East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-10-24
SEATTLE To HAVE
LARGEST TEMPLE
GREATEST CHARTER LIST
OF SHRINERS IN AMERICA
Elaborate Ceremonies Being Planned
and Big Glass of Candidates Will
TrOd Burning Sands soon After Its
Instltution-Ihere Will BE 40
Charter Members of New Temple.

The largest Shriner Temple ever
formed in America will be instituted
in Seattle next Wednesday evening
There are 470 charter members, OF
this, the Nile Temple, of which more
than 400 are residents Of Seattle. In
less than six weeks a class of other
candidates will begin trodding the
burning sands of the Arabian desert,
and by the first Of the year it is ex-
pected that the membership will be
at least 600. The elaborate ceremo-
nies of opening the Nile Temple will
take place in the Elks' lodge room in
the Alaska building, because the Ma
sonic Hall is inadequate to accommo-
date the hundreds who will be pres
ent.
This is the third temple to be form
ed in Washington and the one hun
dred and tenth to be formed in Am
erica. The first temple formed in this
state was the Afifi Temple, at Ia
coma, in 1883, which now has a men,
bership of nearly 1000. The second
temple formed in the state was at
Spokane in 1890, which now has a
membership of about 500.
Three Temples i'm State.
The dispensation for the Seattle
temple was granted by the imperial
council of the Mystic Shrine, which
met in July. The policy of the
Shriners has always been to have a
small number of temples and have
each temple occupy a field independ-
ent Of any other. Until last July the
Tacoma temples territory extended
over all that part of Washington west
of the 120th degree of longitude. The
jurisdiction of the Nile Temple will be
all the territory in Washington west
of the 120th degree Of longitude and
north of an imaginary line drawn east
and west through a point equidistant
from Seattle and Tacoma. The Ia
coma temple will continue to hold
sway south of that line.
Ollt VI llt I " Clldl Atl lltul-
bers of the Nile Temple are at pres
ant members of the Mystic Shrine,
but belong to temples in other cities.
There are also a large number of 9TH
ar Shriners residing in the city who
Will later join this temple.
Ellis l.. Garretson, potentate of Af- |
fl Temple at Tacoma, acting as dep !
lty to the imperial potentate, vii. |
,ome here to institute the Nile Tenn |
Die and install the new officers.
e. b. Hussey was elected potentate
If Nile Temple and will name all the
,ther officers for the first year. He |
has already named E c. Beede as the
ecorder and will announce the other
,ffcers later.
All Members Are MaSons.
The Mystic Shrine is an Arabic or
Ter. \ requisite of membership is
hat all candidates must either be a
Knight Templar in good standing or a
degree Scottish Rite
Jason. Thus, althoug hall its men,
'ers are Masons, it is not a Masonic
rider.
Much enthusiasm has been devel-
ped i'm Seattle by Shriners, and if the
rowth is as great as the members
Xpect this temple will be one of the
lrgest on the coast within two years.
he first class of new candidates will
rod the burning sands in the early
art of December. This class will Il
robably exceed 100.
Committees are already at work
to receive the first class.
me of the largest halls in the city
ill be needed to accommodate these
ceremonies, as Shriners will come here
rom all parts of the northwest at
hat time. The ceremonies will prob
bly, take place in the Moore theater,
18th an elaborate banquet afterwards.
As the Nile Temple is to be opened
18th the largest charter membership
any temple in America, it has at
acted widespread attention among
Iasons throughout the country