Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-09-08
ROOSEVELT MEETS
An AMERICAN KING
He Is Initiated and Kniuhted by
Ak-Sar-Ben of Omaha.
UNIQUE CEREMONY IN A DEN
Organization of Middle West "Boost.
ers" Give the Colonel a Lively
EVening-Automobi Ride
With Wax Women.

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
ltor ivelier entertainment than any
he received in the courts of Europe
The mysterious ruler knighted the
colonel, initiated him into a secret or
der and permitted hin. % sit on his
throne. All this took place in the den
of Aksar-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 the
north 1t is the boosters organiZa-
ton OF the middle west-the name be-
ing formed by spelling Nebraska back
wards. By delvlng into the language
books it has been discovered that it
means lot more. AK is said to be
good Syrian for head of 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 years 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 fraternalism and it 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. Last year
President Taft was initiated /
Dragged Down Into the Den.
The den" Is huge building, cover
ing an entire block. Under it are nu-
merous tunnels and mysterious cham
bers Running through this tunnel is a
rope constantly in motion, drawing the
candidates in.
On entering, Colonel Roosevelt was
requested by a court officer to hang
on to the rope. Once a-ho:d of it, there
was no turning back. Hundreds in
front were pulling, scores and scores
behind pushing. Amid 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 stampeding cattle.
Down, down, down, went the line
under the great den, the candidates
emerging in chamber like the ante
room of 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 meant something.
Placed on the top" of miniature
world, where his friend Peary has
been, Colonel Roosevelt felt the earth
begin to revolve on it's axis AS it ap-
preached the equatorial suns the force
of gravitation was removed and the
colonel shot off into space towards the
milky way, picking himself up dozen
yards off ready for the 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 who
his travelling companions were until
he reached the light. He then discov-
cred that instead of the distinguished
men who mad volunteered to accom-
pany him, he was riding about the
great hall on spiral speedway with
six wax figures of beautiful women &C.
companying him. The crowd cheered
and then the accidents began, as
though the ''scoot wagon" had been
frightened. One by one the colonePs
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 for
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 pirate
and a great shark grabbed him
All candidates were treated alike and
the initiation closed with compelling
the novices to sit quietly through per-
Torrance of "Halley's Comet" comic
opera staged by company of one
hundred actors.
Following the close of the initiation,
CoOnel Roosevelt was permitted to
speak to the company, giving his i'm
pressious of Nebraska, of Omaha and
of the organization into which he had
just been initiated All these impress
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-sar-Den by
everyone from w. j. Bryan to James ].
JefirieS