Former Illustrious Potentate George Filmer was a key figure in the decision to establish the order.Ī native of San Francisco, George Filmer completed his collegiate career at age 14, at a top-ranked military academy in the early 1880s. Wilhelmina in 1911 while on a pilgrimage to the Aloha Temple in Hawaii. With the guiding philosophy-"Mirth is King”-the Royal Order of Jesters was established by Shriners aboard the S.S. George Filmer and the Founding of the Royal Order of Jesters In these ways and others, Florence Pretz’s smiling imp lives on in American culture. At about the same time, Saint Louis University adopted it as their logo and mascot, apparently as a good-natured poke at the school’s football coach, John Bender, who resembled the Billiken. In 1911, the founders of the Royal Order of Jesters declared it their mascot during a trip to the Honolulu, Hawaii. The Billiken craze was short-lived, but the figurine has lived on in a number of ways. More than 200,000 Billiken dolls were created by an American toy company in less than a year. Pretz’s inspiration for the creation is lost to history, but in the early years of the 20th century, the figurine with the pot belly and the goofy smile became wildly popular. In fact, the happy figure was patented in 1908 by creator Florence Pretz. Even so, these organizations still maintain the careful attitude toward the use of this important symbol.įor more than 100 years, a small, pointy-headed figurine known as a Billiken has been used to symbolize good luck on postcards, figurines, and even as the mascot for the Masonic Shriner fraternity known as the Royal Order of Jesters. For example, the Royal Order of Jesters symbolizes its commitment to fun and laughter with a coat of arms that features the comic billiken and the famous comedy/tragedy masks associated with theatre. Today, it is more common to see a coat of arms used by organizations not linked to the military. A coat of arms might be passed from father to son with some slight changes to make clear that the new generation had taken over. The most common use was among knights, who would wear a specially made tunic or emblazon their coat of arms on a shield so they could more easily identify their allies and enemies. Generally, this included a “charge” – an image in the center – and other features such as a wreath and a motto. This practice continues a tradition that was started to identify individuals, usually during battle.Ī coat of arms is a collection of symbols that uniquely identifies the bearer. The 50th "Golden Anniversary" annual meeting of the National Court took place in 1967 in Washington, D.C., in the Washington Hilton Hotel.While a coat of arms often conjures images of Medieval times, many organizations, such as universities and the Masonic organization known as the Royal Order of Jesters, still use them. In 1933, the organization instated an Emeriti Membership policy for National Court membership and Life Membership after 25 years of participation in a subordinate court. The following year, the organization began acquiring charters for its courts and grew to include 51 courts and 1,329 Jesters nationwide by 1925. In 1917, the entity formed a National Court to synchronize its affairs across all court locations and held its first national meeting in 1918. In 1911, the year of its formation in Aloha Temple, Hawaii, the Royal Order of Jesters incited 13 local courts in San Francisco and Oakland, California Butte and Helena, Montana Seattle, Washington Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and other locations. Incited with the singular purpose of facilitating happiness and good humor through theatrical performance, the organization maintains the motto of "Mirth is King." The International Royal Order of Jesters presently owns a museum in Indiana that displays items and lore relevant to its formation and development, along with some items that reference historical figures known for their use of humor, including William Shakespeare. The Order operates with the objective of remembering to laugh and celebrate accomplishments. Comprising many local courts throughout the nation and one National Court, the entity selects a maximum of 13 new members annually through each local court. An organization first formed more than 100 years ago, the Royal Order of Jesters maintains affiliations with the Freemasons and selects new initiates from among members of the Shriners in good standing.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |