Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1846-08-12
aETSCELLANEOUS.
From thcsNe,o England Wash,ngtonian.
SECRET SOCIETIES.

From the Ne,D England Wash.ngtonian.
SECRET SOCIETIES.
This seems to be the age Of "secret So
cie,ies." In some shape or other they are
sprineing up. in every quarter of our LAND,
increasing in numbers and usefulness ana
II hey spread in the same proportion 70
,he next FIVE, as they have done during 'ne
las, five years, there will not oe a 'o"" LII ~
auy magnitude in the country tnal M: T,'
moi rejoice 10 its Lodge" "Ient" OF III
.;o;on - We know that the extraordinary
r-owih aud prosperity ofthese "sectet OF
Ssr.,, have awakened spiri. Of opposl-
non in certain minds, whose greatest OBJ
;eelion after all is natural Tor unnatural,
re know no, which 10 call it1 dread aud
horror of anything which is 'secret.'-
The very name Of ''secre, soeieues never
fails TO arousein the minds Of those good
neople, certain visions Of red hot grldirons,
ehas,ly Skeletons. and monster goats, 10
say nothing Of hotrid vows and blood curd.
ing oarhs. Now we have The honor OF
belonging to ave different secret socle'ies,
y;z "Odd Fellows" the "Rechab'tes,"
,he Sous Of Temperance" a"Temp'e OF
Honor." and last, though not least, the.
.Connu5ial Order" all OF these orders
especialIy the last (of which we have the
honor Of being sometimes ch'et III com
mandy have secrets, ,wo or ihree OF @nicn
we are now about 10 unfold. lhe nrs' 10
,he case oil young mechanic, who joined
the Sons of Temperance about 3 months
soo. He was then 10 good health and
condition., and bid fair to live as long as
his neighbors; his initiation fee was three
dollars. He had been a tnemoer but one
iit,le month. when; by accident. ne recel-
we'd an injury, which in few days result
rcd in his death. He has left young
wife and FIVE small childrente mourn !he
loss Of their chief staff and support. he
was an honesr, temperate. hard working'
iaboriug man, yet The wants OF his grow
iue family had emp,ied his pockets as last
as his industry could fill them, and in aPite
Of his efforts, he died a.poor man. BY the
rules of the Order which he had joined, ne
was not entitled to any benetils unt.l ne
had been a member six months; yet be
diet as we have stated In about one month
after his joiniug-consequentiy ne nor his
family had any claim upon The "secret So
tiety ~, but what did the members OF the
society do under these circumstances! DID
thew avail themselves Of ,heir privilege
and withhold assist ance? No. verify:
But by some hocus pocus. secret maoe
veriug, which the rest Of the world knows
nothing about, they watched him by nighl,
and visited him by day dutihg bis sick
ness. and when he died, they presented TO
the widow the hatidsome little sum OF $50.
We have DO but doubt they were prompt
ed to the gift by some "secret" feelings Of
charity. and sympathy. Another singular
case occurred last summet:. A poor man
was taken sick IN UuioH Street, sometime
in September last /; he tdd'a wife and two
children. A "Rechabiie" e"who was prowl-
ing round, learned that the sick man was
a stranger and in want, and like true
christian. called upnn him, and in course:
of conversation, learned that ne had but
few months before, removed TO this city
from New York, and that be had been for,
merIy member Of the es"Sons Of Ten.
persTce" in the lhtier city. out owing TO
poverty, had not been able to pay his as
sess en,s, and consequently, had 10 legal
claim upon the Order for "sick money"
The .'Rechabile" very secretly" put his
hand into his pocker aud relieved the poor
mans necessities and then made known
his sad case to the .Sons OF Temperance"
in this city. who made a contribution a
noues, themselves, and carried il to the
sick brother. One "Son Of Temperance"
the nnSle hearted Razor Slrop man."
gave the poor man a ten dollar bill on his
first visit, besides several smaller sums at
subsequent periods. The "Sons OF Tenn
perauce" 10 New York we're apprised of
tthe situation Of their defaulled, yet faIter.
inp brother. and sent on ordto1he Sons
in this city, to take alt possible care Of
him, and they (ihe N. Y. "Sons)" would
nav all the bills. This was done faithfully;
the "Sons" Of Boston watched with him.
uursed him. and when the poor s,rnhger
died, they buried him. When the N. Y.
"Sons" heard of his death they sen, thirty
dollars TO the widow please to recollecl
that the deceased brother had no legal
claim for assistance, as his assessments
had not been previously paid. and all The
above named attentions and gils were
voluntary, prompted no doub, by those
.secret" feelings which "secret societies"
go often indulge 10.
We will mention another case, in which
the "berefts" soere legal, and The brother
" as lawfully eultled 10 all the attentions
which he received. We mention this cir.
cumslance, however, only to show some
of The advantages Of belonging to these
"Secret Orders" A young man aged2l
;oiued the 'Rechaoites,' about year:
since in this city; last fall he moved to
New York, where he arrived an entire
stranger, bur soon made himself known TO
the ..Rechabites;S' who; upon the recon-.
a,,;o, of The hreihrpn in Boston. received