Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-06

D. 81. Fenton,
| Commander Columbian Commandery. No. 2, K. T..
| Fenton was sent with five other gentlemen
! from the Treasury Department to take
| charge of the postal service in Porto Rico.
| and successfully inaugurated the present
postal system, Supplanting the antiquated
methods then in use. He is a member of
| Garfield Lodge. No. SEQ A. +. and A. M. of
| Hammond Ind. of which he was junior
| warden al the time of his removal to this
city; also a companion of Mt. Vernon
| Chapter. No. 3. r. A. M. of this jurisdiction.
| and he has been a knight Templar for
| fourteen years, four of which he served as
| an officer in Columbia Commandery, be-
! fore his recent elevation to the office of
commander
| state of Michigan, died last Saturday, after
| five weeks sickness, aged ffty-four years.
| He was a member Of nearly all the Ma
| sonic bodies and member OF the board
of control of the Masonic Home of that
state.
| Detroit Lodge No. 1926 Knights and La
| dies of Honor of Detroit has recently cap
| tured the state prize and state honors for
| initiating the largest number of relief fund
| members during January, February and
| March. The standing OF the lodges in the
contest was as follows: Detroit Lodge, first;
WyandOtte Lodge, second; Wayne Lodge of
| Detroit. third; William Mckinley Lodge of
| Adrian, fourth; Belle Isle Lodge of Detroit,
q
| banquet to celebrate its victory.
Supreme Keeper of Records and Seal
White of the Knights of Pythias has for
| the first time since he has held that office
received reports from every Grand Lodge.
| and it shows a total membership in the
| X. of P. Of G22,3 with one lodge to hear
from in Cuba. The gain for the year was
as shown so far q, 5S3
| The interesting although apparently in
,-;,;,,
the Pythian ritual has again arisen, this
time in somewhat new form. The success
which followed the founding of this order,
within the lifetime of many yet living, has
led to many grotesque claims and many
statements that scarcely stop short of
falsehood concerning it. Some of the writ
ers and asserters seem to have actually
induced themselves to believe the errors
they have persistently promulgated, and
the result is that the early history of this
| notable order Ghird in numerical strength
of the fraternities of the world is about as
foggy as that of Troy and far more in
question than the story of the two friends
Damon and Pythias which Justus H.
Rathbone founded this order forty-one
years ago. The fact that Damon and
PythiaS ever existed has been dis
puted; which one made the famous sac
rifice of friendship has been wrangled
about and even the spelling of the name of
Pythias has been a subject of discussion
But none of these historical controversies
compare in frequency with those that
have arisen over who is to be credit
ed with the origin of the modern
American fraternal order of Knights of
Pythias and where and when its ritual was
conceived and executed. This is all the
more remarkable when it is remembered
that several of Rathbone's intimate friends
and associates who knew all about it and
participated in it are alive and healthy
and still walking the streets of Wash
ington. where the order was born Yet
a determined effort is being made and
pf
write Pythian history wrongly and to per-
manently incorporate the error in the rec
ords of the order The truth of history"
| it Is sometimes called A recent issue of
the Tiger and Crescent a fraternal journal
published at st. Louis by II. w. Belding
a prominent Pythian. had an editorial read
ing: we have read many items of the his
tory of the Knights of Pythias and tales
as to when and where the ritual of the
order written. Some say IL was in the
little school house in Michigan. and exhibit
Il pretty picture of the aforesaid school
house. Others claim it was written by
Brother Rathbone in Washington D. c.
but the real truth of the place and time
has, far as We know, never been told
When Brother Rathbone was in St Louis
the last time he called, as he always did
when here, on his old schoolmate Mr. Will
liam Richardson who has been engaged in
the hardware business in this city for a
number of years. While seated on an old
nail keg, going over old times with Mr.
Richardson and Capt. j. V. Johnston,
time he was confined in Libby prison dur
ing the war between the states, and that
he wrote the ritual at that time in prison,
The work was prosecuted as q pastime, and
some of his fellow prisoners were let into
the scheme and offered many valuable sug-
gestions That the order was founded in
Washington no one denies, but the real
truth as to the place and time of writing
the ritual has never before to our knowI-
edge been made known publicly"
This editorial came to the notice of Past
Chancellor David l.. Burnett of this city
one of the five founders of the order and
q lifetime friend of Mr.. Rathbone He ad-
dressed a letter to the editor in which he
said: Your article cannot be taken seri-
ously, but only as a funny setting for
with all due respect to the party who is
given authority for furnishing the great
secret, / inclined to think that Rath-
bone must have been in a very mirthful
mood-such as your creed is said to teach
In this connection | cannot think that even
in fun the publication of such an article
would do any good to the order AS one
who knew Rathbone as associate and a
near friend in founding the order, | depre-
cate the publication of such a statement.
for 1t is not true in fact If you see fit
you have permission to print this commune
cation. l have no objection to it's appear
ing in the interest of Veritas-Truth."
To this letter Editor Bedding made reply,
saying: THE article referred to was writ
/ ten in all seriousness. The source of in
formation is from men whose standing can
not be questioned. Capt. John v. Johnston,
whose record you can get from the Navy
Department is a retired officer of the navy,
and Mr.. Richardson is merchant here
and was school mate of Rathbone. They
are men of truth and would not make
this statement were there any doubt to
It's correctness I have been for many years
intimately acquainted with both these gen.
tlemen. and will take their word for any
thing. I cannot see that the article casts