Wilmington expositor. (Wilmington, Del.) 1831-18??, 1831-11-04

Itnc purpose OF the order, IN the ceremony oi
imposing them? Can it be good? 1t is GER
tainly such as can be accomplished only by
men Invested of all sense Of accountability.
The less of this sense the better, for all the pur
poses of fraud and crime--and the more of il
the better for all the purposes of integrity and
virtue. These are truths which nobody can
gainsay. All the history of piety, on the one
hand, and of sin on the other, asserts them.
They are obvious to the common sense of all
men. This proceeding of freemasonry is there
fore obviously in hostility to good morals. 1t
is more than that. To take such an oath de-
Iliberately and with an intent to perform it, is
an attempt at the voluntary extinguishment Of
the highest rights of the soul, and complete
foreclosure of the source of every duty. It'll
Il mot possible to imagine more aggravated
crime. Rape, murder, treason, may be repen-
ted of, and their perpetrators reclaimed. But
to forego the rights Of knowledge and volition,
IN regard to every proposition, which can be
offered to moral agent, amounts to despe-
rate erasure of the image of God from
i the breast. 1t would necessarily preclude
repentance, reformation, pardon, hope; and be
death in its most unutterable horrors. Itwould
1be as much worse than common suicide, as the
value of the immortal spirit is greater than
that of the corruptble body.
In the degrees, higher than the Royal Arch,
the members swear to oppose the interest, de-
range the business, and destroy the reputation,
OF unfaithful brethren, through life,-to prefer
the interests of a companion of the order, and
of companions friend, for whom he pleads,
to those OF any mere man of the world, in
matters of difference submitted to them-ne-
yer to engage in any mean party strife. nor
conspiracies against the government or religion
| OF their country, whereby their reputation may
suffer, nor ever to associate with dishonorable
men, for moment, EXCEPT it be to secure
the interest of such person, his family, or
friends, to companion, whose necessities re-
quire this degradation at their hands-to follow
strictly every command Of the Illustrious
Knights and Grand Commander, and especi-
Tally to sacrifice the traitors of masonry.
| Have these points of masonic obligation any
political bearing? All the rights of man are
founded in his moral nature. 1t is the inten-
ton of free government to secure him in the
possession of these rights. Whatever is hos
tile to good morals is therefore opposed to the
Ilcivil policy of freemep. We have seen large
numbers of the most intelligent, wealthy, and
respectable freemasons in New York. deliber-
ating in their lodges and elsewhere. on the
means of suppressing written disclosure of
their secrets, BY one of their number--we have
seen notices of a slanderous character, stimuli
taneously printed, a few days before the seizure
and murder of Morgan. i'll newspapers hum
Idred miles apart, warning the public against
the designs of the author of this disclosure
and especially directed to the masonic broth.
lerhood-aoout the same time we have seen
! lmasons set fire to a building prepared by them
with peculiar care for sudden combustion, be-
Icause it was supposed to contain this disclosure
5 in manuscript--we have seen them employ {
masonic printer, who was stranger and ar
I alien, to go into the Office where il was print
ling with the offer TO aid in that work by labor
and money, for the sole purpose OF stealing thu
= manuscript--we have afterwards seen then
; kidnap the writer of it, carry him hoodwinked
: and bound, with the greatest secrecy and eau
c ton, through great extent of populous coun
: try, to fort of the United States-unlawfull,
u and forcibly imprison him there-collect to
y gether in frequent deliberations upon the mean
d of his final disposition-communicate Will
in this situation, with several members OF
q chapter of their body, then numerously atten
&c ded in the neighborhood-an resolve unani
Is mously, though with painful reluctance, on til
gl part of some, that their masonic obligation
IS Required them to murder him; not for any o.
A. fence against the state, but for the sole caus
y lof his attempting to publish the secrets of til
I'd order, which he had lawful right to do, an
~ (which, considering their character, he wa
o. bound to do, by every consideration of priva
n, morality and fidelity to his country. On Il
to night Of the 10Th of September 1926, they a
lat cordingly murdered him. To this fearful col
to summation none were privy, but those who hs
lot as masons, sworn to assist each other, right
les wrong, and to conceal each others murder ar
'x- treason. After the murder, all the precautit
err possible was taken for concealing it; but tn
rst not being wholly successful, and legal pros
cutions being threatened, the criminals fir
the ouentIy met and consulted together, for the
rst mutual safety. The most influential amo
of them Insisted. that if called BY the legal a
On rhorities of our country to testify, they o
lis, and all must swear they knew nothing of
wv matter; otherwise they would be forsworn