Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-02-27


No hing orgalzetion of the wo,l6 history, i may
ne lntei tey TO note 1t with snse degree pt psEr
,c'ilarity. Ne snail 6ld the erisr 81 The Star
Spangled Banner YVES consti .Ii.ed upon the plan
OF the esis!Eia and time w.ll b chshly pros its
workioysio be about as well calculated as those
Of rs parent 10 advance TIE Interests Of the ie-
man Face. We haze .ad lie Eeusinisr nystefifs
were political that they were nyented estabiis'--
ed aud supported sy the Legislature is argued from
tue place vi their CT gin, which was Egypt, "iie's
al religious worship was formed ard proPoga'e'
by statesmen and directed 10 lsoasct e1'ss 0sees'
tie sages icls 5royqht item ont IF Egypt ana Pfor
,,oqgte3 them IN Asia Greece ard Britain aoere on
kgs o.. bcisIatoTs because according 70 me-" o'tg'
nal ,fiufsin neither slaves nor foreg'es, ico hoa
NO c,nce,Yi 40 property no country, refe oomfLed
iafo thin: iecause an institution winch taught the
necessity Of str;c. and holy life. must De the In
yelton Of L legislators, TO w.iose scheme virtue and
the prospect OF immortality were SO necessary;
ana hence they were actually of infinite to the
State aid finally, from the express testimony Of
Plutarch who, in his Treatise of ISIS and Osiris,
ascribes them 10 this original However, these
mysteries, in process of tire greatly degeneraed;
one Of their corruption seems TO hare been TIE
season ia tehicl tsy tcers performed and tie pro-
found sseresy observed IN them for The NIGHT gave
opportunity 10 a0icked to attempt evn actions,
and tie Secresy encouragement 10 pefpetrates them
Another cause of their deprivation was their be-
ing sometimes under the patronage of those delles
who were supposed to inspire and preside over r.
regular passions, such as Bacchrs, Venus, and Gu
pid; to which Wsrburton adds, the hierophants
withdrawing himself from the care and inspection
of the civil magistrate Such was know-Nothing-
ism
in Thebcs' streets three thousands years ago,
When the Memnominm was in all us glory.
And time had not begun TO overthrow
Those palaces and piles stnpendous,
Of which the very ruins are tremendous
Like its descendant of our day, it pretended to the
accomplishment of great and noble ends 1t pro-
posed:
l. To attend TO the perfection Of civil society
2 To inculcate the doctrine of a future state OF
rewards and punishments.
3. To root ont the error of polotheism, or the
principle of the unity.
The real object however, of the EeusiniaRs, is
apparent at glance. They were self-righteous,
purtapical exclusive set who believed the soil of
their native lands to have been consecrsted by
their birth: they had no sympathies in common
with the human race; despised and treated as dogs
all strangers; and banded themselves as a secret
society in order that they might make serfs of the
great majority Of their fellow men. Like the
Kuow-Nothings, they believed foreigners had "no
ike them they operated in view ofthe viest poEti-
cal ends like them, they became corrupt as hell in
all their Vaccinations; Ike them, they met in the
night, which gave opportunity to wicked men to
attempt evil actions
For the accommodation of these ancient Egyp-
tan worshippers, temples were specially constructed
through whose solemn gloomy subterranean aver
ues heather priests, with grips and signs, and in
describaby horrid paraphernala Of every variety,
moved about by day and by night, inspiring in the
mind of every visitor, by their own presence, and
by hleropyphio paintings and sculptures, feeling
of despair, terror, and yeneration. In many in
stances dark and gloomy caves and grottos, better
suited to the conceslment of crimes than the cele
bratiou of political and religious mysteries were
selected by those that minisered TO such deiteS rs
Bscchus, Venus, and Cupid.
Like the Know Nothings, those who deriyeda any
of the bene6tsof the Eeusinisn mysteries were OBJ
lged to be INITIATED" to take certain number Of
degrees, and to subscribe TO horrd oaths that they
would never, on any condition whatever, diYuge
| their monstrous secret. people were only brought
partake Of these ceremonies by degrees; at first
| they were TO be purified then admitted 10 the
lesser Eeusnis and at last initiated into the great
er. Those who were yet only at the lesser. were
called DIyste' corresponding with that class in
the Know Nothing lodge known as ,latfr0t fool;
land those admitted 10 the greater sP0ptae, or
| epkari l. E. inspectors" corresponding with that
branch of the Know Nothing fraternity recognized
| as cuitic9tsd or graduated fools They were
usually 10 undergo probation or i've years, be-
| fore they passed from the lesser to the grester-
| Sometimes, indeed, they were contented with a
single year immediately after which they were adj
mitted to the most secret religious parts Of the
| ceremony. When any person was initiated, he
was introduced by night into the temple, after hsv-
! ing his hands washed at the entry, and crown CT
myrtle put upon lin. Then was opened box,
| containing the laws Of Ceres, and the ceremonies
/ Of her mysteries = which the initiated person was
to read and transcribe. A slight repast succeeded
this ceremony, after which, the mystic entered in
to the sanctuary, over which the priest drew the
| veil and then all was instantly in darkness. A
bright light succeeded, and exhibited to view the
statue OF Ceres, magnifcenty adorned and while
| they were attenuvely contemplating it. the light
! again disappeared and was succeeded by profound
| darkness Peals of thunder, and flashes Of light
| ming, and thousand monst Gus figures that were
perceived on all sides in the midst of the sanctuary
filled the initiated with CONSERVATION and horror
| but the next moment a calm succeeded and there
appeared in broad day light pleasant meadow in
which all seemed to dance and participate of mirth
Amidst this olity and mirth, it is said the tenet:
| Of tie mysteries were revealed"
| TO BE CONTINUED
| Ynodern Indiana State Sentinel publish