The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1903-08-27
KN1cHrs OF pYrH1As.
Justus Henry Rathbone Founded the
Order.
washington. D. c.. Evening Start

The order of the Knights of Pythias,
which is the largest of the organizations
of like character having purely Amer
lean membership, will be forty years
old February 10, 1904. 1t was founded
at Marini's Hall in this city on that day
of the month, 1854. The five gentlemen
who took the most prominent part in
its organization were Justus Henry
Rathbone, Robert A. Champion, DR.. 3.
S. Kimball, David L. Burnett and Will
liam H. Burnett. Messrs. Rathbone
and Champion are long since dead.
Messrs. Kimball and D. L. Burnett are
living and members of the fraternity,
the latter still very active in Calanthe
Lodge, No. II, of this jurisdiction. Will
liam II. Burnett, who has long been
clerk in the War Department. also sur
wives. but is not now identified with the
fraternity.
FOUNDER OF THE ORDER.
Justus Henry Rathbone is famous as
the actual founder of the order, and the
nersOn to whose dramatic inspiration is
due the most beautiful features OF the
Pythian ritual. He submitted the first
draft of the ritual based on the story OF
Damon and Pythias to members OF the
old Arion Club, musical organization
which existed here in the later years OF
the civil war. From this small begin
ming spra ag Washington Lodge, No. l,
K. of r.. afterward merged in Franklin
Lodge. No. 2, which is still in evidence.
This latter lodge is the fruitful mother
of nine thousand Pythian lodges now
tlourishing in fifty-four grand domains,
and carrying upon their rosters an ag,
gregate of nearly six hundred thousand
members. There are also about fifty
thousand of The knights who belong to
the uniformed or military branch OF
the order, which is known as the Army
of the Lily"
ORIGIN OF THE IDEA.
1t has long been supposed and gener-
ally believed in this fraternity that the
idea of great society based on the I'M
mortal story of the friendship OF Da-
mon and Pythias first came to Justus
II. Rathbone while he was teaching
school in the copper town of Eagle
Harbor on the keewenaW peninsula,
Lake Superior, in 1861. Later Mr..
Rathbone removed to Washington and
became clerk in the surgeon general S
office here. He was vocalist and rlt-
ualist of note, and his skill was display
ed in many ways, but in none more
notably than i'll his first draft OF the
Pythian ritual which is recognized as
remarkably beautiful and effective.
Mr., Rathbone died at Lima, Ohio, in
the residence of Past Supreme Cham
cellor Walter 3. Richie about thirteen
years ago His name is venerated
throughout the Pythian fraternity.
LODGES NAMED FOR HIM.
There are lodges named for Mr. Rath-
bone in nearly every Pythian grand
domain. and in some there are more
than one. New York, for instance, has
a Rathbone lodge, a Justus H. Rath-
bone lodge and Founder Rathbone
lodge. In this domain his name is per-
petuated by Justus H. Rathbone Lodge,
No. 20, which is one of the most flourish
ing lodges in the jurisdiction. Superior
Lodge, No p, also prosperous lodge,
and one which numbers among its
membership many prominent public
men and leading otfcicls OF other fra
ternitieS, owes its name to the clrcum-
stance, long supposed to be definitely
established, that Justus H. Rathbone
first conceived the Pythian story and
outlined the ritual while school teach
er in the upper peninsula of Michigan,
near the shores of Lake Superior.
AS TO PYTHIAN HISTORY.
But now contention has arisen as
to the accuracy of this Pythian history.
The question is interesting tC members
of the fraternity everywhere. William
d. Kennedy of Illinois, past grand chan
cellor and past supreme representative,
one of the best informed members of
this great and successful organization,
is soon to publish comprehensive his
tory of the order This history will
state that Mr. Rathbone never wrote
any part of the ritual, or even thought
of it until he came to Washington. 1t
will also assert that the Lake Superior
origin of the ritual is merely an unWar-
ranted tradition. In letter MI. Ken
nedy says:
Il am in possession of the evidence
that Rathbone never thought about an
order to be called knights of Pythias'
until the fail of 1868. He wrote no
draft of the ritual up in Michigan. l
have the evidence of three persons who
know of the preparation of the ritual,
when and where it was done, and that
it was not until the fall of 1868 that he
had picked up the name of the order.
| have gone over this whole question,
thoroughly investigating the school
house story, and have in my posses
sion the letters of those who were with
Rathbone at the time that he first went
over the play OF Damon and Pythlas' :,
with view to using it as a foundation
for the ritual
Mr.. Kennedy is recognized as an ear
nest and painstaking historian. But
there are a number of veteran Pyth-
ians still living here who do not accept
his version in this particular.
ANOTHER VERSION.
A letter written Historian Kennedy
this week from here says: "Past Grand
Chancellor and Past Supreme Repre-
sentative Amos j. Cunning of old
Mount Vernon Lodge, No. 5, one of our
oldest and most honored Pythians, says
that Rathbone told him that he wrote
the ritual in Michigan. Supe-
rior Lodge, No. p, was organized here
with the active participation OF all the
old-timers in Washington. Its name
was declared and known by all to be
based on the circumstance that Rath-
bone outlined or wrote the ritual while
school teacher near the shores of the
mightiest of fresh water seas. All the
fathers of the order here took part, in
Guiding those on whom you must needs
rely for your information. Not one of
them intimated at the time that Rath-
bone did not get his original ideas IN