Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-22

Walker to complete the election OF officers,
| and the 9th Of January following the first
| called session of the temple was held at the
! same place, when the dispensation of the
! imperial potentate, bearing date of January
Z, 1885, was read. In choosing a name 1t
| was finally determined to call the new tenn
| pie "Almas, the Arabic word for diamond.
The first session for business and cere-
! n1ony was held at George H. Walkers resi-
| dence the 2sth of January. 1886, at which
| time class of four including the late DR..
| Jedediah H. Baxter surgeon general U.S.A.,
were initiated The second session was held
| at the residence of NJ. w. Bayliss and the
third at that of Noble s. ]. Haislett 1t
was customary for the host on each occa-
sion to bear the expense of the traditional
banquet that followed the session. and, to
relieve the membership of what might prove
a burden, it was decided after the third
session that the expense of future sessions
should be paid out of the temple treasury
and soon as possible more commodlous
! quarters secured. Then, for about year,
the temple met in various halls. Afterward
a lease effected for a large room in
Grand Army building, on Pennsylvania ave-
nue., where for two years the sessions were
held. In the latter part of 1889 the temple
took up it's home in Scottish Rite Cathedral
where it continued for four years. In Feb
ruary, 1894, the temple held its first session
in National Rifles Armory, which is Still its
home
During 1885, for want of necessary para
phernalia the order was exemplitied only
in part On the Goth of January, 1887,
Mecca Temple of New York paid visit
to Washington and eXemplihed the order
in so beautiful a manner that great en-
thusiasm was created. An effort was made
at the next session to raise subscriptions
for the purpose of properly equpping the
temple with robes for officers and other
necessary paraphernalia. The response was
quick and satisfactory. Five hundred dol
lars was raised the first night, which sum
was increased several hundred more before
it was thought that the organization was
fully able to perform the ceremonials in
manner BETTING their high character. The
first session when the order was conferred
in full by officers of the temple was held
twenty years ago, June 8, 1887. From that
time until the present exemplifcation OF
the beautiful ritual OF the order in Almas
Temple has been admirable. 1t was up
hill work for many months, but the or
ganzation finally emerged from its bur-
den of debt and has long been in a thriving
condition.
During the trienniaI conclave of knights
Templar in 1889 Almas kept open house,
and hundreds of visitors, whether they
happened to be Shriners or not, partook Oh
its hospitality.
During several sessions of the Imperial
Council the banners of Almas have been
conspicuous in the grand parades that
characterized those events, particularly SO
at Buffalo in 1899 and here in 1900.
Rathbone-Superior Lodge, No. 90 Knights
of Pythias, met last Friday evening at its
Castle Hall in Pythian Temple The bust
ness of the evening was good of the or
der mainly. Chancellor Commander Isaac
c. Ellis presided and everything passed on
very smoothly, The lodge meets again
June %.
Columbia Lodge No. 3; Hiram Lodge, No.
10, and Myron NJ. Parker Lodge, TO: 81
gave their annual outing at River View
Wednesday. The novel idea of joint ex-
cursion- of the three lodges worked out
beautifully. The day was fine and the pic
nckers enjoyed themselves to the fullest ex-
tent. The wives and daughters of the mem
bers took their picnic baskets, and de-
lghtful afternoon and evening was had at
the down the river playground. The boat
left the city at 10 am. and returned at
10 pm. A prominent member of the picnick-
ing party was the soldier poet. Col. John
A. Joyce, who afforded the gay picnic party
much entertainment.
Charles A. Warren, who has just been
made grand commander of Michigan
knights Templar, was a line officer of the
famous Detroit drill commandery at the
time of it's visit to Washington many years
ago. This same visit is so well remembered
and is recalled by framed memorial reso-
lutions still hanging in the arlte-room of the
asylum of the three downtown command
cries at Masonic Temple. The new grand
commander had been for many years city
passenger agent in Detroit for the Michigan
Central, and in more recent years cashier
of the Dime Savings Bank of Detroit. Right
Eminent Sir Warren was knighted in De-
troit Commandery, No. 1, *. r, December
bearer in 1873. He was sword bearer
for seventeen years and was in that
famous contingent that brought the great
est honors of drill to Detroit from the
sharply contested field of Cleveland in 1877.
He was elected eminent commander in 1892
and became a member of the Grand Com
mandery in 1893 and was appointed grand
treasurer of the Grand Commandery In 10 4.
He served in this position until 1900. when
he was elected grand standard bearer and
has since progressed through the various
stations to the highest in the orde:.
The knights and ladies of the Modern
Maccabees of the District will celebrate the
26th anniversary of the birth of Modern
Maccabeeism with entertainment and
dance at Northeast Temple. Wednesday
July g. at 7:45 pm. committee, OF which
Sir Knight w f. Porter is chairman. Is
making preparations toward that end. The
knights and ladies of the Motern Macca-