The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-27
KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS
 GREAT SECRET ORDER
Founded on Love of Country
 and Self Sacrifice
FOUNDED AS LATE AS 1864
Is Now 100000 Strong and Has Enthu. siastic Membership Wherever Old
 Glory FIoats-story of
 Damon and Pythias.
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
 There is an axiom among politicians that capitals are always hotbeds of sedi- tion. 1t is frequently said that Wash ington citizens are more ready to critl- cize the national administration than are the people of nay other American city. In view of this it might be considered singular that the only fraternal order whose constitution demands of it's mem bers loyalty to the existing government was born in the national capital Yet when the date of the first meeting of the Knights of Pythias is considered the ap- parent anomally is explained. It was in 1864 when the nation was torn with in- ternal strife that Justus H. Rathbone and a few of his friends founded the Pythlan order, choosing 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 potent factor in bringing about cordial and intimate relations be- tween men of different political affila- tions.
 No secret order hasa higher ideal than that which the Knights of Pythias expect each member to realize. It Is that of love for ones fellow man SO great that it will transcend all esser things and leave self-love forgotten. The sentiment is very old and a very sweet one It 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 a secret so- ciety that believed in and taught his doc trines. Damon and Pythas were their names, and in the stress of political strife that swung about Syracuse. their home city, they found need of close friendship. They were men of high ideals and unblemished honor and tie corrupt political atmosphere incident to the rule of Dionysius was not pleasing to them. Pythias publicly denounced the ty- rant and was imprisoned for his temerity and condemned to death. He asked per mission to go home and arrange his pri- vate affairs, and knowing the love of Damon to be strong, offered him as hos tage against his return. Damon willingly
 
 Pythias, 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. Di- onysius was so touched by such devotion that he pardoned the offender He even asked to be admitted as a third into 10 loyal and devoted a brotherhood. but the friends refused him.
 The longest search in history or my thologY would not have revealed q story so well suited as this to the purposes of Rathbone when he was seeking a name and an ideal for the order he proposed b establish. The order was to be a secret one, and the members were to be gov ernment clerks only, so the idea of brotherhood was strong. Mir. 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 10 all that is implied in either it's medieval or modern significance The 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 q fellow clerk he said: 'I shall call this the Knights of Pythias," and so a beau tlful ideal was crystalized.
 
 meeting of the Knights of Pythias at which the ritual was read. and from this fact Robert A. Champions room at 2s9 r street. Washington. has become mile- stone in Pythian history. The men in dt- tendance that evening were D. l.. Bur nett. F. s. Kimball, W. H. Burnett, Charles H. Roberts and a MT. Driveu Of these D. l.. Burnett alone survives, and he is still a worker in the govern ment service All these organizers save Champion were members of Q society known as the Arion Glee club. and a hall for their joint use was taken and soon began the struggle for existence which hampered the first years of the o:- der's life While teaching school in the Lake Superior country some years before Mir Rathbone had, in his leisure hours, written a ritual for secret society. and this was accepted by the new order. All the early members were sworn not to reveal the secrets of the embryonic order, and each became an eager and enthusias- tic committee of one to enlist new mem- bers from among government clerks.
 So it began. The early years were pretty rough travelling, and the fight for existence was pretty hard, but the men back of 1t 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 FOG, 900 strong, taking their place among the leading fra ternal organizations of the world.
 Washington Lodge No. l was the first Pythian lodge. When it was organized the order had degrees and it's officers were venerable patriarch worthy chancellor" "vice chancellor" scribe" banker" guide" and ''inner' and "out- CT steward Subsequent legislation changed the degrees to ranks" and the titles of officers were made more chival- ric as well as more distinctive. The grand lodge of the District of Columbia was formed in April. 1864, and J. K. T. Plant was made grand chancellor. The