The Washington times., 1923-06-04
TESTERS COURT
BIG BANQUET
HOST
Imperial Officers Guests at
AImas Committee Affair
Plea for Voteless Capital.

The foolscap and bells, relics OF
the days wnen kings kept by them
Their court entertainers, were donned
again last night at the sixth annual
banquet OF the Royal Court OF
testers, given by the Almas Temple
1923 Shrine committee at the
Raleigh Hotel.
The testers are selected as the
best of good fellows in the Shrine
temples and only thirteen new
members may be added each year.
Among the guests were General
John j. Pershing. a member OF
Imperial Potentate James s. Nc
Candless, Past Imperial Potentates
J. Putnam, Of Stevens, Me-; Will
liam Irwin, of Wheeling, w. Va,
and Ernest Cults, of Georgia, and
Deputy Imperial Potentate Conrad
". Dykeman, who will return to his
home in Brooklyn from Washington
as imperial potentate next week.
Illustrious Potentate Leonard p.
Steuart Of Almas Temple, "on be-
half Of the voteless residents of
Washington" voiced the first public
welcome to the visiting nobility.
I'VE are happy to welcome you
to this. your city," he said. This
y
work here, we do not own it. Ours
the happy duty Of welcoming you
to your own. We pledge you every
effort OF every member OF Almas
and of the entire city to make your
stay pleasant and to make sure you
will bear home with you the hap
piest remembrancSs of your Ma
tional Capital"
Compliments for Director.
w. S. Brown, imperial director.
who presided, paid the highest
tribute to Noble James C. Hoyle,
chairman of the Almas Temple
banquet committee. who has handled
the arrangements for nearly score
of banquets which will take place
during the session.
An elaborate program OF enter
fainment was staged under direc-
ton of Noble Edgar G. Snyder,
chairman of the entertainment COM
nittee, who served as banquet d.
rector.
One of the star features of this
program was a remarkably clever
and tuneful minstrel show by the
Chanters and Fife and Drum Corps
Orchestra of Damascus Temple,
Rochester, N. T., under direction
Of Noble w. Stanley Hawkins.
of the national court of
the order who were present last
night are w. s. Brown, royal direc-
tor; Louis b. Winsor, royal TRACE
dian; Esten A. Fletcher, royal prop
erty man; c. w. Cummins, royal |
impresario; w. e. Joseph. royal
treasurer; o. w. Burdats, royal |
eoubrette; Shirley Chrfsty, royal
light comedian; Edward S. Keefer, |
royal heavy man; Preston Belvin, |
royal leading lady; Richings J. |
Shand, royal judge; George Finer, |
royal high constable, and Ernest G. |
Hueter, royal stage director.
Organized Aboard Steamer.
The order had its inception, I
largely at the instance of Imperial
Potentate James S. McCandless, in
1911, on the steamer Wilhelmina,
in the middle of the Pacific ocean,
on the return trip from an imperial
council session at Aloha Temple.
The order was formed largely to
perpetuate that voyage and the
first annual meeting of the court
was held in Atlanta City in June, |
1918. The number present at last
nights banqnet was SIT, the |
largest in the orders history.
!. > A banquet for the ladies Of the
members of the order was held at |
the same time in the dining room |
of the Raleigh, $50 being present.
The entertainers at the two ban.
quets included Charles b. Hanford,
Stuart and Lillard, the Gladding I
sisters, Mr.. and Mrs. w H Ken
nedy, Albert Warsaw, and the |
Rubenstein Ladies Quartet.