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

-. : 1t
The masonic socct, is sometimes comparedlp,
to religious societies, and the members OF y 4
say they are not answerable for the crimes OF
their brethren, any more than church mem
Der, is answerablc for the crimes of his breth- L
rem. Nothing can be more absurd than this. Il
II is the duty of men to associate together Tor a
the worship and service of Cod In this as n
ISOLATION they have no secrets. From 1t 10 d
sex, age, or in6rmity, excludes the honest and P
sincere. The association is for the good OF f
all, and sanctioned by the command of God.
All its measures are taken before the world;
lall its covenants open to inspection before
they are assumed. All men are invited and
urged to qualify themselves by sober inquiry
and holy resolution to become connected with
it. If unworthy members Join it, and after
wards violate its laws, the guilt is upon their
heads; they are expelled, and the churchis thus
purified from their contamination. All the
purposes of the church association are lawful
tmeritorious, and benehcent, and will not coun-
tenance the membership of known and impem
tent sin. 1t is far otherwise with Freemason-
,3ry. Every step in this association is CRIMINAL.
E The declaration of the master Of the lodge to
the candidate for admission, that he is not a.
bout to take any obligation which will interfere
, with his politics his religion, is false; the
bodily r.akedness and blindness of the candi-
Y uale is iHueCCnt' tuC loPS iouAH mo hSSN ~
grades him; the abuse, of the bible and the al
, tar, is shocking; the taking of the oath is with
n out, and against, all authority civil and reli-
gious; and therefore more profane than that oil
: the common swearer; the penalty partakes OIL
: the crminality of suicide and the secrecy,
d Ienioined with much care is irresistible evil
s dence of conscious guilt and shame. These
objections all apply to the first degree The
/, higher degrees are more Objectionable. The
fl whole society was formed and moulded to its
II present shape, without any command OF God,
:. or good men; without any motive but those OF
! slfshness and fraud and every man, who joins
it, feels, that he has consented to an act OF the
Ne vilest self abasement, for which there is no
A. consolation but in his hope, that the folly and
10 sin of it will never be known, except to those,
20 who have shared it. The Entered Apprentice,
II having sworn to keep secret all that he may
Mt aite wards be instructed in and which the So
in cety intends to have kept secret, only because
it means to instruct him in things too infamous
he to be communicated, is prepared to take the
a. oath of passive obedience to his superiors, in
he the Fellow Crafts degree. To this succeeds
s. the obligation of the masters degree, to COM
in nit crimes when they are required by the me-
nd cessities of brother, and to conceal broth
ed er's crimes, when they are known to have been
wv committed These are some of the features
ut of reemasonry-the first but not the worst
as it exists in theory. In practice, it has COM
". mitted man stealing and murder, and trampled
a on the laws enat ted for their punishment; and
an expelled not those who committed those
e. crimes-but those, and those only, who have
lie been Virtuoas enough to oppose their commits
ed sion, and aid an reOeaiing them. to the world.
A. In a voluntary unktrvfM association, everJ mem
en- Der is Justly as7vera6Le far crimes 7vhich the
err principles Of the association incitc him to- ant
-lProtect. And nothing can be clearer, to just
ed consideration. than that, if guilt be any thing
Ter more than the idle fancy OF sick mans dream
he the Masonic society and its adherents are each
he and all OF them, involved in fearful guilt
he Those who sustain them are not less guilt,
en- than they. Peaceful, and lawful and honest
IT. opposition, to al! masons and their supporters
en- is, therefore, not prescription, but the highest
lis duty OF every freeman.-LgoHS C9uatryman
d. We have read with no small interest the re.
ne port OF the trial, at the late Circuit Court il
he Albany, of Jacob Gould against Thurluw
az Weed, for libel, in which Gould recovered
'iu verdict OF $500: and yet the ostcnsible i
DE not real motive for the prosecution. was to pu
OF rify his character and that of the Grand Chap
iP- ter from the poluting stain of SANDER; we dc
a marvel much that he and they should ever have
me suffered the cause to go to trial.
vel In October 1929, Weed charged Gould will
IL having furnished money at least to enable on,
Jul of the kidnappers to escape from ustce.' IL
a this Gould replied through the Enquirer tina
nd he had never received but SioO from the Crane
cit, Chapter, which he had expended in small sum-
as not only ostensibly, but really for Charity
the Notwithstanding the court was extrcmel,
no acute in excluding every particle of testimony
as which he could find law for, and perhaps son,c
which he could not, enough nevertheless wa
leliciIel to starnn the ELll Of NJ NMn.L ~.