Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-19
LONG BEACH
Office IS Locust ave.
Phone Home eco.
LONG BEACH CROWDED
BY VISITING KNIGHTS
SEVEN HUNDRED ARRIVE IN
COURSE OF DAY
Public Reception Is Largely Attended,
Mayor Welcoming Delegates and
Friends-Speeches of Much
Interest Are Made
Special to The Herald.

| Special to The Herald.
LONG BEACH, May 1S.-About 700
visitors and delegates to the grand
| lodge of the knights of Pythias ar
rived here today, greater part of the
number coming in this morning on a
special Southern Pacific train, consist
ing of diner and four Pullmans, be-
| sides a baggage car. The town is
| prettily decorated in honor of the &C.
casion. The Hotel Virginia is head
quarters for the grand officers, while
the Kennebec hotel will be headquar-
| ters for the delegates. The Yale will
be the Pythian Sisters headquarters.
This afternoon the credentials COM
mittee met and passed upon a long list
| of delegates upon whom the grand
! lodge degree was conferred tonight
after the close of the public reception
| held in the auditorium. There were
| about 200 in the class.
| The public reception to the grand
lodge was a breezy, enthusiastic affair
and was largely attended by the citi-
| zens of the town as well as by the
| members of the local lodge, the hosts
of the week The municipal band fur
nished music. Past Grand Chancellor
Trask of Los Angeles was introduced
by Chancellor Commander w. S. Bar
ton of this city. Judge Trask presided
uuIlHE lHe VI Tie ISCtpliOl
After the opening ode Mayor Windham
in a few well chosen words welcomed
the delegates and visitors to the city.
On behalf of Southern California Judge
B. F. Bledsoe of San .Bernardino also
welcomed the grand lodge. Grand
Chancellor NJ. l.. Short responded on
half of the grand lodge, Grand Chief
Julia F. Day on behalf of the Pythian
Sisters, Mrs. Mary j. Downing on be
half of the past chiefs and George E.
Church on behalf of the past chancel-
lors, taking the place OF Robert f.
Burns, who was unable to attend.
Tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock there
will be another grand lodge session
with a further report from the creden-
tials committee, and the grand lodge
degree will be conferred. Tomorrow
night Gauntlet lodge of Los Angeles
will give a dramatic eXemplification of
the page rank in the auditorium. In
the Odd Fellows hall at the same hour
the Pythian Sisters will exemplify the
rank work. The grand ball Wednesday
night will be the most pretentious event
of the week from a social standpoint.
The committee drill of the uniform
rank companies on the high school
campus Thursday afternoon will be one
of the most interesting events of the
session. particularly so far as the gen.
eral public is concerned. The following
prizes have been offered: For best
drilled company. 800; for next best,
$50; for third best $25; for largest COM
pany, $40; for company coming greatest
distance, $50; for best drilled company
with rifles, $25. None of the ten COM
panies which are to enter may have
less than twenty-one men. In the
evening there will be a dramatic pre-
sentation of a class of one hundred in
-
torium.
The committee on permanent organi-
cation will report tomorrow morning as
to when the election of officers will
be held 1t is a Pythian rule that the
grand officers must keep moving high
er. Accordingly Grand Chancellor NJ.
L. Short will be succeeded by Vice
Chancellor w. B. Wagner of San Ber-
nardino, whose office will in it's turn
be filled by Grand Prelate Hart of
Stockton. There will be five candi-
dates for the office of prelate. OF
these four have been mentioned. They
are all Southern Californians. The north
is reported to have a candidate, but
his name is withheld. A. L. Selig and
II. j. Crawford of Los Angeles, Judge
Bledsoe of San Bernardino and Attor-
ney S. G. Long of this city are the
known candidates.
At the Pythian Sisters headquarters
at Hotel Yale a committee composed
of Mines. Torrey, Hillegas, Emo, Aus
tin and Brakeman is in charge. A pri-
vate telephone and a book of registra-
ton are in the room. The headquarters
has been profusely decorated with flow
ers. The Odd Fellows hall, where the
grand lodge session of the Sisters will
open tomorrow morning. has also been
beautifully decorated with flowers,
vines and potted plants.