The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-12-21
/" What People Think of Ma
sOmPy."

To illustrate the impression that ma
sOnry makes upon the minds of the n
initiated, Brother w. B. Smith narrates
several incidents which, may interest our
readers. He says:
zone evening afterdark, inthe month
of May, 1860, I was walking through the
capitol squarein Raleigh, when afemale
voice seemingly addressed itself to me,
said:"
"Can you tell me, sir?n
81 turned and discovered a woman
sitting bare-headed upon the ground
near the walk through which I was pass
ing. 1t had been raining, and the posi-
ton and appearance of the poor creature,
as | looked down on her indistincttigure
through the darkness, told me in melan-
choly mrteness that she was an escaped
inmate of the lunatic asylum near the
city, or worse still, she was merely a
hopeless living personificatiOn of 'one
more unfortunate,' of whom Tom Hood
tells us in such mournful numbers, and
against whom the door of human pity is
so often closed forever. [ should have
been less than human, had not myheart
been touched by her appearance, and |
inquired kindly what was the Informal
ton she required. Can you tell me-
she continued, where l can find a ma
sOn?' Yes, madam Ireplied. WELL
she resumed, please direct me to his
house, and tell me, if you can, some of
the masonic secrets, SO that I may lay
some claim upon his compassion, for
none will help me now, and they tell me,
perhaps, the masOns will"
"AnOther time, in the year 1868, [ was
travelling through the State Of Georgia.
BY some mishap, the train was thrown
from the track, down an embankment
eight OF ten feet high, and amid the roll
ing over, and smashing of engines and
cars, several persons were injured-some
seriously, and a fireman and four pas
sengers were killed. Those of us who
were so fortunate as to sustain nothing
more than slight hurts or a few bruises,
set to work in relieving as quickly as
possible neutrality-suspicious. who were
suffering most. While removing a
wounded lady and her child from the
wreck, Il gentleman caught me by the
arm, and called my attention to a poor
fellow who was jammed between the
butting ends OF two cars. He was ma
king q series of earnest gestures, and
was commingling some unintelligible
words with his frightful groans and ejac,
ulations of pain. Werepaired promptly
to his assistance, but, with all the helT
that human power could give, life wa
gone a few minutes after he was extri,
Gated. He was crushed to death. After
the excitementof the scene had subsidized
the gentleman who had previously called
my attention to the crushed man, sale
to me In a quiet, earnest manner, | an
not a mason, sir, but can you not tell me
if the gentleman who was crushed be
tween the two cars was a mas0n?'
81 replied, I expect he was IF h
were not said my companion, why die
so many to his assistance, when they
! might have saved the lives of some 9th
ers, and while there was such little
chance of relieving him-I tell you, sir,
) and his eyes kindled with a fresh glow
/ tell you there is something as power
: Freemasonry.'
Lately, this year, a Rev. Dr.. MeCar
: ten, a Catholic priest, has been lecturins
? against Freemasonry in W0lyerhamp
ton, England. Thereverend gentleman
= asserted that by time and research an,
one could make himself acquainted witt
the signs of the craft, and that much o
Freemas0nry was as much a secret t
the greater number of its members as t.
those outside the craft, but few rising t
thehigher grades. AmasOn had assureI
him that the higher teachings of Free
masonry We're not known to more thai
: one in fifty thousand masOns. Thes
l three illustrations are sufficient to indi
cate iii q considerable degree the unde
! niable influence which the invisible, in
tangible and untold mysteries of Free
: masonry exercise upon the world. TIL
{ poor woman, the light of whose one
warm heart, the bounding blood almos
| stands still in despair the staid and in
telligent Georgia planter, and elHcatet
! scholarly priesthood Of Europe, tire
I distinct representatives of as many an,
widely different classes, all proclaim t
us the irresistible impression that thes
secrets of ours make, ever in, spite 9
themselves and their Voeat50ns, upon tn
minds Of the people.-[Masonic Norl
: man.