Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-09-09
ROOSEVELT MEETS :.
AN AMERICAN KING
He Is Initiated and Knighted by
Ak-Sar-Ben of Omaha.
UNIQUE CEREMONY IN A DEN
Organization Of Middle West Boost.
ers" Give the Colonel a Lively
Evenins-Automobiie Ride
With Wax Women.

WIN wax
Omaha. Neb., Sept. 3.-Col. Theodore
Roosevelt, who spent yesterday and
last night as the guest of Omaha, met
an American king in the evening, and
his majesty gave the distinguished WIS.,
itor a livelier entertainment han any
he received in the courts of Europe
The mysterious ruler knighted he
colonel, initiated him into a secret Or
der and permitted him to sit on his
throne. All his took place in the den
Of Ak-sar-ben, and Mr.. Roosevelt will
never forget the ordeals through
which he passed there, and will not
soon cease to laugh at the memory of
them.
Ak-sar-ben Is the mardi-gras OF tho
north. 1t Is the boosters" organiza-
ton of the middle west-the name be-
ing formed by spelling Nebraska back
wards. By delvmg into the language
books 1t has been discovered that it
means a lot more. AK" is said to be
good Syrian for head Of a household"
"sar" in the Arabic is household" and
ben" in the Hebraic is family or
brothers in a household Thus Ak
sar-ben consists Of a king, the board of
governors and the brothers Of the
household" or all the business men
in the middle west, who have bound
themselves together in a great CO
operative movement to develop the
trans-Missouri country.
The festival has two seasons, one
for initiation and the other a carnival,
the latter to be held later in the fall
The colonel got the full initiation last
night and was told Of the work of Ak
sar-ben. Sixteen a ago it was
founded by business men Of the west
1t has something besides romance for
a soul. The foundation Of the festival
Is business f~raternalism n 1t has
brought the people Of the middle west
together. Ak-sar-ben has been contin-
uing growing more popular each year
until this season the membership had
to be limited. Some 5000 are initiated
annually and 10000 attend the festi-
val and watch the parades. q year
President Taft was initiated.
Dragged Down into the Den.
The den" is a huge building, cover
ing an entire block. Under 1t are nu-
merous tunnels and mysterious cham
bers. Running through this tunnel is q
rope constantly in motion, drawing the
candidates in. stsg
On entering, Colonel Roosevelt wa
requested by a court cfic to hang
on to the rope. Once a-hold Of 1t, there
was no turning back. Hundreds in
front were pulling, scores and scores
behind pushing. Amid a babblement
of strange noises the colonel felt an
emotion akin to those he knew in the
heat and dust of the great plains when
in the midst of stampedtng cattle.
Down. down, down. ven the line
under the great den, the candidates
emerging in a chamber like the ante
room Of a Roman theater. Here the
imperial keeper of the outer gate sep
arated the wheat from the tares-
many there are who are called, but
few are chosen" The ex-president was
one Of those who were chosen last
night. And it meal something.
Placed on the top" of a miniature
world, where his friend Peary has
been, Colonel Roosevelt felt the earth
begin to revolve on its axis. AS it APP
preached the equatorial suns the force
of gravitation was removed and the
colonel shot off into space towards the
milky way, picking himself up a dozen
yards off ready for b next ride.
Joy-Ride With Wax Girls.
This time it was in an automobile
Taking his place in the machine, Col
onel Roosevelt did not know just whc
his travelling companions were until
he reached the light. He then discov.
cred that instead of the distinguished
men who had volunteered to accom-
pany him, he, was riding about the
great hall on a spiral speedway with
six wax figures of beautiful women &C.
companying him. The crowd cheered
and then the accidents began, az
though the "scoot wagon. had been
frightened. One by one the colonel,a
beautiful companions were tossed mys
teriously from the automobile, the last
one leaving just before an explosion
which wrecked the machine and left
the strenuous one on a great pile Of
hay with thousands cheering him fol
the bravery he had shown.
Colonel Roosevelt's sea legs were
tested next on Samson's old boat He
was pushed from the craft by a pirate
and a great shark grabbed him.
ALI candidates were treated alike and
the initiation closed with compelling
the novices to sit quietly through a per
Torrance of "Halley's Comet" a comic
opera staged by a company of n
hundred actors.
Following the close of the initiation
Colonel Roosevelt was permitted t.
speak to the company, giving his i'm
p%ressions of Nebraska, of Omaha and
of the organization into which he had
just been initiated. All these 'impres
sions' are recorded and in this way
Nebraska has a book full of good
things which have been said about the
state and the kings of Ak-saa-ben By
everyone from w. J.. Bryan to James ]
Jeffries.
Help Must Como From Within.
No one cansheIp US as much as oul
own determination to find the best