Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1844-01-06


could not force, and yield you an homag
that wealth could not purchase.
The badges of our. order have bee
the subject OF remark by the uninitiate
and the enemies Of Masonry. And tn
finger of ridicule has been pointed 6
them. That soul must be stepped in is
norance and prejudice, and of calibe
immensely small, indeed, that cannot SO
that there may be good reason, yea
& necessity for these. What insttutiol
is there, either human or divine, tina
hath not its badges and its emblems?-
From the aSth chapter of Exodus we
learn, that God himself deemed il neces
sary that Aaron and his sons, who were
consecrated 10 the priestly office, should
wear badges upon their persons. Go
wretched caviler, abolish the military
uniforms OF your country; 60 derde the
sIar-spangled banner; wi pc out its stripes
and It's stars; pluck from its folds the
American Eagle, under whose wings our
Harrisons, our Jacksons, our Greens and
our Washingtons, have led the soldiers
Of freedom 10 battle and 10 victory:-go
and do all this, before you venture to
ridicuIe badges as useless. In no insti-
tuition that has ever been devised by man
have there been more significant and ap-
propriate badges than those Of Masonry.
And this is we'll known to all who are
initiated into the mysteries Of our order.
Masonry has been charged with being
an institution dangerous 10 socie,y-dan
gerous TO liberty. And the reported tra-
gedy which produced tho Morgan ex.
citement few years since, has been ad.
duced in support of this charge. But
suppose that all which has been said
about that affair be true; and does it ne
cessnrily follow, that Masonry should be
abolished as dangerous institution Is
an abuse Of it, in one single instance.
BY misguided members, sufficient to con-
denim it2 If so, what institution is there
that must not also be condemned! Even
the religion Of the Saviour has been
abused-pTostituted TO purposes the most
bloody and abhorrcnt 10 its nature.
Who ,ha, has read the history Of the
reign Of Queen Elizabeth, Of England, |
without shedding a tear of sorrow for
'ho fate of the hapIcss Mary, Queen of
Scots? Circumstances, which often de.
eide the fate Of monarchs. had driven
her from her homo and from her coun
"y. Having no other place of refuge
from the storm Of civil commoton which
threatened her, she sought protection in
the domlnions Of her relative, Queen
Elizabeth. "Like one escaping from
she sought safety on the first
shore that presented ITSELF" And from
this fact, "her claims and her person
were but the more sacred" But Eliza.
beth, disregarding all these circumstan
ees of the unfortunate; disregarding
those tender feelings of humanity which
the ties Of consanguinity imposed upon
her, deprived Mary of her freedom, and
consigned her person to the gloomy
walls of prison. Nineteen long and
tedious years of captivity had rolled
away into the great ocean of the past,
when the council Of Elizabeth, demand
her blood; and this too under the pre-.
tence that "the security of the establish
ed religion, and protestant succession TO
the throne," require it, Her death
warrant is signed. The Lords Of Eliza
beth's council arrive at Fotheringay Cas-
tie and inform the hspless captive, that
she must prepare to die. She laws her
hand upon her Bible, and her only re-
quest is, that she may be allowed the
attendance Of her confessor. But, even
This consolation and support in her last
hour, is denied her; and in terms of
and OF insult. The shades of
night have gathered around. She bids
her weeping attendants farewell, and
'noels in prayer to God, perhaps, for
hose who had dccreed her death. At
midnight hour, when no eye beholds
# pities her, save the eye Of God, she
minister's to herself the holy sacrament,
which her Protestant enemies, profess