The major resemblance-if any-of the Mystic Shrine of North America to any possible or near-proto-type existing in the Middle East from ancient times is in the selection of the names for its Temples; in its glamorous pageantry; in its colorful ceremonial and parade costumes and trappings; and in its return to early history for its ritualistic lessons.

We know that the co-founders of the Mystic Shrine of North America were great showmen, actor BILLY FLORENCE and Dr. WALTER M. FLEMING. These two Masons did most of the preliminary work in founding our SHRINE ORDER. Dr. FLEMING came up with idea of an organization to which only Masons who had completed their Scottish Rite or York Rite work would be eligible to join. He desired that it would be both impressive and amusing - something in which good fellowship would abound. Actor FLORENCE came up with the vehicle to create this playground for Masons after viewing a musical comedy at party given by an Arabian diplomat. In August of 1870 they put together a ritual and concocted the name:

ANCIENT ARABIC ORDER NOBLES of the MYSTIC SHRINE!

Thirteen members of the Luncheon Club in New York City formed the charter membership of the first Temple  MECCA TEMPLE at a meeting on September 26, 1872 in the Masonic Hall, 114 East Thirteenth Street, New York City. The second temple to receive a charter was DAMASCUS TEMPLE in Rochester, NY on June 7, 1876. It was decided to set the charter fee, with Ritual for new Temples at $50 and $10 annual dues, and minimum initiation fee of $10. During 1876 another temple was granted a charter; MT. SINAI in Montpelier, VT. In 1877 charters were granted to CYPRUS TEMPLE, Albany, NY; SYRIAN TEMPLE, Cincinnati, OH; ORIENTAL TEMPLE, Troy, NY; and AL KORAN, Cleveland, OH.  The order grew and in 1888 12 new Temples were added. By 1892, Shrine membership had risen to near 23,000.
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In 1899 all but seven of the 78 Temples were engaged in charitable work. At the 1906 Imperial Council Session, with membership passed the 100,000 mark and with near $88,000 in the Imperial treasury, $25,000 was sent to aid sufferers in the San Francisco earthquake. In 1915 a uniform headdress was adopted, a red Turkish Fez with black tassel and the name of the Temple along with a scimitar and jewel of the order including the sphinx head and star. By 1918, Shrine membership had risen to 259,113; and Temples had purchased nearly a million dollars of Liberty Loan Bonds to help the war effort and donated $110,453 to the Red Cross. In 1920, the Shrine took a stand on public education, going on record as favoring the free and compulsory education of American children in public primary schools supported by public taxation. In 1922 membership had reached 511,000; and steps were taken to copyright all shrine emblems and insignia.

At the 46th Imperial Session, 1920 in Portland, OR; a resolution was presented by Imperial Potentate W. FREELAND KENDRICK to establish the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children. The first assessment of $2 per capita was levied upon the entire membership.  Since 1922 when the first Shriners Hospital opened in Shreveport, La., every patient who has been treated at a Shriners Hospital has received the finest medical care possible, totally free of charge.  

Shriners Hospitals for Children -- also known as the "World's Greatest Philanthropy" -- have been in existence for more than three-quarters of a century. Through the years, this network of 22 pediatric specialty hospitals has been responsible for improving the quality of life for more than 600,000 children under the age of 18.

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In their first 76 years of operation, the 22 hospitals compiled the following statistics:

• Shriners Hospitals have treated more than 
  600,000 children
• Shriners Hospitals have spent more than $4.15 billion operating their 22 hospitals and approximately $892 million on construction and renovation for the hospitals.
• Nearly 95 percent of construction costs have been spent since 1979.

In 76 years, there have been:

• 601,814 operations performed
• 7,360,141 X-rays taken
• 899,454 braces and prostheses applied
• 5,497,890 outpatient and outreach clinic visits
• 12,710,611 physical therapy treatments provided

While numbers alone -- as impressive as they are -- do not tell the entire story about the tremendous history of Shriners Hospitals, they do point to the success of the Shrine's commitment to helping children.

• For 1999, the overall budget for all Shriners Hospitals totals $490 million
• The operating budget totals $419 million, including $22 million allocated for research
• The capital expenditures budget totals 
  $71 million
• More than 95 percent of the 1999 Shriners Hospitals operating budget will be used directly for patient care and research at the hospitals

In 1998, there were:

• 34,469 new applications approved
• 174,385 active patients (year-end 1998)
• 250,792 outpatient & outreach clinic visits
• 24,784 hospital admissions -- 21,781 admissions for orthopedic care, and 3,003 admissions for burn care
• The average length of stay for 
  orthopedic patients is 7.3 days

• The average length of stay for 
  burn patients is 8.5 days

Throughout their 84 years, Shriners Hospitals have not been just hospitals, but places of healing and caring, where patients and their families find hope -- hope for a better and more productive life ahead