St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-01-03


men This morning had the honor
of receiving a very kind Invitation TO
be present here and participate in these
festivities tonight. This invitation
met me with emotions of pleasure.
But hardly had this invitation been OK
tended before it was accompanied with
another, that | should respond in be-
half of your invited guests tQ the sen
timent you have J Sst offered. This
obligation detracted something from
the rising zest of the former. NOT
only 80, but soon there came still
another alloy to the pleasure. For in
stantly, almost, l saw rising before
my minds eye certain terrible visions
with which my more youthful years
used to be terrified whenever the name
Of Free Masonry was uttered.
Tradition, rumor of some years
back, Fame, as Virgil used to call her,
land by the by, he said she was sort
of lying jade, and possibly this may
have been true of her in the days to
which l allude); Fame used to tell us
of horrible ordcals, most trying to I'M
tried nerves and Embraced constitu-
tons, through which the novitiates OF
your order were compelled to pass.
Not only did she tell us of the goat,
and CREASED pole, emblems now at
tributed to more recent organizations,
but there were stories of black imps
from below, of leagues with him OF
the empire of darkness, OF red-hot
gridrons on which, Guatemozin like,
they stretched and roasted their here
tic victims, with many another " Wis.
ion and chimcra Dire well calculated
to fire the Imagination and fix the
memory. So came with little OF
fear and trembling, and as | entered
the doors of your Lodge, instinctlvely
| glanced around me, to see where
might stand this or that object of ter
ror and whence the danger might be
most impending.
But thus far in yor initiation, thus
far in this our first degree, for | sup
pose we are all Free Masons now,
believe we can all most heartily con
cur in the expression that we have
|, found it not at all unpleasant, and b.
no means bad to take as these brok
en- fragments and empty serving plates
before US well may testify. On tn
contrary, We can all agree that w
have found it extremely gratifying
both to the hearing, the seeing, an
the taste and that if we may judg
of the temple by its pOrticO, you hav
: certainly most agreeable institutio
and very pleasant way of dolnj
: things. And now, as you limited m
). to five minutes, and as brcvity is sal
e to be the soul of wit, and having III
. tie Of the latter l may well invoke tn
0 former, permit me in behalf OF my
self, and as / venture to believe in b'
o half of all of your invited guests her
/ present, to return to you the followin
D sentiment:
J. Our Worthy Hosts: The St. Charlie
). Lodge of A. +. and A. MA rigl
! down good set of good fellows, ;
n they have proved to us by what the
i have told us, and by what they ha'
e done for us here tonight For the
e kind invitation, for their generous no
v pitality, for the exceedingly plcasal
s interview to which they have We
s. coined us, we return to them our mo
J. cordial and sincere thanks. May the
h their wives, their sons aud their dang
Of tiers, ever be the joyful recipients
Id blessings and of bountics, cxceedil
ID even If possible that which has cv
to entered into the modest conception
d the most - Noble Grand" of the
re must houie order.
v 4. The Memory Of Warrington.
= A silent response.
in 5. "TAe Red, White and Blue-May the b
!, eyes. red cheeks and white bosoms of Amt
!: ca S daughters ever be to her sons the sta,
~ ard of virtue, honor and patriotism.
no Mr.. James Jackson was called
re respond:
nc Mr.. Chairman, and Ladies and G,
tlcmen Whatever of inspiration tho
X may be in the Red, White and Blu
nc so long an emblem of liberty, as CO
10 bined in the STARS and Stripes "
cs our native land, or in the simple
IL color that hoated over the victorio
Is hosts of Garibaldi on the plains
U, Italy. there is much more of inspi
io ton in these colors as united in
% beauty of Americas fair daughtc
u Whatever Of patriotism we may p
"a scss finds its securcst cnsllrinemt
10 in the home circle, the bright cen
es Of which is the mother, wife, or sistt
Id whatever Of honor or virtue may
Is ours finds its surcst Indictment in
10 teachings of mother, the couns
~ ings of q sister, or the enduring lc
&c of that
lie -" nearer one still,
ly And dearer one yet than all other"
On and without whom patriotism wo,
w scarcely be virtue, honor and ia
~ hardly worth striving for.
There is more power in the ca
gaze of a serene blue eye to still
turbulent passions of men, than
the terrorism Of armies. There
more power in the loving smile Il
wfhaths around coral lip, to her
'e- the arm for the grim warfare Of Ii
u. than in all the shining induceme,
re which fame holds in her tickle clut,
d There is more power in the affcctio
C which centre in the family circle
&c preserve men from dcmoralizing ten
Oh tations and pitfalls of iniquity a
nc ruin which SO thickly stand in our h
AZ man pathway, than in all the instit
"a tions and devices which the ingcnui
of of man can or has devised.
re- We, men, sometimes make the boa
OF full claim to be the Lords Of Or.
IS Mon" and to mould and guide cart
lie mighty dcstinies, but there is "po
SO er behind the throne" which, scar
g seen orsfelt, with supple might, guild
Il. and moulds our will and actions.
Nor reign such Queens on thrones alone,
-" In cot and court the same,
a Wherever woman's smile Is known
va Virtue is still her name:
,r- For though she almost blush to reign:
n Though loves own how'r et wreath the chain
!. Disguise our bondage rs We will