Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-11-07
Stot1O JAr0uo.
THE PROPOSED BAN ON SECRET soc1E-
TIES.
What Universalist Clergyman Has to Say
About It

TIES.
What Universalist Clergyman Has to Say
About It.
Most OF our readers will rememb Der that at
annual meeting Of the Western Tract and
Book Society of this city, on last Monday,
proposition was introduced TO anathema-
tise, so far as they could, all secret .eties,
whether they be tor socisl, charitable, politi-
cal, or oher purposes. After creating quite
huobub in that usually decorous body OF
Christians, the resolution was Emothered
under g substitute, which, like the parlia-
mentary substitutes, evsded the question and
left both conIesting parties in the enjoy
ment of their opinions until the next meet
ing when it should come up again and have
to be fought over oncs more. In view OF
the attitude that was then taken By some OF
the most ultra reformers, the Rev. Mr.
SpauldIng, pastor of the First Unlversalisr
Church, last night preached a sermon, an
noaneing as the subject of his dlsoourse
Our Secret Societies Better than our Ex-
elusive Churches"
The Reverend gentleman chose for has
text the somewhat trite one from ST. Pau
on Charity: Faith, Hope and Charity
these three, and the greatest Of ell is Ghari-
ty.' After reciting something of the cir
oumstauces under which the discussion took
place, and the way in which it had its ter
miuatiou, the Reverend gentleman said that
of the many secret Organizations that had
their existence in the world he would only
select the three Whio1 were most promin-
emily known to Us here, namely, the Masons
hq Rail- ba of
Snce. He believed that while the rituals OF
these Orders might De unknown to tie pub
lie, their aims and objects we're well known
asd we're scarce less Important to the world
than the Church itself. The first of these
principles was charity, and charity in its
broadesI sense. He first spoEe Of Masonry.
The objects Of that institution were chsrits-
Die, and he believed tbs world was better
tor its existence. Masonry had dried more
tears than it ever produced, albeit the tears
that 1t I'D produced we're usually those Of
gratitude and joy.
The charities of this Order we're free and
voluntary. They were bestowed without
being blazoned forth to the world. They
remembered the sick, and sooIhed the
afflicted. They buried the dead, and they
often supported the widow and the orphan.
When living in the East, q case bad come 70
bis notice wherein q Masonic Lodge hso
buried man who had died in poverty, and
for years taken care of bis family, and edu-
Dated his children. until now one of them
was in Harvard University. Such Cases
we're by no means rare either, and were in
fact but the outgrowsh Of the principles Of
The Order.
Odd-feiIowship, he said, was similar in it's
objtcts to Masonry. Its charities were as
extensive aud The good it accomplished Ess
Of corresponding nature. The attention
that was paid TO the sick and afflicted by
members of this Order was enough to put
the churches to shame, II member was
sick there was no trouble in securing for
him kind attention, and if poor, for his tam
lily an ample support. That support was
not stinIed either, aud as often as more help
was required II vas given freeley and with
out STINT.
The church, on the other hand, or At least
the exclusive branches of the church cling
ing to their rigid cseeds, their thirty -niue
articles tteir ciose-communIon, subslst on a
mythlca morality instead o. pracucal works
of charity. They make tee substances ct
their religion e shadow mirage instead
Of reality. They would try to save the
world by tnTeatenlnqs ADD by FIRE They
make their converts by these Instrumental
ties Instead OF praeliciug the more emi
nent Christian viz ues of love aud charity
and kindness, they choose rather TO frlgbten
the world by threats of everlasting punish
ment. The be did not claim vas al the.
preached, out it was the most prominent
part. They might far better tsks the prsc-
Iices of these societies whom they denouuce
for an example.
He oos,d with an eloquent sppeal for
freedom OF thought in Religious malters, and
Il plea for The truth of the doctrines OF the
Christ an denominations amoug 4hich he
was worker - Cincinnati Enquirer an