The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-20
CROWDS LONGEST. BUSINESS STREETS TO SEE SHR|NERS
Thousands of Wearers of Red Fez March In
 Parade
,Continued from Page one)

tContinued from Page OneD ma gnlficent and vast. eight feet from plumed snako to top boots, strode Sam Foley, of Pratt City, drum ma jor of the band. easily the most spectacular human in Dixie Thursday. Brobdignagian in his fmmenSlty shimmering in crimson, gold, purple and white satin, the towering noble, dressed as he was, alone. could have turned the tide at Flodden Field or Bannoek Burn.
 Inspired by he great figure lead ing them. the two score and ten mu- sicians made Birmingham throb with their music Gold and blue predom mating in their uniform, had the mu- sicians remained silent, the sight oi them alone would have been inspir- ing.
 Anlthe. scintilatine mass of color in which crimson and dark green dcnsEted the eye. ligh- nf ste4', keen of bILld. drilled to fsint fraction of a whisper came Zan.cfL3 patrol. every man an athletic marching with a r'iiitdry precision that would have biCugnt the tears Df joy r9ll;ng from ne eyes of drIll mdStcr.
 Th" pate Himself Arpeurs. Twenty paces later. alone faultless- ly groomed in evening dress. slen- der, elegant, the acme of dignity, came the illustrous Pote, Ernest Matthews, and in his support pha- 1 lanX of gentlemen, who now and in bygone years had born upon their well groomed shoulders the weight of responsibility for the welfare and de- velopment of the most respected and loved secret order the world has known. Past potentaes of Zamora, incumbent potentates of Zamora's sister temples, they formed the van 1 guard of the great army of Shriners, their red fezzes and crimson ties ac- centuated by the unmarred black of their dress suits. There was so much dignity. breeding and worth about them that unconciously ripple of applause followed them almost ali along the line of march
 In vivid contrast to those who hs.d gone ahead came the Zamora degree team, heavy shouldered, big arnped, small waisted men in khaki sack suits, their latent power and muscle boding little happiness for the army of neophytes that later appeared. Two hundred strong. these execu- tioners came silent, morose. jaws set. all seemingly thinking of the work that was before them when the shadows would fall to shrohd that which was to be and could not be avoided.
 Whoever planned the parade was an artist at heart. for each section threw the one ahead and the on. that followed into startling con = trast, for right behind the grim de- gree cohorts there came the Zamora chanters serge coats and white flannel trousers, debonnaire gen- tlemen with music in their hearts and voices.
 Eyes followed the passing chan ters and they surely held attention. left FN, l, next section. and few there were who did not gasp and start as the splen- didly trained brass band oi Abba temple, Mobile, took all unaw1re with the thunder of their drums and gold en tones of their instruments, in full play without a seconds warn ing. Listeners felt their cheeks tin gle with the swelling hrob of 1t, unconsciously men held themselves more erectiy, and women caught their breath. It was music, the real | thing, the sort men pay four dollars Abba Patrol In Perfect Step.
 In perfect step wilh their band came the Abba patrol, gorgeously uniformed in Shrine colors, keeping their alignment fsultlessly, eyes front, soldiers to man and drilled to razor edge. And with them marched the Mobile contingent. Nobles of Abba temple, come to do honor to that temple almost as close to tbeir hearts hs their own. Hun dreds of them, alert. clean-cut. brohzed fellows from the gateway to the Gulf.
 frour abreast, five feet apart, each cJpped with the fez that means so " uch to Birmir gham. came the main f'ody representing Zamora temple. Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the
 Mystic Shrine. each man. perforce, thirtysecond degree Masons or a Knight Templar. and like every other man in the parade wearing the fez
 that means that the wearer has been ! accepted as gentleman among gentlemen and a man among men. | Hundreds of them. thousands, block after block they stretched each hav- 1 ing in mind what the day means to Zamora, to Shrinedom, to Masonry. for the upbuilding of the Southland
 and the glory of God.
 And following the ?rst corps of Zamora nobles came that unit in it's | kindness to which Birmingham pays itself greatest complainant and stamps itself as Christian com munity, the band of the lonely little chaps out at the Boys Industrial
 school. Heads up and the shoulders back, putting their hearts in the work, the youngsters who are being 1 recreated into valuable citizens made the business section ring with the rollicking rythm of a march
 O O Q
 Here Come The Candidates.
 The scene shifted as the green clad youngsters passed in review, for fol- , lowing them came men with whim- sical expressions on their faces and white robes about their persons. the lowly neophytes. the would-be Shriners. the dismal, downtrodden and luckless candidates. At route step. kept in line by snappy. wasp waisted. sergeant-looking Nobles. who shot out commands at them
 Theirs is the hour of darkness, they are the central figures of the spec tacle, they are the reason why. be- cause but for them the parade would have been without it's motive
 In time to come they will get their turn, but just now they are taken by and large. easily the most expect antly unhappy mortals in all the land.
 1nterspersed among them are black gowned figures, the flower of a new humanity that has blossomed in Masonry; men whom the doctors say
 ii is not wise tOO herOically fo ini =