The Washington herald., 1918-12-08

states history Sluo, one OF Shai
Birth of the PythIan Brotherhood-s
Being impressed by the pathetic
story Of Damon and Pythias the late
Justus H. Rathbone conceived the
idea OF uniting in a fraternal associa-
ton all who believed in the principles
expressed in that tale of fealty and
brotherly love. There also came into
the mind of Rathbone the ancient
Arabic story of Ben Adam and the
angel of light So he gathered about
him a number Of kindred spirits, in
cluding the late Clarence Barton, ed
itor Of the National Republican for
many years, and the formation of
Washington Lodge, No. 1. Knights Of
Pythias, was brought about in the fall
of 1854 The grand lodge of the Dis
trict OF Columbia was organized soon
thereafter with Joseph T. K. Plant as
the first grand chancellor.
The cradle In which the infant or
der was nursed was a squatty two
story structure, 9l4 E street north
west, which was later remodeled and
occupied as fashionable dancing
academy by the late Prof. Marini,
and is now used as a bowling alley
and club house. The very first meet
ing of the founders of the now exten-
sive organization OF Knights of
Pythias was held there on a stormy
night Rathbone, then a government
clerk. presided, and those in attend
ance were mostly members OF the old
, Arion Glee Club, with which he was
! connected He read the ritual he had
prepared to those who had come to-
gether to form an order based on the
great principle of brotherly love and
il was adopted and employed by
Washington lodge, which was after
ward merged into Franklin Lodge, No.
>. which since has been recognized as
the mother body. The order quickly
spread into Maryland. Connecticut,
New York, Pennsylvania and other
States. and now has approximately
fifty grand lodges covering the Amer
lean continent
Clarence Barton, who was a popu-
lar newspaperman here in the period
during and following the Civil War,
delivered the principal address at the
founding OF the grand lodge Of the
District Of Columbia, and voiced these
axioms:
The poverty of some men is a
monument to their honesty. Brotherly
love Of the Pythian kind Is a God
given attribute and cannot be bar
tered for gold or silver. 1t is well
that we have given birth to the
Pythian brotherhood at the nations
Capital the cradle Of human liberty"
First Boy Scouts In 1857.
In the spring Of 1857 a number of
boys whose Fairgrounds were in a
large lot between Four-and-a-hah
and Sixth streets. Missouri and Maine
avenues northwest now a public park
and part of the mall. conceived the
idea Of forming a company to be
Known as the boy Scouts The
suggestion for the name came from
the splendid scouts who at that time
were engaged with the army in the
West in some of the most severe of
the Indian campaigns that marked
the period from 1865 to the early sos.
l was one Of the boys who formed
the scouts. never dreaming that in
later years there would be a great
organization Of Boy Scouts covering
practically every country in the
world. We selected Nelson Levy as
chief scout" with Buck" Keleher
as assistant scout.
One Of the principal reasons for
forming the organization was because
certain residents of Missouri avenue.
then a rather aristocratic street, OBJ
jected to the noise made by the boys
and girls at play on the big lot Op-
posite their residences. The commons
was surrounded by a high board fence
and was known as the circus grounds
because the shows OF that time gave
exhibitions there. A creek ran through
the center Of the commons in which
the boys had arranged a swimming
hole.
At the first meeting OF the scouts,
- in nf
souri, avenue dwelling. the purposes
of the organization were crudely
stated by Nelse Levy to be for fun
and pleasure and to do good and not
bad, and to go to the woods and fields
in the country and make all the noise
we please" Plans were laid for the
first expedition of scouts into Gods
great outdoors beyond the city limits
As many of the boys as could afford
the outlay Of cash invested in what
were known in those days as sixty
Cent-powder-and-sho These
formidable weapons were made of
iron with a single barrel of doubtful
caIiber and power OF resistance and
were loaded from the muzzle with
loose powder and a small charge of
bird shot They were provided with
nipples upon which small copper caps
were placed. OF the twelve lads COM
prising the first company of Boy
Scouts. five provided themselves with
these junior muskets and were given
preferred assignments in our camp
fng-out expeditions. Tents were COM
rnandeered by the scouts from the
bed chambers of their parents in the
shape Of sheets, counterpanes, blank
cts, etc, and the commissary depart
ment depended largely on the food
the boys could procure from the lar
ders at their homes. No uniforms
were adopted although the matter
was under constant favorable consid-
Grafton.
Camp at awiId Mans Csve.-
"A thrill of pleasure came over the
scouts when Chief Levy announced
that the frst camp would be es-