Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-09-01

2, having absorbed washington NO. 1, was
the sole survivor OF the Pythfan move
ment 1t struggled bravely along. it's
members accepting with stole philosophy
all ieers and gibes. For there were per-
sons who chose to make sport of this
struggling fraternity with its high-sound-
ing titles, its few members and its record
of dead lodges. Nothing daunted, they
managed to keep the Pythian spirit alive,
and a canvass for members resulted In
fifteen applications for membership in a
new lodge Franklin lodge assumed the
rights of a grand lodge and chartered
Mount Vernon lodge No. 8. Rathbone
sought and was granted a readmission to
the order and was selected to revise the
ritual He also reorganized the grand
lodge and became grand chancellor.
Then the Pythians spread into several
states and a new impetus was given the
life of the order. In a few years the SUI
preme lodge was established in Washing
ton and things were put on a firm foot
ing. The first supreme chancellor, Samuel
Read of New Jersey, was a great organ
izer and did much to promote the growth
and perfect the details and improve the
general conditions in the order. The
troubles of the knights of Pythias were
not all over, however. Like the two
friends in old Syracuse, they found they
must bear many trials together to prove
the "mettle of the pasture" When af-
fairs were supposed to be moving smooth
ly 1t was found at a Richmond convention
that the supreme commanding scribe was
defaulter and financial collapse was
narrowly averted. So for two conven-
tons representatives had to pay their
own expenses and the organization had
hard shedding. Finally, through the en-
ergy and indomitable courage of the work.
kers, improved conditions came about and
life stretched out in a smoother, more
promising path before them.
An important feature in the Knights of
| Pythias at present is the endowment
rank, or insura nee feature, which was es-
tablisbed in Cleveland in 1877. At Cleve-
land, also, arose the movement to make
independent drill companies within the or
der and the uniform rank originated. The
uniform rank is now the military feature
of the knights of Pythias and the soldier
ly bearing and knightly air invariably at
tract great attention. The first time the
uniform rank appeared in a public parade
was in st. Louis in 1880, and since that
| time 1t has been a leading feature in all
biennial conventions. 1t includes $4,000
members, drilled under United States
army regulations and available for serv-
ice in event of the country's need. In
fact, the Pythian army was most prompt
| ly offered to the United States when war
was declared with Spain. 1t is now I'M
der a major general, although the SUI
preme chancellor is the commander in
chief Since the Pythian army has be-
come so prominent there is lively bid
ding between cities to secure the biennial
meetings of the order, and thousands OF
excursion tickets are sold into the cities
in which conventions are held.
The knights of Pythias fraternity is
distinctly American. The order follows
the flag, which it's members have sworn
to protect and uphold, and there are now
| lodges over sea in Honolulu and Manila
as full of patriotism and brotherliness as
the ones that have the capitol dome al
| ways in sight. The government of the
order is modelled after that of the Unitec
| States, whose institutions it SO greatly
| reveres. There Is an executive depart.
ment with the supreme chancellor at 1t!
| head: the legislative department. repre-
scented by the supreme lodge, and TIN
| judicial department, whose powers ar
| vested in the supreme tribunal, which
has original and appellate jurisdiction
The supreme domain is subdivided int
grand domains, whose boundaries are tn
same as the various states and territorie
of the United States. BY years of expe
rience the branches of its government hav
been perfected until its machinery work
like that of national government, an
the amount of the work done in the man
agement of the orders affairs may b
! guessed from the fact that the record 0
convention makes a volume of 900 or 20
| ma In nOfUf 0f membership tl
knights of Pythias is exceeded only b,
| the Odd Fellows. the Freemasons anC
the Modern Woodmen of the World, anC
on the rolls appear the names of many
thousand earnest, helpful men, who are
daily living out in private life the doc
trines of brotherliness and helpfulness
that Pythias and his friend practiced long
ago in Syracuse when Dionysius was
king.