Maccabee Day A Big Success

Saline Gave a Hearty Welcome to the Visitors

MOOREVILLE LADIES WON

Prize Drill - Ann Arbor Tent Gave a Fine Exhibition - Several Addresses Made

The village of Saline was crowded to overflowing Thursday of last week with the members and friends of the Washtenaw Maccabee association, gathered to enjoy the annual celebration. The keys of the snug little place were given to the visitors and good cheer and good fellowship reigned supreme, with a lively program of events to keep the crowd busy and happy. The most distinctively Maccabee number on the program was the drill contest held on the school grounds at 4:30 o'clock and witnessed by a large crowd, composed of a big proportion of the Maccabee element of the celebration. Arbor Hive, captained by Miss Grey, and furnished with music by the Ann Arbor Knights Templar band, entered the lists first, and for forty minutes held the attention of the on-lookers with their intricate evolutions. On the retiring of Arbor Hive, Arbor Tent, which won the first prize of the Great Camp of Michigan in 1890, marched upon the drill grounds, headed by Captain Krapf, and proceeded to give such an exhibition of marching and counter-marching as is seldom given by a Maccabee tent. The tent was frequently cheered for its excellent work, and the wish was generally expressed that one or more other tents could have entered the contest, that comparison might have been made of the men as well as of the ladies. Mooreville Hive followed the Ann Arbor Knights, and under the leadership of Miss Ada Davenport they executed a complicated series of maneuvers so skillfully that they were given the prize over Arbor Hive. The program of speeches given in front of the Harmon house at 3 o'clock was somewhat curtailed on account of the slight rain that was telling, but the talks were most interesting, notwithstanding. The words of welcome to the visiting tents, hives and non-Maccabee delegation were happily and gracefully said by Frank E. Jones, of Ann Arbor, "It is needless to say," said Mr. Jones, "that we give you welcome and invite you to make yourselves entirely at home with us today. The village is open to you, and the keys are in your hands." The second speaker was Major N. S. Boynton, the Great Commander of the K. O. T. M., who said in part that the Maccabees are a robust organization; that in fact men and women must necessarily be strong, mentally and physically, to become Maccabees. It is a pleasure to attend such a gathering of Maccabees, and one can not help but think that it is a good thing for every one present to be here and see and hear his brother and sister 'Bees. After taking part in such a celebration everyone will be better and nobler, for the influence of a mass of one's fellows is to broaden and deepen one's sympathies. "A great many people told me when the Maccabees were reorganized," he said, "that we could not live without a big reserve fund, but we have grown so that we now have 103,000 men and 65,000 women, and still we have not found need of a mountainous reserve. Don't trust your officers with any more money than necessary. Don't trust even me with money, although I have handled over $25,000,000 for the Maccabees and have not misappropriated a single cent." Mrs. Burns, the Great Lady Commander, said that it takes more than rain to keep a woman from talking, but that, however, on account of the discomfort her audience were suffering from the rain she would abbreviate her speech. The women's branch of the Maccabees is only 12 years old, but has paid out over $1,500,000, and has transacted all its vast business on a per capita tax of only 50 cents, so it has earned a right to the title of economical. Hon. Charles E. Townsend, of Jackson, spoke on "Modern Fraternity," saying that fraternity is one of the most potent formative influences in modern civilization. "From fraternity," he said, "has grown memorial day, hut this is not fraternity's greatest achievement, which is that it leads us to look after the living. Don't save your love and sympathy until the object of it is dead. Post mortem praise does not cheer the departed spirit." Edward J. Jeffreys, of Detroit, limited his speech on "Take Hold and Lift" to telling a story and bidding his hearers "take hold and lift" in Maccabees work. The last speaker was Dr. Emma Bower, Great Lady Record Keeper, of Ann Arbor, who told of "The Lady Bees of Washtenaw." Dr. Bower spoke of the great work that has been done by the Lady Maccabees of the county, and closed with an appeal to her hearers to continue and increase their efforts in behalf of the order, for to stop means to retrograde. A procession formed in the morning in front of the school and paraded through the village in the following order: Marshal Fred Jerry; Clinton band; speakers of the day in carriages; Ann Arbor band, Arbor Tent; Myrtle Degree team, of Detroit; Chelsea band; Manchester Tent; Whitmore Lake Tent; Unity Tent, of York; Saline band; tableau float; Acme Tent, of Saline. After the parade Myrtle Tent degree team, of Detroit, gave an exhibition drill, after which the County Maccabee association assembled in the local Maccabee hall for the annual meeting. The afternoon was occupied by the speeches and the drills, and in the evening came a balloon ascension, band concert, fireworks and a fantastic parade by the Ypsilanti Knights, who were in burlesque costume. The celebration was in every way a great success, for which much credit is due the officers of the association and the local committees, of which the chairmen were: Transportation, Frank E. Rose; finance, George Nissly; program and entertainment, Prof. F. J. Tooze; games, Samuel Josephine; decoration, A. M. Humphrey; parade, W. D. Cornish; advertising, Fred Nissly. The next annual meeting will be held at Ann Arbor, and there will be a midwinter meeting, some time in January, at Chelsea.