Wilmington expositor. (Wilmington, Del.) 1831-18??, 1831-10-07


Germanyor the Inquisition of Spain, and ought
Ito be extirpated without delay, by the use OF
lall the peaceabe means which the constitution
and laws of our country furnishes. am fur
tther sure, that in our country, it is but neces-
sary to establish the fact of the existence OF
such society, to insure its humiliation. /
But, gentlemen, although your resolution
asks of me no pledges or promises, yet the
name and style of the Convention from which
it proceeds, Anti- Masonic Contention, may be
considered both by yourselves and our fellow
citizens, at large, as necessarily involving by
implication such promises and pledges and it
is therefore proper that should be perfectly
open and candid with you, that there may be
no misapprehensions between us, and that you
may be able to disembarrass yourselves att
once, by changing your nomination, If you'll
| find that you have acted under mistake inl
passing this resolution:
| You must understand, then, if you are not
ALREADY apprized of it, that in very early life,
| was myself initiated into the mysteries of
i Free Masonry. | have been told by Masons
THAT nv eyes were not opened, because l never
took the Masters degree: but my curiosity
never led me thus far-and, although, soon
discontinued my attendance on lodges, (not
having entered one even from curiosity tor
{ more than thirty years, believe) it proceeded
: any thing criminal in the Institution, or any
E thing that placed its members, in the slightest
, degree, in collision with their allegiance to
: their country and their laws. On the contrary,
having been before my initiation, assured by a
e gentleman in whom had implicit confidence,
e that there was nothing in the engagement
c which could effect either nay religion politics
/ (Which | considered as comprehending the
lie whole range of my duties. civil and religious,
ST and as extending not to the first degree only
j. but to the whole Masonic ordeD and being
,e further informed that many of the most illus.
Z trious men of Virginia, with General Wash
N ington at their head, belonged to that order
i. and had taken the degree of Master. | did moi
If believe that there could be any thing in the in
i stitution at war with their duties as pataiots
10 men and christians nor is it yet possible FOL
10 me to believe that they could have understood
pf, the engagement as involving any such obliga
of tons. | have. thence forward, continually re
at garded Masonry as nothing more than socia
ID and charitable club, designed for the promo
at ton of good feeling among its members anc
" for the pecuniay relief of their INDECENT breth
o. rem, have, indeed thought very little abou
he lit for thirty years. 1t dropped from my mint
ID so completely that do not believe should
v have been able to gain admittance into any
IN lodge all strict in their examinations, where
If l should have to depend alone on my memory
n and so little consequence did attach to it,
\, that whenever Masonry has been occasionally
re introduced as subject of conversation, have
" felt more disposed to smile than to frown.
lie Thinking thus of it, nothing has more sur.
10 prised me than to see it blown into consequent
as ces in the Nothern and Eastern States as
sc political engine, and the whole community ex
~ cited against it as an affair of serious i,npor
a. tanee. / had heard, indeed. the general rumo
III, that Morgan had been kidnapped and YER
se probably murdered by Masons, for divugin
he their secrets; but l supposed it to be the &C
MS of few ignorant and ferocious desperadoe
ch moved by their own impulse singly, withou
or the sanction or knowledge of their lodges; an
N thus thinking, have repeatedly and continue
tic Is, both in conversation and letters of friend
n ship, spoken of Masonry and Anti Masonr
set as filter subjects for farce than tragedy. an
mt have been grieved at seeing some of my friend
it'll involved in what appeared to me such will
o. and bitter and unjust persecution against S
FIJI harmless an institution Free Masonry.
me have thought and repeatedly said that cor
ms sdered Masonry having no more to d
he with politics than any one of the numerous club
in humorously celebrated in the Spectator
of and that with regard to the crime in Morgan
to it was quite as unjust to charge that G
Sc; Masonry as it would be to charge the priva1
70, delinquences of some protesting christians G
led christianity itself. Thus l have thought an
ia thus have continually spoken and written
his my private letters to several of my friends.
his was not until the period of your assemblin
Of here. that on the occasion Of friendly Wis
The from one of your members. and my taking II
Ter liberty TO rally him the excessive zeal whic
est had been excited on an occasion so inadequate
be that he placed before me detail of some
~, the proceedings on the trials of the conspir;
oftors against Morgan:-when, for the first tim
,ur / saw the Masonic oaths, as established by tt
ch testimony both of adhering and seeding Nj;
,se sons on the trials in New-York, observe