Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-27
300 WILL CROSS
BURNING SANDS
SHRINERS INITIATE BIG CLASS
TONIGHT
Banquet at Which Thirteen Hundred
Will Be Seated Will Follow Intro
duction of Candidates Into
Mystic Rites

Immediately previous to the largest
and most expensive banquet ever
spread in California 300 candidates to-
night will be initiated into the rite of
the Mystic Shrine by the members of
AL Malaikah temple of Los Angeles
No structure could be found in the
city that would even approach accom-
modations for the throng that is ex-
pected and the Auditorium in Venice
was chosen as the place where the GER
emonies and banquet will be held.
Thirteen hundred covers will be laid
in anticipation Of the throng expected
to grace the banquet board. In addi-
| tion to this number many mobiles from
| outside temples, who are in Los Angeles
in advance of their regular company,
will join the gathering after the initia-
tion ceremonies are over, and it is ex-
pected that at least 200% members of
the order will be present.
Every car on the Los AngeleS-Paci
system which can possibly be run will
| be used to convey the concourse to the
| beach. The local temple has arranged
to proceed to the seashore in a body
fifteen hundred strong, and their pres
ence will tax the traffic accommoda-
tions of the electric road.
The initiation ceremonies will COM
mence at o'clock, when the candi-
dates for admission to the order will
be assembled. The ceremonies attend
ant on their entrance into the rites
OF the shrine will then be held, after
which will come the monster banquet
Exceeds Last Year
This years list Of candidates to AL
Malaikah temple tops last years num-
Der by fifteen. When the giant con-
clave was proposed for Los Angeles last
May local Shriners made every prepa-
ration to receive their visitors with as
| large a number as was consistent with
the requirements of the order, and
when the earthquake spoiled things in
general and for the local Shriners in
particular 285 candidates were initi-
ated into the order according to the
schedule.
Tonight's initiation ceremonies will
be preceded by a business meeting of
the various committees in the after
noon. Plans for the evening program
will be discussed and those in charge
plan to make the day one of the most
| important from the viewpoint of the
initiates that has ever been held.
Potentate Motley Flint is kept busy
day and night arranging for the COM
ing caravans which will cross the burn
ing sands to land on the Los Angeles
oasis during Fiesta time. Hundreds of
messages from all parts of the country
are being received daily telling of the
plans of the different temples, their
date of departure and the time of ex-
pected arrival in Los Angeles. The
complement of hotel rooms at the hands
of the local committee is nearly ex-
hausted and every lodging place in the
city has been besieged with requests
for rooms
Train in Two Sections
Imperial Potentate Clayton, who had
planned to leave st. Joseph, Mo, in
time to arrive here May 5, has in
formed Potentate Flint that the train
on which he and his company are COM
ing will arrive in two sections. At first
ii was planned to make one solid train
of the cars reserved for the mobiles and
their families, but owing to the num-
bers which have asked for reservations
the railroad company has been forced
to divide the train and deliver the sec
tions as near together as possible.
Medina temple of Chicago will also
exhaust the accommodations of two
special trains and will arrive in Los
Angeles on the same date as Imperial
Potentate Clayton and his fellow no.
bles. Yeldiz temple of Aberdeen. S. D.,
has written Potentate Flint asking him
to reserve accommodations for a num-
erous company, and accordingly the re-
naming rooms in the PerciVal will be
set apart for the mobiles from South Da-
kota. Tacoma temple has also tele-
graphed for apartments and they will
be In line for a reservation of twenty
two rooms.
Plttsburo Mobiles Popular
The mobiles comprising Syria temple
Pittsburg, will be most lavish In their
expenditures during the conclave and
promise TO be among the most popular
Of the visiting shriners. Five thous-
and costly souvenir glasses will be- dis
tributed by Syria TO friends In Los An
geles and the handsome booklet is
sued by the same temple will have a
place in the many gifts 10 be made.
During the coming conolave plans for
the next gathering OF mobiles will be
discussed and a place chosen for the
convention of 1908 At present at least
six cities in different sections Of the
country have advanced themselves as
the proper oasis for next years Dill.