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25-477: The fire began on July 4 in the late evening. The flames were first noticed by people attending a Knights of Pythias dance at the Johnson House Hotel. The fire department responded promptly, but strong northeast winds prevented them from halting the advance of the conflagration. The fire lasted from 10:30 P.M. to 3:30 A.M. the next morning, and destroyed over 200 homes and buildings, including 10 blocks in

50-402: A Supreme Being . Maimed individuals were not admitted until 1875. Members are accepted by blackball ballot . A member must be at least 18 years of age, and must take the following oath: I declare upon honor that I believe in a Supreme Being, that I am not a professional gambler, or unlawfully engaged in the wholesale or retail sale of intoxicating liquors or narcotics, and that I believe in

75-622: A charter under an act of the United States Congress . The order was founded by Justus H. Rathbone , who had been inspired by a play by the Irish poet John Banim about the historic Greek legend of Damon and Pythias that illustrates the Pythagorean ideals of loyalty, honor, and friendship that are the center of the order. Membership in the organization was originally restricted to whites only. African Americans formed their own organization,

100-760: A ritual written by Joseph Addison Hill. However, there were other women who favored a ritual written by Mrs. Alva A. Young . Two organizations were organized: the Pythian Sisterhood , using Young's ritual in Concord, New Hampshire on February 22, 1888 and the Pythian Sisters of the World , that same year, in Warsaw, Indiana using Hill's ritual. In addition to the differences in ritual, the Concord group did not accept (male) members of

125-664: A subordinate lodge (or "Castle") are: In 1877, the order adopted an optional rank, called the Endowment Rank, which provided fraternal insurance benefits. In 1930, this department split from the Knights of Pythias and became a mutual life insurance company, later known as the "American United Insurance Company". Finally, members who obtained the rank of Knight were eligible to join the now-defunct Uniform Rank, which participated in parades and other processions. Membership has historically been open to males in good health who believe in

150-494: Is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C. , on February 19, 1864. The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress . The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C. , on February 19, 1864. The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive

175-632: Is a fraternal order with members throughout the United States and Canada. Although affiliated with the Knights of Pythias , they are not an auxiliary group as they have their own charter. The Pythian Sisters provided sick and death benefits to members. The origin of the Pythian auxiliaries for women is two-fold. In 1888, the Supreme Lodge of the Knights of Pythias approved the creation of a female auxiliary with

200-518: Is still standing. The city courthouse survived, being upwind from the flames. The city rebuilt the downtown area rapidly in the following months. The timing led to suspicion that it was related to the holiday fireworks, although the owner of the grocery store where the fire began speculated that it was started by Indians in revenge for a white man beating an Indian woman. A contemporary news account claimed local citizens found red cards with "You have no pity – we show no mercy" written on them in their yards

225-471: Is the motto of the Knights of Pythias. Early in the group's history, when a man was inducted into the Knights of Pythias, he received a ceremonial sword. Such a sword might be given to a Pythian by family members, business associates, or others as a token of esteem. Markings on swords varied widely. Most swords were inscribed with the initials "FCB", which stand for the Pythian motto. Images on swords were also somewhat common, and included: A full Knight of

250-648: The Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation . After a black lodge was denied a charter by the Knights of Pythias' Supreme Lodge meeting in Richmond, Virginia on March 8, 1869, a number of black Americans who had been initiated into the order formed their own Pythian group, the Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia . By 1897, the KPNSAEAA had 40,000 members, with Grand Lodges in 20 states and other lodges in

275-495: The Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia . In 2003, the order had over 2,000 lodges in the United States and around the world, with a total membership of over 50,000. Some lodges meet in structures referred to as Pythian Castles . The initials F.C.B. are often inscribed on the order's swords, lapel pins, and crest. The initials stand for "Friendship, Charity, Benevolence," which

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300-610: The Knights is the subject of Chapter 3, entitled "The Marine Excursion of the Knights of Pythias". Several characters in the book are said to be members of the Knights. In the Marx Brothers movie Animal Crackers , Groucho, as the character Captain Spaulding, reports on his recent big game hunting trip to Africa. He says, "The principal animals in Africa are moose, elks, and Knights of Pythias." Pythian Sisters The Pythian Sisters

325-521: The Knights of Pythias as members, whereas the Warsaw group did. In 1894 the Supreme Lodge ruled that its members could not belong to another organization with "Pythian" in its title, so the Warsaw group changed its name to the Rathbone Sisters of the World , in order to keep its male members. In 1906, the Supreme Lodge repealed that prohibition and the two auxiliaries merged into a new order simply known as

