Omaha daily bee., 1911-10-01

H6GNNOV makes II start out the first OF the
eS@aE@&I year without single subject and wind
=. up in the fall with huge bunch OF
citizens. all crazy to pay homage to the king-if
anyone should happen to ask you, sit up straight
and answer THE big show at the Den"
=. And if anyone should happen to ask you what
makes the show at the Den the good show that 1t
is. the show that makes subjects and friends for
Ak-sar-Ben and Omaha, sit up a little straighter
and answer with the names of all the good fellows
that work and sweat every Monday night for
months and months
Aud then, IL anyone should happen to spring the
iiDterrogatory, who keeps the men that make the
show on the Job and works the Worcestershire
syringe on them when they get tred?" sit up just
a trifle stralghter and enumerate distinctly Dad
Weaver"
It's those glorious entertainments at the Den
that are the making of Ak-Sar-Ben and Quivera.
Anyone who has been 20 the Den will testify that
nowhere can a more enjoyable evening be spent
Nearly 1000 candidates who were there for nitia-
tory purposes this year are Agreed that they had
one of the times of their lives The thousands and
tens of thousands who went out as guests hold
oplRions that TO that same broad general effect
After a man has been to the Den he is more
enthusiastic of Omaha IL he is Omaha citizen
he is a more loyal booster of Omaha and the state
II he is a Nebraskan; he is a bigger and better
friend OF the city the state II his home Is with
out the borders Of the home OF the goldenrod.
All this Is because of the work done at the
Den But for It certainly there should be no
Knights of Ak-sar-Ben. When the work begins
early in the year the future depends upon what sort
of impressions given the people who visit that
rakish old lair or the king and his retainers. How
well the men who have the show have done
their work from year to year is evidenced by the
fact that this is the seventeenth year Of the reign
OF the house OF Ak-sar-Ben, and the kingdom now
is richer and more prosperous than before,
It wound require pages and pages in a news
paper TO tell all that should be told about the abors
of the loyal workers that responsible and dur
ing past years have been responsible this show.
Some considerable portion of column should be
devoted TO praise and credit for each Generally
speaking, 1t is fine hearty OF men, every one
willing 20 do his part and the other fellows and
not caring fig who gets the credit Each one can
fiji in any place where man is needed; each can
lend hand here and there anywhere; each one Is
ready to answer emergency call and let almost
everything else by for the sake of the show and
Quivera and Ak-Sar-Be
The real Casey Jones OF the Den entertainment
from the establishment of the real Quivera seven
teen years ago, until now, has been this fellow,
Dad" Weaver. His name rGed to be John d.
Weaver. They say he still It on rare occasions
when he signs checks for instRnce-and II he
ever should die it probably will be used on his
toApobOhe. AAteE weaver eot 10 HpEh out at lnb
Den seventeen years ago, the people began to rea-
lie that his name didn't fit him. They amputated
the John D." and neatly grated Dad" onto the
front end OF Weaver" And SO 1t has been from
that day to this.
Weaver liked the work from the very start. lie
wasn't cut out for an actor or a singer. and when
II came TO playing horn fiddle or even
jewsharp he was not what you would call there
and over" but he knew how TO see that everything
that should be done was done and done right. lie
was good manager. He started right out by
seeing to it that Samsons work at the Den properly
was done and he made a tremendous success OF his
Job. Quite naturally they got to calling him Dad
Only this year Dad" turned over some OF his
work to Others feeling that he had been at 1t about
long enough. About the only service he did thiI
year was to organize the "hustlng committee" that
went out and brought in new knights by hundreds
TO swell the ranks of Ak-sar-Ben's adherents. II,
also stuck around pretty faithfully, ready TO hell
out when he needed. and did this thing ant
that and hundred others when he was called upon
In past years Dad" has seen that all actor
were on hand for the show every show night H,
has looked them and counted them and sen
out for those that did not appearances In a Will
somebody didn't. Dad" has been behind the scene
and in the dressing rooms. He has seen that tn
tools and materials of the makeup artists wer
on hand and has made sure that the artists Worl
was done as IT should be done and that each acto
looked his part when the time for him TO "go on
came.
Dad" has seen that the dooFmen and the inne
guards have been in their places and raAdy 70 TAX