Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-26
NEW PYTH|AN TEMPLE
Ceremonies of Dedication
Last Evening.
ORDER WAS BORN HERE
FOUNDED IN THIS CITY FORTY
YEARS AGO.
Addresses by Grand Tribune Walker
and Past Grand Chancellor
D. Elmer Wiber.

The fratefnal dedlCat1On Oh "dSUiHStoh .
new Pythian temple occurred last evening.
Several hundred members of the order took
part in the exercises. The ceremonies were
conducted in the main hall of the temple,
and were formally elaborate. The grand
chancellor and the other Grand Lodge OFF,
GERS conducted the ritualistic ceremonial of
dedication. Claude H. Woodward acted as
grand prelate in the stead of the late
Henry Yenney, who died last week, and
who had occupied the grand prelate's sta
ton for many years.
The uniform rank took a prominent part
in the exercises, which occupied about
two hours. The uniform rank escorted the
Grand Lodge to the castle hall of Frank
lin Lodge No. 2, the Oldest in the world,
temporarily opened in the main hall of the
temple. Chancellor Commander Charles E.
Palmer welcomed the grand officers in
short address. Grand Chancellor Thomas
A. Bynum and his associate grand officers
then assumed the several stations of the
lodge and proceeded with an excellent rem
dition of the beautiful but rarely used ded
icatory ritual of the Pythian fraternity
The officers conducting the work We're:
Thomas A. Bynum, grand chancellor; James
w. Carter, grand vice chancellor; Claude
H. Woodward, acting grand prelate; Henry
]. Gasson, grand keeper of records and
seal; J. H. Mitchell, grand master of eX-
ter-at-arms; George F. Day, grand inner
guard, and Richard 8. Sebastian, grand
outer guard.
Grand Tribune's Address.
At the conclusion of the ritualstic cere-
monial Grand Chancellor Bynum intro
duced Grand Tribune George H. Walker to
make the formal address of the evening.
He said, in part:
This Is indeed notable occasion, one
that concerns the order universal. 1t is
not the mere incident of dedication to
Pythianism of beautiful temple or the ex-
preston of our devotion to the principles
of the order, principles as noble any that
ever animated the heart of man: but 1t
means that in this grand domain, In which
the fraternity had it's birth, where Justus
II. Rathbone founded a brotherhood des-
tined as it was to exert great influence in
the affairs of men, the sacred fire still
burns upon the altar and with even greater
energy than ever before. AS the Hebrew
of old turned his face toward his beloved
ward Mecca, SO does the heart of every
Pythian throughout the supreme domain
turn with affection toward the nations
capital as the place which above all others
presents associations most dear to him
This, therefore, Is an event in which every
Pythian is greatly interested, and long af-
ter you and / shall have passed to the
great beyond the memory of these cere-
your administra ton, grand chancellor, will
marx an epoch in Pythian history.
Betterment Of the World.
when Rathbone assembled around him
the noble band of brethren who assisted In
founding this order, forty years and more
ago, he hearkened to the voice from which
the dawn of the world has sounded in the
hearts of men: Thy brother; where is
he, and what of him?' Responding to this
voice fraternal associations early existed
and have exerted an influence for the bet
terment of the world. When the family
gave rise to the clan or tribe, and the
tribe to the nation, the development was
more and more in the direction of SELFISH
ness. The stronger tribe or the stronger
nation overcame and crushed out of exis-
tence the weaker. Fraternal associations.
on the contrary, have cultivated the UNI
selfish side of human nature, and history
records many notable examples of this
tendency. The friendship of Damon and
Pythias was but a type of MANY fond
relationships in the worlds history. AS
socations of men pledged to protect and
aid each other in every laudable undertake
ing existed long prior to the earliest events
which make up the worlds history as we
know 1t today. 1t is not my purpose, how
ever, to discuss this proposition, though
many records now extant sustain me in
asserting Ii.
I'm banding together for noble purpose
men have exemplified the maxim that in
union there is strength, and not alone have
the combined efforts and resources ac-
complshed far greater results in almost
every case, but Individual effort has been
stimulated and has borne better fruit.
Vows of the Brotherhood.
Can 1t be truthfully said that any man
is not the gamer If he lives up to the
vows taken as a member of this great
brotherhood? What nobler sentiments can
animate the heart Of man than those which
Justus II. Rathbone clothed In language
80 beautiful that the refrain and charm OF