The Coconino sun. (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 1898-1978, 1914-08-21
GRAND CANYON SESSION
Of THE MYSTIC SHRINE

the Mystic Shrine on Oct. in the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado,
with the slashed and many hued
walls of the canyon towering 5000
feet above them and the eblue sky
canopy as the temple of the cere-
monial.
Ell Zaribah temple of Phoenix is
arranging the most novel initiation
in the history of the Shrine, in hon
or of the visit of DR.. Frederick K.
Smith of Rochester, New York,
imperial potentate, and the party
of the imperial divan that will &C
company him on his western tour.
The sands are always hot tor the
'unregenerate son of the desert
who seeks admittance through the
portals of the holy city of Shrine
dom, but for this Arizona party the
sands will not only be hotter than
ever, but they will be sliding, slip
ping, rolling sands. For the cara
van, with novices chained together
by their necks, will wind along the
rim of the canyon while escorting
mobiles will prod them with scimet-
ers and pitchforks towards the
precipice that yawns beneath them
to the depth of more than a mile.
Such as survive will be dragged
and spurred and prodded down the
seven miles of Bright Angel Trail.
If they come through this dizzy
Journey safely, down the DEVILS
Corkscrew and the Jacobs ladder,
to the river bed, there on a sand
bar by the river the portals of the
Mystic Shrine will open for them.
Shirley Christy, potentate of Ell
Zaribah; George A. Mauk, director
of ceremonial work and chairman
of the building committee which is
erecting a new $4,000 building;
and Joe E. Richards, known to the
world of sports as art Rick" the
sporting writer and racing authori-
ty, arrived in Los Angeles recently
from Phoenix to make important
and final arrangements for this
most novel initiation ever attempt
ed since the Mystic Shrine idea
was brought from Arabia as its
play degree.
Arrangements are being made
with the Santa Fe to run excursions
that will accommodate between 5000
and 10000 Shriners and others
who will be invited to witness the
public features of the initiation. Ell
Zaribah has all Arizona as its juris-
diction, and Shriners from all parts
of the state will attend almost to a
man. In addition large numbers
are expected from all parts of
southern California, from New
Mexico and as far as Ell Paso.
The imperial potentate's party
is coming west to arrange for the
conclave at Seattle in 1915. They
will travel westward through the
Canadian country, and from Seattle
will come south. A visit will be
paid to each of the California tenn
Piles, including Los Angeles, and
each temple along their entire
route OF travel will give them novel
entertainment. They will leave
San Diego Oct. 4, and will arrive
at Williams, Ariz., at 7 o'clock,
Oct. 5. There they will be met
by all the Shriners whose trains
have converged on that point and
escorted over the branch railroad
to the rim of the canyon at the
Hotel Ell Tovar.
After luncheon the caravan will
move. Grotesquely clad and chain
ed together, the novices will tread
the narrow way between the aw-
full precipice and row of escort
ing mobiles trained to inquisitional
torture. The mobiles of the shrine
are to be dressed uniquely in the
cowboys chaps, blue shirts, boot