The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1859-12-16

" NAN'.'afN ~" 'AANNA AANANs
The candidates are then led In. In sin
gle file, each holding To the eoat-tail oil
the other. La total blindness they are
thus marched about the room several
times while the room is lighted brilliant
ly. Allis now silence and grius--exccpt.
ON the part of the candidates, who are
s crnly commanded to indulge in "No lev
ity." They are brought to the chair of /
the Grand Commander, where they arc
asked all manner Of questions touching /
their Fitness to bear arms, 90 swim, % |
march, as 10 the condition of their health, ]
their teeth, &c, &c.--as 60 their moral |
haractcr-whcthcr they have been or |
are intempcrutc-whcth they have over |
stepped the bourds of chastity and so on
In order to yet this information, one OIL
the previously initiated heads the line and 1
stammers out answers u the questions /
and painfully making himself
out a mighty bad fellow. The others who |
are blinded aud can not see, OF course .
hold themselves In honor bound 10 speak /
out the whole truth in such solemn 1
place as they imagine this still 20 bo All
each answer the G., G, says "lct IL be re- |
corded aud the recorder sings out i'm n /
low, hollow tone, us ho writes il down m /
a great book ut has been recorded"
| Notc.-rho records In that book must be |
intcrCsting!l
During these questions the candidates
are tried, to test their ability L, swim,
siug, 90 play the drum or instrumcnts-I
aud It must be- amusing to see stlid, sober
citiz ms lying down face iorcm st upon
the floor, and striking out' a. If swim
ming tor dear lite from Florida to Cubu;I
as well os going through othor tests of
similar ridiculous character. but then,
each man thinks, we suppose, that hc
must do as all good Sons ofMalta" have
done before him, and therefore he goos
the whole figure.
After enough Of the above questions
are asked and answered, the candidates
take another solemn obligation having
reference 60 the conquest OF Cuba, which
Is administered TO them, in their blind
stut'i while each places his hand upon
big book, which is always carried In pro-
ccssion, and which contains nothing but
the pictures oltwo Juckusscs, ono in the
prime ot life aud the other In a rapid de-
cline.
D ahANNf NlllN AllN ANNNlNNAlN NIt ANlu that
they must retire for moment and pre-
pore to go through trying ordeal which
viii severely test their nerves and man-
| hood.
Thoy retire and so ends scene second.
SCENE THIRD.
| The candidates are now brought In
one at time, still blndloldcd Each can
ali |uN taH q III. u. 4
around the room in double quick time be-
tween two guards, and is then made to
run up u steoply inclined ladder compos-
cd Of rollers which are act close together
and which turn under his feet al every
step, and nuke his legs fly past each 9th
er like spokes of run away buggy
when he gets to the top Of this ladder, ,he
lands upon platform, where stands two
more guards, who turn him about and tell
him 10 sit down; no sits down, and they
give him n shove down the ladder over the
rollers. Without any sled he rid this
way to the bottom OF tho ladder, where
he strikes springing bonrd, just as il il
jcrkcd up by two stout men, which sends
him with bound up toward the ceiling
Of the room--as he comes down he IS
caught upon the board in sitting pos.
turc--5ne Of his legs is then pulled about
30 that he is n stride of the board and
in this condition he is carried around the
room in procession Of the members,
while drums and gongs aro being beaten
In most furious munuer.
by this time the candidate, blind as he
is, beg ms TO see through the matter, and
gets scared or rilod, according 10 the
state Of his feelings, but il Is too late TO
stop.
Aftcr taking him round the room on
the board, the 6. c. says, "let the cavern
be opened" and at that moment the
board Is lowered at one end and hoisted
at the other, and the candidate slides
down 10 the mouth Of a large sheet-iron
ylinder-something similar 10 the smoke
stack Of stoamboat-lnd as no slides
down rough voice whispers in his ear,
."Crawl for your lilein following this ad-
vice, he crawls through the thing, while
all hands are pounding on the outside Of
II with sticks; just as he comes out no is
taken again up the steep ladder ofrollors
10 the platform at the top. He is now
told tp stand up, straight, and divest him
self Of all matter that will spoil by com
ing in contact with water While he is
being thus prepared for the water, the
members have got ready u large canvass,
with rope all round il; this is placed be-
hind him, and held outstretched by aa
many as can get hold Of the ropes; as
soon as all is ready, the candidate is
thrown from the platform back upon this
sheet, and away he goes=--up and down.
no sooner down than up again-like
Sancho PanzA tossed in blnnket-until
the members get tired tossing him, at
which time he is let down upon fut-
tress; from which he is lifted back upon
the platform, whore he is set upon the
top roller with his feet directed toward
the bottom; an umbrella without any COW
ering is then hoisted and given to him,in
his leh hand, while in his right hand plac-
ed a cow-bell, and thus ho sails down
over the rollers int a tub, full Of wet
sponges, at the bottom. Here the blinds
are taken from his eyes, and he behOlds
himself surrounded by about fifty persons,
in their shirt sleeves, all laughing at him.
At first the candidate is astonishod, then
he gets angry, and finally he laughs with
the rest, aud becomes a jealous member
of the Venerable Order.
He is then instructed how he is toget
into the lodge. He is instructed to come
!, TO the outside door, sneeze twice and rap
once, at this the sentinel raises the slide
or wicket in the door and the candidate
says "Squi, TO which the sentinel says
"Bob," then both say "SqubOb,n and the
member enters. He then advances to
the inside door where he sneezes once
and blows his nose and raps, at which
the slide is lifted and the candidate say,
, Lager" 10 which the sentinel responds
"Becr," and then both say "Swei Glass,
aud the candidate cntors-proceeds 10 the
center Of the room whera he flaps his
Iftuo nuau hupda ~ fbn g., =. & la Ia..f Al