Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-10-16

knights Templar. celebrated the s0th
anniversary Of its institution last ave-
ming at Masonic hall in this CITY with
ABOUT ESQ knights present. Besides the
members OF the Wa:ervilIe Command
eTy present there We're many visitors
rom othsr communicates throughout
| Of the order.
Ats o'clock reception was held IN
the past commanders apartments sft.
er which everyone adjourned to the
| nail above, where a fine bs nnuet was
prepared by the ladies' Of the Eastern
| Star. '"' !"
Ihe exercises Of the evening vera
| opened with prayer by Rev. Sir Arthur
w. buckner OF WateryilIe. a selection
was played by the Commander orctcs-
ira which included Sir Max G. CimboI-
lex: leader. cello; Sir Albion w. Blake.
Sionn' Sir william D. Haines. cornet;
Sir Harry s. Halves, clarinet: Sir AL
| bert Prince, trombone; Sir Cecil NJ.
Daggett. organ.
| me presiding officer Of the occasion,
En-. Sir Frank d. Robinson commander
OIL 1T. Omer. made a few introductory
remarks and then introduced Rt. En-.
I Frederick c. Thayer of Waterville. the
| only living charter member Of ST. Omer
Commandery. who gave an address on
| tho rounding of the organization.
Rt. En-. Frank G. Allen of Portland.
grand commander Of the knights Tenn
par or Maine, was the next speaker
ana ne delivered an address in which
| ne spoke OF the aims of the order and
the work that 1t has done in past wears
| Music by the Commandery orchestra
was next on the program. after which
I'm. Sir Charles y. Davis of Water
VnIe' grand recorder. gave n history
OF st. Omer Commandery, which is in
part as follows:
| Az the beginning Of his address Mr..
Davis declared that 1t would be imoos
| siole for him in the few minutes al
I ,owed to give anything like a complete
history or 81. Omer and it's ACHE :e-
mcnts during the past half century.
| lie read list of the charter mem
! pers or the Commandery. OF the -
original members 1T. En-, Sir Fred :
er1ck &. Thayer is the only one liv-
! ing. He said that the commanderv
was Instituted by Rt I'm. Sir John
Baliou OF Bath. and he gave an af
| iectlonate eulogy to the memory of
| the distinguished Knight Templar of
oo years ago. He mentioned that Sir
! Knight Ballou very rarely missed be-
! ing present at any special event of
| st. Omer and he was known as the
/ Godfather of tie order. The result
! was a warm fraternal feeling that
mas always existed between the Sir
| knights of Dunlap Commandcry of
Bath and st. Omer. On the occasion
OIL the 10Th anniversary of the Wa
terVllle Commandery nearly 100
| members of Dunlap came to Wa
. terville In October 1890 and present
| ed st. Omer with an American nag
which has been ever since the ma
! tional flag used at the Asylum and
| in parades
Twice st. Omer has been honored
by performing the work of the order
OF the Temple before the Grand
Commandery of Maine according to
the speaker.-once under En-. Sir
Warren C. Philbrook as commander
when the new ritual was adopted at
the Grand Encampment and again in
1904 when TT. En-. Sir Thayor was
Grand Commander. st. Omer was in
vited to eXemplify the opening Of n
Commandcry before the Grand Com
! mandery and later in the day under
En-. Sir Cyrus w. Davis eXcmplificd
the work Of the Order of the Tenn
pie.
st. Omcr was signaily honorcd In
1908 by having for it's guest for n
day the NJ. f.. Grand Master of the
Grand Encampment of the United
States of America and Is probably
the only Commandery in the State
of Maine that ever had such dis
tinction. NJ. f. Grand Master Henry
w. Rugg came to Waterville and de-
livered an address on St. Johns Day.
At that time there were four Com
MISUNDERSTANDING No. ! of Gardiner
in which body Rev. DR.. Rugg receiv-
ed the orders: Lewiston, No. u,
Trinity. No. OF Augusta and De-
Molay, No. 10 of Skowhegan-the
number OF Sir knights thus con-
gregated being over 1000 and the
parade Of the day ending at the
BAPTIST church where Rev. DR.. Rugg
delivered his address.
st. Omer Commandery has fur-
nished for the Grand Lodge of Maine
one grand master. En- Sir Charles r.
johnson; for the Grand Royal Arch
Chapter, two grand high priests. Sir
knights George w. Goulding and
Charles r. Davis: for the Grand
Council Of Maine. three NJ. l. grand