Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-24

he afternoon. the remaining time being
given over TO lola staff team The stage
was cleared and the big auditorium dark
ened. lights being dimly thrown only on the
stage, where a series Of sixteen tablesux
we're given in costume, representing the
beautiful story Of Damon and Pythias. The
productions, which were most beautiful and
Impressive, were explained by j. d. Clarke,
4 member of the team.
Following the tableaux presentation came
the great feature of the afternoon, the
fancy drill by the four magnificently uni
formed teams Of lola lodge. The teams
were divided into groups of eight, cos
TUNED IN Syracusan garb OF the time Of
Dionysius. Their tunics we're of mail,
with mail helmets, surmounted by the re-
spective colored plumes OF the four groups,
white, blue. yellow and red. The captain
OF the white guards was William II. Drake:
OF the blue guards, John w. Marshall; OF
he yellow, L. c. Bechtolt, and OF the rcd.
John p. Kline. The teams first drilled
separately and then in a body. The effect
as the electric lights were thrown upon
the brilliantly polished uniforms of the
guards was brilliant in the extreme. The
drill was carried out without commands,
though accompanied by the music Of the
orchestra AS the different teams entered
the arena. their coming was heralded by
trumpet by Herald DR.. p. L. Gunckel.
The color bearer was Robert Bechtolt.
The perfection with which the different
evolutions we're given was marvellous and
ELECTED continuous applause. The drill
closed with a magnificent stage setting of
lola lodge In session, the chancellor robed
in a magnificent costume of mail and
purple and the other officers in Roman
togas. On the whole. the spectacle was
one OF the most beautiful ever shown In
the Omaha Auditorium.
Evening Ceremony Secret.
The afternoon exercises were open to the
public, but the anniversary exercises In
the evening were for the members of the
order only. Tickets were sold In the even
ing as well as In the afternoon. however.
and by noon all Of the tickets for the even
ing program had been dispensed. and many
of the knights were unable to even get
into the big building, much less get a seat.
Grand Chancellor John C. Cleland of FIRE.
mont presided In the evening. The exer-
ciscs began at 1880. with an overture by the
lola orchestra, and this was followed with
addresses by b. /. sallinger, past grand
chancellor of Carroll, Ia, and suprem
Chancellor II. p. Brown of Clebourne.
Texas. Walter B. Richie OF Cleburne,
Texas, past supreme chancellor, who was
on the program for an address, was UNI
able to be present.
Supreme Chancellor Brown delivered an
address on "Pythianism," in which he
gave a concise history OF the order and
told in succlenct phrases the beauties of
the order, its secret work, its ritual, bene-
flces and other matters of deep interest
to the knights. Mr.. Brown was limited to
fifteen minutes, as was also Past Grand
Chancellor %Sallinger, who talked without
formal subject. The lack Of a pre-ar-
ranged theme did not disconcert Mr.. Brown,
however. and in his short talk he kept
his auditors enlivened. He praised the
knights and the city of Omaha. compli-
mented the old lodge which, despite its
others, and in all entertained the assembled
knights admirably.
Following the addresses, the lola drill
team conferred the third rank upon about
800 candidates. The Pythians have three
degrees. The first makes them pages, the
second squires and the third knights, The
conferring OF this final rank by the famous
team from Ohio was said to have been the
finest work ever seen, but seen, however,
only by members Of the order.
Local Lodge opens Exercises.
To conform to the Pythian laws, Ne
braska lodge No. l was opened in regular
form IN It's lodge rooms In Myrtle hall early
IN the evening, Adjournment was then
taken to the Auditorium. where the officers
turned the lodge over to the grand lodge