Holly Springs gazette., 1845-07-26

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30 fearful. so awful, that the soul ever re-
fused 10 sustain the body through Inc
whole of that dread ordsa.. reason some.
times fed forever. and sometimes death IN
its most bideous and ghasfiy lorna. closed
the eyes OF the candidate upon the dreaa
spectres which sailed HIM. The Brah>
min, the 3 Iddhite. the Mithras extended 0
yer every PrincipiIi,y. and Province and
Kingdom of Asia and effected a icdgsment
even in Northern Europe. The land OF
Osiris and Isis was land Of mysteries.-
rhe Pyramid and the Pillars. the Obeiisk
and the Statues were but the creations o; a
race of men, whose very being is mystic
ry. Within the gorgeous temples OF the
Nile the sculptured statue OF HarPocrate
pointing to the Sphynx. warned the EgyPs
tian from the dreaded mysteries within
Even the Sacred Books were but symbols
and enigmas, and painted moral. known
to bu; few, yet blindly and ignorantly ad.
mired by all. The echo of her mysteries
was caught from Egypt upon the shores oi
Numidia, was whispered through the ier,
tile Mocaranga. and was re-echoed from
the cliffs of Caffraria. Nor were these U
rental mysteries the beings of day, but
the minds of men 4 fearful ard resistless
sway. Indeed. the embers Of the mighty
fltme which they famed are still warm
with hea'. and at the base Of their fallen
atars may be found even now their sad
and disconsolate devotee.
Even here are the evidences of ancient
The mural antiquities around
US, the symbo!ical and hIeroglyptical
character upon the ruins of Mexico, Guat-
emaia and Chill, tell of race of men,
banded together by words and signs for
great and noble purposes,-as extended as
this mighty Continent and as jealou. OF
as the architects of the: Egyp
tian Pyramids. Their signs and symbols
have passed to the tomb of forgetfulness.
and the ruins of time have eaten even the
name of the builder from out 'he monu.
ment of his fancied Immortality. Let US
look at Europe, and its history will tell US
that the time never was in which these so.
cieties existed not. Tho early Grecian
embraced them. and their history furnishes
nothing more celebrated or magnificent
than the feast of Eleuses. This Pagan
rite was as secret In Its character as our
own. The most solemn aud fearful oath
was administered to the applicant. that he
would forever preserve lnvioiable the se>
crets of the order, and instant death was
the threatened penalty its infeactiou.-
The Candidate was compelled TO purify
himself by bathing in the waters of the l.
Iisses. by prayer, by sacrifices, but above
all by living in strict confluence for a pre-
scrlbed period of time. That tins was de.
1o,ed to an investigation of the puecepis
and doctrines of the order. The ceremo
1y or initiat ION was at length performed
N the Eleusian temple at the dead hour of
midnight. Visions were seen. and voices
IF an unearthly kind were heard. A sud
len splendonr dispelled the darkness of the
olace, and disappearing imedimateIy ad
led tenfold horrors to the gloom. Appari-
ions. claps of thunder, Earthquakes, and
'pectres heightened the terror and amaze.
r,eut, ~~hiiss, th.oue5hosst sh sdr-.d ssA-.i
If that fearful initiation, was heard the
.alm voice Of the Priestess reading the
nyste, ious volume, and enjoining the me-
;essity OF eternal secrecy. None but A.
henians were suffered to embrace them,
out so great was THEFT reputation, that even
princes and kings petitioned for citizenship
with the sole hope OF initiation. Tue
naughty Roman also bowed to the magic
IF a rite. The claims of the Tessera were
and scrupulously was fulfill
ID the mystical demands of the .sname' up>
m the broken white stone, (which no man
snoweth saving he that receiveth IT,
From the dread barbarian of Northern Eu
ope. was borrowed the rites which the
0ruids practised anterior to the English
ieptarchy. Ofall the superstitions which
yer assailec the minds of men. this was
he most terrible and revolving. Hum IN
acrifices were offered upon their altars, the |
polls of war were often dedicated to their |
'riests, and the most terrible and deadly
orture was inflicted upon the man who
ared to invade or reveal their secrets
he man upon whom their disapprobation
I'll. became the ostracized of community. |
nd fled to the mountains and caverns for /
rejection against the deadly persecution of |
ociety. Thither was he followed by his |
ind. and hunted as a wild beast of the for
st, until death relieved him from his suf- |
srings and crowned his murderers with
.mporal honors and promised immortali-
OF JOY and happiness. In the deep
rove OF the forest or the cavenous recesses
the earth. was revealed to the initiated.
nd the initiated alone, the dread myste.
es OF the order. They were never swrit-
n,-but from generation to gene. alton
ere preserved and orally transmitted by
e devotee, the rites and ceremonies which
'ey practised. When these ancient and
assical mysteries disappeared upon the
ii OF the Roman Empire, in their places
ere substituted others of a less refined but
u less bloody character. The Carbona.
aud others Of not less notoriety or altrac.
'n have fllled up the history of modern