The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-03-01
Especial to the Advertiser,


known act1,, is still L subjec. Of in
terest in and out of the theatrical pro
fession. 1t will be remembered that
Mr. NELL, while being initiated into the
Spokane lodge of Elks, tore off the
bandages from his eyes, refusing to
proceed with the ceremony a.>i left
the lodge room declaring that his sense
of self-respect barred him from further
participation. I have written to the
Advertiser some OF the statements
made by Mr.. Neill, and am now able to
give the full text of a letter written
by him few days after the row to his
friend and attorney in Spokane This
lawyer is named Rockwell, and is him
Neill to join the order, and who after
Neill had Withdrawn from the lodge
room, begged him to allow him to set
tie the matter peacefully. The letter is
as follows:
Mr.. T. d. Rockwell attorney at-law,
Spokane, WaSh.-My dear friend Rock
well: 1 have had time TO think over
afternoon, and I am conscientiously
bound to withdraw the authority gave
you to attempt to patch up the diff
Guilty. Reflection convinces me that
my protest against personal indignity
and coarse buffoonery was timely and
entirely justifiable. For the first time
in its history a member of my family
has received an insulting blow and
been powerless to resent ii. / am
grateful to the young man who in dis
charge of his lofty functions welded
the stick with which, while blindfolded,
was struck from behind at the mo-
ment OF my first entrance into your
inner sauctum, for his courtesy in af-
forwards .apologiZing to nae in the ante
room. If your wish to compromise the
matter had prevailed and L had been
allowed, after my first exit in disgust
To re-enter the lodge room, L should
have begged your officers to permit me
70 take any necessary obligation that
would have made an Elk of me. But
1 should not have submitted in the
second instance any more than the first
to any personal indignity. l know that
the word indiguity you have protested
against, but | have been so far unable
to find softer word to describe the in
Fiction under the circumstances Of q
blow with stuffed club / congratu-
late mysetf thatI was not inundated
into the customary cowardly submits
sion to indignities, the first, and prob
ably the mildest of which was suffi-
cient to make me declare myself and
withdraw.
Il wish you to bear in mind that you
and other officers and members of your
lodge. Immediately prior to my entrance
Il L, 4
sured ne that 20 undue liberties would
be attempted. that ! would be treated
IS a serious minded gentleman. who i
had placed himself for initiation in the !
hands of other gentlemen. l assured |
you in the anteroom when L declined to !
remove part of my clothing as pre- |
Iude to adopting the highwayman's /
mask and night gown that is your Gus |
tom for initiation. that / should resent
any assault upon my person or any low
hUffoonery. L Was only because OF the |
solemn assurances 1 received that
permitted myself TO be led blindfolded /
into your lodgeroom. The responsibility !
of my Indignant defamation and saw
age rebuke rests net with me.
Permit me to say that ] am con-
WINGED that when time and sober rea-
son have removed the last vestige OF
thai disgraced the order in its print
tive days. and which have unfortunate
" survived in part until today, that
l shall be asked again to present my
self before your exalted ruler. Until
then | prefer to preserve my personal
dignity and American manliness. The
flag that adorns your altar should ee
q platform upon which men and gen
tlemen may meet together in fond fell
Iowship in brotherly love and patriot
ic enthusiasm, and ii ought not to be
necessary for candidate to wear
mask and an old wo-
mans night gown as fitting garb in
which to approach that altar.
In your heart you know, as does
every man who witnessed my foolish
that l was justified IN my
anger. and in the use of the caustic
language l employed. 1 am bound to
saw in all sincerity that l believe that
every man who wears an Elk's badge.
II that badge was earned with the
wages offered me. comes out from the
ordeal less of a man than when he
went in No lodge could give enough /
to any man 20 make FOR what was lost
il. seIf-respect These are my honest
views. and ! should stultify myself II
I failed 10 disclose them. ! was SIN
csrely anxious TO become an Elk. had
seen evidences OF your splendid chart !
ties and beautiful benevolence. and /
wished 10 affiliate myself with friends
and brothers. 10 add my name 10 !
good cause. | had no ak 10 grind {
came TO YOU al the summit OF my use
fulness and success as a public enter
tainer. had no need 10 study what I
should get: my only thought was that I
| should find in the charities and be
ueVolence of the Elks an avenue :
through which / might give some OF
the good in me. ] have been disap- !
pointed and i; seem. TO me now that
the only wise thing 70 do is 10 with /
draw my application FOR membership. !
and thus let the matter drop. | cannot .
any more in September than now con /
sent To be made Il clown OF in order :
to Clut the coarser instincts Of men, J.