mr.. Sample Informed an Inter
Mountain reporter this morning, that
it was organized 80 years ago, and on
December 81, of last year the records
showed 100000 members to be in good
standing. Since that time every grand
lodge that has met has reported sub
stantial increase and Mr.. Sample is OF
the opinion that the membership has
reached 500, 600. Aside from the men,
horSbi,, in ha limit e6 State tha order is
strong in Canada, five lodges flourish in
Old Mexico, and there are five lodges in
the Hawaiian Islands Recently an ap-
plication for a charter was received from
Hevana, the petition containing ia
names.
"There are two special features of the
order which are worthy of MENTION"
said Mr.. Sample, 1.-The uniform rank,
which is under the control of Major Gem
eral Stranahan, of Indiana, and which
has a membership of $4,000, and the en-
doWment rank the object of which is
life insurance and which has a member
ship of $1,000. The endowment rank has
| an excellent record. Since it's re-organi-
zation, in 1888, it has paid out in life
insurance $4,000, 900. 1t is now carry
ing insurance aggregating $11O,OO0,00G
and is paying out every quarter, on an
/ average $2SSOO0.
Zone of the cardinal principles of the
order is absolute loyalty to the flag of
the country in which it hourishes.
'"The sick benefit feature is entirely un-
der the control of the various grand
lodges and millions of dollars are paid
! out annually for the benefit of sick men,
bers."
Mr.. Sample is member of the Grand
Army of the Republic. having served in
the Twenty-fifth and One Hundred and
Twenty Pennsylvania regi-
ments He is also an old newspaper man,
/ having been connected with the Pittsburg
| Dispatch for years.
| Among the grand lodge officers who
arrived in town this morning were J. w.
Stanton Of Great Falls, grand chancellor,
and s. A. Ballet of Helena, grand vice
! chancellor
The Knights of Khorassan, the Shrin-
ers of the knights of Pythias, before TAX
| ing possession of the city, and in order
to avoid a collision with the police, ad-
Mayor Mccarthy:
Your Royal Highness, we salute:
| Salaam! Salaam!! Salaam!!!
! Calla-ga-zuate.
1--WE have request to make of you,
we sincerely trust you'll grant it, too, on
the nineteenth day of this September, all
| Arabs will go on a bender; will have
brass bands and plenty red fire, and
! Dewey's cannons if them we can hire.
Well have a parade and tnat sort Of
thing, We'll jolly the town and the bells
| they will ring; go up in balloon and try
! for to sing, drop down on the town, take
possession of it, and never let loose till
you holler quit Well arrest all the cop
! pers and throw them in jail and won't let
| them loose till you go their bail Wen
| tear UP the stones that now lie in the
street: all this we will do and more anon,
| if you'll grant us the privileges of your
| old town. And now I have ended, our
request I have made, and I hope you'll
agree to all that I've said. Kindly drop
us a line and say that you WILL and on
the nineteenth We'll get out and drill.
"By order of Allah and the Prophets,
ALSO CARL GALIGHER.
"Royal Vizier.
"a. B. AYERS, Secretary