The Glenwood post., 1923-06-21
Uncle Ted's Bed Time Stories
Current Events for the Children
and Grown-ups, Too
UNCLE TED ATTENDS
SHRINE CONVENTION

"Well, it is time for you children
to get in the house and get ready for
bed now," said Jacks mother.
"When can we play out here in the
yard if we can't play in the daytime
because it is too hot and can't play
at night because it is bedtime?" asked
Ruth.
''Never mind about that, Ruth" an
swered her mother. "Uncle Ted is on
his way up from the station and 1
know he VIII tell you a story. You
can sit on the back porch where it is
cool, and when the story is finished
it is off to bed with you both.
"I don't mind coming in if Uncle
Ted tells us story" said Jack.
"You don't, eh?" said Uncle Ted
as he came into the room. "My, I'm
glad to see you. Just as soon as I get
washed and get bite to eat I will
tell you something of my trip"
It wasn't long before Uncle Ted and
his two little chums We're comfortably
seated on the back porch and Uncle
Ted began:
"You see, kiddies, I have been to
Washington where 1 attended the
Shriners' convention and incidentally
roasted to death and then 1 went to
New York and from there back home.
The Shrine meeting was really won
derful. Famous Pennsylvania avenue
was lighted all the way from the Cap
itol clear past the White House with
thousands of lights hung across the
avenue in festoons President Harding
who is a Shriner, was on hand to help
receive the visitors. He wore his fez
on the first day of the meeting when
he stood in the big reviewing stand in
front of the White House and ac-
knowledged the cheers of more than
100000 men who marched through the
avenue, where at that point it had
been made into n garden-in fact it
was the Garden of Allah The day
before, he spoke at the dedication of
the Zero Milestone, stone erected
just south of the White House to
mark the hub of all our highway sys-
TEN. After that he made beautiful
talk when a little house built near the
Treasury, a replica of the boyhood
home of John Howard Payne, the au-
thor of Home Sweet Home was dedi-
Gated. This marked the opening of
Better Homes Week in America 1t
was an odd contrast to watch this
scene. Here was a pretty little home,
with vines growing over the door rep
resentative of the real American home,
erected in the midst of a great city
and surrounded by thousands of visit
ors from practically every state in the
Union and from Canada.
"You kiddies would have enjoyed
the hundreds of bands marching in that
hig parade, the fireworks and the beau
tiful floats in the two night parades.
Truly, Washington, the capital of the
nation, was converted into a real
Mecca The quiet everyday life of
Washington was completely eliminated
and in its place rollicking, fun
making crowd of good natured Ameri-
cans enjoying their capital as no
crowd has ever enjoyed it before.
"Now there are two or three things
I want to tell you about that conven-
tion because they prove some things
of interest to people who may not be
at all interested in the Shrine, which
is secret organization in which only
its members participate directly. OF
course all the people got the enjoy
m mt of the parade and the music.
Zone thing / want to tell you is
that this was the biggest convention
crowd ever gathered anywhere in the
United States, and the capital Of our
nation took care of the crowd without
any trouble whatever. The railway
companies laid down miles of tempo
rary side tracks and switched Pull
man ears on those tracks and visitors
occupied them while they were in
Washington. There wasn't single
ira delayed. That shows how our