History of the
Order
The Order of Knights of
Pythias is a great international fraternity which was founded in
Washington, DC, February 19, 1864, by Justus H. Rathbone, and
embraces more than two thousand subordinate lodges in Canada and
the United States, with occasional lodges having been formed
elsewhere. The primary object of fraternal organizations is to
promote friendship among men and to relieve suffering. Each
organization adopts some outstanding principle as its objective.
The individuality of an order is determined by its ideal
sentiment. The distinguishing principles of the Order of Knights
of Pythias are "FRIENDSHIP, CHARITY and
BENEVOLENCE".
It
bases its lessons and builds it ritual largely on the familiar
story of the friendship of Damon and Pythias, who were historical
characters living about four hundred or more years before the
beginning of the Christian era. They were members of a school,
founded by Pythagoras, who was known as the father of Greek
philosophy.
To become a member of the
Pythagorean Brotherhood, certain very rigorous tests were demanded
and applied, some of which are very similar to the ritualistic
work of our order today. The object of the organization was the
moral uplifting and purification of society. Strict morality,
absolute truthfulness, honor and integrity were thoroughly
inculcated in the minds of its membership. It was a maxim of
Pythagoras that the two most excellent things for man were "to
speak the truth and to render benefits to each other" The
outstanding feature of the society, however, was the marvelous
friendship and loyalty which bound the brotherhood together with
hoops of steel, which was so remarkably demonstrated in the
incident which forms the historic basis of our
order.
Damon had opposed the
pretensions of the king of Syracuse, who had gained the throne by
fraud, and as a result he was condemned to death. Pythias became a
hostage for Damon, while the latter was permitted his liberty to
bid his wife and child goodbye. Each was willing to die to save
the other's life. Their loyalty to each other, the adventures that
beset them, and the outcome of this noble friendship, form the
basis for one of the most beautiful stories of history as
exemplified in our ritual.
The Drama - Damon and
Pythias
John Banim, Irish poet and
dramatist, wrote a play based on this friendship, which was first
produced in London in 1821, and has since been staged many
hundreds of times.
Familiarity with the Banim
play encouraged Justus H. Rathbone to organize a fraternal order
on the basis of such friendship. Its first small group of members
took the vows of the new order with their hands placed upon a
pocket Bible that had been given Mr. Rathbone by his mother. This
Bible is still cherished as a treasured relic of the Order, and
many thousands of others have been privileged to become members in
what is known as "Rathbone Bible Classes" the original Bible being
used to obligate them.
Abraham Lincoln and Our
Ritual
The Order began, of course,
during the Civil War, and its founder believed that it might do
much to heal the wounds and allay the hatred of civil conflict.
President Abraham Lincoln, being advised of the contents of the
ritual and its teaching, said: "The purposes of your organization
are most wonderful. If we could but bring its spirit to all our
citizenry, what a wonderful thing it would be. It breathes the
spirit of Friendship, Charity and Benevolence. It is one of the
best agencies conceived for the upholding of government, honoring
the flag, for the reuniting of our brethren of the North and of
the South, for teaching the people to love one another, and
portraying the sanctity of the home and loved ones. I would
suggest that these great principles by perpetuated and that you go
to the Congress of the United States and ask for a charter, and so
organize on a great scale throughout this nation, and disseminate
this wonderful work that you have so nobly started. I will do all
in my power to assist you in this application and with your
work."
The suggestion made by the
President was adopted. An application was made to Congress for a
charter, and the Order of Knights of Pythias was the first
American Order ever chartered by an Act of the Congress of the
United States.
In the Order's ritualistic
work, every sentence has a meaning and every paragraph a beautiful
and inspiring lesson. The flag of the country has an honored place
at every meeting and the Holy Bible is the supreme Book of Law.
The Order does not seek to shape any man's creed, but Pythianism
is the practical application of religious and charitable
principles to every day life. We have a heritage of which we are
proud and our precepts and teachings lead men to higher ideals of
life. We invite like minded men of good character to join us in
making these ideals the dominant factor in modern
living.
Peace Through
Understanding
The Knights of Pythias is
dedicated to the cause of universal peace and is pledged to the
promotion of understanding among men of good will as the surest
means of attaining it.
We believe that any two men,
believers in a Supreme Being, meeting in a spirit of good will in
an honest effort to understand each other, can live together in
peace and harmony.
We seek those who agree with
this belief to apply for membership in the Knights of Pythias and
join us in an effort to reach "Peace Through
Understanding."