The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-05-04
Grafton of J. B. Rice. Esq.

There have been in times past men who, self.
deluded by religious fansticism, secluded them
selves from their fellows and vainlv sought life
of purity and sanctity in deserts and lonely
places far away from the habtations of men.
But these have been rare and exceptional cases
where men cowardly tried to fee from the vices
Of society, but succeeded only in running away
from its virtues
These men never accomplished anything good
for the world or for themselves
Depriving themselves of the stimulus which
society gives to the heart and mind, their moral
and mental faculties were undevelOped. The
fountains Of their hearts became dried up, and
their very souls persisted out of them before their
sluggish existence was half DONE
Man cannot isolate himself from his fellow
men. He is by nature social, and so constituted
that it is only in society,-only in the perform
ance Of the duties which the various relations of
society impose upon every one, that he acquires
the full development Of his mental and moral
faculties. This social principal in man is Q law
of his being from which he more escape
than he can escape from the laws Of gravity.
Nothing has ever been done by isolated indi-
vidusl action. All of the institutions We have
to-day, all that We have that is good, beautiful,
or valuable in government, morals, philosophy,
literature or art is the result of associated action
Men have never accomplished anything in the
past and they do not nor attempt to accomplish
| anything of Importance except through some or
ganization by which their action can be made
cooperative.
Among the various organizations which have
tended to civilize and enlighten mankind secret
societies have been by no means the least import
ant. Indeed, the most casual glance at their
history will show that the ancient civilizations
were almost, if not wholly. developed through
the agencies of secret associations ... NJ.
If we travel back in history through period
of nearly four thousand years to that wonderful
people who dwelt on the banks of the Nile we
shall find them celebrating their mysterious
rites in the sacred precincts of the Temple of
| Isis, and in the heart of the Pyramids around
the sarcophagus of the murdered Osiris Sym
bolized in these mysteries their history, the
principles of their government and religion, their
arts, sciences and literature, and it was while
passing through these mysteries that the initiate,
by symbols, allegories and the lectures of the
Priests and teachers, received his education 1t
was the invariable custom of the ancients to del.
fy their great men, and following this custom the
Egyptians placed Osiris and Isis in the heavens
where as gods they were believed to watch over
and guard the destinies and welfare of the ma.
ton.
But if we strip them of their divine attributes
these two imposing figures in Egyptian mythol-
ogy will appear simply as two human beings
who by the force of their genius, intelligence
of the wild, savage and untutored barbarians
who surrounded them taught them to cultivate
and prepare the fruits of the earth and gave them
| the industrial arts For the Egyptian historians
say that prior to the advent of Osiris and isis
the earth was filled with darkness, ignorance and
| savagery.
They appeared. laid the foundation Of civil
government, established religion and law, organ
lied society and gave them civil order. And
IN, ,,o<it
had founded. and to transmit to pOstcrity a
knowledge Of their principles, they established
| these mysteries, through whose agency were
moulded and developed the minds and character
Of people who, for nearly fifteen centuries
swayed the destinies Of the world, and of whose
greatness the mighty ruins of cities, temples and
monuments, thickly scattered for more than a
thousand miles along the banks Of the Nile,
stand to-day mute but most impressive wit
nesses.
Egyptian civilization gradually spread along
the eastern shore of the Mediterranean sea into
Asia, aud along its northern shore into Southtr m
Europe. And in ancient Greece we find the
mysteries Of Orpheus, the Cabiri the mysteries
of Samothrace and Phrygia and the Elensinian
mysteries, all of which had wide and powerful
influence in the formation Of the governments,
religion and literature Of the Grccian States.
The most important of these secret associations
the Mysteries Of Elensis, were introduced into
Greece more than thirteen hundred years before
the Christian era, where it hourished unintcr-
ruptedly for eighteen hundred years, when they
were abolished by Theodosius the Great.
In this society no distinction was made be.
tween the rich and the poor, and all persons of
both sexes, barbarians excepted, might be iniated
into these mysteries. No test was required ex-
cept that the candidate must possess an unblem.
ished moral character. ..-
my at or n loru
portion of the people Of Greece belonged, includ.
ing nearly all of her statesmen, philosophers
poets ami orators. The ceremonies or mysteries
as they were called, were performed with great
splendor Mt the cost of the State and under the
superintendent Of the magistrates, and the
most terrible punishment was visited upon those
who wilfully or accidentally revealed its mystic
ries
Although the mysteries or secret societies we
have named differed very much in their forms
and ceremonies and in the manner Of their cele.
bration, yet they had many things or objects
which were common to all Of them.
In each of them u part of the ceremonies seem
to have been thanksgiving to the gods which
had given to mankind the agricultural and in
dustrial arts. Another part of the ceremonies
seem to have represented man in a state of bar
barism and his progress to civilization, and the
benefits derived from civil government and the
duty of the citizen to the savage Another part
of the ceremonies appears to have represented the
life of man from infancy to old age and the ben
efts Of virtuons hfe and the disadvantage of
vicious life in this world, and the rewards I, be
received for the one and the punishments to be
inflicted for the other after death. Whatever
may be said of the superstition OF the ancients
these societies seem to have been admirably
adapted to unite the rude, warlike and barbarous
tribes Of IN early age and guide them along the