Manchester Democrat

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
HAVE RED LETTER DAY

SEVENTY-EIGHT CANDIDATES ARE
INITIATED INTO MYSTERIES
OF ORDER LAST SUNDAY

PROMINENT KNIGHTS ATTEND

Big Banquet Marks Closing of Event-
ful Day. Able Addresses are Given
By Visiting Knights.

On Sunday, April 24th, St. Thomas
Council of Manchester held its fourth
Initiation since its organization, which
was splendidly attended by Knights
of neighboring councils.

To seventy-eight candidates the pro-
found mysteries of the order were
unveiled. The degree was directed by
District Deputy, Dr. Thornton, and
Joseph Dolan of Waterloo, Iowa.

The knights and candidates march-
ed, in procession, from the hall to
St. Mary's Church where high mass
was celebrated by Rev. T. Rooney.
who preached the sermon especially
for the Knights. He exhorted and ad-
monished the candidates, as well as
the old members of the order, to con-
duct themselves in their duty in an
exemplary way so that they might
truly be worthy of the appellation
"Knights" and Catholic gentlemen.

The degree was exemplified in the
afternoon by the Waterloo team.

Hundreds of Knights from neigh-
boring councils gathered for the day.
Elkader, Monticello, Anamosa, Water-
loo, Farley, Dyersville, Oelwein and
Dubuque were well represented.

The ladies of the Rosary Society
of St. Mary's parish prepared the ban-
quet at which more than five hundred
were served. The banquet was artfully
and tastily prepared and served with
that same degree of care and skill for
which the ladies have long been noted
and which merited the profuse
expressions of praise by those in at-
tendance.

At the banquet Father Rooney pre-
sided as toastmaster and, in his own
inimitable way, introduced the speak-
ers of the evening.

First to respond was Rev. R. P.
Murphy of Mason City, who sincerely
and forcefully recalled to the minds
of the Knights the lives of
loyal American citizens. He said that
If America ever hoped to hold her
position among the nations of the
world it must be just such a nation as
the great Washington said "a religious
and moral one." He exhorted the
Knights to follow rigorously the teach-
ings of their Mother Church and to
submit to the dictates of lawfully
constituted authority and he said it
would be but then that they would
be a credit to the organization. He
pointed out that in these times that
try men's souls citizens, who were
moral and who would obey the dicta-
tes of lawful authority, were needed to
save this, our great United States,
from collapse.

Following Father Murphy, W. L.
Beecher, a prominent attorney of
Waterloo, in a scholarly and finished
address, urged the Knights to be up
and doing. He told them they had in-
deed won for themselves a name never
to be forgotten by their admirable
record in the late war but he pleaded
with them not to rest upon their oars
but to continue their good work.

E. R. O'Brien of Oelwein, State Ad-
vocate of the order, in his happy way,
spun several yarns that brought fre-
quent interruptions of applause but
before his audience had fully recover-
ed from his strokes of wit and humor
in a thunderous tone he demanded:
"What have you done for the Knights
of Columbus?" He pointed out to them
that they should not be laggards but
should make themselves well posted,
active and energetic citizens.

Beatrice Reilly of Ryan, Iowa, gave
reading entitled "Assisting Uncle
Joe" and her splendid talent was so
delightfully appreciated that she was
compelled to render an encore.

Dr. Thornton of Waterloo, District
Deputy, explained the policy and ob-
ject of the Knights of Columbus Boy's
Club movement and pointed with pride
to the splendid record made by Jim
DeVaney and his Knights of Cascade.

Postmaster, M. H. Kelley, of Water-
loo, in unison with the town clock,
discussed that dignified theme "The
Ladies." Mr. Kelley was in full voice
and distinguished himself as an orator.
We presume that the duties will soon
become too onerous and we know that
Mr. Kelley's pleasing voice may soon
be heard from the Lyceum platform.

That the music was excellent it
is sufficient to say that it was fur-
nished by Donnelly's Orchestra of Ana-
mosa.

The day was ideal and it was un-
animously agreed that the affair, in
every detail, measured up to the high
standard set by St. Thomas Council
in the past.