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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1913)
The Omaha Sunday Bee PART TWO EDITORIAL PAGES ONE TO TWELVE PART TWO SOCIETY PAGES ONE TO TWELVE VOL. XT JOT NO. 17. OMAHA, SUNDAY MOANING, OCTOBER 12, 1013. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. 1WW w wen rea a ?L I SSiL. xx ei:o be Hailed AfonavehbV Ones Fellow Giizens of? CotrnnonweaHh NrOW that we, for we understand that this is the term which we must ubo in'' speaking in the fir6b person since the recent coronation, have t been uplifted to the throne of Quivera, our royal word has been passed that we will write a description of the feelings of a newly crowned monarch. Believing that the honor and dignity of the title of Ak-Sar-Ben XlX is as great if not greater than that of the king of England or czar of Bussia, whiqh are mere hered itary titles, secured without consideration! of merit, we believe that we speak with all necessary modesty when we say that we were never so proud of ourselves in our life. It feejis great to be. a king. There are,-1 several "reasons why it is pleasant and egreejfble to be a monarch ruling with power' uriques titoedtirver atfTmpxsrtanfcrealnr One" tnthe" mbst'satis- - J factory advantages we beoanio acquainted with the morri- ing, after our coronation. "When Mrs. Black, forgetting our regal appearance of the night before, reminded us that the ice pan was running over, instead' of rising promptly to do menial labor, we said: j,, "What have we to do with the ice pant, We have a x dim memory of once having been concerned with.,suoh things, but all that is of the past. Summon the scullion." Our Royal Progress Gave Us Splendid View of Hall We rejoiced exceedingly that we were carried to the throne in a litter borne by the six stalwart men, whom all guests at the ball wall remember, for we were ablo to preserve our self-possession to such an extent "that, wo enjoyed to the full the rarely beautiful ceremonies a feat which, we fear, had we been compelled to walk that long distance in the full view of the multitude, would have been impossible. Truly ths ceremonies that night were imposing and! magnificent. The preliminary, including the grand march, in which. all the men who in costume had ridden on the floats in the electric parade participated!, the mel odious announcement of the herald, and the measured ad vance of the twelve governors of Ak-Sar-Benhad aroused keenest interest of the, great crowd! of spectators, among whom were numbered many personal friends, as to the identity of the new monarch. Then realization of the kindness and good will of all these people, and the real value of this, the highest honor to be attained in the realm of Quivera, came to me and I believe-1 experienced somewhat the same sensation as of a man who is eleoted to high office by the votes of the electors rather a humble feeling it is and largely mixed with gratitude that I should be singled, out to be honored from among so many, worthy ones. It was when the triumphal entry of the king was made that the real test of a man's nerve came. As I was carried the full length of the room amid the hand clapping and cheering of the crowds, I fully realize, aa I never had before, what it really meant to, be a king of Ak-Sar-Bon. It seemed to mo that J never heard such cheering, although I realize that the fact that never be fore had I heard the greeting of a multitude meant for me may have had something to do with this belief. Soon I had taken the oath of office at the alter and had been escorted to the throne and was in reality king , of Ak-Sar-Ben. Seated on the throne I LyellsHis Impressions of ihe Condition of JRoya liv and His cfpnsti lions wAileH& wasBeindn4hroned witnoss the balance of the most beautiful coremonj which over took placo at the Bon, in my opinion. Fifty beautiful young dancing girls, followed by the maidB of honor, all clad in Greoian coshnno, preceded the queen, wh6 camo in her royal carriage. This picture, of which tho queen, stately in whito silk, was the central figure, mado an impression on me which I Bhall never forgot. Since these coremonies were followed by tho hearty handshakes and congratulations of both my oldest and most triod friends and now acquaintances, whoso kindly wishes I dooply appreciate, it seemed to me that nothing was loft undone which might have given me more happi ness. Being King ($ver Ak-Sar-Ben Honor Enough for Any Man To bo king of Ak-Sar-Ben certainly means a great deal to any man, for Ak-Sar-Ben is the greatest boosting organization i the western country, This was shown -last-summer, whonthe-irerkiiig'orewat the Doneyer; failed to nppoar .on time, during tha lidttest stinimdr ' i Omaha has tv6r known. We gavo fifteen Monday night shows, playing to audiences of from 800 to 1,600 at a time, when local lodges and other organizations were compelled to suspend sessions becauso they wore unable to get out enough members to make a quorum. As a member of Ak-Sar-Bon from its beginning, nineteen years ago, I ajh in a position to appreciate what those initiatory coremonioB out at tho Den accomplish in keeping up tho interest of Omahans and Nebraskans in the organization and in advertising Omaha all over tho world! all working toward one grand olimax, the Ak-Sar-Ben 's famous parades and tho beautiful corona tion coremonies. Other cities have had their parades at ' intervals and have had to give them up, but thore isn't any question in my mind but what tho entertainment at tho Don, tho feeling of good fellowship out there, where employer and employe moot on equal basis, where ovorybody gives you tho glad hand, where entertainment, musio and lunches await all comers, are what keep Ak-Sar-Ben in the front rank and raako all men, both mem bers and strangers, want to como again and again. In this connection I want to give a word of praise to tho Board of Govornors, who in tho early days of Ak-Sar-Ben had tho foresight and forothought to buy the Den for a permanent home, for no building could bo built today which would bo moro fitted for tho purpose. The value of the work done by these early governors is more apparent as tho years go by. Tho organization has kept growing in numbers and strength and influence all those years. To bo chosen king from among the present Board of Govornors I cortainly consider a very great honor. Some of them have beon kings, and all of them are princes. I sometimes wonder whether the people at large ap preciate the great amount of work done by members of the Board of Govornors of Ak-Sar-Ben. This work costs them loss of time in their own business enterprises and actual expense in money. Yet the members labor will ingly and gladly with had every opportunity tp sF t a single purpose in mind the success of Ak-Sar-Ben. A former member of tho board, who was among the most ac tive of the many live ones, told me the other day that from a monetary standpoint he woull not go back on the board and labor as he for merly did for $2,500 a year, but that nevertheless he re joiced that he had given so much of his time and energy to Ak-Sar-Ben. In conclusion, I want to say that to be king of Ak-Sar-Ben is an honor of which any man can bo justly proud. Hero's to Ak-Sar-Ben XXI May it be the biggest year in ii history.