350-637: The Pythian Sisters. Local units are known as "Temples," state units are called "Grand Temples" and the national structure is called the "Supreme Temple," which meets biennially with the Supreme Lodge of the Knights of Pythias. In 1979 the Sisterhood did not have a regular headquarters, but the Supreme Temple offices were located in whatever city the Supreme Secretary happened to reside, which that year

375-573: The Pythian order often inscribed his sword with the image of a knight's helmet with a lion on the crest. Many also carried the image of a sprig of myrtle (the Pythian symbol of love) or a falcon (the Pythian symbol of vigilance). Swords owned by a member of the Uniformed Rank might be inscribed with the initials "UR," a dove, or a lily. The structure of the Knights of Pythias is three-tiered. The local units are called "Subordinate Lodges." State and provincial organizations are called "Grand Lodges" and

400-702: The Supreme Lodges of 1894 and 1895, a number of German-speaking Pythians split off and formed the Improved Order, Knights of Pythias at a convention in Indianapolis in June 1895. The new order was reportedly not very popular, and a movement toward reconciliation occurred a few years later. The Knights are mentioned in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock ; an ill-fated marine excursion organised by

425-544: The West Indies and Central America. It distributed US$ 60,000 worth of benefits annually and had a woman's auxiliary and uniformed rank. The Grand Lodge of Ontario was instituted on April 8, 1872. Rowena L. Rooks composed "K of P grand march [for piano]," which was dedicated to Collin H. Rose, Grand Chancellor, and the officers and representatives of the Grand Lodge K of P of Ontario, Canada. The march sheet music, which

450-575: The head of the organization. Lynette Burnam was the Grand Royal Princess in Arizona in 1968-1969. In 1964 the qualifications for membership included being over 16 years of age, of good moral character , able to speak the English language and be the wife, widow, sister, half-sister, sister-in-law, mother, stepmother or mother-in-law of a member of the Knights of Pythias. Historically, the organization

475-543: The heart of the city of 4,000. Nearly half of the destroyed buildings had been constructed in the previous two years. Observers who had toured Seattle after its recent fire said the Ellensburg fire destroyed more property in less space. Losses were estimated to be more than $ 2,000,000 (equivalent to $ 51,402,010 in 2018). The sole surviving building in the downtown area was the Lynch block. Built by John Nash in 1888 for $ 20,000, it

500-481: The laws of such country. By the end of the so-called " Golden Age of Fraternalism " in the early 1920s, the order had nearly a million members. By 1979, however, this number had declined to fewer than 200,000. The order provides for "worthy Pythians in distress" and has given aid to victims of national or sectional disasters. It runs camps for underprivileged youth and homes for aged members. It has sponsored scholarship funds, blood drives, highway safety programs, and

525-561: The maintenance of the order and the upholding of constituted authority in the government in which I live. Moreover, I declare upon honor that I am not a Communist or Fascist; that I do not advocate nor am I a member of any organization that advocates the overthrow of the Government of the Country of which I am a Citizen, by force or violence or other unlawful means; and that I do not seek by force or violence to deny to other persons their rights under

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550-551: The national structure is called the "Supreme Lodge" and meets in convention biennially. The officers of the Supreme Lodge include the sitting Past Supreme Chancellor, Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Prelate, Secretary, Treasurer, Master at Arms, Inner Guard and Outer Guard. The order's auxiliaries are the Pythian Sisters , the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan , and the Nomads of Avrudaka . The ranks of Pythian Knighthood in

575-621: The next morning. The director of the Kittitas County Historical Museum says the list of possible causes for the fire includes "errant fireworks, insurance fraud, faulty electric lights, striking miners, vagrants displaced by the Seattle fire, disgruntled Native Americans, disgruntled Chinese, even a disgruntled circus that had tried and failed to set up their tent on the edge of town in the high winds that were blowing that day." Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias

600-631: Was in Lonaconing , Pennsylvania . The Pythian Sisters have a youth affiliate, the Pythian Sunshine Girls , started in 1930. It is open to girls 8–20 and has local Councils in Arizona , New Mexico , California , Ohio , Virginia and Texas , with some interest expressed in creating Councils in Kentucky and Michigan . Denise Friend of Albuquerque, New Mexico is the current Supreme Royal Princess,

625-498: Was published in London, Ontario , by C. F. Colwell, c. 1876, was illustrated with the Knights of Pythias emblem and Latin motto Amico Fidus ad Aras or, in English, "True friends are a refuge". In 1892, the Supreme Lodge ruled that the work of the order would only be conducted in English. This upset some members who were accustomed to using German. After this ruling was reiterated at

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