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

The companies of the uniform rank be-
longing to the third regiment of the
Knights of Pythias go into camp alter
nate Saturday afternoons at venice, re-
naming until Sunday evening
The companies, lead the grand marches
of the dances at the pavilion in dress
parade for which they receive camp
tents, electric lights, water, rifle range
and targets.
Company Twenty-Five has twenty-four
United States Springfield army rifles,
which are used under United States army
regulations. Saturday, September T. will
be the next camping turnout.
There will be q contest for a silver low
ing cup between Marathon and Pomona
lodges LII Pythian castle In Los Angeles
on the night of October Is. The contest
will be in the amplified form of the rank
of the knights.
Mrs. Charles =. Andrews of Los An
geles, having seen a notice in a newspa-
per OF the death of man by the same
name as her husband at the Saratoga
hotel, Chicago, last Monday, asked Mar
athon lodge to Investigate. r. l.. Dun
lap, chancellor of the lodge, sent tele-
gram to the Red Cross lodge at Quincy,
ILL., inquiring about Mr.. Andrews.
The answer came last Thursday con-
firming the death of Mr. Andrews, and
that he was buried in La Porte, Ind.
Mr. Andrews was on a business trip In
the east.
The Salt Lake Tribune says: There is
an axiom among politicians that capitals
are always hotbeds of sedition. 1t Is fire.
quently said that Washington citizens
are more ready to criticise the national
administration than are the people of any
other American city. In view of this 1t
might be considered singular that the
only fraternal order whose constitution
demands of it's members loyalty to the
existing government was born In the ma
tional capital. Yet when the date of the
first meeting of the knights of Pythias
is considered the apparent anomaly Is
explained 1t was in 1864, when the ma
ton was torn with internal strife, That
Justus III. Rathbone and a few OF his
friends founded the Pythan order, choos-
ing for it's basic principle brotherly love
between members. After the civil war
was over and the fraternity began to
reach out for members in those states
where sectional feeling had run high, it
proved a potent factor in bringing about
cordial and intimate relations between
men of different political affiliations.
No secret order has higher ideal than
that which the knights of Pythias ex-
pect each member to realize. 1t is that
of love for ones fellow man so great that
it will transcend all lesser things and
leave self-love forgotten. The sentiment
is very old and a very sweet one. 1t
goes back into the fourth century before
Christ and touches the lives of two stu
dents who were followers of Pythagoras
and who were members of secret So
ciety that believed in and taught his
doctrines. Damon and Pythias were their
names, and in the stress of political strife
that swung about Syracuse, their home
city, they found need of a close friend
ship. They were men of high ideals and
unblemished honor and the corrupt po-
litical atmosphere incident to the rule of
Dionysius was not pleasing to them.
Pythias publicly denounced the tyrant
aIi was imprisoned for mis- temerity and
condemned ito death. He asked permits
sion ad PrsJs ere iove 81
to bA Strong, offered him as hostage
against his return. Damon willingly
came aiid stayed in prison, and when
Pythiasl after overcoming many difficult
ties that beset his return journey, ar
rived at Syracuse just in the nick of time
to save Damon from execution, Dionysius
was so touched by such devotion that he
pardoned the offender. He even asked to
be admitted as a third into SO loyal and
devoted a brotherhood, but the friends
refused him.
The longest search in history or myth
ology would not have revealed a story so
we'll suited as this to the purpose of
Rathbone when he.was seeking name
and, an ideal for the order he proposed to
establish. The order was 10 be secret
one. and the members were to be govern
ment clerks only, so the idea of brother
hood was strong. Mr.. Rathbone wished
to use the word Knight in the name of
the organization, knowing it would be
ever an inspiration to the men to live up
to all that is implied in either its mediae-
val or modern significance. Ihe rest OF
the name came as he was reading Banin's
play. Damon and Pythias," and the
beauty Of the idea came to him. To "a
fellow clerk he said: "I shall call this the
knights of Pythias," and so a beautiful
7 ideal was crystalized.
On February is, 1864, was held the first
meeting of the knights of Pythias at
which the rik<al was read, and from this
fact Robert A. Champions room, at 269
street, washington, has become
milestone in Pythan history. The men
in attendance that evening We're ID. u.
Burnett. e. S. Kin1ball w. III. Burnett,
Charles H. Roberts and a Mr.. Driver.
OF these, D. L. Burnett alone survives
and he Is still worker III tne 6oVoin-
ment service All these organizers, save
Champion, were members of society
known as the Arion Glee club, ana a naii
for their joint use was taken and soon
began the struggle for existence which
hampered the first years of the order
life While teaching school in the Lake
Superior country some years before, MI.
Rathbone had, in his leisure hours, Writ
ten a ritual for secret society, and tois
was accepted by the new order. All siit
early members were sworn not to reveal
the secrets of the embryonic order, and
zach became an eager and enthusiastic
\ Committee of one to enlist new members
N,from among government clerks.
N So 1t began. The early years were
pretty rough for travelling and the fight
for existence was pretty hard, but the
men back of it had courage, and their
faith in the good of the order was so
strong that one fancies they must have
been gifted with foresight sufficient TO
make them look down the years ahead
and see the knights of Pythias over 100 :
900 strong. taking their place among the
leading fraternai organizations OF the