The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-08

from different cities, and they were anx-
ious to lmpart their privileges and
knowledge to their neighbors.
The broader social life of the order did
not develop until after 1877, when Mecca
Temple instituted the practice of going
on visits to other temples. Noble James
McG6e, who ever since his initiation in
the order has been promoter of it's so
clal institutions, has written the follow
ing convinc ng testimonial to the social
benefits of the order:
81 say without far of contradiction,
out of my own experience, that any NOR
tai who has trod the sands and wears
pair of Claws VII never get lost in these
United States
The first excursions were merely to AL
pany and Rochester. A trip to Cleveland
a year or two later somewhat startled
the Mecca pilg. inns by showing them that
their order was somewhat more capable
OF elaborate ceremonialS than they them
selves had realized. They had been go
ing through the ritual ununiformed They
at once, on their return home, procured
elaborate costumes and began to rehearSe
the ritual SO that they might perform it
T In way worthy of the parent temple CT
the order.
The travelling sociability of the order
| as has been said, has increased so that
now the pilgrfmages CT the different tenn
pies require special trains for their trans
portal on. Sometimes three or four tenn
pies in neighboring cities join in an ex-
curslon to Florida or to some other part
I OF the country which the time of yea~
makes attractive to them.
One of the SeVerest tasks before Mr..
MCGEE and his brother spirits was the
convincing of the women related to the
members of the order that the enter
ta1nmentS and excursions were really of
a sort in which women could take pleas
ure in joining. The method they adopt
ed wa3 expensive, but effectual. At the
Mecca Temple elaborate silver souvenirs
were given to each woman who came.
No excuse from the husbands and broth
ers OF women who had stayed away was
accepted in exchange for a souvenir for
| the stayaway. Word got around, too, that
| it was notzeonly worth while to go to
! Shriners' entertainments for the social
endowment to be had at them, but also
| that those who attended were likely to
Eibe rewarded materially. From that time
|, to this, there has been no difficulty in
!. getting women guests enough at func-
! tons of the ShrfnerS. The great diff
! Guilty has been to keep the number down
| to the capacity of the building In which
the entertainment is held.
One form of social activity is the CIV
ing of theater parties. When the Shrin-
| ers give theater party they take the
whole theater. They sell to mobiles all
! the seats that are wanted and return the
seats left over, If there are any, to the
management of the theater on the night
of the performance. In this way they
| are sure of being all together and they
occupy all the best seats in the house.
At net few of their theater parties
+ they have not only occupied all the seats,
but have also filled the aisles. The first
theater party was given to Tony Pastor,
as a surprise party in January, 1888.
The outward symbol Of the Shriners
is crescent, in the center of which is
| the head of a sphinx and on the reverse
side a pyramid, urn and star. all of which
have their secret significance. The cres-
cent is usually formed by joining the
claws of "a tiger in gold clasp, bearing
the central insignia. Mecca Temple con-
fers upon all mobiles who visit Mecca a
Hadji pin, which is pyramid bearing
the face. of the Sphinx in relief The
pyramid is suspended from crescent
| through which scimitar is thrust
In 1885 the Court of Isis was establish
ed. 1t is an independent organization of
! the women of the families of mobiles. The
members of Isis have fezzes, too.