Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-16
GRAND GROVE
OF ORU|DS IN
Los ANGELES
Eight Hundred of
Order Here
Sessions VIII Open Tomorrow and
Continue Through Thursday, Com
mIttees Having Made Elaborate
Plans for Entertainment

Before the British lion had learned
| to roar when somebody stepped on his
tailor, in fact, before there was q
lion or tail-the ancient priests or
Britain, the Druids, performed their
sacred rites in the groves. From such
venerable forebears come the present
day Druids and Druidesses, who will
assemble in Los Angeles this week
from all the groves in California.
The forty-third annual meeting Of
| the grand grove of California, United
! Ancient Order of Druids, and the sew
enth annual session of the women's
auxiliary, the grand circle, will be held
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. the
former in Turner hall and the latter
in Elks hall. Altogether, almost eight
hundred members Of the order are ex-
pected in Los Angeles. A special train
will bring several hundred delegates
from San Francisco.
The present meeting Is the first Los
Angeles has been privileged to enjoy
and elaborate preparations have been
made for the reception Of the guests.
c. A. Guglielmoni of San Francisco,
the grand secretary of the state order,
arrived in Los Angeles last night and
opened his headquarters in the Nadeau
hotel His task of making final prepa-
rations for the 800 delegates has, how
ever, been anticipated in large meas
ure by the local Executive committee,
which was appointed several months
ago by the local groves. The commit
tee consists of Fred Charbonnier pres
ident; j. Gasponotich, vice-president;
A. Morrison, secretary; H. Gieschen,
treasurer; J. Fallandy. C. Clementson,
G.. Gieschen, l.. Carbone, l.. Clark. l..
Pozzo, B. Mackley, c.. Rouff and 8.
Gasponotich.
The Druidesses will be entertained
by committee of the wives Of men,
bers of the executive committee. Mrs.
J. Fallandy occupies prominent posi-
tion on the women's committee.
The coming session will be devoted
largely to business, but the social side
will not be found wanting. After each
days session the cares of business will
be dissipated around festal boards or
on pleasure Jaunts, such as the Angel
City alone can provide.
The visiting delegates will be guests
at a big reception tomorrow night.
Tuesday drill teams will give COM
petitive drill, comforting the second
and third degrees on APPLICANTS desirous
of entering the sacred groves. Wednes-
day night has been reserved for
grand ball, at which Mayor Harper has
promised to be present. The meeting
will close with a banquet Thursday
night, at which the visitors will be the
guests of honor.
Members of the United Ancient Order
of Druids pride themselves on having
the oldest order in existence. Long be-
fore julius Caesar made his first in
vasion into Britain the Druid priests
were performing their mystic rites
Among their customs was that of gath
ering mistletoe from the sacred oaks
at YuIetide, and their more bloody
rites embraced human sacrifice.
Thousands Of tourists annually make
to Stonehenge, where
massive arch of stone, the last relic
of the strange people, stands in soli-
tary and sublime grandeur, an impress
sive relic of an antiquity dating back
long before the Anglo-Saxon existed.
This relic is thought by some archae-
ologists to have been the cathedral of
the chief Druid.
California Druids date their history
back to May &c. 1865, when the first
grove was planted in this state. AL
most $4,000 members now claim the
title, and in Southern California there
are 800 members. The Mazzini, Mag
nolia, orange, Morton, Gloria and Syl-
via groves have 700 of these, and the
remainder belong to. the San Diego
grove. In all California contains eighty
groves of the Druids.
The officers or the BraHu iouBe dIe'
M. Pozzi, Oakland, noble grand arch;
G. H. Bertram, Modesto, deputy grand
arch; c. A. Guglielmoni, San Fran
cisco, grand secretary; P. ]. Moliterno,
San Francisco grand treasurer; G. P.
Dorm, Salinas, grand marshal; w. j.
Anderson, San Francisco, grand her
aid; H. N. Madden, Stockton, grand
guardian; C. welch, San Francisco,
grand inside guardian; George F. Rem
ken, San Francisco; Fred Charbon-
nier Los Angeles; j. e. Welch, Hay
wards; Daniel Giovannini and Forest
Coburn, San Francisco, grand trus-
tees; w. @. Antonovitch. past noble
grand arch.
It is expected that all the officers Of
the grand circle, the woman's organiza-
ton, will be present They are: V.
Cervelli, past grand Druidess; Marie
Bammann, grand arch Druidess; Belle
Pimentel, grand first bard; Yrma Lac
aze, grand second bard; Augusta
Thornhill, grand secretary; Frances j.
Peterson, grand treasurer; e. p. Vaux,
grand conductress; Pearl Cole, grand
inside guard; Eleanor Rodifer, grand
sentinel; Eva Wolff, grand organist;
Rose Peters, Ida Wheeler and Adelaide
Giusti, grand trustees.
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